Showing posts with label Pro-Active Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pro-Active Living. Show all posts

Sunday, January 2, 2022

God's Blessings Through Transitions, Transfers And Changes

I've learned that nothing that God does in our lives is necessarily permanent. Though I thrive on changes, transfers and transitions, some that are unexpected and unwanted are very difficult to cope with.  As Christians, we are often ashamed to accept a change when we shared that God did the thing and blessed us.

We think because God did it that it is engraved in stone and can never change. God gave it and we have it, for good! When the blessing circumstances begin to change, we are apt to and often encouraged by less-enlightened Christians, to believe that we made a mistake. Maybe God did not do it after all, because things are now changing. If God did it, it would not change, right? As we grow in Christ, we learn that this is not true.
God gives and takes away, shifts and turns things in our lives, opens a door for a season and then closes it and opens another door. He even brings people into our lives temporarily to bless us in various ways.  He then moves them out because they were not meant to stay. We are confused and wonder why these relationships are not retained. We lament and look back, when we need to learn to let go and move forward.
We should anticipate the new things that God will do. It helps to remind ourselves that everything in this fallen world is temporary. It all seems so solid to us because we endure time while we are here. Time seems to make permanent things but that permanence is all temporary. God shifts all according to his will and we are not to hold on to what he allows to change.
Transfers and transitions are more often experienced in the lives of some rather than others. Despite this, we all can grow through God's big and small changes as we listen to and obey His Spirit each day. If you have proof within yourself that you made a mistake and God did not do it after all, admit it and move on. Growth is good and God knows where you're at.
When things begin to change, however, regarding a blessing that you know came from God, don't degrade your relationship with Your Heavenly Father by choosing to believe that he never blessed you. Don't allow others to convince you to demean your spiritual growth and your commitment to God. Know that God does not change, but he changes things.
Our Father does not intend for the changes to hurt us. Because of the condition of this damaged and swiftly-deteriorating world, hurts and pains must come. God allows his planned and ordained changes to bring about his purposes. His end result is not for us to suffer for no reason. He plans and allows changes in his blessings to benefit us now and in the New Heaven and the New Earth, in ways that we cannot imagine. We just need to stand firm in what we know and accept what Our Heavenly Father changes, as we grow in our understanding of how He does things.


Sunday, October 10, 2021

Evaluating Our Relationships

It is critical to our growth in the Lord that we associate ourselves with people who uplift us. At the end of a conversation with someone, if we exit feeling down, disturbed and not quite right, we should be wary and watch closely. If this happens consistently, something is wrong.

It doesn't matter if we are praying for that person, always lifting them up and trying to be a Godly example and inspiration to him or her. If we don't feel elevated and at peace at the end of any encounter with them, our growth in God will be hindered. We hear the following statement often and we should take it more to heart. Some people we will need to love and pray for from afar.

How often do we ignore this truth in the name of being good Christians? We are good Christians when we attend to our own advancement in the Lord first, at all costs. We are good Christians when we guard our hearts with all diligence. Our Father does want us to come to him with broken spirits and broken and contrite hearts but not through being ignorant about our detrimental relationships with others.

There is no doubt about it; we need to discuss with God if we should be closely associated with these types of persons. The ones whom we need to love and pray for from afar are the very persons who drain our spirits, depress us and prey upon us, whether purposely or unintentionally. It is difficult to deny these people access to our lives when they continually burden us with the same conversations, the same complaints and the same attitudes.

When we realize, however, that they never take our Godly advice and that they never do what we suggest to resolve their own issues, it becomes clear that our relationships with God are being eroded through our relationships with them. They are toxic relationships, a form of being unequally yoked. If we persist in the belief that we are slowly influencing them and that we are long-suffering for good, then we need to think long and hard and often about the wisdom of that train of thought. 

Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits. (I Corinthians 15:33)

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (I Corinthians 5:6)

We have to also be sure that WE are uplifting to others. If we are critical of them, unfairly judgemental, always oppressive, non-receptive to learning from them, bearers of bad reports, complainers, holier-than-thou, etc., then maybe we should be removed from their lives through their own recognition of the truth. It works both ways. 

If we ask, God will give us seeing eyes and hearing ears to honestly evaluate our relationships so that we can walk in the light. The purity of our close associations is paramount to maintaining and strengthening our connection to God. Healthy relationships inspire and motivate us to higher heights in Christ Jesus.

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)





Saturday, October 12, 2019

Reach Out & Take Authority Of Your Life


Don't put off doing simple things like this that you think about.

How many times have you said you were going to write someone, send someone a Christmas card, call and say hi? How long ago was that? How many Christmases have passed since you said you would do that? Are they even still alive?

Lonely? Bored? Hate going places alone? Have you tried to invite anyone that you know? That you recently met? Have you tried to meet someone and invite them anywhere? Is it impossible? Can you try to make it un-impossible?

Frustrated that people get the wrong idea about you? Can you explain how you feel, what you think? Can you work on expressing yourself? Do you try and people don't listen? Are you trying to get the wrong people or the wrong type of people to understand you?

Have you really taken time to ask questions about something that is important to you that you don't understand? Do you think you will sound stupid? Do you think that someone may laugh? Should you practice not caring that someone may berate you and practice asking anyway, until you find someone who will answer?

Are you afraid that you'll lose friends if you say that you don't like this, or don't want to do that? Should you try to keep those friends happy or even keep them?

When was the last time that you told someone that you like their personality, what they did or what they said? How often do you say thank you? Have you told people you don't know who service you that you appreciate them?

Disappointed that you're always getting what you don't want, don't need, don't appreciate? Have you explained what would make you happy? Are you angry that people don't know? Should you be angry?

Have you brought a great, big smile to someone's face by telling them that you like them? Have you given any person a warm feeling inside by telling them that you don't know what you'd do without them? Have you made anyone's day by telling them that you love them?

It's as simple as that.
Reach out and bless your life.
Do what is in your heart and you can't go wrong.
Even if you are ridiculed, unappreciated and
ignored, you can't go wrong.
They are wrong.
Just keep doing what is in your heart everyday,
and see what happens.


Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

Mark 9:23


For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'

Isaiah 41:13
NKJV




Image Credit: FBook, Positive Energy