60. Standing On God’s Word. Jeremiah 1:12.

If you consider yourself to be one of God’s children, you will know in your heart that He is your father and, like any loving parent, will do whatever it takes to keep you close to Him and out of trouble. In fact, that is exactly what He did The only thing He could do to achieve our eternal happiness with Him, was to send His Son to pay the debt that we (mankind) had incurred and now it’s up to us to accept or reject that payment. Prior to sending His Son (Jesus), God sent dozens of prophets to tell us how, why, when and where, this Incarnation (Christ’s coming to earth) would take place. But many refused to believe those prophets; and with growing pride and arrogance, people rejected God and His Word. But even then Our loving God continued to pursue us. Yes He sent His only begotten Son who, when He was on earth gave us the answer to every situation we may encounter, He physically showed us the way to God and the eternal home He has created for us. God said In Jeremiah 1:12, “I am ready to perform my Word” And David tells us “When you are facing danger (Psalm 91:2-16) ‘This I declare about The Lord. He ALONE is my refuge, my place of safety...my God, I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings, His faithful promises are your armour and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in the darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at Midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you…IF you make The Lord your Refuge, IF you make the most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; No plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to take care of you wherever you go. They will hold you up...so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone… The Lord says I WILL rescue those who love me… I WILL protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I WILL answer; I WILL be with them in trouble. I WILL rescue and honour them. I WILL reward them with a long life and give them my Salvation”. Note the phrase at the top “This I declare about The Lord.” When you speak God’s Word over your life, You release the power contained in it. That’s the reason we need to know God’s word, and His promises, keep them in the front of your mind, so you can call on them at a moments notice, because sometimes that’s all the time one has to bring God right into a situation. So stand firmly on God’s Word today and expect Him to honour His Word by your faith in it. In Psalm 119:50 the psalmist says, “Your promise revives me, it comforts in all my troubles.” When we are in pain, sometimes God lifts us out of it, other times He carries us through it and makes us stronger by proving His love and faithfulness to us. He never ignores our prayers. He either relieves or carries us through, either way we can be sure He is doing what is best for us at that particular time. So, If you are in pain today, read these promises from God’s Word and stand on them. “Your promise revives me and comforts me through ALL my troubles (Psalm 119:50). “Let your unfailing love comfort me, just as You promised me your servant. Surround me with Your tender mercies so I may live” (Psalm 119:76-77). “Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh Save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my trouble” (Psalm 25:16-18). “The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken hearted, He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many struggles but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous, not one of them will be broken” (Psalm 34:17-20). And from Jeremiah 17:14 we read, “Heal me Lord, and I shall be healed”. Notice God’s promises revive and comfort us in our troubles. Your Bible is a prescription from the Great Physician Himself, and the label on the bottle reads: “Take as often as needed for pain”. SOME SUGGESTIONS. (1) Recent Studies confirm that today over half the population of the western world are battling weight problems from eating too much. If you are one of these, here is the good news; God can help you win this battle, often it’s not about what you are eating, it’s about what’s eating you. Often we overeat to find comfort and relief from stress and anxiety, but that’s a short-term fix, so it doesn’t work. The Psalmist went directly to the root of the problem in Psalm 119:23-24, “Search me and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you. And lead me along the path of everlasting life”. God can relieve those anxious thoughts within you. The Holy Spirit is the greatest Therapist in the world. When you surrender and ask Him to take up residence within you, you discover that one of the fruit of The Spirit is … “self control” (Galatians 5:22-23). He can give you the power to control your appetite, and start living your life by the Scriptures. Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Can I suggest, make this your prayer today, ”Oh Lord if You heal me, I will be truly healed; If You save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for You alone” (Jeremiah 17:14). Now watch your life change. (2) When you violate your marriage vows; You violate God’s Word, brake your spouse’s heart, embarrass the cause of Christ, live with the fear of exposure, and trade short term-pleasure for long-term-pain. So before you get involved, seek God’s help and stand on His Word. Give honour to marriage and remain faithful to one another. In Hebrews 13:4 Paul says, “God will surely judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery. And in Colossians 3:5, “Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires”. And in Romans 13:13-14 we read; “Don’t participate in promiscuity and immoral living, instead, clothe yourselves with the presence of The Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 tells us, “To run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does… Don’t you realise that the body is the temple of The Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body”. Your temptations are no different to what others experience. And God is faithful He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. He will always show you a way out. So if you are toying with the idea of having an affair, or you are already in one, or you are trying to get out of one: Stand on the Word of God today and believe Him for victory. When someone you love has broken your heart and betrayed your trust, you are in a vulnerable place. At this point the enemy will get you to do four things that will derail you spiritually and rob you of God’s blessings. He will get you to: (1). Isolate yourself, alienate and avoid others. (2). Lose your sense of trust, and suspect the motives of everyone you meet. (3). Cause a root of bitterness to spring up that will impact your family, friends and circle of influence. (4). Make you want to strike back and get even. Don’t do it! Instead stand on God’s Word. