He Has You Were You Are For a Reason

"And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you." -1 Corinthians 7:17 (MSG)

James 1:2-4 tells us that when we experience difficulties, tempations, and rough times, to react in a way that is contrary to what we naturally would like to do. He writes:“Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete” James 1:2-4

Sometimes we want to rush things in our lives or we become anxious or impatient and feel as if things aren't moving fast enough, or that we aren't where we should be. Let me tell you something, God has you EXACTLY where He wants you to be. If you are feeling discouraged because your life is not how you would like it, take heart knowing that God has you where you are for a reason. Maybe you're in a job you don't like or you feel overqualified for, maybe you can't stand your coworkers or bosses. Maybe you feel like you're in a relationship rut, or stuck in a circumstance that has just seemed to be dragging out for too long. Instead of complaining about how these circumstances could be better, I urge you to start asking what it is that God wants you to learn from this circumstance. You can tell him, "God, I don't know why you have me here, and even though it is uncomfortable, help me to learn what it is that you want me to learn from this situation. Open my eyes to see the work you want me to do here." Ask Him to help you see what you need to learn, and if there is someone He wants you to minister to. Maybe He has you at your job so that you can be an encouragement to someone in desperate need of it. Whatever situation you are in, there is a reason and a purpose. Start asking God for the reason of why He has you where He has you and what you can learn from it, and I guarantee you will begin to see doors open, results happen, and changes for the better begin to occur in your life.

"He has made everything in it's perfect timing." Ecclesiastes 3:11

God Knows Best

“Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” -1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 11:24

I had a revelation this morning when I was cooking myself some breakfast. As usual, my fluffy little Maltese toy poodle was eagerly watching me hoping for a piece of food to drop to the floor. I looked at her beady little eyes and said, “No Belle, you can’t have any. It will make you sick!” As I sat down to eat, Belle followed me, eyes fixed on my food as she groaned, begged, barked, and made puppy eyes at me. “No Belle,” I said. I looked at her round little fluffy face and said, “Belle, do you know how much I love you?  I can’t give this to you because it’s not good for you.” Just then it hit me. There have been countless times where I have groaned, begged, and even cried to God over something I desperately wanted, and which I would get frustrated when I didn’t get.

My puppy could never fully comprehend how much I love her. She knows she is loved because she is fed, groomed, and well taken care of. But her little puppy brain could never grasp the full extent of just how much we care about her. I realized at that moment, that it is the same with us and God. We could never fully grasp the extent of His love for us—it is just too great for our human minds to comprehend. And when He does not grant us certain requests, He does it for our own good. He’s not doing it to be mean! He has a reason for it—and a good one too!

When we think we really want or need something, just like my puppy really wanted my food, we may fail to realize that if God withholds something from us, that it is after our best interest. Just as I would not give my precious little pup any food that would make her sick, sometimes the Lord withholds certain things from us because He doesn’t want us becoming spiritually, emotionally, or mentally sick. He wants the very best for us—and often times the things we ask for, although we may think are the best, are not really the very best.  I want to encourage you by letting you know that if there is something that you have been praying for, begging for, asking for, pleading for, and have not yet seen an answer to—consider this: That God wants the absolute best for you, and that maybe what you are asking for is not the very best of what He has in store for you. I challenge you to start asking God to show you what He wants for your life, and to help you let go of anything that may not be the very best for your life. I pray that He grants you the patience to hold out for His very best, and to also gain the wisdom to discern the best from the not-so-good things of what He has in store for your life. One of my favorite things to say is, “Never settle for less because you’re too afraid to hold out for God’s best.” Keep patiently waiting, and God will bless you with His very best!

Remind yourself of Isaiah 55:9, where God tells us that “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways HIGHER (better, more wonderful) than YOUR ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

His thoughts and plans toward us far surpass anything we could have thought up or planned on our own. Remember that His thoughts and plans for us are so much greater than we can even imagine! Trust in Him, because He wants the very best for you! J

TNT Quote of the Day

"When you feel like parts of your life are falling apart, it’s because you are in the demolition stage of the re-construction process of your life. God is preparing to build something much better in your life than what was there before.” –Dr. Bruce Bell

“I am making all things new.” -Jesus (Revelation 21:5)

 

 

From TNT: TeeNage Transformation --Explosive Ideas That Will Blow Your Mind and Change Your Life Forever!!

Be Patient

"Even miracles take time." -From Cinderella

Many times in life when we expect things to go a certain way--according to our planned timing--and when they don't, we become disappointed. Sometimes we fail to realize that certain things take time, and if we have the expecation of things working out at an unrealistically fast pace, it can lead to disappointment if we don't have the right attitude of patience. One of the greatest virtues when it comes to dealing with situations that seem to be dragging out too long, is patience. Patience is crucial because there are inevitable times in life when plans get delayed or hopes become temporarily deffered.

There may be areas of your life right now where you are waiting--waiting to get called back from a job, waiting for God to provide you with an answer to a prayer, waiting to be delivered from a certain situation you don't have control over, but must instead practice patience with. Waiting can be difficult, but I've found that immersing yourself in positive activities as well as God's word, can help the wait seem less like a wait and more like an enjoyable time.
I love what it says in Psalm 37:34 (TLB): "Don't be impatient for the Lord will act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing."

