Romans 12:11-12 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
We all know persons who can uplift us just spending a few moments in their presence—they smile, they are genuine in their praise, there seems to be a gentle grace to them, and we are drawn to their peace, their loving way. Sometimes we are with persons who are true servants—they give of their time and energy and always seem to have good ideas of how to serve further. They are able to rouse others to join with them in service, although they are the ones guiding the way, encouraging. Still others have a quiet, prayerful manner.
They are solid in their faith; there is strength in them even when they do not look like a giant, strong warrior. Their might is in the power of prayer, their faith God will work out all for the good. One wants them in their corner during difficult times.
Yet I know sometimes some people wonder if their own prayers are even heard, never mind answered.
But that is not what God’s word says. I believe God’s Word is Alive and Living just as He promises. The Bible promises He will live in you and renew your spirit if you only seek Him and ask Him into your heart. One of the promises states clearly, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28,29.
This does not say you will have no stresses, no problems, or no pain. It says He will walk with you and help you through your stressful times, and give you rest when you seek Him, especially during difficulty.
You are not alone to carry the burden. Burdens are always lighter when shared. And God is invincible. He is not another human who may also tire, become stressed, and overwhelmed. Put your trust in god, and wait upon Him for how to handle your stresses, and seek His way to light your path. But hand over your stresses to Him and the don’t interfere. TRUST HIM. When Satan tries to sneak those thoughts of mistrust, doubt, and inability into your mind, firmly rebuke, and clutch onto what GOD SAYS in His word. Satan is NOT in charge; he only wants you to believe he is.
BROKEN DREAMS
As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God because He was my Friend.
But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.
At last I snatched them back and cried, “How could You be so slow?”–“My child,” He said, “What could I do? You never did let go”
author Loretta P. Burns
When I first started walking the path to follow Christ I was sure there would be no further problems, my streets would be golden and the burdens light. That is not true. That is not true for anyone, believer, non-believer or any. There are troubles we each face, and believing in God does not alleviate the troubles. But it does give you help to carry the burden. While going through your time of trouble, do you get daily communication from Him? Not necessarily. Sometimes there is so much silence you beg, plead for some direction, some sign, some relief. . . but for a time there may be no clear message. And as long as you are not hearing that you need to change your direction, God is with you as you continue the path–even if you are not sure it is right. He will intercede if it is wrong.
So you continue to walk the path you’re placed on, you face the trials, sometimes wondering if they are ever going to end, and you keep praying. God will test our faith. He wants to develop and strengthen our faith, which comes when He places trials in our path, and we continue the walk, prayerfully and cheerfully, believing He is with you because His word promises He is.
As the stresses mount, we may stumble, doubt, feel fear and anxieties creep in, (all Satan’s tools hoping we will fail in our faith walk). But if we can continue in confidence that God has our life covered, we will be stronger in Him at the end of this trial. We will persevere. And the reward will be far better than we could have imagined.
So because sometimes you are walking a difficult path and don’t feel God, still know He is there, and maybe testing to see if you’ll continue the path with good cheer, (no sack cloth that the world may see your suffering) and with continued faith. This can certainly be harder the longer the stress continues, the more problems are added, and you see no light to show an end. But know that God tests your heart, and He does not give more than you can handle.
I am not always successful at not becoming stressed. But through faith, when I get stressed, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that I am not alone, and the issue will work out. Then I settle, rein in my impatience, and respectfully know in my heart that yes, I am being tested. My impatience will probably make the stress last longer.
So, I repeat my favorite verses, continue praying, renewed that all is better and easier being faithful in His promises. I remind myself that Satan loves to see me fearful and failing in my faith, and that renews me to hold onto His promises and not Satan’s lies.
So although you may be going through a difficult time, recognize the blessings in your life, acknowledge them and give Him thanks for them. I pray you are faithful in your stressful walks.
Look about for some blessings. Thank You, Father, for the many I have a lot for ‘mybellaviews.’
1 Corinthians 16:9 because a great door of opportunity has opened to me, there are many adversaries.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for one’s friends.
I have a calendar on my desk sent by Wounded Warrior Project, and I flipped the page to change the month and saw many military recognition days in September. On the 11th, besides being a sobering day of remembrance for 9-11, 2001, it is also Patriot Day. (Not to be confused with the roving Massachusetts April holiday of Patriots Day, best known for the Revolutionary War between some farmers and the British, and the marathon in Boston area.)
On September 17, it is Constitution Day and on the 18th USAF birthday, celebrating 72 years on this date, as official birth date is Sept 18, 1947. And lastly in September, is the 20th, which is POW/MIA Recognition Day.
I so appreciate our military and all they and their families give so I can enjoy all the freedoms I have. War is awful and violent. There is such primal pain associated with it to me. But I hate to think of those service personnel who are captured and kept separated from family, many other service persons, and are often so mistreated by their captors. The 2005 CRS report list identified we had 10 POWs held in Iraq, with nine returned, and still 1 missing. I did find documentation that is still tracking the missing military since World War II, and there are about 80,000 in that war, but each of the wars since then, Korean, cold War, Vietnam all show many. The numbers have decreased with each conflict, but they are there, and always a possibility.
