Chapters 8-11

"Never let it leave your heart and mind that God is the source of all power and positive motivation." (page 94)


We've all had one of the those kinds of days.  You know, the day where you just don't feel like doing anything!  Maybe you just want to go to bed or wish you had a few hours to yourself.  This feeling makes every task you need to accomplish feel harder and more unpleasant.  And that is normal- we all find ourselves in the middle of bad days with no motivation.


Where you get in trouble is when one day leads to another and another and before long you are in a rut and weariness sets in.  And how do you dig yourself out?  Most people think a lot about motivation or try to talk themselves into being motivated thinking that tomorrow they will wake up and "feel" motivated.  The problem is that in and of ourselves we are not naturally motivated. We are naturally selfish.  We must be connected to God, have the ability to hear his voice and be in tune with His vision in order to maintain motivation to continue HIS mission.  This again reiterates the need for daily planning and execution of our spiritual disciplines.


This also speaks to the way we spend our time.  We must focus and protect our time spent not only on spiritual disciplines, but personal development and times of refreshing as well.  You need to learn what refreshes you.  But be careful not to be deceived that because you enjoy something or it seems to be relaxing that it truly is refreshing.  Honestly, there are many late evenings, after I get the last little one to bed that I simply want to fall on the couch, watch some HGTV or Food Network and not think about too much.  Now there is nothing wrong with relaxing and watching some TV.  However, just because I feel like doing it doesn't mean it's really what I need. For me personally, I am refreshed through reading, times of silence, dates with my husband, time investing in other women and special girl's nights out with my dear friends.  Now again, I am not saying to throw your TV out.  But do not be deceived that down time with your TV will refresh you and keep you motivated in life.


I haven't found many other authors that do such a great job in explaining the role of feelings in our life.  As women, one of the main struggles we will continually have to gain victory in is controlling how our feelings affect our lives.  Dr. Stephens writes the following on page 104: 


"Now feelings are a fantastic gift from God that enhance many life experiences.  Enjoy them.  But God never intends for you to depend on them, any more than you can trust the wind He created.  Feelings are as fickle as the wind.  And if you follow them like most people, you can easily spend your life chasing your tail.  You must put His will as the engine that pulls the train- the one in charge.  Hopefully, Son, you will always surrender your will to the Lord.  So your daily decisions, directions, and discernment are from your will, not how you feel at the moment.  Your feelings can be cool as long as they are the caboose of the train.  They follow.  They line up with your will."


Wow.  Read that again.


Our culture will tell you the opposite.  Every commercial caters to what you want or desire.  Culture will tell you to think about yourself and your needs- after all you deserve it.  All too often our work, our schedules, our clothing, our food, the way we care for our bodies and even our relationship with God all hinges on what we FEEL like.  This is a dangerous place to be and it takes a conscious effort to rely on God and his strength to live our days according to His will for our lives- not what we feel like.  


These are just a few of my thoughts on the many amazing principles in these four chapters.  What are yours?



*Topics discussed from "The Plan of Your Life" by Dr. Chris Stephens