How You Can Know and Be Blessed By God’s Circle of Faith

When you and I live within God's Circle of Faith we are blessed by love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, peace, and so much more. #Faith #GodLovesYou #BibleStudy #Blessings

Does knowing Jesus change the way you think and act?

The Bible is pretty clear, you and I have been called to “walk the talk.”

We’ve been called to trust and obey . . . to believe God is who He says He is, to believe He can and will do everything He has promised, and to obey God’s will.

So whether we like it or not, obedience is part of walking the talk.

But the Bible tells us, “God is love.” 1 John 4:8

So why doesn’t He just indulge us and let us do what we want . . . after all, He’s the One who gave us free will.

I believe it is all part of God’s Circle of Faith.

God loves us. We respond by loving Him. God asks us to trust and obey Him and our obedience shows that we trust and love Him.

Isaiah wrote:

Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
Isaiah 26:8

And God also knows obedience will bless and protects us.

Paul explained it to Titus, like this:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11–14

You and I are eager to obey God and do what is good because we trust and love Him but here on earth, we will never do it perfectly.

This brings us back to His LOVE!

God loves us.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8

And we show our love for God by trusting and obeying Him.

Those who know my commands and obey them are the ones who love me, and my Father will love those who love me. I will love them and will show myself to them.
John 14:21

And so on and so forth. . . that’s God’s Circle of Faith. A place where you and I are blessed with hope, love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and so much more.

A Prayer to Faithfully Live Within God’s Circle of Faith

Father, thank you! Your love is truly amazing. That Jesus would come and live the perfect life I am unable to live. That He would show me Your perfect unfailing love and suffer my punishment, die my death . . . I am so very humble and grateful.

Your Word clearly tells me that You want me to obey Your commands and follow Your will. From the first page to the last it tells me that my trust and obedience declare my love for You. I want that. I do love You so much, and yet I know I fail to love others the way You want me to . . . I talk about Your love more than I walk in it. I am so very sorry. Please forgive me.

Father, please help me to be faithfully passionate about knowing Your Word that I might grow in wisdom and understand Your Truth. Please give me the courage I need to obediently walk in Your will. And please help me remember the wonderful blessings of living within Your Circle of Faith. I ask all of this in the name of the One who makes it all possible, my Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.

You and I enjoy the blessing of living within God’s Circle of Faith . . . a place where we are embraced by God’s perfect love, where we pursue fully trusting and obeying God as our response to His love, where we love others to show them His love and faithfulness, and where we are blessed and protected by His grace and mercy.

On today’s note write:

I am so blessed to live within God’s Circle of Faith.

May God bless you today with all that you need to faithfully love, trust, and obey Him.

Click here to read the rest of Titus 2.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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How to Trust God’s Love When You are Suffering

9 / 14 / 209 / 16 / 20

How do you trust God's love when you feel like He is the One who is allowing your pain and suffering? 5 ways to trust God's "no" when it's hard. #StrengthinSuffering #TrustGod'sLove #Faith #Hope #CountingMyBlessings #WWGGG

What do you do when you feel like God is the One who is allowing your pain and suffering?

You’ve prayed to get well, to be free of pain, for a healed relationship . . . for the desire of your heart.

The Bible says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4

You’ve done your best to do “good.” You’ve tried to obey His commands. Maybe you’ve even dedicated your life to serving Him in ministry. You’ve made every effort to “delight” in Him.

Yet for reasons beyond your ability to understand, no matter how much you pray in faith . . . God seems to be saying ‘no!’

And you can’t seem to shake the one thought that keeps repeating . . . it’s not fair!

To make things worse, like salt in a wound, everywhere you look, people who don’t even seem appreciative, have the very thing your heart longs for and you find yourself giving in to jealousy, tantrums, and self-pity.

So, you add whining and complaining to your prayers, like a child trying to get a parent to soften and give you what you want.

But nothing changes…

You wait and pray and wait and pray some more but you’re still sick. Still in pain. Still single. Still longing for a child, a job, a home, a _________.

This may be your story. It has been mine.

I had a heart’s desire years ago and I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it . . . God’s ‘no’ was simply unacceptable. I pouted, complained, whined, and refused to trust that God had a better plan for me.

Without giving you all the ugly details, I’ll tell you I learned a very big lesson the hard way.

Praise God for His forgiving grace, mercy, and love. He patiently showed me His better way. He taught me that I can trust His “no” even when it’s hard and I don’t want to. He taught 5 important truths . . . reasons I can trust His will even when it’s not my desire.

