Tag Archive | hope

Enemies Don’t Stand A Chance

Aug9

abuse-clipart-verbalabuseLast week, we discussed what to do when you’re facing insurmountable odds and tipping the scale into your favor. Well, I would like to expand on it a bit this week as this topic isn’t discussed enough in my opinion yet it affects us all!

When people mistreat you, what’s the first thing you do? If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us immediately get angry and want revenge. Anger tends to linger until you are so full of rage that the situation is the only thing you can think about. If festering is allowed, it will affect your mind, thoughts, and temperament. This in turn, could easily lead to depression and sickness.

If we allow anger to fester, it is giving the person total control over your life. They don’t deserve that control and you don’t deserve the pain and suffering they’ve caused. So, how do we turn these situations around?

I know most people are going to cringe when I say this…but…PRAY FOR YOUR ENEMY! I know, I know, I know…how dare I say that, right?!?!?

We all have things happen that we don’t understand or things that make us so angry where you just want to punch them out. And yes, that’s not very Christian to think but hey, we are human and there are many times in our lives that we either think or feel un-Christianly. Let’s get real, we are human and those are human traits. Even Jesus got angry in the temple and against heresy. Having those feelings are normal. However, how we react to the feelings determines your future path. Do you give into those feelings or do you follow God’s way of doing things? Now that is the real question, isn’t it?

As we discussed last week, we will encounter trials in this world. We will come up against evil in the craziest of times. That is a part of life. But God gives us such a profound outlook as to how we are to deal with the pain and anger. Let’s see…

Matthew 5:43-45: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.…”

Romans 12:19-21: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

From these passages, you get a real feel for what God says. He tells us to love and pray for our enemies. He knows that isn’t the typical humanly response. So why does He tell us to do it? Because He wants to take care of it for you. He wants us to focus on Him and not the unfair situation. PERIOD!!!!

See, our true battle isn’t the situation or the person. Our true battle lies in how we react to the unfair situation and what we will focus upon. We must strive to keep our eyes on the Lord at all times. If we can do that, then it gives God free reign to help us in all situations. So today, I ask that you begin praying and doing good towards your enemies and watch God resolve the issues into your favor!

HAMG-IN-THERE

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Tip The Scale

Aug3

dont-quitHave you found yourself up against insurmountable odds? Do you look back and find yourself wondering if the good fight of faith is really worth it? Have you found yourself wondering if things will ever get better?

Well friends, I think we could all answer with a resounding “YES”! We all have had times in our lives that make us wonder what the heck is going on. We have all faced difficulties that seemed so overwhelming that the stress of it all weighs so heavily that we really think about quitting. Today, there are so many believers facing their toughest challenges. However, the biggest challenge of it all is how will you respond to it?

When we face trials, it is so easy for us to throw up our hands and say “I quit”. It’s those times where you don’t feel like praying, don’t feel like getting out of bed, don’t feel like dealing with anything and just allow yourself to fall into a pity party. But the problem with quitting is that it allows depression to set in. It gives your enemies and situations total control over you.  You ultimately give them the power to determine your outcome. If they are doing terrible things or saying hurtful things about you, why would you want to allow them to control your path and outcome?

There are numerous instances in the Bible about opposition, impossible situations and feelings of hopelessness. Just read about Jonah, Job and David to name a few. They all found themselves in impossible situations where it didn’t look like things were ever going to change. You read about them going through stress, worry, hopelessness, sadness, anger and grief. Jonah even ran away from God completely. Atleast he tried to. How many of us are in these type of situations right now?

In times like these, you really need to dig in and “Tip The Scale”.

See, God works in steps. Most of us have no clue what God’s ultimate plan is for our lives. God usually gives us one step at a time and at each step, we find ourselves in some sort of a battle. But what God really wants to see is if we will continue through the trial and trust Him to work it out for our good. God told us that we would face many trials in this world but He also promises to restore and establish us through His grace.

1 Peter 5:10 ESV “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

So what do we need to do in order to “Tip The Scale”?

James 1:12 ESV “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

God promises to work it all out for our good. You don’t have to understand the circumstances. You don’t have to ask the “why me” questions. You don’t have to wonder how in the world you are going to get out of your situation. God will make a way when there aren’t any. God will turn things around and restore your life far greater than you could ever imagine. So be of good cheer when you are facing a trial because God must be closer than you think to “Tipping the Scales” in your favor. Pray, rejoice and sing to the Lord for impossible odds set the stage for God’s amazing miracles to happen!

