Worried?

Sometimes my blogs can be quiet lengthy. Not today. I'm simply sharing one scripture, from the Message Bible. It is worthy of a few 'selah' moments.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,

and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34

 

God bless you and may the Lord grant you PEACE, KNOWING that God is STILL in control and that He is taking care of EVERYTHING.





AFTA related blogs:

Under a Lot of Stress?
No Worries
God Promises Peace
Hindrance to Your Destiny?

Under a Lot of Stress?

God led His people out like sheep, He took His flock SAFELY through the wilderness. God took GOOD CARE of them; they had NOTHING to fear. Psalm 78:52,53

I know ... you’re under a LOT of stress, you’re frustrated, worried, afraid and confused … but FEAR NOT and HOLD ON.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 -30, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.’

Stress tends to visit us when we're tired, when we're sick, when we're driving through a crowded metropolis, when we're late for an important meeting, or if we've taken on too many responsibilities. When circumstances are out of our control, we feel stress. When our basic needs are not being met and our safety is threatened, we tend to get anxious. God promises in His Word that He will care for us. When we come to Him for help, He helps. Sometimes it’s a process that takes place for Him to align us and our schedule with His will. Other times, He seems to swoop in … suddenly.

I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Isaiah 48:3

Don't you worry about a thing. God IS gonna appear on the scene SUDDENLY on your behalf, for HELP IS ON THE WAY.

Have the cares and problems of life burdened you with stress and anxiety, robbing you of peace? Pray the prayer below in faith, believing.

Father, I need You now because I am full of stress and anxiety. Thank You that the promises in Your Word bring comfort. I ask You to come and take My heavy burdens. I take each burden, one by one, and lay them at Your feet. Please carry them for me so that I don't have to. Replace them with Your humble and gentle yoke so that I will find rest for my soul. I receive Your gift of peace of mind and heart. Thank You that I can lie down tonight in peace and sleep. I know that you, Lord, will keep me safe. I am not afraid because You are always with me. Please keep me daily, Lord, in Your perfect peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 




 

Be at Peace, My Child

God did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of sound mind and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

 

There is no question that there is pain and intense suffering in this world. Some of it is explained by selfish, hateful actions on the part of others. Some of it defies an explanation in this life. But God offers us Himself. God gives us the knowledge that He has endured also, and is aware of our pain and needs. Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid’ (John 14:27). There is ample reason to be afraid, troubled, but God can give us His peace, which is greater than the problem before us. He is after all, God, the Creator. The One who has always existed. The One who created a universe with a spoken word.

 

Yet even in His power, He's also the One who knows us intimately, even the smallest, insignificant details. And if we will trust Him with our lives, relying on Him, though we encounter difficulties, He will hold us securely. Jesus said, ‘These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, trials and distresses, but take courage; I have overcome the world and deprived it of its power to harm you. So stopping letting yourself get agitated and disturbed’ (John 16:33). He went through our ultimate threat -- death -- and overcame it. He can take us through the difficult circumstances of this life, and then bring us into eternal life, if we will trust Him.

 

We can either go through this life with God or without Him. IN HIM, we can be at peace.

 

Father, thank You for Your promise of peace as we turn to You. We ask You to help us keep our minds stayed on You and as we do, trusting in You, I pray that You bless us with Your presence and Your perfect peace. We wait upon You now to receive it by faith. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
 

 see also: Christ is My Victory (Psalm 91 to pray)


 

Hindrance to Your Destiny?

 
So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' Hebrews 13:6

Worrying and angered at those who try to steal your thunder, use you, try to force themselves on you, pick on you and/or speak lies behind your back? Wondering if your reputation is going to be tainted and stop you from God's best? Wondering if people will reject you because of it?

I don't know about you, but I've been lied to, lied about, made fun of, harassed, stalked, beaten, and pushed around. Words are sharp and they hurt. People can be SO cruel. The enemy really works overtime trying to make sure God's will doesn't come to pass in our lives. BUT GOD is our defender and will only allow people to hurt us and take advantage of us for so long, before He comes on the scene and says, 'that's enough, that's My child' and stops it.  What God has destined ... NO demon or devil in hell or on earth, NO person, NO circumstance ... can stop.

No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17

We're not built to handle it all, it's ok to break down and cry before the Lord and allow Him to bring refreshment. Tell Him what's weighing heavy on your heart. Tell Him who's hurt you. Give it all to Him. Sow those seeds of offense and allow Him to bring better into your life. There's NOTHING like the presence of Jesus to wash away the hurts and pains that people and life have inflicted on us. You may not have the approval of who you think you need it from, but God approves of you and will give you what you really need, not what you think you need.