How to Trust God’s Love When You are Suffering

5 Reasons Why You and I can Trust God’s “No”

1. Trust God’s NO because EVERYthing God allows is filtered through His love.

Love is God’s character and He cannot do anything that is outside of who He is. He sees the big picture of our lives and always knows and does what is best for our eternal future even though we don’t understand and it doesn’t feel like it.

Joni Eareckson Tada once wrote…

“Real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives, but in understanding His character, in trusting in His promises, and in leaning on Him and resting in Him as the Sovereign who knows what He is doing and does all things well.”

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.
Psalm 143:8

2. Trust God’s NO because His goodness covers EVERYthing He allows.

God is good! Everything He does is good! You and I live in a sinful broken world and often have to live out the consequences of that truth. But although this life can be hard, God is always at work for our good in ways that will give Him glory.

All He does is just and good, and all His commandments are trustworthy.
Psalm 111:17

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.
Romans 8:28

3. Trust God’s NO because He sees the beginning from the end and may be saying “no” to protect you.

You and I make God too small. He is everlasting. He knows your past and your future. He knows the lives you will touch and knows how best to bless you always keeping your eternal future in mind.

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.
2 Peter 3:8

4. Trust God’s NO while you do what you can and leave the rest to Him.

It’s important for you and me to get up each day and focus on what we can do. It helps me to focus on counting my blessings and remembering what I have rather than dwelling on what’s lacking. My goal is to do my best with the Spirit’s help to trust God’s plans and purposes one day at a time remembering they always include love . . . very big love. And because of His love, He will give me what I need to endure whatever He allows.

“Harness the power of today. Seize the blessings of today! Make something happen, enhance your life, make someone laugh, help a friend, love, love, love!” ~Steve Maraboli

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22–23

5. Trust God’s NO as you lean deep into His love through prayer and study of His Word.

When life is hardest . . . I need God the most. So, I turn to Him through His Word and prayer, and by His grace, I begin to rest in His love. With the Spirit’s help, my experience has been that when I lean into the Lord in faith, He is faithful to give me what I need to live that day.

The Lord also keeps safe those who suffer. He is a safe place in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have never left alone those who look for You.
Psal, 9:9–10 (NLV)

“I won’t tell you it will be easy. It won’t.”

Walking through a valley of grief and heartache is an arduous journey but it is not one we have to take alone.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Psalm 23:4

Satan will consistently use your pain, your broken heart to tempt you to doubt God’s love, give up, and to try to take care of things on your own.

Martin Luther said that his tactics have never changed … the lie is still the same as it was in the Garden…

“The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands” ~Martin Luther

I have learned the hard way – that God’s ways are best. I’ve lived out the consequences of falling for the enemy’s lies, and I’ve come to believe with all my heart that God’s grace saturates everything He allows and His protecting hand of mercy surrounds anything He denies.

This isn’t fatalism. It’s faith!

Whatever you are facing today, remember…

God will walk with you through this valley. You can trust His goodness and love … He has proven just how much through His Son, Jesus. You are not alone!

He promised…

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.
2 Corinthians 12:8–9

I love this quote from Babbie Mason in Trust His Heart…

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don’t understand.
When you don’t see His plan.
When you can’t trace His hand.
Trust His Heart!

My friend, Horace Williams, has written an awesome new book,
The Furnace of Affliction

In The Furnace of Affliction: How God Uses Our Pain and Suffering for His Purpose, Horace Williams Jr. tackles this challenging topic. Based on the Word of God, insights from other leaders, and his studies, he addresses several key points, including:

How pain develops our faith
How pain determines our path
How pain delivers comfort, joy, and peace
And how pain deepens our commitment to God.

Packed with personal stories and scripture to support his points, Horace shares his insights on the problem of pain. His candid and straightforward communication style engages the reader as he addresses this critical topic for the body of Christ today.

I really loved this book. I’ve known Horace for a number of years but there was so much of his story I didn’t know. God has allowed pain and problems in his life and Horace is turning it into an opportunity to give God glory. This book is both powerful and inspiring. It even offers study questions at the end of each chapter to help you personalize your own journey.

Finally, leave a comment and tell us how you are learning to trust God’s love even when you’re suffering.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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I’m so excited to tell you about my new book!

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Pray When You Need More of Jesus

9 / 11 / 209 / 10 / 20

When I’m tired. When is out of control. When everyone and everything has gotten on my last nerve. When I discouraged . . . I need more of Jesus. #Jesus #Hope #Faith #Prayer #CountingMyBlessings #WWGGG

Stop with me for a moment and think about the following two quotes:

You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God—you were not made to be self-sufficient. ~Dallas Willard

“[Jesus] is a portion that exactly and directly suits the condition of the soul. The desires of the soul, and the necessities of the soul, and the wants of the soul, and the longings of the soul, and the prayers of the soul.

