I believe we can change the way we feel by how we think. If we are generally in good spirits, and someone does something mean or offensive, like cut us off on the road, or argue with us about some business issue, we are likely to change from our good mood to a negative angry mood, at least for a few minutes. Why? It is because we started thinking about this bad experience and it changed our attitude and mood.

Ephesians 4:23-24 tells us, “let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

When we open ourselves to God’s guidance and influence, and think about the hope, love, mercy, and peace that trusting God offers, we can change our thoughts which will change our attitudes and we will be renewed by the Spirit.

Dear Lord, we thank you that by keeping our focus on You and Your will, we can rise above the negative, and control our thoughts and our attitudes. When we live with peace and joy, we demonstrate what it truly means to be a Christian. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

One definition of the word intuition is, “the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason.”

Proverbs 3:5,6 writes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

I think from a human perspective, these things feel similar. When we consciously pursue God’s will, his direction comes to us like intuition. 1 Kings 19:12 says God spoke to Elijah in a “still small voice.”

If we are looking and listening, God makes his guidance evident, but often subtly.

Dear Lord, We trust that you are there to guide us. Help us have the senses to recognize your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It has become pretty clear in recent medical studies, that continuous stress is dangerous to our bodies. Not only does it raise our blood pressure, it causes other changes in our system that deteriorate our physical condition. It is interesting that this phenomenon was written about in Proverbs thousands of years ago.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” NIV So how do we eliminate stress in our lives? We can also find directions for this in the bible. Romans 8:6 says, “Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace.” TLB

When we search for God’s guidance, and surrender ourselves to God’s will by following the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can be at peace knowing that the one who controls everything is also helping us.

Dear Lord, help us surrender our concerns to your power, and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance so that we may have peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Discipline is “doing the right thing.” It is usually mentioned when doing the right thing is not what we really want to do at the time.

When we are children, our parents sometimes had to provide the discipline for us, making us do the right thing when we didn’t want to. When we mature, however, we build “self-discipline” where we will do the right thing on our own.

One challenge as we become more mature and self-disciplined is that we become more confident in our own opinions, and become resistant to correction from outside.

If we are following God, he is always there providing us discipline when we need it, and subtle correction when we need that. It is important to keep our minds attentive to his inputs that may come from our conscience, comments from others, Bible studies, or other places.

Proverbs 15:30 says, “If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” We need to look for God’s corrections that will improve our understanding of our situations.

Dear Lord, thank you for providing guidance to help us with the directing our lives. Help us listen for and be open to your correction. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have you noticed how some people are comfortable going along with what others decide, some people are ready to criticize the actions and decisions of the leader, but few want to be the leader; the one who opens him or her self up to being questioned and criticized; the one who is responsible for the group, and to the group for the results.

This phenomenon happens in all types of groups, at work, at social functions, clubs, at church, in our families, and out in public.

When the Israelites arrived at the Promised Land after wandering in the desert for 40 years, God made Joshua the leader. In Joshua 1:6 God told him, “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.”

God told him he was the leader, the final decision maker, and the one responsible for the chosen people, to get them to follow God’s direction, and the one to deal with the complains, criticisms and challenges the people would undoubtedly have.

God’s guidance to Joshua was written in Joshua 1:9, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

For all who lead, I am sure you have had fears, doubts and discouragement. These words to Joshua are guidance for us as well. “Be strong and courageous, God is with us wherever we go.”

Dear Lord, your power exceeds any challenge we could have. Help us rely on your promise, to be with us, so we can be strong and courageous leaders for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.