Bottom line: Give God the wheel and get in the back seat.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55: 8-11)
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Proverbs 31 Ministries
Often times we conceal the broken parts of our lives to hide what is really going on inside of us. We pretend we are fine and push our problems deep down inside, but eventually our broken pieces find their way to the surface. But why do we torture ourselves like this? God never wanted us to live our life weighed down in chains. He came to break each chain that holds up captive, and bring freedom to our life. Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Friend, what we keep hidden cannot be healed. Freedom comes when we decide to bring darkness to light. We need to share our pain and confess broken places in our lives with God and others. When we do this it gives others the same freedom to vulnerably share their lives with us, too. What are some hidden areas you need to bring into the light this week? We are believing alongside you that confession and vulnerability in your life will bring healing. " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I think sometimes we believe we aren't allowed to "vent" our frustrations to God. Personally, I think God is ok with us doing just that. Look at what David said, a favorite child of God, who at times felt God had abandoned him. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relieve. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel." (Psalm 22:1-3)
At ALL times we need to fear and be respectful of our God, but He knows our hearts and minds so why not share what you're feeling with Him? He knows our worries and frustrations without us saying a word. Cry out to God (as David did) if you reach a point of maximim difficulty. Pray for His hand to strengthen you and guide you through the storm you're facing. God is faithful. God loves you. God will never, ever leave you. "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) You say, "Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!" (Psalm 102:1)
God says, "do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) God is ALWAYS there to strengthen you, but I do think faith getting "shaken" at times is only human. After all, you aren't, nor will you ever be, God! I believe we need to allow ourselves some grace during these most difficult storms and use the opportunity to seek God even more fervently. If your faith is never shaken, then how can it grow? A "`shaken" faith is liable to happen on occasion, BUT you will survive it. "Losing" your faith, on the other hand, you can NEVER allow to happen, because that you can not survive. Remember, God is with you, always, and that whatever it is you're going through right now "will" pass. "the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3) "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Proverbs 31 Ministries:
You want to know one of the worst feelings in the world to me? Feeling stuck. Stuck in a situation where I can’t see things getting better. I look at the next 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, and all I see are the same hard things being repeated over and over and over. It’s part of the rhythm of life. The ebb and flow of struggles and victories. Sometimes it’s hard to wrap my mind around something I can’t wrap my arms around. In the midst of struggles, He is there ... I just have to acknowledge that reality. “God, I love You. I don’t love this situation. But I love You. Therefore, I have everything I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and walking through until I get to the other side of this.” Though my circumstances may not change today, my outlook surely can. I don’t have to run. I can turn to Him. And in doing this, I see His flicker of light, and a pulse of divine hope courses through my heart. Are you in the midst of a difficult season that feels unending? How can you purposefully “hold fast” to Him this week? Dear Lord, thank You for helping me see that while this difficult season is a part of the tunnel, it’s not the whole journey. It might be dark in this section, but it won’t be dark all the way through. Keep reminding me that even in the darkest parts, I have immediate access to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. - Lysa TerKeurst "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." Proverbs 12:26
Who are your friends? There IS going to come a day when you will be standing alone in front of God, are you ready?
Even though I know I will appear unblemished because of the sacrifice of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it's still an intimidating thought to one day be before our Creator. I've accepted Jesus into my life, so on that day He'll say that He "knows" me, will He know you? If there was no tomorrow, will you be ready? If not, start now. It is by grace alone that we are saved, and not through our works or being a good person. Receive Jesus' free gift of salvation today. "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10: 9-10) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13) Then and ONLY then will you understand.
Many "say" they do this, but then give up after a quick prayer or two (or if the path God is showing them isn't the one THEY want). He created you and the entire universe, so why not trust Him? Keep seeking His will in ALL things.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Why would love be the greatest of these you may ask? I believe it is because faith and hope depend on love to exist. Without love, how can you have true faith? Paul says, "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2) And, how can you hope for something that you do not truly love? Wouldn't make any sense. Lastly, I believe love is the greatest of these simply because "God is love." (1 John 4:8) and there is no one greater than He! So, with this knowledge, how should we live? We should "live" a life of love, in all things we do (big and small). We should love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19)! What kind of love should we love with? The most selfless kind. As Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34) In fact, love is in both of the greatest commandments that Jesus taught. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22: 37-39) I'd say Jesus is pretty clear on this subject. How do you treat your neighbor? How do you treat your spouse? How do you treat "God"? Commit to no more arguing, no more bickering, no more selfishness, but rather, let your life be about the "love" that Jesus taught from this day forward. No excuses, because remember how much God has loved "YOU": "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) And God will be "right there" to help you do just that.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) No matter what the day had in store for me, it only takes a short time with God to remind me "why" I'm here in the first place!
All for His glory!!! "I know, what I know, what I know", I recently heard from a testimony given by Al Linder (formally of In Fisherman magazine/TV). That phrase rang true to me in that, we "know" what we know, but then I thought about how much we are constantly concerning ourselves with what we "don't" know!
We spend SOOO much time and energy trying to figure out what's NOT going right in our lives (in "our" own eyes anyhow) that we lose focus on what we do know. And what is it that we DO know? How about the love and faithfulness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for one! In every situation we should be seeking to understand what God may be trying to change in us or what he wants us to learn in it and from it. He knows our future path, so rather than lament and complain "why" our current path isn't what we had hoped for, we should instead be drawing ourselves closer to Him each day. Keep praying for discernment and allow God to slowly begin to reveal Himself the closer you get to Him. DON'T do this with the expectation that your situation WILL work out the way that "you" want it to, but rather that His will will be done. Believe me, you WIN no matter how it all works out by choosing this exercise in faith. God is faithful to those who trust Him. Trust His will. Trust His love for you and that He is not out to harm you, but rather to give you hope and a future (even if it's one you never saw coming). "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) His or your own? Considering God is omnipresent (ie., in the future) I think it would be wise to follow His!
(Jeremiah 29:11) If "you" think you can fix what is lacking in your relationship with a spouse, child or friend, you are sadly mistaken. Yes, change may be required on your part to be more loving, understanding and compassionate, but ONLY through "true" change will the relationship be FIXED. What is "true" change? True change can only come through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Turn it over to God, then start praying! Pray, "specifically" for that friend, child or spouse, and for God's guidance in the relationship moving forward.
What may seem like an impossible situation to you, is where God does His BEST work! "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) How "good" is our God?!?
I mean seriously, I could concentrate on the portion of my cup "I" don't feel is full enough OR I can focus and APPRECIATE how full my cup "actually" is! God loves you! God will be faithful to you! Let Him "into" your life so He can SHOW you! ♥🕆♥ God is always in pursuit of YOU! All He asks is that you "reply".
It's never too late. Do it today! "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10: 9-10) I may not have done a lot of REALLY crazy things in the past, but with my eyes having been open, I sure was a "wretched soul" (as the apostle Paul would say).
Therein lies God's mericiful and abundant grace. The good news is that, in spite of me trying to steer clear of these past sins, I "will" sin again (it's IMPOSSIBLE for me, and you, not to), but now God's grace will fall upon me with every repentant prayer I offer Him. That DOESN'T mean I run around purposely sinning, but now I know that God's grace WILL be sufficient when I do (2 Corinthians 12:9). How about you? When you're tired of living in the past and struggling to understand each day, it means that you are ready for a NEW LIFE in Christ! He's just waiting for you to ask. And guess what, He's been with you all along, so all you need to do is finally acknowledge it and cry out for His forgiveness. "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10: 9-10) |
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