I Don't have time for this pain!

Saturday, January 23, 2016 by Unknown

Before you get frustrated that your pain has interrupted your life, remember, God has a purpose:
IN your pain
THROUGH your pain

In John 11 we hear the story of a much needed response from Jesus.

BUT, He delayed because His purpose was much bigger than His friends thought.

Take a look-

'Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,a the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.

So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.”

When Jesus heard this he said,

"This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (WOW)

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was.'

Jesus didn't rush there to save him...

His purpose was to wait, and let Lazarus suffer and die...
Why????
To save more people through what He was about to do. Praise Jesus that He doesn't always say yes in that moment to our pleas for help. His plan is
BIGGER and BETTER than we could ever imagine. His delays are never a waste.

TRUST. HIM.

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Suffering without murmuring

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 by Unknown

Nothing, I repeat, Nothing

magnifies the excellency of the might and mercy of God

like suffering for Him

without murmuring against Him.

I know, it's so easy to do...
Suffering, itself seems to
say, "Hey, I'm not ok and I want to complain!"

But it doesn't make it right.

God has allowed this suffering in your life today.

What will you do with it?

Are you complaining

to God about your pain?

Or are you using your time to worship and thank Him?

We can use the time God has given us

to praise Him and help others

see and delight in the Lord

Our God!

He has given this PAIN to you today.
Don't waste it!

Psalm 145

Great Is the Lord

A Song of Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.]The Lord upholds all who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.You open your hand;
    you satisfy the desire of every living thing.The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works.The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Amen.

God bless you!

Posted in: choosing joy, chronic pain, comforts from the cross, depression, Does God care if I'm suffering, don't waste your life, invisible illness | 0 comments | |

The best thing to happen to you!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015 by Unknown

The best thing to happen to you...Hmm
I bet you are thinking I am going to say:

a new job

a great spouse

obedient kids

ideal vacation

money in the bank

but, no, none of these are what I want to talk about today.
The best thing to happen to you is a trial. Yes I said it, a TRIAL.
What???
Why would a trial be the best thing to happen to you?

James tells us in chapter 1:2
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,"

You may say, "Well that's easy for James to say! He doesn't have my pain. If he did, he wouldn't say to count it ALL joy."

But James shows us an amazing treasure if we could understand it.

You see, our faith isn't proven until we face a trial. When things are going really well our faith isn't tested. In fact, when things are going well in life we hardly go to the Lord. We feel we are doing a pretty good job, but then....when difficulty comes we go running to God.

"Please God take this problem from me! I can't do it anymore. I need you!"

WOW...I hope you see the error in this conversation. God is not our genie. He doesn't show up on the scene to put out the fire.

He is:
Almighty God
Prince of Peace
Our Savior
King of Kings
The First and the Last

When a trial comes, how do we react? Do we go to God, seeking HIM rather than relief? Can you truly say you trust the Lord whether you are in pain or not? How is your prayer life when your pain is gone? I want you to really think through these questions today. This tells a lot about what you truly believe.

You and I are standing on a road we didn't plan...

But God has it all planned out. He is in complete control and that should give you so much peace! Nothing that happens to you is outside His control. Amen. So in your pain, in your trial, thank Him! He is growing you and showing you your dependence on the Lord.

Proverbs 16:9

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Posted in: choosing joy, chronic pain, comforts from the cross, disability, Does God care if I'm suffering, don't waste your life, God's will, invisible illness, living by faith | 0 comments | |

Stand Firm in your faith

Thursday, November 12, 2015 by Unknown

One of satan's most tempting seductive lies:

YOU ARE ALONE IN YOUR SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

somehow everyone else's life is easy and you are the only one with this issue.
He wants you to question "where is God in my life?!"
"Doesn't he care?"

Peter gives us an answer in chapter 5:

Satan goes around as a lion seeking someone to devour...to devour you at your weakest.

What are you called to do?

