HOW GOD WANTS US TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES IN OUR LIVES! GETTING OFF THE WRONG TRACK...

 

Every single one of us; at one time or another, have  gotten off track in our lives.  We have all been in the bottom of a seemingly endless pit of despair or fear or anger...be honest; we ALL have been there.  Even our Lord was there during His time on this earth!  Have you ever been so low; so devastated, so destroyed from life that you sweat as drops of blood? Jesus did. Luke 22:44 "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

Jesus was there in the garden before Judas betrayed Him. He was in that dark place of fear and felt those feelings of abandonment.  ALL of his friends and followers abandoned Him.  They even fell asleep at His darkest time.  Really think about our Lord for a bit...HOW He must have felt; the fear, the exhaustion, the loneliness.  He went through that for US...He didn't do anything to bring on his darkest time, He suffered for us; so we could be in Heaven with Him one day.  WHAT A GIFT!


We have a promise that we are NOT alone, EVER.  Jesus was tempted in all things as we are.  Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet He did not sin."  We have a chance to follow Jesus, who, for a time WAS A MAN; so strong that He went through the trials without sinning.  WHAT A ONE TO HONOR AND FOLLOW!! He KNOWS the sorrow, the fear, the utter loneliness. 

Jesus knows more than that...He knows what it is to be nailed so hideously onto a wooden cross...He KNOWS what it is to suffer an agonizing death.  We are NOT EVER ALONE! I love the words in Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This was a time in history when the Israelites were coming into Canaan; a new land...after all the turmoil from Egypt...but, God's words are for us all; even today...How awesome is it that we have the promise that God is ALWAYS with us...we are not to be frightened or dismayed!  Imagine for a moment those feelings of safety we felt when with our parents or protectors...SAFE...THAT is what we have when we hold to God...He is ALWAYS there for us...He NEVER leaves us; it is WE who leave Him sometimes...sigh,  BUT, the path back to the safety of God's love and promises is ALWAYS there; WE can NEVER get too far away from Him that we can't come back in an instant!  Death is the only permanent separation...but, PLEASE don't let that happen! Come home to a safe place for your heart and soul...Make some positive changes and be ready to SEE what blessings God has to offer!

The first thing you need to do to make a positive change in your life is to DECIDE to. DECIDE that you are sick of the life you are living; full of frustration, despair, sorrow, loneliness, anger.  DECIDE that you want to have a better life.  God is in your corner, HE is waiting with outstretched arms to encircle you and help you find your way to a good life, a positive life!  It is not as easy as it sounds, I know.  We can so easily get "used" to the pain of a difficult life...we can get down and feel like this is the only way...CHANGE; even for the better is challenging, even scary, but we have a God in Heaven who is bigger than any scary thing here on earth.  He made you and He wants you to feel good, have a good life with Him in it!  Yes, change is hard, thinking differently can be hard; I've been there; at the bottom of the world, and I KNOW it is hard, but remember ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE with Christ Phil. 4:13 ¹³ I can do all things through Christ^[a] who strengthens me." Hear that...Christ can strengthen us!!  AWESOME!

The second thing is to PRAY.  Pray that God help you with your decision.  Pray that He give you peace during this time.  PRAY for Him to give you direction.  PRAY that He help you understand the destructive things and people in your life that are keeping you in this pit, and for the STRENGTH to step out and dare to believe in a better life!  Use Jesus' example.  What did He do when he was afraid, lonely...He PRAYED.  God will not give you a stone if you ask for bread.  Remember we talked about this in my last post! and, BELIEVE that God is there and He will not leave you alone!

 

The third thing is to realize change will not happen all at once.  It is a process.  We didn't get to the depths of despair all at once; most likely, so it will take a little while to get to that positive existence.  It doesn't have to feel bad for a long time...but, give yourself a little break...let God work those great healing gifts as you go along.  You won't be alone, NOT FOR ONE SECOND of this process!! With your understanding that change; even a positive one is a process...this leads to what the process may look like.

The fourth thing is to GET SUPPORT!  Even Jesus, when He had prayed, went out to talk to the disciples that had fallen asleep.  He told them to be alert. DO NOT get support from those destructive folks who may cheer you along in your current life.  Find those people who love God, who truly LOVE you.  Your family, maybe a preacher, a Christian friend who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but is there to lift you up when you feel afraid.  Let these people guide you.  Find ones who are wiser...listen, find someone who has been there, they won't judge.  You don't need a whole football team, just a precious few to help you along!

The steps after this are to make decisions based upon your prayers, your soul searching about what is good to help you make a positive change.  Eliminate those things in your life that continue to drag you into that negative place...you may have to consider a move to a new area...you may need a different job, a new set of friends...WHATEVER it is PLEASE pray about making these changes...You cannot make a positive change when you are surrounded by things that weigh you down.  You need to think of yourself as a recovering __________.  You are recovering from a lifetime, or a period of time of despair and negative thinking; negative processes to try to get a temporary fix.  Think of yourself as more valuable than THAT person...you belong to God.  You were loved SO VERY MUCH that Jesus died for you...Keep that in your heart!  Just make ONE positive step at a time...don't try to do it all at once...but keep that PRAYERFUL heart...pray that God help you see clearly...SEE the people that truly love you and wish for your good...those souls on this earth that you may not even realize pray for YOU, love YOU, wish for YOUR good...these are gifts from the God who is there for you, sitting next to you every second of life...Imagine Him there...Imagine Him cheering you on; not judging you...but wishing for your GOOD, and that is to be with Him one day in Heaven!

