Do you feel that you effectively handle the loss of a loved one?

During a time of loss and grieving, what you choose to focus on will determine how effectively you transition to life without that person. I once read of a study on people who lived to be over 100. The only common factor discovered in that particular study was their ability to go on after tragedy and still find life worth living. Since stress and negative thoughts are physically damaging as well as emotionally, it is easy to see how this would be true. There is no doubt that times of loss involve grieving over the separation. There are a variety of psychological stages one goes through during grief. However, the choice of your focus drastically affects the effectiveness of your transition.

Choosing to focus on the aspects of that person which brought joy to your life is important to your well-being.

Instead of focusing on the traumatic circumstances which took place in the physical realm that caused you to lose that person, choose to live out your life rejoicing in the positive input that person had into your life. Meditate on the various joys that person brought to you. Rejoice that your life was fuller because of those joys. Rejoice that you are a better person because of those experiences.

The next step in effectively transitioning through a time of loss is realizing the source of those joys you experienced.

This week was one of high stress for our family as I almost lost my father to 3 severe intestinal bugs that he contracted while visiting the sick in hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes the week before Thanksgiving. Visiting the sick and elderly has always been a major focus of my father’s life. I was reminded of an experience from years back, the first time that I almost lost my father to an illness. I was grieving at the possibility of the loss. My father’s love for people and God has always been a source of inspiration to my life. I was not able to feel any peace until God spoke a concept very clearly to my heart. He said, “Everything good that you love about your father came from Me. Those things are in Me and I am always with you.”

As you focus on the aspect that the joys you experienced in the person you lost actually have their source in God, and He is always with you, you realize in a deeper, more complete way that those joys can continue in your life.

God has forever made clear His commitment to be with you. In the Old Testament, He says not to be discouraged or afraid because He goes before you, is with you, and will never leave you or forsake you. (Deut. 31:8)

Again in the New Testament, this is reiterated:

Surely I am will you always, even to the very of the age. Matt. 28:20
I will never leave you and never forsake you. Heb. 13:5

In the Greek, the tense of the word “never” in Hebrews 13 is actually never x 7 (never times 7), stressing the complete reality of God’s presence with you.

Now let’s focus on a moment on God’s goodness. James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift is from your Heavenly Father. Every good that your loved one poured into your life, every joy that was imparted, had its source in the personality and person of Father God. Like God impressed on me in my time of trial, “Every good thing that you love about the person exists in Me, came from Me, and I am always with you!”

During your time of loss, deal effectively with your time of transition.

Meditate on the joys that your loved one brought to you and then stay focused on that fact that Father God is the source of those joys. He cannot die, so His promise to always be with you, continuing to pour those joys into you, is a lasting one that you can count on for the rest of your life.

Insomnia affects multiple areas of one’s life, such as health, weight gain, anxiety levels, relationships, memory, and work proficiency.

A Forbes.com posted an article today on 14 possible causes of insomnia. By identifying possible causes, you can make the necessary lifestyle changes or talk with your physician. Here are excerpts on the possible causes. Please use the link below to read the full article.

Depression And Anxiety - It’s estimated that 40 percent to 50 percent of people with insomnia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. Research shows the connection is present in children, too.

Environment – Some of us are more sensitive to noise. It’s also believed to be better to have a cool rather than warm bedroom. The cooling off effect you experience after drinking warm milk or taking a warm bath helps you feel sleepy.

Marital Strife – Research has shown that married people tend to have fewer sleep problems than those who are divorced. Studies show happily married women had fewer troubles falling asleep, staying asleep, fewer early morning awakenings and more restful sleep.

Being With Baby - A University study shows that parents’ sleep and their satisfaction with the infant’s nighttime behavior was worse when the infants spent any part of the night with parents versus those who slept apart.

Medication - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants cause insomnia, talk to your doctor about your prescriptions.

A Sleep Disorder – In cases of sleep apnea, the throat is blocked during sleep, preventing sufficient air flow to the lungs The condition leads people to snore as well as temporarily stop breathing during sleep, causing them to momentarily awaken.