Blessing

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The Balancing Act

Jul19

StressedOutFaceYou’re running here, running there, got to do this, got to do that…ever feel like you’re getting no where fast? Have you ever gotten to the end of the day saying “where the heck did that day go”? Ever just want to throw your hands up and say I quit? Ever feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders that just seems to keep growing bigger? Ever try harder only to find yourself getting less accomplished? I know I sure have.

Well, today I’m here to tell you…there is amazing news to help you get back on track. God created the earth, the seasons, harvests, festivals, the sun, moon, and time. More importantly, God created you and your purpose in life. There is absolutely nothing that goes by without God knowing it first, since He knows the end from the beginning.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” ~ Genesis 1:14

It is so easy to get discouraged. The harder and quicker you work, it seems like the “To Do List” never gets smaller. What we really need to realize is that God is in charge. We can be so busy that we actually never get anything done. What we really need to ask ourselves is…is it just busy work or is it really important in the big scheme of things? When we have such heavy loads every day, we are going to find ourselves worn out, stressed out, and just plain ol’ tired. Then we’ll find ourselves moving towards frustration and sickness because we just don’t have anything left to ward off the negative feelings and the sickness.

Sometimes I wonder to myself, if I really got everything done on my “To Do List” today, would it really matter. And guess what…the answer is usually “NO”. We love to make lists and feel the sense of accomplishment and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, does it really matter if the laundry doesn’t get done today? Does it really matter if you didn’t bake that cake or a homemade meal today? Does it really matter if you rescheduled your appointment? Does it really matter if you didn’t respond to all those incoming emails and phone calls till tomorrow? We tend to make everything a priority that simply may not be a priority at all.

Time2

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ~ James 4:13-15

When you find yourself with a crazy scheduling day ahead of you, take a moment and ask yourself, does it really matter. Would my world as I know it really come to an end if I didn’t get all these things done today? We all need balance in our lives and we can trust God to help us balance it out. When you make Him your top priority, each and every day, He will help you get things done quicker, easier and less stressful.

God cares about you and can stop time for you. All you have to do is ask! Ask for the wisdom to determine what is truly important. Ask Him to help you get everything done today. Ask Him for a good night’s sleep. Ask Him to help balance your life out. For when you do, you will have enough time for all the things in your life. God can take 3 hours of sleep and wake you up feeling more refreshed than if you had 8 hours of sleep. God can stop or reverse time if He wants to.

So just remember…when you put first things first, everything else will fall into place.

You will be happier, healthier, and less stressful every step of the way.

Have a wonderful and relaxing day today! God, time and balance is truly on your side!

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Deleting The “I” Factor

Jul12

Time2Have you ever wanted to change something about yourself, only to think that it was too late? Maybe you always wanted to get your college degree, get married, lose weight, overcome an addiction, get out of debt, or start a new career; only to talk yourself out of it by saying it’s too late. I can’t do it. I’m too old. I don’t have any energy. I don’t have the time. And the list could go on and on because we all can make up a lot of excuses. Don’t we?

We are all so aware of time. Between family, friends, work, school, hobbies, sports, television shows, housework, cooking, and more…none of us ever feel like we have time to do anything other than just making it through the day. And what’s worse is we never can get all of the things done that we wanted to get done. So, the list just keeps growing. Which in turn makes you frustrated, angry and stressed out.

One of our biggest problems is that all of that is “I” related. I can’t do it. I don’t have enough energy. I don’t have the time. I can’t. Blah, blah, blah, blah, excuse, excuse, excuse…

Instead of having the “I” factor, we need the “God” factor. There is absolutely nothing too hard for God. He can help us balance our time. Heck…He created time. If we need to rethink our daily schedules to accomplish something that God has placed on our hearts…He can help us balance our lives to make it happen. He can help us get rid of the clutter so we have time to focus on the very thing He is asking us to accomplish.

The truth is…IT’S NEVER TOO LATE! All things are possible with God. If God created time than don’t you think He could multiply it in your life where you get so much done in a shorter period of time; you’ll be wondering what the heck is going on.

God is full of grace and mercy. And the best part is that it’s new every morning. (Hebrews 4:15) 

When you find yourself struggling and having the “I” factor. Take it to God. Ask Him for more time. Ask Him for another chance. Ask Him to help you. Ask Him for His wisdom. Then lay all the excuses at His feet.

Something Wonderful

Every day is a new chance. Every day you have the opportunity of seeing God’s goodness overcome the problem. He is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving. Why don’t you let Him be YOUR ALL in EVERY SITUATION TODAY.

God will never let you down and YOU WILL SUCCEED IN ALL WAYS because He who lives in you is far greater than anything that comes against you! And best of all…IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

Seize the day and be filled with God’s Amazing Grace because something awesome is going to happen to you today!

 

 

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