Have you ever wanted to change your name? Some people actually do change their names because they just don’t like the name they were given. Well, God changed some people’s names in the Bible, but he did it to signify a change he was making in their lives. Does God want to change your name?

Is your name Anxious?

Are you carrying burdens way too heavy for you? Are you living in fear and worry? You know, Jesus said we are not to carry heavy burdens; we aren’t built for heavy burdens. He carries the heavy burdens, as we exchange our heavy ones for his light burden. If your name has been Anxious lately, it’s time for a name change.

1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6-7: 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.

God wants to give you a new name—Peaceful. He wants you to be confident of the fact that he will never leave you or forsake you, and that you can cast all your care on him, because he cares for you. He wants you to know that peace that passes understanding which is found only in Jesus.

Is your name Discouraged?

Are you ready to give up, verging on depression? Has life been full of all kinds of disappointments and discouragements lately? Sometimes it seems like they gang up on you, doesn’t it? Well, if your name has been Discouraged, God wants to change it to Delivered.

Deuteronomy 31:8: The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Psalm 32:7: You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 34:4: I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

God wants to change your name from Bitter to Joyful, and also from Anxious to Peaceful, and from Discouraged to Delivered. Will you let him change your name?

(Click here to get a copy of "Your New Name" cards.)

Have you considered that you might need a new name? There were several times in the Bible where God changed someone’s name. The most familiar name changes are:

Abram became Abraham

Sarai became Sarah

Jacob became Israel

Simon became Peter

Saul became Paul

God had a purpose for changing their names. It wasn’t that he just didn’t like the name they chose; names held a great deal of significance in that culture, and God changed their names because God was changing them. God was giving them new purpose and meaning in life. God was bringing them from one place in life to the place he wanted them to be. God was changing their name to signify that they had been on the wrong road, and now they were going to be on the narrow road—God’s road—that leads to life.

I wonder if God wants to change your name. For example:

Is your name Bitter?

If so, I can assure you that God wants to change it. In Hebrews 12:15 we read: 

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Bitter roots grow in our hearts when we’ve been wronged, when our dreams are not coming true, when we’ve suffered some kind of loss, when our circumstances are difficult—it doesn’t take much for bitterness to take root in your heart. And as this verse from Hebrews tells us, when left unchecked, bitterness always grows. You cannot hold onto one little bitter twig, because it won't stay little. It always grows.

And then, anytime you allow any little bitterness to take root in your heart, count on it causing you a great deal of trouble, as sure as night follows day. It will cause physical troubles—actually make you sick. It will make you ugly—truly make you look sour and unattractive. Bitterness causes emotional and mental trouble, too. It starts to take over your mind and your thoughts, and you can easily become obsessed and out of touch with reality because of bitterness.

Funny thing is, when we're bitter, it affects all of our relationships, not just the one we are bitter against. As parents we can transfer that bitter spirit to our children; as managers and employees we can transfer it to our co-workers. It is a poison that affects everyone it touches.

Have you stored up so much hurt and anger that it has turned into bitterness? When your name is bitter, you miss the grace of God. God wants to give you a new name. He wants you to be called Joyful, filled with the joy of your salvation and free from the pain of bitterness.

(Click here to get a copy of "Your New Name" cards.)

I believe this topic of praising God is vital to our spiritual, mental and emotional health. It offers the answers for many of the problems each of us faces. I feel as though I'm just beginning to learn how to be more intentional about praising God and how important that praise is in my life. But I sure want to be a fast-learner, don't you?

God has asked us to praise him, not because he needs our praise, but because we need the benefits that come from praising him. Praise helps us mature spiritually, and brings healing to us emotionally, mentally and physically. Praise can really change those things about us that we know need changing—those harmful personality traits that we can't seem to get rid of. All of those are very good reasons to learn to praise God more and more.

Another extremely important reason to praise God is that it defeats our enemy, Satan. It is a weapon to be used in spiritual conflict. Now, perhaps I should remind us all that we are in a spiritual battle. We have an enemy who wants to devour us, to defeat us, to rob and steal from us, to destroy us any way he can. And he has a host of helpers. This enemy is real, and we are in a daily battle with him. If you don't recognize his existence and know how to defeat him, you will be continually at his mercy, and wondering why your life never seem to be victorious as it should be.