How horrific that must be for the prisoner as well as the family. It is painful enough to lose a family member to death, but then you know. The wondering, the fear for them, the unknown is now known. At least you have an answer and can lay the person to rest. The unknown whereabouts of a loved one is somehow worse to me. I always have more issues of hurt and worry for those whose whereabouts and state is unknown. We owe our military many thanks and prayers for their safety.
When I saw the number of military dates, I wanted to write a thank you. You are so appreciated by me. Thank you for all you did/do for our country and our military.
God bless each and every one of you
With thankfulness from “mybellaviews.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and bring you back from captivity…
Proverbs 1:28-31 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Psalm 146:4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
For some reason humans have a very difficult time relinquishing control. We believe we are in charge, can change outcomes, and things will, or should, go our way. But that is not the case in the real world. Things happen. Sometimes an accident changes the course of an athlete’s life, and perhaps the same accident that caused the athlete to have to rethink his/her plans, has snatched the life of a young mother or father and changed the dynamics of a family.
Sometimes, violence has come unexpectedly. (After all, we may have a smidgeon of fear that some harm MIGHT come to us…but we don’t honestly believe it will—not to US.) But it does.
Perhaps we have been unjustly accused of something, maybe lost a job, or the ability to finish an important test, and have to face consequences. Perhaps we have made a major decision and it turned out to be the wrong one. We were in charge so made a silly and costly mistake and the result was disastrous. We continued to try and “fix” it ourselves… of making our own decisions and choices, (because we are in charge), rather than seeking God’s guidance. And things seemed to get progressively snarled and matted.
There are many, many things which are out of our control, and can hurt, and change our course in life. We are not always in charge. Often we cannot change the unexpected, and therefore the outcome. Once this happens, we need to reassess, reevaluate, and perhaps reprogram. But things certainly become smoother when seeking God’s direction.
We are not in charge. Events happen, illness occur, and our “plans” are disrupted. It’s important to remember that our Creator is in charge. We may not like these things which interrupt us being in charge, but there is a reason for them. He’s in charge. His Word promises ‘He has a good plan for us.’ And although that is not always clearly visible, and sometimes feels like perhaps your life has ended, or in your mind, should end, you will see His plans as your life marches on.
One of the hardest areas I had to relinquish was being in control. I was a single mother, going to school full time as well as working in a busy ICU full time, paying bills, had a sick parent, so helped when able with his care, had an angry and sneaking ex-spouse who threatened our child, caring for home and lawn, and on and on. I felt I was forever on a tightrope, and trust me, my balance is not that great sometimes on solid ground, never mind trying to pretend to be a Wallender.
I couldn’t let a ball drop. I mean, truly, what would happen if one of my balls dropped? I lived in a state of nervous tension always. It was fearful living like this. I certainly borrowed “troubles from tomorrow, although troubles from today are enough to deal with.” (paraphrase from Matthew 6:34).
But my mind did not believe I was not in charge. My responsibility to care for child, my responsibility to get school, get work done, get to job on time and do all nursing chores for each patient, changing the care as needed for each person all had to be done. By me. I was the one who had all these things to deal with each day. My responsibility. I was the one who was in charge of these different chores and tasks.
And of course, now get dinner, make sure laundry done, and you get the picture. My list for each day held many items, and if I did not attain completion of all, I scolded myself, and allowed Satan in to remind me I was a failure in oh so many areas. I only believed I was in charge.
I did not totally relinquish control for a long while. But each time, I turned to God and said, “what am I to do?” the answer would appear shortly. He would say/show me a direction,and after a few moments of surprise and enlightenment, I’d say “wow, You’re right, God. thank You!”
As I listened to Bible teachers, and studied on my own, especially after hearing a pertinent message, then reviewing the scripture they may have used, I was beginning to get it! ‘Oh, You are in charge. I am not just a clay person; You placed me here for a purpose a reason, part of Your plan. I am not to run about like a crazy person. Ah, You have a purpose for me, and I am to seek You and Your desire for me, and I am NOT IN CHARGE.’ I think I got it this time.
HE was in charge; HE was offering me rest and help in all areas.
Oh, stress eased, no reason to worry about tomorrow, things happen, but You’ve got this. I have You to lean on.
Thank You sincerely for taking charge of “mybellaviews.”
Psalm 41:1,2 Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth.
Proverbs 14: 21 He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor; happy is he.
Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker; but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
James 2:5,6 Listen, my beloved brethren: has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
I had the privilege of living in Germany for several years. My husband was a civilian DOD employee and we were stationed in many of the lovely areas of that beautiful country. It also afforded us the opportunity to travel to some of the other countries. One of the places we visited was the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague.
Our travel was an overnight train and we had a berthing room and were able to doze fairly comfortably. However, it was immediately noticeable when we left Germany and entered the Czech Republic. The train noticeably slowed, and the tracks felt ‘rickety and wobbly.’ The ride no longer felt smooth and speedy to me. Unable to sleep now, I sat up, occasionally moving the shade and trying to look out at the area.
