HOW TO BE HAPPY

Everyone longs for happiness. we do a lot of activities just so we can be happy .There is even a therapy for happiness .The truth of the matter is We all deserve to be happy at all times . But how can we be happy ?

First of all ,we must understand what happiness is and what it's not :
Happiness is a choice and not a result . It is a state of being and a state of the mind . We can never truly experience happiness when we base it on the result of life .

The Apostle Paul ,wrote the book of Philipians when he was In prison and Interestingly this book is the happiest letter he had ever written . I contains the word " rejoicing" 17 times . Amazing right ? . Happiness is not the absence of troubles ,but an inner contentment and satisfaction . As long as we live in this world ,we are bound to have problems .If you haven't had any ,then you haven't bumbed into the devil yet ,that is to say you and the devil are moving in the same direction . We usually get carried away with our problems because we place so much value on them . It is not our problems that is the problem, but the way we see it that is the problem .

Today I want to tell you that You can still be happy even in the worse times . You can be happy iresspective of the circumstance and It is the will of God for you to do so .
May you rise above grief and sorrows. Remember anything that makes you sad or sorrowful is not of God . May the joy of the Lord be your strength .

A LETTER TO JESUS (pt 1)

Goodmorning Jesus ,
I enjoyed your presence this morning ,is been quite long since we had this fellowship and I miss it. I miss the way you listen quietly when I talk .I miss the times you speak to me and give me directions and ideas to solve my issues . I know I went far from you this time but you were never far from me . Though I didn't give you attention because I was busy ,you still had time for me . I doubted you but you still believed in me. I looked at my inadequacies and weakness and stamped my self a failure yet you looked at my strength and still believed I could . Left to me alone ,hell was to be what I deserved . Am nothing ,not even better than a pig . I looked right yet I did things that displeased you . I enjoyed the praise singers voice ,but those Same praises pulled me down .

I am coming back to you lord ,I hope you will take me back . I feel lost in this world and I need you back in my life . The morning is supposed to be a joy lord ,but not mine . I can't help but to clothe my self in grief every morning . Isn't the morning supposed to be met with joy, The joy of beginning a new and victorious day .
How can I be victorious if I feel like a failure in the morning . I wish you will make me all over again , anew !, but perfect this time .If it is possible lord ,I want to be perfect ,free from guilt ,sin and all manner weaknesses . But if not ,use me as I am ,for what is the use for a donkey like me if I am still tied to the stake . Nonetheless I know you have untied me and set me free solely for your purpose . For when you rode on the donkey , it was a joyful entry into Jerusalem, that alone assures me you are still in the business of untiring and riding on donkeys even now,no matter how stubborn they are . Jesus ,I just wona thank you for your sacrifice on the cross ,though I never deserved it , you pre- ordained and chose me, by that I am counted among the elect. You shed your blood for my vilest sins and took them away . You took my place and was made sin . You loved me even before I was a clothe of blood and predestined me to be saved . Thank you again and I know you love me irrespective of what I am. If you will never leave me then May I never leave you ,tie me with a girdle to your waist . Shut me in your bosom ,let me be stuck to you so that it will be impossible to separate . I want to feel your heartbeat and think the way you think . May my spirit be sync with yours o lord for the world is very tempting and she seeks to entice me with her pleasures . May I not fall for her seduction lord . Wrap me in your arms so I May never go!

HOPE

All of us have one way or the other hoped for something to take place in our lives: We hope that things will get better in our lives; we hope that we can overcome a particular challenge; we hope for miracles to happen; we hope our husbands will change; we hope that our prodigal children will return home; we hope to get money; we hope to be healed of our sickness. The truth of the matter is that hope must always be buttressed with faith. Hope and Faith are like two elements in a set; they go together. Many people usually have confusions as to when to use these two words - faith and hope. Though they might seem synonymous and are used interchangeably, they are actually different. For us to know the right meaning of hope in the Bible, we must first understand what faith is. The biblical definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11: 1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (NIV) Another version states: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT) From the biblical definition, a few key words emerge. They are: Confidence - to be sure of something. Hope - to expect something to happen. Since faith is when you are sure (confident) of what you are hoping for, then hope is an expectation one has, which usually does not give a 100% guarantee of receiving what you might be expecting to get. Apparently faith and hope, to some extent, function together because hope alone can never get you what you need until faith is applied. It's 2014, and it's a new year with great promises for all of us. A lot of people all over the world are excited about what this new year holds for them. They have great expectations (hope) of achieving great things this year. However, the passion with which they started the year might die out gradually as they go through the year. They might lose hope after going through the hard times and begin to doubt God. This must not be so! Our hope in God must not die out even in the hard times. The new year comes with a lot of blessings and challenges so we must prepare ourselves for all of that. It is very important that we expect big things to happen. It's normal for us to hope for the best things in life. But should it end there? No! This is where faith is needed. Don't lose hope, continue to trust in God. Be hopeful that things will change and they will. Be sure of what you hope for and be certain that it will happen no matter what. [by Kenneth Bray]

