99
Simple Ways To Improve Your Life
Heather Colman
Copyright © 2011 by Heather Colman
Published by Heather Colman
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Table of Contents
Chapter
1
Chapter
2
Chapter
3
Chapter
4
Chapter
5
Chapter
6
Chapter
7
Chapter
8
Chapter
9
Chapter
10
Chapter
11
Chapter
12
Chapter
13
Chapter
14
Chapter
15
Chapter
16
Chapter
17
Chapter
18
Chapter
19
Chapter
20
Chapter
21
Chapter
22
Chapter
23
Chapter
24
Chapter
25
Chapter
26
Chapter
27
Chapter
28
Chapter
29
Chapter
30
Chapter
31
Chapter
32
Chapter
33
Chapter
34
Chapter
35
Chapter
36
Chapter
37
Chapter
38
Chapter
39
Chapter
40
Chapter
41
Chapter
42
Chapter
43
Chapter
44
Chapter
45
Chapter
46
Chapter
47
Chapter
48
Chapter
49
Chapter
50
Chapter
51
Chapter
52
Chapter
53
Chapter
54
Chapter
55
Chapter
56
Chapter
57
Chapter
58
Chapter
59
Chapter
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Chapter
61
Chapter
62
Chapter
63
Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
69
Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
72
Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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Chapter
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This book was written as a starting point for some readers
and a
turning point for others. It is filled with examples,
Bible
verses, positive affirmations, and inspirational
quotations that
offer hope, help, and happiness.
Faith is the root of all things hoped for. Faith is a belief in, a devotion to, and a trust in God.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human mind has imagined the things God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)
"Faith causes you to know in your heart before you see with your eyes. For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
"And thine ears shall hear a voice behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it." (Isaiah 30:21)
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
Faith is believing that God is always here with us and we are never alone. When one has faith, fear disappears.
"I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and fortress: in Him will I trust." (Psalm 91:12)
"Jesus said with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
"Have faith, knowing tomorrow will hold the blessings of God." (Robert Schuller Jr.--pastor)
"Faith is the light that guides you through the darkness." (Anonymous)
"Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark." (Rabindranath Tagore--poet, philosopher)
Thank God for all His blessings. Appreciate all that you have. Write down all the things you are grateful for. Be sincere. Note the emotions that are attached to gratitude.
"It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods. Every morning tell him thank you for Your kindness, and every evening rejoice in all His faithfulness." (Psalm 92:1,2)
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." (Psalm 103:2)
"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you?" (William A. Ward--writer)
"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul." (Henry Ward Beecher--minister)
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." (Anonymous)
"Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you." (Eileen Caddy--writer, spiritual leader)
Will is a course of action. Will is a choice. Will is a decision. Choose a path and now make a commitment to follow that path.
"Be an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)
"Will is character in motion." (William McDougall--psychologist)
"You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your deep, driving desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny." (Upanishads--Hindu philosophy)
"Strength does not come from physical activity. It comes from indomitable will." (Mahatma Gandhi--spiritual leader)
"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul." (Ella Wheeler Wilcox--poet)
Chapter 4
Have A Purpose In Life
Live each day with purpose. You have a place in this world. Define your purpose. Be concise. Each one of us has a contribution to share. God works through us.
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose." (Philippians 2:13)
"In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." (Ephesians 1:11)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
"Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it." (James Allen--philosophical writer)
Prayer is a spoken or unspoken communication to God. Prayer can be verbal or written. Create your own prayer card and carry it with you.
Prayers come from the heart. "In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart." (Mahatma Gandhi--Indian Philosopher)
Pray often. Pray for guidance. Pray for love. Prayer is your message to God. God listens to prayers. God answers prayers. Begin a conversation with God.
Pray in private. Prayer is between you and God. "He went out and departed into a solitary place, and then prayed." (Mark 1:35) "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father." (Matthew 6:6)
"God speaks in the silence of the heart.Listening is the beginning of prayer." (Mother Teresa--Catholic nun)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints." (Ephesians 6:18)
"Be joyful always; pray continually." (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
"Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life." (Jonathan Edwards--theologian)
"Pray often; for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan." (John Bunyan--minister)
"Pray, and let God worry." (Martin Luther--priest, religious founder)
"Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us." (Socrates--philosophical)
Chapter 6
Use Daily Affirmations In Your Life
Start each day with positive affirmations. Repeat them frequently. Here are some examples. I accept myself. I like me. I love myself. I am a good person. I am happy. My life is meaningful. My life is important. God loves me. I am positive. I am me. You can make up your own and carry them with you.
"Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:8)
"In You Lord I have peace, a future, and a hope." (1 Corinthians 6:20)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)
"An affirmation opens the door. Its a beginning point on the path of change." (Louise L. Hay--author)
"Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented, and happy attitudes and your days will be pleasant and successful." (Norman Vincent Pearle--minister)
Chapter 7
Show Forgiveness To Others
You have to learn to forgive. For those that have wronged you, wish them well. Do not harbor ill feelings. You must let go of anger and resentment.