Quit stressin' over things that the Lord has already told you He would take care of. EXPECT God's blessings. Trust God to protect your reputation. God promised He's our vindicator, EXPECT Him to defend you. God is always there for you --- He is your hope --- He is all you need. And hope maketh not ashamed, i.e. if we put our hope in God, He WON'T disappoint us.

God loves you too much to put you in a position you aren't ready for. He wants to build your character before He brings you to the next level. There will be tests and trials and most won't be fun at all, in fact they'll hurt, a lot. Rejection, betrayal, gossip, abuse, being left out, feeling all alone - they're all part of the plan the enemy's made to cause you to withdraw and stop moving forward. God's using those same things to mold you to be more like Him. Be willing to go through the process. Advance. It's SO worth it.
 
You are RELEASED from having to please everybody ... because you CAN'T. You are RELEASED from having to be Ms. or Mr. perfect ... because you CAN'T. Relax. Be yourself. Don't back down, stand your ground. Keep doing what you believe to be right. Whether others approve or understand or not. God knows how to 'fix' peoples little red wagon when they get in the way of our destiny. 

Those who BELIEVE and EXPECT the good plans God has for them are the ones that SEE them. Wait for it.

Hindrance to your destiny? Nope, I don't think so. More like a springboard to propel you forward.

Father, I pray for all who feel weary. Help us not to give up. Give us courage and faith to continue on. You, Lord God are faithful. Help us to press thru to victory. Remove any hindrances that are in the way of our destiny. Defend us. Protect our reputations. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

Avoid Burnout

But he [Elijah] went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a lone broom or juniper tree and asked that he might die. He said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers. 1 Kings 19:4




Those who are addicted to approval frequently get 'burned out.' For them there always exists the danger of attempting too much. They so desperately want to please that they do everything they feel is expected of them and then some. Sometimes they say yes just because they cannot say no, not because they think their actions are the will of God. They burn out for lack of discernment or because of unwarranted guilt. And then, their anger builds.

We become angry when we feel all used up and pulled in every direction. Burnout makes us angry, because we recognize deep down inside that it is not normal. We become angry with the people pressuring us, when in reality we are allowing ourselves to be pressured. To avoid pressure from others and from ourselves, we must take control of our lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Once when I was complaining about my heavy schedule, I heard the Holy Spirit say, 'You are the one who makes your schedule. If you don't like it, then do something about it.'


Prayer: Lord, pressure comes from every side, and it seems impossible to keep up. Help me to take control of my commitments and eliminate what is not of You. Amen.

















From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions (except the picture) by Joyce Meyer.

Why Can't We Hear? *

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear. Is 59:1,2.
Sometimes there is so much "noise" in our lives that God simply can't hear us. But wait a minute. We're talking about the Almighty God, here. What could possibly plug up His ears so that He can't hear?

Sometimes we plug God's ears with our sins. Often we come to Him, expecting Him to hear us and answer our prayers but we aren't willing to let go of the things that are keeping us apart, that are keeping Him from being able to hear us!

And just what are those 'things'? Pretty much any sin will do, but the book of Ezekiel offers further insight: 'Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?' Eze 14:3
Is there something that you put in a higher place than God? Do your priorities always reflect a "God first" attitude? Is there something you just aren't willing to let go of? If so, then it is causing interference, and God simply can't hear you. If it seems God isn't answering your prayers, search your hearts for pet sins and for "other gods".

But what if that sincere heart search comes up empty? What if there aren't any pet sins or "other gods" in your life, and you know God hears you? Why, then, can't you hear His voice?

The reason we often can't hear Him is that there is so much interference in our lives. The interference is sometimes caused by worry and sometimes by stress.

Sometimes it is caused by our personal desires or the fact that we are focusing on our problems instead of on Jesus. But whatever the cause, He hears us and He answers us, but something keeps us from understanding His voice.

So what's the solution? Move closer to the person you're speaking to. Turn your ears towards His mouth, cupp your hand around your ear, and put your full concentration into listening.

What happens? You'll eventually understand what He's trying to tell you!

When you can't hear God's voice, you need to move closer to Him. You need to focus your attention on Him and Him alone. You need to focus your faith on Him, forgetting the problems all around you, ever believing that He will come through with an answer. You need to push aside your personal desires and be willing to let Him lead in your life. Only then will His voice begin to resound, crystal clear.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12:2

Prayer: Father, help us to slow down & listen for Your voice. We choose to lay down things we've put before You. Forgive us for our sins. Speak to our hearts, Lord & help us to understand what You're saying. Help us to be willing & obedient. In Jesus' name, Amen.
* via Lyn Chaffart (except 4 prayer)