When life is going well for us, and everything seems to be going our way, we can sometimes forget we have only got where we are because of God. We shouldn’t just rely on God and thank Him for loving and supporting us during the difficult times, but instead, remember God is part of our whole life, both the good and the bad times.
God’s not going to do everything for us, but we can’t do anything without Him.
Thomas A. Edison once said…
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up
I’m sure we can all think of times when we’ve struggled with something, and have considered giving up because it’s either seemed impossible to achieve, or too difficult or time-consuming to achieve. But did you give up?
It’s often when we feel we can’t go on any more and we consider giving-up, that by just persevering for a little longer, we succeed!
Life can be a bit like that…when life is tough and we feel we can’t go on, if we just persevere for a little longer life take a turn for the better. Why is that? Well for those of us who are Christians, I believe it’s because God only let’s us endure as much as He knows we can cope with, and therefore when we’re struggling, He ensures that just before we can’t take any more, our struggles decrease.
So whether your almost within reach of your goals and success, or are your lowest and struggling to see a future, trust God to be with you and help you through your struggles.
The last few days I’ve spoken about how we let our emotions rule our lives sometimes and also about how it’s through living through tough situations that we grow as people and as Christians.
I’m sure you’ll all agree with me, when I say that we’re all guilty of continually thinking about negative or difficult events that have happened in our life, especially when the outcome or impact of those events was not a positive one or one we hoped for.
The longer you think about the wrong things, the harder it will be to get rid of them. – Joyce Meyer
We really do need to take control of our lives by giving all those things to God, and leaving them there, along with our emotions and our hurts. Only then will we be able to learn from those experiences, and move on without letting those things have a negative impact on us.
What do you do when life overwhelms you?
Do any of the following reflect what you do?
I don’t know about you, but I know in the past when life has overwhelmed me, the last thing I considered doing was praying!
I know that says more about my faith than about anything else. However having said that, I can confirm that these days when life starts to overwhelm me again, I do turn to God in prayer.
I believe that during those darkest and most overwhelming times in our life, that’s when God is closest to us. After all God won’t put anything in our life He doesn’t think we can cope with, with His help.
So if life is overwhelming you, I’d urge you to turn to God. He alone can give you the strength and encouragement to get through those difficult days.
Romans 5:3-4 (The Message)
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.
It can be hard to be positive or happy when you feel things aren’t going your way. However it’s by getting through difficult times in our life that we grow stronger…stronger physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s also by facing difficult times that our faith can grow stronger.
I can personally testify that by coping with difficult circumstances that our faith in God can grow stronger. Mind you, when I was going through some difficult times a few years ago, for a long while I would have laughed at you if you’d said my experience would enhance my relationship with God! Why? Because for a long time I felt God had deserted me and didn’t care about me. But unsurprisingly, God hadn’t deserted me, it was simply me who wasn’t relying on God for all I needed during that time.
Looking back now, I know that if God hadn’t kept believing in me, despite my doubts in Him, I may not still be around today…
If I ever feel impatience waiting for God to answer my prayers, I just need to remind myself of those very dark days when I thought God had deserted me and remind myself that God did answer my prayers at that time, and He will again now…maybe not today or tomorrow, but He will answer my prayers.
In summary…be patience, and be passionate about being patient because God will answer our prayers.
Ever thought that God doesn’t really know what He’s doing?
I have! Yes, when I’ve found life a real struggle (and that includes these last few days), I wondered Is God really there? and Is He really listening to me? because sometimes it has seemed liked days, even weeks since God has been there for me.
As the words of this song remind us, maybe when we haven’t been expecting it, God has actually been talking to us:
What if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
Maybe we all just need to listen to God a bit closer!
1 Peter 4:12-13 (The Message)
Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.
I know it can be very difficult sometime to remember that God is still there with you, because sometimes He can seem strangely quiet and seems not to be answering your prayers. However God is there, and He will answer your prayers.
The difficulties of life help us to grow in our worldly experiences. Without difficulties we could never have any understanding of life and in turn of God’s greatness.
You Are Love by Laura Story
You are justice for every oppression
You’re forgiveness for every confession
You are beauty, goodness, blessing
You are love
You are healing for every sickness
You are power in every weakness
You are mighty, holy, faithful,
You are love
O God of the Heavens
You descended from your throne
Gave Your Son for our ransom
And by this all men will know that You are love.
We were thirsty, you gave us water
We were orphans, now you are our Father
We were desperate, hungry, seeking
You are love
[Bridge:]
Everlasting, Never ending
All consuming, You are love
One week today it will be Christmas Day, when for many of us we will spend the day celebrating Christmas with our family.
Although Christmas can be a time of happiness and togetherness for everyone, that can’t be further from reality for many.
Today I’d therefore like you to take a few minutes out of your preparations for Christmas, and spend a few moments thinking about those who will find this Christmas difficult. e.g.:
If you are finding/will find this Christmas difficult, I pray you will some happiness this Christmas.
If you know of anyone who is struggling/will struggle this Christmas, please pray for them that they will find peace and happiness this Christmas.
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God is with us everyday, wherever we are and whatever we are doing. Trust Him for all you need and He will not let you down.
Some people don’t like roses because they find the thorns a nuisance because they are sharp and get in the way when you try to handle them. To me these folk are just not looking past the jagged/rough edges, so are failing to see and appreciate the beauty of a rose in full bloom. Roses can be compared in many ways to people:
With roses it’s usually quite easy to see past the thorns quite easily. However with people it can often be very difficult to see the beauty in some, as on the surface they appear to have nothing but flaws/faults/rough edges. However everyone has good or beauty within them, we just may need to dig deeper into some than others to find that good/beautiful part of them, but it is there! The following fits in with my thoughts perfectly. I hope you enjoy it.
Of Roses and Thorns by Haley L Carson
A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom and also the thorns. And he thought, “How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?” Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was ready to bloom, it died.
So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.
Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others.
This is the characteristic of love, to look at a person, and knowing their faults, recognize the nobility in their soul, and help them realize they can overcome the faults. If we show them the rose, they will conquer the thorns. Then will they blossom, blooming forth thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold as it is given to them.
Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for each other; only then can we bloom in our own garden.
