Nine Mistakes to Avoid

Remorse over yesterday's failure.

Anxiety over today's problems.

Worry over tomorrow's uncertainty.

Procrastination with one's present duty.

Resentment of another's success.

Criticism of a neighbor's imperfections.

Impatience with youth's imperfection.

Skepticism of our nation's future.

Unbelief in God's providence.

What happened yesterday is gone, like the old Kris Kristofferson song line, “Yesterday is dead and gone”. I can not change the things I said or did yesterday. If I messed up yesterday, today is my day to repent and to move one. Act 17:30 "God overlooks it as long as you don't know any better--but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he's calling for a radical life-change.

Today is a new day, a day with new opportunities and new adventures, today I will have learnt to avoid yesterday’s mistakes and I will build on the foundations of my future. I will do that which I can do and the impossible I will leave with God. Pro 7:14 "I've got all the makings for a feast-- today I made my offerings, my vows are all paid,

Today I have done what I thought best to provide for tomorrow, so, I do not have time and energy to waste on being worried about tomorrow. Mat 6:34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

I will not waste time on or in the present, today, while today is still today, I will accomplish and I will finish today’s business. I will not delay and I will not put off because of fear or uncertainty. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I will roll up my sleeves and be busy. 1Jo 4:18 There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life--fear of death, fear of judgment--is one not yet fully formed in love.

My future lies ahead of me, I can not waste time on being jealous. I have my own destiny and purpose. What other people achieved and accomplished will be a monument to their efforts. I will wish them luck and will pray for them and pronounce blessings over them. Job 5:2 The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him, the jealous anger of a simpleton does her in.

We all fall short and we all have our little imperfections. I will focus on fixing my own. That should keep me busy enough and I wont have time to criticize others. Mat 7:1 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults--unless, of course, you want the same treatment. 2 That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.

I will encourage the youth, I will do whatever I can to lead them and guide them and I will grant them the opportunities to catch up. What comes easy for me, is the skill they still have to learn. i will remember that I too, once used to be an imperfect youth ( and now, I’m an imperfect adult ) Col 4:8 I've sent him to you so that you would know how things are with us, and so he could encourage you in your faith.

I will pray for the future of my country, I will pray for my government and I will do and contribute to society instead of being a critic. I will adopt this motto: “It’s not what my country can do for me, but – what can I do for my country!” Phi 4:6 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Because my God has promised His provision I will trust and believe, that no matter the circumstance, He is my Provider. Mat 6:27 "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? 28 All this time and money wasted on fashion--do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, 29 but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? 31 What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. 32 People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.

Trust God