Post #88 - Receiving God's Comfort

I know you've been through a lot. We all have to endure some tough times. But God wants us to know that He is there - ready to love and comfort us. 

But God doesn't do all the comforting alone. He uses us for that. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says that "God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."

So, when you need to be comforted, go to God and allow Him to comfort you. He will not only give you what you need to be healed and strengthened, but He will give you what is needed to help others be healed and strengthened as well. 

God will give you a testimony to share: words of wisdom to enlighten, words of affirmation to encourage, and words of love to heal the heart and bring peace and understanding. 

When we go through our hard times, we have to remember that they are not only for us. They are also for the people we are connected to and come into contact with. Our experiences can help someone safely out of theirs. Our mistakes can help someone else to avoid them.

I know it's hard to go through and endure the tests and trials we face. But there is no testimony without the test. And there is no growth, healing, revelation, or breakthrough without the testimony. 

And when we are healed, when we are comforted, we can give the gift of healing and comfort to someone else. 

Post #87 - Gaining Understanding

I came to a realization today... about understanding. 

The bible says to lean not on our own understanding, but to seek God and His understanding and He will direct us (Proverbs 3:6). 

As I was reading today, a very complex scholarly novel about literature, I began to get a little worked up over my lack of understanding of the topic. Scholarly and literary works tend to use big, intellectual words that only the people who have extensively studied the topic can understand. 

I found myself getting frustrated as a new doctoral student, over the fact that I am expected, at this stage, to critically examine and write about information that I know nothing about!

Then God reminded me of Proverbs 3:6. It is not my own understanding that I should depend on. I had a hard time understanding it because I didn't pray and give the assignment and my understanding of it to God before I began.

Some might say that I'm going too far, that it doesn't take all that...

But putting God first in everything means to put Him first.... in EVERYTHING. Even something as trivial as a doctoral assignment. 

I realized that I was depending on my own ability to understand the information I was reading. I, with my limited mind, was trying to understand a topic, or language, that I had never heard before. How can I expect myself to understand something I don't know? 

But God is all-knowing. 

And when we ask God for understanding, no matter the topic or situation, He will give it to us. He will give us the direction we need to gain the understanding we need. 

So, I stopped reading, I "woo-saa'd", and I went to God in prayer. I asked Him for understanding of the information and the ability to retain it. To gain knowledge of something I did not know before. And I asked for the ability to critically analyze the information and present it to my professor with the intellect that I know I possess. 

I just have to trust God for understanding, believe in myself, and tap into my God-given genius.

This is true for all of us. We must all do this. 

We all have the capacity to do beyond what we think we can do. To understand beyond what we think we can understand. 

We just have to depend on God's understanding and not our own. 

Post #86(b) - Is He/She The One?

People will sometimes come into our lives to distract or test us. 

Are we praying to God? Are we listening? Are we focused on God and His desires for us? 

Too often than not, we don't pray to God about our potential mates. We fall for the first thing that smiles at us and are disappointed when the relationship doesn't work out. We could save ourselves a whole lot of heartache if we would just pray first.

The bible says that when a man finds a wife, he finds a good thing and obtains favor from God (Proverbs 18:22). 

So, women, are you wife material when he finds you? Do you possess the qualities of a godly wife? Are you considering his relationship with God - if he even has one? Or are you only considering his chest and his arms? 

Men, are you choosing a woman because of her godly mind and qualities? Or only because of the qualities you can see with the eye? Are you consulting God about her? Are you asking whether or not she should be in your life?

Is she your good thing? 

One of the reasons so many relationships fail is because we enter them for the wrong reasons - with the wrong intentions. We are attracted to physical qualities or personality traits that draw our attention. But, soon, the very thing that seems to make us fall in love with the person is the thing that aggravates us the most. That wasn't love. But, likely, lust disguising itself as love.

This is why we must be sure before entering a relationship that the person is right for us. That the person is not a waste of our time. This is why we must go to God.

When we allow the wrong person into our lives, God works to show us that he or she should not be there. He raises a standard, not allowing us to accept anything less than what He's got for us. He gives us signs. He shows us where the person is not right for us and how we are unequally yoked. 

But we tend to ignore the signs. We allow our emotions to cloud our judgment. And we stay with the person longer than we are supposed to. 

Sometimes, it's not God's intention for us to enter into a relationship with the person. They were only supposed to be in our lives for a season. But we make marriage plans and vow to be with them forever.

This is where we go wrong. This is why our relationships fail.

It is important that before we allow ourselves into relationships and before we let them go too far, we pray about them - consult God and patiently listen for His response.

God will always guide us in the right direction and He will never leave us stranded in a dark place.

Post #86(a) - God's Business

I have been reading and listening to the bible, the New Testament, a lot more than usual lately. Once I finish, I start over again and each time I seem to catch something new that I didn't catch before. During one of the readings, I began to notice how Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the early apostles handled opposition. 

I noticed that they didn't attempt to fight over meaningless, petty topics. They only "fought" about God's business. 