Father Time - Health experts say that between the ages of 50 and 60, people tend to sleep lighter and wake up more frequently [often due to various health issues].

Heart Disease- Poor heart health also can upset your night’s sleep. People with heart failure may wake up due to breathing troubles, a result of fluid buildup in the lungs.

Too Busy - A hectic daily schedule can wreak havoc on your ability to get a good night’s sleep, particularly if you don’t make time to decompress for a half hour or an hour before climbing into bed.

Health Concerns - A university in Brooklyn shows that a significant number of women who worried about cancer, none of whom had a history of a physician-diagnosed cancer, had trouble sleeping.

Late Night Eating - Eat a big meal before bedtime and you’re asking for a restless night’s sleep. Make sure you don’t hit the hay until at least three hours after dinner.

You’re A Woman - Women tend to have higher rates of insomnia than men [due to] hormonal changes and duties associated with child rearing.

Too Much Napping - [Some] experts say that napping during the day decreases your overall drive for sleep, which builds throughout the day.

Staying In Bed - Lingering can increase performance anxiety. After a while, you may begin to associate lying in bed with your struggle to fall asleep.

Read the full article on AOL Health – 14 Reasons You’re Not Sleeping

3 natural ways to treat depression were discussed by Dr. Mercola in one of his recent newsletter articles.

The link at the end of this post is to the full article as well as to a video clip of his interview with Dr. Gordon, a rare physician who encourages people with depression to take control of their health by incorporating key natural therapies into a treatment program.

Here are excerpts of the 3 natural treatments for depression from Dr. Mercola’s article. Again, the link to read the full article on his site is below.

1. Optimize Your Diet

One of the best ways to beat depression is with nutritional approaches. This includes taking high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats daily. Omega-3 fats such as those in krill oil have been found to work just as well as antidepressants in preventing the signs of depression, but without any of the side effects. In fact, throughout my years of medical practice I’ve had large numbers of patients be able to stop their antidepressants once they started taking omega-3 fats…Next, you’ll want to eliminate most sugar and grain from your diet, as these will increase your risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to depression (and diabetes)…

2. Get Moving

A regular exercise program is one of the best things you can do for your mood and mental health. Physical movement works so well because it helps to normalize insulin resistance while boosting “feel good” hormones in your brain. Dr. Gordon says, “What we’re finding in the research on physical exercise is, the physical exercise is at least as good as antidepressants for helping people who are depressed … physical exercise changes the level of serotonin in your brain…”

3. Take Advantage of Mind-Body Approaches to Relieve Stress

Stress is one of the main causes of depression, so you must learn how to manage yours in order to feel better. My favorite method of stress relief is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a form of psychological acupressure that you can learn how to do yourself…EFT is far from the only stress-management method out there, though. Many people experience benefits from meditation, journaling, breathing exercises, yoga, or simply sharing their feelings with a close friend. Ideally, pick the method that feels best for you, or combine several methods and rotate them…

Click Here to Read Dr. Mercola’s Full Article. Once on his page, scrolling UP from his article will take you to the video interview with Dr. Gordon.

For more articles on freeing yourself from Depression, click the text link “Depression” in the TAG list just below this article OR in the Tag Cloud of topics in the right column.

Loneliness is something most people face at a variety of times throughout life.

I came across a free download for 148 pp. e-book on dealing with loneliness. It is written by internationally known public speaker and author, Josh McDowell. Though the book is aimed at college age youth, the general concepts should be applicable to overcoming loneliness no matter the age at which you are experiencing it.

Here is a brief description of the Free E-book, Friend of the Lonely Heart.

You can overcome loneliness and rejection. This book provides you with practical proven advice that will enable you to break the loneliness cycle and put real meaning into your life. Friend of the Lonely Heart can help you – Uncover the reasons you feel lonely; Find a new sense of direction and real meaning in your life; Learn to turn your lonely feelings into feelings of joy and happiness.

