Facing Life's Challenges

Since life happens without any warning, I got into the habit, at a very young age, of breathing in shallow breaths. This is detrimental, because my body does not receive all of the oxygen it needs. My blood pressure went up, since I was hyperventilating all of the time. My mind kept my body in high alert. My soul does not react well to the uncertainty of life.

Inwardly, I felt fearful and insecure all the time. The environment in which I lived was unreliable and unpredictable. In my childhood, I grew up with emotional distance, unpredictable anger and physical aggression, which caused dread and instability. Throughout my life, I lived with repeated unsettling circumstances and unexpected changes.

For instance, I moved way too often in my early married life, and had to start over too many times. Eventually, my former husband decided he needed to move on without me, so I lived through divorce. I also experienced two car crashes in which I totaled both cars. The first accident left me with emotional turmoil and the second inflicted extensive physical trauma.

All of my life, I tried to control life to keep it manageable and safe. Of course, I failed miserably at this endeavor. We cannot harness life no matter how many safety valves we provide. I still do not like surprises and I have to remind myself to be more flexible, but I have learned some valuable life lessons.

Over my years as a Believer, I learned to keep my focus on God, to surrender everything to Him in prayer, to have faith in God’s faithfulness and to be more in tune to His Spirit (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Romans 8:14). God taught me to cast my cares on Him, because He really does care about me.

Walking in the Spirit moment by moment keeps me prepared for the unexpected (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 77:14; Romans 8:28; Galatians 5:15-21). God also taught me that He places a seed for a miracle within every trial. With each lesson I learned, I started breathing more deeply because the feeling of impending doom disappeared.

Prayer:

Father God, You have a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). Remind us to seek Your direction for each task You planned for our day, and then to seek Your face for guidance on how to do what You instruct us to do. Consumed by Your Spirit, there is no room for negative emotions. As we face new situations in life, which cause us injury, unrest and indecision, we can wait on You and face the circumstance with Your courage from within us. You strengthen us from the inside out to meet every new challenge (Psalm 27:14).

Thought for the Day:

Trusting totally in God and surrendering to His will for my life gives me His joy and serenity, which trying to control life never did.

Our Life in Christ

Jesus is God, and through Him, everything was created (Colossians 1:16). Yet, He became a man to pay the penalty of our sins. He endured the cross by keeping His focus on the joy that awaited Him back in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2). We too can enjoy this peace and joy as we keep our mind focused on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

God's gifts to us vary and are multiplied in eternity (Matthew 7:11). His main gift is free and includes our ticket to Heaven through the forgiveness of our sin (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23).  We no longer need to earn our own salvation or to pay the penalty of our sins (Galatians 2:16). God completes the work in us, which He began on Calvary (Philippians 1:6).

Jesus, who is now seated with our Father God in Heaven, is our advocate and perfects our faith (1 John 2:1). He gives us His grace to avoid temptation and to accomplish the works He created us to do (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 9:8). All the grace we need in any and all circumstances in our life are just a prayer away (2 Corinthians 9:8).

As we sit at His feet and wait on His timing, God also supplies all of our physical, mental and emotional needs during our earthly existence (Philippians 4:19). We will pass from life through death and angels will escort us to the presence of God (Luke 16:22). Our last breath on earth is follow by our next breath in Heaven. We will never sin or die again (Romans 8:21; 1 Corinthians 15:52-53).

Prayer:

Father God, regardless of the pains and suffering that endure on this earth, You gave us an advocate in Christ (John 16:33; Hebrews 4:15). Thank You for sending Jesus to free us from our debt of sin and to bear the pain of our current situations for us (2 Corinthians 4:17). We thank You that Christ abides in us and is our hope of eternal glory with You (Colossians 1:27). We look forward with great joy to living as a co-heir with Christ of Your entire Kingdom (Romans 8:17).

