I am big into my gadgets. I like electronics. And there is always a new and improved version of what has already been made. You can never keep up with having new newest and greatest electronic product. The same goes for what people say. There always seems to be new ideas from inspiring people that may sound good, but we need to judge them by whether or not they are consistent with God's word. Some speak truth while directing people in God's direction. While others direct people towards themselves. It is possible to say the "right things" but still lead people in the wrong direction. But the wise person will carefully test the ideas they hear against the truth of God's word. A good reference in the Bible to all of this is Deuteronomy 12-15. When people claim to speak for God today, check them in these areas: Are they telling the truth? Is their focus on God? Is what they are saying lining up with what you already know is right? When you hear a new idea, examine it before getting too excited. And also from these verses... I got out of it to not let other people bring you down. That if there are people in your life that lead you away from God, you don't need them to have as much as an influence in your life. You don't need to completely cut them out of your life. But they need to not have all your time because they will drag you down.
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What do you miss about your past... What makes you say, "you remember when?" In the book of Numbers, (chap.11)the Israelites complained because they didn't see what God was doing for them. They were being set free from Egypt, making them a new nation, and giving them a new land. But all they could think about was the food they were missing out on in Egypt. Somehow they forgot about the price that had to be paid for that food... Slavery!
But before we judge the Israelites to bad, we need to think about what we keep on our minds. When we aren't satisfied, it is because our attention changes from what we do have, to what we don't have. Are you grateful for what God has given you, or are you always thinking about what you would like to have? Don't allow your desires that aren't happening make you forget God's gifts... Life, food, health, work, and friends and family.
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Ya know how people ask "why?" a lot... It is because there is consequences for disobedience. Some people see God, especially in the Old Testament as harsh, because of all his rules back then and the punishment for disobedience to those rules. And today, people still ask why to things that God allows to happen... And our day to day experiences and hardships can sometimes seem to much to bear. God allows these events to happen to help us grow, not to curse us. We need to see that God's purposes are to help us live as he designed us to live and to bring about continual growth in us. And I have been taught that lately by God. Through my circumstances and what he has put me though also situations that happen with people in my life, I have learned a lot from it. So what are you struggling with? What stresses and problems are you going through? Endure hardship as God's teaching you... Ask God to teach you through everyday difficulty.
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Everyone is blessed with different skills and abilities. And I believe that all the things that we are blessed to be able to do are given to us from God. And I also think that we should use those gifts from God for Him. No matter what it is. In Exodus, all of the people who were with Moses took all their skills and used them for Gods service and built the tabernacle. (Exodus 35-40). So how can we use the skills we have. If it is sports, give credit for your abilities to God. If it is being a social person, so his love to people. If you are hospitable, open your house, showing his love. If you are a kind person, be just that, show God's kindness... No matter what it is, you can figure out what your spiritual gift is and use it to show Jesus to people.
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Have you ever felt like you were all alone... Even when you are asking for Gods help? Be able to handle rejection for our faith and trusting God when He seems to be ignoring our prayers are part of God's plan for us. And we need to realize, that when God is at work, suffering, setbacks, and hard times may still happen. We can be sure that the hard times have a purpose. I have been having to deal with some hard situations lately and I can tell you- the trials God puts you through happen so that God can teach, discipline, punish, or accomplish another work for God. But be encouraged with what James 1:2-4 says. In those verses we are encouraged to be joyful when difficulties come our way. Problems teach us to trust God to do what is best for us... Look for ways to honor God in our current circumstance... Remember that God will not abandon us... And to watch for God's plan for us. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Bad things never happen at a good time. But circumstances are never so bad that they are beyond God's help. We need to never get ourselves down because we are God's kids and he loves us more than anything. And you never know what good He will bring out of a seemingly hopeless situation. In the last four chapter of Genesis, (46-50), God brought good from many bad circumstances in Josephs life... His brothers evil actions, Potifers wife's accusations, and the seven years of famine. But the experiences in Josephs life taught him that God brings good from evil for those who trust Him. I know for me personally, that I have had to go through quite a bit of trials over the last few months especially... But through building my relationship with God I have been able to see the good things coming from the trials. I see God teaching me things through the tough times. God can over take people's evil intentions to bring about his intended purpose for those actions. And I have learned that these words are as true for me as for everyone else... You are either just coming out of a "storm" in your life, heading into a "storm" in life... Or you are in that "storm" right now. What difficult situations are you enduring? Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situations. Like I said earlier you can trust Him because He can use bad circumstances to bring out His intended result.
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Have you ever heard someone say about someone else... "They will never change"? Or have you thought that about someone? Have any of them turned out as expected? Sometimes it seems like someone will never change, but people can change dramatically, and the changes can catch us by surprise. The guy Joseph, in the Bible, wanted to see if his brothers attitudes had changed for the better, so he tested how they treated each other. When Judah was younger, he showed no concern for Joseph... He convinced his brothers to sell Joseph as a slave, then he joined his brothers in lying to their dad about what happened to him. But then Judah became a slave, the man who sold his little brother into slavery now took his place as a slave to save him. What can we take from this? I can think of people in my life that cause me to question if they will ever change, or if a situation with them will ever get better. And you in your situations, as well as I need to remember when we are ready to give up hope on someone, remember, that God can work a complete change even in the most selfish personality. I'm sure you can think of people in your life like that... Pray for them to understand and experience God's love and power. And also think about your own life, and ask for God to forgive and change you as well. God's the man! He can change lives!
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Do you have any responsibilities that you wouldn't miss if you never had to do them again? I know I do. There was a guy in the Bible, Joseph, and he had dreams of being ruler over all but was sold into slavery and put in prison. He did his best with each small task given to him. And his good work and attitude was noticed by the warden. And then, he interprets the pharoah's dreams and rose to power in Egypt. (Found in Gen:39-41) We see that, as Joseph learned, that God rules over every circumstance, even the ones that don't seem important. And what can we get out of this now? That no matter what your situation, no matter how undesirable, you can consider it part of your training for serving God. This is a challenge for me... Take my work for example. I feel that sometimes I have to take on more responsibilities than what I should because our stand in GM doesn't know anything about what he is doing. And ill admit sometimes I don't have the best attitude towards him because I feel like I am not only having to do my job, but his also. And I pray for God to give me a better attitude about it. And I know that God sees my efforts. And I know that in His timing He can change my working situation to a better job when He is through with Him wanting me to be there. So let me ask you... What things in your life do you not like having to do? And how can you get something positive out of it?
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Have you ever made a decision and later realized how much of a mistake it was? Sudden circumstances test our convictions. A person may feel so much pressure in an area of life that nothing else seems to matter and the person could lose his or her perspective. There was a guy in the Bible, Esau, and he felt pressure. Esau was a very skilled hunter, and he came home one day from hunting and was tired and hungry from his day of hunting. Well his brother, Jacob was cooking food, and Esau asked for some. And Jacob said "All right, but trade me for your birthright" Esau said, "look I am dying of starvation, what good is my birthright to me now?" So Esau then swore his birthright over to his younger brother. (Birthright is the blessing given to the first born male of the family). And Esau then received the food that he wanted. Now can you imagine how Esau felt after he thought about what he did? How can we learn from this? Well we can avoid Esaus mistake by comparing an actions short term satisfaction with the long term consequences before we act. Because getting through short, pressure filled moments is really difficult at times, and is the most important part of overcoming a temptation. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
