97 TAKING THE INITIATIVE. Deuteronomy 31:7.

When God gives an unconditional promise, all we need to do is wait for it. But when He makes a conditional promise, we have a part to play in it’s fulfilment. That’s when you’re called to:- Firstly, take the initiative. For Israel it was being ready and willing to face opposition and driving the occupying nations from the promised land. (Deuteronomy 31;7-8) “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel. ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which The Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And The Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, do not fear or be dismayed.” In essence, God was saying, “When you take the initiative, I will act on your behalf.”And He is saying the same thing to you and me today. Here is what it means for us today to take the initiative (a) knowing what you want: Humorist and pianist Oscar Levant Once quipped “Once I make up my mind,, I’m full of indecision.” We smile, but sadly that’s the way many of us operate. The fact is one can’t be indecisive and effective at the same time. (b) being willing to take risks. The difference between a believer and unbeliever is this; as a believer, God has promised to go before you and arrange the circumstances in your favour. You may say “But I’m afraid” Faith in God doesn’t eliminate fear – it overcomes it; Believe and say these words (You promised it Lord and I believe your Word. Take the initiative. The Second thing you must do is take action: There is an old saying, “You can if you will” Initiators don’t wait for others to motivate them. They know it’s their responsibility to move beyond their comfort zone and they make it a practice. One-time U S President Theodore Roosevelt said “There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing. I do the things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act. The Bible says ( Psalm 37:3) Trust in the Lord, and do good (take action)’ dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Thirdly; Learn from your failures and keep moving forward. The good news for initiators is, They make things happen. The bad news is they make lots of mistakes along the way. The fact is, the greater your potential the greater your chances of failure. Senator Robert Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever hope to achieve greatly.” Are you constantly on the lookout for opportunity, Or do you wait for it to come to you? Are you willing to pray and take a step of faith, or do you endlessly analyse everything? As former chairman of “Chrysler,” Lee Lacocca said “Even the correct decision is wrong when it’s taken too late.” When was the last time you initiated something substantial in your life? If you haven’t moved yourself forward out of your comfort zone lately, you might have to jump-start your initiative. The Bible says*(Psalm 115:11) “He is (your (help) and... shield”. That means God will help you to succeed. And if and when you fail, hang in there, He will be there to protect and redirect you. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. (Jeremiah 17’7)” Fourthly:- Change your mindset. Does risk scare you? Are you discouraged by past failures? Do you not see the potential that opportunity offers? You wont be able to move forward until you discover what is holding you back. (Proverbs 29;25 ) tells us “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in The Lord shall be safe.” a snare is a trap, so when you begin to see your fears as a trap, you will want to be free from them. Fifth:- Don’t wait for opportunity to knock. Opportunity seldom comes knocking, you have to look for it. Assess your assets, talents and resources. Doing so will give you a picture of your potential. But, You say I don’t have any special talents.” Yes you do, God says so in (Romans 12:6) “God has...given each of us different gifts to use.” Sixth:- Take the next step. It’s one thing to notice an opportunity but quite another to act on it. Somebody once quipped “Everyone has a great idea in the shower, but only a few step out, dry off and do something about it. Choose the best opportunity you see, pray about it, do the best with it that you can, and keep going until you have done everything possible to make it happen. And when you have done your best, - trust God to do the rest Winston Churchill said ”Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities…because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” And where does courage come from? God! “Trust in The Lord forever, for in The Lord is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4) Thank you for reading about How to take the initiative. I hope these ideas and proposals help. (Some of which I have borrowed from several other writers) .The Word of God being my primary source. “Trust in The Lord always, and lean not on your own understanding.” May our God richly bless all who trust in Him, Phaline. -------------------------

