Health Scare-Having Joy in Trials-End of 30 Day Negativity Fast

Congratulations! Yesterday you finished 30 days of Feasting on Gratitude and Fasting from Negativity. What a journey!
During this 30 days my family had one of the biggest health scares ever. My wife had the worst asthma flare up she has ever had in her life. Along with that, a speculative diagnosis of bronchitis and pneumonia. If that wasn't enough, they found a spot on her lung and we had to go through a series of test to determine what it was. So how are you suppose to stay negative free in the middle of a bombardment of negative doctor reports? That is where the challenge came in. Immediately fear and worry began to hover over my wife. All of the thoughts of "what might happen" and "what could be" began to flood her mind. The physical symptoms associated with fear, worry, and anxiety are amazingly real. Each time we took a test there was this agonizing waiting game that drove us to our knees. Each time we got a report back that was inconclusive, disappointment would wrestle for our affections. Here are ten things I learned on this 30 day journey.

1. It is a minute by minute battle to combat negative words and thoughts.
2. You can not tame your tongue you must tend to the condition of your heart
3. The only way to get your heart right is to allow the forgiving and cleansing power of Jesus' sacrifice to cleanse it properly.
4. Filling your heart with the Word of God smothers the negative thoughts and leaves them powerless.
5. You really can address negative circumstances in a hopeful way. I learned to say "let me rephrase that" alot over the last 30 days.
6. The greatest challenge to stay positive is often with the people you are closest to. (i.e. marriage, family, friends, and coworkers)
7. Discouragement is real and leads to other things like: Fear, dismay, feelings of abandonment, sadness, forgetting what God has said, terror, weakness, disobedience out of fear, resignation, doubt, intimidatation, dread, and you begin to believe lies about you.
8. Encouragement is real too. We have the power to put courage in our hearts and other's hearts through our words and through the Word of God.
9. God has given us a wonderful tool in our words and we can create an atmosphere of peace and life or turmoil and death.
10. That joy is a choice that takes courage to choose.

Hourly my wife and I had to confess the word of God out of our mouths to overcome the fear. She wrote out things from the word of God that she believes were promises from God in regards to her circumstance and would confess them throughout the day. She started journaling her prayers daily, stating truly how she felt but also stating truly who she was trusting in. We would pray together often and when we got done she would feel strong and fit for the task of believing in the face of this trial. However, an hour later the same negative feelings would begin to hover again. We realized that prayer is not a one stop shop and that we needed to pray and confess the word continually through this trial (See below for some scriptures). We learned that no matter what the circumstance is it all falls under the heading "Trial of your Faith", James 1:2-4. We took time to remember times in our past when God was faithful and brought us through. We enlisted several friends and family to pray for us and to be an encouragement for us.

After plenty of time, money, three different scans, shots and antibiotics we got a report back that the spot on her lungs was benign and there was nothing to be concerned about. They didn't even bother to call us or set up an appointment to tell us; they just sent a letter. In essence the spot had nothing to do with all of the other bronchial symptoms she was experiencing. This was great news! The greatest thing for us was that the Sunday before we got the results back we made our confession before the entire church that no matter what the doctors report said we would be standing with our faith in God and not in the outcome. So this entire exercise was a strengthening of our faith muscles and also an opportunity for my wife and I to increase our spiritual intimacy. My wife and I have a new appreciation for those that struggle with anxiety, but we also got a renewal in the importance of feasting on faith-filled words. God showed us how to "count it all joy" even when the circumstances look bleak. We were turning over rocks searching for joy during this 30 day challenge. We found a joy that is not rooted in our circumstance but is anchored in God and his promises that can shine bright even in the face of the toughest trials. Truly the joy of the Lord became our strength. We have lessons to carry with us and to pass on to others that we will never forget. Part of this trial was expressed in this message: "Feasting on Faith-filled Words"
Download here: "Feasting on Faith-filled Words"
Play at Sermon Network here: "Feasting on Faith-filled words"

I'm sure you have had a testimony similar to ours. Let's take all of our lessons into this new year and live a lifestyle of feasting on gratitude and starving negatitivy.