Here are 3 separate excerpts from the E-Book which is in .pdf format. The download link is at the end of the post:

One reason that there is so much hostility in a lot of families these days is because a great many people have come to adulthood with a lot of “emotional baggage.” In other words, emotional experiences from their own childhood now affect how they act toward their kids. Some are seething with anger which quickly spills out when the pressure begins to build, or when someone challenges any idea they express. Others live with many job demands placed and them, and when they come home, they are seeking a place to escape from relationships altogether. Their theme is “leave me alone.” Still others have never learned effective, healthy communication skills, so when they talk with family members, they easily attack and wound them…

One way to reduce loneliness in the home is for each family member to be honest about his own problems and limitations. When we can be truthful with each other and not feel condemned, then home can be our favorite place to go find refreshment and support. Can you go to your parents and tell them of your problems? Can you say, “I know that I’ve been irritable lately and I’m sorry about that. I appreciate your patience with me. I’m working on the problem.” In many situations, this kind of honesty between parents and teens builds closeness…

I can think of five setting in which we experience loneliness and sadness through the loss of family members or friends… In Amy’s situation, she initiated the change in relationships [referring to ending harmful relationships]. During the time this was happening, of course, she probably felt lonely or left out of their conversations and activities. Sometimes it’s hard to choose between old friends and the changes taking place in our lives. Often it cannot happen without hurt and pain, but we know that we need to do it. In the long run, it’s worse to keep on holding on to a bad friendship than to let it go. We’re only prolonging the pain…

Free Downoad of E-Book, Friend of the Lonely Heart

Author Josh McDowell’s website.

Many people struggle with viewing God as compassionate towards them personally.

Much like those who struggle with accepting God’s love, the fear of people that God is not compassionate toward them can stem from an abusive authority figure during childhood or misinformation in religious upbringing. This post is going to have a few brief comments and numerous quotes about God’s compassion, including what God says of Himself on this subject.

God’s Describes Himself as Compassionate

During one of Moses’ extended times seeking God, he asked to see God. God’s response was that a human could not survive seeing God in all His power, but He would allow His glory to pass in front of Moses. As Moses went through this experience, God said of Himself,

And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Ex. 34:6

God Describes His Compassion as Unfailing

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Is. 49:15
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Is. 54:10

Other OT Scriptures frequently repeat this view of God’s Compassion:

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Ps. 86:15
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Ps. 103:8
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Ps. 145:8
The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. Ps. 116:5

God is the Source of Compassion

Just as we speak of someone being the “father” of some invention or of a philosophy, meaning the invention or idea came from that person, Scripture speaks of God as the Source of compassion and comfort.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. 2 Cor. 1:3

God’s Response to a Ruined Life is Compassionate

Jesus told a story to illustrate God‘s response to a person who ruined his/her life. It is usually referred to as the “Prodigal Son” story. The father character in the story represents God. The child (son) represents a person who has ruined his life. The son hoped to be cared for in the household as a servant but the father restored him to a place of honor as his son.

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Lu. 15:20

In various times during the history of the Jewish nation, they had turned from seeking God, only to see their economy, freedom, and families destroyed by their enemies. God’s response is again one of compassion, saying that He will not reject someone who seeks Him, and that all aspects of their lives would be restored to a state of wholeness and wellness.

For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. 2 Chron. 30:9
The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. Is. 51:3

God’s Compassion in without Bias or Favoritism

The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. Ps. 145:9

Compassion is a Part of God’s Fatherhood

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who revere Him. Ps. 103:13

God Specifically Expresses Compassion for the Depressed and the Poor

In this next quote, the Hebrew word for “afflicted” is `aniy. It refers to a person who is depressed in mind (emotionally) or in circumstances (poverty).

Shout for joy. For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Is. 49:13

Jesus Lived Out God’s Heart of Compassion on Earth.

Jesus expressed that part of the purpose of His life on earth was to reveal the heart of Father God by the way He lived here. When Philip, one of the 12 disciples asked Jesus to show them Father God, Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (Jn. 14:8).” The following quotes repeatedly show Jesus’ compassionate response to anyone in any type of need, revealing to us that Father God responds with the same compassion to each of us in any type of need.