Be Persistant in Prayer

 In the last post I talked about the power of prayer, and the importance of reminding yourself of God's promises when you don't see immediate answers. Today, I want to discuss the importance of being persistant in prayer. One of my favorite verses is one in which Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray, and to be persistant in prayer. In Luke 11:5-13 He says this:

“Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need."

 How cool is that! Jesus is saying that if you don't get an answer to your prayers, keep persisting, and you will get what you asked for just because of your persistance! He continues on to say,

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

If sinful, imperfect human beings know how to give good things to their children, just imagine how much more God wants to give to you! If you have a child then you know the depth of love that you have for them. You want the very best for them. God is the same way. We are His children, and He wants the very best for each of our lives. Don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate answers to your prayers; keep persisting and you will surely see God's blessings flow into your life!

The Power of Prayer

Sometimes we may get discouraged when we don't see immediate answers to our prayers. We may even feel hopeless or disappointed when it seems as if so much time has passed yet situations which we have prayed for repeatedly, appear to remain the same. It is in these moments that we must remind ourselves that "God works in ways we cannot see." Just because it may appear as if nothing is occuring in the physical realm, does not mean that God isn't working on your behalf in the spiritual realm--or "behind the scenes" of things. Isaiah 59:1 assures us, "The LORD is not too weak to save you, and He is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call.”
In situations where there is nothing you can PHYSICALLY do to change circumstances; Pray, and turn to God in the midst of any difficulty. The Bible tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). In the midst of our difficulties, anxieties, worries, or concerns, we are to pray and plead with God with thanksgiving and gratitude knowing that He will pull through.  Prayer is Powerful and you WILL see an answer. The answer may not come immediatley, but it will come at God's perfect timing. Don't get discouraged if it seems as if your prayers are not being answered. If you don't see an immediate answer to your prayers, remember the ways in which God answers:
1) Yes, and here's more!
2) Yes, I thought you'd never ask! ("You dont have because you don't ask" -James 4:2)
3) Yes, but wait; my timing is perfect. (Psalm 18:30, Ecclesiastes 3:11)
or 4) No, I love you too much, I have something EVEN BETTER in store for you.

God answers prayers that are in alignment with His will (1 John 5:14). His answers may not always be "yes," but they are always after our best interest. How encouraging is it to know that the God of the Universe is after YOUR BEST INTEREST! He wants the very best for you! So don't get discouraged when it seems as if your prayers are not being answered. Instead, get excited knowing God is doing a whole lot of work "behind the scenes;" and that whatever the outcome may be, it will be for your own good!
Joshua 21:45 tells us, "Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true." We can trust that God's promises towards us are true. History and experience confirm it. So when you feel discouraged because your prayers don't seem to be answered, remind yourself of the ways in which God answers, and the promises He has made us about prayer: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us." -1 John 5:14

Below are some really awesome and encouraging verses on the power of prayer that you can meditate on to remind yourself the power God has to answer your prayers.

"We know he hears us when we make our requests." -1 John 5:15

"I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me." -Psalm 3:4

"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I." -Isaiah 58:9


 "Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
-Matthew 7:7

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” -Matthew 21:22

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." -Mark 11:24 

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." -John 14:13-14

 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

Handling Rejection

“When I go someplace and the people don’t receive and accept me, I don’t let it get me down, I just shake it off and go on about my business.” –Luke 10:10-11


We've all experienced rejection at some point in our life or another. It could be that job we didn't get, that car or home we didn't qualify for, that crush or person that didn't like us, or even a family member or close friend who decided to alienate themselves from us. We've all experienced rejection, but how we handle it could be the difference between a life-long chain of bitterness and resentment, or joy and forgiveness. I once heard someone say, “Rejection is God's protection." As funny or cliché as that may sound, it's true. There are many times in life in which God does not give us what we ask for or what we want because what He has in store for us is so much better. He doesn't want us to settle for any less than what He has planned for us, yet we often do settle out of fear that God's plan may not be what we want or like. Rejection doesn’t always have to be a bad thing either. Sometimes when we experience rejection (for example, from a job) it motivates us to improve and become better. Whenever we experience rejection in our lives, we need to recognize and remind ourselves that as one door closes, another opens. God may allow a certain door to a relationship, job, etc. to close in your life, but it only means it's because there is a better one about to be opened. When it comes to handling rejection in a healthy manner, it is crucial to remind ourselves of God's word and promises. His word tells us that He will never, ever reject or leave us (John 6:37, Deuteronomy 31:6), that He accepts us, and that He has chosen us to be His own (John 15:16, Isaiah 41:9). His word tells us that are His creation whom He loves and will never stop loving (John 3:16, Romans 8:38). Any time you feel bitterness or resentment over a rejection that you've experienced, it is so important to remind yourself of these truths of who God made you to be, and the love and acceptance that He has for you. Know that God loves and accepts you just the way you are. Below I've incorporated some scriptures on rejection and God's acceptance that can help you remember these truths of the love and acceptance that God has for you.
In Isaiah 41:9 God says, “I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” He loves you for who you are, He has a plan and purpose for your life, and if you turn to Him know that He will never, never reject you--He loves you too much!

“He will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Deuteronomy 31:6-8

“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out, reject, or drive away.” -John 6:37

“If God is for me than who can be against me?” -Romans 8:31

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” -Psalm 23:1

“The LORD will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession.” -Psalm 94:14

“He never rejects me, but has promised to be with me everywhere I go, always.” -Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20

“God has chosen you.”-John 15:16