After a couple of hours, it became light enough to see, and I was struck by the desolation. I prayed it was the dimness of the early morning, but it was not. I was ferociously conscious of being thankful I had never had to raise my three children in this area. It was overwhelmingly sad for me, and I was repeatedly struck with HOW DO YOU INSTILL HOPE TO YOUR CHILDREN HERE?
How blessed we are to live in the US. And yes, I am aware of much poverty in our own country, and have traveled to other countries and seen poverty there. And again, have been privileged to send up an immediate prayer of thanksgiving that I live here, and do not have to try to encourage my children when there are few jobs, housing is rundown as funds to repair are lacking, and all around is dismal and sad. Many of these people were working hard, and yet had so little. It felt hopeless to me.
Sometimes, I would see a man looking out over the ‘courtyard’ of his apartment building, and there was nothing but broken cement, rutted walkways, and trees with big roots sticking up, and many broken bottles. Where could the children play? Where were the children?
Yet the inner city of Prague was lovely, deceptively lovely. One would never guess that two miles out of town was desolate and sad. There were lovely shops, jewelry, leather goods, clothing, and it all looked so grand, posh, and elegant. The shop personnel were pleasant and eager to offer assistance, and I wondered how one could afford the lovely clothing they wore in order to maintain a job in these swanky stores. I felt a little sick knowing the way others lived not too far down the street.
Old town was also lovely and historic, and this area of Prague held no clue to the dismal appearance just outside of this area. Old Town sits above the posh modern section of shops, and it is also lovely, and my mind loved imagining the life back more than hundred years.
It made me more thankful than I normally am to know I live in this country, and that I could help occasionally in a food bank, soup kitchen, giving my “extras” to be donated, and I rarely worried about purchasing food. (I might grumble when I was feeding teenage sons and a few of their friends dropped by for supper, but I still knew we could feed extra mouths a couple times.) We had electricity, heat, air conditioning if needed, and I truly wondered if these folks who lived outside of the shopping area had enough of anything.
Obviously, God has strong feelings for the poor, needy, and widows. You can find many, many verses written in His book about the poor. I think it important we do what we can to help. I won’t ever forget the dismal area I witnessed those few days.
My heart broke even as I gave repeated thanks for what I have been blessed with. Sometimes, I think we have little clue as to how others are forced to live and endure. I am so blessed to live and have what I have, and most importantly to know, He has me. I am blessed and He has me. Thank You, Jesus.
You bless me and ‘mybellaviews.’
James 1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
James 3:5,8 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! . . . But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Ecclesiastes 23:1 “You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be a unrighteous witness.”
Psalm 15:3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; . . . He who does these things shall never be moved.
Proverbs 17:20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, and he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.
Proverbs 20:19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.
As you can see the Lord has a great deal to say about that nasty little muscle that resides within our mouths….
Our bodies are pretty impressive. There are all sorts of cells, different muscles, tendons, cartilage pieces, and all working together. We have so many muscles that we have to think about moving—it’s almost unconscious thinking, but not really. Our eyes–we can decide to not blink spontaneously if we are playing “stare down” with another. But many of our muscles move without any conscious thought from us. We do just get up and pour water from the faucet, flip a switch to turn on our electric, but even if we have not given much CONSCIOUS thought to this, we have thought out the process and moved on it. Those are actions that do require we give some thought to get those muscles moving.
But we have so many muscles that function without ANY conscious thought from us—unless there is a problem and something is not functioning properly. But your heart just beats, sending out oxygenated blood throughout your body, working in conjunction with your lungs which breathe in and out. Can you think about the action and control it? Maybe, a little. But 99% of the time it just happens, God has ordained we have normal breathing patterns, slow and fairly regular, which can increase as needed, slow when we don’t need the rapidness of blood flowing to muscles faster with exercise or stress. But generally, these muscles work without our conscious thought or control. Pretty remarkable machines we have!
Yet the most headstrong muscle we have is the tongue. It is not always obedient, kind, gracious or free of sin. It can lie, deceive, gossip, speak nasty things, say hateful judgments, and be a very unruly misbehaving muscle. I work at reining mine in often.
It is not often I spew out hateful things now. But I sometimes feel gossip wanting to leap from my mouth and have to mentally scold myself and remind myself that is not what God wants me to speak.
Gossip is hurtful, and often a lie, and it spreads like the awful California fires. Those words leap and fly far and often, creating more and more distortion. It does not absolve you if someone told you a story and you repeat it verbatim….it is gossip. It is something I struggle with, and yet I must say I thank the Holy Spirit much more often for reminding me to hold my tongue, than when I let it freely engage in this misbehavior.
It used to be fairly common for me to scold myself and confess even though God had already heard and probably cringed that I was still being disobedient. But I am reminded that I did not let anything slip, I did not engage in a gossip session, and usually will say I don’t want to talk about a certain subject or person. No kudos for me; this is totally the Holy Spirit reminding me of the mercy and grace shown me, and that I need to show that to others also. And engaging in gossip is ungraceful and hurtful. And most important, sinful.
Thank You for The Holy Spirit and hearing His reminders when I could slip into sin. You are helping ‘mybellaviews’ grow.
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!