Here are a few passages of scripture to carry you through trials with joy:
Phil. 4:13; Isaiah 40:29; Psalms 119:28; Eph 6:10; Isaiah 40:31; II Cor. 12:9-10; Psalms 46:1; Neh. 8:10; Psalms 28:7-8; James 1:2-4; Psalms 118:17; Prov. 3:5-6; II Sam. 22:33; II Tim 1:7; I John 4:18

Past Post:
-Read about A Broken Record-Murmuring
-Get your free Fast and Feast Poster
-Read about Overcoming the Flesh
-Read about Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty-5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about The Anatomy of the Mouth a hidden component.
-Read about Fast to Feast-30 Day Challenge
-Read about 15 Viable Reasons to join this campaign.

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A Broken Record-Murmuring: 30 Day Negativity Fast

When I was younger my parents bought my brother and I a record player to play our children's stories and songs. We had one record which was a dramatization of the Popeye cartoon. The only thing I can remember from the story are these words, "Oil and Blubber..Oil and Blubber..Oil and Blubber.." There was a scratch on the record and whenever the needle would get to that point it would always get stuck until we bumped the record player or picked up the needle. This nagging repetition that happens with a scratched record reminds me of the term called murmuring.
As you continue our 30 day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast I hope you are becoming aware of times you find your self murmuring and learn how to give yourself a bump.

According to Strong's Concordance the word murmur is translated in the bible to mean:  to stop (usually over night); by implication to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain): - abide (all night), continue, dwell, endure, grudge, be left, lie all night, (cause to) lodge (all night, in, -ing, this night), (make to) murmur, remain, tarry (all night, that night).

Murmuring is a spot that you get stuck on and dwell for a long period of time with no resolution. Here are five ways to give your self a "bump" when you are stuck in a rut of murmuring.

1. Begin to count your blessing naming them one by one. I Thes. 5:18
2. Remember God's faithfulness to you in the past. Psalms 78:35, Jonah 2:7
3. Release yourself from unhealthy comparison with others. II Cor. 10:12
4. Instead of rehearsing the problem come up with three potential solutions. Prov. 25:2
5. If you are a believer realize you have a responsibility to shine as a lights in a fallen world and you can't do that well stuck in a rut of murmuring. Please read the following passage in it's entirety:

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings, so that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Among these you shine as lights in the world," Phil. 2:14-15

I have had to catch my self several times on this Negativity fast and intentionally choose gratitude. I don't want to be known for what I complained about but for what I did to fix the situation. Choosing to fast from murmuring will change your life! Keep going on this journey and invite your friends.

Listen to a message I shared on the subject called "The right way to Complain"
Download to your favorite player here
Listen to all of the Church Ablaze podcast here


-Get your free Fast & Feast Poster
-Read about Overcoming the Flesh
-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about 5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post.
If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below: Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email

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Free Poster-30 Day Negativity Fast & Gratitude Feast

We are half way there on Day 15 of our 30 day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast. What better way to stay motivated, than with a visual reminder. I have attached a link below so you can download a high resolution pdf to print and put up as a reminder.

Click here: 11x17 High resolution poster.

Try and go as many days as you can negative free. If you blow it just get up and try again.

-Read about Overcoming the Flesh
-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about 5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post.
If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below: Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email

Don't forget to check your email to verify subscription.

Overcoming the Flesh by Lisa Hill

Matthew 26: 41 "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Okay, I am not sure about all of you that have taken up the 30 Day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast, but I have never found the above mentioned scripture to be so true. I am so much more aware of what is coming out of my mouth. I have mentioned in my blog before, that by nature, I tend to be pessimistic. The first thing I notice in a situation is the wrong and not the right. But even knowing that about myself, I have been a bit surprised at how quickly negative or death filled words slip out of my mouth.
With that being said, I thank God that there is always an answer in His word. He says to, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." Every morning I know that if I am going to succeed at speaking words of life (Prov 18:21), planting trees of life in my children's hearts (Prov 15:4), speaking pleasant words that bring healing (Prov 16:24), speaking soft answers that turn away wrath (Prov 15:1), and if I will open my mouth with wisdom and have the law of kindness on my tongue (Prov 31: 26), I need the Lord's strength and encouragement. I need to watch for those same ol' situations that bring out the worst in me and stop and pray and ask the Lord to help me to respond differently. I need to stop frustration in it's tracks by asking the Lord for the wisdom I need to be a life-giver in the midst of my testing. Is it really that simple......yes! Over and over again accessing the Lord - that's what being an overcomer is.
The second part of the verse says, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." I am so glad that the Lord knows me. He did say in His word, that in the flesh dwells no good thing. So really, I should not be surprised when those negative and death filled words come to my mind and desire to roll right off my tongue. But the good news is that I do not live after the flesh any longer. As I was reminded this weekend by Kay Arthur: we live and walk by faith in the power of God working in us. We don't owe the flesh anything (Romans 8:12)!
So if any of y'all out there are like me and finding that you needed this fast a little more than you had thought, take heart. Know that your Father in heaven, knows what you have need of. He knows your frame. He made you. Be mindful of the times, situations, and people that tend to steal all your kind words away (smile) and pray. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for His strength to overcome the flesh and access the power of His spirit to become a life-giver! It is He that works in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure!!!

