All Shook Up

You're all shook up.  Anger, frustration, and irritation are welling up inside of you and if you open your mouth, even a little bit, more than what you bargained for is going to come rushing out.  So don't say a word.  Hold your peace.  Get whatever has you discontented off of your chest by praying to God about it first.  Talk to him. Cry to him.  Tell him everything that is on your mind and then...shh...listen.  The presence of his gentle spirit will calm you.  God is flowing over in wisdom and he wants to pour over into us.  He may answer your concern with scripture from the Bible.  He may lead a friend to call you who will give you the answer you seek.  He may not say anything until you have settled down and you are ready to receive what he has to say.  Whatever he does, if you give the issue over to him, he will renew your peace of mind.  I have found experienced talking to God about a situation that I am up and in arms about and before I have completed my tete a' tete with the Lord, the situation is resolved.  It's not always that easy, but one thing is for sure.  When we need a shoulder to cry on, no one has a shoulder more willing and able to carry our burdens than the Lord.

Scripture:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Prayer:

Lord your word says to call on you and you will show us great and unsearchable things that we don't know.  When there are things that we have in our heart that we are trying to hash out or get through, give us the wisdom to rely on you for the perfect resolution. You also say to seek peace and pursue it.  Help us to seek and pursue our peace through you.

It Will Come Out...

     What are you watching? What are you listening to?  How does it affect your thinking?  Does it move you closer to God or steal you away from him.  Does it give you peace or snatch peace from your grasp.  There was a time when I was watching the news and seeing nothing but horrible reports everyday.  It got to the point that it became depressing and made me fretful.  The truth is that the newscasts usually report with a negative slant and for every negative report shown there were millions of good reports that went unnoticed.  So now I only watch news for the weather.

     The things we put in front of our eyes and in our minds can carry over into our spirits.  So we have to be careful of what we are taking in.  That's not saying that every song you listen to has to be a gospel song.  Nor does it mean that only 'churchy' television shows and movies are permissible.  And please don't get caught up in only developing relationships with fellow Christians.  Just keep all your interactions positive and try not to offend the Lord.  Your inner God will tell you what is okay and what is not.  If you get a gnawing feeling on the inside and you feel like something is just not right when you're doing something, then don't do it.  In short, be mindful of what you expose yourself to, because what you put in will surely come out.

Scripture:

Philippians 4: 8, 9 Finally, brothers, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Prayer:
Lord, we don't have the spirit of the world. We have the spirit that is of you.  Help us make decisions that will keep the spirit you have given us protected.

Before You Get On

Are you in a situation?  The situation is dismal and there's nothing you can do to turn it around.  Life can sometimes flood us with problems.  Or sometimes life just throws us one problem, but that problem is so insurmountable that it begins to overtake everything around us.   I have bad news.  You could be dealing with something that you can't do anything about.   Not what you wanted to hear I know, but keep reading.  Good news follows.  In the Bible there were situations that were going to happen that could not be stopped.  The flood was one of them.  God's people had been so rebellious and evil was so great in the land, God decided to flood the earth.  Once God made that decision, there was no turning back.  It was going to happen.  For 40 days it would rain.  The earth was going to flood. Pretty much every living thing in the world was doomed to die.  God had a devout follower, though, named Noah. God forewarned Noah about what was going to happen. Though Noah knew tragedy was about to strike, he could not stop the flood from happening.  Still God gave Noah a plan for riding the flood out.  In fact, the plan was so detailed that Noah was able to build something no one had ever built to prepare for something no one had ever yet experienced.  That's awesome when you think about it. There would be a catastrophic flood.  Noah would inevitably be trapped in the midst of a horrifying situation.  People and things that had become important to Noah would be stripped away from him, painfully.  But this is what is awesome... Before the problem had ever arisen, before Noah ever stepped foot on the boat, before Noah lost everything;  God was already preparing Noah to overcome and to move forward in spite of it all.  God had Noah build a boat to get over the treacherous waters and God even instructed Noah to take his wife, his sons and their wives, and animals each with a mate along for the ride.  Though death would be all around Noah's boat and though life, as Noah once knew it, was about to be over; God had already placed the regenerators of the next phase of Noah's life right on the boat with him. The family he would lose: the regenerators were on the boat.  The sustenance that would not sustain through the flood, God already had regenerators on the boat.  God even had the plants already in the process of forming new buds before he allowed Noah to get off.  So when the floods ended and it was time for Noah to get off the boat, as soon as he stepped off he would instantly be breathing in new life.  So whatever catastrophe you face, know this.  God is with you.  He will never leave or forsake you.  If a phase of your life is coming to a painful close, understand that he already has a new beginning in the works.  He is amazing and he stands with those who stand for him. 

