Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 13

Chapter 16 – Live Forever

John 14: 1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

2 Corinthians 5:1 1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

1 Corinthians 15:53-55 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

These are messages of life and joy. We live forever!

When we die on earth, we immediately meet our loved ones who were also believers and we will know them and will never be separated again. Jesus’ resurrection is proof of this.

John 14:19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

John 11:25-26 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

You may have heard the example of an unborn baby warm and safe inside its mom: dreading birth. “I know this place – I don’t know what’s out there.” But the day comes when the baby “dies” out of that prenatal world and passes from a known form of life to an unknown and it would seem like death, since it’s the end of that existence as he knows it. But what happens then? He finds himself in the loving arms of someone who’s been waiting for him.

How silly he was to fear.

Death is simply another birth. Jesus Christ has the truth about life and death. He will help us throughout life and then guide us across to Heaven when it’s time.

1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

Read the Bible, pray and fill your life with love and goodness. Trust in God – His promises are true. You can live your life fully ALL your life!

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 12

Chapter 14 – Self-Confidence and Achievement

The strength of your belief is the key to self-confidence.

Romans 8:31 says “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

No difficulty needs to defeat you. But this must be a humble faith in God, not a bumptious faith in your own power. Faith is the greatest power in the world.

Matthew 17:20 “He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 9:29 “Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"

Mark 9:23 “'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes”

Successful living depends upon acquiring confidence. Practicing faith will free you from your weaknesses and fears, let you see you untapped resources and make possible the releasing of your hidden abilities.

Psalm 118:6 says “The Lord is on my side. I shall not fear” Shift your thoughts from the things that are against you and focus on the vast power that is for you.

God’s will – God centered. Condition your life to His will.

Luke 18:27 “Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Put your problem in the past tense and affirm that God is helping you now. We have to give ourselves to God because when we do He gives Himself to us!

Chapter 15 – Living Above Pain and Suffering

Life can be tough if you have pain. But Dr. Peale says that difficult as it is, pain is not without value. Paul talks about this in the Bible when he says it gives us empathy for others; so we can go out and help them get through what we’ve gotten through. And it also helps us turn to and depend on God.

But Dr. Peale also says you can manage pain a lot with your mind by always picturing yourself as healthy and vigorous. No matter how you feel, keep that picture of yourself in your mind.

Don’t concentrate on the ache or pain or sickness. It doesn’t mean the pain will always go away. His dad had arthritis and told him, “Learn what you can about your disease, know what to expect, learn to do what you can about it and then beyond that just get along with it.”

Sometimes you have to pray for the strength to meet the inevitable with courage. The faith becomes any instrument for getting insight into the fundamental meaning of suffering and for bearing it. In the end, the secret of life isn’t in what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.

The condition of your body isn’t as important as the condition of your mind and soul. There are many stories of people who rose above suffering: Helen Keller, Joni Erikson Tada, Amy Carmichael… You can live a great life within your limitations. Sometimes you have to get along with your pain and focus on other things instead.

Even if you don’t get rid of your pain completely you can lose it temporarily when you become more interested in something else.

There is an enormous power in the human spirit to rise above pain and suffering when the spirit is determined.

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 11

Chapter 13 - How to Feel Well and Have Vibrant Health

Dr. Peale starts this chapter with a short sentence. “Stop dying and start living.” And goes on to say, “And live vitally all your life.”

Either you are growing or you are dying. The secret of growing may be as simple as making up your mind to put the accent on life.

Jesus Christ is not only the healer of our souls, but of our minds and bodies as well. What He did on earth 2000 years ago He can still do. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Dr. Peale says God works in at least 2 ways in healing people: through His servant the Dr. or nurse and through spiritual faith.

The chemical balance within the body is governed mainly by 3 tiny glands: the pituitary and the 2 adrenals. The pituitary is at the base of the brain and the 2 adrenals lie astride the kidneys. Together they weigh no more than 1/3 of an ounce and their principal job is to adapt the body to all manners of stress. If you are cold, the arteries constrict and raise the blood pressure to warm you. When bacteria invades the body, the glands provide hormones to fight it. In severe injury they cause the blood to clot. They increase blood sugar when you need quick energy. They decrease sensitivity to pain.

