Supernatural Comfort

Pep talks, whether we give them to our self or someone else gives us one, are usually rather useless and anti-climactic. They do not change our situation and the words ring with an empty echo in our soul. People mean well, but their words seem trite compared to our issues.

God gave us dozens of stories in His Word, with situations and outcomes similar to ours. He gives us the root cause and solution for each scenario too, so that we can draw comfort from the lives of these ancient Saints.

Jesus reminded us that we would have trials in life, just like He did; but then He comforts us with the revelation that He already overcame these trials; so He can help us through them, since He lives within us (Romans 15:4; John 16:33).

Paul, an accomplished soldier and statesman, lived a successful life until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus in broad daylight. He ended up blinded by the risen Jesus' great light, and this caused him to spend time in retrospection, introspection and meditation until his eyes healed.

From this experience and his future persecution, he learned to rejoice in every situation, because He knew that God hid the seed for a miracle within every one of them. If nothing else, trials teach us patience, just as his did.

After meeting Christ, Paul's life had so much more peace, because he allowed patience to do her perfecting work during the trials of life (2 Corinthians 1:3). God actually gave him rest for his soul as well as his body (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:3).

As we learn from these examples, we count every trial as a joyous occasion too; and we develop this same patience, which perfects our faith (2 Corinthians 1:4). If we seek Him first, God always comforts us in times of discouragement and tribulation (2 Corinthians 7:6).

As we draw near to God, and trust only in Him, He provides for us in such magnanimous ways that we cannot help but to shout it from the rooftops (and post it in our social media accounts) (Psalm 73:28). In times of illness or grief, and even on our deathbed, God sustains us (Psalm 41:3).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for delivering us whenever we call on You (Psalm 50:15). In our weakest moments in life, You give us Your strength. We end up boasting in the victorious outcome of our trials, because of the supernatural work, which You accomplish for us in each one of them (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

You are our refuge and strength, and You remove our fear by consoling us throughout our lifetime (Psalm 46:1-2; Isaiah 40:29). You are our Father of Lights and we glorify You and give You all the praise for giving us Your character, nature and gifts (James 1:17). Thank You for allowing us to cast our burdens on You, for sustaining us and caring for us, and for not allowing life to overcome us (Psalm 55:22).

Thought for the Day:

Through the comfort and patience we learn through reading the scriptures, we develop hope, which keeps us from feeling shame and discouragement during times of trouble and trials. - Romans 5:5, 15:4

Creative Conflict in Marriage

A good marriage takes effort. When two - usually opposite - personalities combine under one roof, they often end up donning the boxing gloves and duking it out! Of course there is a simpler solution.

God gives us these diverse personalities and gifts, because together we can make wiser decisions. When we are at an impasse, we take the best from both of us and make a third, mutually agreeable choice which makes so much more sense.

By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we find God's perspective and will, and we walk together in peace through His Spirit. We find comfort and wisdom from God's Word and encourage one another (Psalm 119:71, 75-76).

We join our strengths and help one another to overcome our individual weaknesses. This takes humility, and pride will only gum up the works. Having to be right and the need to have one's own needs met first are no basis for wise decisions - they are part of our insecurities.

Together we help each other overcome our idiosyncrasies and failings and guarantee that our unified decisions are in God's will. Rather than accuse and fight when we disagree, we can brainstorm for that third alternative.

Trials and tribulation are easier to handle when faced together. Our frustration, discouragement and disappointments are shared by someone who loves us unconditionally. We comfort each other in our self-doubt.

God has a purpose in every trial, and He plants the seed for a miracle in each one of them (1 Peter 4:12). He works out all of them for our ultimate good. Both partners in the marriage are blessed as we keep each other strong and face life's devastating events as lovers and friends.

Our intimacy with God and with one another strengthens through every trial, which we face together. We learn to depend on one another rather than to fight one another; and together we depend on God's goodness more than on our own resources.

Prayer:

Father God, the difficulties and perplexities of life often wear us down and cause us to adopt defense mechanism, which cause negative issues in our marriage. Help us to heal from our personal, unresolved conflicts and to dwell with each other with understanding (1 Peter 3:7). Satan may influence our past, but we do not have to allow him to continue to hinder our present or future life. Help us to draw near to You and to resist Satan's lies, so he will flee from us (James 4:7).

Thank You for linking us with a mate who will strengthen our weaknesses, help us to heal from our past hurts and challenge us to seek Your joy and comfort. Teach us not to attempt to change our mate, but to change our self and to rely on You to meet our needs. Help us to work together as a couple to live in unity with Your Spirit and with one another.

Thought for the Day:

Momentary trials lead to long-term blessings, which last a lifetime when we depend on one another and on God to see us through them.

When One Side Wins

When one side "wins" an argument, both sides lose. The person or group that was not allowed to make their point, or who did not have the opportunity to make their point, feels dejected and frustrated and unable to affect their own life.

This effects their relationship and attitude about the "winning" side. They may forgive, but they still feel discounted and misunderstood. They withdraw from the relationship both emotionally and possibly also physically, even if just a little bit.

The sad point of this scenario is that this is so unnecessary. There does not have to be a winner and a loser in an argument. There can be a discussion, which leads to a mutually acceptable solution.

This way everybody wins! No one person or group "gets their way", but they find an equally impartial solution that meets everyone's needs.

When we each have a need and our own solution, but we cannot agree on either one, we can pray or brainstorm together and find a third alternative that we both like.

We can do some research, ask advice from other people, read some articles on the topic, go to a counselor if necessary, and find a third alternative that both sides agree upon.

Then everyone is happy, everyone feels heard and valued, and everyone wins. In our society, we have a two party system and we tend to be black-and-white thinkers.

There is no room or tolerance for any gray areas that may require that we think outside of our little box, to experiment, and to consider the good of the group rather than for our self alone.

The only area that is not up for compromise is our belief in and devotion to God. We follow His Spirit's direction in every area of our life and we stand firm on the Word of God alone.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to be more interested in serving others than our self, putting the needs of others in the same degree of importance in our life as our own needs. Remind us not to neglect our self, but to honor others as our self.

You have a perfect will and way for our life and it is our responsibility to hear from Your Spirit in every aspect of our life (Ephesians 2:10; Proverbs 3:5-6). We draw near to You, refuse to allow Satan to wreak havoc in our life and we allow You to direct our paths (James 4:7).

Thought for the Day:

Once we purify the desires of our soul by obeying God's truth, we develop a genuine love for others, we love each other deeply and we maintain a pure heart for God to use in His service. - 1 Peter 1:22