As I read the lyrics to Lifehouse's new song "Storm", it caused my heart to begin to reflect and be encouraged, this is what God showed me...
We all face storms in life. It’s unfortunately one of the harsh realities of our time on this earth. Jesus even warned us,”in this world you will face trouble…” If you are like me, after I’m through the storm I look back and confidently exclaim how I knew God would get me through it, which is true! It’s the times when I am in some rough waters spiritually and the wind and waves are crashing against me that I need to practice what I preach. I need to remember the storms I have already come through and the beautiful rainbows that followed.
Looking back on how difficult a storm was is easier than being in the storm and looking forward to the rainbow. I don’t quite understand that, since God has promised us that HE will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) The reality is when we get tangled up and off track, we lose focus and get down, but we need to Stand up, brush ourself off and say. I will overcome. As Rascal Flatts so brilliantly explains:
'Cause when push comes to shove
Looking back on how difficult a storm was is easier than being in the storm and looking forward to the rainbow. I don’t quite understand that, since God has promised us that HE will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) The reality is when we get tangled up and off track, we lose focus and get down, but we need to Stand up, brush ourself off and say. I will overcome. As Rascal Flatts so brilliantly explains:
'Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend 'til you break'
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe you hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand
I know the rainbow awaits, when it will appear I don’t know but I WILL wait BECAUSE I AM a child of God and as HE promised Moses, HE promises us, “I {God} will go with you, I will see the journey to the end.” Exodus 33:14
During the storm I believe its ok for us to be upset at God, to beat on HIS chest with the questions of why me, why another storm? But, I caution to do this in a way that will turn us TOWARD HIM not away from HIM. God actually tells us we have the right to do that in 1 Peter 5:7 “cast ALL your cares on HIM because HE cares for you.” If He didn’t care for you He wouldn’t want you to tell Him your concerns, worries, hurts or fears. HE ALREADY KNOWS THEM ANYWAY!!! He just wants us to express those to Him. To build that "Daddy-Child" relationship. It feels so good to get things off your chest, whether that’s telling God or sharing with a friend you can confide in. Our friends are great, they will listen and if they are truly walking with the Lord, very often God speaks wisdom to us through them. A man once told me, regarding storms of life, “Short term pain leads to a long term gain” That is a great paraphrase of 1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you but REJOICE that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be OVERJOYED when HIS GLORY is revealed”
God allows us to put our worries, fears, concerns, hurts etc on HIM and He knows all things so He knows how it will all pan out. Our problem, me included is that when it doesn’t work out the way we envisioned it, we get mad at God. Then our selfishness kicks in because we want it “our" way. When our prayers are not answered how WE want them to go, we feel God is ignoring us. Garth may have a “catchy” song, but there is no such thing as “Unanswered prayers”. I fully know it is, though it shouldn’t be, hard to trust God knowing He has a better plan and timetable for our lives. It may not always be that He is saying NO to our request; it may be that is saying WAIT! The waiting is the hardest part. We know God answers prayers in one of three ways, HE says “Yes”, “No” or the dreaded ‘W’ word, “Wait”.
I am the type of person who can’t buy Christmas or birthday presents too early for someone because I can’t wait for the birthday party or Christmas. If I have something for someone I care about and love, usually something I know they want or need, I want to give it to them immediately. Sometimes I have made it or sometimes I buy it but either way I can’t wait until the Birthday or Christmas, I want them to have it now. By giving it to them early, it’s just not the same excitement as when the time is right. This is especially true with things we make for someone. Whether it’s a scrapbook, a bookshelf or whatever, if we give it to them too early or when its not finished or ready its not as enjoyable or meaningful to them.
I am thankful that God has more patience than I do. As HIS children He wants the very best for us. Sometimes HE will give us a glimpse or a hint of something huge he wants to do or give us then HE removes it to see if we will be patient and wait for HIM to complete it and to see if we will trust HIM and LOVE HIM more than the glimpse of what HE showed us or if we just want our gift from HIM now, the way it is finished or not. That would make it seem as if we only love HIM for what HE gives us or does for us. In his book, It’s Not About Me, Max Lucado says, “When our deepest desire is NOT the things of God, or a favor from God but God HIMSELF we cross a major threshold” That has been something God has be drilling in my head and heart recently. It has changed my perspective on many things!
My hearts passion and desire is to be in full time ministry. Be it traveling and preaching full time, on staff as a full time youth/college pastor or a Bible teacher at a Christian school. God has given me glimpses of all those choices and I am eagerly awaiting HIS direction for me in that realm. I KNOW God has something huge in store for me in that area. I am in the place now of the waiting for HIM to show me where exactly that is. That is my biggest desire now, to serve HIM where HE wants me. My heart longs to be investing in the lives of students and young adults, actually to anyone who will listen!