Written by: Lisa Hill (my lovely wife and mother of our 6 children)

-Read about How to Wash Your Mouth
-Read about 5 Observations on Choosing a Joyful Perspective.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post.
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Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?-Day 10

We are on Day 10 of our 30 Day-Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast. Is the glass half empty or half full? This age old rhetorical phrase has been used as a tool to express how different people have different perspectives on the same circumstance. Traditionally, the optimist sees the glass as half full while the pessimist sees it as half empty.
As we continue on this journey recognize that there are at least two ways to view every circumstance. Give yourself permission to choose joy. The reason I said, "give yourself permission" is because we all grow up with a natural default. Some were raised around complaining, worrying and negative people so your natural inclination is to find something to complain about. Others were raised around optimistic, thankful, and encouraging people that look for the good in most situations. If your natural default is negative from this day forward give yourself permission to choose to think, talk, and act differently.

There is a story in the Bible found in Ezra 3:10-13, where the foundation of the temple of the Lord was rebuilt after many years of having no place to worship. There were a host of singers, trumpets, and cymbals that made for a huge celebration. Amongst all of the celebratory noise, that could be heard for miles, were also a mixture of cries and laments.
Ezr 3:12,13 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
One situation, with two polar opposite perspectives. Those that knew the empty void of not having a temple at all praised with shouts of joy. Those that were only in comparison mode which prompted criticism were weeping with a loud voice.

5 observations on choosing a joyful perspective:

1. What God does for a former generation he may do differently in another. Both should rejoice.
2. Having high expectations creates low appreciation. Resetting your expectations to a new reality means letting go of what was and embracing what is.
3. Having high entitlement creates low gratitude. Whenever you feel you deserve something more than what God has provided, you will not be thankful. Gratitude begins where entitlement ends.
4. Comparing yesterday's success can leave you with zero appreciation for current mercies in your life.
5. Being critical can make just as much noise as rejoicing. One leaves you unfulfilled the other brings satisfaction.

Sometimes it doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full, but being grateful that you have a cup of water.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life!
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How to Wash Your Mouth-Soap or Hot Coals?-Day 4

Day 4 of our 30 day Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast. Yesterday, I blogged about the Anatomy of the Mouth. In that post we revealed that there is a hidden component of your mouth which controls it's functions. "Taking a fast from negative words is not merely a physical exercise of controlling the motion of our mouth, but rather tending to the condition of our hearts." I asked a question, 'how do we tend to our hearts?'


Through the years there have been several tactics used to attempt to clean up our speech. One of prominence is washing the mouth out with soap. I have also heard of people putting hot sauce on the tongue or making the transgressor drink Castor Oil. All of these means can instigate change, embed anger, or completely clean out your digestive system but can it get at that hidden component of the heart?

In Isaiah 6:5-8 (NIV) I found another method instituted by God and delivered by an angel: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs (an angel) flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

During this three days of this negativity fast I hope you have come to the realization that it is impossible to rid your speech, thoughts, actions, and attitudes of negativity in your own strength. Some of us have probably felt like Isaiah in the above passage, a person of unclean lips and living among people with unclean lips. We can also glean from this passage a key prerequisite to having a successful negativity fast. We must have our hearts purged of sin in order to have our mouth cleansed of negative words.

Before a Holy God, our best attempts are seen as unclean (Isaiah 64:6) and our need for help is exposed like a roach when the lights are turned on.

Hot coals represent purging, cleansing and pardoning. To be considered acceptable to God an unclean thing must go through purification. In this case it was Isaiah's mouth. In our case it is our mouth by way of our hearts!

The hot coals are not meant to burn your lips but rather clean your heart,
-they are not meant to scar your mouth but heal your heart,
-they are not meant to hinder your speech but qualify and bring life to your words,
-they are not meant to brand your guilt but pardon your sin.