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Mt. 9:36

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. Mt. 14:14

Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” Mt. 15:32

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. Mt. 20:34

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Mk. 1:41

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things. Mk. 6:34

As we have mentioned in other articles on replacing harmful thoughts, to remove a fear that God is not compassionate toward you, you must daily replace the harmful thoughts with truth until a new mental pattern is formed. Allow these truths on compassion to fill your mind, bringing the healing that allows you to accept God’s gracious and unfailing compassion for you!

]]> http://receivehealing.com/blog/129/the-compassion-of-god/feed/ 0 http://receivehealing.com/blog/124/stress-how-to-cope/ http://receivehealing.com/blog/124/stress-how-to-cope/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:42:39 +0000 R.H. http://receivehealing.com/blog/?p=124

Table of contents for Stress

1. Stress – Its Effects on Your Health
2. Stress – How to Cope
3. Stress – How to Cope Part 2

To avoid living in a constant state of stress and the resulting physical consequences, implement some daily habits to better cope with stress.

These steps on how to alleviate stress come from Dr. Don Colbert’s book, “The Seven Pillars of Health.” If you missed the information on the physical reactions to living life in a repeated state of stress, please read Part 1, “Stress – Its Effects on Your Health,” by clicking this link here or the one at the top of this post.

Practice Mindfulness: This is the concept of letting go of any thought that is unrelated to the present moment and finding something to enjoy in the present moment. Most people do not live well in the present moment; they are always wishing for a different moment in the past when things were happier or simpler, or wishing for a moment in the future when they think they can be happy, such as by getting a promotion, getting out of debt, or buying a new house. Find something enjoyable to focus on in the immediate moment all throughout the day, such as the warmth of the sun, the breeze, music. During breaks at work, don’t think about goals or projects; enjoy your cup of coffee or a magazine. If a stressful thought comes to mind, choose to move on to a thought that is related to what you are presently seeing, hearing, smelling, or feeling that is pleasant. Instead of complaining about what you don’t have, be grateful for what you do have, air conditioning in your house or a car to get to work. Dr. Colbert suggests that his patients go for a walk or go to the zoo to practice focusing on all that can be enjoyed in a moment. “To have complete mental and physical health, mindfulness must become a way of life, a continual pattern for practicing relaxation during your day (p.236).”

Reframe Your Perspectives: Reframing is learning to see the past, present, and future in a positive light by shifting from one’s present point of view to see another person or situation from a new perspective. You cannot control all that happens to you, but you can control your perceptions of those things. Psychologists say that your perceptions and reaction are more important to your physical and mental health than the actual events in your life. “We must learn to reframe every event in our lives that we perceived as tragic, painful, traumatic, or in any negative way.” For patients who had been through the experience of seeing a family member killed or had almost been killed themselves, he asks them to quit re-living the bad experience and start focusing on the positive aspect that they are alive. Albert Ellis, who pioneered this concept, said when negative thoughts pop up automatically, challenge and assess them; don’t just accept them.

This is basically the same concept God speaks of in 2 Cor. 10:5, “Pull down imaginations …and carry every thought away into captivity and make it obedient to Christ.” In other words, do not allow your thoughts to control you. Control them by putting out of your mind ones that are not beneficial to your mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual health. God then instructs us to replace negative thoughts with good ones, “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, think of these things (Phil. 4:8).” One may think this is an impossible task, but Dr. Colbert says that often reframing does not take a lot of time as long as you are willing to let the old belief go. Here’s his word of wisdom, “You may feel that it’s not safe to let the belief go, because if you do, the hurtful event might happen again. If you don’t let that distorted belief go, it’s as if the hurtful event is happening to you over and over.”

Have 10 Belly Laughs a Day: This is a prescription that many of Dr. Colbert’s patients find startling, yet true laughing offers one of the most powerful and natural healing methods without any side effects. God states this fact in Scripture, “A glad heart makes a healthy body, but a crushed spirit makes the bones dry (Prov. 17:22).” This is an interesting quote, especially considering how many autoimmune diseases, such as arthritis, come from stress-a literal drying of the bones, or at least the joints in them!