I realize desire one, being my relationship with God and the ministry HE has for me, takes precedence over ALL other desires. If we don’t keep Christ number one in our life, it doesn’t matter how bad you want something, how long you’ve worked for it, how much you’ve prayed for if, the fact is if Christ is not FIRST in our hearts, mind and souls everything else will fail. That’s not to say that it won’t ever happen, I’m saying if it is to be TRULY blessed by God, HE has to be the leader, the center and the motivation for EVERYTHING we do. Anyone or anything we put before God is an idol and HE will remove idols, because HE DESIRES, DESERVES and DIED to be number one in EVERY area of our life. In the words of Paul to the Philippians, “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of for me. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead . I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
Therefore I WILL keep my heart and life focused on keeping Christ my focus and the main desire of my heart. I WILL seek HIM first and full force with everything in me. I WILL find the place HE has for me in ministry wherever that may be. I WILL “Rejoice in the Lord always” Philippians 4:4. I WILL “be confident that HE who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.” Philippians 1:6 I WILL “boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ power may rest on me” 2 Corinthians 12:9 I WILL “consider it joy when I face trials of many kinds for I know the testing of my faith develops perseverance and perseverance must complete it’s work so that I may be mature and complete in Christ.” James 1: 2-4 I WILL “Be strong in the Lord and the power of HIS might, putting on the full armor of God” Philippians 6:10 I WILL “persevere so that when I have done the will of God I will received what HE has promised” Hebrews 10:36 I WILL “pray continually, giving thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is Gods will” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 I WILL “fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of {my} faith” Hebrews 12:2 I WILL “greatly rejoice, though now for a little while {I will} have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that {my} faith …may be proved genuine and may result in praise Glory and Honor when Jesus is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6-7
I make these statements as a commitment to God and a reminder to myself so when the enemy attacks, and he WILL I will be ready to stand my ground and fight!
I can say all of this knowing that God’s word is true. BECAUSE I AM “ I am a child of God” 1 John 3:1 BECAUSE I AM “more than a conqueror through HIM who loved {me}” Romans 8:37 BECAUSE I AM certain “ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to HIS purpose.” Romans 8:28 BECAUSE I AM “having no fear of bad news because my heart is steadfast trusting in the Lord” Psalm 112:7 BECAUSE I AM “not my own, I was bought with a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 BECAUSE I AM “created in Gods image” Genesis 1:27 BECAUSE I AM “not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16 BECAUSE I AM “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139: 14 BECAUSE I AM “delighting myself in the Lord, HE will give {me} the desires of {my} heart” Psalm 37:4 BECAUSE I AM “desiring to do YOUR will o my God, your law is in my heart” Psalm 40:8 BECAUSE I AM “trusting in you {Lord} with all of my heart and leaning not on my own understanding and in ALL of my ways acknowledging You {Lord}, YOU will make my path straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 BECAUSE I AM “saved by grace through faith, and this not of myself, it is a gift of God not by works so {I} can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 BECAUSE I AM “Fighting the good fight of faith, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2Timothy 4:7 BECAUSE I AM “Gods workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for {me} to do”
Ephesians 2:10
I WILL continue in my journey with God and go where HE leads and do as HE says, BECAUSE I AM determined to not only finish what God has started but to FINISH STRONG!!! I know this is making me a better man for HIM, me, my family and friends as well as my future mate and MY family. I want to close with a quote, “Life’s success isn’t measured by the position you hold, it’s measured by the obstacles you overcome” author unknown.
I know the rainbow awaits, when it will appear I don’t know but I WILL wait BECAUSE I AM a child of God and as HE promised Moses, HE promises us, “I {God} will go with you, I will see the journey to the end.” Exodus 33:14
During the storm I believe its ok for us to be upset at God, to beat on HIS chest with the questions of why me, why another storm? But, I caution to do this in a way that will turn us TOWARD HIM not away from HIM. God actually tells us we have the right to do that in 1 Peter 5:7 “cast ALL your cares on HIM because HE cares for you.” If He didn’t care for you He wouldn’t want you to tell Him your concerns, worries, hurts or fears. HE ALREADY KNOWS THEM ANYWAY!!! He just wants us to express those to Him. To build that "Daddy-Child" relationship. It feels so good to get things off your chest, whether that’s telling God or sharing with a friend you can confide in. Our friends are great, they will listen and if they are truly walking with the Lord, very often God speaks wisdom to us through them. A man once told me, regarding storms of life, “Short term pain leads to a long term gain” That is a great paraphrase of 1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you but REJOICE that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be OVERJOYED when HIS GLORY is revealed”
God allows us to put our worries, fears, concerns, hurts etc on HIM and He knows all things so He knows how it will all pan out. Our problem, me included is that when it doesn’t work out the way we envisioned it, we get mad at God. Then our selfishness kicks in because we want it “our" way. When our prayers are not answered how WE want them to go, we feel God is ignoring us. Garth may have a “catchy” song, but there is no such thing as “Unanswered prayers”. I fully know it is, though it shouldn’t be, hard to trust God knowing He has a better plan and timetable for our lives. It may not always be that He is saying NO to our request; it may be that is saying WAIT! The waiting is the hardest part. We know God answers prayers in one of three ways, HE says “Yes”, “No” or the dreaded ‘W’ word, “Wait”.
