Being Proactive About God's Word

Life comes from the spirit. Healing starts in the spirit. Hope grows with a spirit that is fed every day.

 

We feed our reborn spirits by reading God's Word every day, meditating on it, remembering it and choosing to believe it. We grow the most when we are proactive about God's Word.

 

How Can I Solve My Problem?

 

The human mind is so constituted that if you pour your attention onto a problem without panic, keeping yourself calm and your mind unruffled, and if you maintain faith in God and firmly believe that you are going to get an answer, the answer will appear. Moreover, the more spiritual your mind is, the more definitely will it produce in this manner.

What is your problem? Is it one of health, of business, of your children, of your future? It makes no difference what it is. Do not get agitated, nor depressed over it. Do not try so hard. Do not be in a panic. Do not over-stress it.

Whatever your problem, when you lift your spirits, clear your mind, believe in your potential, take the worry and fear out of your thoughts, and have faith in God, you can do the impossible. You surely can.

How to Handle Tough Times by Norman Vincent Peale

©1990 by Peale Center for Christian Living

Guideposts Outreach guidepostsfoundation.org

Is It All REALLY Working Together For My Good?

Sometimes, the trials that God turns into good for us we may never discern.

Often, this converting of these tribulations on our behalf moves into the realm of the unseen.

They can be the good that God does for us of which we are unaware.

We have faith that he does these things because the Word tells us so.

We may not always see the outcome of God working all things together for our good but we have testimonies of the times when we experienced proof that he did.

We also know that we live among bountiful blessings from our Heavenly Father every day.

 Any one of those unrecognizable daily blessings could be a conversion of bad to good, just for us.

Romans 8:28

 

My Past Is Haunting Me

Are you having problems with unwelcome memories from your past? Is any point or stage from your past life troubling you? Are past experiences, mistakes, journeys, sorrows, sufferings, failed hopes, unrealized dreams, etc., consistently bothering you? Do you feel plagued by past occurrences over which you had no control? 

God is aware. His Spirit is always near and within to help us. Struggling with our pasts, something that is unchangeable, is too much of a heavy burden for us. We cannot and were not meant to bear it alone.

We must always look to God, first as a formal committing over to him each morning the health of our mental and emotional state. Next, we must learn to immediately look to God whenever troubling thoughts and memories surface.

There are many short prayers that you can use. I find that this prayer has been helping me to cast down imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God:

Father, help me to see my past as you see it. Help me to see myself as you see me. Help me to see people as you see them. Help me to look beyond the flesh and into the spirit of myself, every person and every situation, past, present and future.

Pray this prayer, or one similar that you create, and you'll find yourself walking more in the Spirit each day.

How Can I Smile When I'm Not Happy?

Our knowledge of God has the potential to help us to smile in the most distressing of circumstances. Why? There is nothing that can separate us from God's love. He has given us that major promise and he will fulfill it, for he cannot lie. I am able to smile often when I am distressed, sorrowful, depressed or discouraged. If not smile, I can at least feel hopeful, which is a type of joy.

I say "Thank you Lord for joy unspeakable and the peace that surpasses all understanding. I know that the joy of the Lord is my strength and you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon you." I feel better immediately. What about the times when I don't feel like quoting those truths? That's another story but one that is also filled with success. Nothing is too hard for God, no matter what it feels like or looks like.

On the physiological side, which God also owns, he has built into our systems the ability to feel better when we smile. It is good to try smiling when we don't feel like it. I didn't believe it and it really annoyed me when I heard people say this or read it. One day, I decided to try it and I did feel a lift in my spirits begin to happen soon after I tried it.

I think how much of a lift we feel will depend on at what depressed level we're starting. If we've just endured a great tragedy, it would be very difficult to want to try to smile but we can always try. I try to remember that I can do all things through Christ, nothing is too hard for God and when I'm weakest is when God is strongest in me.

Neurologists have proven that smiling can trick your brain into happiness — and boost your health. A smile spurs a powerful chemical reaction in the brain that can make you feel happier. Science has shown that the mere act of smiling can lift your mood, lower stress, boost your immune system and possibly even prolong your life. 

