How to Live in a State of Joy, Peace, and Love

Life, people, circumstances, the words of others, work... so many things can pull us from the natural state God wants us to be in - a state of peace, joy, and love. 

Last night God wanted to remind me of 1 John 4:18, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (NLT)

I find that I tend to slide into worrying (which is a state of fear). This tendency displays a mindset of wanting to control or "handle" the issues that arise. Perhaps as a child you were taught to solve your own problems, for instance.

But, is that God's view of life and what does all of this have to do with his perfect love? 

Do you understand how deep and wide and full is the love that God has for you?

At one point in my thirties, I read that verse "I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you."(Jeremiah 31:3, AMP). I suddenly understood God really does love me no matter what I have thought, said, or done. 

What does it look like to not only understand this with head knowledge, but to truly embrace it? 

The bottom line is, you matter to God. YOU do! You are not worthy WHEN. You are worthy NOW.

That, in itself, can be a hard concept to grasp and agree with - especially if you have always seen yourself as a driven person. 

Now, let's return to the initial topic. What is running your life right now? What is running your brain? Could it be fear or worry? Could it be to provide the perfect life for your kids or have your house looking the way it "should"?

What would happen if just chose to stop thinking that way. It isn't easy. Your mind is a battlefield, but what you choose to meditate on really does alter your state of peace, joy, and love. When a thought or something comes up, instead of trying to solve the problem yourself, could you take a deep breath and just ask God for the next step? Or if it is an unfounded worry (such as something the could happen in the future, but is not true or real) could you take any Bible verse you know and say it to yourself instead? Replace the yuck with truth. 

Take a step forward with me to choose joy, peace, and love over worry and control. #renewyourmind #changeyourmindsets #youareworthit

What if You Read this Daily?

What if you read the following words to yourself daily? God gave me these words...

I was made for Your glory! 
I have a destiny!
I was made to bring You joy!
I have a purpose!
I was made unique in Your heart!
You will never leave me!
You will never let me down!
Show me where to go and I will run with You!
Your ways are higher than mine.
There is no fear in Your love!

Mindsets -- "I HAVE TO exercise today" or "I GET TO exercise today" - which do you embrace?

Many will say, "I HAVE to exercise" or "I SHOULD exercise."
This approach is a guilt-based mindset. It can lead to exercise, but never to the true joy God meant for us to feel when we exercise.

What if one was to shift away from looking at exercise as a MUST (condemning) and see it rather as a GET TO (joyful, free). Therefore, what about shifting into saying, "Today I get to exercise!"

Applying this mindset shift can be for people who: do not exercise; feel they are in a rut and do the same type of exercise frequently -- feeling bored; and those exercise a lot, but do not feel true joy (exercising out of a sense of duty or routine).

Okay, now how do you change your mindset about exercise?

1. Think about what you used to love to play or do when you were about 10 years old. What types of active activities did you love?
2. Now take one (or more) and think of how to apply them into adult exercise opportunities. For instance, I used to love dancing around in my living room when I was 10. I began by doing low impact dancing (Jazzercise), Aqua Zumba (dancing in the water) and worked my way up to a high intensity dance class (BodyJam).
3. Pray about it. Are you fearful? Do you wonder if you can even do 5 minutes of sustained exercise because you do not feel good or have not exercised recently? Why not just do 5 minutes of exercise? When I first started at Jazzercise, I would go for the first song or two and then leave. That was all I could do. There are many places that are very encouraging and will support you wherever you are at. Look at if from God's perspective -- there is no condemnation in Christ. He is certainly not upset with you. Remember He has never had a bad thought about you and you are His most important. Trust Him to lead you in the journey. Perhaps you are fearful of others seeing you when exercising? Pray and ask God for peace. I find gyms quite accepting of all types. I belong to several right now and do not feel any judgment coming from others. However, you may choose to exercise on your own. Maybe you are able to be self-motivated using a walking app or using a DVD at home to guide you to exercise.
4. As you begin some sort of exercise that reflects your childhood interests, ask yourself, "Am I feeling true joy in your heart as I exercise?" If you are, this is where God wants you to be. If you are not in true joy, then try a different area of interest. Keep trying until you find the one that makes your heart happy!
5. Finally, I just want to speak to the idea that some of us are social exercisers. That means, we love to visit and socialize - exercise becomes a fun way to make friends and interact with others. If you are this type of person (I am), but you feel lost about what type of class would be the best to begin with - please email me. I can help you.

Exercise is God's natural high. To relieve stress, to relax you, to help you feel peace - exercise is a great, great strategy. Also, you will feel more powerful in Christ as you get stronger and improve your endurance!! Happy exercising!