Instead of overreacting, try under-reacting because this response shows wisdom, patience and peace.

Lord, help me respond to situations in a manner that allows me to solve problems rather than create more. Do not be upset by events of the past, rather be upset by the time and energy you are devoting to them. Lord, help me to enjoy each moment by completely letting go of the past. AMEN Believe that God made you a good person and let that person come out. Lord, help me to remove my disbelief in who I am and who I can become and let me realize how truly loving and kind I am. " Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible."-Mary McLeod Bethune Don't worry about tomorrow because God is already taking care of it. Lord, help me set aside needless worry and anxiety so that I have time to do all that I need to do today. In your search for peace, look within. If you are looking elsewhere, you are looking in the wrong place. Lord, help me to open my heart to Your gift of peace and refuse to let anything in that disturbs it. Forgiveness frees the heart and moves us from the victim to the one who is in control of our lives. Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. When your burdens seem heavier than usual, know that your blessings are more than usual. Lord, I call on You for the strength, the wisdom and the confidence that I will need today. We are partially responsible for every wrong which we had the power to prevent. Lord, grant me the courage to not look the other way when I could make a difference. There is no better time than right now to do what we have been putting off. Lord, grant me motivation and focus that I may live so as to have no regrets about what I should have done. There is no hurt that God cannot heal. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble and don't know where to go. Make a habit of setting aside time for prayer and meditation. Your rewards will be great. Lord, thank you for the peace, humility, joy and self-worth with which you bless me. Growth is not easy. It comes from fully experiencing each situation and mastering it with understanding. Lord, Your presence in my life dispels my fears and guides me through all of life's circumstances. We can show God that we truly love Him by the way we speak and live. May I be inspiring, Lord, and may everyone that I meet find You. If today's burden is too heavy, it may be because you have added on yesterday's problems or the fears of tomorrow's problems. Lord, help me to keep my focus and not take on that which is impossible to do anything about anyway. When you follow God's way, your life will flourish according to His great plan for you. Lord, guide me and make me aware of the ways You are working in my life. Avoid saying "No one knows." because God knows and understands more perfectly than we ourselves do. Calm my fears, Lord, and lift the burdens that I cannot carry alone. Faith is what lifts me to the level of possibility and opens the door to God's promises. Lord, continue to strengthen my belief and bless me with unyielding faith.

Share the lighthearted moments of your life with others. Lord, may I be instrumental in relieving tensions by lifting the spirits of others with a little cheerfulness. Behave as though God is standing next to you because He is. Lord, we make a great team and together we are able to make a big difference. If we look to God for guidance, we will not be weighed down by the circumstances of our life. Lord, free me from the worries that come to distract me and keep me focused on that which is important. Enthusiasm keeps the mind young and the spirit growing. Lord, may I always see wonder in the ordinary happenings of my day. Don't worry about tomorrow because God is already taking care of it. Lord, help me set aside needless worry and anxiety so that I have time to do all that I need to do today. In your search for peace, look within. If you are looking elsewhere, you are looking in the wrong place. Lord, help me to open my heart to Your gift of peace and refuse to let anything in that disturbs it.

Forgiveness frees the heart and moves us from the victim to the one who is in control of our lives. Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. See opportunity in your difficulties, not difficulty in your opportunities. Lord, I will focus on the goodness today brings to me and look for the many reasons I have to feel joy. Whatever the problem, stressing over it will not solve it. Lord, I turn to You for solutions because I believe that You care for all of my needs. Bless me with the ability to remain level headed and calm as we work our way through my day. Closeness with family makes us one in heart and mind. Lord, help me to fill our home with love and make it our safe haven from the troubles of the world. Loneliness happens when you build walls instead of bridges. Lord, bless me with a welcoming spirit for those that might need me today. Every moment of every day is your choice unless you give it away. Lord, I choose to live peacefully today and ask for patience and strength when I feel stress from the demands others place on me. God will answer our prayers if we believe, but first we must ask. Lord, I need the strength that only You can give. God is better to us than we deserve. Lord, thank you for the strength You give in my trials and especially thank you for the trials You have kept from my door. Thoughts of the past can not hurt you without your consent. Lord, help me to learn from my past, not live there by continually bringing it into the present. Hide your troubles and disappointments and you will find that they grow much smaller from neglect. Lord, help me to direct my focus so that I can make a difference today with a smile and a kind word. Do the ordinary things in your life well because they are your preparation for what is yet to come. Lord, You slowly teach all that I need to know. May I never be a complaining student. Others can not make you angry or upset unless you give them this power. Lord, strengthen my ability to know that how I feel is my choice and help me respond in ways that make me a happier person.