I mentioned a quote from Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor, the other week. Dr. Colbert shared in his book some specifics of that story I had not heard. Frankl encouraged the other prisoners to tell at least one funny story each day about something they planned on doing after they were freed. Not only was the humor a healthy therapy, but it also gave them a vision of being freed. Frankl went on after the war to develop a therapy which incorporated humor.

Forgiveness: When you re-hash in your mind a wrong done to you, or even misperceive that a wrong has been done to you, your brain does not distinguish between short-term and long-term memories when producing a biochemical stress response. If you have not forgiven and re-hash that moment, your body will respond as if the situation is occurring now even if it happened 30 years ago. When you think you have been wronged, or have been intentionally hurt, being offended is always optional—just like accepting a package that is delivered by courier to your door. Dr. Colbert quotes Joyce Meyer, “Bitterness and unforgiveness are like drinking poison and wishing the other person would die,” because the harm from those thoughts is coming solely to you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you weren’t hurt, but that you are not going to live tied to that incident. For more on forgiveness, read my post, “Forgiveness or Reconciliation.”

Build Margins into Your Life: A margin is a buffer to keep you from being overwhelmed. Give yourself extra travel time for an appointment. Spend so that you will have a margin or “buffer” of a little bit left over each month out of what you earned. Build a margin into your list of commitments, so that you have personal free time and family time.

The research on this topic came from chapters 44-48 of Dr. Don Colbert’s book, The Seven Pillars of Health. For more detailed reading, see his book, ISBN#1-59185-815-1

Table of contents for Stress

1. Stress – Its Effects on Your Health
2. Stress – How to Cope
3. Stress – How to Cope Part 2

Reading Level: Leisurely

Some of us go through life in an almost constant state of stress.

Evaluate how often in your daily routine do you allow a variety of little events to trigger stress, such as driving in traffic, a wrongly-filled order at the drive-thru, or a needed call to customer service to resolve a billing problem. The research in these next 2 posts covering the effects of stress and how to better cope come from Dr. Don Colbert’s book, “The Seven Pillars of Health.” In his initial chapter on stress, he says, “The stress reaction, so useful in moments of actual emergency, becomes a self-destruct switch that eventually can lead to exhaustion and disease (p. 229). “

The body’s response to stress is necessary and healthy when occurring in traumatic moments. When one allows typical daily events to create a recurring traumatic response in your body, the intended healthy physical responses become harmful.

The body’s stress reaction to a perceived threat releases adrenaline and other hormones that increase your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing. These changes give you added strength and mental sharpness for a few moments. The harm comes to us when this response occurs frequently for a long-term basis. Researchers now believe that such recurrent stress actually kills as many or even more people than poor health habits. The physical changes that would be good under a moment of actual danger now become harmful, causing: depression, anxiety, anger, decreased sex drive, predisposition to obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and many other illnesses.

Here is a sampling of study results on stress:

A University of London study showed that chronic unmanaged stress was 6 times more predictive of cancer and heart disease than smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

A 10 year study of people who did not manage stress effectively showed a 40 percent higher death rate than those who were not stressed.

Another study showed that 7 out of 10 people suffering from depression had enlarged adrenal glands, as much as 1.7 times larger than normal [in response to the body's demand for extra cortisol, a stress-related hormone.].

Most of our stress can be put into 1 of 2 categories.

There is (1) stress we can and should control and (2) stressful events that are beyond our control. Dr. Colbert gives, as an example of stress to control, a cluttered environment. Clutter is proven to increase stress and making the decision to de-clutter can and should be done. Evaluate what other stress causers in your life are actually temporary and could be eliminated by some decisive action. With stressful events beyond our control, one key help is to control your thoughts from imagining what could possibly happen, or allowing yourself to relive the event in your mind.

In Part 2 of this post, “Stress – How to Cope,” we will cover Dr. Colbert’s suggestions for positive actions to cope with stress.

