Letting Go Of Trying To Control Situations

All of us at one time or another get anxious about situations we are going through. Instead of thinking positively we think negatively. All we can see is how things will turn out bad. When we think the worst is going to happen we begin to try to control the situation. What is funny is that usually what is making us anxious is that we know deep down that the situation is out of our control. In those anxious times we are supposed to “… be still and know that I am (He is) GOD”, but that’s easier said than done. Instead, we try to take control of situations that are actually out of our control.

But did you know that the verb “be still” is translated in Hebrew as the word “rapha” which literally means “to let go” or “to surrender”. Some translations say "cease striving". Being still before God is to let go of our need to be in control. When we do this we let the light and life of God shine through the anxiety swirling over us.
Are you worried and anxious today? Take a moment to be still before God right now, cease striving  ( I know it won't happen easily because we are all prone to want to be in control) ...and surrender to Him your need to be in control of your situation.

 “Cease striving and know that I am God; 
Psalm 46:10a
Troy

Random Thoughts From The Gospel Of Mark Chapter1 part2

As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
Mark:1:16-20

Today we look at 4 individuals whose lives were never going to be the same after they responded to Jesus' call to follow Him. When they accepted the invitation they had no idea the incredible journey they were about to embark on.They would see and experience things they never would have imagined.

Let's think on a few thoughts:

1. THEY WEREN'T QUALIFIED
There is nothing from Scripture to indicate that somehow they were devout and holy and that was the reason chose them. No, as you read the Gospel accounts you see that they kept messing up even up to the night Jesus was arrested. Of all things, on that night they were concerned about who was the greatest among them. There is an old saying that says, Jesus doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. They were just ordinary flawed men, but Jesus never gave up on them.

2. THEY RESPONDED TO THE CALL
In both accounts we are told they immediately dropped what they were doing and began to follow Jesus. Most don't believe that this was their first encounter with Jesus. No, they had probably heard Him speak and seen Him before. But,when He gave the call they responded immediately.

Let's finish by thinking about our lives. Have you responded to His call? Feel you aren't qualified for a particular task that He is calling you to?

Jesus invites us to join Him. Can you think of anything greater than that? Someone has said that, "every person needs something that they can invest their lives into". Let me encourage you to invest your life into the kingdom of God. He calls some into full time ministry, He calls others to minister while they continue to work at their jobs. But, Jesus does call us into a relationship with Him like He did with these four.  He will qualify us, teach us, and  He won't give up on us just as He didn't give up on the disciples in spite of their mistakes.  May we respond to His call. As we do we will experience things we never imagined.

Troy

Random Thoughts From The Gospel Of Mark. Chapter 1 part 1

“Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:12-13‬ ‭

We don't usually think that the Spirit of God would lead us into any trouble, but we see here that it was the Spirit that led Jesus to go to the wilderness.

Now the Bible tells us that God doesn't tempt us,

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. James 1:13

 but that doesn't mean the Spirit won't lead us to a place of testing or to a place that is uncomfortable for us.

 Sometimes God does test our faith, just as He tested the faith of the ancient Israelites by allowing them to go through hard times in the wilderness, “in order to know what was in your heart” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

 None of us likes to go through hard times (and God isn’t necessarily behind them, even if He does allow them).

We so badly just want a life of ease, but it just isn't a reality for our human experience or for our spiritual experience.

Many in the Bible were led to what would be uncomfortable situations. But God did not leave them. It also helped them to learn to depend and trust in God.

The end of verse 13 says that as Jesus was going through the temptation in the wilderness angels were ministering to Him.
The Bible tells us that Jesus prays on our behalf.
 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Romans8:34

So the next time you have been led by the Spirit of God into a challenging situation. Remember, God is with you, Jesus is praying for you, God is developing you, and God will use it for His glory.

Troy

Difficult Roads

"Difficult roads often lead to glorious destinations. "

I saw the above quote the other day and it got me to thinking about times I have vacationed out in Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana. There are many great sights to see. Beautiful mountain scenes, wildlife, incredible views that make for great pictures.
What surprised me the first time I saw these places was the difficult roads you had to travel to get to these places. Sometimes you travel up a mountain on dirt roads. Sometimes you are on paved roads, but you are so close to the edge of a cliff up high on a mountain that you don't want to look to your left or right. The roads are difficult but they do lead to glorious destinations. 

Sometimes in life we travel difficult roads. We go through challenges that we would rather not deal with. But if we think back on some of these difficulties we find they eventually led us to some glorious destinations. We may have experienced God in a way we had never done before. We may have found out that we had strength to get through something we never thought we could.

I often say at church that we want to experience a miracle, but the problem is that most of us don't want to be in a situation that requires a miracle. But without the need for a miracle we wouldn't experience the miracle. The way we experience Jesus as our healer is by being sick. The way we experience Him as our provider is by needing provision. And so on and so forth.

Some examples from the Bible could be if Daniel had never been in a lion's den he never would have experienced God coming to rescue him. If Moses and the children of Israel had not been stuck at the Red Sea they would have never seen the water part. Finally, if Jesus had not been crucified there would not have been the resurrection.