In today’s hurried up, stress-filled world we’re causing these glands an overload of work! The constant stress thrown at the body eventually breaks them down and arteries harden, blood pressure rises and stays high, heart disease develops and arthritis strikes.

The author interviewed an eye, ear and nose specialist who said 1/3 of his patients had ear, nasal or sinus trouble because of their resentments, anxieties and other conflicts. That he had one man who kept coming in with colds and finally figured out that before every cold he had had a fight with his wife.

Ill will, fear, anger, hate, resentment…. Bad stuff!

He interviewed another man who at the time was the National Country Doctor of the year and asked him what the chief cause of sickness was. The Dr. replied, “Nerves and tension.” Here’s his advice for staying well:

1. Live each day as it comes: don’t worry about next week
2. Learn to live instead of trying to get rich
3. Never remain angry
4. Begin each day by liking everyone you meet
5. Go to church: practice your religion. Really use prayer and your faith
6. Live a quiet, serene life

Another doctor was quoted as saying that 77% of his patients were “draining back into their bodies the diseased thoughts of their minds.” He places religious books and copies of the Bible in his practice’s waiting room.

The people who came to Jesus to be healed had faith that He could heal them and He did.

Now I don’t want to say that the people who aren’t healed who have prayed didn’t have enough faith. Sometimes what happens is part of a bigger plan than we can see now. And remember if that person was a Christian he or she is happy and whole in God’s presence right now.

Look for the good in others. Pray for those you don’t like. And mean it! Also, we must share God’s blessings. We are blessed so we can bless others.

Dr. Peale suggests saying both the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer daily. And to meditate on them. And then during the day send up little prayers of thankfulness.

Stretch daily, move around and breathe deeply. And then remember John 14:27, “Let not your heart be troubled.”

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 10

Chapter 12 – Peace of Mind – A Source of Power and Energy

When we control our emotions we have power. A nervous, excited mind cannot produce orderly thought processes. The author quotes someone who said, “Real power to meet life is developed in those deep centers of inner quietness where the soul and the mind meet God.” Make room for silence in your life. A life with a peaceful center can weather all storms and develop great strength.

This is not a very quiet world. Lawn mowers, airplanes, things that ring, beep and talk to you! No wonder everyone’s stirred up all the time. We are over tense, high strung, competitive people. We’re rushed and get angry. No wonder heart attacks are a major killer.

Even though God can give us peace, we have to DO it ourselves (if that makes sense!) Get in a quiet place. Picture a peaceful place. Like a squirrel hoarding nuts, store up moments of happiness and triumph so that in a crisis you can draw on those memories for help and inspiration.

You can also picture yourself responding calmly to a problem.

And don’t nurse a grievance. Let it go! Dr. Peale says it’s not worth the emotional effort. Live in harmony with God’s teachings and you will gradually build up a strong consciousness to His presence and you will have a peace that nothing can shatter.

He ended this section with a little chart of how to have peace of mind.

1. Conserve your energy: don’t race your motor. Don’t rush! Work, eat and play leisurely. Don’t get overtired at work or play. Be moderate in all you do. Do not take on unimportant, burdensome tasks.
2. Stay calm and serene. The past is past. Do your best today and let it go at that. Do not worry about tomorrow. Most worries never come to pass. Put your trust in God and forget all fear. He has a plan for you and in such a situation – who can be against you?

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 9

Chapter 11 – Lift Your Depression and Live Vitally

British weather forecasts are a little different. A typical one might be “cloudy, rain, fog, with occasional bright intervals.” This, unfortunately, describes many lives too. But, this is one climate we can control.

Depression may be serious or mild. The marks of serious depression are a perpetual sadness, slow reaction of mind and body and bitter self-criticism. And a person suffering like this would need profound therapy. But this chapter is about mild depression, which is much more common. In fact 1 out of 3 people suffer from mild depression. These symptoms are discouragement, loneliness, feelings of inferiority and just getting no fun out of life. These are people who say “Oh, what’s the use.”