For more detailed reading, enjoy Seven Pillars of Health, Dr. Don Colbert, ISBN#1-59185-815-1

Depression is the result of external pressure getting inside and weighing down your thoughts/emotions.

There is a depression that has its root in physical causes, such as a deficiency of certain naturally occurring chemicals in the brain, the 3 main ones being serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Sometimes, in mild cases, these chemicals can be replaced by protein drinks with tyrosine and phenalylanine. I read that the late Dr. Atkins has such a diet available. If you suspect you’re your depression is physically related rather than from circumstancial pressures, you may want to see your doctor for a blood test to determine a proper course of treatment. Probably the most common form of depression, however, is due to allowing the pressure of circumstances to conform one’s thoughts. I’ve mentioned this quote before, “Above all else, guard your heart [mind and will], for it is the wellspring of life (Prov. 4:23).” We must admit to the absolute necessity of controlling our thoughts for the wellbeing of our lives. Another passage says, “For as the thoughts of man’s heart are, so is he (Prov. 23:7).”

Thoughts form our emotions.

The other week I referred you to a new book out, called “Eight Steps to Create the Life You Want.” I quoted the premise for the chapters in this book of how the whole course of one’s life starts with the positive or negative words we speak; those words form our thoughts; our thoughts create emotions, etc. I’ll reference the post below if you still need to read it. The eight steps in this book illustrate how the whole direction of one’s life is altered by words, thoughts, and emotions. I listened to a talk today on depression by the author of that book, Creflo Dollar. He used to be a professional therapist in a ward for suicidal teens before becoming a pastor.

Here are the 4 steps Dr. Dollar mentioned for recovery from depression due to external circumstances:

1. Watch over your heart. Jesus said in Jn. 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled…believe in [trust in] Me.” You are not always in control of your circumstances but you can control what thoughts get into your heart [mind]. If you plant seeds or thoughts of trouble, you will grow trouble. If you plant thoughts of trust in God for what you need, you will grow peace.

This is not much different from Dr. Wayne Dyer’s “Laws of Intention” or the philosophy of the Law of Attraction. You must take responsibility for your thoughts, for positive thoughts, to properly and effectively direct the course of your life.

2. Speak to your problems instead of about your problems. In Mk. 11:23, 24, Jesus said, “I truly tell you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt at all in his heart [mind], but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason, I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe-trust and be confident-that it is granted to you, and you will receive it.” (AMP) Speak to your circumstances about how they will change; make it a one-way conversation. Do not let the circumstances speak to you.

3. If something is missing in your life, ask God for it. How do you receive? By believing when you ask that you have already received it, that God has answered. Faith is believing whether or not it looks like you have received it yet. Ask, receive, and the joy will come.
Supporting verses:
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Mt. 21:22).
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (Jn. 16:24).
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Heb 11:1).

4. Thank God for everything that is good in your life. Thankfulness pushes back depression. If you have a job, be thankful that you do; some people do not. If you have a working car, be thankful that you do; some people do not. Be thankful for your health, home, friends, family, good weather, a day off work, etc. Expand it to anything imaginable. I had a college professor who used to say, “Be thankful for toilet tissue. I mean really!” Thank God for every aspect of His personality, such as His unending love for you, His mercy, His faithfulness, His watchfulness. Even if the worst of circumstances, there is good to be thankful for, even if it is just that you have the breath of life.

As I mentioned earlier, though this process may sound oversimplified, these religious concepts have been used by many people in secular vocations, such as Life Coaches, to achieve restoration. I’ll end with a quote by Viktor E. Frankl, an Austrian Jew who was sent to a concentration camp with his family during World War II. He discovered the truth that the ultimate freedom is the freedom to choose your attitude. Similarly, we have the freedom to choose the thoughts which create our emotions.

Frankl says, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl

Click here to read the article on Determining Your Destiny which lists Creflo’s 8 steps to direct the course of your life to your goals and restoration.

If you are interested in reading the whole book, click here for 8 Steps to Create the Life You Want by Creflo A. Dollar.