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Has someone done you wrong? Forgive them – and keep on forgiving them until you are free in your own mind. It’s a hard daily walk that sometimes feels like three steps forward and two steps back. But if you keep your eyes on Jesus you will get there. This will be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, but, when you get through, you will be a strong member of the body of Christ, who can be of tremendous help to others and rewarded with the biggest gift you’ve ever had; a deep relationship with Almighty God and His Son that few people achieve. (3) When death takes someone you love, Satan will try to torment you with remorseful thoughts of what you did or didn’t do for your loved one. Don’t listen to him! In Revelation 12:10, the Bible calls him “the Accuser.” Instead, rejoice that your loved one was in right standing with you and The Lord, and that you will be reunited in Heaven for all eternity. Give yourself permission to grieve and when that’s over, Stand on God’s Word. Believe it and take to heart what Jesus Himself said. This is recorded for us in John’s gospel (chapter 14:1-3), “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” And Paul writes in Philippians 1:23, “To depart and … be with Christ… is better by far.” So lean on these words of Scripture and you will find comfort. Thank you for reading how to Comprehend, Use, and Stand on God’s Word. Most of what I have written comes from my own experience, I sincerely hope it helps. I pray His Love and Blessings on us all. Phaline.

59. PAUL’S THORN AND YOURS 2 Cor 12;7.

Bible scholars disagree as to what exactly Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. Some think it may have been poor eyesight, others a speech impediment, and still others a physical challenge. Why doesn’t The Bible tell us? Well, if the problem was poor eyesight, then a number of us could say that doesn’t help us because we have 20/20 vision. If it was a speech impediment, those with the gift of comfort wouldn’t find comfort in his words. If it was a physical challenge, those with good health could think they were exempt. The reason The Bible doesn’t tell us may be this; No matter what your particular affliction or struggle may be, the same God who gave Paul victory, will give you and me victory as well. Have you got a person in your life you might describe as a ‘thorn in your flesh,’ (come on be honest)? What is the thorny situation you face day after day at work? You can have a thorny relationship with someone who needs extra grace, love and prayer, that’s why Peter writes, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of Our Lord Jesus.” (2 Peter 3;18) Each of our thorns is different, because God customises them to our need. Why? So that we will “Grow in grace, God is more interested in our character than in our comfort, so sometimes when we pray for lighter burdens, He gives us stronger backs. The songwriter said “He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater, He gives more strength when the labours increase, to added affliction He adds His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplies peace,” Although the Bible doesn’t tell us what Paul’s Thorn in the flesh was, Paul himself tells us why God permitted it “To keep me from becoming proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7), increased achievement and success can lead to increased pride and independence from God. Have you noticed that when life is going great, staying close to God is sometimes more difficult? We tend to think, God is so good to us, because we are so good to Him. This is something we must always be aware of and be careful we don’t go down the road of Presumptuous familiarity. We must always guard against this and keep God on His throne; where there is only room for one. God can use anything for our good and His Glory, In His wisdom and patience, He permits something we think is intended to hurt us, but He turns it around and uses it to help us. Here is what He does; He balances blessings with burdens. In (Psalm 68:19) the Psalmist says “Blessed be The Lord Who daily loads us with benefits” If God filled our hands only with blessings, eventually we would fall over on our faces: and if He continually loaded our backs with burdens, we would fall on our backsides. So He apportions blessings and burdens so that we can remain balanced. It’s easy to get out of balance. We get so absorbed with the joys of Heaven that we neglect our calling to be salt and light here on earth. We get so involved in the work of the Lord that we fail to spend time with the Lord of the work. We sometimes get so involved with church that we rob our families of the love and attention they need. So God brings us back in to balance by permitting the thorn in our life. Paul writes; “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, So that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Paul didn’t get the answer he was looking for until he stopped asking and started listening. Sometimes we are so busy telling God what He ought to do for us, that we can’t hear God telling us what He wants to do for us. If you have a stubborn problem in your life, maybe it’s time to stop talking and start listening. God taught Paul lessons at the best time he could hear them – during difficulties. So the bad news about tough times turned out to be the good news after all – That we learn more about God in the valley than we do on the mountaintop. C. S. Lewis describes how God uses pain to communicate with us; “God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pain.” Before God spoke, all Paul wanted was his problem to be removed. After God spoke he realised that in his problem he had found something better and greater – supernatural strength reserved for those tough times when we realise God’s presence is greater than our problems and His purpose is greater than our pain. That’s how we can see God’s almighty power and strength revealed through our very own weaknesses. Thank you for reading about Paul’s “Thorn in his flesh” and how he handled it. We all have at least one, and some more than others, Don’t try to fight it, talk to Our God and listen, and in your weaknesses He will speak to you saying “In your weakness I will be your strength, In your darkness I will be your light and in your sorrow I will be your joy. May Almighty God bless us, Jesus stand with us and The Holy Spirit guide and protect us forever. Phaline.

