Hidden with Christ in God - Part 2 - Help in Time of Need

God has our best interest at heart; although according to human reasoning, it does not always appear so. We often unwittingly pray against the will of God in our life, and He will not answer those prayers (1 John 5:14).

We fight life’s negative circumstances and cry out for God to correct them; when all along, He is actually using them to correct our course in life (James 1:2).

God's desire is for us to fully surrender to Him in trials, so that He can use them to do His perfect work in and through us in the exact timing and location in which He chooses to put us (James 1:2-12).

The comfort we seek often first depends upon our repentance of our current sins (2 Corinthians 7:10). The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life often fuel our prayers and our activities in life (1 John 2:16).

We even want the bragging rights for our hard earned achievements, rather than realizing they are the result of God’s Spirit working in and through our life.

We want worldly gain, when God’s will is for us to walk in holiness (Isaiah 35:8). We find both serenity and maturity in the words and example of Jesus Christ (John 6:63).

When we suffer from stress, abandonment, grief, anxiety, failure or illness and we feel overwhelmed and defeated by life, God hides us in the cleft of the Rock of Christ and reveals Himself to us by His Spirit and His Word (Exodus 33:22).

We can dwell with the most disappointing mate, rebellious children, horrible work experience, devastating illness or the driest church life and still live in the fullness of God through Christ in us (Galatians 2:20).

As we seek first His Kingdom, He provides us with everything we need to flourish in this life (Matthew 6:33). The flesh is worthless, but God’s Spirit gives us what we need to succeed (Romans 7:18).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, overflowing with Your divine fullness, we find that nothing is impossible for us to achieve according to Your will (Philippians 2:12-13). You brought us up out of the miry pit of self-centeredness and set our feet upon the Rock of Christ (Psalm 27:5, 40:2; 1 Corinthians 10:4). In troubling times, You hide us in Your Tabernacle.

There is nothing to fear, because nothing can separate us from your love: not the trials of life, spiritual powers, the past or the future, no mountain top or deep valley of circumstances, no created thing and not even death (Jeremiah 42:11; Romans 8:38-39). Thank You for continually hiding us in the depth of Your love (Acts 17:11).

Thought for the Day:

When the comforts of this life fail us, yet Jesus Christ actually dwells within us, we find our refuge in the love of Christ in us (Psalm 46:1); He reassures us as no one else can, because He lives inside of us and knows our every conscious and unconscious thought. - Colossians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 13:5

Fight, Flight or Faith

To “fight or flight” is the normal human reaction to trauma. We want to defend our self,  or to run from confrontation on any level. We either use our human ingenuity to escape from trials or else we just sit and complain about them.

James recommends that we find joy in our trials, knowing that they are building up our faith in God’s faithfulness, as well as increasing our endurance to face other trials in the future (James 1:2-4).

James assures us that endurance will help us to walk in complete perfection and to have no lack in any area of our life. We eventually know without a doubt that God will see us through any negative circumstance.

God allows trials to teach us that nothing else matters in our life except Jesus (Colossians 3:3-4). As we endure suffering, we wait on God in every aspect of our life, and He always provides.

Our beliefs about God affect our thoughts, words and deeds. If we believe by faith, we will also think, speak and act in faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). This allows the light of Christ to shine forth from our life.

We do not have to experience trials to trust God or to walk in the faith of God’s Son (Galatians 2:20). God also blesses us in the good times of life; and He loves it when we acknowledge His gifts and give Him thanks.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to praise You in good times and in bad. Remind us that You are working out Your purpose in our life through every circumstance, which we face; and that You will make sure that everything works out to our advantage (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28). We praise You for who You are, what You do for us and for Your Word, which encourages, guides and gives us a rich life of unending hope.

Thought for the Day:

It is impossible to please God, unless we have faith in His faithfulness.

– Hebrews 11:6

Waiting for the Next Shoe to Drop

Living in this world apart from Christ is wearisome at best. There is always something negative happening to us in some way or another: financial, physical, relational, mental, emotional, etc. We struggle from day to day and almost never awaken without some trepidation over what will happen to us next. Trouble even seems to happen in "threes." We are always waiting for the next shoe to drop.

We try to climb the corporate ladder in order to provide our family with as much security as we can. We compromise our quality family time in order to work overtime to bring home more money. We often work two or three jobs in order to give our children more than we had when we were growing up. We fall into the trap of buying them the latest toy on the market at inflated prices.

This schedule produces even more health, mental, emotional and relational problems. Some of us even work our self into an early grave. We resemble the hamster on the little metal wheel, going round and round, but never really getting anywhere. We amass material possessions, but they keep breaking down or coming out with an updated model, so that we feel the need to get a new one.

When we come to Christ and entirely surrender to Him, we begin living in His perfect plan for our life. We no longer fear the next shoe dropping, because it usually ends up being a glass slipper with King Jesus using the entire event to provide us with a special place in His Kingdom along with miraculous blessings through every negative event (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:19).

Prayer:

Father God, the life You give to us in Christ supplies us with joy and peace, which transcends all human reason (Philippians 4:7). We are blessed when we trust in You, so we place our confidence in You. You plant us like a tree by Your streams of living water, and our spirit has constant nourishment. We do not fear whatever life throws at us, and we flourish no matter what happens to us (Jeremiah 17:7-8). You put Your plans in our heart and bring them to fruition, as we walk in Your Spirit (Psalm 20:4; Galatians 5:15-26). You sustain us, bless us and shine Your favor on us. You are always gracious to us and You keep Your eye on us, so that we walk in Your peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

Thought for the Day:

In Christ, we no longer fear trials or difficulties because we know they hold the seed for a miracle, which will surely happen.