"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37)
"Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." (Mahatma Gandhi--spiritual leader)
"Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting." (William A. Ward--pastor)
"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness." (Robert Muller--philosopher)
"Let us forgive each other. Only then will we live in peace." (Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy--moral thinker, philosopher)
"Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness." (H. Jackson Brown Jr.--author)
Chapter 8
Find Peace Within Yourself
Where there is peace, fear and worry cannot exist. Where there is peace, love and happiness lie.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you, do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
"A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealously is like cancer in the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)
"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others." (Peace Pilgrim--teacher, spiritual leader)
"Peace is not something you wish for; it's something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away." (Robert Fulghum--author)
"To be at one with God is to be at peace. Peace is to be found within, and unless one finds it there he will never find it all. Peace lies not within the external world, it lies within one's own soul." (Ralph Waldo Trine--teacher, author)
Love is a powerful emotion. Love God. Love yourself. Love others. Fill your heart with love. Hug, kiss, and snuggle the ones you love. Love is everywhere. Love is within you. Hold God in your heart. Love is an unconditional force.
"Love is patient and kind, love does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant." (1 Corinthians 13:4)
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:7)
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (Corinthians 13:13)
"Jesus replied Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)
"Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith and that we be rooted and grounded in love." (Ephesians 3:14-21)
"He who wants to do good, knocks at the gate; he who loves, finds the gate open." (Rabindranath Tagore--poet, philosopher)
"One words frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is love." (Sophocles--Greek playwright)
We all need direction in our lives. Begin a relationship with God. Connect to God with devotion, worship, and prayer. Listen to His Law. Read His Word. Speak His Truth.
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Psalm 32:8)
"He who seeks for guidance may look inside its cover and find illumination." (Herbert Hoover--31st President of the United States)
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)
"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)
"Call to me and I will answer you; and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
"He guards the path of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go." (Proverbs 2:6-9)
Chapter 11
Count Your Blessings
Concentrate on all the good things in your life. Write down all of God's blessings that have come into your life.
"Be truly glad, there is wonderful joy ahead." (1 Peter 1:6)
"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God." (Job 37:14)
"When I am worried and I can't sleep I count my blessings instead of sheep." (Irving Berlin--composer)
"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them is the true meaning of our thanksgiving." (W.T. Purkiser--preacher)
"Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence." (Augustine "Og" Mandino--author)
Chapter 12
Take A Leap of Faith
Believe in God. Believe God is with you everyday. Believe God is there, in each step you take. God won't let you fall.
"Do not be afraid for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:16)
"It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap." (Stephen Schwartz--composer)
"Man cannot discover new oceans until he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." (Anonymous)
"Faith is like radar that sees through the fog." (Cornelia "Corrie" Ten Boom--Holocaust survivor, author)
"Weave in faith and God will find the thread." (Anonymous)
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." (Martin Luther King--clergyman, civil rights activist)
Chapter 13
Believe God’s Promises
Believe God rewards us here and now. God rewards us in this life and in the next. The Bible promises rewards for God's people.
"The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does." (Ephesians 6:8)
"He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
"And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:4-6)
"I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10)
"May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wing you have come to take refuge." (Ruth 2:12)
"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets from it but what he becomes by it." (John Ruskin--writer, philanthropist)
"Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service." (Earl Nightingale--motivational speaker)
"In the arena of human life the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action." (Aristotle--philosopher, teacher)
Chapter 14
Follow God’s Commandments
Obedience is an act of faith. "If you Love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it." (Joshua 1:8)
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
"I am the Way and the Truth, and the Life." (John 14:6)
"But don't just listen to God's Word, you must do what it says, otherwise you are just fooling yourselves." (James 1:22-25)
"The Word of God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
"Obedience sums up our entire duty." (Hosea Ballou--clergyman, theological writer)
Reflect on all things of God. This is one way for your praise and pleas to reach God. It does not mean clearing out your mind. Instead, hold the Word of God in your thoughts. Biblical meditation is focusing on God's will.
"I desire to do your will O my God: your Law is within my heart." (Psalms 40:8)
"Evening and morning and noon, I meditate, and make a noise; and He heareth my voice." (Psalms 55:17)
"With my heart I meditate, and my spirit doth search diligently." (Psalms 77:6)
"I will also meditate on all your Work, and consider your doings." (Psalms 77:12)
"Meditate upon all His wondrous works." (Psalms 105:2)
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence." (Jeremiah 17:7)
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." (Abraham Lincoln--16th President of the United States)
"Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead and not manipulate." (William A Ward--pastor)
"Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth." (Martin H. Fischer--physician, author)
"God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only question is how." (Henry Ward Beecher--clergyman)
Chapter 17
Accept God’s Message
Listen to His teachings. "Give generously to Him and do so without a grudging heart, then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and everything you put your hand to." (Deuteronomy 15:10)
"And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my Statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:27)
"He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26)
"For it is those who hear the Law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the Law who will be declared righteous." (Romans 2:13)
"Truly happy people are those who carefully study God's Law that make people free and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God's teachings says." (James 1:25)
Keep your mind and heart open. Everything else in your life will follow. Get ready for all the things that will flow into your life. Always be alert to receive God's blessings.