God's word is like a fire Jeremiah 23:29. The Holy Spirit works as fire, Matt. 3:11. God's method for cleaning up our speech thoughts and actions are done by a means that effects us at the heart and conscience level. Read below:
Hebrews 9:13-14 (CEV)
According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That's why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.

God wants your speech to produce life but it can only happen if it comes from a good heart that has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. In the eyes of God there is only one acceptable sacrifice for our back biting, evil, slanderous, pessimistic, doubtful, and sinful words, thoughts, and actions (Heb. 10:14). God provided this sacrifice, His only son who was sinless and pure. Jesus was tempted at all points yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). The clean was given for the unclean. At a conscious level you can receive power to bless others from a pure heart if you put your faith and trust in Jesus and His finished work on the cross.

Don't attempt to do this Negativity Fast in your own strength. Surrender your heart to Christ and allow the Spirit of God to give you a new heart which will give you new speech with no soap required.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.
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Anatomy of Your Mouth-Day 3 Negativity Fast

Today is day 3 of our 30 day Negativty fast and Gratitude Feast. I am hearing moaning and groaning from friends and family near and far that it is tough to stay positive. Without a doubt, it is a challenging task. Since we all have three days under our belt it is fitting to understanding that there are some perquisites to successfully fasting from negativity. One of them is understanding the anatomy of the mouth.

Paraphrasing the dictionary Britannica.com, the mouth is the orifice through which food and air enter the body. The mouth opens to the outside at the lips and empties into the throat at the rear; its boundaries are defined by the lips, cheeks, hard and soft palates, and glottis. It is composed of a vestibule, open space, between the cheeks and the teeth, and a lower chamber filled by the tongue. In addition to its primary role in the intake and initial digestion of food, the mouth and its structures are essential in humans to the formation of speech.

The above definition tell us that the mouth is only a tool used for the"formation of speech" so our words originate from somewhere else and the mouth is a tool of vocalization. Read this passage below:

Matthew 12:33-38 (New Living Translation)
33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

I like verse 34 in the NASB version which says, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart."

Quick summary:

1. The origin of our words comes from our hearts.
2. Words are like fruit and our hearts are like fruit trees.
3. Our hearts can be evil or good, and in addition they can be filled with evil or good.
4. Evil words come from an evil heart. Good words come from a good heart.
5. Our identification to others is often formed by the fruit we bear or the words we say.
6. Our words shape others judgement of us. They can reveal the judgement of innocence or the judgement of guilt.

So from the anatomy lesson above we understand that the mouth has a hidden component called the heart that really controls all of our words. With that being said, taking a fast from negative words is not merely a physical exercise of controlling the motion of our mouth, but rather tending to the condition of our hearts. So just how do we tend to our hearts? We will tackle that in future post. Give us your comments.

Click here: Growing in Gratitude. for a free download of a great 30 day devotional that is pointing you towards gratitude.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email
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Fast to Feast-30 Day Challenge

We are on Day 2 of our Negativity Fast and Gratitude Feast. Notice it is not just a fast, but also a feast. We want to saturate our lives with gratitude and starve the negativity in our lives. Sometimes you have to fast in order to feast. Abstaining from negative thoughts, words, attitudes or actions in order to initiate a feast of gracious things that will produce fruit in your life. In Colossians 3:1-17 the principle is explained as "putting off" and "putting on". By the power of God we have been given the ability to put off ungodly actions and put on gracious actions. Here are three ways to make this 30 day experience enjoyable:

1) Do it with friends, family, coworkers, or your church. That way you have built in accountability and encouragement.
2) Get an encouragement jar and some poker chips. Red are for negative things you do. White are for things you do to express gratitude. Someone else has to put a chip in the jar for you. Check at the end of a week how colorful your jar is.
3) Establish some consistent way to get in the word of God. Truly the only way you can make a heart change is by allowing the God of your heart access to uproot negativity and to plant gratitude.

My wife and I are going through a resource by Nancy Leigh Demoss called Growing in Gratitude. It's a free download and is pointing us to the word of God as our source for living a negative free life. 

Read previous post: Fifteen Reasons to join us in this challenge.

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30 day Negativity Fast-Gratitude Feast

Starting Monday, December 3rd we are asking everybody to fast from negative words, thoughts, and actions for 30 days. During this fast we will also feast on Gratitude. So it is a Gratitude feast and a Negativity fast. This is a campaign that will change your life. The tongue possesses power according to Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." It is your choice rather you use your tongue to build up or tear down..speak life or speak death..encourage or discourage..utter doubt or utter faith.

