7 Joy-Robbers. What keeps us from experiencing joy? Many things hinder it, but there are seven things in particular that we all tend to do that will keep us joyless in this life. blaming others complaining dwelling on the past doubting God’s plan for your life needing the approval of others negative self-talk resistance to change….
Where to Turn When Life Gets Tough This podcast is a message from 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18. Introduction ‌PREMISE # 1 – Every person has experienced, is experiencing, or will experience great suffering in this life. Most people do not handle that suffering well. PREMISE # 2 – Every Biblically informed Christian believes…
How can you deal with temptation? This podcast taken from James chapter 1 describes our experiences when we are tempted. We learn from James 1:2-16, that every event in your life is either a trial to grow your faith or temptation that will hinder it. What determines the difference? You do. You choose to go…
Are you experiencing real joy in your life? James 1:2-4 says that we can have joy despite the struggles. That sounds nice, but very few believers experience that kind of joy in their lives. Can we really find joy amid trials? The Bible says a resounding, YES! But how? My Struggles with Joylessness. I have counseled people…
Christian Contentment Podcast show notes Intro Welcome to Lessons for Life, where we seek to learn, love, and live the Word of God. Now here is James Long, Jr. Defining Christian Contentment Well, the lesson I would like to talk to you about today is contentment. There’s this quote that I’m fond of by Jeremiah…
The Problem of Faulty Perceptions Today, I want to talk to you today about the problem of faulty perceptions. Here’s a quote: “If what we perceive or choose to believe does not reflect the truth, then how we feel does not reflect reality.” Let us say I was feeling or thinking that you don’t care…
Principles for Emotional and Relational Stability  Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved – Philippians 4:1 So many people lack emotional and relational stability today. The lack of contentment and peace is contagious. Saint Augustine said, “You have made us…
When was the last time someone said thank you to you? When was the last time you said thank you to someone else? So many people today struggle with a lack of thankfulness and ingratitude. This leads to struggles with complaining, criticizing, and comparing. Gratitude and thankfulness provide a powerful remedy for these problems. This gratitude journal helps us to identify what we should be grateful for and what we do as a result of seeing life as a gift.
Do you struggle with applying the truth that you learn during your study of God’s word? This God’s grace prayer journal will allow you to focus on gratitude and live in contentment in life. The journal pages encourage you to observe what you are learning from the Bible text, evaluate how you have failed to live according to the truths stated, seek forgiveness, and develop godly plans for change.
Do you struggle with the lack of hope? Do you find yourself struggling with doubt and insecurity during times of great challenge? During those times, you need to find your rest and assurance in pondering, personalizing, praying, and practicing what God’s Word says. In the short devotional, spend time meditating and studying each of these passages. Write down whatever comes to mind in the spaces below. And let God speak to you.
One of the keys to growing in Christlikeness in our lives is to unearth and discover, and biblically evaluate our thinking patterns, speaking, and acting. This worksheet will help you be honest and specific about areas in your life that are not meeting biblical standards in thinking, speaking, and acting.
The God who began a good work in you will continue it through your lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face-to-face. God works for us, and God works in us. He enables us to become more like Christ every single day. This work is progressive and continual in this life. This worksheet helps us review and evaluate gains made during counseling and discipleship, show gratitude to God for what he has done, and develop plans for future growth and change.
There probably is not a day that goes by that we do not have some level of conflict with others. This worksheet helps us focus on the problem and not the person. It helps us evaluate how we have handled a dispute and how we should deal with it moving forward.
Do you ever struggle with doing a Bible study or journaling the key ideas from your reading? This Bible Study Note Sheet will encourage you to ponder and meditate on Scripture. Also, God’s Word is meant for you, so this worksheet will help you personalize what you are learning. It will also guide you in learning to pray God’s Word, and finally, it will encourage you to put into practice the principles and promises you find in reading the Word of God.
Anger is a significant issue for so many people. People often stuff or spew their anger, but very few learn to study their anger. This journal assignment will help you to do just that. It will help you understand, evaluate, and respond to your anger in better ways.
Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed with problems? Do you find yourself struggling with thinking clearly during a challenging situation? This four-step approach to rethinking a problem will help.
Problems can seem overwhelming. When we are in the midst of a significant crisis, many of us struggle with defining the problem and implementing helpful solutions. This worksheet helps us to identify three unbiblical and unproductive ways of handling problems. It also encourages us to destroy problems, not people, as we deal with issues in a biblical and God-honoring way.
