Lesson Song & Prayer

We LOVE how music and prayer prepares the heart to receive theLessons we are sharing.
We encourage you to listen to the song and prayer as you take several deep cleansing breaths before you start the lesson.
If for any reason the lesson page does not load, please refresh the page.

LESSON 43
MINDFULLNESS-
STAYING THE COURSE

In Lesson 43 of the My Agreements with Me for Believers workbook, we are discussing bring "Mindfulness, Staying the Course". As you become mindful of what you are saying and how your words affect your life, you will notice the influence (fruit) they produce in your life and others'.

Tips/Nuggets

In this lesson we learn about Mindfulness - Staying the Course. Which highlights the importance of being impeccable with your word; as well as, where listening becomes more important than being heard and understanding takes precedence over being understood.

Here are a couple of beautiful Bible illustrations to depict Mindfulness - Staying the Course.

Nugget #1: Be Present - Mary chooses to BE present instead of busy like Mary

First story is from the book of Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42 regarding Mary and Martha. In this story it highlights the value of mindfulness (listening and understanding vs talking or being busy being understood). While Martha is busy with various tasks, Mary chooses to focus on being “present” and attentive with Jesus, demonstrating the importance of mindful engagement. How many times do you find yourself either with your kids, your spouse or significant other, etc., being busy, instead of being present?

Nugget #2: Do lead by fear, stay emotionally stable - Jesus calms the sea

Second story is from the book of Mark, chapter 4, verses 35-41 which revolves around Jesus and His disciples in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee after speaking to a large crowd. On the way, Jesus fell asleep. Shortly afterwards, an unexpected storm appeared with terrible winds, crashing waves, and water coming into the boat. His disciples suddenly became afraid and began to panic, so they went to wake Jesus up saying, “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and calmly spoke to the wind and waves, and they settled down. Afterwards, Jesus quietly rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith. This is an excellent illustration of mindfulness and control over a situation (of doubt and speculation) with His words to calmly address it, in faith, as well as speak truth into His disciples with His words.

Nugget #3: Renew your mind because everything begins here (I.e., truth, stories, lies, etc.)

Third story is from the Book of Job, chapters 1 - 42, which depicts the life of Job and his many challenges he had to overcome by his faith. Despite facing immense adversity and loss, his wife giving up on him, etc., Job remained steadfast in his faith and integrity, staying the course through these extreme and intense times. You see, Job could have made up stories, but he didn’t. He could have listened to the foolish lies of others, but he didn’t. He could’ve fallen into pity (below the line of thinking - Lesson 2) but he didn’t. Instead, he focused his thought on “renewing” his mind with God’s truth and stayed the course. And because of it, God rewarded him 10x over. Job’s vision was to please God in all that he did and that everything belongs to God.

In summary, remember to create and return to your vision and to take deliberate and inspired action. Remembering to forgive and to practice being a leader. To listen with curiosity, always seeking to understand. Mindfulness is understanding your own motivations and keeping your word by keeping your commitments with yourself and others and defining your integrity by the values you live by. Clearly, the story of Job demonstrates this perfectly. It's remembering to not take things personally and that creating connection with God and others over controversy (despair, troubles, trials, tribulations, etc.) works better when you are practicing conscious compassion (for God, ourselves and others). Staying the course is not assuming and story writing (below the line thinking - lesson 2), but rather noticing what you're noticing and to be the witness to your own thoughts and behavior.

Going Deeper in the Word

Be Careful to Guard Your Words

1 Peter 3:10

For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit”

Proverbs 21:23

“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” - This verse emphasizes the importance of being mindful of the words we speak to avoid negative consequences.

Matthew 12:33-37

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Proverbs 12:18-19

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”

Be Careful to Guard Your Actions and Deeds

1 Peter 3:9,11-12

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Galatians 6:9

”Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” - this inspires persistence in doing good despite any challenges.

Lesson 43 - Mindfulness - Staying the Course - #RealTalk

In this lesson we learned about the importance of mindfulness and how staying the course matters. Here are a few real Bible stories that correlate with our lesson to glean from. Mindfulness is ALL ABOUT seeking first God’s Kingdom and His will for our lives.

Dealing with worry and doubt. - the Bible in the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - This verse depicts the importance of a mindful approach to dealing with worries by turning to prayer and finding peace in God’s presence.

Story #1 - Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane - Matthew 26:36-46 - illustrates the example of mindful prayer and surrounding any and all concerns to God. In this story, Jesus faces intense inner turmoil and stress, yet he turns to prayer, demonstrating a mindful approach to the utmost challenge before him of going to the Cross.

Story #2 - Hannah’s inability to conceive - 1 Samuel 1:9-18 - illustrates the example of mindfulness and prayer by her facing deep anguish over not being able to have a baby. She goes to the temple and pours out her heart to God in silent prayer. Her focused and sincere prayer of sacrifice is an example of mindful communication with God at the most difficult time of her life.

Keep the Faith no matter your circumstances. - In the Bible all throughout the book of Hebrews, specifically chapter 11 is a great example of believing it to see mindfulness. We have a lot of faithful people and evidence that came before to encourage us as we live out our faith in God. Here are a few more examples of God’s provisions for people of faith in Him.

Story #3 - Joseph’s determination to stay faithful to God (victor over victim) - Genesis 37-50 - illustrates the mindfulness towards faith in God. Despite Joseph having to face numerous challenges, betrayals and setbacks, Joseph stayed faithful and trusted God. His ability to use the gifts God gave him to interpret dreams and navigate adversity with resilience and humility and forgiveness demonstrates a mindfulness rooted in faith while staying the course.

Story #4 - Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Faith over Fear) - Daniel 6:16-23 - illustrates unwavering faith in the midst of danger of losing his life to disobey God. Daniel’s commitment to praying to God despite a royal decree led to him being thrown into the lion’s den. Yet, his faith remained steadfast, and God protected him, emphasizing the power of trust and faith in the face of adversity.

Resources

Take Advantage of the Resources we have put together for you!

When you utilize the workbook along with these resources, you will create lasting and undeniable results!

Click HERE