Cleansing Our Soul

 

God is integrally involved in the life of all of His Saints. He gives us His law to protect us and His Spirit to direct us. He created us as a triune being with a body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). God gives us the ability to overcome Satan's hold on us by our salvation in Christ and then by the word of our testimony (Revelataion 12:11).

The first place to defeat Satan is in our negative emotions. These crippling feelings are resulting from sins, which we committed, or which someone else executed against us. They are still infiltrating our soul, weighing us down and limiting our usefulness. Bitterness, anger, pride, rebellion, jealousy, frustration, depression, doubt, guilt, hopelessness, fear and others, all plague our soul to distraction.

They overcome the peace in soul due to the wounds from our past. We are holding on to them and nursing these wounds like trophies. They help us to feel sorry for our self and to have an excuse for not reaching our potential in life. We do not want to admit to ourselves, nor to anyone else, the things that others did to us. We do not want to forgive them, but this only cripples us more.  ( www.theophostic.com )

We falsely believe that these strong, negative emotions will protect us from any past, present, and future hurt. Satan deceives us with these lies. What these negative emotions actually do, however, is to block our soul from receiving the fullness of the love that God has for us. We do not need anger, pride, bitterness or any negative emotion to protect us. The King of Kings is our mighty stronghold and fortress (Psalm 18:2, 144:2).

Prayer:

Father God, we can depend on You to cleanse our soul of all negative emotions and past wounds. As we put our trust in You, we live in abiding peace and joy - not only in our spirit, but deep within our soul as well. You keep us in perfect peace when we focus on You and trust in Your plan for our life (Isaiah 26:3). Only as we come to You in every circumstance and wait on Your timing, will we find peace and success in our life (Proverbs 3:5-6). Your quietness and strength within us give us the confidence to walk in Your ways (Isaiah 30:15).

Thought for the Day:

We can look for the seed of a miracle in every negative circumstance, because God promises to work all things, even the bad things, out for our good. - Romans 8:28

Not My Will, but Yours

 

Life often requires a balancing act. We find ourselves thrown off center by confusion or a catastrophe, which comes when we least expect it. Our normal peaceful life spins out of control. Each compartment of our life, which we meticulously created to provide us with security and a safe haven, suddenly tilts to one side.

We feel disoriented, insecure and fearful. Reacting with negative emotions can create even more problems. We panic and make poor decisions. We hectically, yet unsuccessfully, try to manage the disruptive people and events in our life in an attempt to make us feel safe again, but this never helps. In fact, it usually increases our anxiety, when these people react to the frustration we create in their lives.

Part of the problem occurs when we acquire more possessions than we need. Our life slowly sinks under a burden of stress created by trying to pay for this accumulation. Another factor comes if we lean toward making sinful decisions, because we end up reaping what we sow. A third aspect transpires when we tip under the weight of the demands, which others place on us.

So, let’s simplify our life. We can sell unnecessary possessions and discipline our spending habits, make wiser choices in the future and maintain a life of purity and serenity. We can also simplify time and energy, which other people demand from us, by doing on that which God’s Spirit directs us to do for them. Peace comes when we trust God to order our lives (James 1:2-4).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we walk the tightrope of life, help us to focus on the equilibrium You provide for us within each moment that we live, rather than focusing on the spinning details of our negative circumstances (Hebrews 12:2). Life wavers like the ocean, with a continuous ebb and flow, but You give us the words of the prayer, which never fails: "Father, not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42-43)

Thought for the Day:

When we trust God more and strive less, serenity seeps into every area of our life, no matter how the circumstances play out around us.

Come to My Funeral

 

 

As we habitually die to our self-nature, we continually live in God’s presence, following the leading of His Spirit and walking in His will. Even if we live in the most perverse of circumstances, His life in us sustains us through it all. We focus on the spiritual, eternal aspects, which no one and no circumstance can steal from us. We have His guarantee that the world will pass away, but that if we live according to His will, we live with Him now and forever (1 John 2:17).

How many of us are truly willing to lay down our life every single day? John 13:38) The Good News is that Christ in us enables us to die to sin and to refuse to fulfill the deeds of our flesh, which rise up within us (Romans 8:13). All authority is givento Jesus, and He continually lives within every Born Again Believer (Matthew 28:18). He is our victory, and we live victoriously as we follow the leading of His Spirit moment by moment throughout our day.

Dying to our self is not a very popular concept today (1 Corinthians 15:31). We live for our self, and we wallow in the desires of the flesh. Therefore, to crucify our flesh is a foreign concept to most Christians today. We can expect nothing less from a society that purports the concept of, “If it feels good, do it.” There is every type of degradation and deprivation known to man permeating every facet of our society. It constantly bombards us.

Are you willing to join me at my funeral? We simply need to decide that we are willing to no longer promote our self, and instead to promote Christ and His Kingdom in the earth. His Word and His Spirit reveal to us His will for our life. His Spirit conforms us into His image (Romans 8:29). By His loving care for us, He proves to us that He is worthy of our trust and praise. He calls us to live joyfully, prayerfully and thankfully in ever situation (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Prayer:

Father God, once we separate our self from this world, and live for You, we learn to be content because You are always in us and with us (Philippians 4:12). We willingly lay down our life for You, just as You freely laid down Your life for us. Keep us in the center of Your will. Do not allow us to wander to the left or the right. Teach us to have faith in Your faithfulness and to empty our self of our own abilities and effort, so that we can enter into Your rest (Hebrews 4:10). Show us the works You established for us to accomplish before the foundation of the world, and help us to walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

God is in control; and He is working out all things, even the most perverse and negative circumstance, for our ultimate good. – Romans 8:28