The 8 Day Challenge Day 8

Thought of the Day
"I am drenched with the joy of God and all is well."

Congratulations for sticking with the challenge for eight days! How did it go yesterday with building up and multiplying joy in the life of that one special person? What about the other 4 people who have participated with you? Have you checked up on their progress? Bear in mind that the 4:8 principle tends to impact your relationships more than anything else.

Your eight day experiment of deliberately searching for and cultivating the good stuff in your life officially ends after you drift to sleep this evening. Of course, I hope and certainly encourage you to continue filtering your thoughts, words, and actions through Philippians 4:8 indefinitely. For a quick reinforcement, reread this powerfully simple verse from The Message:

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." Philippians 4:8 (MSG)

Recently, I was asked by a nine year-old about The 8-Day Challenge. I explained that it was a little game to see how many grown-ups could think and talk only about the good stuff in their life for eight straight days. The little boy then asked me what happened to the losers...

The single most effective method for extending the benefits of The 8-Day Challenge is developing the habit of asking, re-asking, and then answering 4:8 Questions. A 4:8 Question is a question about your life that extracts a positive response. When you change the questions you consistently ask yourself, you start thinking differently. The 4:8 Questions are a simple tool to displace negativity in the short term and help you take conscious control of your repeated thoughts over the long haul.

These questions reroute your attention to the best things in your life. Even on tax day, you'll find that 4:8 Questions immediately change what you're focusing on. Consequently, they affect how you feel, as well as your level of creativity, excitement, and joy at any given moment. When you ask better questions, you receive better answers. Do you believe God wants you to launch into each day with joy? Try these questions immediately upon waking, during your Early Morning Joy Ritual (EMJR):

What are 4 things that I'm grateful to God for this morning?
What are 4 of my strengths, and how can I use them today?
What are 4 of my recent victories, and who was blessed as a result?
What 4 relationships could I influence positively today?
What are 4 things that I'm excited about experiencing over the next twelve hours?
Each of the questions above demands a positive response, and by asking for four answers to each, I am compelling you to dwell on the positive. After all, you cannot completely control the thoughts that are triggered from your surroundings, but you can unquestionably control what you choose to dwell and fix your mind upon.

To get these questions working for you, put a copy where you can see them often, such as on a bathroom mirror, a night table, your computer screen, the refrigerator, or the steering wheel of your car. You could even make a screen saver containing your 4:8 Questions or tape them to your treadmill, Stairmaster or exercise bike. Keep them "top of mind" as much as possible throughout the day, almost like you're advertising reasons to be joyful. Remember that your potential for joy is limited only by your preparation for joy.

Question of the Day
In what ways could you better prepare yourself to live, give and love with joy, regardless of what is going on around you?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or the extra mile)
Design, in writing, your ideal Early Morning Joy Ritual (EMJR), emphasizing the First Fifteen minutes of your day. (See page 141)

1. read Scripture, listen to worship songs, pray
2. avoid TV and negative thoughts
3. prepare for my EMJR the night before by setting out a journal, a book, my Bible, going to bed early enough to give me at least 8 hours of sleep
4. the instant i wake up, tell myself "this is the day that the Lord has made; rejoice! and be glad in it! i am so incredibly blessed." thank God for another day of grace.
5. the instant i wake up, avoid telling myself "it's gonna be a long day..." or turning my thoughts to what i DON'T have
6. intensify my gratitude in the First Fifteen by journaling my answers to the 4:8 Questions and journaling 5 things each day that i am grateful for
7. use prayer and Scripture to talk and listen to God
8. carry my answers to the day's 4:8 Questions around with me all day to keep my mind on 4:8 Thoughts