58. TRUSTING GOD’S TIMING. (Galatians 4:4)

This verse tells us to trust God’s timing. Often not easy to do, but, if we are patient, it always turns out perfectly “When the right time came God sent His Son.” God doesn’t consult us to make sure His plans line-up with our timetable. No! He sets the schedule; sometimes we have to run to keep up, and at other times we have to slow down to keep in step with Him. Mary planned to marry Joseph and then have a child, but God had a different plan. The child had to be without inherited sin, so He needed a perfect father; therefore, The Holy Spirit was called on to do the job. Humanly speaking, the timing couldn’t have been worse, Mary became pregnant before she was married, And Joseph wasn’t the Father. Besides being ostracised, the Law said she could have been stoned to death. How did she respond? Amazingly! Then she replied, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord, Let it be done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38.God has a set plan and He is always working towards it. The trouble is, we are only working with limited information, so we become impatient and upset when He doesn’t answer our prayers when we think He should, OR in the way we think He should. It is said that George Muller a great evangelist and founder of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol England. Once waited on the dock for a special chair to be delivered, he had a bad back and needed the chair for his ocean voyage. When departure time came and it still hadn’t arrived, his friend offered to buy him one. But Muller said, “Either God will provide, or He will give me the grace to do without.” Then just like a Hollywood ending, the chair arrived right on time! Trust God He knows what He’s doing. In Isaiah 46:11 We read “What I have said, that will I bring about.” God has a plan for our lives that requires certain things to happen at a particular time. And He sees the big picture, whereas you and I who are working with limited information, must learn to trust Him – even when we don’t see how things will come together. God can take the loss of a spouse, a child, a job or a property and make it work out for our good. The trouble is while He is doing all this, we are feeling uncomfortable and sometimes downright miserable. Seven hundred and eighty two years before the birth of Jesus, the Prophet Micah said that He would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2.) but Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth. So how did God solve the problem? The Roman emperor Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken. That meant everyone had to return to their own ancestral towns to register for the census. Now, because Joseph was a descendent of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, which was David’s ancient home. Joseph took Mary with him and they went from the village of Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem quite a distance especially for Mary who was well on in her pregnancy. And in fact the time for her delivery was imminent and she gave berth to her firstborn son (Luke 2:3-7) Are you worried about your future? “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling along His path and in due season He will honour you with every blessing”(Psalm 37:34) Isn’t it interesting how, as we get older we become more patient, even though we have less time left!!! Why is that I wonder? Perhaps it’s our perspective! Our problems haven”t changed that much but our perspective has. Things that once upset us don’t any more, because we’ve lived long enough to know ‘His grace is sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). Once you realise that it’s no big deal – and most things aren’t – you can say “Been there, done that!” instead of fretting and complaining, which doesn’t work anyway and steals our joy, We’ve learned to sing and believe, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” We have learned to understand that God’s timing is the only way that works. Are you still a bit anxious and concerned about what the future holds for you? Don’t be, relax, the God who arranged for His Son to be born in to the right family, at the right time, in the right place is looking out for you today. Let Him see that you trust Him. Nothing is impossible for God, He has the answer to our every situation. Have you ever thought, if God told us all His plans for us,what would we do? We would give Him what we think was a better, faster and easier way to do it!! But, He sees the whole picture, we don’t. Like another Joseph in the book of Genesis, I’m sure, you can look back to times in your life when you thought you’d never come through a particular situation, or the current mess you happened to be in, in fact, you thought you’d never survive, and be able to say, “You meant it for evil against me: but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50;20) Yes perspective produces patience: “We can rejoice… When we run into problems and trials, for we know they are good for us they teach us to be patient and patience develops strength of character… and helps us to trust God more each time we use it, until finally our Hope and Faith are strong and steady and we are able to hold our own no matter what happens, we will know all is well because we have learned to accept and understand God’s love for us, “Because He has given us The Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love” (Romans 5:3-5) We are always on God’s mind He never stops thinking of us even for a second. He loves us too much to let anything separate us from Him and His love for us. What a glorious place to be, always on God’s mind! When I first really understood about God’s Timing, my life, my attitude and my perspective changed from almost fatalistic to joyous expectation, I hope you too have that great experience. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this subject, I pray God’s Grace, Peace and blessings on us all. Phaline.

57. THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Psalm 23.

Having lived on a “Hobby Farm” in a farming area for over thirty years, I have come to the conclusion that sheep are the dumbest creatures under Heaven. They haven’t a clue about anything, even their senses don’t seem to work the way they ought to. That’s why farmers have sheep-dogs to lead, push, prod and hustle them along. Yet these silly animals which have the cutest loveable little lambs supply us with meat, wool and in some cases with milk and cheese. Though easily led and given to occasionally wandering down the wrong track they are reasonably compliant most of the time, but one has to be prepared for the odd rebel that will brake all the rules and cause untold damage. . In Old Testament times farmers didn’t have sheep-dogs, they cared for their much smaller flocks themselves, often giving the job to one of their children (David was one such boy) or, if they could afford it they would employ a shepherd. Now, there were “Good shepherds and bad shepherds. The good ones would take it in shifts to stay awake all night and keep the wild animals away from the flock, while the bad ones were just there for the money and often slept on the job. So now you know why Jesus called Himself the “Good Shepherd.” He is always awake, The Old Testament tells us God doesn’t sleep. But in saying that, Jesus was referring to us as sheep. Now if you go back and read the first paragraph again, You will see why!!! Don’t let this worry you, Just follow me with Psalm 23 and see how much the Lord loves you, paying attention to the personal pronouns which I have put in capital letters to show how personal a relationship Jesus wants to have with us. ...Psalm 23. 1.” The Lord is MY Shepherd I shall not want;” Understand exactly what this means,-- Because The Lord is your Shepherd, All your needs will be met and taken care of. 2. “He makes ME lie down in green pastures He leads ME beside quiet waters” The Good shepherd will take His sheep to the most tranquil of places, Why? 3 reasons, a. To refresh our Souls. b. So that we will learn to recognise the sound of His voice and know it can be trusted and c. to guide us along the right path.. “In pastures green He Leads ME” Not just anywhere and for no reason, but in healthy safe places, where we can be fed with the Word of God and drink the living waters of eternal life. because it’s His name that is at stake. The idea of “The quiet waters by” is peaceful tranquillity where man can be still and commune in peace with his God.. 3. “MY Soul He doth restore again” to show us the depth of His love as He gives to each one of us a time of personal Reflection, Repentance and Restoration for our mind Soul and Body. “And ME to walk doth make” and He will enable you once again, to walk in His righteousness with confidence. Surrounded by His redemptive everlasting Love 4. “E’en though I walk through deaths dark vale, yet will I fear no ills,” We all have times of heartache, pain, illness and sorrow. But, we must learn to trust our God in these times, because He knows what is best for us, even though sometimes it will hurt, we need to remember, gain only comes after pain, (read Job). For,;--“Your rod and your staff will comfort ME” Even though I can’t always see or understand what you are doing, I am guided by Your rod and your staff (Your Word) I will trust you. 5. “You prepare a table before ME in the presence of MY enemies” The Lord will show the world what we have done to make His name known, He will put on show our faith, our loyalty and our unashamed profession of who we are in Jesus Christ. He will anoint us with the oil of His Salvation and have us marked and sealed as His alone. 1. 6. Surely Your Goodness and mercy will follow ME all the days of MY life” When we live daily with honest open lives before God, we can live with the expectation of His Goodness and Mercy each day. “And in God’s house forever more MY dwelling place shall be.” And that expectation will translate with us into Eternity when we leave this world. What more can we ask. Thank you for reading my take on Psalm 23. I believe it is very much a psalm for the living rather than the dead. I hope you experience the enjoyment of living it. God Bless us all. Phaline. -------------------------------

56. DISCOVERING GOD’S WILL Romans 12:2