Fifteen reasons to join us as we fast from negativity and feast on gratitude:

1. People are spending too much of their life focusing on self criticism, critisizing others, and being pessemistic.
2. Too many people are living below the level God has designed for them because they are confessing, meditating, and thinking about negative things.
3. Your relationships with God, spouse, children, coworkers, family, friends, and generally everyone you come in contact with will get better. Your worklife, home life, and church life will all improve.
4. People around you will begin to eat the fruit of life from your lips and flourish more because of your positive encouragement.
5. You will be taking the axe to the root of negative words and uprooting them so that they can be replaced with postive, faith filled words that are based on the true promises of God.
6. It will force you to think of better ways to communicate your desires.
7. It will help you to stop believing lies about your self and become the person God made you to be.
8. It will aid you in changing your perspective on even problematic situations.
9. It doesn't ignore problems but helps you deal with them in the right way.
10. You will train your self to be solution focuses rather than problem focused
11. Guarding your speech means you are gaurding your heart, which means you are changing your beliefs, which means the core of who you are is being afforded the opportunity to be transformed.
12. Things that used to be fearful obstacles will turn into opportunities as you anchor your heart and confessions in God's word that will give you courage and strength to overcome.
13. You will become "other-minded" versus "self-centered".
14. It will ignite your faith in God, service toward man, and love for all.
15. You will be certain despite circumstances that God is faithful and you won't allow situations to easily alter your moods and attitudes.

Listen hear for a message on the subject: Joy is a Choice 
Will you join us? If so comment on my blog or facebook, or twitter (use the hash tag #negativityfast or #gratitudefeast).

LET's DO THIS!!
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We did it!-Day 30 of 30 Negativity Fast

Today is the last day of our 30 day journey to rid our selves of negativity. It started Dec 1st with 15 reasons to fast from negative words. All the past blog post can be found here. Through facebook, twitter, word of mouth, church, and posters we have made a statement, "Negativity is out and positivity is in as we roll into 2010." I learned 10 key things on this fast.

1. It is a minute by minute battle to combat negative words and thoughts.
2. You can not tame your tongue you must tend to the condition of your heart
3. The only way to get your heart right is to allow the forgiving and cleansing power of Jesus' sacrifice to cleanse it properly.
4. Filling your heart with the Word of God smothers the negative thoughts and leaves them powerless.
5. You really can address negative circumstances in a hopeful way. I learned to say "let me rephrase that" alot over the last 30 days.
6. The greatest challenge to stay positive is often with the people you are closest to. (i.e. marriage, family, friends, and coworkers)
7. "Dis" or "En" is a small prefix in front of the word courage that will determine if you walk in faith or walk in defeat.
8. Discouragement is real and leads to other things like: Fear, dismay, feelings of abandonment, sadness, forgetting what God has said, terrified, weak, fear of enemies, disobedience out of fear, terror, you want to quit, doubt, intimidated, dread, and you believe lies about you.
9. Encouragement is real too. We have the power to put courage in our hearts and other's hearts through our words and through the Word of God.
10. This fast reminded me that God have given us a wonderful tool in our words and we can create atmospheres of peace and life or turmoil and death.

My friend Nathan Williams came up with a working definition of the word encourage.
Encourage: to put courage in (en) the heart. To have HEART means to have inner strength and courage.
Speak words to others that leave others with H-E-A-R-T:
H -Hope
E - Enthusiasm
A - Assistance
R - Rejoicing
T - Total Confidence

I need to thank you for joining us, my wife for all of her great blog post, my friend J.D. Stegall for his encouraging blog post, my friend VERSES for his poster design with Thinqbold media, all of the businesses, churches, families, individuals, etc. that took the challenge to be negative free for 30 days. And also for the greatest church family (Church Ablaze) who had to listen to me beat the drum of encouragement all month. NOW LET'S MAKE IT A LIFESTYLE..SHALL WE!

Take a minute and comment on what you learned?

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Story of a Super Model-Day 22 Negativity Fast

Can you believe we have 8 days left of our negativity fast? It has been encouraging in our household and our church. My wife is one of my main encouragers; she is my biggest fan. I love her! She is my super model! She models biblical, Godly womanhood with grace and compassion. She should be on the front cover of every magazine (fully clothed) with her 6 children, bible, and apron. :-) The only way to be a good encourager to someone else is to allow the God of all encouragement to encourage you. Lisa, shares in her blog How the word "But" changed my life (Click here), her journey from discouragement to encouragement. Please read it and then respond to her question at the end of the blog.