Well, praise is one weapon to use against this enemy and it is a very effective weapon. 2 Chronicles 20 is a beautiful example of how praise can be used to defeat our enemy. Just to give a brief background, war had been declared on the people of God by their enemies. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, called the nation to repentance, fasting and prayer. And as they repented and prayed, God assured them of victory, though they were outnumbered by their enemies. Listen to what they did to win this victory:

 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’ As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another” (2 Chronicles 2:20-23).

Here we see that the people of God were victorious even though their enemy was much greater and stronger than they were. And praise was the tool they used to appropriate the victory that God had promised them.

Now when did the victory come? After they began singing and praising. I sure hope you're paying close attention, because this is a very important concept that will make a difference in your life. My friends, in spiritual warfare we must learn to praise God even before we see the victory. You know, believing that God can answer prayer is not enough. But believing that he has heard and has answered—even before you see his answer—that's faith. We show that kind of faith when we praise him in advance.

And when we praise, our enemy is defeated. Why? In Psalm 22:3 we are told that God inhabits the praise of his people. This means that where there is praise and adoration of him, there he identifies and openly manifests his presence. He takes up residence in the praise of his people. And his presence always makes Satan run the other way. Satan cannot abide the presence of the living God. So, praise him. He will inhabit your praise and your enemy will flee.

Loyalty is one of the most valuable of all characteristics. And it is a cornerstone in building good relationships.

Did you ever have a friend or relative who was disloyal to you? If you find out that someone who you counted as a friend has said or done something disloyal, it really hurts your relationship, doesn't it? There's no question that in order to build good relationships, we need this ingredient of loyalty.

Do you stand up for your friends no matter what? Proverbs 18:24 says there is "a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Again, in Proverbs 17:9 we see that "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."

Make certain that you don't damage your relationships by lack of loyalty. Your friends and family members should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will be loyal to them; you will stick closer than a brother. If you hear someone talking disparagingly about a friend, don't be afraid to show your loyalty. Stick up for them. Good friends should do that.

Remember, love will cover over an offense. That doesn't mean you whitewash sin, but you do everything you can to keep down the rumors, to keep from exposing your friend to others' criticism. Gossip is one of the chief causes of broken relationships. If we gossip about others, we damage the relationship we have with that person and we also damage the relationships they have with others.

Someone has said, "Relationships are the sandpaper of our lives.” Well, it's true that they are not always easy, but it's also true that if we practice biblical principles in our relationships, we'll discover immense improvement. I guarantee you that as you, by God's grace, set out to be the best friend you can be, you'll discover that what you sow, you reap; and that effort will produce great joy and peace in your relationships.

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How do you feel about someone who makes a promise to you and doesn't keep it? It doesn't generate lots of good feelings toward that person on your part, does it?

Proverbs 13:12 says that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” And in Ecclesiastes 5:5 we read "It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”

Many relationships suffer greatly because of broken promises and commitments. If you've made someone a promise, that builds hope in that person. He or she is hopeful that you will do what you've said you'd do. Now, if you fail to keep that promise without a good reason or explanation, then it does something to that person's heart—to their feelings toward you. They're disappointed, of course, but more than that, they feel betrayed because you didn't remember or care enough to keep your promise. It's a form of rejection when you think about it. Obviously, that doesn't have to happen very often in a relationship before it takes a terrible toll.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, tells us it's much better not to promise anything at all than to make a promise and not keep it. Christians should be dependable people, always diligent in following through. And remember that Jesus said if we're not faithful in the small things, we won't be faithful in the large things either. So, we need to make sure that we are faithful and dependable from the smallest to the largest things in our lives. Can your friends and family members depend on you? Do you keep your promises?

If you find that you have a tendency to make commitments—even small ones—and not fulfill them, this could be one major reason for some of your relationship problems. Ask God to help you to be more careful in making those promises, and then to take them very seriously when you do. Believe me, it will make a noticeable difference in your relationships.