The one time in the bible when we see Jesus get unusually angry is when He runs the merchants out of the temple. He overturned the merchants' tables and shouted, "it is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it into a den of thieves!"

Even in this instance, when we see Jesus at His angriest, He is not mad about the petty complaints brought to Him or His enemies opposing Him. He is not fighting over someone leaving Him or having a different opinion than Him or things not going His way. We only see Jesus fighting over God's business. 

We see this in the early apostles as well. These were men who started out the same way we did, not understanding their authority and power in the Lord. But when they came to that understanding, they left the petty arguments for someone else to fight. They focused on God and God's business. 

That's the way we should be. Our focus should be in only one direction. But, we allow foolishness to distract us and make us act other than godly. We neglect to practice patience or show compassion. If someone offends us or exerts power over us, we fly right into a rage and try to prove that we are badder than they are.

Why don't we fight for God's business like that? 

Why don't we get mad when the devil opposes us? Why don't we fly into a rage when he tries to exert power over us? Why don't we use our godly anger to put the devil in his place? To show him that we are badder than he is?

We should take a lesson from Jesus and the early apostles and believers who put pettiness in its place. They only fought against the devil, only for the kingdom of God. They understood the importance of praying and fasting and rebuking the enemy. 

They understood the power in not allowing difficult situations make us forget who we are in the Lord. When they were knocked down, they got back up... They were attacked and beaten and stoned, and they still kept their focus on God and went about completing His work. 

They didn't fight for recognition or titles. They didn't fight to be in charge or get the spotlight. They only fought for God's business. 

We, like they, should only be fighting for God's business, too. 

Post #85 - What To Do With The Pain | Experience: Life

Many of us, when we are faced with painful situations, fall apart. We dwell in the pain and let it stop us from moving forward. Many fall into a deep depression and become unable to cope with life. We tend to allow the pain to hold us hostage and take over us.

But, the best way to deal with pain is to use it to our advantage. 

Let the pain propel you forward!

Let the pain help you make up your mind to go for that dream you've been putting off.

Use it to fuel your courage to take a chance at doing something you've been wanting to do or go somewhere you've been wanting to go.

What do you have to lose? You're already feeling pain and sadness. What can anything or anyone else do to hurt you? 

You don't have to let your feelings control you. You don't have to handle your pain the way people expect you to. 

You can take control of your pain! You can turn the tables on it and use it the way it wants to use you!

You are in control. And the time is NOW. 

Don't wait until the pain has passed and you've allowed bitterness and resentment to take its place. 

Go after your dreams NOW!

Take up that hobby NOW! 

Improve yourself NOW! 

Recognize your worth NOW! 

There's no reason to accept the pain, wallow in it, and let it take over your life. 

Get mad at the pain and use it!

Use it as your launching pad!

You deserve everything that God has for you! 

And all of His blessings are waiting for you in your triumph... on the other side of that pain.

GO GET THEM!! 

Post #84 - Just Do It

I know the commands of God can be difficult. I know the dreams He gives you are big and you don't think you can do them. I know you're scared that you can't handle it on your own.

But, you're not meant to. 

What God has purposed you to do, He will provide for you to do. Most of the tools you need, you have already been equipped with. Your ability to draw, speak, sing, dance... whatever it is, God has equipped you with it to accomplish His purpose for your life. 

And I know the purpose seems so much bigger than you. I know you are afraid of it and you believe you're going to get lost in it. I know you're afraid of failing. Afraid to disappoint God. I know you're afraid of the opposition. 

But, God has you covered there, too. God will hide you in the shelter of His arms and lift you up on a rock (Psalm 27:5). He will keep you covered and lifted higher than your haters can reach.

So, whatever it is that God is calling you to do, just do it. 

Trust God when He says that He will work it out for you. Trust Him when He tells you that He will protect you in your obedience and make the burden of your purpose light for you. Trust Him when He says that He loves you and He will never leave nor forsake you. 

You may not be able to do it by your own might, but anything, everything, is possible with God.

So, just do it!

Is it writing a book or preaching the word? Just do it.

Is it singing His praises or worshipping Him in dance? Just do it.

Whatever God is telling you to do, do it. Worship Him with your obedience. And He WILL bless every good thing you do.

Post #83 - That Ain’t Love

You think you love him, but what do you really know about him? All you really know is that he looks good and he has a great body.

And his penis feels good when he’s screwing you.

But, do you know his likes and dislikes? Does he know yours? Do you know his favorite color or what type of music he likes? Do you know his favorite foods or what makes him tick?

How can you say you love him when you don’t know anything about him?

That ain’t love, honey! That’s lust!

You probably don’t even care about those little details. Those things don’t interest you. The only thing you care about is when you’re going to get to see him again.

Just for a little while… for a little fun… a little lay.

It makes you feel less than valuable when it’s over. He hurries to get dressed and runs out of the door once he’s satisfied. But you convince yourself that he loves you when he kisses you goodbye.

Stop fooling yourself!

It ain’t love. It’s lust.

Let it go, sweetheart.

First, love yourself. Then you’ll be able to attract the RIGHT man to love you. And you’ll be better off!