Posts Tagged ‘Discouragement’

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Refuge When The Storm Comes

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

I love the sunshine! Who doesn’t? But, the reality is sometimes it rains…on all of us; But unlike the weather, we seldom receive a forecast for the the rain and storms of life. We can basking in the sunshine of life and wham, next thing we know we are in the middle of a raging storm complete with torrential rain, strong winds, booming thunder, and frieghtening bolts of lightening. We can go from feeling happy and safe to being lost, confused, sad, hurt, angry, or bitter. The storms of life can really knock us off course, and in some cases make us fear that we will never be able to find our way back home.

When this happens, how do we weather the storm? How do we maintain our bearings? How do we make it back home safely? I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I hope this video will provide you with a better understanding of the storms in your life and offer you encouragement that, even in the worst of storms, there is a way to get back home safely.

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Hammer and The Chisel

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

“A sculptor does not use a ‘manicure set’ to reduce the crude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty. The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful. To do His supreme work of grace within you, God will take from your heart everything you love most. Everything you trust in will go from you. Piles of ashes will lie where your most precious treasures used to be!” (A.W.Tozer)

I love this Tozer quote which is used in the opening monologue of the movie the Heart Of Texas”. Today’s thought is not about this movie, but I would highly reccomend seeing it; to see a promo, click hear.

Now, back to the message for this post…

How do you respond when your husband or wife, friends or family trample your emotions? When your child rebels? When you lose a big deal or important client? When your boss fires you unexpectedly? In this very difficult economy, you may have lost thousands in savings or in the value of your 401K or other investments? When disappointments like these smash into your life, you may want to scream, “How could God allow this to happen?”

But, what if God didn’t just “let it happen?” What if the things you treasure the most and hold on to the tightest are damaged or destroyed? What if what you call disappointments are really God’s appointments? What if like a skilled sculptor, He is using your disappointments like the sculptor’s hammer and chisel to chop and carve away the undesirable elements in your life, leaving you pure and radiant…His beautiful masterpiece?

Life’s disappointments can destroy you, or you can become stronger because of them. The dangerous spiral of disappointments can lead to discouragement, disillusionment, depression or even despair. But you can learn to break that cycle and embrace the disappointment and trails with a faith that recognizes that they are the hammer and chisel God uses to make you a reflection of Him. We can follow the selfish course of our natural reactions and be subtly trapped in a downward spiral that swiftly leads into depression and discouragement. Or, we can take those trials and count them all joy, knowing that our faith and endurance will be strengthened. Our disappointments are the stone that God will use to sculpt us as a sculptor would his rough stone. If we respond by taking the steps of trust, obedience and relying on His grace , we will discover that we are being sculpted into His masterpiece that reflects the radiance of His image and character. Knowing this, today as you face those trials or are in the pit of despair, what will be your decision? To continue on that road of despair, or make the turn and trust Him and His grace?

I offer these scriptures to encourage you:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”(James 1:2-4)

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”              (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”(Romans 8:28-29)

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Why Are You Fearful?

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

“Now when [Jesus] got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
Matthew 8:23-26

Are you experiencing a storm or storms in your life? Are you weary from battling the storm? Are you fearful the storm will destroy you, your family, or your career? Do you wish there was someone…anyone that could calm your storm?

In this incredible biblical story the disciples literally feared for their lives when “suddenly a great tempest arose” and threatened their boat. That word, “tempest,” literally means, “a shaking, a commotion, or an earthquake.” And notice it hit “suddenly.” The disciples were caught off-guard, and reacted with swift panic, crying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But what was a surprise to the disciples was no surprise to Jesus. Not only did He know the storm would hit before they ever stepped foot in the boat, but He also had the power to calm it.

You see, God uses storms in our lives to shake us. We like to be in control, but storms remind us that we are not in contro and challenges us to, no matter what happens, trust Him in the storm? He wants to stretch our faith, to get us outside our comfort zone, and to demonstrate His power in our lives. Sometimes we can see the storm coming, and sometimes we can’t. But we must always remember that Jesus is in control, not us. Storms do not surprise or intimidate Him. God’s love is a perfecting not a pampering love as many teach today.

Today, Jesus has the power to calm every storm in your life. In those moments when you feel overwhelmed by the waves crashing around you, and the winds blowing against you, trust Him to bring a great calm in and around you. The only way out of a trial is living through a trial.

As I’ve been thinking about trials we all face, it has occurred to me that God says it is not possible for any man to be at complete rest until he is aware that all things are happening according to a divine plan. It’s like looking at a tapestry from the thread side instead of looking at the picture. Looking at the picture makes sense, not the threads. It is like that with all of the tangled patterns of life for the one who has been called according to the divine plan. When we know this fact we can be at peace with the world around us because we are at peace within our own souls; and we are at peace within our own souls because we are at peace with our Heavenly Father. Then and only then can we count it joy and begin to learn the secret of contentment. When our world is falling apart, He keeps us grounded. He is the anchor that keeps us from drifting.

