Reasons to relax: #9

Reason #9 – He sees and He will reward!

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

Glatians 6:9 (AMP)

On several occasions Christ told us, “and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.” (Matt. 6: 4,6, 18)  That is true integrity…doing what is right even when no one is watching. And our Heavenly Father doesn’t give the standard answer that is so tempting to us as earthly parents, “Because I said so!” No, in answer to why we should continue doing what is right even when it seems to no avail, God says, “Because I am watching. And I will reward you far beyond your wildest dreams. (Ephesians 3:20, Matthew 7:11)

These verses also show us something else about our great God. He understands that it is not always easy to keep on doing good. He knows that we will get tired and weak and weary. He does not condemn our weakness, rather He encourages us with His Word and the promise of great things to come. I feel a lesson in parenting here…

So take a deep breath. Push the restart button if you have to, and then follow Christ’s example and go about doing good. (Acts 10:38) Your good works will not get you to heaven. Only Christ can do that. (John 14:6). But our good works are the outward expression of the inward change Christ has made in us. We are commanded to love others as Christ has loved us and it is by this we show Christ to the world.

Reasons to relax: #8

Reason #8 – He will do better for us than we could ever think of doing for ourselves!

"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 (AMP)

There is such power in this verse! Our God is so amazing and He loves us so much. He truly wants great things for us. Paul was encouraging the Ephesians here about just how far reaching the power and love of God are.

Often times we have desires, and if we don’t get exactly what we are asking for we are upset. But please, remember this verse. Trust that God is in control and wants to do wonderful things in your life. I would encourage you to hold your dreams loosely. Absolutely let the Lord know the things that are on your heart and the desires you have, for we are also told “You have not because you ask not.” Yet remember as you present your requests to God, He sees all and knows what is the absolute best for us. He is able to do far above all that we could ever even dare to imagine.

It may just be the case that your vision is too small and what He wants to do for you is greater than what you’ve asked for. Begin the see the answers of “no” or “wait” as wonderful promises that He has something better in mind and trust Him to pull it all together at the perfect time.

Remember, His blessings are not always of a material nature. But He knows what we have need of before we ask, and He knows us better than we know ourselves.  We can lay our hopes and dreams at His feet and trust that He wants greatness for us.

 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Reasons to relax: #7

Reason #7 – God has already given us everything we need!

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

This is one of the most incredible promises in scripture. This tells us that God has already given us everything we need to live the life He has for us. We are not waiting for anything…which also means we have no excuses! J

Galatians 5 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. And 1 Cor. 6:19 and 2 Timothy 1:14 (and several others) tell us that once we accept Christ the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. So if you have accepted Christ, you have everything you need. Even when you don’t “feel” like it, it’s there. We just have to put time into our walk with the Lord so that these things can be fully developed. It doesn’t happen all at once, lest we forget our need for our Lord, but rather He changes us from glory to glory (little by little). And you can trust that He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6)

So instead of believing the lies of the enemy that you are lacking and don’t have the things you need, give thanks to God that He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3), and He is bringing you into completion as you walk daily with Him.

“And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure[of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.” Mark 4:24

Reasons to relax: #6

Reason #6 – God is there!

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (Don’t forget the second part…we have to confess our sin and turn from it. We’ll still make mistakes; it’s not about being perfect. But we must get out hearts right.)

“If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2

There is not much I can say that these verses and countless others do not say outright. God has made it no secret that if we will come to Him He will never leave us. He will guide us, love us and protect us. It doesn’t mean life will be easy. We will undoubtedly go through difficult times. But He is right there by our side in the midst of those times. He is constantly teaching us and making us into more usable instruments for His work. He will strengthen us and never hide Himself from us. As Mark 4:24 says, the more time and study we put into His Word, the more understanding and wisdom we will receive. No matter what you may be going through, you can trust that God has never left you. Draw near to Him and He’ll be right there.  

Sorry!

My sincerest apologies for the delay since my last post. For various reasons I have not been around my computer much over the past two weeks. You can expect a new post in the next 24 to 36 hours.

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!