struggles
Prayer
The Secret
Paul was in prison. He had been beaten. He was not treated well and had to be physically exhausted.
Perspective. Paul had it. He reminds all of us that our view of our circumstances can rely on our mindset and perspective.
The Holy Spirit of God filled him and used him as a major vessel and carried the gospel in prison. So much that he went to the house of another jailer and shared his faith in Jesus to the jailers house and the scripture said they were all saved!
He found the secret. The secret in the power of Christ. He is our only one true hope! Praise his name!
Have a great day and ask the Lord to help you with whatever you are struggling with today!
How can we pray for you?
Tomorrow
Great scripture here in James 4!
We are not guaranteed tomorrow! Enjoy this day as a gift from God and his beauty all around you. Find 3 things to be thankful for. I’ve always tried to do that when I want to get too far ahead of God and do it myself and operate in my limited strength instead of Gods amazing power!
Our life is a mist….the Bible reminds us……here for a little while (in terms of eternity) and then gone….God wants us to make our time count when we are here! Lord Jesus help us serve you with our actions and our words!
God gives is the definition of Sin here- “if anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them”. Ouch. That’s kinda close to home. Once God reveals himself and what he wants us to do it’s up to us to act and move….
I’m sure glad God is in control of my life and I will give him full surrender every day!!
Mindset
2 Ears to Hear
Every time I read James Chapter 1 I always am reminded that God really wants us not just to hear people but intently listen to them!
1- Quick to Listen- a lost art in our culture. We are always thinking what we can say next and not letting others fully speak….people love to be heard!!
2- Do what the Word says- James reminds us not just to listen to Gods Word…..actually live it out in the flesh and just do it! Now that’s application!
3- When we examine Gods Word and obey it- He says we will be blessed at what we do! Family, Career, Ministry, whatever you put your heart to!
I’m glad we serve a God of Grace who’s mercies are New everyday!!
God Bless you!! Have an amazing week!
Consider it pure joy when we face the challenges of life because we know that these are chances to build our character in Christ!
Focus
Every day we wake up and have a choice. What are we going to think about first. What is our mindset going to be like for the day?
We are all human and have negative thoughts come in our mind all the time. We have a choice if we are going to listen to our negative self talk or not. What we feed our mind with absolutely affects our behavior and how we are going to act and speak.
Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”.
We are to gaze on Christ and try moment by moment to ask ourselves, “what would Jesus think about this” or “how does this look to Jesus”?
It re-focuses us on what’s important and what’s eternal. It re-aligns our heart and gets us centered back to our walk with God. We have to be intentional about it. Our natural thoughts are to waver and go the opposite direction. We have to pray and ask God for help moment by moment. It’s a battle we all face!
I want to encourage you today to focus on Christ and his goodness. Remember all that he has done for you in your life and believe by faith that he’s not done with you yet!
Closer
When God allows us to go through seasons that aren’t particularly pleasant…we always wonder why. Searching, reasoning, forecasting our future, talking it out with a best friend..still we are not sure. Rest assured God is in control and wants to help you through seasons of wilderness that may seem to last for an eternity.
Here are 3 tools that have always helped me push through times like these:
1. Prayer– talking to our Heavenly Father first about the concerns of our heart is our first step . We need to “get it all out” with him first before going to anyone else. True confession and crying out to Him will begin to align our heart with the heart of God.
But in my distress I cried out to the lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Psalm 18:6 (NLT)
2. People – spending time with friends face to face does good for the soul. God puts friends in our lives to encourage us and give us hope to see our situation through a different set of eyes. In a culture that bends our perception of friendship as a ‘friend’ on Facebook, a ‘favorite on Twitter, or a ‘like’ on Instagram, we need more than that. God uses others to give us Victory over our struggles.
“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” Proverbs 27:9
3. Scripture – reading the promises of God that he has for you will change the way you are viewing your current situation. When we fill our minds and souls with God’s truth, it gives us an eternal perspective of our lives. God’s Word gives us hope that what we are walking through now has a “reason and a purpose” in it.
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.Then you will be prosperous and successful.“ Joshua 1:8
God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life. The season in your life will not last forever, no season ever does. Allow God to shape you and mold you into the person he wants you to become!!
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