“That you may prove that what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God.” For a redeemed child of God nothing in life should be more important than discovering and doing His Will. But you have four options:-- 1. You can chose to remain ignorant of it, but chances are this isn’t you, or you wouldn’t be reading this right now. So clearly you have a desire to know God’s will for your life. And He will help you to find it. See (Isaiah 30;21.) “Whether you turn to the right or the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying ‘This is the way; walk in it’ 2. You can know it and choose to disobey it. Jonah knew God’s Will, but he ran from it in to the biggest storm of his life. What was his problem? He didn’t like the assignment God gave him. Is your problem that you know God’s Will but you just don’t like it? 3. You can know it but settle for less. The truth is you can sing in the choir or go to prayer meetings, and even know some Scripture, yet deep in your heart you know you are settling for less than God’s Will. 4. There’s no doubt that there are times when God’s Will seems too difficult, too prolonged and too unrewarding, and your own ideas seem easier, quicker and more enjoyable. But in the end you will find that His plan is better than yours. And there’s never an exception to this rule. So you may as well decide from now on to yield to God’s Will, do things His way and keep believing Him for His best! The story is told of a man who lived on a beautiful farm, when he died the property which had been in the family for over 200 years was sold to a neighbour. One day when the new owner was working in a field he noticed an odd-looking rock sticking out of the dirt. He took it home washed it and took it to a jewellery store the jeweller confirmed what the owner already suspected; the old stone which had been in the ground for hundreds of years was an emerald; and proved to be worth several million dollars. That gemstone had been sticking out of the ground for a long time waiting to be discovered, while thousands of people walked passed it When we discover something, we actually find something that already exists, even though we were unaware of it. Here’s the point, while many of us are seeking God’s Will for our lives, often what we are looking for is right under our noses, but we keep searching because we don’t recognise it. To recognise a precious stone, you need to be familiar with its’ characteristics and know what to look for. Likewise to recognise God’s Will, you must live by this scripture;--(Romans 12:2) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that Good and acceptable, perfect, will of God” Now!That calls for quality time while reading your Bible, and talking with and listening to the author. Don’t be afraid to do God’s will when He reveals it to you, because in Psalm 34-7 we read “The angel of the Lord encamps around all who fear Him, and delivers them. Just as a President or Prime Minister are surrounded by security guards, you, as a redeemed child of God are surrounded by angels. You are not always able to see the security guards of the President or Prime Minister, but as soon as someone makes a threatening move against them, trained guards instantly form a shield around them. Dr James McConnell founder of the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle was preaching one night during the Northern Ireland conflict, when a paramilitary leader came in to a church to kill Him. Why? Because the man’s wife had become a Christian and her life had so radically changed that he hardly recognised her. The man only took a few steps up the aisle when he stopped in his tracks, then turned and ran out of the church. What happened? The man who later became a Christian, testified that he’d seen two big angels standing on either side of Pastor McConnell. When Paul’s ship encountered a storm and all on board thought they were going to perish, Paul announced,”There stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying ‘do not be afraid’...take heart..for I believe God, that it will be just as it was told me.” (Acts 27:23-25. If you are serious about discovering God’s Wil for your life, doing it and believing God for His best for you, may I suggest you say with the psalmist.”I delight to do Your Will, Oh my God...Your law is within my heart>”(Psalm 40:8) and you will have a divine security guard watching over you. Thank you for reading about “Discovering God’s Will for our Lives” He is the only one we can truly trust to show the way to follow Him. Blessings Phaline. ----------------------------------

