Cognizant

John 13:3 KJV
[3] Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

Life makes more sense when you are cognizant of where you are coming from, as well as where you are going in life. Otherwise it is easy to just go with the flow and at the end of your life, wonder where it all went. “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” (Lewis Carroll).

Proverbs 22:13 KJV
The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

When you are not focused enough in life, every excuse real or imagined, can hinder you. Often, success is just a change of mindset away. “There aren’t nearly enough crutches in the world for
all the lame excuses” (Marcus Stroup).

Judging

Matthew 7:1-2 KJV
[1] Judge not, that ye be not judged. [2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

It is not good to judge others when we do not know the options they had to choose from. Before you open your mouth to judge someone, make sure your moral standard of living is better than the person’s, or you would not do the same if you were in their shoes. “Never judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes…” (Emo Philips).

Advice

Hebrews 12:1 KJV
[1] …let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

As you go through life, you receive lots of advice from various people. But these counsels are usually based on their own journey in life and may have nothing to do with you. Sometimes they contradict. You must be able to sift through the opinions of the masses and forge your own destiny based on God’s plan for your life. “Don’t spend your life believing a story about yourself that you didn’t write that’s been fed to you – that simply you’ve accepted, embedded and added to. Let the story go and there beneath is the real you…and your unique gifts, heart and path that await you” (Nanette Mathews).

Not Deceived

Galatians 6:7 KJV
[7] Be not deceived;
2 Timothy 4:3 KJV
[3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

Allowing oneself to be deceived is as bad as deceiving others. Ignorance is no excuse. We have the responsibility of acquiring adequate and relevant knowledge of the world around us. “Let not then any one deceive you, as indeed you are not deceived, inasmuch as you are wholly devoted to God” (Ignatius).

Heal

Genesis 41:51-52 KJV
And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he , hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
[52] And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Just forgetting the past is not enough. You have to thrive on. God can help in forgetting the past and healing and being fruitful no matter what our past looks like. “Time doesn’t heal all wounds; God does.”

Empty Words

Ephesians 5:6 NIV
[6] Let no one deceive you with empty words

Sometimes, Christians hide behind empty clichés which when examined carefully, may not really make sense and in some contexts may be actually offensive. Phrases like “God is my co-pilot”, “Heaven helps those who help themselves”, “I’m forgiven, not perfect”, “When God closes a door, He opens a window” etc. are not necessarily spiritually sound just because we throw a few metaphysical words around in a sentence. We may even use them in evangelism which can cause confusion and make religion seem like an opium-induced reaction to reality. “Attempting to get at truth means rejecting stereotypes and cliches” (Harold Evans).

Strong Mind

Joshua 1:7 KJV
[7] Only be thou strong and very courageous,…that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

It is an established fact that life is not fair. Everyday seems to come with its own set of problems. Nobody has it easy in life; even the rich have their own causes of unhappiness. Whether you were born rich or poor, an important similarity in all successful people regardless of their background was their tenacity and resilience. “If your mind is strong, all difficult things will become easy; if your mind is weak, all easy things will become difficult” (Chinese proverb).

One’s Lot

Ecclesiasticus 5:19 NIV
[19]… to accept their lot and be happy in their toil–this is a gift of God.

Everyone has their cross to bear. The sooner you accept your lot in life and let go of what cannot be changed, and work on what can be changed to help you live a full life, the more you will have your peace of mind. “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference” (Reinhold Neibuhr).

Maturity

Proverbs 16:32 KJV
[32] He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

The more you mature the more you realize lots of things can be out of one’s control, except how you respond to them. “I understood, I should not react in life. I should always respond…Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of” (Sunder Pichai).