Reasons to relax: #5

Reason #5 – Because He will never leave us.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I love these words to Joshua. And this is the same great God we serve. The same One Who said in Matthew 28:20 “…lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

And again in Hebrew 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He never promised us that our life would be easy if we follow Him. Just the opposite, in John 16:33 Jesus told us that in this world we will have troubles, but to be encouraged because He has overcome the world! So no matter what you are going through, know that He is right by your side. Even in the midst of a fiery furnace, He is there. He will not always take us out of the storm, but He can give us peace in the midst of it. And as we come through the other side He gives us powerful testimony of how He brought us through, and He can use us to speak hope to the world.

Reasons to relax: #4

Reason #4 – Because He said to!

In Philippians 4:6 Paul writes, “Be anxious for nothing.” Simple as that. I know what you’re thinking: But…But…But…. I know because it is the same response I often have. However, the word "nothing" is pretty all encompassing. The more I have worked to keep this verse in the forefront of my mind, the more frequently I have heard the Lord say, “Jenny…I said worry about nothing.” “But, Lord…” “I said nothing.”

I have found that somewhere along the line I, we, our society has equated worry with caring; when in fact the Bible equates worry with sinning! The fact is worry is a sign of - 1. Pride…thinking that if I try hard enough or work hard enough I can somehow fix this issue, and 2. A lack of faith…not recognizing God as capable of handling the situation (far better than I ever could, I might add). Now, I am still working with this one every day, and as a mother I have to work on it even more than ever before in my life. But the fact is, we serve an all-knowing, all-loving God who wants good things for us and is going to work things out for our best, even if that means going through some hard times along the way.  

In addition to all of this, this command not to worry comes with instructions and has an incredible promise attached to it. I love the way the Amplified Bible puts this scripture:

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

 So, we give Him our worries, and He gives us His peace. Pretty good trade, huh? So the next time you feel the ugliness of worry threatening to overtake you, quote this verse out loud. Say, “Ok, Lord.” Thank Him for all He is and all He’s done in your life, and tell Him exactly what is on your heart. Then leave it there. As humans this is not always easy, but if we can wrap our minds around the fact that we don’t actually have any control anyway, but we serve the One who is Lord over all, this will become increasingly easier. And as it does our quality of life will also improve. I guarantee it! So relax! Regardless of what you’ve come to believe, worry is not your obligation!

Reasons to relax: #3

Reason #3 – His plans are better than ours!

Isaiah 55:8-9 have been very powerful verses in my life for many years.

“ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

 So the next time a relationship doesn’t work out or you don’t get that promotion you were expecting or something else happens to cause your life to take a different path than you’d expected, remember these verses. I encourage you to memorize them. These upsets in life can be very tough times and can cause us to become hurt and even sedentary for a while. Which of course makes the enemy very happy. But I challenge you to set your mind on things above. Remember that we serve a God who sees the end from the beginning. He has great plans for us and even at this moment He is at work, orchestrating great things on our behalf.

“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.” Jeremiah 29:11

You see, it is not simply that His ways are different so just get over it! No, not only are His ways different, they are higher…they are better!! The next time something doesn’t work out the way you had planned, stop and give God thanks, standing on the promises of these verses and knowing that He’s got great things ahead for you.

I hope that over the next week you will take some time to look back on your life. Let God show you how He was at work the entire time, putting things together for you that you never even imagined! Ask Him to reveal to you His hand and His providence at work in your life. And thank Him for giving you even better than you’d asked for and sometimes even saving you from yourself! J

“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]” Ephesians 3:20

Reasons to relax: #2

Reason #2 – If we commit our works to Him, He will make them succeed!

I want us to look at this verse in two different versions.

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified Bible)

“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” 

Proverbs 16:3 (New Living Translation)

WOW! What a promise! Right now, as the 2^nd Annual Women of Providence* women’s conference draws very near (Sept. 24^th), I have to go back to this verse many times. And I am sorry to say that over the past few weeks I have not stood on this scripture as I should and have been given to much anxiety. But why?? Why would I do that? This scripture is a promise from the Lord, and because of it, God has given me permission to relax!

You see, it is not my job to make everything work or to make tons of ladies show up. God told me yesterday that I have been trying so hard to move people for the Lord, but the fact is the only way people are moved and touched for Him is by the power of His Spirit working in and through me. (I knew this, but I found myself thinking that maybe if I just tried a little harder, worked a little more…) Only He can really touch hearts. I’m just an instrument. No amount of work on my part can do it. I must faithfully do the things the Lord gives me to do and trust Him for the results. And with a promise like the one above, that should be easy!

 So we can relax knowing that He promises that, if we commit all we do to Him, He will make it succeed. Now, keep in mind that His definition of success may be different than ours, but as we’ll see in another post very soon, His ways are always better. It’s all about Him anyway. So do with joy the work He gives you to do, and do it all for Him and His glory. Leave the results to Him. It’s not yours to worry about! Do your best and let God handle the rest!

*I do hope that you ladies who are local will be able to join us for the women’s conference. You can find all the details and get registered today on our website. http://www.wix.com/providencetoday/liveit This is an awesome day of fun, fellowship and power! Now I’ll just trust God to make you want to come! J