I am the type of person who can’t buy Christmas or birthday presents too early for someone because I can’t wait for the birthday party or Christmas. If I have something for someone I care about and love, usually something I know they want or need, I want to give it to them immediately. Sometimes I have made it or sometimes I buy it but either way I can’t wait until the Birthday or Christmas, I want them to have it now. By giving it to them early, it’s just not the same excitement as when the time is right. This is especially true with things we make for someone. Whether it’s a scrapbook, a bookshelf or whatever, if we give it to them too early or when its not finished or ready its not as enjoyable or meaningful to them.
I am thankful that God has more patience than I do. As HIS children He wants the very best for us. Sometimes HE will give us a glimpse or a hint of something huge he wants to do or give us then HE removes it to see if we will be patient and wait for HIM to complete it and to see if we will trust HIM and LOVE HIM more than the glimpse of what HE showed us or if we just want our gift from HIM now, the way it is finished or not. That would make it seem as if we only love HIM for what HE gives us or does for us. In his book, It’s Not About Me, Max Lucado says, “When our deepest desire is NOT the things of God, or a favor from God but God HIMSELF we cross a major threshold” That has been something God has be drilling in my head and heart recently. It has changed my perspective on many things!
My hearts passion and desire is to be in full time ministry. Be it traveling and preaching full time, on staff as a full time youth/college pastor or a Bible teacher at a Christian school. God has given me glimpses of all those choices and I am eagerly awaiting HIS direction for me in that realm. I KNOW God has something huge in store for me in that area. I am in the place now of the waiting for HIM to show me where exactly that is. That is my biggest desire now, to serve HIM where HE wants me. My heart longs to be investing in the lives of students and young adults, actually to anyone who will listen!
I realize desire one, being my relationship with God and the ministry HE has for me, takes precedence over ALL other desires. If we don’t keep Christ number one in our life, it doesn’t matter how bad you want something, how long you’ve worked for it, how much you’ve prayed for if, the fact is if Christ is not FIRST in our hearts, mind and souls everything else will fail. That’s not to say that it won’t ever happen, I’m saying if it is to be TRULY blessed by God, HE has to be the leader, the center and the motivation for EVERYTHING we do. Anyone or anything we put before God is an idol and HE will remove idols, because HE DESIRES, DESERVES and DIED to be number one in EVERY area of our life. In the words of Paul to the Philippians, “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of for me. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead . I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
Therefore I WILL keep my heart and life focused on keeping Christ my focus and the main desire of my heart. I WILL seek HIM first and full force with everything in me. I WILL find the place HE has for me in ministry wherever that may be. I WILL “Rejoice in the Lord always” Philippians 4:4. I WILL “be confident that HE who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.” Philippians 1:6 I WILL “boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ power may rest on me” 2 Corinthians 12:9 I WILL “consider it joy when I face trials of many kinds for I know the testing of my faith develops perseverance and perseverance must complete it’s work so that I may be mature and complete in Christ.” James 1: 2-4 I WILL “Be strong in the Lord and the power of HIS might, putting on the full armor of God” Philippians 6:10 I WILL “persevere so that when I have done the will of God I will received what HE has promised” Hebrews 10:36 I WILL “pray continually, giving thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is Gods will” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 I WILL “fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of {my} faith” Hebrews 12:2 I WILL “greatly rejoice, though now for a little while {I will} have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that {my} faith …may be proved genuine and may result in praise Glory and Honor when Jesus is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6-7
I make these statements as a commitment to God and a reminder to myself so when the enemy attacks, and he WILL I will be ready to stand my ground and fight!
I can say all of this knowing that God’s word is true. BECAUSE I AM “ I am a child of God” 1 John 3:1 BECAUSE I AM “more than a conqueror through HIM who loved {me}” Romans 8:37 BECAUSE I AM certain “ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to HIS purpose.” Romans 8:28 BECAUSE I AM “having no fear of bad news because my heart is steadfast trusting in the Lord” Psalm 112:7 BECAUSE I AM “not my own, I was bought with a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 BECAUSE I AM “created in Gods image” Genesis 1:27 BECAUSE I AM “not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16 BECAUSE I AM “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139: 14 BECAUSE I AM “delighting myself in the Lord, HE will give {me} the desires of {my} heart” Psalm 37:4 BECAUSE I AM “desiring to do YOUR will o my God, your law is in my heart” Psalm 40:8 BECAUSE I AM “trusting in you {Lord} with all of my heart and leaning not on my own understanding and in ALL of my ways acknowledging You {Lord}, YOU will make my path straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 BECAUSE I AM “saved by grace through faith, and this not of myself, it is a gift of God not by works so {I} can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 BECAUSE I AM “Fighting the good fight of faith, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2Timothy 4:7 BECAUSE I AM “Gods workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for {me} to do”
Ephesians 2:10
I WILL continue in my journey with God and go where HE leads and do as HE says, BECAUSE I AM determined to not only finish what God has started but to FINISH STRONG!!! I know this is making me a better man for HIM, me, my family and friends as well as my future mate and MY family. I want to close with a quote, “Life’s success isn’t measured by the position you hold, it’s measured by the obstacles you overcome” author unknown.
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