Thought for the Day:

We will enjoy the presence of God for eternity and our joy will be exceedingly full. - Psalm 43:4; 1 Peter 3:18

Spiritual Healing - Part 3

Focusing on God

We often react to people and situations without thinking. We usually over-react because we do not have all of the facts. Then, because of our insecurities, we exaggerate the incident in our mind and end up falsely accusing others. At other times, the action from the other person pushes buttons from our past and we are instantly incensed   ( www.theophostic.com ).

Sometimes, we allow another's behavior to continue until we cannot stand it anymore, and then we finally react in anger. Change will often affect us negatively; or if we get tired, we will get grouchy and easily angered. The cure for this is to focus on the will of God in the situation. This brings instant peace to the circumstances.

As we stay focused on God, we live in His perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). We also give God charge over our attitudes, behavior, desires and thoughts. Any time our attitude turns negative, we can be sure that we are either neglecting some legitimate need that we have, or we are harboring an inordinate need that is an idol in our life and that we need to surrender to God.

If we fail to consult the Lord about the issue, then we often end up inappropriately dealing with it our self. As a Believer, we can realize that nothing will occur in our life, which is not already part of God's plan for us. He works out even the most horrific issues for our good (Romans 8:28). This reminds us to look for the seed of a miracle in every trial. God is good all the time.

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word advises that sweet and bitter water cannot come out of the same well (James 3:11). Fill our mind with Your thoughts. Keep our thoughts focused on only that which is pure, true, noble, righteous, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Cleanse us from any wicked way in us and lead us in Your everlasting ways (Psalm 139:23-24).

Thought for the Day:

Love does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking or easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. - 1 Corinthians 13:5

Hidden Treasure

I love to have pretty belongings around me, but I like to find them by treasure hunting in a thrift store rather than in the mall. The value of the dollar stretches much further in a flea market than in a chain store. I find greater value, however, in storing up treasures in Heaven rather than here on this earth (Matthew 6:19-21). I treasure God’s presence even more than any presents the world has to offer.

Out of our heart flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). God instructs us in multiple verses throughout the Bible that the motivation for our thoughts, words and deeds should come from the spiritual, rather than the earthly realm. These verses encourage us to walk in the Spirit and not to fulfill the desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:16). They stress that our thoughts are as important as our actions (Proverbs 16:3).

Even popular motivational authors and speakers encourage us to wisely choose our thoughts and words, because they are very powerful (Proverbs 18:21). We can follow Paul’s advice. He tells us to think only on concepts that are true, honest, righteous, pure, lovely, of a good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). If your thoughts do not measure up to this standard, discard them and think positive thoughts instead. The secret to keeping our mind and thoughts in perfect peace is to keep our focus on God (Isaiah 26:3).

God wants us to guard our thoughts, as well as our words and actions (Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 34:13; 1 Corinthians 6:13). When Satan plants temptation in our mind, which He often does, what will we do? Will we act on it and sin, or will we submit to God and resist the devil, so Satan will flee from us (James 4:7)? With Salvation, God encourages us to put on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:15-16). As we live by His Spirit’s direction, He blesses us abundantly with every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).

God wants us to learn to forgive the shortcomings in our self and others, as well as to use the gifts, which He gives us. This takes courage. God has a perfect plan for each of us. He opens doors for us that no one can close. As we walk in His will, He blesses us abundantly above all that we can even request or think. As we enjoy the unique calling God gives us, we use our gifts for His glory. We have to ask ourself if we are willing to live as the treasure that God created us to be.

Prayer:

Father God, You want to direct our life by Your Holy Spirit. You want us to allow the Holy Spirit to infuse our thoughts, words and deeds. Help us to live in the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit, as we cherish Your family and share our testimony with the world around us. Fellowship with other Believers is the life-blood of Your Body. Everything else on earth fades when compared to the privilege of living as Your child.

Thought for the Day:

When we allow God’s thoughts to permeate our thoughts, we have mastered life.