Developing a healthy spirit

To have a healthy spirit you need a learning attitude. To be teachable you need to learn to listen, to pay attention. God gave you the capacity of learning, evolving, changing, growing, conquering your weak areas, becoming a better person, mature. He sent Jesus to show you a model of person, to have a high standard for you to follow. Don’t compare yourself with somebody that don’t measure up. Jesus is the right model you need to follow. He is the visible image of an invisible God. If you want to know God, look to Jesus. If you want to know how a human being should behave, look to Jesus. He is the model you need.

Answering before listening

   is both stupid and rude.

14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity,

   but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

15 Wise men and women are always learning,

   always listening for fresh insights.

(Prov.18:13-15 MSG)

Prayer: Give me the humility to listen and to be willing to learn from others. Thanks for Jesus, thanks for revealing yourself to us. Thanks for showing us the way. Help me to be willing to change, to grow, to mature, to be more and more like You, oh God.  

The right attitudes

Without discipline you cannot go far in life. You need direction, commitment, discipline and perseverance. Most of these attitudes don’t come naturally. It requires surrendering yourself to the cause, and often, to deny yourself instant gratifications in the view of a long time goal. Trusting your riches or pride could be the pathway to a downfall. Trusting in God and being humble will give you God’s recognition, which is the most important approval you can get.

Slack habits and sloppy work

   are as bad as vandalism.

10 God’s name is a place of protection—

   good people can run there and be safe.

11 The rich think their wealth protects them;

   they imagine themselves safe behind it.

12 Pride first, then the crash,

   but humility is precursor to honor.

(Prov.18:9-12 MSG)

Prayer: Help me to discipline myself. Let me avoid careless work. I want to be careful and do with excellence whatever I do. Show me direction to help me to choose the right path, trusting in You and being humble.

Speaking & listening

It is easy to be unjust when talking about someone else. You need to have deep understanding and wisdom before making any conclusion about others and even then, very often, it is not wise to talk about them. If you tend to talk easily about others, stop it, restrain yourself. The same goes to listening to people talking bad about others. You don’t need to contaminate your mind with non constructive thinking. Don't make excuses for it. Purify your mind, purify your speech. Don’t let bad thinking darken your day. Let God’s word dominate your thoughts. Make the decision to talk or listen only to those things that will be constructive and will contribute to the good of others.

It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,

   or come down hard on the innocent.

6 The words of a fool start fights;

   do him a favor and gag him.

7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;

   their souls are crushed by their words.

8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

   do you really want junk like that in your belly?

(Prov.18:5-8 MSG)

Prayer: Make me aware of my words and of what I am listening. Help me to stop in time before making any conclusions about others. Help me not to contribute in ruining other people’s reputation. Purify my mind. Help me to be constructive and encouraging to others. I want to contribute to other people's growth.

Don’t be a fool

Don’t be a loner, start to reach out and collaborate for the common good. Think, think, search for wisdom and value good thinking, it is like a muscle that you have to train. Don’t let evil thoughts stay in your mind, it will bear fruits you will not like afterward. Don’t let contempt for life invade your thinking. Let God’s wisdom flow through your mind and overflow all areas of your life.

Loners who care only for themselves

   spit on the common good.

2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;

   all they do is run off at the mouth.

3 When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;

   contempt for life is contemptible.

4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood,

   but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

(Prov.18:1-4 MSG)

Prayer: I need Your help oh God. Don’t let me be a foolish. Let me value and look for wisdom. Protect my mind from foolish thinking. Flow through my thoughts, invade my whole life with Your words, Your wisdom, Your peace and Your joy. Let me be constantly connected to Your river of wisdom.

Wisdom and justice

The wise find wisdom everywhere. The fool think that he has to make big efforts to achieve it. If you show contempt for justice, you will learn nothing but wrong things in life. You cannot be a wise thief, or a wise criminal, or a wise cheater. There is nothing wise of being a thief, or criminal or cheater.

Being wise doesn’t result of studying, traveling, or knowing people. It is your attitude toward God that has to change. When you respect God and His justice, every new experience will teach you something and you will grow in wisdom.

The wicked take bribes under the table;

   they show nothing but contempt for justice.

24 The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard;

   fools look for it everywhere but right here.

25 A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father,

   a bitter pill for a mother to swallow.

26 It’s wrong to penalize good behavior,

   or make good citizens pay for the crimes of others.

27 The one who knows much says little;

   an understanding person remains calm.

28 Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise;

   as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.

(Prov.17:23-28 MSG)

Prayer: I want to thank You God for Your wisdom. Let me to respect Your justice always and be aware of injustices that You expect me to be against them. Open my heart to acquire wisdom wherever I go.  

Wise and cheerful.

It is wise to maintain a cheerful attitude toward life. Being wise is not only to think better, but also to act better. Your right thinking about God, life and other people should influence your attitude. Hope and expectancy of God’s interventions in your life should encourage and give you a cheerful disposition. 

In the other hand, your attitude influences your thinking too. A cheerful attitude helps you to think better and equips you to make wiser decisions. If you become depressed, it is more likely that you will not think clearly. Gloom will distort reality making everything look more negative. Reality without hope becomes dry and unhealthy. So cheer up, God is with you.

A bad motive can’t achieve a good end;

   double-talk brings you double trouble.

21 Having a fool for a child is misery;

   it’s no fun being the parent of a dolt.

22 A cheerful disposition is good for your health;

   gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

(Prov.17:20-22 MSG)

Prayer: Let me see life with Your eyes, oh God. Let me have hope and encouragement to give room to improvements and progress. Let me share a cheerful attitude that will inspire and encourage other people to grow and progress in life. Let remind people that Your presence in our life can make us better than we can ever be by ourselves.

Protection and prevention

God gives us a buffer for times of stress. He gives us friends and family to support and encourage us. To help us not to give up. But, we need to do our part in preventing these trouble as much as we can. We should not sin or make stupid decisions that will put us in an unsustainable situation.

Friends love through all kinds of weather,

   and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

18 It’s stupid to try to get something for nothing,

   or run up huge bills you can never pay.

19 The person who courts sin marries trouble;

   build a wall, invite a burglar.

(Prov.17:17-19 MSG)

Prayer: You always got me covered. Thank you God, through tough times you surround me with compassionate friends and family. Help me not to run into bad decisions myself. Make me learn and grow in wisdom. I want to honor You in everything I do.