Monday 20 April 2015

Stop, never again - Part 9

I am frustrated


Isaiah 26:3 “You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” GNB

See also Confused.

I am sad / needing comfort


John 14:16-17

“16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever, 17  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.” MKJV

The Holy Spirit is the comforter. Comfort food is wrong! Paul says that for some their stomachs are their god. God wants to be our comforter, not for us to turn to food for comfort!

I read this on someone's Facebook page recently “Jesus wants you to cry on his shoulder when people turn their backs on you.”

James 5:13 “Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing.” MSG

Psalm 42:5 “Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my savior and my God.” GNB

Jeremiah 15:16 “You spoke to me, and I listened to every word. I belong to you, LORD God Almighty, and so your words filled my heart with joy and happiness.” GNB

Troubles try to get us to take our eyes off God, and fix them on the problem. The longer we look at the problem the bigger it seems.

Psalm 30:11 “You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance; you have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy.” GNB

I am afraid of the future


People fear the unknown, we cannot see the future so we do not know what is going to happen. We get insurance, and take other pre-emptive strikes against the future, but we are not in control of the future, only God is.

We need to look to Him to help us, not only right now – but in the future as well.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

“9  But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard," nor has it entered into the heart of man, "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10  But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.” MKJV

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” ESV

God has plans for your life, we must not look to the stars or to people to tell us what the future holds. Let us turn rather to God!

Am I going to have petrol in my car tomorrow? What am I going to do during the meeting at work tomorrow? How am I going to … ? Know that you do not control the future and trust God to do what only He can. God wants us to have peace and if we spend all our time worrying about tomorrow, we sow the seeds of worry and they sprout and choke out peace, joy and love.

Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.” GNB

I am facing troubles


John 16:33 “I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” GNB

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

“8  We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; 9  there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.” GNB

Romans 5:3-5

“3  We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4  endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. 5  This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.” GNB

I am too poor


2 Corinthians 9:10 “And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity.” GNB

Isaac sowed during a drought. He trusted God with all he had (his seed) and God gave him a bountiful harvest. God gave him a 100% return when Isaac trusted Him (Genesis 26). When God tells you to do something you need to listen to Him.

Elijah is sent by God to a widow (without welfare widows where basically very poor people). Elijah asks her for some bread (food) and she tells him that she has no bread. She is about to prepare a final meal for her and her son and then they will starve to death. Elijah says something alarming, he asks her to first make him something to eat. He is basically asking her to give him her last meal here.

She knows that Elijah is a man of God and in faith she does as he has asked her to do. Let us see what happened:

1 Kings 17:16 “As the LORD had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.” GNB

God performs a miracle and multiples the food! When God asks you to move, do not say, “Lord I have nothing to give”, God wants to give you a breakthrough – but you need to sow / give to activate it.

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