96. OVERCOMING INSECURITY. 2 Corinthians 3: 5.6.

The above Scripture says “our competence comes from God” insecurity can side-line us, When we feel like we are unworthy of success, self-doubt may cause us to sabotage our chances to be successful. The truth is it’s impossible to live for long on a level that is inconsistent with how we see ourselves. As I see it, one of the biggest problems with insecurity is, that it is almost impossible to acknowledge, so we don’t deal with it, and overcome it. Why is that? Because we are afraid that an admission of vulnerability will (1) weaken us in the eyes of other people, (2) empower and embolden our critics, and (3) Give our competitors the advantage over us. Insecurity insures we keep other people at a distance. It means living without the council and support of the very people whose input can help us to succeed. The bottom line is, we have a hard time trusting others. because we have a hard time trusting ourself. It’s not a new phenomenon. Recorded in the Old Testament, (Job 20:22) we read “Zophar said to Job, in his self-sufficiency he will be in distress>” Note the word ‘Distress” then think of the word ‘tress’ our insecurity will whisper “If people don’t really know me, they wouldn’t love me, respect me, follow me invite me or invest in me. So… What is the answer? Paul has it! He writes in (2 Corinthians 3:5-6) Not that we are competent .. to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent. The first step to overcoming insecurity is to draw our self-worth from God and learn to see ourselves through His eyes .and we can only do that by spending time with Him in prayer and reading His Word everyday. If our sense of well-being comes from any source other than God, chances are that we will always struggle with insecurity. That’s why Paul wrote in (2 Corinthians 9:8) “God will give you His constantly over flowing kindness. Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more and more good things. Another translation puts it this way. “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things and at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” As long as we are trusting in ourselves or other people, we will struggle with uncertainty and self doubt. But once we start trusting in God and what He can do in us, with us, through us and for us, we begin to feel differently about ourselves. Insecurity destroys our self-esteem by making us feel unqualified and undeserving. And here is the worst part; often it means we can’t be taught, we can’t accept honest criticism, and therefore we can’t grow. - The thing we need most – good input, is the last thing we are willing to accept, because we’re afraid to let anyone know we are less than perfect. Consequently, we find it hard to confront challenges and seize the opportunities that come our way. Deep down we feel incompetent, unaccepted, disapproved of and rejected. In short insecurity is an ‘inside job.!” Now, Take an honest look at your life. Go ahead; Your safe no one is looking! The only person who will benefit from this is you. Then turn to God and say “Lord, Everything I need to succeed in life I have in you. Please give me the humility to call to mind your Promises and thoughts about me, the wisdom to understand your loving Words and the courage to trust you with my security. In Jesus’ name I pray. Thank you for reading these thoughts on where our security comes from, who it is born of and where it must always stay. ”In Christ, and in Christ alone.” He is our security, “The Rock of our Salvation.” God Bless us all. Phaline. -----------------------------