The soul can crave nothing, nor wish for nothing, but what is to be found in Christ. He is light to enlighten the soul, wisdom to counsel the soul, power to support the soul, goodness to supply the soul, mercy to pardon the soul, beauty to delight the soul, glory to ravish the soul, and fullness to fill the soul.” ~ Thomas Brooks (17th Century Preacher)

What is your soul?

The soul is the key to our lives . . . it unites your heart, your mind, and your spirit together. Your soul is who you are—who God created you to be.

And your soul and mine craves more of Jesus.

There is nothing or no one we need more!

Nothing you and I can desire or crave can satisfy our souls more than a close relationship with Jesus.

Yet, even though you know that to be true, if you’re like me, you are still so easily distracted and discouraged by life.

Right now, I know many of us are fighting feelings of discouragement. We long for life to go back to normal. We’re fatigued, frustrated and frightened.

And when I’m tired. When my life is out of control. When everyone and everything has gotten on my last nerve. When I’m focused on “what ifs” and “what could be’s,” when I’m discouraged . . . I need more of Jesus.

I need the One “who exactly and directly suits the condition of my soul!”

So, I’m praying and if you need more of Jesus too – I’d love for you to join me.

Pray When You Need More of Jesus

O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.
Psalm 86:5

Lord Jesus, there are moments when the reality of my sin overwhelms me and I come to You with a humble heart asking for Your forgiveness. Then You wrap me in Your love and forgiveness and I have everything I need.

Your love is greater than life. Please help me keep my eyes on You. When the enemy tries to distract me, when I am distressed and discouraged remind me of Your love and forgiveness. Because of Your grace and unfailing love, help me Lord as I put my trust in You.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.
Romans 4:3–5

Lord, I admit I don’t want problems or trials. If I could choose, I would pick blue skies and peaceful water. But I know You are able to help me endure with strength. I know You are the source of my hope. You are love and You fill my heart.

Please fill me with Your love. By the power of Your Spirit, please help me want You more than anything this life has to offer me. Help me want what You want for me trusting that You want what is best.

Lord, I surrender myself to You in faith and love.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
He is mine forever.
Psalm 73:25–26

Lord, this is my prayer . . . that nothing in my life would be more important than You.

You gave me this verse at one of the worst times of my life. I have and will always hold it in my heart. It reminds me every day that whatever happens, whatever You allow . . . You will always be with me giving me what I need. Knowing You are mine forever, Lord, keep me focused on Your love. Fill me with Your Spirit. Give me all I need to trust and obey. By Your grace and for Your glory.

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
John 15:9–11

Lord Jesus, Your love overwhelms me. You sacrificed everything. You walked along-side sinful people yet never sinned. You taught us what pure love looks like. You experienced pain, suffering, and death to give us life. And out of love, You gave Your Spirit to guide and help us.

This life can be hard, but You know that. The enemy is constantly working to prevent us from trusting and obeying You. But Your Word says that You will give us the courage and strength we need. Please keep me faithful to reading and knowing Your Word. Help me Seek You above all else that I might remain in Your love and live with overflowing joy.

Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37–39

Thank you, Lord Jesus. I am forever and ever secure in Your love. Nothing can ever change Your love because nothing can change You. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

I want to love, trust, and obey You perfectly. I need Your help. Please grant the desire of my heart that I might decrease so You might increase in me and through me. Please give me everything I need . . . give me more of your Spirit, give me more or You, Jesus.

Help me want You Jesus, more than anything. Amen.

When you and I have more of Jesus in our lives we also have”

less drama.
less selfishness.
less complaining.
less bitterness.
less gossip.
less pride.
less anger.
less self-righteousness.
less fear and anxiety.
less of the things that steal our joy.

And I want that . . . don’t you?

Finally, I’d like to share a quote from Louie Giglio…

Jesus doesn’t just give you what you need; Jesus is what you need. Your heart was created by Him, for Him. You can fight and claw to gain the world, but without Jesus, you will never be completely satisfied.
If there is a growing discontent deep inside your heart—a hunger that hasn’t been completely satisfied by the people, pleasures, parties, material things, or accomplishments—today is the day to open your heart to the idea that it is Jesus that you were made for. But you have to walk away from “less,” and ask Him to become your “more.” Jesus is enough for you, and He is here.

May you be abundantly blessed with overflowing joy and more of Jesus!

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

I’m so excited to tell you about my new book!

Check out our new Facebook Page/Group – #WWGGG – What Would Give God Glory. We’d love for you to join the movement!