Resist Him

STAND FIRM IN YOUR FAITH!

The same kinds of suffering or problems are in every corner of the world.
We live in a fallen world!
Recognize it!

Where should you go when you don't think you can take anymore?

When you listen to an evil lie...

God's Word!
Trust in God's sanctifying grace!
He will, after a little while, will Himself, restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you!
YOUR LORD WILL NOT TURN FROM HIS GRACE
Suffering doesn't change His plan!
He works best through suffering!
The Cross wasn't Plan B
Praise Him!

Posted in: choosing joy, comforts from the cross, Does God care if I'm suffering, don't waste your life, fear, joyful suffering, stand firm | 0 comments | |

Good reminder

Friday, October 30, 2015 by Unknown

So I'm sure you, like the rest of us, have put up a few Fall items in your house, even if it is hard. There's something about Fall that makes me want to curl up in my favorite chair with my comfy blanket and a great book! Today, though, as I was lounging in my favorite chair this decoration was staring at me straight in the eye.

Give Thanks to The Lord!

And it made me stop in my tracks, realizing I had been grumbling all day about how I never get a break from pain (you too?). Why does this decoration have to be staring at me? Today I don't FEEL like being thankful. I FEEL like crying, wishing THIS wasn't my life anymore.

Oh, How It's Easy To Wallow

Bitter feelings, deep down begin to surface and I begin thinking of all the ways I'm not thankful. This is the ugly side of chronic pain. The side that just can't focus on BEING thankful. How do I do that right now? How do I help others do that right now, in the midst of terrible pain?

We Get Our Eyes Off Of Ourselves

This isn't easy. Our flesh wants to keep the focus on ME-ME-ME...

But God, (I love those two words) has a much bigger PLAN. You see, the pain we struggle with is there to teach us more about Jesus, to draw us nearer to the Father, and remind us to give thanks! There is OH so much to be THANKFUL for.

I Urge You To Read 2 Corinthians 4:6-18

Oh what a blessing it would be if I would REMEMBER these verses!

God has given us THIS pain to show the world His grace--I can't do this THING called pain by myself. I need Him-and so do many others-(Be thankful!)

God has saved us (Be thankful!).

All glory and power is in the Lord's hands (Be thankful!).

We are in pain, but it's momentary (Be thankful!).

We are not forsaken by our God (Be thankful!).

This pain is preparing us for an eternal glory we can't comprehend (Be thankful!).

One day...we will be in the presence of the Lord (Be thankful!).

So what do we do?

We Give Thanks To Our Most Gracious Lord

amen.

To those who don't believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior:
You are separated from God by your sin and do not have this hope to look forward to. I urge you, beg you, to sek forgiveness from the Lord, repent from your sinful ways, and turn to Christ. Then, He will save you and you will have an eternal inheritance waiting for you-free from pain, free to love the Lord, and free from sin.

Posted in: choosing joy, depression, Does God care if I'm suffering, fight the good fight, giving thanks, God's medicine, hope in pain, I can't take this pain, it's not fair | 0 comments | |

Roots Down Deep

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 by Unknown

My hope in Christ is stronger today than ever before. It makes no sense to the world around us, but the hope we have in Christ is as strong as a tree next to the water with our roots down deep. Nothing will make us waiver. We are held strong IN Christ. HE is the one who makes us strong.

When we cry out WHY Lord...
We long for eternity. We long for the future promised to us through Christ. It keeps me focused on the Lord, especially in my pain.

How about you? Are your roots down deep, IN Christ?
If you are satisfied in this world, your roots are not deep.
But if you love the Lord,
if you long for Heaven,
if you trust in His will
THEN you can say with me today, "God is my hope, and my HOPE is sure!"

Jeremiah 17:8
"He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

#StandStrong

Posted in: choosing joy, chronic pain, Does God care if I'm suffering, don't waste your pain, faithful, fight the good fight, help in pain, keep focused on God | 0 comments | |