faith – Page 16 – B Is for Blessed!

How Do You View It?

perspective a) a specific point of view in understanding things or events b) the ability to see things in a true relationship, Webster’s Dictionary

The majority of the frustration and anxiety we face is not necessarily due to an “enemy attack.” The mental chaos we sometimes experience stems from failing to view things in the proper perspective.

Psalms teach us to “Magnify the Lord.” However, many Believers who magnify the Lord at church services obsess about and magnify their problems when challenges arise.

We sometimes fail to appreciate just how great our God is and His omnipotent power. Instead, we may talk (repeatedly) of our problems, struggles and daily aggravations.

If we would put the same effort into acknowledging the greatness of our God as we do reiterating our circumstances, we would realize how inconsequential most of our “problems” are in comparison to Him.

God is larger than your “situation” or whatever you are dealing with. You must have faith that what you can’t do, God can do for you!

When we continually moan, gripe and complain the only thing we do is enlarge our “thing” in our mind’s eye. Our negative words distort our vision. We can find faults where there are none and create major issues out of minor annoyances.

The wrong perspective is akin to viewing life in a carnival house of mirrors. What we see is distorted and warped, not at all reality.

The right perspective guides us away from poor decisions. The right perspective eliminates stress and allows us to live blessed.

P is for perspective. Changing how you view it might just get you through it!

Meek not Weak!

“Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth,” Matthew 5:5 KJV

Meek is not a virtue most people seek or regard highly in Western culture. The term is usually identified with someone who is timid, fearful, submissive and lacking courage. However, one definition as defined by Webster’s is “enduring injury with patience and without resentment.”

The instinctive nature of most people is to escape injury, let alone endure it. Furthermore, most of us are swift to retaliate against anyone who causes us pain or upset. It takes an extraordinary amount of strength and determination not to lash out and trust God.

As “Christians” we claim to “follow” Christ yet very few of us are jumping up and volunteering to actually “suffer” for Him.

Christ was very well aware that His followers would suffer. He did not tell them how to escape suffering but taught them instead how to endure it. (See John 16:22-33)

We must push through our injuries and struggles if we are ever going to inherit the best God has for us. Inherit means “to come into possession of or to receive as a right or divine portion.”

“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace,” Psalms 37:11 KJV

This Old Testament verse reaffirms what Jesus spoke in His sermon. Furthermore, this verse promises an inheritance of “peace” which is far more valuable than any material object.

Our God does not direct us to do anything He has not given us the ability to do. By His power we are able, even when our situation looks hopeless. Our inheritance comes after we go through whatever “injuries” life throws our way.

We often strive (and pray) to get out of our circumstances instead of trusting God to get us through them.

God provides the strength, faith, and power necessary for us to obey His Word and become meek. This requires that we recognize God will fight certain battles for us. We don’t have to prove how strong we are.

Our God is stronger.

With Him we are stronger than we ever thought possible. We are strong enough not to take the bait that would draw us into an argument. We are strong enough not to have the last word. Or, belittle other people.

To be meek is not a weakness. It is strength enough to know your “injury” is only temporary. It does not define you. You can endure it. You can be patient through faith that your situation will be okay. No matter what it looks like right now.

You can endure with a promise of peace yet to come.

Christ endured the cross and inherited a place at the right hand of the Father. If He who was free from sin had to endure, how can we expect anything less?

Blessed are the meek, the patient and the enduring, because our God promises a reward well worth the journey.

A is for Anger Management

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm,” Psalms 37:8 NKJV

Anger management is an important tool for living. The Bible is very clear about anger’s destructive potential.

Anger spreads quickly like a spark igniting dry brush in the wild. Like fire, it spreads far quicker that it can be extinguished. It is the emotion that leads people to make hasty decisions, regrettable mistakes, and to speak words that can never be taken back.

Anger is easily fueled, grows exponentially, and wreaks havoc in people’s lives. Instead of giving in to feelings of wrath, don’t speak or act in haste. Be silent and be still. Allow God’s Word to dictate your behavior.

Anger management isn’t always easy. In fact, it is rarely so. You may have every right to be angry. Disappointment, betrayal, and a host of injustices can evoke this primal reaction in almost everyone. However, feelings are often deceptive but the Word of God is true.

If you are serious in pursuit of the best life possible, get a grip on your anger by giving it to God. Allow Him to extinguish your wrath and propel you above your emotions. If you have anger management “issues”, pray on it. Don’t stay on it.