55. OVERCOMING STRESS, God’s Way. John 8.25.

Jesus was constantly under pressure, there were gruelling demands on His time. He rarely had personal privacy and He was constantly interrupted. People repeatedly misunderstood, criticised and ridiculed Him. He was under enormous stress, yet He remained at peace under pressure. How did He do it? He based His life on eight sound principles of “Stress Management.” So I am going to see what we can learn from them. 1. Knowing who you are: “Who are you?” The Pharisees demanded and Jesus replied “The one I have always claimed to be.”(John.8.25) If you don’t know who you are, you will subconsciously let other people pressure you into believing you are somebody you are not. A lot of stress comes from us hiding behind masks, living double lives, being unreal with others and trying to be someone we are not. Insecurity always produces pressure; when we are insecure we feel coerced into performing and conforming. We set ourselves unrealistic standards and even though we work hard, we are unable to meet them. So what should you do? you must know who you are and WHOSE you are! A Redeemed Child of God, put on this earth not by accident but for a purpose. You are deeply loved and fully accepted by God. He has a plan for your life, Therefore you are significant. To overcome stress you must know who you are and until you deal decisively with this issue you’ll be plagued by it. 2. Who are you trying to please?… Think seriously about this. Jesus didn’t try to please anybody, so isn’t it foolish for you or me to try to do something even God doesn’t do? It was a settled issue with Jesus; I’m going to please God. full stop! And God replied, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3.17.)When we lose sight of who we are trying to please we’ll always cave in to these three (Cs,) Criticism, Competition, and Conflict. Criticism, because you are overly concerned about what others think of you. Competition, because you are afraid somebody will get ahead of you and Conflict, because you are threatened by anyone who disagrees with you. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things (overcoming the stress of criticism, competition and conflict) shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6.33) By focussing on God’s will our lives are simplified and we can be sure we are always doing the right thing and pleasing God regardless of anybody else’s opinion. We love to blame stress on other people, or our obligations; with words like...You made me do..I just have to...I’ve got to do.. Actually there are few things in our lives apart from our jobs that we must do. So what we’re really saying is “I choose to do this or that, because I don’t want to handle the consequences.” Rarely does anybody make us do anything, so we can’t blame other people for our stress. When we feel pressured, we are choosing to let others put us there. The fact is we are not victims unless we allow ourselves to be pressured by outside demands. 3. know what you want to accomplish:-- In John 8:14 Jesus said, “I know where I came from and where I am going.” Can you say that too? Unless you plan your life and establish priorities, you will be pressured by other people to do what they think is important. Every day we live by priorities OR we live by pressure. There is no other option. Either you decide what is important in life or other people decide that for you. It’s easy to operate under the tyranny of the urgent, to come to the end of your day and wonder, “Have I accomplished anything at all today? I’ve used up a lot of energy and did a lot of things, but did I achieve anything important?” Business is not necessarily productivity. You may be spinning in circles but not actually achieving anything of real value. Preparation causes us to be at ease. Or to put it another way, preparation prevents pressure, whereas procrastination produces pressure. Good organisation and preparation reduce stress, because you know who you are,who you are trying to please, and what you want to accomplish. Having clearly defined goals simplifies our lives. So spend a few minutes at the start of each day talking with God in prayer. Then look at your schedule for the day and decide; “Is this really how I want to spend a day of my life? Am I willing to spend the next twenty-four hours on these activities?” The right answer to those two questions will lower your stress level by helping you to prioritise. 4. Jesus was determined, persistent and focused. Focus on one thing at a time. (Luke 4:43:-- Are you being pulled in different directions? People were constantly trying to do this to Jesus and distract Him from His goal. The Bible says in the above verse, “When He was about to leave, the people tried to keep Him with them. But His Father had sent Him on a particular mission,, so in essence He responded, “No I must keep moving towards my goal.” Jesus wasn’t going to be distracted by less important matters. In fact He was a master at this, everyone tried to interrupt Him, yes, everyone had a plan B for Jesus but He remained determined on the mission His Father had given Him. Saying “I must keep moving towards my goal.” So when you have a dozen different things to do, pick the most important one and stick with it until it’s complete, then pick the next most important one and follow through until you have completed the list. When we defuse our efforts we’re ineffective, but when we concentrate our efforts we’re more successful, defused light produces a hazy glow, but light that’s concentrated produces fire. Jesus didn’t let interruptions prevent Him from concentrating on His Goal. He didn’t let others make Him tense, irritated or stressed, and He is our example. 