God is Faithful--Even if the Answer is No

This is a tough lesson to swallow.  And I've had to be reminded of it more times then I care to count.  Yesterday as I was driving to a friend's house the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I don't see things correctly.  I have a skewed, earthly, be easy and comfortable, view of life.  I don't like when things are hard and I don't like when things don't work the way I think they should.  And....when life falls that way, I see it as God being unfair, uncaring or not understanding my needs.  I see things wrongly!  Isaiah 55:8-9 My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.  “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." holds true whether I get my way or not.  Whether God's answer is yes, no, or wait.  

So I had to repent of the unbelief and mistrust that causes me to doubt God's answers and plans.  The unbelief that comes from me seeing the world, my needs, my life and the things and people around me through my small, temporal lens instead of God's wide range, eternal distance way of seeing.  The Holy Spirit is such a sweet, gentle teacher.  He's patient with us slow learners and repeat offenders.  And all this was preparation for the big no I was about to receive. 

I brought home two kittens to foster because they weren't eating.  They were not thriving because their Mom had decided to stop nursing.  Well, there was a "no" to the first part of that request.  But she did get a wonderful home!  

Did I want this answer?  No.  And since I had that correction from the Holy Spirit yesterday I was able to cry a little but still be at peace knowing God's perfect will was done.  And this is not just for this tiny life that ended on earth early this morning, but it's for everything--big and small, from the momentous, life shaking challenges, to the daily nuisances and trip ups that make up life on earth.   He is faithful.  And that is the lens we need to look through.  Psalm 116:5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!

Mighty, awesome, amazing, glorious.  These are all You our Lord.  But You are also kind.  You are also loving.  Also all knowing, all wise and tenderhearted.  Help us to see through those adjectives Your plans and answers in our lives.  Forgive us when we doubt, and strengthen our faith to be at peace and rest in Your loving care.  We bless Your Name.  You are faithful.  Your are good.  In our loving Savior's Name.  Amen.  We praise You!

Remember God is faithful even when He goes in the opposite direction of our thoughts and plans.  

Praising God is a weapon against the devil.  The more we praise, worship and show gratitude the stronger we become to stand against the enemy.  In Ephesians 6:12 we are told "12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." Another weapon given us is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  (Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Ephesians 6:17)  

As I was reading about our weapon of praise in "The Power of the Praying Woman" by Stormie Omartian it got me to thinking about our enemy, Satan.  We defeat him through praise, worship, gratitude, the Scripture and our obedience.  But can we also do the opposite?  And if we can, then it is something we need to be very, very careful about. 

And you know what?  I think we can do the opposite.  We can empower him in our lives through complaining.  We can give him a foothold through judging, fault-finding, impatience and anger. In a way, we can defeat God's purpose in our lives by engaging in these things   Our words are so powerful.  Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.  So, I'm thinking, in a way, complainging is praising Satan.  YUCK!  I do not want to be doing that!

Such a simple little concept but with a very big impact.  I would much rather be praising God than Satan anyday.  And yet I am a little to free with the complaints in my life.  That needs to change!

Lord, think You for this little tidbit and new way of looking at things.  I love when You do what You do!  You make us see things in a new light.  And it's wonderful because we learn so much.  Change us to always be praising You and never giving any glory to the enemy.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Start thinking about who you are praising.  

Looking Right

I was convicted recently about the way I look at others.  Sometimes it's as if I am looking for things to be unforgiving about.  I don't believe this is intentional on my part, but it's almost as if since I expect someone to do something wrong, I naturally gravitate towards looking for it.  My mind then can say, "See, I knew they'd do...."  What is wrong with us humans!!!  

Since I've heard this conviction in my heart, I've been more aware of my thought behavior.  And I know that I need to confess this as sin and turn to reject this negative judgy attitude.  The rest of the world does not need my scrunity.  

I'd kind of like to know why we do this.  Perhaps we need to see others in a more negative way so we ourselves are built up.  It's a self-esteem problem.  I'm sure there are as many reasons for this way of thinking as there are people who engage in it.  

Anyway, so now that I know this behavior exists it's time to change it.  And the way we do that is through seeking God's help.  Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.  God will give us help if we ask.  The Holy Spirit is within us and His power is available to us who believe.  Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   The Holy Spirit is there to help us overcome this weakness of mind.  Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.  When these judgemental thoughts come we need to reject them outright.  2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.  When we allow them to ruminate in our minds, we need to quickly repent of them.  1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  The Bible tells us what our thought life should be like.  Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Romans 8:5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

Every time a thought comes into our head we have a choice whether to let it stay there, rolling around and around until it becomes our reality, or we can reject it, turning the channel to godly thoughts and ponderings, and thus seeing others as God sees them, through the lens of love.  We can ask the Holy Spirit to remind us of the good things about a person and practice that mind action.  We can ask the Lord to help fill us with His love for them.  And we can pray for the person we are having negative thoughts about.  Scripture and prayer are powerful weapons against wrong thinking and judgemental attitudes.  

Satan wants nothing more than to divide God's people, be it in marriages, friendships, or the church.  When we are divided, he wins.  Let's not give him that victory. Let's let our thoughts follow kindness.    1 Corinthians 13:4-7   4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  Walking in love starts in the mind.  

Lord, forgive us for having unforgiving thoughts.  When they come to us, help us reject them and turn our minds towards Your way of seeing others.  This is such an ingrained habit for some of us.  And I, for one, confess it right now as sin and seek Your forgiveness.  We come boldly before Your throne to receive the help we need to order our thoughts correctly and lovingly.  Oh Lord, thank You that You don't think on me the way I sometimes think on others.  Humble our minds to lift others up.  Help us to look at what others do right, for the ways that they bless and care for us.  Let us see them as You do. Thank You for teaching us the way to think, the way that not only brings peace with others, but also within ourselves.  You are so wise, so gracious in all You do.  And we are so blessed to be Your children.  It's in Jesus Name we pray.  Amen.

Use Scripture to combat negative thoughts towards us and pray for them instead of judging.