If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. BARACK OBAMA No troubles that we face are new to this world. Guide and protect me, Lord, and strengthen my faith and trust in You, so that I will not falter. Do not leave for another day a task which God would have you do today. Lord, give me the determination to not procrastinate and the joy to do my work well. We all need time for ourselves and time to be with our friends in order to be joyful. Lord, help me to balance my day and renew my spirit. There is a purpose for our trials and burdens just as there is a purpose for the joys and wonders in our lives. Lord, grant me Your peace as Your plan for me unfolds. No one can live for himself alone for then he will have no purpose in life. To give of self is one of life's greatest joys and blesses us with a full and rich life. Lord, help me to be selfless and loving to those around me. God is calling us to experience peace, satisfaction and joy as we have never experienced. Lord, I will follow You as You lift me to new levels of living. Never be too busy to pray. Lord, without Your presence in my life, today would be barren. Take care of yourself so that you may give care to others. Lord, may I never totally ignore myself and my feelings for the sake of others and fit in time daily to refresh my spirit. Ultimate security does not come from relying on things or people, but from relying on God. Lord, I place my trust in You. Bless me and keep me in Your loving care. Joy is left if you rid your heart of all that pulls you down. Lord, help me to heal my spirit and grow from today's experiences. When you need to calm your emotions, stop and turn to God. Lord, I know that You are my help right now and will show me simple answers to what seems complicated and impossible. Count on God for what you lack. Would you not do the same for someone that you loved? Lord, I know that whatever I am doing, You can and will help. Isn't it ironic how we ignore who adores us, adore who ignores us...hurt who loves us and love who hurts us. -Unknown When you follow God's way, your life will flourish according to His great plan for you. Lord, guide me and make me aware of the ways You are working in my life. We take for granted so much of what God has planned for us. Lord, may I have sufficient preparation to meet the challenges of today and rejoice in the person that I am. Life has a way of working itself out if you simply make the best of this moment, one moment at a time. Lord, You have given me this moment. Grant me the wisdom to live it in a way that will make a difference for me and for those around me. Do what is right and good in the eyes of the Lord and receive the fullness of His blessings. Lord I thank you for the gifts that I have received and ask forgiveness for all that I have done wrong.

Let God give you His peace, then your difficulties will not determine your disposition. You gotta go through something to struggle for who you are. Then you will realize its not about you. Don't see yourself as what youre going through but where you going too. When you meet God in prayer, everything becomes new. Lord, may I be humbly joyful in my faith. We will live life fully only when we become aware of own inner power, which is our connection with God. Lord, the more I rely on You the more I am able to accomplish. Lord, renew my determination to live a life that honors you, even when its difficult. I lift my emotions to you and desire to bring them under the Lord. I want to be ruled by your truth , love, and grace not by my feelings. God you know all about my enemies those people who oppose me and try to drag me down. I leave them in your hands. Im not going to think about them, or give them one more moment of my mental time or emotional energy. Deal with the shortcoming of those around you as gently as you would your own. Lord help me to treat others as I want to be treated. A revenged spirit, anger, and carrying a grudge are heavy weights to carry and become heavier each day, hurting only the bearer. Lord I pray for those who I feel so badly toward, so that I can free my spirit and be filled with peace. Prayer God, I know that into every life a little suffering must come , but deliver me from those attitudes and actions that bring needless suffering upon my own head. Help me develop the habit of counting my blessings everyday. I know there is good in every person and every situation. Help me to see it. Let me view the world through spiritual eyes so that I can correctly discern the lessons and growth opportunities that come my way. I want to become more and more like You. God please change my heart so that when life inevitably falls far short of perfection, I am not shaken . Help me to lean on You moment by moment. AMEN Prayer turns the attention from ourselves to God and helps us see His hand working in our lives. Lord You give me reasons for a daily commitment to achieving a full and energetic life. It is a bigger mistake to fear making a mistake than to actually make one. Lord, give me the confidence to live a full life and the ability to try again if I stumble. Beauty = your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. To be rich is to have friends, good health, and the energy to experience the many things that life offers. Lord I rejoice in the true and most meaningful riches of my life. Use the power of positive images in your mind to bring about good experiences. Lord I will let my faith in You nourish my thoughts so that I can develop a healthy and joyful reality. This day I desire to find rest even in the midst of my busy life. Renew my mind, will, and emotions today. Let me walk in paths of righteousness, consciously determining to do what is right, rather than what is convenient or commonplace. Lord I also acknowledge that hard times will come my way. That is an inevitable fact of life. Help me not overreact or panic or give away to fear. I will have enemies. Not everyone will like me. But even in the midst of my enemies you prepare a table before me. I thank You that goodness and love follow me wherever I go. AMEN