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

5 Ways to Have the Peace You Want Every Day

2 / 25 / 193 / 2 / 19

It’s true!

It is absolutely impossible to experience God’s peace when I’m reliving yesterday or pre-living tomorrow. Peace simply cannot be applied to yesterday’s mess nor can it be pre-applied to tomorrow’s worries.

Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and regret the amount of time you wasted on guilt, worry, and anxiety?

Yeah, me too!

But I’m working on changing that. I truly believe that with God’s help I do not have to sacrifice today’s peace and joy to yesterday’s failures and tomorrows unknowns.

But I definitely need His help.

So, I’m working to apply the following disciplines every day … because I know when I do, well, I have the peace I want!

5 Ways to Have the Peace You Want Every Day

1. Celebrate today like it’s a bonus day.

Rev and I celebrate bonus days. In fact, today is our 4,176th bonus day.

What are bonus days?

They are the days we’ve been blessed to enjoy that were unexpected when he entered the operating room on September 20, 2007, for a pericardial stripping.

What’s that? A pericardial stripping is when a cardiac surgeon chips the thickened and hardened lining off a beating heart. It’s extremely dangerous. We were told the mortality rate, morbidity rate, and success rate were all equal. We weren’t offered a lot of hope.

And yet, God gave us His peace that day. And every day since Rev has written the Bonus Day number on the calendar as a reminder to celebrate and LIVE.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!
Psalm 118:@4

When we are busy treating today like the gift, the bonus, it is … well, it helps us to live intentionally. And intentional living focuses on now, refusing to dwell on the past or on the future.

2. Take every thought captive . . . purposefully reject guilt and worry.

I once read about a great idea that can help me seal today off from yesterday and tomorrow.

It’s called…

Living in an airlock space.

Imagine as you walk into today that the door to yesterday is closing behind you and you can’t open the door in front of you until it’s time to move into tomorrow.

Enter the airlock space with thanksgiving and leave it with repentance. No guilt and no worry.

I’m pretty sure, that’s downright Biblical…

So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

3. Do only what you are able to do today.

When is the last time you were able to accomplish everything on your to-do list?

Our lives are loaded with expectations. Some our own … many added by others. We have spouses, children, bosses, and friends we want to please. We’re serving and volunteering and…

It’s impossible to get it all done.

So, remember to manage each day with grace.

It’s okay to say “no.” It’s okay to set priorities. In fact, it’s not only okay, it’s God’s will. You absolutely cannot do everything for everyone. So, spend time with God and your planner. Pray and ask Him to help you manage your time according to His plans and purposes for you.

You may find that it’s time for you to say “no” to some good things so you can fully say “yes” to the most important things.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2

4. Trust God to meet your needs today.

Have you read the Bible account lately of the way God provided food for the Israelites in the Wilderness?

In the morning, as the dew evaporated, manna was left on the ground. And the people were to trust God by gathering just enough to eat that day. If they saved it overnight it smelled bad and was full of worms. (Exodus 16)

One day at a time … just enough. With the exception of Fridays, when they were told to gather enough for the Saturday Sabbath so they could rest as God commanded.

I love that!

God is able to meet today’s needs. And He will even meet them in ways that make it possible for us to take a Sabbath rest if we trust Him.

I often sense Jesus whispering,

“Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”
Matthew 8:26

And it’s impossible to have peace when my “little faith” doubts His ability to meet my needs.

But He also says…

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
Luke 12:31

And…

Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.
Matthew 6:26

5. Just breathe. Breathe in His peace and breathe out the peace robbers.

I have a dear one who often takes a deep breath and says, “In with the butterflies out with the bees.”

Great visual right?

When the moment is difficult and I’m tempted to make it worse by adding the past and the future, I just have to stop and breathe.

Breathe out frustration, worry, anxiety, guilt, and overwhelm … and breathe in God’s gift of peace by…

remembering His past faithfulness and provision.
clinging His promises.
running to Him in prayer.

When I remember all God has done for me in the past; when I lean on His promises to care for me today and in the future; and when I surrender every anxious thought to Him in prayer … I have everything I need to know He will help me experience His peace through this moment as well.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:3

I’ll admit it…

It’s hard to live one day at a time.

It’s hard to let go of yesterday and refuse to worry about tomorrow?

Especially for those of us who are naturally anxious.

But the truth is…

Like it or not, life is lived moment by moment. One day at a time.

So, it’s up to you and me whether we will live one day at a time moments with peace or sacrifice them to on the altar of regret and worry.

The choice is ours.