If you are not going through a storm today, guess what, one is coming. And if you are in the middle of a storm the question is the same for both situations: Do you trust Him…in the storm and with your life?

To learn more about trusting Jesus, I reccomend reading God’s word, the Bible first, but the following resource could also help you. Enjoy!

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Hope

Monday, January 25th, 2010

We all face day after day of busy schedules, challenges and the pressures of life at work and at home.  Let’s face it, sometimes ”doing life” can can take the joy out of living.  Well I am hereto tell you that there is promise in a Hope that is pure and simple. We all need to be encouraged and inspired from time to time; I hope this short presentaion will offer you encouragement and inspiration today, and that you will come to know the Hope that is pure and simple!

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The Truth Will Set You Free!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

It is supposed to be a Happy New Year, but many of you are not really Happy or upbeat about the coming year at all…are you?  What are you feeling? Disappointment? Discouragement? Depression?  Disillusionment? Loneliness? Fear? Anger?  Pain? Uncertainty?  Frustration?

The world is full of problems and pressures that can cause us to feel any or all of these ways.  For example, I was just released from my position at work after 12 years.  The leadership of the organization made a decision to go in a different direction and the new plan did not include my position.  We all know what the economy is like right now, so many would say that I have a reason and maybe even a right to have all those feelings.  But, I do not.  I am actually very excited and looking forward to the journey that lies ahead of me.   I have an incredible sense of freedom and hope as I look forward to what God has to teach me during this time and what he has planned for the next season of my life.  I know and believe God is my provider and that he will never leave me nor forasake me.  Don’t misunderstand me; I know this will not be easy, and will likely even be difficult at times, but I plan to abide closely in God and trust him to guide and direct me to my next assignment for him. This faith in God provides me peace, hope and freedom, and these feelings trump the others! Why do I know and believe this; because God tells me so…

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” John 8:31-32

Here are some Truths That Set Us Free:

1. God is good (Ps. 119:68; 136:1).

2. God loves me and wants me to have His best (Rom. 8:32, 38-39).

3. I am complete and accepted in Christ (Eph. 1:6).

4. God is enough (Ps. 23:1).

5. God can be trusted (Isa. 28:16).

6. God doesn’t make any mistakes (Isa. 46:10)!

• Everything that comes into my life has been “filtered through His fingers of love.”

7. God’s grace is sufficient for me (2 Cor. 12:9).

8. The blood of Christ is sufficient to cover all my sin (1 John 1:7).

9. The cross of Christ is sufficient to conquer my sinful flesh (Rom. 6:6-7).

• I don’t have to sin (Rom. 6:14).

10. My past does not have to plague me (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

• My past failures can become stepping stones to greater victory and fruitfulness.
• If I will let Him, God will cause everything that has happened to me to work together for my good and for His glory.

11. God’s Word is sufficient to lead me, teach me, and heal me (Ps. 19:7; 107:20; 119:105).

12. Through the power of His Holy Spirit, God will enable me to do anything that He commands me to do (1 Thess. 5:24).

• There is no one that I cannot forgive (Mark 11:25).
• There is no one that I cannot love (Matt. 5:44).
• I can give thanks in all things (1 Thess. 5:18).
• I can be content (Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:11).

13. I am responsible before God, for my behavior, responses, and choices (Ez. 18:19-22).

14. I will reap whatever I sow (Gal. 6:7-8).

15. The pathway to true joy is to relinquish control (Luke 1:38; 1 Peter 5:7; Matt.16:25):

• of my life
• of my husband
• of my children
• of my circumstances

16. The greatest freedom I can experience is found through submission to God-ordained authority (Eph. 5:23).

• The husband is the head of the wife (Eph. 5:23).
• The wife is to reverence and submit to her husband (Eph. 5:22, 33).
• “The heart of the king is in the Lord’s hand . . .” (Prov. 21:1).

17. In the will of God, there is no higher, holier calling than to be a wife and mother (Titus 2:4-5).

18. Personal holiness is more important than temporal happiness. (Eph. 5:26-27).

• Happiness is not a right.

19. God is more concerned about changing me and glorifying Himself, than about solving my problems (Rom. 8:29).

20. It is impossible to be godly, without suffering.

• Suffering is a tool in the hand of God to conform me to the image of Jesus (1 Peter 5:10).

21. My suffering will not last forever (2 Cor. 4:17-18; Ps. 30:5).

22. “It’s not about me; it’s all about Him!” (Col. 1:16-18).

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Betrayls

Friday, December 18th, 2009

The following wonderful and challenging message is from Os Hillman.

If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.
Psalm 55:12-13

“You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance,” said the man sitting across the breakfast table. “God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people’s lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships.” Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.