PLANNING FOR THE YEAR .

2014 is here atlast ..Its a new year and many including myself are beckoned with the daunting task of making resolutions and plans for the year .To many it's one of the most difficult things to say when they are asked the begging question .."What are your resolutions for this year ". Many people find it extremely difficult to plan and a lot more challenging to do as they have planned. so I have decided to dedicate my first post in 2014 to explain how I think you can make your resolution without any" pain in the ass ".

Now I remember being asked many times what my resolutions for the new year were ,which I normally didn't know what to say .I actually hated planning because I thought it was time wasting .However over the years I have realised how important making your new year plans can be .It helped me improve upon many aspects of my life including my character .

I believe planning for the year can be a lot more fun and challenging at the same time (since not all your plans can be achieved within the year ) but in all things just be consistent .

It Boils down to another question " how do you make your new year resolutions ?".Before any attempt to answer this question we must first consider the need to plan .

Take this analogy : A sailor of a boat carrying about 5men and women sets off from one town with no clear destination .They carried with them a lot of goodies and money and as they sajourned ,they stopped at every nice town to party untill all their money was finished .They were now stuck in the middle of the ocean with no where to go and with no money .

A man without any plan for his life is like the sailor with no clear destination ,you end up being blown by every wind and eventually waste your precious life .

To make your resolutions you must first consider who you are , who you want to be and what you want .

WHO YOU ARE
Who you are or who you want to be is very different from what you want to be .If you consider who you are ,you would realise what your strengths and weaknesses are and what you have and don't have . If you realise this (Which of course you will ) , it becomes the key to unlocking your true potentials and the call to plan for your life .. If by any means you already know yourself then we thank God ,you will then realise how Imperfect you are and the need to make adjustment to your life.
Every body needs adjustments in his or her life .If we are able to understand this then making a new year resolution wouldn't be a big deal .

WHO YOU WANT TO BE .
I remember when we were kids ,we all had great ambitions but as we were growing up all vanished .It's amazing now that even children have wonderful dreams and aspirations than many adults ,because of lack of proper planning .
Who you want to be in future (remember future can also be tomorrow ) will determine your plan of action .who you want to be entails your profession ,character , status ,etc .

When you know who you want to be it becomes easy to plan for it .

WHAT YOU WANT .
Normally we use what we have to get what we desire .You May not achieve what you want unless you demand for it..Demand is subtly different from desire .Simply put demand is a desire backed by an action or will power . So back to our subject ,it stands to reason that what YOU WANT in the new year determines your actions and plans .

After analysing and answering these key questions you can now make those resolutions but remember any plan which does not include God would one way or the other lead to a dead end .

CONCLUSION .
like I said making resolutions can a lot more fun especially when it is achieved .
This means you must set achievable goals .To make your work more easy you can also categorize your plans into groups ,say spiritual :Read the bible twice a day ,win 100 souls ,pray more often ...
Academic : Improve upon weak subjects ,Read wide ,do more research ...
Business ,character etc .When you do this it becomes very easy to track any change  or challenge so as to make adjustment.

There is a wonderful feeling at the end of the year when you realise what you have been able to achieve . It's not easy though,sometimes it's very difficult to achieve some goals .What you can do when that happens is to pray , stay motivated and remain steadfast .
I hope you find this very useful . Your comments are welcome ,if you feel I May have omitted some things ..

Best regards
KENNETH BRAY (Author)