An effective cure for depression is the practice of hope. And it’s very similar to what he suggested for joy. Get up in the morning and say, “This is going to be a great day!” If you think and say hopeful things eventually it will force out all depression. Your mental attitude is very much affected by the words you say. (And you have to substitute good thought for bad. Don’t leave your mind empty!)

This section goes on to say we also need body, mind and soul revitalization. Right eating, right exercising, right thinking, right praying, right living. Replace every weak thought with a strong one, every negative thought with a positive one, every hate thought with a loving one and every gloomy thought with a lifted one.

Dr. Peale suggests actually writing down your thoughts and reading them to see if they are creative or destructive. Then go about replacing the destructive ones.

Everyone gets depressed sometimes. Many have absolute despair. But when you let go to God and He takes hold, great things happen.

JC Penney made a great fortune. Then he lost much of it, went into debt and suffered a nervous breakdown. He actually was in a sanitarium. One night he was certain it was going to be his last night on earth and he wrote farewell letters to his family. He felt totally alone and totally beaten. But to his surprise, he was still alive the next morning! He lay in bed and heard voices singing a hymn. He got up and went down the hall and a religious service was being held and people were singing, “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you.” And he thought, “I was reared a Christian. Will God take care of me?” He went back to his room and in a moment of complete surrender gave his life to God. And the fog began to lift. In the days that followed he felt deep joy. Life and zest returned. He started traveling around talking about what God can do for human beings and became one of the most constructive men in the U.S.

So…turn to God. But then care for people like God cares for them. The Bible says love is the greatest. You won’t be lonely if you are really interested and love others. You won’t be bored and alone if you volunteer.

Love and help people and you will be happy your whole life, even when life is painful and hard. Love God and love people – the 2 greatest commandments.

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 8

Chapter 10 – Your Life Can be Full of Joy

Joy increases as you give it. Joy can give you better health and stimulate your enthusiasm. There was a study done by a physician and a writer who found that 35 – 50% of ill people were sick principally because they were unhappy. There’s a curative power in getting patients to find some joy.

The Bible tells us often to rejoice. Joy and harmony are synonymous concepts. When you are in harmony your mind, body and soul operate as one.

How do you begin a practice of joy? How do you train yourself to live in joy?

First, simply learn to think joy. If you wish to live a certain way, think that way over a long period of time. Whether you want to be more calm or more courageous or funnier – it works for anything. Think persistently along the lines you desire and then begin to act on the supposition that you are just that. Act as though you felt the way you want to feel. Wake up thinking it’s going to be a great day and that you are glad to be alive. Think joyfully, talk joyfully, act joyfully and pretty soon you will be joyful!

But it’s not just thinking. You have to do too. If you are determined to improve yourself, your mind must be controlled by you instead of controlling you. The person who is used to thinking negatively may find this hard at first. Dr. Peale suggests they make a list of every joyful experience they’ve had at the end of each day. Then they should think about the experiences and relive them as they read their list.

Instead of thinking in terms of dissatisfaction, discontent and gloom, look for the joy in things so you’ll have something to write down! Here’s a great Bible verse to consider: John 13:17 “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” This means that the Bible tells us how to live right. If we aren’t obeying, if we live in fear or hate or doing things we’re ashamed of, we aren’t going to be happy. “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” We need to –

Quit hating people – start loving them.
Quit being mad at people – start liking them
Quit doing wrong – do right
Quit being fearful – trust God
Quit thinking of only yourself – go out and do something for others

We really do know how to be happy. We just have to do it!
And then – have Jesus in your life.
Christianity is a joyful faith. Look through the New Testament for references to joy. There are many. Share that joy with others.

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 6

Chapter 8 – Learn from your mistakes and make fewer.

Over a period of time you make a series of decisions, seemingly with little consequence. But the total of these decisions finally determine the outcome of your life. So, you want to make more right decisions than wrong!