So just try it and tell God what's going on. Tell him several times, if you have to, what it is that is making it so difficult to impossible for you to smile. Just remember to ask once for help, healing, blessings, etc., whatever it is that you need. After that, thank him for it until a change occurs. You can have confidence that he heard you the first time if you asked according to his will.

If you believe that he heard you then you know you have what you've asked, one way or another (1 John 5:14-15). You don't have to ask anymore or beg and plead. Since you know you already have it just thank him until his answer manifests. So remember, try to SMILE and always tell God.

He Cares For You

Jesus has truly suffered it all.

Turn To Jesus, The Lover Of Your Soul

No matter what it is, you know that Jesus understands. He who suffered everything that you have and will suffer offers comfort in a way that no one else can.  Though he may not have experienced what you have in the way that you did, he has truly suffered it all.

He suffered it for you.

In his divine spirit and in his human heart and emotions, he experienced all of human horror. It is in the spirit and heart of man where the roots of true suffering are for all outer suffering. Jesus truly suffered it all for all mankind in the way that only God can. He suffered it all for you. He does know what you are feeling and why.

He did it for love, a special kind of holy love.

Jesus felt it all in a few moments of time, when he took into his human body all of the hurt, terror, depression, fear, discouragement, anxiety, hopelessness, rage and despair for each and every human who has lived, is alive today and who will come into this world. He did it for your soul. He did it for love, a special kind of holy love. Just tell him about it.

Talk to Jesus and remember that it is our Father God who raised him from the dead. 

 

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary VI

Answer for sluggish weariness and hopelessness.

I know you feel so sluggish emotionally, so down, so weary, so hopeless. Make yourself get on your knees. Do you go down on your knees to talk to God? If you are in the habit of praying like that first thing every morning, then you know that feeling of reverence that it instills towards Our Heavenly Father.

If you don't do that, then please start. Pick a throw pillow for your prayer pillow so your knees won't hurt. I dedicated one for this and keep it slid under my bed, handy for me to reach under and slide out in an instant.

Thank God now for all that he has done for you when you were not aware of it. Thank him for what he is doing now of which you are not aware. You're speaking to God in faith that he is right now working on your behalf. You're choosing to believe it though you don't feel it and don't have any hope of ever feeling it. You are choosing to believe that God is moving and shifting things on your behalf. You are choosing once again to believe that he is closing some doors and opening others.

Our prayers at this time do not have to be long.

At times like this we must force ourselves to repeat things that we believe about God and his kingdom, no matter how we feel. Our prayers at these times do not have to be long. We may feel bad when we pray these short prayers, almost like our prayers are fake. We may feel like we are not giving God a fair amount of prayer time to ask or believe him for anything.

After all, we've been led to believe that in order for prayers to be authentic they must be long, drawn out and we must be exhausted when we finish. We are reminded of the scriptures where Jesus asked his disciples why they could not tarry with him for one hour. (Matthew 26:40-45) There is a time for long prayers but this is not one of those times.

You are holding on for dear life. Your faith is in jeopardy. A sentence or two or prayer here and there will carry you through to understanding answered prayer. Pressing your body and spirit to do this little bit is a sign that your prayer is not fake but sincere. Take the baby steps that show that you are a devoted person who refuses to give up on God.

Thank God now for all that he has done for you when you were not aware of it.

Don't allow the devil to convince you that it has to be a long prayer or no prayer at all. His intention is to stop you for good. We battle the world, the flesh and the devil. Thank God now for all that he has done for you when you were not aware of it. Thank him for what he is doing now of which you are not aware.

Resist the devil and he has to flee for a season! God's word declares it! (James 4:7) If those two sentences that I've said for you to pray are all that you can say for days, weeks, do it! Fight for your prayer life! Build up your most holy faith and God will faithfully increase it!

When you get stronger, don't forget to ask God for something one time only. If you forget and do it again, that is ok. Our Father understands. Get back on track. From then on, thank him for it whenever you feel the desire to pray about it again. Also remember to always ask for his will to be done too, like one of my readers who said,

I DID need to stop begging for certain things. I actually started praying more for God's will to be done and not for my own desires. I know that's best and once I came to terms with that, I had (have) a whole new outlook on life.