5. Don’t try to do it all yourself;--Mark 3:14 says “He appointed twelve… that He might send them out. One of the reasons we get stressed-out is because we think that everything depends on us. Not Jesus. He enlisted, trained and empowered twelve others so they could share the load. He delegated and got other people involved. So why don’t we do that? Two reasons. A. Perfectionism. We think if I want this job well done, I’d better do it myself. That’s a nice idea, but often it doesn’t work well because there are just too many things to be done. We simply don’t haver the time or talent to do everything ourselves. It’s really an egotistical attitude that says, “Nobody, but nobody can do it the way I can.” Do you think Jesus could have done a better job than the disciples? Of course! but even knowing that, He still let them do the work. Why? Because we need to let other people make mistakes in order for them to learn, the same way the disciples learned, don’t rob others of an education. B.. insecurity. “What if I turn this responsibility over to someone and they do a better job than me. That could be a threat to many of us. But if you know who you are, who you’re trying to please what you want to accomplish and focus on that, there wont be a threat. In order to be effective, you must get other people involved, because we can’t focus on more than one thing at a time and do it well. 6. Make prayer your daily habit;--- In Mark 1:35. we read:-Jesus woke early in the morning and prayed. He began His day with prayer, and as busy as He was, He kept in contact with His Father throughout each day. Now if Jesus felt the need to do that, how much more should we do it. Prayer is the greatest stress reliever, some people call it “Taking Five” So instead of going out for a “smoke or Drink”, Take five with Jesus and see the difference. Time alone with God can be a decompression chamber for stresses. We can talk to God, tell Him what is on our minds and allow Him to show us something in His Word. Then, Praise and Thank Him and go back to your schedule and re-evaluate your priorities. Many of our stresses come from our inability to sit still, we just don’t know how to be quiet. In Psalm 46:10 God says “Be still and know that I am God” One of the reasons we don’t know God better or more personally is because we can’t be still. We are too busy to be quiet and just think. Someone once said “It seems to be an ironic habit of man that when he looses his way he doubles his speed. There was a pilot flying over the Pacific during World War11 who lost his bearings, after radioing in, the controller asked for his location, he replied “I don’t know, but I’m making record time.!!”A lot of us are like that, speeding through life without knowing where we are headed. After starting our day with prayer, we need to stop a few times during it, to recharge our batteries. 7. Take time out to enjoy life:--- (Mark 6;31.) Jesus did this. Because so many people were coming and going, they didn’t even get a chance to eat. He said ”Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,”Jesus not only took time for relaxation and recreation, He told those who had been working hard to take a deserved break. So they got into a boat, rowed to the other side of the lake and went out into the desert. Jesus was able to handle stress, because He knew when to relax. Rest and relaxation in life are not optional or unspiritual, in fact they are so unimportant, that God included them in the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath was made for man, because God knows our physical, emotional and constitutional demands need to be met by regular periodic brakes. Jesus survived life because He enjoyed life. See (Matthew 11-19.) “paraphrased” “The Son of Man came enjoying life” and Paul tells us in (1.Timothy 6.17) That God has provided richly everything for our enjoyment. Balance is the key to stress management. 8. To-day if you feel burned out check two things;-- 1. Are you drawing daily on God’s Grace, or are you depending on yourself? 2. Do you regularly set aside time for rest and recreation? The word recreation means restore, refresh or create anew. If you burn out, what use will you be to God’s Kingdom, Your family or yourself. If the load you are carrying is too heavy for you, it didn’t come from God. Either you have taken it on, or others have given it to you. “If you are tired of carrying heavy burdens I will give you rest. Take my yoke, put it on your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble, then you will find rest. For my yoke is easy and light”. The final stress management principal Jesus taught us is;--Give your stress to Him. You’ll never enjoy complete peace of mind until you develop a relationship with the Prince of Peace. Note, Jesus didn’t say come to me and I’ll give you more guilt, more burdens, more stress and more worries, No Jesus says “Come to me and I will give you rest” I’m the stress reliever! “When you get in harmony with me,I’ll give you inner strength.” Only Jesus can reform your lifestyle from stressful to satisfied. The greatest source of stress comes from trying to live our lives apart from the God who made us, trying to go our own way and be our own god.. What do you need? If you’ve never committed your life to Christ, you need a transformation. Give Him your life and all its’ stresses and say Lord please give me a New Life. Replace the pressure I feel with the peace you offer and help me to follow your principles of Stress Management. Thank you for taking the time to read about “Handling Stress God’s Way”, I believe it’s the only way that really works. May Our God richly bless us all. Phaline. Reference;-Bibles N.I.V. & N.J.K.V. Inspiration:- Archival copies of “The Word For Today” by Bob & Debby Gass, Calvary Bridge New Jersey U.S.A.