Not long ago someone said to me, "You know the problem with him is he just doesn't listen.” That's a common problem lots of us have, isn't it? One of the best things we can do to improve our relationships is simply to truly listen better.

James 1:19 tell us that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. What great advice that is. Let me ask you, are you a good listener? You know, listening takes effort. You have to work at it.

One of my bad habits is that my mind wanders while people are talking to me. I find myself thinking about all kinds of other things instead of listening. Do you have that problem, too? Well, one way to help you concentrate is to take notes while you're listening. You should also pray and ask God to help you remember to listen and not let your mind wander.

Also, there's a big difference in listening and waiting for your turn to talk. Sometimes out of politeness we don't interrupt people while they're talking to us, but we're not really listening because we're thinking of what we're going to say as soon as we get our chance.

You know, if you'll listen better, you won't jump to wrong conclusions so often, you won't say something you regret, you'll learn a lot more about those friends and truly get to know them if you'll just make yourself listen to them when they're talking to you. And while you're listening, put yourselves in their shoes and try to understand them better.

James says we should be quick to listen. If a friend or family member indicates a need to talk to you, are you quick to listen? Do you readily put aside whatever else you're doing, quickly, so you can listen to them? The Bible really gets down where we live, doesn't it?

And then, we're told to be slow to speak. Go easy with the words. If you talk a lot you're bound to say something you shouldn't. It's a fact that women say many more words in a given day than men do. And let's face it, we often say too much. We have a great need to communicate, but that has to be tempered with the Holy Spirit's control of our words.

Becoming quick to listen and slow to speak is absolutely guaranteed to improve your relationships. Give it a try.

The Bible has wonderful advice for us about relationships which, if applied, will make dramatic differences in our relationships with our friends, family members, coworkers—everyone.

Proverbs 17:17 is one of the classic verses to help us improve our relationships. It says quite simply: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

At all times—we can apply that very literally. A true friend is available in the middle of the night, weekends, lunch hours, times reserved for yourself, times when you're tired, times when you feel very needy yourself. Friendship requires a time commitment of us that may be costly and sacrificial on occasion.

Many friendships are simply reciprocal: the people involved give to the relationship for the purpose of receiving, and when they're not receiving what they think they should be, they stop giving. But that's not the kind of relationship that loves at all times. Jesus said anybody can love the person who loves them in return; but true love is to care for someone when they are not showing you the same care and concern. Sometimes even our closest relationships go through periods where it seems the other person is not giving to us the way he or she should. But by God's grace we can be the kind of friend who just keeps loving.

Certainly during times of adversity, we should be there for our friends and family. Is someone you know going through some deep waters right now? How much have you been there for that person? You don't have to have answers; you don't need great words of wisdom. Just be there. Let her know you care in every way possible.

If you truly want to improve your relationships, ask God to help you be the kind of friend who loves at all times. That's the way Jesus is with us, and through him, we can be the same way with others.

How are you doing in your relationships? Are they in good shape? The Bible gives us much good advice and guidance to help us with our relationships.

Romans 12:15 offers some very sound counsel for us. It says: Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Think about your relationships with your family, your friends, your coworkers, even your more casual acquaintances. Do you really rejoice with them when they rejoice and cry with them when they cry?

Have you ever been excited about telling a friend some good news, only to discover that they didn't seem to find it exciting at all? I remember once my company advised me that I was to go to a special conference. I was thrilled at this good news, and immediately shared it with my friend, expecting her to be happy with me. Instead, my good news put her into a terrible bad mood; she didn't speak to me for a quite awhile. You see, she wanted to go to the conference, too, so instead of rejoicing with me, she was angry at me.

I remember when a close friend was sharing a disappointment with a couple of us. We both just moaned and offered sympathy. "I'm so sorry; that's really rotten. You've sure had nothing but bad news lately it seems.” Do you know how she responded? She said, "Yes, but I know the Lord has a purpose in all this and we'll be okay.”