Learn to manage your anger before it manages you.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city,” Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

”The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression,” Proverbs 19:11 NKJV

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV

Getting Through to Get To…

Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea before they were free from Egypt. Joshua led the same people through the wilderness before they saw the Promised Land. Jesus endured the crucifixion before He would then take His seat at the right hand of God the Father. Life requires that we go through to get to!

Everyone has trials and tribulations, each of us our own cross to bear. Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed that our issues loom larger in our minds than they should. This skewed perspective often diminishes our hope for the future. To maintain faith, patience and perseverance we must realize the journey is just as important as the destination.

Enduring the miles builds strength and stamina for the runner. It is the burn of the muscles and the strain on the lungs that makes the body stronger than before.

We so often focus on obtaining our goals that we dismiss the necessity of the journey required to meet them. We are increasingly persuaded by today’s media to expect what we want when we want it.

God’s best just doesn’t happen that way.

The bigger the blessing, the more it is going to take to realize it. You must gain more training, experience and knowledge in preparation for God’s best for you. Surely God can give us our blessings immediately without all our effort, but very few of us are mature enough to properly receive and appreciate them without first going through what is necessary to bring them to pass.

Patience perfects us. Trials mature us. We get stronger when we go through the fire. Only by enduring the fires of life can God burn out the impurities that lie within us.

Sometimes the heat is overwhelming, and we feel we can’t go on but God’s faithfulness lifts our fatigue. His hand heals when life beats us down. Our hope for tomorrow comes when we seek His face. True success comes when we dare to keep going not in our own ability but through faith in His.

Trials will surely come and we may stumble, fall, and even find ourselves crawling on hands and knees. Just keep moving.

Whatever you are facing is only temporary. God’s love for you is forever.

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls,” Hebrews 12: 2-3 NKJV

Faded Flowers

“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” Psalms 71:9 KJV

As I was looking at the remnants of my hydrangeas, one in particular caught my eye. The flower was no longer the fresh sweet pink it had been upon blooming many weeks ago. Instead, it was faded and speckled but still it had a beauty all its own.

It made me reflect on how many times we casually toss things aside or fail to appreciate people after the “newness” has worn off. The joy and excitement of new love at its onset often fades as years wear on and relationships weather everyday routines and obligations.

We often don’t appreciate things and people in their “less than new state,” failing to recognize a different beauty that has changed from what was to what it is now. How is it that the blessings we ask God for and receive, we so can easily make the last of our priorities or quickly dismiss in search for the next new “thrill?”

The excitement of parenting quickly gives way to the responsibility and time required to do the job properly. Friendships are often neglected when the fun times are few and far between. When the butterflies of new-found love are long gone, can you appreciate the great qualities, faithfulness and reliability of your significant other?

Relationships are never perfect as they are composed of imperfect people, but often our flawed (not destructive!) relationships are more satisfying than having none at all. Too many times we stare at the flaws instead of being in awe of the perfect people for us that God has allowed in our lives.

I challenge you today to look at the people and relationships in your life with a fresh perspective. Even though things and people may not be what they once were, they may still be beautiful in new and different ways.

Appreciate the home you have as if you’d once been homeless. Appreciate the people in your life as if you almost lost them. Make a deliberate choice to appreciate the blessings you have now instead of looking back on what once was or even what can be…

View that same old job with a gratitude that it’s still there! Look at the house in need of repair not with disdain but as a place you really can call home. Your kids may not be perfect (and who is) but at least you’ve gotten them this far!

Like a car when the new shine wears off, dependability should be celebrated instead of longing for that new car smell. Love the people and things in your life for getting you where you need to go, coming along for the ride, or for simply being available and being there. Why wait until a time of loss to appreciate what you have right now?

New isn’t always better. There is more to be said for faithfulness, dependability, and long-lasting love than for the glitz and glamour of the latest and greatest whoever and whatever!

Contentment doesn’t necessarily breed complacency; it can instead allow you peace and joy for where you are now, your personal journey and the people and things you’ve been blessed with along the way.

Family, friends, good books, and wine. Some things are better with the passage of time.

“To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

Work Wise…work to live or live to work?

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Proverbs 16:3 NIV

“The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” 1 Corinthians 3:8 NIV

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us–yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17 NIV

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17 KJV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 12:28-30 NIV

Big Ears

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19 NIV

“for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,” Psalm 95:7 NIV

“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”
Psalms 143:8 KJV

**The Elephant Ears featured above are on display at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

Look for Your Cloud!