You are NOT alone...we've all been there to some extent in our lives...we felt like you once; maybe several once's in our lives...but those of us who can SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL HORIZON; those of us who have a heart for God; WE are there...Please don't give up and live your life of loneliness and sorrow.  God has something SO MUCH BETTER for those that love Him and keep His commandments...they are for our GOOD you know...it feels awesome to have God there; cheering us on, and loving us when we fail from day to day.  Let today be the day you start to make those Godly positive changes in your life.  I am praying for you all!!  I am praying for me; that I do my best every single day, and that I let that be enough. Tomorrow is another day! 

GOD BLESS!

GOD'S ANSWER FOR WHEN LIFE CLOSES IN

Life; satan; is ever present in this world; waiting to destroy the very best in you that God has created.  When the troubles in life weigh you down there is a way to find peace and joy; and it is in the very God who loves you so very much!

When you feel burdened and soul weary repeat these words of Psalm 46:10.  Be still; don't react; don't fear what is before you at any difficult moment...first of all BE STILL and KNOW that God is in His heaven and all is going to be all right for you if you live in His beautiful comfort.

I remember a particularly painful time in my life not so long ago.  My heart was absolutely broken and my soul was in pain.  I felt so very small and ineffective.  I happened to be near an ocean on that particular day.  My husband and I were spending a few minutes at the beach before we boarded a plane to return home to our Colorado mountains and I sat down with the view of the waves crashing to the shore.  The sound was repetitive and strong.  The waves were beautiful and ever coming in...wave after wave.  In that moment of despair I prayed to God to help me find peace; to help me know it was going to be OK.

At that moment my Father; who loves me more than I will ever understand; gave me the peace I was asking for.  As I watched those waves coming in over and over it struck me that He is SO great; He is SO much BIGGER than our earthly sorrows.  He made this ocean.  He set the waves in motion; waves that are always there crashing over the land and moving back out; only to come in again.  It hit me in that moment that God is always the same; Malachi 3:6a "I the Lord do not change"...He is our ever present calm in a sea of sorrow that life can bring when satan plays with our minds, our souls, and our hearts; wanting to destroy us. GOD can bring all things back to it's intended rhythm if we will only let Him! Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

 

We as Christians have a promise from our Father that we will never be alone.  Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” These are powerful words that we so often move over so quickly...never stopping to let the full effect wash over our sore hearts and souls.  Imagine if your parent said this to you...would you feel better?  How much MORE does God love us?  His love is perfect and sure and ever there just waiting for us to hold on to!

We can DO some things to bring comfort in times of trial and sorrow.  Our God did NOT leave us empty handed.  We have practical things to do.  First of all we need to sit down and be still...think about the things in life that bring pain and fear and sorrow.  Are they actions of others that bring us to our knees?  If these people in our lives are destroying the best parts of us it is OK to put those away from our hearts.  We can walk away from toxic people. The gift you can give to them is to pray for them. Don't let others take away the joy that God gave you! God built into us a survival reaction.  It's when we do not listen to the Holy Spirit; a gift from God, that we get in trouble.  We say to ourselves that we should be able to deal with this person or behavior; we should think about their souls.  True; we should be thinking about souls, but there comes a time when Jesus said to shake the dust off of our feet. Matthew 10:14 : If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet."
IF those people are bringing us closer to sin; and we have given the seed of the word(I Cor. 3:6-7); and it has had no effect that we can see, what are we told to do? Matthew 7:6 ""Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don't throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you."

 

When we are overburdened and life is too heavy and we are drowning in life's troubles we have a perfect example in Jesus!  What did He do when he needed to rest?  He went away and prayed to His Father when He was on this earth. Luke 5:15-16 "Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

 Can you imagine being bombarded like Jesus was? We have all FELT bombarded by life from time to time. The point is; when life got too much; our Lord got away and was quiet and prayed...WE HAVE THAT GIFT!  We have the avenue of prayer to the one who made us, to the one who loves us more than anyone on this earth...HE WILL NOT GIVE YOU A STONE...PRAY...take some time to get away and re-fill your soul.  GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU A STONE! Matthew 7:9-11 "⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"

One of my favorite verses is found in Philippians 4:6-9 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Think about this promise; this gift.  We aren't being chastised for being anxious.  Our Father is

reminding us that He is there; that we can pray to Him; that He will give us the peace that we do not understand! AWESOME!  And, a request...a WISE request...We are to think on those true and noble things...those things that are pure and right...THAT is the example; THAT is the THING we are to do...and the promise, the gift is peace! God is bigger than our sorrows; HE IS THERE...LET HIM BE THERE.  That is the gift; THAT is what we do when life closes in. 

GOD BLESS!