Steve Maraboli said:

“Although time seems to fly, it never travels faster than one day at a time. Each day is a new opportunity to live your life to the fullest. In each waking day, you will find scores of blessings and opportunities for positive change. Do not let your TODAY be stolen by the unchangeable past or the indefinite future! Today is a new day!”

So will you join me?

Let’s…

Celebrate today like it’s a bonus day.
Take every peace-robbing thought captive and surrender it to God.
Do what we are able to do today.
Trust God to meet this day’s needs.
And breathe in His peace.

We can do this! You and I can live one day at a time with God’s help.

And finally, here’s one more question that gives me perspective…

Will this matter a year from now?

It’s surprising how often the answer is, “no!” And if that’s the case, it’s not worth what it’s costing me in peace.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

I’m so excited to tell you about my new book!

Check out our new Facebook Page/Group – #WWGGG – What Would Give God Glory. We’d love for you to join the movement!

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!

When God Says “No” and Your Heart is Broken

4 / 24 / 152 / 16 / 19

God says “no.”

Now what?

What are you supposed to do when you feel like God is the One who allowed your broken heart?

It is your heart’s desire.

And the Bible says,…

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.
Psalm 37:4

But for reasons beyond your ability to understand . . . God says “no.”

You’ve been good. You’ve tried to obey His commands. Maybe you’ve even dedicated your life to serving Him in ministry.

But He still seems to be saying “no.”

And in your quiet moments when and you’re being honest, you think … it’s not fair!

If you’re like me (at least me before I learned it’s better, no it’s best, to trust God’s perfect love) you’ll start by praying over and over again.

Asking, Pleading. Crying.

Then you’ll whine and complain like a child trying to get a parent to soften and give in.

But it’s taking so long. You’re still sick. Still single. Still longing for a child, a job, a home, a _________.

You look around and people who don’t even seem appreciative have that something you’re longing for, and you find yourself giving in to jealousy, tantrums, and anger.

This may be your story.

It’s mine. I wanted what I wanted and God’s ‘no’ was simply unacceptable.

And I’m ashamed to tell you, that like a spoiled child, I took things into my own hands refusing to wait on God’s will and timing.

I’ve learned that is not in any way … a good idea!

By God’s grace, He patiently allowed me to live the consequences of my choice and then He showed me a better way and I’d like to tell you about it…

5 Things to Do ... When God Says “No” and Your Heart is Broken

1. Remember EVERYthing God allows is filtered through His love.

Love is God’s character. He cannot do anything outside of who He is.

You and I can trust Him. If He says “no” or “not now” He has a very good reason … even when it’s hard to understand.

God is love. God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.
1 John 4:8–9

2. Trust God’s goodness is in EVERYthing He allows.

His goal for you is your eternal good not our momentary happiness.

As hard as that is to understand at the moment … even when your longing is for something good, He never allows something that He is unable to use for the good of His children and for His glory.

You may never know how your circumstances and story might touch the eternal future of someone who is closely paying attention.

The Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together^[m for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:27–28

3. Know that God sees the end from the beginning and may be protecting you.

We make God too small. He is eternal. He knows your past and your future. He knows all the lives you will touch and He knows how best to bless you not just today but with eternity in mind.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelation 22:13

4. Do what you are able today and leave the rest to God.

Get up and focus on trusting God today. Ask God to give you peace and the ability to focus on your blessings.

Whew, that was hard for me! (In fact, that became the motivation behind my writing “Counting My Blessings.”)

Let me also add sometimes I still have to stop and have a good cry and honestly talk with God about my disappointment and sadness … that’s okay! He understands!

But … I’ve also learned to not allow myself to spend the day there. I give myself a set amount of time to cry and cry out, I give it to God, and then I get up, get busy, and live my life!

“Harness the power of today. Seize the blessings of today! Make something happen, enhance your life, make someone laugh, help a friend, love, love, love!” ~Steve Maraboli

5. Lean deep into God’s love through prayer and study of His Word.

Carry His promises close and trust, trust, trust.

Digging deep into God’s Word began my healing process. As I read through God’s Word and asked Him to strengthen me through His promises … everything began to change for me.

Trust became easier and other blessings became more obvious.

For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything He does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
Psalm 33:4–5

[Tweet “I’m not going to tell you it will be easy. It won’t.”]

It’s easier to believe the lie…

“The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands” ~Martin Luther

But I believe today with everything in me … if God allows or “doesn’t” allow something in my life, He will give me the strength to endure.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
1 Corinthians 10:13

I believe God is at work in my life through His grace and mercy and even when He allows something painful and difficult … I am confident He will give me whatever I need to trust Him one day at a time.

I believe He will do that for you, too!

Because faith gives the hope we need to trust His real and present love…

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.
Hebrews 11:1

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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