To receive the wonderful healing power of love, wish others well even when things aren't going so well for you. Lord, I rejoice in You always because You are blessing me daily no matter what my circumstances may be. Take less for granted and you will become very busy enjoying all that you have. Lord, thank you for my blessings and for all those that I am able to share them with. See opportunity in your difficulties, not difficulty in your opportunities. Lord, I will focus on the goodness today brings to me and look for the many reasons I have to feel joy. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.- Maya Angelou Jesus said, "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.". Lord, I pray, I believe, and I thank you even before it is fulfilled. Things are not always what they seem, so take time to think before you react. Lord, grant me patience and resolve when I have the urge to assume the worst or jump to false conclusions.

THINGS I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MYSELF I open my heart and mind to be aware . . . people can see things about me that I cannot see about myself.

When someone points out to you all the stuff that you have been ignoring avoiding or denying, don't get mad! You see, life uses people as its eyes and as it hands. The person is simply a tool. They are life's tool. They are being used by life to work on you because you have been resistant to working of your stuff! You can always tell when someone is saying something that you are resistant to hearing because it hits you in the pit of your stomach. Or it makes your ears hot. Or it causes your face to flush. Your first reaction may be to cut them off. Or the moment they finish you attack! The moment you find yourself doing this, stop! Ask yourself, Why is it so hard for me to hear this? What is it that I am resisting? When you feel the need to defend yourself, people are in your stuff. We are not addressing the situation in which you are being falsely accused, or when you know the person does not have complete information. Nor are we addressing those situations when people dump their stuff on you. We are talking about situations in which someone reveals to you things about yourself that you have refused to address. Those things that you have done your darndest to keep other people from knowing about. If and when that happens, don't get mad! Take it as a sign that life is onto you. Take it as an opportunity to heal. Until today, you may have been unaware or reluctant to acknowledge that there are things about you that could stand a little attention. In fact, you may have overreacted when people pointed them out to you. Just for today, allow yourself to be aware of your weaknesses when they are pointed out. Pay particular attention to those things that upset you or make you angry when they are pointed out. Consider yourself blessed that the Spirit of life is bringing them to your attention. Today I am devoted to allowing life to reveal to me things I need to know about myself. From Until Today!

by Iyanla Vanzant

Trouble comes to everyone, but feeling miserable is no reason to make others miserable. Lord, may I never destroy another's happiness. Keep yourself young in spirit always by thinking new thoughts and getting rid of old habits. Lord, may my spirit never become frail and my abilities never become barren. Few things are worthy of worry and fewer are worthy of anger. Lord, bless me with patience for my circumstances and wisdom to overcome the obstacles. God's promises are not for those who walk through life with no obstacles, but for those who overcome their obstacles. Lord, I pray, not to overpower others, but to overcome my own weaknesses and strengthen my trust in You.

OPENING MYSELF AND MY HEART I open my heart and mind to be aware . . . when I do not open up, I set myself up to blow up.