Like many people, I’ve a few areas in my life that are a bit…dry. One in particular is quite crispy. Crisss-pee!

My “situation” soured and then died years ago, yet for one reason or another the last nail was never placed in its coffin.

I was illegally “wronged,” tried to muddle through, then eventually gave “it” to God. This set me back financially and took years (yes, years) before I could finally forgive and move on.

The last thing I prayed concerning the matter was that “it would bless me.” This was over three years ago. And it was hardly a sweet declaration of optimism.

I stood in my bathroom crying. I screamed that “it” would no longer hold me (and my sanity) hostage. I figured I learned a hard lesson and at the least I would be wiser. This was only one thing in a season of drought that appeared endless.

Sometimes we do what is right and are still wronged. We wonder where is God? I believed God’s view was “I didn’t tell you to do that,” so I suffered the consequences.

Today, I was at an appointment and learned my desert may not be so dry after all. What I finally buried and put behind me, God may resurrect for my good!

God may be the reason that final nail never went into the coffin. My loss may have been a “strategic delay.” The most prominent cactus in my years long drought may actually bloom!

I’d given up on this “cactus.” It had drawn enough blood out of me. I didn’t want to touch it! However, when all was silent, could it be God allowed matters to fall as they would and bless me?

This blessing may or may not manifest but its potential has stirred my faith and expectancy. Sometimes when we wander in the desert, we forget that cooling rains can come. God will answer. Just in His time.

As my husband and I ate lunch outdoors, out of nowhere the skies opened up with a tremendous downpour. We had to scurry for cover. Less than an hour after I caught a glimpse of my “cloud.”

I realized today that in this particular area, I’d stopped looking for my cloud. I’d sadly let the heat of my drought sap me of spiritual strength and expectancy. God has been so faithful, why did I doubt Him in this one area?

Keep your eyes open for your cloud. Elijah sent his servant out seven times looking for a sign of rain. Finally, the servant came back with a report. It wasn’t rain but it was the potential for rain.

Don’t lose your hope in what God can do. Dare to look beyond the obvious and have faith for the miraculous.

I think I can finally smell the rain.

“Be patient then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.” James 5:7 NIV

“Go and look toward the sea.” He told his servant. And he went up and looked.

“There is nothing there.” He said.

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” I Kings 18: 43-44 NIV

Pruning!

“I am the true vine and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit,” John 15:1-2 NKJV

Jesus’ teaching about the vine and the branches is one of the most readily quoted. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15: 5 NKJV

Without Him we can do nothing. However, the scripture prior to that, John 15:2 is often skimmed over. It is easy to realize how dependent we are on Christ, yet most of us are remiss and become ill at the notion that to become fruitful we must be pruned.

Without pruning, even the best specimens in any garden will eventually lose the ability to bear fruit. At the very least, the output will greatly diminish. The limbs will become weak and unable to support what little fruit that is produced. Comparatively, the same tree that has been pruned will be shorter but stronger.

Trees and shrubs that have been freshly pruned usually look awful. Where I live Crepe Myrtles trees are blooming now. However, for them to bloom to the fullest, dead limbs are cut away in winter. The trees look so bad after their winter pruning the process is jokingly called “Crepe Murder.”

We often look bad and feel bad when our Father takes to pruning us as well. Sometimes it may be a stray branch here or there that is removed. But then there are times in our lives when we may feel like we’ve been taken all the way down to the roots!

Pruning is painful.

We may even feel like we’re dying all the while God is preparing us to produce more! We don’t often see it at the time or understand. We can feel bad and look worse. Yet, Jesus promises that every branch that does bear fruit God prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Sometimes the removal of things in our lives, though devastating at the moment, eventually make us stronger. Sometimes there is a reason so-called “friends” leave. It may be a job. Or even a relationship.

God cuts off what is not good for us. God often removes those things or people we would in no way leave on our own.

We can have faith knowing that He is our life source and through Him we will be fine no matter how deep the cut. Our progression in life requires some pruning. Thankfully, the potential fruit is well worth the temporary pain.

The next time you experience a hardship, disappointment or painful experience; don’t assume it is an attack from the enemy. It might be time for God’s hand on you.

It may just be time for you to produce more fruit than you thought possible!

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:7-8 NKJV

Due Season

“The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season.

You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Psalm 145:14-16 NKJV

“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Galatians 6: 8-9 NKJV