Inching through Life

We can ask God for what we want; and if He wants us to have it, He will give it to us (James 4:3). Yet, it is futile to waste time wanting what we do not have.

If we do, we are telling God that He is a poor provider and He does not have our best interest at heart (1 Peter 5:7). We are exhibiting a lack of faith in His faithfulness and exalting our self over Him.

We are also lacking in gratitude for all that He has already given to us (Philippians 4:6). We are keeping our focus on the temporal aspects of this life and functioning with human understanding.

Jesus died for us all, and rose again - giving us supernatural power so we will not live for our self, but for Him (John 3:16-18; 2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus is the only way, truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Him (John 14:6).

Our Father God knows best. As we seek His Kingdom first, He provides us with everything we need for our spiritual, physical, emotional and mental well-being (Matthew 6:33). God also gives us wisdom as we ask for it, which guides us in our desires, thoughts and choices.

We stop inching through life as a caterpillar; and instead, we soar like a butterfly on the winds of adversity and trials. We mount up on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31); and rise above the earth as we glide on the air currents that God provides for us.

God gives us the wisdom we need to navigate through life, encourage the downtrodden, reject the devil's temptations to sin, and to make the decisions which affect the rest of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, we do not have to spend one moment longing for anything or anyone but You. We no longer love this world nor the things, which it offers us. If we really need something in our life, which we do not have, You will give it to us. You will move us to another state; or give us a different car, vocation or house; or provide us with a spouse or a child, if it is Your will for us.

Remind us to trust only in You and in Your provision and timing. You have a perfect plan for each one of us and living in the center of Your will is the happiest place on earth. We seek You with all of our heart and we rely on Your wisdom and grace to help us to navigate the decisions in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is our gift and reward in this life and the next, because He is our all in all. - Colossians 1:17

A Good Marriage - Sandpaper Spouse

 

Over time, our spouse often turns into a "sandpaper" person who gets on our nerves…an irritation that causes abrasions and discomfort on our soul. We want to turn away from them, rather than to embrace them.

However, this only compounds the irritation, because they try harder to gain our attention and to communicate their needs. They are like the continual drip of a leaky faucet - nerve wracking, torture to our soul (Proverbs 25:24, 27:15).

We tend to avoid and ignore them or to brush them aside, taking them for granted and not showering them with love, gratitude and affirmation they are crying out to receive.

We do not want to be bothered by their neediness. We start to resent them and Satan helps bitterness and anger to grow in our soul toward them. This makes them more insecure and increases their neediness and pleas for our attention and help.

We often attempt to placate them, give them a pat on the head and expect them to go away and to take care of their own needs. Unfortunately, although they do minister to many of their own needs and the needs of others in your sphere of family, church family and friends, some of what they need can only be supplied by their spouse…and that is YOU! 

We say that we "love" them, but Agape love looks beyond their behavior or words to the cry of their soul. We access God's compassion and see His desire for us to minister to them as the spouse He created us to be. 

We start focusing on their needs, and appreciating all the little things they do for us each and every day.

Surprisingly, this loving attention will help to heal much of their behavior which irritates us in the first place. They will be more secure in our relationship with them and more content with life in general.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that we can accomplish much more to alleviate the irritation of the Sandpaper People in our life by giving them our undivided and focused attention, taking them seriously when they share their needs, and working out with them a solution to their issues that we can fit into our regular, daily schedule.

At times, this requires sacrifice on our part. You teach us to alter our priorities to include them, to take time away from our pursuits to meet their needs, or to focus on their needs as well as on our own. We have to lay down our life for them, and we tend to resent this. Help us to gain the mind of Christ in our relationships and to cherish those You place in our life as the treasure that they truly are.

Thought for the Day:

Loving Sandpaper People in the way that they need to be loved, not in a way that makes our life easier or decreases our responsibility to them, makes them feel special and improves our quality of life as well as theirs; we stop treating them as the hired help and realize that they are the treasures that God intends for them to be in our life.

The Joy of the Lord

Is it really possible to be happy all of the time? It is my experience that the answer is "No." However, it is possible to rejoice in the Lord always and to maintain a positive attitude (Philippians 4:4,8).

The key words here are "in the Lord." God makes everything right, no matter how jaded or off kilter they are. Through the lens of eternity, with a spiritual mind and in the presence of God, we see everything differently.

We enjoy a Heavenly focus and can truly rejoice regardless of our negative circumstances. Even when all odds are against us and there is nothing positive to rejoice over, we know that everything will work out for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

When we feel anxiety rise up in our soul, we can immediately take it to the Lord in prayer, giving thanks for what He has already provided and knowing that His blessings are just around the corner (Philippians 4:5-6).

God's peace guides us through the troubled waters and rocky mountain paths, making our ways straight (Philippians 4:7; Psalm 27:11). Even when the circumstances make no human sense, God floods us with His peace.

We struggle with feelings for which we are responsible. We worry for our well-being and that of our children and family. The truth, however, is that God will take responsibility to provide us with all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).

He gives us wisdom on what to do each moment of the day and he guides us through uncharted waters and tumultuous seas to the safe harbor of His love.

Prayer:

Father God, our light and temporary affliction on this earth cannot be compared to the glory, which You already prepared for us in Your glorious Kingdom (2 Corinthians 4:17). We stop attempting to keep our self safe, and we trust our self, our loved ones and our church family to Your safe-keeping.

We know without a doubt that You care about us, so we put our worries in Your capable hands. You equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We rejoice in our risen Savior and sit with Him at Your right hand even now (Hebrews 10:12).

Thought for the Day:

We trust in God's plan for our future and bathe all of our requests to Him with gratitude and joy.