Enjoy!!

-If you feel like you keep failing at this negativity fast read this post, you may not have the right heart.
-Are you just having trouble overcoming read this post.
-Need a poster to help you remember to stay positive: 1) 11x17 Poster 2) 8.5x11 Poster
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
Subscribe to Jonathan's Blog by Email
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Can you really change?-Day 16 Negativity Fast

As we roll into day 16 of our negativity fast. I read a blog post by my friend JD Stegall in regards to Death and Life. Please click here and read it in it's entirety. His writing caused me to realize that there are plenty of people that are attempting the negativity fast and have realized that they are really uprooting tons of negative words and actions that have been done to them that they have been reciprocating to others. I want to ask you a question and please send me your comments on my blog. How do you completely retrain your thoughts, words, and actions to line up with the way God desires for you to be a positive, faith-filled person if you never had that example growing up? What are your thoughts?

-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

12 days of Marriage-Day 15 Negativity fast

It is HALFTIME....we are on day 15 of our negativity fast. I wanted to encourage the married or engaged couples today. I saw on the Marriage Network Oklahoma blog a great plan to build your marriage during this holiday season and negativity fast.

It is called the 12 days of Marriage and can be found here: 12 days of marriage. The Marriage ministries in Oklahoma have networked to provide a comprehensive resource for the married couples in Oklahoma called Marriage Network Oklahoma. A good friend of ours Donna Edwards of Living Well Ministries leads the charge.

Whether you are married or not the Holiday season does not have to be stressful. Purpose in your heart to not yield your heart or tongue to negative thoughts and words. Intentionally, praise and encourage everyone in your sphere of influence. One of the greatest gifts is thoughtful loving words spoken from a sincere heart.

-If you feel like you keep failing at this negativity fast read this post, you may not have the right heart.
-Are you just having trouble overcoming read this post.
-Need a poster to help you remember to stay postive: 1) 11x17 Poster 2) 8.5x11 Poster
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

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Free Posters-Day 11 Negativity Fast

Rolling into day 11 of our fast from negativity, there is nothing like a visible reminder of what we should be doing. I have attached two links to two sizes of posters. Click the images to download:
IMPORTANT: YOU MUST HIT YOUR BROWSERS BACK BUTTON TO GET BACK TO THE BLOG AFTER DOWNLOAD. DO NOT HIT YOUR CLOSE BUTTON.
1) 11x17 Poster
2) 8.5x11 Poster

This is a free resource that people are posting in their homes, offices, churches, schools, etc. Let's influence our environment with this poster. Hopefully, this poster will be a reminder to bite our tongues; to stop and think before we react; seek to encourage and speak words of life to people versus tear them down.

-If you feel like you keep failing at this negativity fast read this post, you may not have the right heart.
-Are you just having trouble overcoming read this post.
-Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
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Sweetness of the Lips-Day 10 Negativity fast

She did it again!! I have to take a moment to admit that my wife, Lisa Hill, is the writer in the family. I just blurp every now and then. She can communicate in two paragraphs what is takes me to communicate in and essay. Sweet lips are what we all need during this 30 day negativity fast. To keep my words encouraging I have intentionally had to keep saying this phrase, "hold on let me rephrase that." One day a few years back I accidentally called my home phone and ended up recording a message. Well I heard the stress and strain in my voice as I was correcting one of my children. I said to myself, "Jonathan was it really that serious?" I realized then and am realizing now, you can get the same point across with out the vocal undulations and snide looks. My wife really hits it home with her blog post on the Sweetness of the lips (click here). Let's share this sweetness with everyone we meet. Find somebody and surprise them by being sweet today.

If you feel like you keep failing at this negativity fast read this post, you may not have the right heart.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
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How to Clean Your Mouth:Soap or Hot Coals?-Day 9 Negativity Fast

Day 9 of our 30 day negativity fast. It is our second week. Back on day four of our negativity fast I blogged about the Anatomy of the Mouth. In that post we revealed that there is a hidden component of your mouth which controls it's functions. "Taking a fast from negative words is not merely a physical exercise of controlling the motion of our mouth, but rather tending to the condition of our hearts." I asked a question, how do we tend to our hearts.