Everyone makes mistakes, but we can’t let it defeat us. We need to figure out what we did wrong and learn from it. And then move on. Plan on doing better the next time.

Dr. Peale says one way we can make better decisions is to read the Bible and pray. Learn the art of spiritual meditation. Subject every question to spiritual testing and make no decisions that do not jibe with the best ethical insight. Always fill your mind with rightness, seeking to know God’s guidance.

He says we can ask ourselves these questions:

1. Is it ethically right?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Is the decision based not upon who is right, but what is right?
4. Will it do the most for the most?

Dr. Peale also says there is a right and wrong way to live. That living is a science based on definite laws. If you do not cooperate with its laws, life goes badly. When you learn those laws and live with them your life will be wonderful.

He suggests spending 15 minutes a day applying selected spiritual thought to everything in your life that’s not going well. By selected thoughts he means everything you know about prayer, about faith and about God. Start to see your mistakes and faults and modify your attitude. People who habitually think about their daily problems according to God’s laws will in time develop something of God’s skill in solving those problems. Think God’s way and let Him give you His greatest blessings.

He says there’s no such thing as coincidences. They are orderly laws in the spiritual life of man and we should become spiritually sensitized to them.

He also said when we’ve got a problem and a decision to make; talk to God like you’re having an actual conversation. Not “Please God give me guidance” but “I have this choice to make and on the one hand I want to do “this” because…” And indicate your willingness to faithfully follow whatever insight impresses itself favorably upon your mind.

And don’t force a decision prematurely.

So to sum up this chapter: A mistake isn’t the end. Examine it and learn from it so you don’t make the same mistake twice and don’t hang on to past mistakes. Pray and seek guidance. Keep studying, keep trying and always believe you can learn to do better. Always seek self-improvement.

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 5

Chapter 6 You can have the life you want

“When your interest and appreciation include the whole great world, life becomes even more fascinating. The more vital your interest; in others and in the world, the more triumphantly you can live.”

Dr. Peale says if people stop and think about it, they all want a life that is full and gives them a sense of well-being. Satisfaction from creating something, giving something, doing something. Full of energy, freedom and growth. But of course a lot of people don’t have that. They’re filled with gloom and apprehension. They suffer discouragement and have no vitality. They’re lethargic and it’s not the way we’re supposed to live. We’re supposed to be fully alive.

Our spirit stays alive forever. No matter what our age we can eagerly look forward to each day. Christianity is outgoing: helping others, being interested in others. It’s not self-absorbed. Self-centeredness and over preoccupation cause you to retreat from dynamic living.

When you do something for someone else you almost immediately feel better. Think about doing something for another person every single day or a couple times a day!

Dr. Peale said we should take pleasure in everything we do. If it’s a job or whatever we should “practice liking it.” Enthusiasm and eagerness can make any job or task thrilling! Love what you do and where you are. If you don’t love it – learn to love it! See the possibilities. Wake up in the morning and tell yourself you have a great job, life and family. Cultivate a lot of interests.

You’ll begin to find there aren’t enough hours in your day! I remember as a kid going through stages of interests. Lots of time it depended on what we were studying in school, but I’d go and collect arm loads of books from the library, on: Indians, insects, Greek Mythology, Art History… Even now it’s: nutrition, fitness, Christianity, positive living. You’ll never run out of things to be interested in in this world!

Chapter 7 Stop Being Tired – Live Energetically

Dr. Peale says if your thoughts are hopeful, confident, positive and full of goodwill, you will have a constant flow of energy. Our universe is charged with renewable energy. It makes sense that we are too. If we let the cares, difficulties and trouble of the world invade our minds we will be tired and weary and old before our time. Dr. Peale says the cure is to re-fresh and re-stimulate your thoughts. One simple way is to repeat a familiar Bible passage to yourself a half dozen times a day. Maybe:

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Exodus 33:14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

I’ve always had problems with a Dr. telling someone with a terminal illness they had x amount of time to live because the mind is so powerful, if the person focused on that they probably will live only that long. In the same way, we are told to expect at a certain age to slow down. That we’ll have aches and pains. That’s not going to happen to 100% of the people so there’s no reason we can’t be the ones who it doesn’t happen to!