Difficult roads are not easy or fun. But they do lead to some glorious destinations. May we trust that God is leading us to a great destination for His glory as we travel some difficult roads in life.
Troy

You Are Loved

Most of us are aware of our shortcomings and imperfections. We attempt to overcome these things we know about ourselves in various ways. We are constantly trying to prove our value and worth not only to ourselves, but to others.
I would like to suggest something else. Find your value and worth in this.....there is a God.......and He is in love with you.

Most of us may acknowledge this truth with our head, but we haven't let it penetrate our hearts. When the truth gets into our hearts, it will help us to realize that in spite of our shortcomings and weaknesses we have worth, and in the process we begin the process of not trying as often to prove our value and worth to ourselves and others.

I mean think about it , if we actually believed God loved us , think of the pressure that would remove from us. Think of the weight that removes from your life.

Here is one more truth I would like to add...........
The reality of God's love changes our lives. Religious rules won't do it. Only the reality of God loving you will change lives.
Think about it, anytime someone truly falls in love with someone who truly loves them back, they change. Not because the other person is making them, but because they want to become a better person for that other person who is showing them love. So how much more does this happen when the reality of being loved by the perfect love of God?

So remind yourself of God's love for you constantly.
Think you have made a mess of your life? God is still in love with you.
Think you are the reason for other people's problems?
God is still in love with you.
Ashamed of things you have done in the past?
God is still in love with you.
Have you hurt those you love?
God is still in love with you.
Messed up this past week ?
God is still in love with you.
Feel like you don't measure up?
God is still in love with you.
Feel like a failure?
God is still in love with you.
Think you don't need God?
God is still in love with you.
Mad at God?
God is still in love with you.

I think you get the point I am trying to make. Be encouraged today, constantly think on the reality of God's love for you.
As you do, watch old and bad habits begin to fall away.
God is in love with you.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:37-39‬ ‭

“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-10‬ ‭

“But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86:15‬ ‭

Troy

Getting Your Value And Worth From The Correct Source

The Spirit also tells us who we are. Identity is a never ceasing issue for most of us. We want so badly to think well of ourselves, to believe we are valued and important. But on our own all we have are opinions from others and from ourselves. We tell ourselves we are good ( or bad), and we spend each day searching for some evidence to prove it, only to have to do it all over again the next day. The verdict never comes in. Our egos are always on trial. But the Spirit witnesses with our spirit, telling us we are our Abba's child, in whom he is well pleased (Romans 8:16) - not because of our performance or accomplishments, our holiness or virtue, but because we are sacred beings of invaluable worth. 

How do we know this? The Spirit imparts this crucial knowledge as we dwell on the mystery now disclosed in the sacrifice of the Son. The Lamb of God willingly laid down his life for us while we were yet sinners, sinners that God desperately loved. That is what the cross means, but it is foolishness to the human mind on its own. Only by the witness of the Spirit can we grasp this incredible mystery. And when we do, it changes everything. We now know who we are: beloved children of God. Yes, still sinful, imperfect, flawed and at times downright despicable in our thoughts, words and deeds. But loved nonetheless. And forgiven forever, made holy by the Christ who dwells within us.

This is a knowledge that changes everything, the most important knowledge any human can know. But it is not to be understood as a theory; it must be grasped as a living reality. It is experiential knowledge; this knowledge must be lived. And when we grasp this knowledge, we are renewed. Our lives are transformed. If knowledge is, in fact, power, then this knowledge is the most powerful reality anyone can know- not knowledge about God, but rather knowledge of God. Thanks be to God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit we can know it. 

Excerpt from Hidden In Christ by James Bryan Smith

Closed Doors

Have you ever had a plan for your life that fell through? You thought the door was open, but then it closes on you. Most of the time our initial response is panic or discouragement.  We ask ourselves, now what? Why is this happening? We ask other questions and make other statements.

In the midst of a closed door situation, generally, we never think maybe God is up to something good in this situation. We usually question God's goodness, or God's timing.

It's funny isn't it? Sometimes if a door hadn't been closed we wouldn't have looked for another open door. If that person hadn't broken up with you, you might have married a person who you would have ended up divorcing within five years. Instead, you are married to a wonderful person who is good for you. If you hadn't loss that job, you might be stuck in a dead end job with no future. Instead, you are at a place where you aren't just making a living, but making a life.

Please understand, I'm not saying , where God closes a door, He opens another. No, I'm wanting to emphasize the goodness of God, in that at times when we think we knew what was good for our lives , God knew what was best and led us to that place. Even tough there may have been hurt, or pain involved for us, He brought us to a place of blessing.

So, there are times we need to thank God for the closed doors in our lives. It's not easy, we usually don't look at the big picture with our lives, we usually just think of the immediate moment. But, I bet if you looked back over your life, a lot of closed doors in your life were blessings in disguise, but you just couldn't see it at the moment. God knew what was best for you, but you and I couldn't see it at the moment.

Thank God for the closed doors. Thank God for some of our prayers that went unanswered and saved us from a life of heartache. He is a good God.

Here are a few verses to reflect on:

“The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭

Let's remember the next time that a door closes that just maybe God is working something out for our good. Maybe He is directing our steps. He's done it in the past and He will do it again.

Troy