Yo yo yo! Big HUGS to all the ladies that attended the April Collective. This collective was focused on how to Protect Your Assets: Spiritually and Emotionally. I want to thank Mrs. Donna Gardner and Mrs. Doni Daniels for taking time out of their schedules to come impart some knowledge and share with us some valuable information.
Here are a few key points I took home:
-What is an asset?
Anything of value; useful and desirable thing or quality
-What does it mean to protect?
To defend or guard from attack, invasion, loss, annoyance, or insult
-What are emotions?
A psychological state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is
sometimes accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling.
( List of emotions: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emotions )
- Emotional Assets: Joy, Passion, Happiness, Love, Peaceful,
(Examples of negative emotions: bitter, resentful, fearful, hateful, discontent, doubt, anxiety or
distress, anger)
distress, anger)
- How to protect your emotional assets: Set boundaries: do not allow others to steal your assets (joy, peace) or abuse you. Make a choice to not let any person, thing, or circumstance dictate your state of being (feelings, decisions, or lifestyle)
- Change requires new thinking. As we’ve discussed, in order to change, we must learn the truth and start making good choices, but we also must change the way we think. The battle for sin starts in your mind, not in your behavior. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change the way you act, you start by changing the way you think. In addition, if you want to change the way you feel, you must start with the way you think. The Bible says, “There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23). "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things". (Philippians 4:8)
- As believers in Christ, we must guard our hearts, because out it flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).
- Protect your thought process, so that you can make the right decision. Therefore, every thought that is not wholesome, or is proud, or not in line with God’s word and purposes, or negative thinking, we need to read and speak God’s word. As we focus more on God, we will find these wrong thoughts will soon decrease, because we’re re-aligning our thinking. We have to actively stop ourselves dwelling on it and to fill our minds with Godly things. These are the weapons of our warfare and by doing these things, we will pull down the strongholds in our thought lives. (Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
- God created women because it was not good for men to be alone. Genesis 2:18: "Then the LORD
- God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." (NASV). God created us to be a man"s helper and supporter.
- Single ladies: Even though God created us to be a help-mate, that should not be our focus.
- "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). How is it that, as Christians, we are expected to withstand incredible pressures and not be defeated? How can we possibly stand up against everything the world has to throw at us and still expect to emerge victorious? The answer lies not in ourselves, but in a divine and unbeatable defense: the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).
I hope these key points enlighten you!
For those that did not attend the collective, I included the question for your journal:
The Journal Entry questions:
Would you be a different person today if you had a different childhood?
What type of person would you be if you had parents like your peers?
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
ISAIAH 61:1-3 (NIV)
INFLUENCES FROM CHILDHOOD
No one's childhood is perfect. What we experienced during those years has a profound impact, even into adulthood. Things we saw, heard, felt, and even things we did not feel can affect us later in life.
As one might expect, external influences do help to shape our personality. However, the result is not always predictable. For example, early years full of painful experiences leave deeps wounds in some, but in others, they contribute to the development of depth and perseverance.
Whether your younger years were joyful or painful, it can be valuable to consider what their impact was, back then as well as in the present. You might start by exploring your responses to key childhood events. Next, identify traits that you appreciated in your parents and others--qualities you'd like to nurture in your own life. Finally, think about people with characteristics that impacted you negatively. Ask God for healing and freedom from the patterns you may have developed in response. Then shift your focus to godly attributes you want to exhibit instead, such as peace, grace, and gentleness.
The heavenly Father wants to free you from any negative trends that took root early in life. He can break any unhealthy pattern and replace it with hope and deep satisfaction in Him.
As you explore the effects of childhood experiences, pray to see through a lens of truth. When you recognize ways that others negatively influenced you, pray for strength to forgive and God's help in mending areas of brokenness--whether spiritual, emotional, relational, or mental.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
ISAIAH 61:1-3 (NIV)
INFLUENCES FROM CHILDHOOD
No one's childhood is perfect. What we experienced during those years has a profound impact, even into adulthood. Things we saw, heard, felt, and even things we did not feel can affect us later in life.
As one might expect, external influences do help to shape our personality. However, the result is not always predictable. For example, early years full of painful experiences leave deeps wounds in some, but in others, they contribute to the development of depth and perseverance.
Whether your younger years were joyful or painful, it can be valuable to consider what their impact was, back then as well as in the present. You might start by exploring your responses to key childhood events. Next, identify traits that you appreciated in your parents and others--qualities you'd like to nurture in your own life. Finally, think about people with characteristics that impacted you negatively. Ask God for healing and freedom from the patterns you may have developed in response. Then shift your focus to godly attributes you want to exhibit instead, such as peace, grace, and gentleness.
The heavenly Father wants to free you from any negative trends that took root early in life. He can break any unhealthy pattern and replace it with hope and deep satisfaction in Him.
As you explore the effects of childhood experiences, pray to see through a lens of truth. When you recognize ways that others negatively influenced you, pray for strength to forgive and God's help in mending areas of brokenness--whether spiritual, emotional, relational, or mental.
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