Developing a Habit of Hapiness

The following is what got out of watching Joel Osteen's sermon on tv this morning. You may or may not like him. I personally love hearing what he has to say. So I will share. The title to this entry is the title to the sermon that I watched. You can watch it on his website if you have realplayer. Click on the word website (link to his site) and click on message #310.

We must retrain our minds away from the conditioned, negative responses. Its all in how we choose to see it! Phl 4:11 ~ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Paul learned. It was not automatic. He had to train himself to be positive. Stay aggressive. When you wake up and get out of bed in the morning, you've got to set the tone and put a smile on your face. At the very start of the day. If you don't se the tone, the Devil will set the tone for you! If you say "Well, if I smile I'm just faking it 'cause I've got so many problems and I'm depressed so I can't be in a good mood," that's ok. When you smile, that's an act of faith. When you smile, that's sending a message to the rest of your body that everything's gonna be ok. Dig your heels in. No matter what your circumstances look like, start having this positive attitude of faith. You will sow a seed for God to work in your life.
Negative attitudes will spread to every area of our life and drag us down.
What thoughts and attitudes you put in are what you get out. In the middle of tough circumstances, you ahve to think "I know God has something better in store for me. I know when one door closes, God's gonna open another." When you do that, you just tllk that negative situation and turned it oround and stamped it positive.
Pay more attention to what you're feeding yourself! Are you storing away more positive or more negative?
Reticular Activating System - its in our brains, has to do with our memory and our habits. {With some added research I have found it has to do with our consious and subconsious thoughts and actions as well.} me: Its a function where our mind eliminates the thoughts and impulses it deems unnecessary. Like getting used to sleeping even though you live by train tracks; a train goes by 4 times each night, and it doesn't wake you up. You at first hear and wake up each time the train goes by, but then go right back to sleep. Over time, you train yourself to not even hear it anymore and you sleep through it. back to Joel now: We can train our mind like that. When that negative, discouraging thought comes to your mind, learn to tune it out. If you keep it up, your mind will realize "they don't need that thought anymore. They're not gonna do anything with it. Let's not send it."
Choose what you're gonna dwell on!
Don't pray necessarily about the problems, turn them around. example: instead of praying about your kids disobeying, pray Joshua 24:15b (example verse) over them. 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' And thank God that your children will one day follow Him. This will train you to focus on the positive instead of the negative.

Well, people, this really spoke to my heart today. Even though Satan was trying to get me to stay home from church today so I wouldn't be filled with God's wisdom, I was anyways! So how do you like that, Satan?! Bite the dust! I need to review this often. I was taking notes in a notebook while watching this. Then I typed it here. Hopefully I will retain more of it this way. Blessings!