Deferred Hope Takes A Bit of Work ...

... or should I say hope takes a bit of work with the emphasis on the work being that of prayer, faith and lots of patience!

Sometimes life throws a bit of a challenge, and that's what happened over the past weeks with the Internet.  I haven't been able to make any posts, and I'm making this quick one on someone else's laptop.  It's sort of fun actually, even though I'm hitting the wrong keys.

Everything should be up and running so I'll be able to post again.  Yeah!

With my work getting backlogged there was a scripture that came to my remembrance.  

"Hope deferred makes a heart sick (really discouraged), 

but when it comes it is a tree of life (a celebration of merriment).  Proverbs 13:12

Unfortunately, even though I know that, I wasn't practicing it faithfully.  I literally opened my little box of hope that has scripture cards in it based on keeping your hope in check.  After reading through several of them my peace began to emerge.  Whew!

Having to deal with many challenges that we sometimes have no control over, let us remind one another of the hope we have in the Lord.  Our hope of things turning out OK may be deferred for a short time, but rejoice ... there will be celebrating if we wait on God for the results.

"Rejoice in our confident hope.  Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Romans 12:12 (NLT)

Thanks for your kindness and faithful support.  May God's favor rest upon you!

Living Intimidation Free

Throughout my teaching years I have had the opportunity to use a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.  Perhaps you are familiar with it?

“No one can intimidate you (make you feel inferior)

 without your consent.”

It’s not unusual for some to find it easy to pick on people who are less fortunate than they are. 

Growing up I wasn't a stranger to intimidation and feelings of inferiority. Those who have physical or mental disabilities and even those of us who are religious don’t escape cruel works of the enemy. You don’t even have to fall into one of these categories in order to become a target of condemnation or intimidation; you just have to be different than the accuser.

There are some people who want to feel superior, and use condemnation to belittle others, making them feel condemned or inferior.  Condemnation is a tool used to make us feel intimidated causing self-doubt and worthlessness to creep into our thinking.  It is an instrument intentionally used to lift up one person while putting another individual down emotionally.

I can’t remember a time when I haven’t let intimidation become an active part of my life.  It is a continual weapon of the devil that I have to battle.  The difference with how I reacted to intimidation in the past and how I act on it today are worlds apart.

If you are a born again Christian, you no longer have to give into the feeling of intimidation.  Condemnation should have no say over you anymore, because you now belong to God.  Forgiven, loved and valued is what God says about you as His child.  In Him, old things are passed away, behold (it means to look and see) all things are become new. (see 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Giving into intimidation is to say that the devil and his cohorts are greater than God, and to give it place in our lives is really sinning.

This is what God says about it in Romans 8:1:

 

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Condemnation is not of God, but of the devil (see 1 Timothy 3:6) and you don't have to fall prey to it any longer.  Realize that if someone is using intimidation on you they have their own issues. They refuse to deal with the reasons why they feel the need to condemn or intimidate, and are only using you as a sounding board or target.  Recognize it's the devil working through them because he saw you as a weak vessel in the past. 

Remember God uses the weak to accomplish great things.  Let Him work His power in you by not giving in to those tactics any longer. God's grace is enough to help you gain authority over any situation.

 

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when

I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

 

You are loved and worth everything to God. Would Jesus die for someone who wasn't worth anything?  No, so stop consenting to intimidation and inferiority.  It isn't effective if you don't give it any place.  God has made you strong in His power to live a life free from intimidation and condemnation. Believe God's words over anyone else's and watch how intimidation no longer has an effect on your life.  Sing praises to the living God, because He loves us greatly.

 

 

Image credit: Google Creative Commons License

Scripture reference taken from the King James Version provided by Bible Gateway.

Content Copyright Favored1. Do not copy.

This Good Day

Every morning I wake up with the reality that today, on this good day, it is a gift from God. 

Right now I am here because God wanted me here on this day, in this time and at this place. It's the same for you too. We woke up today because God had plans for us. If we take time to think about that, it's pretty amazing and a bit overwhelming.

Before I even get out of bed I begin singing a song by Fernando Ortega entitled, "This Good Day."  The words to the chorus excite me knowing that the world is going about its business because God made it that way, without any help from man.

Things grow, the world turns, the sun rises than sets, the stars appear, the moon shines, the rain falls and the wind blows all because God said so. He has already gone before us and set everything in motion.  Wow! No wonder the psalmist proclaimed:

 "This is the day that the LORD has made. 

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

Take a few minutes and listen to this beautiful song.  You'll soon be singing God's praises on this good day, and every one that follows. 

Thank you Lord for This Good Day!

Image credit and content copyright by Favored1.  Do not copy.
Scripture reference taken from the New King James Version provided by BibleGateway.com