95. GOD AND YOUR EMOTIONAL WELLNESS 1 Kings 19:5-7

When you are feeling low and depressed, it is important to seek the support of a Medical Professional or Counsellor. But God also has some wisdom for you when you are emotionally down. Take care of your physical needs. In (1 Kings 19:5-7) we read Elijah was exhausted, So he stretched out under a tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat” he looked around and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water He ate and drank and then lay down again..Then the angel came to him a second time and said ‘Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you.’ So he ate and drank and was strengthened by the food. You can exhaust yourself in a good cause and pray until you are blue in the face, It wont do you any good until you learn to exercise a bit of wisdom concerning the physical needs of your body. God’s initial remedy for Elijah’s exhaustion called for a change of diet and proper rest. A good night’s sleep or a holiday can do wonders for your attitude. Be wise when you’re physically or mentally drained. You’re vulnerable. Notice, God didn’t scold Elijah by saying “You lazy, Coward, what are you doing here in the desert?” No, He restored him physically. And that was the starting point. So if you’re emotionally low, your first step may be to get in shape physically. Take care of your health, perhaps you need to change your diet, get more sleep or begin an exercise programme. Your Physical health has a profound influence on your moods. “Can’t God heal me in answer to prayer?” Yes, see James 5:14. But He expects us to use Faith – and wisdom! Let God know your frustration. After being restored through proper food and rest, Elijah travelled for forty days. Then he went into a cave and spent the night. In the morning God asked him “Why are you here? (1Kings 19:9) Elijah answered in the next verse “I have always done my best to obey you, but your people have broken their solemn promise to you, they have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets except me. And now they are even trying to kill me.” Notice Elijah poured out all his feelings, and God allowed him to let off steam. He wasn’t shocked by Elijah’s complaints. Sometimes it’s helpful to share your feelings with a trusted friend. It’s cathartic, a cleaning out, a venting of all the things that have been pushed down inside you that are contributing to emotional despondency. And Elijah had plenty of stuff pushed down inside. Notice the emotion he experienced. He was afraid see (1Kings 19:3), Then he felt resentment, followed by low self-esteem and guilt. In(19:4) he continues “I’ve had enough… I’m no better than my ancestors.” He was angry because he had worked hard for many years for nothing. He was lonely to the point of despair. He was worried. Now, When fear, resentment, low self-esteem, guilt, anger, loneliness and worry are combined, It can open the door to depression! So God let him spill it all out. He said “Elijah what’s frustrating you? What’s eating you up? And Elijah just poured it all out to God. So that’s your strategy too. When you’re feeling low you need to take it to God Our greatest healer. Now read on --- pursue a fresh awareness of God’s presence in your life. the third thing God did in dealing with Elijah’s despondency was to tell him, in (1Kings 19:11) “Go and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord. For the Lord is about to pass by.” Now as we make our way down to (vs. 13 ) we read: ”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper in the breeze, when Elijah heard it, he... went out and stood in the mouth of the cave.” That day God put on an impressive display with the wind, the earthquake and the fire.” But He wasn’t speaking to Elijah through any of these big things. What really got Elijah’s attention was the still small voice – The gentle whisper. God usually speaks to us in stillness and quietness – Not through some big dramatic demonstration of fire or power, He whispered, “Elijah, I’m still right here beside you.” So if you’re feeling really low, take your Bible and go to a serene quiet place. Sit down, read the Scriptures, and just be alone with God. Just allow Him to love and speak to you, let Him meet your needs and allow yourself to feel His presence. There is no more or better antidepressant than. communication and fellowship with your God. That’s what He means when He says to you in (Psalm 46:10) “Be still and know that I am God”. Let God give you a new direction and perspective. In (1Kings 19:15) God told Elijah to go to the desert of Damascus and anoint a new king and also a new Prophet to take his place. In other words, He gave Elijah a new assignment. Try not to spend too much time in negative self-analysis. Try to get your eyes off yourself and look for the needs of others, get involved in their lives through a ministry where you are giving out and God is giving through you. If you are constantly looking at yourself, you will get discouraged. In (Philippians 2:4) Paul says “ Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others too.” Now, you may say “I have failed badly and even disappointed myself. Surely God must be disappointed in me too.” Disappointment only happens when someone expects you to do something different from what you do. Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, but He called him anyway. Why? Because He also knew that Peter would grow and learn from the experience and go on to even greater things. God wants to give you a new purpose and direction in life. He’s not finished with you yet. Maybe you blew it Big Time. But If you let Him, God will pick you up and help you start again. One mistake – or One hundred – Doesn’t make you useless for life in God’s Kingdom. Today God wants to lift you out of that low place. He can help and change you. You don’t have to go through life being manipulated by your emotions. Your emotions can be affected by your thoughts, and with God’s help you can change how you think and what you think about. Let’s take a moment and take a look at the sort of self-talk that can increase emotional dependency and keep us stuck there. For instance, instead of saying “I made a mistake” we say “I’m a total failure.” Instead of saying “ I accidentally tripped up” we say “I’m clumsy.” Instead of saying “I ate too much.” We say “I’m a pig.” And when we label ourselves with such titles, we reinforce our problems and can even make them worse Let God change the harmful misconceptions you have of yourself, such as (1) “If somebody criticises me I’m useless.” (2) “I have to be loved and accepted by everyone in order to be fulfilled .“ or (3) I can’t admit an area of weakness, I must be perfect or else I’m a failure.” Those are the kind of misconceptions that lead to depression. Jesus knew the importance of correct thinking when He said in (John 8:32) “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.’ The Good New is you can be emotionally strong! How? By establishing a personal relationship with Christ. This may not automatically cure all your woes, but without Him in your life, you don’t have the power to change anything. When Christ comes into your life, He gives you a new power and a new perspective. You see, you need something greater to live for than just your own interests. People who live just for themselves often end up depressed. You need something bigger, that draws you out of yourself. And that something is a relationship with Jesus Christ .Through Him (And with the support of a Professional if needed) you can experience healthy mental wellness. Thank you for reading these thoughts, I do not profess to be any sort of professional in this area, but, I do know that “Without God we can do nothing” and with that thought and well over eighty five years of life experience, almost sixty years of marriage and bringing up seven reasonably well adjusted children, in mind, I don’t think I can be too far off the mark May our loving father bless us all. Phaline.