I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is “graduate-level Christianity.” The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph’s own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.

If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan’s most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.

A suggested resource to go along with this exhortation is “Real Love In The Workplace” by Greg Baer M.D.

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Slaying The Giants

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Giants. When you hear that word, what do you think of? Yes I know, if your a sports fan, you think of the football or baseball Giants. But, outside of that reference, we typically think of scary, exceptionally large beast that we are powerless to fight or overcome.

Giants have been around since the beginning of time. Giants are even mentioned in the very first book of the Bible. Genesis 6:4 says “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward…” The word, Nephilim is a picture of someone who is of great size and physical height, and who is exceptionally strong, fierce, and warlike. The word also carries the meaning of “fallen one”. Some propose that they were called fallen ones because men’s hearts would fail at the sight of them. Some suggest that it was because when they fell, the ground shook, causing others to fall too.

Are giants around today? You bet they are. Maybe not physically, as described above, but giants do still exist and attack us as we endeavor and dream to be successful and happy in life and at work.

Who are the giants of today who bully us and wage war against us; preventing us from becoming all that God has created us and called us to be. They are the same giants who kept God’s people, the Israelites, out of the promised land; the land of milk and honey. The same giants who through intimidation caused the people of God to give up, to decide that water and bread would be enough for them, and to ultimately settle for less than God’s best for their lives.

Do you recognize any of these Giants?

  1. Fear
  2. Discouragement
  3. Loneliness
  4. Worry
  5. Guilt
  6. Temptation
  7. Anger
  8. Resentment
  9. Doubts
  10. Procrastination
  11. Failure
  12. Jealousy 

    13.  

People, hear me when I tell you that God does not want you to settle for less than his best. Read what God told Israel and what what he is telling you!

Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall—Anakites (who were part of the Nephilim)! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you. (Deuteronomy 9:1-3)

Which giant is keeping you from experiencing all that God desires for you; keeping you from being happy in life and at work? Well guess what, it does not matter because God is bigger and more mighty than them all! He wants to go ahead of you to help you gain victory over your giant(s) and send you into a wonderful new land.

Read the passage from Deuteronomy again; stand tall and with God by your side face the giants in your life. Please do not be afraid. God promises all of us that he will never leave or forsake us, that he will never give us more than we can endure, and that his power will be with us. With God on your side, you have what it takes! Don’t believe me. Grab your Bible and read about Joshua, Moses, Abraham, Daniel, Isaiah, David, and the apostles.

In addition, I highly recommend “Slaying The Giants In Your Life” by David Jeremiah.

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That’s Not Fair

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

Ever find yourself suffering or hurting and feel like you’ve done nothing to deserve it? I know I have had, and I remember being angry and thinking or even saying “that’s not fair!” and asking “why me?”

I can be fairly hard headed, so it took me a long time to figure out that life isn’t always fair, infact there are many times when it can be very unfair and downright hard. But, what I have learned is that rather than asking “why?” I shoud be asking “what?” and “how?”.

  • What is God trying to teach me as I go through this trial?
  • How is God trying to grow me as I face this tough situation?

    You might say that I needed a “check up from the neck up”. My attitude was all wrong, and my poor attitude was preventing me from discovering my own greatness and stealing my joy.

    I think this short 3 minute video will encourage you to push through the tough times, go the extra mile when faced with adversity, find greater pupose and joy, and continue to be happy in life and at work.

    The Second Mile Movie

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    Serve and Give To Be Happy In Life And At Work

    Friday, November 20th, 2009

    Are you unhappy? Are you stuck in a rut? Are you discouraged? Is joy missing from your life?
    If so, you need to find an opportunity to serve and give of yourself. It is impossible to give without receiving. Don’t beleive me, try it. Not sure where or how to start; here are some ideas. I must warn you though serving and giving is addictive and it will make make your face sore from smiling and your heart swell with happiness and joy. Oh, and one more thing…include your spouse and your kids. It will change their live too!

    Every Monday Matters

    And, as an added bonus for you, enjoy this 90’s feel good song from the New Radicals – You Get What You Give. Don’t forget “you’ve got the music in you”!

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    Sadness, Sorrow, Pain, Mourning, Discourgement, Depression

    Monday, November 16th, 2009

    There is a season in everyone’s life of walking through the valley. It is lonely, dark, discouraging, and exhausting. Have you been there? Are you there now? Do you know someone who is there right now? Even though it is in our nature, as human beings, to want to fix things, sometimes all that is needed or desired is our presence. If you are in your mourning booth, I hope you have someone who understands that you might just need their presence and nothing more. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone and let them know that you need them by your side. If you know someone who is in their mourning booth, realize that although they might understand and apprecitate your advice, encouragement, and humor, it is possible that all they really desire and need is your presence…to know someone cares enough to stay by their side as they walk through the valley.

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