I put this 60+ page document together in early 2010 to help me and others interested in letting patience have her perfect work, in being made complete and whole, wanting nothing. You may find some useful wisdom in the pages of this PDF. Feel free to distribute! 

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Rest:

You might have noticed in Exodus 20:8-11, in the longest of all the ten commandments, Yahweh says that since He rested on the seventh day He gave us that day for us to rest, also. I tell you what, ever since choosing to enter into that rest on a regular basis, i.e. every week rain or shine, no matter what work will be waiting for me to pick up again on the first day of the next week -- I have become a more joyful person. No sex until I marry, no drugs, no partying, no lying, no antidepressants any day of the week. And on the Sabbath, no commerce, no work, just resting in Yahweh, feasting on His word and fellowshipping with His people, sleeping if I want to, worshipping Him in faithfulness. True Shabbat! Doing this, in fulfillment of His command, has helped me develop the fear of Yahweh. And really, this is inextricably linked to finding joy. We see it in Yahshua's words in Matthew 25:21, when He tells the good and faithful servant: "Well done! You have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much! Enter into the joy of your master!" Even a cursory look at Psalm 34 reiterates this point: "Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." It is the times when we look to ourselves, when we follow man's traditions instead of Yah's clearly spoken Way, that we enter into shame instead of joy. The good news is that when we yield to our flesh, our pre-programmed ways, we can respond to our shame from a broken and contrite heart (see Psalm 51 again!) and we can take advantage of the free gift of LifeBlood that Yahweh gave us when He sacrificed His Son on the stake, and we can confess our trespass/iniquity, and we can consciously turn from our ways and proclaim that we want to walk in Yah's Way, and we can ask that the punishment for our iniquity be lifted off of us so we'll be free to walk uprightly, and we can request His Holy-Spirit help to fully repent. Wow, will He ever love to hear that request! We must "look to Him" once we've made that request just to see the tears of joy on His face and on all the angels who are rejoicing over one sinner who repents! We then are radiant with relief, with freedom, with joy again for knowledge of Yah's acceptance and willingness to help us walk with Him!

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Control My Thoughts:

Positive thinking. Some may think this is easy. For others, it is nearly impossible. Do you find yourself criticizing yourself or others before you notice the good things about them or yourself? This is, in fact, a damaging practice that results in the opposite of joy. For me, it results at its worst in trampling on my own friend's heart or body with violent words or actions OR in suicidal fantasies. These are the preeminent negative thoughts! Paul, the new testament commentator on Yah's Way of Truth and Kindness, even advised his prodigy, Timothy, to keep his mind from preoccupation with anything (1 Timothy 5:21). Yahshua Himself tells us in Luke 21:34 that intoxication on anxiety about the distress of the world will keep us out of the Kingdom of Heaven! Wow! So, since I always struggled with this kind of stuff (until after baptism in the Name of Yahweh for the reception of the Holy Spirit through belief in Yahshua) He helped me find two great books and one awesome video which have helped me conceptualize the way my brain thinks.