Through the years there have been several tactics used to attempt to clean up our speech. One of prominence is washing the mouth out with soap. I have also heard of people putting hot sauce on the tongue or making the transgressor drink Castor Oil. All of these means can instigate change, embed anger, or completely clean out your digestive system but can it get at that hidden component of the heart?

In Isaiah 6:5-8 (NIV) I found another method instituted by God and delivered by an angel: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs (an angel) flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

During this first eight days of this negativity fast I hope you have come to the realization that it is impossible to rid your speech, thoughts, actions, and attitudes of negativity in your own strength. Some of us have probably felt like Isaiah in the above passage, a person of unclean lips and living among people with unclean lips. We can also glean from this passage a key prerequisite to having a successful negativity fast. We must have our hearts purged of sin in order to have our mouth cleansed of negative words.

Before a Holy God our best attempts are seen as unclean (Isaiah 64:6) and our need for help is exposed like a roach when the lights are turned on.

Hot coals represent purging, cleansing and pardoning. To be considered acceptable to God an unclean thing must go through purification. In this case it was Isaiah's mouth. In our case it is our mouth by way of our hearts!

The hot coals are not meant to burn your lips but rather clean your heart,
-they are not meant to scar your mouth but heal your heart,
-they are not meant to hinder your speech but qualify and bring life to your words,
-they are not meant to brand your guilt but pardon your sin.

God's word is like a fire Jeremiah 23:29. The Holy Spirit works as fire, Matt. 3:11. God's method for cleaning up our speech thoughts and actions are done by a means that effects us at the heart and conscience level. Read below:
Hebrews 9:13-14 (CEV)
According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That's why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.

God wants your speech to produce life but it can only happen if it comes from a good heart that has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. In the eyes of God there is only one acceptable sacrifice for our back biting, evil, slanderous, pessimistic, doubtful, and sinful words, thoughts, and actions (Heb. 10:14). God provided this sacrifice, His only son who was sinless and pure. Jesus was tempted at all points yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). The clean was given for the unclean. At a conscious level you can receive power to bless others from a pure heart if you put your faith and trust in Jesus and His finished work on the cross.

Don't attempt to do this Negativity Fast in your own strength. Surrender your heart to Christ and allow the Spirit of God to give you a new heart which will give you new speech with no soap required.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
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Overcoming-Day 08 Negativity fast

We are on Day 8 of our negativity fast and by now I think we all realize we have plenty to overcome. Hopefully we realized there is no need to do this alone or in your own strength. My wife, Lisa Hill, resurrected her blog to pass on some encouraging words about overcoming. We have both been holding each other accountable in this 30 day negativity fast and it is transforming our home. Click the following Link: Grace and Truth and pass it on to encourage others.

Enjoy!!

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

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A personal testimony-Day 05 Negativity fast

Day 5 folks. I am learning this is a daily battle that can only be done by God's grace. I have a good friend whose blog I want to share with you. J.D. Stegall committed to join our 30 day Negativity fast and dedicate one blog post a week to the subject. I pray that you are encouraged by it. He shares about his personal story of overcoming negative words and a negative life at: Today's Truth Writer (Click here).


Enjoy!!
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Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
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Marriage Crisis

Fealt the need to repost this from last year...Enjoy.

DON'T DO IT!!! Divorce is not the answer. Marriage problems can be repaired. Negativty in our marriages must cease. This post is for the couples struggling in their marriage right now. This post is for the couples you know that are struggling (pass it on). This post is for that stubborn spouse that wants to keep their problems a secret. DON'T DO IT!!! Divorce is not the answer.

This post is not a well thought out literary master piece at all. I just have an urgency to shoot from the hip. Last month myself and a few others took 30 days to pray 5am-6am. One of the main subjects was marriage. See our marriage prayer here at this post. At the bottom of the post are a few good resources that can turn your marriage in the right direction.

For those of you that don't know I am a part of a marriage organization called Eye to Eye Marriage Enrichment Community . For 10 years we have had ZERO divorces for couples that have been through one year of our "Walk together" bible study. You can read about the strategy here. We are throwing a huge party at our 10th sweetheart ball next year to celebrate. I am not here to sell an organization but if something is working you need to find out why. Let me share with you some quick bullet points that have kept divorces at bay.

