Grief Relief

The rancid taste of grief sours our personality at the same time that it bitters our soul. We drown in depression and we see no reason to continue with life. We grieve over the loss of our loved ones, as well as cherished pets and possessions. 

Grief plays havoc with our emotions by knocking them off center. We want to hide between the sheets and drift off into oblivion or take unprecedented risks. Our loss causes our favorite hobbies to lose their appeal. 

We question our sanity and our bewildering physical ailments, which come out of nowhere without any viable reason. Some even attempt to contact their dead loved one through satanic séances and spiritualists.

Experts advise against making major decisions while the fog of grief clouds our judgment. We stand the risk of rebounding and marrying the wrong person, or selling the home of our dreams for fear of not being able to care for it on our own. 

If we forget God in our recovery, we will perish as those without God (Job 8:13). Take a year or more to recuperate before making decisions and only after obtaining Godly advice. God is there for you...always. 

It takes time to recover, but God meets all of our needs, clears up our confusion and heals all of our pain (Jeremiah 29:11). Praising His name and seeking Him each moment of the day will bring us more fulfillment than we ever experienced before in our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are certain to the depths of our being that You are the Living Lord. Every negative aspect in our life right now will turn out for our good, as we trust in You. Even if we are truly alone in this world, we can place our hope in You and pray night and day, asking for Your help moment by moment (1 Timothy 5:5).  

The prayer that never fails is, "Lord, Your will be done." It is hard to give up control of our life, but we will experience so much more freedom once we totally surrender and live in Your joy as our peace and strength. Once we come to that place of total surrender to Your will, no matter what it is, then we set You free to bless us.

Thought for the Day:

When grief resurfaces with some trigger that reminds us of our loss, we can remember that even in the darkest nights of our life, our faith increases and our personal relationship with God deepens.

Father God Knows Best

 

If we refuse to heed the Spirit’s prompting in our life, we destroy our self from the inside out. We surrender to our flesh and Satan’s purposes, and we allow them to take up God’s place in our soul. If we choose to focus on sin in the TV shows, movies, or music we partake of, we invite Satan to also use our body, as well as our soul (Deuteronomy 11:16). God lives within us. Do you really want to drag Him through the mire with you?

However, if we seek God with our whole heart (Deuteronomy 6:5), He will give us glimpses of His glory during our life here on earth. As we dedicate our thoughts, words and actions to Him, we desire less and less of the world. Sin starts to grieve us as much as it grieves God. Satan is no longer able to pull us away from our focus fixed on God (Deuteronomy 11:17-20). We read His Word, as our daily bread, and our spirit grows stronger each day.

If we heed the Spirit’s prompting, we realize that our humanity is dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). We realize that our humanity is actually crucified with Christ, and the life we now live is only by the faith of the son of God, who loves us and laid down His life to save us (Galatians 2:20). We change our focus from our self, and we begin to live in the will of God (Hebrews 10:7). We set our mind to accomplish the works, which God created for us to accomplish before we were even born (Ephesians 2:8-10).

We walk in the Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. Our life is a praise to Him who rides upon the clouds (Psalm 68:4). We live a holy life by faith in His faithfulness. This holiness is the result of our love relationship with Christ in us. We follow His example and walk in His light, because He is our light (1 John 1:5-7). The bi-product of this relationship is a life that prays, reads God’s Word, worships with other Believers, evangelizes and gives tithes and offerings.

Self-denial is not a life of sadness and struggle; it is freedom to enjoy the blessings of God instead of the fruit of the flesh. Our spirit is grieved when we sin, and the Spirit of God within us is fighting for our life. In difficulties, we surrender that trial or circumstance to God; and we walk in His Spirit, reaping the fruit of our labors. We can rejoice in the Lord regardless of our circumstances, because every trial is an adventure when God is in control. We live in the joy of the Lord (John 15:11).

Prayer:

Father God, You live the Christian life through every Believer. Show us the areas of our life that we give Satan a foothold into our soul. Thank You for Your spiritual wisdom that is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17). Living in your presence we experience fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). We give you the praise of our lips and the dedication of our heart as we serve You with our life.

Thought for the Day:

God saves all those who endure to the end. – Matthew 24:13

When God is Silent

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12

So many times I hear people say that God does not speak to them, or that God stopped speaking to them (Psalm 27:9, 28:1, 69:17, 102:2, 143:7). Sometimes, this is due to the fact that we do all of the talking when we pray. We often fail to take time to listen or we have sin in our heart that blocks us from hearing Him (Psalms 66:17-20). In the quiet times, God is telling us to wait, to trust, and to rest in His love (Psalm 34:17; Ephesians 3:20-21; 2 Corinthians 9:8). He may not be talking, but He is always listening.

Usually, as I sit quietly in His presence, He shares with me needed information to enable me to serve Him during my day, or in the coming weeks. He gives me the wisdom I need or counsel on an issue in my life. When I notice a bend up ahead in the river of life, and I allow anxiety over the unseen possibilities around that bend to disturb my peace, He calms my fears (Isaiah 26:3, 41:10). At other times, I embrace the silence and just enjoy the scenery along the river, while I soak up the goodness of His presence in my life no matter what lies ahead (Psalm 27:13).

God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As we feel fear rise in our soul during some daunting experience, we can realize that God still abides in our heart (Isaiah 3:17). He will walk with us through this trial or temptation and remain with us when we come through it (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Even while God is silent, He is still pouring His love over us like a waterfall. He is also building up our spirit, because He knows we will need all of our spiritual strength around the next bend in the river of life (Romans 5: 2-5).

In fact, if we trust Him enough, we will eventually relax and actually begin to enjoy the ride! When we feel overwhelmed by life’s issues, spending time alone with God is the perfect place to find rest for our weary souls (Jeremiah 31:25; Matthew 11:28). God is still God regardless of what is happening in our life (Deuteronomy 32:4). God promises to deliver us out of our troubles, if we will glorify Him (Psalm 50:15). We can always find the joy that God plants in every situation we encounter. It is all a matter of our focus.

Even the death of a loved one, ill health, a bad marriage, stress at work or at home, or any other negative event always has a positive side. We will find that place of contentment if we change our focus about the issue and our attitude to one of praise (Isaiah 25:4; Psalms 42:5). Every dark cloud has a silver lining and God is eager to reveal it to us (Hebrews 6:19-20). Rather than allow the cares of the world to weigh us down and to give us a negative attitude, our faith and trust in God will carry us safely through one bend in the river after another (Psalms 146:5-6).

                 
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when everything goes wrong, walls block us on every side and hope is quickly dwindling away, we feel like throwing up our hands and giving up. That is exactly what You are waiting for, however. You want us to completely surrender everything to You, to walk in Your Spirit every moment of the Day and to learn to be content in every situation in which we find our self. Remind us to be still and to remember that You are God (Psalm 46:10; Deuteronomy 33:12). Allow Your joy to see us through every circumstance we encounter,  and cause us to serve as an encouragement to others in our life. This way we are a blessing wherever we go.

Thought for the Day:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” - Hebrews 4:15