"And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Luke 11:9)
"And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
"May we be receptive to your supreme intelligence and become strong." (Sama Veda--Hindu scripture)
"Draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction." (St. John of the cross--priest, poet)
"All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired." (Martin Luther--priest)
Chapter 19
Bloom Where You Are Planted
Make the best of things right here, right now. Don't wait. Start where you are. Let your faith bloom. Live the life that God gave you. Don't let circumstances interfere with your relationship with God. God has placed you here. Grow in the role you are in. Bloom in God's light.
"But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk." (1 Corinthians 7:17)
"As long as we are persistent in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time." (Denis Waitley--motivational speaker)
"People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom." (Thich Nhat Hanh--monk, activist)
"Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed, and a giant oak in an acorn." (William A. Arthur--pastor)
Chapter 20
Accept Failure As A Blessing
Don't get down. Don't give up. You will be shown the way. God will reveal what to do next.
"Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not of your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." (Charles Dickens--writer)
"Failure is nature's plan to prepare you for great responsibilities." (Napoleon Hill--author)
"Failures are fingerposts on the road to achievement." (C.S. Lewis--novelist)
"There are no failures, just experiences and our reactions to them." (Tom Krause--motivational speaker)
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." (Winston Churchill--Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1951-1955)
"Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose. Not the one you began with perhaps, but one you'll be glad to remember." (Anne Sullivan--teacher)
The past is over. It cannot be changed. Accept your past. Learn from it. Do not repeat it. Move forward.
"One reason God created time was so that there would be a place to bury the failures of the past." (Anonymous)
"Forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are ahead." (Philippians 3:13)
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." (Albert Einstein--physicist)
"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past are certain to miss the future." (John F. Kennedy--35th President of the United States)
"Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future." (Denis Waitley--motivational speaker)
"I like dreams of the future better than the history of the past." (Patrick Henry--orator)
Scripture teaches us the meaning of a fulfilled heart. The Bible is your instructional guide to Life.
"Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth." (Psalms 26:1-3)
Read it. Remember it. Recite it often. Reflect upon it throughout your day.
"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all your wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16)
"Sink the bible to the bottom of the ocean, and still man's obligations to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and guide would begone; the same voyage to make, but his chart and compass would be overboard!" (Henry Ward Beecher--clergyman)
"Scripture has phenomenal power but unless you submit your mind to its inerrant truth, the power is largely lost to you." (Martha Kilpatrick--author)
"When you are reading a book in a dark room, and come to a difficult part, you take it to a window to get more light. So take your Bibles to Christ." (Robert Murray McCheyne--minister)
"Oh, to be bathed in a text of scripture, and to let it be sucked up in your very soul, till it saturates your heart." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon--Baptist preacher)
"When you read God's word you must be constantly saying to yourself, It is talking to me." (Soren Kierkegaard--Theologian author)
"The Bible is to me the most precious thing in the world just because it tells me the story of Jesus." (George MacDonald--Christian minister)
Chapter 23
Become Closer With God
God has blessed us with five senses to witness all Creation. Each one connects us to God.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at, and our hands have touched, concerning the word of Life." (1 John 1:1-4)
"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." (2 Peter 1:3)
"I know well that God is nearer to me than others in my art, so I will walk fearlessly with him." (Ludwig Van Beethoven--composer, pianist)
"You can look at a mountain and get a connection with God, you don't have to understand the mountain to feel that." (Paulo Coelho--lyricist, novelist)
"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain and feel the wind." (Ashley Smith--author, speaker)
"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul." (Oscar Wilde--poet)
"Seeing, hearing, and feeling are miracles, and each part and tag of me is a miracle." (William Whitman--poet)
Chapter 24
Practice God’s Principles
Build your life upon God's word. Carry out God's commandments.
"Little children, let us not love in words or talk but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
Always do the right thing. Sometimes this may be difficult. There will be times in your life where temptations challenge you. Always choose to do what's right, not just what is easy.
"I desire to do your will, O my God, Your Law is within my heart." (Psalms 40:8)
"The Word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
"If ye love me, Keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
"Discipline yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self esteem, and satisfaction." (Brian Tracy--author)
"Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity." (W. Clement Stone--author)
Spread the message of God. Share your faith. Be a witness to God. God's blessings are given to those who will use them for His Glory. Fellowship strengthens faith, companionship, love, and joy.
"And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (John 1:3)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." (John 1:7)
"Fellowship with God is penitence, pardon, and peace. The first, we offer. The second, we accept. The third, we inherit." (Charles H. Brent--Bishop)
"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His son Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9)
"In fellowship; alone to God, with faith, draw near,approach his Courts, besiege His throne with all the power of prayer." (Charles Wesley--preacher)
"Fellowship is heaven, and lack of is hell. Fellowship is life, and the lack of is death; and the deeds that ye do upon the earth, it is for fellowship's sake that ye do them." (William Morris--poet)