It’s never too late to adjust ourselves to God’s pace and tempo. To synchronize our thinking and living with God’s unhurried timing. God lives in us and if we go one speed and God another – it just doesn’t work!

God gave us nature: a beautiful world to enjoy. To stop and get out in as a break from our work and responsibilities. He gave us Sundays “off”. He means for us to have a balance in our lives. To work, but to rest and enjoy beautiful things too. That renews us.

Most tiredness originates in the mind. When you’re tempted to say, “I’m so weary. I have so much to do. I’m so worn out.” Don’t! You’re just feeding the negativity. Fatigue is not caused by work, but what we think of as overwork. Or dull work.

We can drag ourselves in from a day of hard work and feel totally beat, but then someone suggests doing something that sounds really fun or interesting and suddenly we have energy to spare!

Dr. Peale says we should hold the belief that since God created us, He is constantly re-creating us as well. Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” We actually live in His vast energy.

So think alive thoughts. Keep a healthy lifestyle. Empty your mind of negative “tired” thoughts and fill it with positive and spiritual thoughts!

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 4

Chapter 4 Kill Worry and Live Longer

Substitute faith for worry and fear. Fear is a strong force in the world, but faith is stronger! The word worry comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or choke. When we worry we choke off our flow of power over a situation. Constant worrying creates stress in your body, which can lead to all kinds of diseases. There is truth in the phrase, “I’m worried to death” or “I’m sick with worry”! When you are worried deliberately fill your mind with faith. You can’t leave the mind empty from the bad emotion; you’ve got to immediately fill it with a good one.

This isn’t normal fear like when you see a bear and need to run by the way. Or if you’re worried because someone is sick. The first: you take the appropriate action and the second you help them as much as you can and pray about their health to God and know they are in His hands and it’s all going to turn out for good whether we see it as good or not from this side of heaven.

If someone has a serious illness the worst “help” you can be is to sit and worry with them. You’ve got to be positive, supportive and encouraging: let them know you are praying for them – and then do!

Dr. Peale also suggests reading books about people who have overcome things in life. Books with strong characters. Spiritual books. Positive books. Especially read the Bible. He even suggests underlining every passage that has to do with faith. Repeat them daily. Memorize them! Visualize them, understand them, make them part of your personality. Write “Trust God and Live one day at a time” somewhere where you’ll see it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If you take the attitude that one day is all you have to worry about and then give that day all you have of faith and effort; believing God will be with you every step of the way – it will work and you’ll be blessed!

The ultimate technique for ending worry is to bring God into every fearful situation. No fear can live in the presence of God. The deeper your faith in God becomes the less power fear will have over you.

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Isaiah 43:5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

The kind of fears that require you to do something though must be faced with boldness. If you have a fear of public speaking, you just have to start speaking in public to get over it! Usually you don’t try and fail, you fail because you never tried. Someone once asked Elizabeth Elliott how she managed after two husbands died. The person who asked had just lost hers and felt like she couldn’t go on. Elizabeth told her, “You just do the next thing.” If that means getting out of bed in the morning, making coffee and reading the paper – you just do that.”

Chapter 5 You can have power over your difficulties

With God’s help we can overcome our difficulties and lead a vital and victorious life.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

One thing about life: if things are going great right now, it won’t last. And if things are going really bad right now – that won’t last either! But, either way we’ll get through it. We always have!

We also need to think big! Look at problems in a creative and positive manner and we’ll see opportunities we wouldn’t have. Look for possibilities. Think big and exciting thoughts. By thinking big you might discover that some things really aren’t difficulties.

Pray big prayers because we have a big God. Small prayers are usually only backed by small faith. If you expect difficulty, often you actually get it: maybe because you have a defeatist attitude and never give yourself whole heartedly to the situation.

People who aren’t defeated by difficulties aren’t because they don’t think they are.

So don’t think you are!

