Seeking Jesus: 06/22/12

Friday, June 22, 2012

June 23, 2012 ~ Having a Bad Day?

The road of the faithful turns away from sin. He who watches his way keeps his life.

Proverbs 16:17

Thoughts~

The other day someone asked me if I ever had a bad day and I burst out laughing! Of course I have and will again. I will admit that I tend to look at life through happy rose colored glasses and see the drinking glass as completely full: with water and air to sustain me.

But bad days do come and I detest them with a passion. However, I’ve learned never to make a major decision on a day when life has unloaded a truck full of eggs in my driveway. I’ve also learned that most of the time the next day brings fresh new insights and my happier outlook is restored.

I choose to simply live the life that I know God wants me to live and put one foot in front of the other, making sure I turn away from sin. A bad day can cause sins of the tongue and mind to escalate. Because His word is tucked into my heart, I know what He expects of me and what He does not expect of me. I watch myself carefully on a bad day; when you have a bunch of eggs rotting on the front porch, that’s a time you must beware of stepping in them and making a bigger mess.

But what is the cause of the egg launch? It’s usually something that takes a person by surprise when a bad day pops into our life. I’m not referring to clinical depression; just one of those rotten days that you can’t wait to put behind you. Christians are not exempt from these bad days but we can handle them wisely when we remember to pray and ask God to watch over our steps.

I took a little poll and here are a few of the things that caused bad days to materialize. Some are serious, others funny.

*Bad news

*Overdue bills

*Out of coffee

*Marriage problems

*Children

*Dog had an accident that your foot found

*Theft

*IRS audit

*Dropped a brand new jar of mustard

*Toxic people

*Health issues

*Car accident

*Kids pranked us and turned off water while I was showering

*Horrible drivers

*Congested traffic

*Bathroom scale

Action~

I’m sure you can add to the list above and some of yours may make you grin. Most aren’t probably funny at all so when you’re having a bad day, just remember it will be over soon.

You’ll soon be laughing when you go to Google image search. Type in “bad day.” Some are a little wacky but I made a mental note to return if I find myself in need of a mental pick me up. (I am not endorsing these sites, just the ability to laugh at some other bad days that might make yours seem a little better than you thought.

***The primary action for a bad day is this: Do not neglect talking to the Lord about it. I don’t keep track of bad days in a notebook like I do so many other things, but I am very aware when I sense the gloominess being lifted, perhaps by my prayer or the prayers of a faithful friend.

Pray~

Lord, You see this really bad day I’m having. Help me to look at You and not the circumstances of my life. Lift my spirit Lord. Draw me close to You.

Trusting in Him,

Becky

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June 22, 2012 ~ Trust God's Plans

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Thoughts~

Oh, Lord, I thought, not again! Not another situation like the one I experienced three years ago. Why again? Why*Why*Why do I need to go through this again? It’s just going to add stress to my life, I tell the Lord.

Trust in Me, I hear in my heart. Trust no matter what because I have a plan for you. Do not give up or give in. Lean on Me. My plan is going to bring you to the place I want you.

And so, once more, I turn it all over to my God who loves me with all of His heart. My God, who wants me to have hope and a future. Who does not want to harm me, but strengthen me for His glory. I already understand that prosperity does not necessarily mean finances; it can mean He will prosper me in relationships, ministry and in other ways. And so I shall wait again on Him.

Do you think that while any of the great Biblical heroes, apostles, or even more modern day scholars or teachers, were going through tough times they knew the outcome that they would one day share with all of us? Not at all. That is what faithfulness is all about. For example, Job had no idea how God’s plans for him would restore his life two fold when he was sitting in the dark with dozens of losses, unfaithful friends and sores all over his body. And yet, in God’s faithfulness, He brought Job blessings beyond belief as part of His plan.

To get a grasp on what Job endured, read the account in the Message version . . . it’s easy reading like a novel. This is a link to the first chapter and you can go on from there.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job&version=MSG

To this day, we all look at Job as a man of faith no matter what was going on in his life. It’s not that Job did not question God: he did. But throughout his season of darkness, he continued to believe that God was God and his faith remained intact. Oh how I admire Job!

It is not for us to understand the trials and sorrows that come our way right this minute. Our life journal has pages that are filled with our personal history. The rest of the pages are completely blank, to be written in later. Once they are filled in, we will look back and say something like “WOW, did God ever use that situation in my life to draw me closer to Him. He sure had a perfect plan for me.” When we are going through a dark time, it’s wise to simply trust God more than we fear the circumstance. He will reward you for your faithfulness.

We are exactly where God wants us today or He would be moving us in another direction through the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is important to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6). God’s plans for you are so much better than any you would create in your dreams because they will bring sweet spiritual fulfillment. Joy will flood your heart when you wait on God to move you from one situation to the next because His plans are perfect plans. The best plans. Plans worth waiting for.

Action~

An exercise in learning to trust God is to get a little notebook and on the left hand page, list your dilemma. Only one dilemma per page. On the right hand side, write "God's plan for the situation" but leave it blank until the situation changes. Write about it, how God answered prayer, moved you from point A to B or Z, and anything that is important in the process.

By re-reading your pages when you are in a dark time, you will see the enemy of God is lying to you when you start to think that God has forgotten you this time. He will never ever EVER forget you. You are the apple of His eye.