How to Be a Happier Christian

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Bring your dejection

   You must be truly prepared to relinquish it entirely, thus disqualifying yourself from the comforts that accompany darkness of mind and spirit.
   
   You didn’t realize the perks? Well, they are there and very real.
   
   The comfort of your own self pity and perhaps that of Mom or other family members.
   
   The solace of knowing everything would have been so different in your life if they hadn’t done something to hurt you or if something hadn’t happened to you; better known as the victim mentality, thus relieving you of responsibility for your lack of motivation or joy.
   
   In fact, you and everyone else has ‘lowered the bar’ for you and not a lot is expected of you because of your ‘extenuating circumstances’.
   
   So, be ready to lose this rather bleak pay off along with your dejection!
2. 2

   Step 2: your mourning

   When you are feeling low, you have more than a little trouble accessing good and happy positives available to you, for your thoughts stubbornly keep returning to the things that are wrong in your life then insist on predicting bad things to come! You need a concrete tool to help you direct your mind toward new horizons.
   
   Let’s use Psalm 100:4
   -- “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Using this verse, begin the process. , (Your load is already lightened when you realize it is not all upon your shoulders
   -- that truly, God is in control.) , Your depression has stolen from you the realization of all that is good in your life.
   
   You must deliberately force your mind to go and retrieve these things.
   
   Get a pen and notebook and begin a list of good things in and about your life that you can be thankful for.
   
   You will be amazed at what you find! It might be as simple as how good the cold milk is when you drink it with cobbler, or a very sweet memory of your mother playing with you when you were little.
   
   It might be that you get a check every month to meet your needs.
   
   You are manually retraining your mind, taking it from the well worn grooves it continually runs along to access worry, regret, fears.
   
   You are reprogramming it to search for good things; positive things that will make life worth living! Be strong and forcefully keep populating your list.
   
   You are alive and actually there are many things to be thankful for! As you reflect upon the things on your list it opens your eyes to the good things in your life and you can see them again! You will feel the flutter of real, unforced gratitude, realizing as you do that God is the giver of every good thing
   -- your life, your very breath, for He is good and with Him all things are possible! As you see indisputable proof of His goodness and blessing upon your life, you will begin to be truly thankful
   -- for the air conditioning, for the neighbor who smiles at you, that your shoulder doesn’t hurt like it used to! Suddenly, your gratitude turns to praise to God for He is good! He didn’t have to be so good to you and everyone.
   
   He did it because He is good and worthy of praise.
3. 3

   Step 3: the ashes of your life and put it upon the table.

4. 4

   Step 4: Get to work on this trade by taking charge of your thoughts.

5. 5

   Step 5: Acknowledge God's existence

6. 6

   Step 6: His authority

7. 7

   Step 7: His ownership of all things -- including yourself

8. 8

   Step 8: His involvement in your life

9. 9

   Step 9: and His ability to affect the outcome of your life and circumstances.

10. 10

    Step 10: Come with thanksgiving.

Detailed Guide

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