Keeping things inside does not make them any better. In fact, holding on to feelings and secret fears makes them seem a lot worse than they probably are. When you keep things on the inside, the weight of it all can tear you up, hold you down, push you into situations that do not serve your best interests. Holding on to things can cause all sorts of disease, chemical and emotional imbalance, complete confusion and plain old despair. When you have a lot going on inside, you must find some way to let it out. You can talk about it. You might cry about it. If you are alone, you can shout about it. You can run it out, walk it off or go to the gym and work it out. You can call a help line, a hotline or a prayer line, but you must let someone know what is going on inside of you. It is tempting to eat about it, drink about it or blow it up in smoke. A better strategy is to write about it. Each of us comes to that point when we must trust someone enough to open ourselves up for review and examination. it's not always easy! It is a challenge to admit or acknowledge your own faults. It is even more difficult to accept that we have made some costly mistakes, poor decisions and bad choices. For some reason it seems that we don't want people to know that we are human. But we are. We cannot hide what we feel forever. It is essential to our sense of well-being that we find a way to open up and let someone know what is going on inside. Until today, you may have been holding on to secret thoughts and feelings. You may have been afraid to open yourself to self-examination or outside scrutiny. Just for today, be willing to release those things stored in your heart and mind that are causing you discomfort.

Today I am devoted to opening myself and my heart in order to find relief! From Until Today! by Iyanla Vanzant

There are truly no bad days, just different kinds of days. Lord, thank You for today and for Your help through every situation. If today's burden is too heavy, it may be because you have added on yesterday's problems or the fears of tomorrow's problems. Lord, help me to keep my focus and not take on that which is impossible to do anything about anyway. Take care of your own emotional and spiritual needs first and it will become natural to reach out lovingly to others. Lord, I depend on Your help in every situation.

Prayer of Jabez: What is it? The Prayer of Jabez comes from the Bible. In 1 Chronicles 4:10, we read: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested." The prayer is composed of four parts. First, Jabez asks God to bless him. Second, he asks God to enlarge his territory or increase his responsibility. Third, he prays that God will be with him and stay close. Lastly, Jabez asks that God keep him from harm so that he will be free from pain. Prayer of Jabez: Why is it important? The Prayer of Jabez reveals that Jabez understands what many people do not -- there is only one God and He should be the center of our work God wants to bless every life. But, we must first make the choice to invite God into our life and ask for His blessings. Jabez wants to succeed and increase his sphere of influence for God. The specific sphere of influence is not important. What is important is that when we want to reach for goals and accomplishments that we have God on our side. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." It is critical to understand and practice this in a close relationship with God. Further, it is equally important to stay close to God and rely on His continued support and guidance throughout life. Jabez clearly knows and prays specifically to the One who can protect him from evil and pain -- God. At the end of the verse it is clear that God approved of this faithful prayer by granting it. It is also important to see that Jabez was passionate in his plea to God: "He cried out to the God of Israel." God wants to hear that we need Him through passionate prayer. Prayer of Jabez: What does it mean to you? The Prayer of Jabez reminds us that everybody struggles with choosing to rely on himself or God. Whether you are a focused Christian or just searching to find out more about God, life is a growing process. However, it is very clear in reviewing the Prayer of Jabez, as well as the rest of the Bible, that God is faithful in caring for those who seek Him. Jabez sets a great example of how God wants everyone to come to Him through constant and passionate prayer. If you are looking to start a relationship with God or improve your existing relationship with Him, start with prayer. God answers prayers when you trust Him (1 Chronicles 5:20). Prayers to God also please Him (Proverbs 15:8). We can all learn from Jabez and faithfully pray to God always in everything that we do. Prayer of Jabez: The Book by Bruce Wilkinson The Prayer of Jabez is covered in phenomenal detail by Bruce Wilkinson in his book of the same

name. We highly encourage you to read this fantastic and inspiring resource, that challenges each of us to: "Attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteedunless God steps in!" In the meantime, if youre looking for a way to exercise your new faith muscles, please consider a commitment to sponsor a child through our friends at Compassion International. Often times it is the small things that make the biggest difference and leave the most permanent impact. Lord, help me to cease being so busy that I ignore opportunities to get or give a hug, participate in a little conversation or share a kindness. When you need to calm your emotions, stop and turn your attention to God. Lord, I know that You are my help right now and will show me simple answers to what seems complicated and impossible. We learn to trust in God through our trials and problems. Lord, let me use the suffering in my life as an opportunity to strengthen my faith.