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 3

Chapter 3 Conquer Your Frustrations and be Creative

The author says peaceful thinking brings you to a state that no amount of frustration can ascend. People react differently to different frustrations. Some things that bother me like crazy wouldn’t bother someone else at all. Some people get through big catastrophes with perfect calmness and fly off handle when their spouse doesn’t put the lid on the toothpaste.

Dr. Peale says we need to do the best we can at everything, affirm we are doing our best and then do nothing further! He says think of Paul’s comment in Ephesians 6:13, “and having done it all…stand.” When you’ve done everything you can – stop and let the matter rest. Leave it to God and let Him handle it from there.

Next he says to think peaceful thoughts anytime you start to feel frustrated. Even just ”God is giving me peace.” If someone drives you crazy, but you’re stuck with them in your life – practice thinking kind thoughts about them. Say nice things about them. Try to understand where they’re coming from. Pray for them.

Being in a constant state of frustration, angst and negative thoughts can affect you physically. Paul tells us to think good thoughts. Ephesians 4:26 tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger. The Bible also tells us to seek God first, to focus on Jesus. All of that’s because it’s good for us.

Dr. John A Schindler, wrote in his book ‘How to Live 365 Days a Year’ “Good emotions make us well – bad emotions make us ill.” Anger raises your blood pressure! Stress causes all kinds of illness.

You have to desire emotional control. A lot of people get satisfaction in flying off the handle, even though the consequences can be bad. So first you have to want to be able to control yourself. If you want it, you can have it. In order to get ahead at a job or volunteer position or have great relationships, you have to control your emotions. Not snap back with a sharp retort or mean comeback. These people can’t get along with others and they don’t do well in life.

You may think people give you a break because you’re “sensitive” – or get angry fast, but get over it quickly and that they love you anyway – but in reality they’ll never be as close to you as they could have been.

God can change anyone who admits defeat and comes to Him. He gives us patience – a gift of the Spirit. He always gives us what we need, but it’s up to us to learn to use the gifts.

The human mind is capable of blocking out frustration. But it’s not easy. It takes discipline. Prayer is a chief aid in the blocking out process.

Stay Alive All Your Life - Part 2

Chapter 2 Enthusiasm Can Do Wonders for You

Dr. Peales wrote, “When you cast out pessimism and gloominess and cultivate the attitude of optimism and enthusiasm; amazing things will start happening in your life.”

It will trump people’s extra ability, training and experience every time.

Ask yourself:
Are you an enthusiastic person?
Do you eagerly anticipate every day?
Are you excited about life?

The author talked about his mom here who got “enormous thrill out of the most ordinary events and happenings.” She had a zest for everything. And her advice to him was to ever be sensitized to the world’s beauty and excitement. That that would make him dull. And he said he has always tried to keep enthusiasm alive.

If you think about your favorite teacher in school, it wasn’t the funniest or best looking; it was almost always the one with the most enthusiasm! Because they made learning interesting and they inspired you. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

Enthusiastic people give what they’re doing everything they’ve got. They make great employees.

Even if you’ve never been this kind of person before you can be. Start looking for the good and beautiful and talk about them! Start thinking about things you would like to do and then do them.

In the beginning it might mean pretending anything is possible, but as you start you’ll see more and more is possible! He quotes a great psychological thinker, William James, who said, “Believe that you possess significant reserves of health, energy and endurance and your belief will help create the fact.”

God gave us a great way to start in the Bible. Get up in the morning and say first thing, “This is the day the Lord has made – let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Then think about all the good in your life. And feel gratitude for it. Practice thinking happy thoughts throughout the day. This may sometimes run counter to your actual feelings, but it’s the start.

Have you ever heard the advice: if you want to be happy – act happy. If you want to be more loving – act more loving? I’ve heard dieters told to “act like a thin person” – which means: eat the way thin people do, exercise the way they do – and pretty soon it’s not an act anymore.

Next - begin to think of other people. The Bible tells us we have to die to self. That when we lose ourself, we find ourself.

