 “He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” (Proverbs 16:20) It is tempting to want to take matters into our own hands when we just need to trust God. Whatever it is that we are believing God for, our flesh might insist, or the circumstances demand that we take matters into our own hands. In the end, we are not happy but miserable. We have examples of how that never goes well. Abraham got ahead of God by having a child with Hagar. Impatient Rebecca thought it wise to deceive her husband by disguising Jacob to receive his brother's birthright. The great temptation, as it was in the Garden of Eden, is to “make our own will our law.” Thus, we know what it looks like to try to get ahead of God. “The practical lesson from all this is — ‘trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding.’ Whatever your trouble is, take it to God this morning…Whatever your difficulty and peculiar exercise of mind, tell it to the Lord your God. He is as able as he is willing, and as willing as he is able; having sent the trial, he will surely make a way of escape for you.” Let us be wise, get ourselves out of the way and trust God. GiGi❤️
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 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6) Charles Spurgeon tells a story about a farmer who was consumed with care: A farmer stood in his fields and said, I do not know what will happen to us. The wheat will be destroyed if this rain keeps on. We won’t have any harvest at all unless we have some fine weather. He walked up and down, wringing his hands, worrying and making his whole household uncomfortable. And he did not produce one single gleam of sunlight by all his worrying—he could not make any of the clouds go away, nor could he stop a drop of rain with all his murmurings. “Pray for what you need just as if you were telling your mother or your dearest friend what your need is. Go to God in that fashion, for that is real prayer, and that is the kind of prayer that will drive away your cares.” GiGi❤️  “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up” (Proverbs 12:25)
There are some people who may never suffer the woes of either anxiety or depression. Their fate in life will take them on a different course. Yet, those who suffer from bouts of anxiety and depression may find that there was nothing exact that triggered either state. At times, it seems to appear out of nowhere, but it is real just the same. We are so grateful that our Lord and Savior has made it plain for us, “My grace is sufficient.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Truly, the “God we serve is able to deliver us from it.” (Daniel 3:17) ““I suppose that some brethren neither have much anxiety or depression. I could almost wish to share their peaceful life. For I am much tossed up and down, and although my joy is greater than that of most men, my depression of spirit few have any idea of.” C. Spurgeon Those who are strong might be inclined to judge those who suffer from either condition. They might suggest, “Just snap out of it.” “Especially judge not the sons and daughters of sorrow. Allow no ungenerous suspicions …Do not hastily say they ought to be more brave, and exhibit a greater faith.” Lord, help us to pray for one another and display patience, empathy, and compassion toward those who struggle in this manner. GiGi❤️  “Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22) It has gotten to be too much. The load has become too much to bear and someone has surmised, “I don’t think I can make it another hour, let alone another day.”
“The very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting of ourselves into His place, to do for Him that which we dream He either cannot or will not do!” We are casting it all on You, please take it!” GiGi❤️  “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) Y A Hallmark movie might convince us that our happiness is rooted in a soul mate or partner. A commercial ad might convince us that it can be found in a new car. Whatever the snake oil salesman tries to convince us that true happiness is, it more than likely is a con. The above examples are external means of acquiring happiness and happiness that “depends on external circumstances is very fragile. The moment the circumstance changes, our happiness also evaporates.” “Happiness lies more in the mind than it does the circumstances in which any individual is found. And the man within has far more to do with his own joy and sorrow than anything outside of him has.” True happiness comes from within. It is a choice. “The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind.” Dalai Lama GiGi❤️  “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Matthew 4:39) There was an older Jamaican missionary who once preached, “what God doesn’t hinder, he allows.” God is in control even when things seem to be falling apart. God is in control when “all other ground is sinking sand.” God is in control even in the trial because he is the one that allowed it. “There was a woman, onboard a ship with her husband, the captain. She became concerned when it began to storm but her husband was calm and restful. She asked him why he was so calm when she was so distressed. He did not answer in words, but picked her up and held her near the edge of the ship as it tossed in the stormy winds. She smiled. He said, ‘Why aren’t you afraid? ‘Ah,’she replied, ‘but I am not afraid when it is my husband who is holding me.’ ‘So,’ he said, ‘neither am I afraid of a storm when it is my Father who sends it and who manages it.’ Charles Spurgeon “God is managing it. “Peace be still!.” GiGi❤️  “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” (1Peter 5:7) Overthinking is something we all do. It is defined as experiencing a loop of thought. It “involves thinking about a certain topic or situation excessively, analyzing it for long periods of time.” It is difficult to redirect your thoughts as you become consumed with thinking about that one thing. “Turn every care into a prayer. Let your cares be the raw material of your prayers,. Baptize every anxiety into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and so make it into a blessing…Let your cares drive you to God. I shall not mind if you have many of them if each one leads you to prayer. If every fret makes you lean more on the Beloved, it will be a benefit.” Charles Spurgeon One can only imagine how much time we would spend if we turned every excessive thought, and every overly concern into prayer. We would find that we will spend much more time with the Lord, and of course our faith and walk with God will be strengthened. GiGi❤️  "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Sometimes we think we are too busy to pray. That also is a great mistake, for praying saves us time. If we know that there are certain things that distract us from spending time with God, let us avoid it earnestly. Let us try, as much as possible, not to be put off the scent in prayer. Satan's object will be to distract the mind, to throw it off the rails, to divert its aim, but let us resolve before God, we will not turn aside from following hard after him. Charles Spurgeon  "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:10)
It is a wonderful thing to read in the Word of God how he moved in the lives of both the believer and unbeliever. “Ahab's prayer was answered and Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, both who did evil in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Kings 13:1-4). Yet, even knowing these truths we can be quick to judge, and even quicker to give up on others. The reality is that we don’t know what the Lord is doing in the lives of others, or how he is moving. Our Lord is not just moving in the lives of the godly; he is moving in the lives of the ungodly because he is still in the soul winning business. As we endeavor to draw closer to God and abide in him, let us not forget to pray for our family and loved ones, friends,co-workers, etc., that may be struggling. May we continue to intercede and stand in the gap, even for those we have deemed to have no hope. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) “Many a time in the hour of sickness, and in the time of woe, God has heard the prayers of the unthankful and the evil. Do you think God gives nothing except to the righteous? What were you when you first began to pray? Were you good and righteous? Has not God commanded you to do good to those who are evil? Will he command you to do what he will not do himself? Has he not said that he ‘sends rain on the just and on the unjust,’ and is it not true? Is he not daily blessing those who curse him, and doing good to those who despitefully use him? This is one of the glories of God’s grace; and when there is nothing else good in the man, yet if there is a cry lifted up from his heart the Lord often agrees to send relief from trouble. Now, if God has heard the prayers even of men who have not sought him in the highest manner, and has given them temporary deliverances in answer to their cries will he not hear you even the more. Charles Spurgeon Don’t give up on people, pray for them. GiGi❤️ 
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7) When we are abiding in Christ we do not need a lengthy prayer or a loud one. Prayer is about substance. Prayer is about communing with God. It is not a show of spiritual prowess but of faith. Every time we look around, prayer is needed. We should be praying without ceasing. We should never tire of it. Surely, our God never tires of hearing it. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.” (1John 5:14) “Note, that the fruit of our abiding is not only the exercise of prayer, and a sense of the necessity of prayer, but it includes liberty in prayer: ‘Ye shall ask what ye will.’ Some brethren pray by the yard; but true prayer is measured by weight, and not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a prayer full of elaborate words and of great length.” Charles Spurgeon It is faith that moves God, not the size of our prayer. GiGi❤️ |
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