54: Getting God’s opinion. 1 Samuel 16 V6-7

Jesse didn’t think his son David was qualified to be Israel’s next King. After all he was only a shepherd-boy. He wasn’t even lined up with his brothers when the Prophet Samuel arrived, armed with the oil to anoint the new King of Israel. However, Jesse proceeded to present his sons for the prophet who was now going to consult with God about which one of these boys He would choose. But when he saw Elab, (Jesse’s eldest son,) the Bible says Samuel was impressed, and thought “Surely the t Lord’s anointed stands here” Yes, this was surely the one God had chosen, He was Tall, handsome and strong and a general in Israel’s army to boot. But The Lord said to Samuel,”Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks on the outward appearance, but The Lord looks at the heart.” (1Samuel16:6-7). So after going through all of Jesse’s sons, and not getting God’s approval, Samuel inquired as to whether Jesse had any more sons, he was told about David the shepherd-boy who was out tending the sheep. Samuel asked for the boy to be brought in to him and God told Samuel “This is the one, anoint him.” I’d like to say a word here about trusting God’s word, God had sent Samuel to Jesse’s house so he knew this was the place he would find the one God had chosen to be King. But when he didn’t find him, he (like us)) could have turned round and gone home thinking he’d made a mistake, but No! He believed God and made further inquiries and God had David brought in, If we are sure God has said something we need to follow it up. I have seen and heard many a word from God at gatherings and prayer meetings go unheeded and often wondered what would have happened had the leadership been more attentive to the confirmed word of prophecy. Sadly we’ll never know!. We all have dreams and aspirations of our own and try as you may, you will never fulfil a dram that is not your own. Stop and think about your personal history. Who or what has influenced your personal plans, goals and desires. Is it possible that your dreams are the result of who your parents or others think you are? or Who you wish you were? Or are they the result of who you really are and what God meant you to be?. You will live the life for which God created you, Only, after you have figured this out. When a dream is right for you and you are right for the dream, the two cannot be separated. T. S. Eliot said, “Whatever you think, be sure it’s what YOU think; Whatever you want; be sure it’s what YOU want” The young child has no clear picture of himself, he sees himself only in the mirror of his parents’ evaluation of himself. A child who is repeatedly told he is a bad boy, or stupid, lazy, shy or clumsy will tend to act out the picture the parents or some other authority figure has painted for him. When it comes to your life’s calling, only one opinion counts – God’s! In order to fulfil his destiny, David had to overcome his family’s opinion of him, which wasn’t anywhere near what God had planned for him. His father had him lined up to be a shepherd, whereas God intended him to be the King of Israel and forefather of the Messiah. Success as God defines it is not a secret; he repeatedly says in His Word that He wants us to be successful in life. But as we all differ in our looks and personalities, so does God’s plan for each of us differ from one to another. Success is simply discovering God’s will for your life and doing it. In order to find that level of clarity, You need to dig in to God”s Word and find what He thinks about success. In (Deuteronomy 29:9) we read “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do’ So we understand God-ordained success comes with a caveat (Carefully follow the terms of this covenant) and it’s non-negotiable – God will bless you with success IF you follow the terms--- If you want things to work out right in your life, you need to discover your God-ordained purpose and give your life fully to it. In (Romans 8;28) we read ‘All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes” The focal point of our lives should be discovering and doing God’s will. What you believe about that, will determine the direction you take and what you accomplish. Now, there’s a big difference between purpose and talent. You are called according to God’s purpose, not according to your talent. When you are talented but not called, you can be comfortable anywhere. That’s because talent like justice is blind, it sees all opportunities the same. But when you are aware of your God-given purpose, and it governs your life, there are things you simply wont do because you know they will derail, dilute or defeat God’s purpose for you. Being called according to His purposes’ enables you to focus on the development of your talent only as it relates to God’s Will for you So instead of asking God to bless what you are doing, ask Him to reveal His purpose for your life. Once you discover and fulfil that, you will be blessed, Now Let’s read it again,’And we know that God causes everything to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes for them. So have you discovered God’s purpose for your life yet? If not, get into His presence and stay there until He reveals it to you. It’s the only way you will ever be fulfilled. It’s not too late to become what God wants you to be, and do what He wants you to do. If you've been living somebody else’s dream, ask God for a dream of your own and He will give it to you Thank you for reading about God’s purpose for your life, and getting His opinion, it will always be the right one and you will have no regrets. I personally, learned a great deal when applying these principals, I hope and pray you do too. God bless Phaline.