Dr. Peale says this means in giving of yourself to others you find yourself. Do something unselfishly for someone else. When you do you “forget yourself.” You get the emphasis off of any problems you think you have and you feel better about things because you’re helping someone else.

Then start being that way with more people. Go out of your way to be interested in other people. Not for what you’ll get out of it (although you’ll get a lot out of it) but with a sincere desire to help the other person or encourage them or get to know them better.

And then give thanks. All the time. That’s straight out of the Bible too!

No gloom, no negativism: only faith and gladness. People will gravitate toward you and life will never get old or dull. You don’t need to change your circumstances to change your life – just your thoughts and attitudes.

Stay Alive All Your Life

I taught from Stay Alive All Your Life over 2 Sundays:

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote this book with the hope that his readers would live dynamically and happily all their lives. He says if you read the Bible you’ll see that vibrant lives are God’s intent, and he quotes John 10:10, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Chapter 1 The Magnificent Power of Belief

You can do no more than you believe you can. Mark 9:23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

First, believe God is your guide. His Word, the Bible, tells us exactly how to live a good Christian life. Just Romans, Ephesians and Colossians will tell you exactly what you should be doing.

God has this in the Bible for a reason. While His main reason for sending Jesus was to save us from our sins, Jesus was also an example for us to go back to and imitate. God is guiding us. We need to realize this and have faith that He always will.

Secondly, believe in; yourself, in other people and life itself. Have a sincere desire to serve God and mankind and stop thinking negatively.

To have faith, you simply start living by faith; praying earnestly and humbly and getting into the habit of looking expectantly for the best. The author says this will attract good things and positive people. Which makes sense because we all like to be around positive people.

This doesn’t mean we’ll always get what we want. When we live on a faith basis, our desire will be for what God wants and we’ll start asking for His will to be done.

I was thinking while I read this about how often when people retire, they suddenly seem older. Especially men who had been in a career and had been somewhat powerful. Suddenly you see them in the grocery store following their wives around, kind of stooped and slow. I think it’s because they think there’s really nothing interesting for them in this next stage of life.

But the Bible is full of older people doing meaningful things. You need to form a new picture. It’s an excellent time to volunteer, and people who do that are blessed over and over again. It can be the time to travel or cultivate friendships too. I read in another book about growing older; a suggestion to aunts and grandmothers – to be there for their nieces and nephews or grandchildren: go to the piano recitals, school plays, have them over to bake cookies. Be a constant in their lives. Picture yourself as being someone who has a lot to share and then live that way! God is about blessing those who will then bless others: giving to those who will give back.

Dr. Peale says we have to lose the critical nature if we have one too. First, it’s not good for us. But again, people won’t want to be around us. Do not let doubts clog your mind. It will corrode the soul and it impedes the channel through which spiritual and creative power flows. Dr. Peale also says to “Get rid of fear. Put your problems confidently in God’s hands and trust His guidance. You can always attain a higher level for your life.”

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Never settle for less than you want to be.

He told a story about a robin with a hurt wing. A man saw him in his yard and wanted to help it by maybe splintering the wing or something. Another man told him to leave the bird alone. He said the bird was wiser than the human because not knowing so much about the difficulties of life; he doesn’t become discouraged and with no academic knowledge to hamper him, will have faith enough to let his wind droop until nature restores its strength.

We block a lot of things with doubt or negative thought. Little kids learning to walk, fall down a hundred times. What if they never got up after the first fall?

A good rule for life is: fill your mind with faith, do your best, work hard and put the results in God’s hands.

A couple other things from chapter one – don’t ever compare yourself to others, and a sign of mental health is to be glad when others achieve and rejoice with them.

Any human being can do more with his life than he is presently doing. To begin, you must desire to do so. The second step is to surrender yourself to God and live by His will. Then take God as your spiritual guide and partner in life. Next, pray without ceasing and have faith always. Be sure to hold positive pictures of achieving worthily and unselfishly. Finally, work hard, think creatively, forget self, keep a heart full of goodwill and hold no resentment. And always remember: with God’s help, you can if you think you can!