1. Keeping the word of God central as you build your relationships. Seeking Christ centered resources that fill your marriage with the TRUTH versus opinions.
2. Creating a subculture of other married couples with the same goal of having vibrant marriages. This could be family, friends, neighbors, or church.
3. Set regular and routine things in your yearly calendar that focus on building your marriage. This should include: Bible studies, fun events, conferences, alone and with and with other couples.
4. Not keeping our problems a secret. Marriages are one of the most prevalent secret societies in the world. We cut our hand we run straight to the hospital. We run into marriage problems we bind each other to secrecy. This must stop!
5. Recognize you are fighting a literal enemy! And it is not your spouse! Satan, the world system, and your own lust (sin nature) are all fighting against your oneness in marriage.
6. When you run into a roadblocks WASTE NO TIME..get help quickly. Identify that seasoned couple that you can sit with to talk to. Have identified the church small group or Sunday School class that is focused on marriage. Be prepared to contact your pastor or Marriage leader in your church. Agree with your spouse during peacetime what you both will do when you run into wartime road blocks.

True confession: My wife and I have been married for 13 years. We have been through sex issues, money issues, communication issues, inlaw issues, etc. We are still together and each of our 13 years of marriage has gotten better and better. OK, here is what you don't know. All 13 of those years we have had an older couple in our lives that we have run to with our issues. All of those 13 years we have had companion couples in our season of life to live life with. All 13 of those years we have attempted to pour into others marriages through our struggles. Listen I am a pastor and a marriage leader and I have sought consistent help in my marriage. WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE! Get Help! Get Help! Let the cat out the bag! Get some accountability for the most important earthly relationship you have.

Last story: There is a couple where the husband was caught in pornography, he was put out the house. For months they grew bitter and cold towards each other. Multiple children started building resentment toward their dad. Things appeared hopeless and bleak. Long story short, he is back home and they are rebuilding their marriage relationship and parent child relationships. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!

1. She never stopped praying and seeking God
2. He never stopped praying and seeking God
3. They both ran to their Godly friends for advice
4. The both ran to their pastor for advice.
5. They both started Chirst centered classes together to over come addictions and find inner healing.

They are still in the process of overcoming but THEY ARE NOT DIVORCED! Divorce is not the answer. Let's take a stand in this culture and build tall Guard Rails to protect this Godly ordained institution of marriage.

Got questions? I will do my best to help or find someone that can.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
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Anatomy of a Mouth-Day 03 Negativity Fast

Today is day three of our 30 day negativity fast. I am hearing moaning and groaning from friends and family near and far that it is tough to stay positive. Without a doubt, it is a challenging task. Since we all have three days under our belt it is fitting to understanding that there are some perquisites to successfully fasting from negativity. One of them is understanding the anatomy of the mouth.

Paraphrasing the dictionary Britannica.com, the mouth is the orifice through which food and air enter the body. The mouth opens to the outside at the lips and empties into the throat at the rear; its boundaries are defined by the lips, cheeks, hard and soft palates, and glottis. It is composed of a vestibule, open space, between the cheeks and the teeth, and a lower chamber filled by the tongue. In addition to its primary role in the intake and initial digestion of food, the mouth and its structures are essential in humans to the formation of speech.

The above definition tell us that the mouth is only a tool used for the"formation of speech" so our words originate from somewhere else and the mouth is a tool of vocalization. Read this passage below:

Matthew 12:33-38 (New Living Translation)
33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

I like verse 34 in the NASB version which says, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart."

Quick summary:

1. The origin of our words comes from our hearts.
2. Words are like fruit and our hearts are like fruit trees.
3. Our hearts can be evil or good, and in addition they can be filled with evil or good.
4. Evil words come from an evil heart. Good words come from a good heart.
5. Our identification to others is often formed by the fruit we bear or the words we say.
6. Our words shape others judgement of us. They can reveal the judgement of innocence or the judgement of guilt.

So from the anatomy lesson above we understand that the mouth has a hidden component called the heart that really controls all of our words. With that being said, taking a fast from negative words is not merely a physical exercise of controlling the motion of our mouth, but rather tending to the condition of our hearts. So just how do we tend to our hearts? Give us your comments.

Join in as we fast from negative words for 30 days. I wrote 15 viable reasons to join this campaign in a previous post. Entire churches are joining, small groups, corporate offices, classrooms, families, teams, etc. are all joining in. This campaign will change your life! It is the right thing to do.

If you would like to receive email updates of my new post click below:
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