When a fellow believer has a grief or disappointment of some kind, don't give them cliches or advice. Don't even quote Romans 8:28 to them. Just mourn with them. That's what they need right then. And when you mourn with them, they can then quote Romans 8:28; they will be the one to tell you that they know God is still in control. However, if you say things like: "Now, don't let this get you down. You know that God still loves you and will take care of you," it somehow makes them want to say, "But it hurts. Don't you understand? It hurts.”

A good way to improve your relationships is to just learn to rejoice at other's good news with them. Enhance their happiness by sharing their excitement. And when they're in the depths of despair, just cry with them, give them sympathy and love, without any advice. That's good biblical counsel.

You surely don't have to read much in the Bible to realize that praise is a theme which runs throughout Scripture. There's no question that it is intended to be a part of every Christian's life. Here are a few verses which exhort us to praise God.

Psalm 150:1: Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary.

Psalm 22:23: You who fear the Lord, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him.

Psalm 33:1:  Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise is the occupation of heaven. This is what is going on now in heaven, and it's what we'll be doing when we get to heaven. Listen to these descriptions in Revelation of what heaven is like:

“Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11-12).

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns” (Revelation 19:6).

And because God knows that praising him is so important to us, he repeatedly exhorts us to praise him. Let me point out some things that will happen when you make praise a way of life:

Praise helps you mature spiritually. It is the highest function of the human spirit. You are transformed by praise. It strengthens your inner person.

Praise is the spark plug of faith. It is the one thing needed to get our faith off the ground. When you start to praise God more and more, you'll have more faith and trust in the Lord.

Praise brings healing. There is much mental and emotional instability that can be greatly improved through praising God.

Praise makes you a positive person.

So, there's no question that our lives should be filled with praise; it is a direction we see throughout Scripture. But the question is why does God wants us to praise him? We know that God is almighty and self-sufficient. Therefore, why would he want us to praise him? Could he possibly have a need for our praise?

When we think of praising someone, we think of doing it for their good—right? We humans have a great need for recognition and reward. I have done a lot of management training in my career, and one of the basic principles of management which I emphasized was that in order to properly motivate people, you've got to recognize and reward them for the good things they do. I used the phrase: "Catch them doing something good and tell them.” That management technique will do more for increasing productivity and improving morale than most anything else a manager can do.

Why? Because we humans really need some positive feedback and reinforcement in order for us to feel good about ourselves, to have any confidence in ourselves, and to be motivated to do things right. We need pats on the back, warm fuzzies, and “attaboys.”

But does God? Could he need anything which man or any other of his creatures could supply? He who spoke the worlds into existence—why should the puny praise of people make any difference to him? Does he need positive reinforcement in order to be motivated to continue to bless us and love us?

The question is ridiculous. I want you to know that God does not need our praise. He doesn't need to be told how wonderful he is.

Did you ever work with someone or maybe live with someone who complained all the time and you just wanted to tell that person, “Get over it!” A complaining spirit is high on the list of things to get over.

You can slip into complaining mode so easily and you don’t even realize it. Before you know it, you’re complaining about the weather, complaining about your job, about your boss, complaining about how much work you have to do—etc., etc., etc.

Here’s my challenge to you: For one day make a commitment that you will get through that entire day without complaining about anything. Not one negative, complaining word will come out of your mouth. Pray about it early in the morning. Pray Ephesians 4:29, like this, “Lord, today I pray that no unwholesome talk will come out of my mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that I may benefit those who listen.”

Then notice how many times during the day you start to complain—it will probably surprise you to discover that it happens more frequently than you thought it would. I have done this myself, and I was shocked to see how often I said things like, “I don’t feel good,” or “I’ll never get this all done,” or “I wish I didn’t have to do this.” Way too much of what I thought and said was complaining. But once the Holy Spirit began to make me sensitive to my complaining tendency, then through his power I began to change.

I still have to watch it, believe me, but Paul wrote to the Philippians that we are to rejoice in the Lord always, and we are to be thankful in all circumstances. Rejoicing and being thankful will keep you from complaining.

So, if you tend to complain a lot—or even a little—“Get over it!” Put it behind you. Move on to the good things God has done for you. It will transform you, and those who have to work or live with you will notice the difference.

(Click here to download the devotional for the entire week.)