 

Gather Strength Through My 

Tired Of Praying & Weary

Series:

 

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary II

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary III

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary IV

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary V

 

 

 

 

Gratefulness Equals Miracles

 

Raining cats and dogs, what to do...?

There is much to be grateful for, even though there can be trials, challenges, difficulties and struggles. Sometimes we may be so discouraged that we feel like we have to search for things for which to be grateful.

We feel so beaten down by life in this lost and dying world that we just get tired. At those times, we find it hard to be thankful because it may not be just raining. It may be raining cats and dogs and maybe it has been raining for some time. So what is there to do?

Living by faith so choose faith.

We know that we live by faith so we choose to turn once again to the author and the finisher of our faith, the precious Son, Jesus Christ. We choose once again to turn to our Heavenly Father, who through his loving kindnesses and mercies sent his Spirit to comfort us. We once again choose our ever-growing faith and what does our faith require?

Have faith, don't pretend.

Faith does not require that we pretend that the strains are not there. Faith requires that we rise above them by focusing on the things that make us grateful. While the answers and solutions to issues are being prepared by Our Heavenly Father, seeking gratefulness is a worthy effort to make, for it brings the light of His sunshine into sight.  David said, Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him from them all." (Psalm 34:19) 

 
Choosing our faith every time reminds us that there is hope in a Father who will not allow anything to separate us from His love. There is hope in a Savior who will never leave us nor forsake us. There is hope in a Holy Spirit who will lead and guide us into all truth.

Gratefulness = Faith = Hope. Miracles are not far behind.

HAPPY SUNDAY!

 

 

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary V

Tired of praying?

Have you been distressed lately, even to the point of weeping inconsolably? Have you gone off to yourself, where no one could see, and just let all of the tears flow? I know how it is to cry your heart out because you don't have an answer. You just don't see a way in or out. The worst part is that your prayers don't seem to be working.

My prayers are not working.

In a way, it is a relief to weep, but it also feels like we are defeated and it is oh so exhausting. We never want to do that again and vow that we will never again break down. We feel guilty about this necessary human function, but God  has experienced it along with us. By coming in human flesh to experience what only humans can feel and dying for our human frailties, he acknowledges the importance of our feelings. He shed tears too.

Tired of asking God for help.

Guilt over feeling hopeless and weeping is useless, and comes from the devil. If we ARE guilty of anything, there is always the answer that we are washed whiter than snow through faith in Jesus' sacrifice. All we need to do is ask God to help us, but we already did that, right? What if we are tired and weary of praying? What if our prayers really are not working?

Please help me God.

To get a grip on hope, sometimes it helps to change up how we pray, the words and scriptures that we use, the times of day, the subjects; while continuing to thank God for specific things that we have asked for. Once we ask him for something, we don't have to keep asking him for that same thing. Ask him once, and then always THANK him for it when the desire to beg and plead for it comes over you again.

As one of my readers shared, once you ask for an answer, pray that God's will be done. Once you realize that is best and come to terms with that fact, your outlook will change.

I know it's hard to manage prayers like this, asking for new needs, and then sending those prayers into the que to be thanked for the next time. It seems like a revolving door of asking and thanking, asking and thanking. It may help to keep a prayer journal or list. You can add the things that you pray for and check them off to thank God for.

How to not give up on praying.

Sometimes we just have to hold on, again. Sometimes that is the only immediate answer. We have to do the cliche, determine to hold on to God's unchanging hand. We have to dig our feet in again and hold on for dear life. If we hold on with a thread of our minds and hearts, God will reward us! We have to choose to believe that, again, and thank him.

The revolving door of asking and thanking is better than continuing on in hopelessness and losing your power in the Kingdom of God. It takes extra effort to manage our prayer lives like this, whether mental or on paper. God, however, has given us power. Why lose it? Do what it takes to push through and make your prayers work. 

"For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)

"For the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." 

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)

Tired Of Praying & Weary Series

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary II

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary III

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary IV