Prayer:  God, praise you. You are awesome. We pray you will help us to understand that your sovereignty and omnipotence are greater than any problem that is insurmountable for us.  Help us to see that nothing is too hard for you and that you never leave us or forsake us.

Scripture: 
Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Deuteronomy 31:8  The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Second Chances are Necessary

Don't do it! Don't throw them out of your life just yet.  I know you trusted him, but he let you down.  I know you would have never treated her that way and you are still shocked at what she did.  How could they do that to you after all you've done for them?  They absolutely were wrong.  Still, don't give them the boot so soon.  Second chances are necessary.  People mess up.  All people mess up.  Any time we deal with a person in our lives on any level for an extended amount of time, expect a fall out.  It will happen.  Still, we can't get rid of the people in our lives at the first fall.  The first fall is a reminder.  It reminds us that the person is human, not God. We should never put our full trust in any human being anyway.  We each have our weaknesses that we have to work at overcoming.  So when a person in our life has a weakness rear its ugly head, our first response should be grace.  In time, your relationship can likely overcome.  Third chances, now that's different.  Third chances are an indicator.  When third chances become necessary it indicates that what you are dealing with is not incidental or accidental, it is a matter of character.  That person is showing you who they are.  Forgiveness is still in order, but keeping them in your life may not be required.  There are some people in our lives who we can't release no matter how many times they've let us down.  It could be a parent, child, spouse....whatever.  If God is requiring you to stick around then he will equip you to stick around.  Put it all in prayer.  Second chances are necessary.  Third chances are indicators.  And God should be first in our lives over them all.

Scripture:
Matthew 18: 21, 22
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven
Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

Prayer:
Lord, you are love  Your grace is sufficient and your mercy is everlasting.  Help us to be gracious, merciful, and full of love like you.

A Moment...

It has probably happened to you too.  There has been a moment when seemingly all of your business has been taken care of.  You are just about to settle in for some down time.  Out of nowhere you become blatantly unsettled.  You have been waiting to rest all the busy day long.  How dare this uneasy feeling stand in the way of your rest and relaxation.  Your mind starts to run down the list of everyday rituals and daily extras that should have been taken care of.  Each one receives a mental check.  You even go so far as to call up and check on your loved ones, just in case this uneasiness is a moment of intuition.  Nope, everyone is fine.  WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?  That's when it happens.  Your spirituality takes over and quietly reminds you that you should take a minute to check in with God.  Sometimes God disquiets your spirit because he needs a moment of your time.  There may be a prayer that he needs you to get through or he may just wants to pass on some information to you that he knows will help you out.  Or he could just want to chat and check in.  He loves you like that. So, when your spirit is unsettled and there seems to be no earthly reason why, take some time to sit quietly with God.  Open your Bible.  Sit in a quiet place in prayer.  You can even turn on your favorite praise & worship music.  Tell him you're listening and you want to hear whatever he has to say. You'll be amazed at the wisdom and insight God wants to share with us.

Pray:  Lord thank you that you love us and you hear our prayer.  You are our savior and you are our friend.

Scripture: John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you