WHEN LIFE GOES OUT OF OUR CONTROL

"My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a

After Jesus was crucified and buried in the tomb, life must have been very uncertain for the Twelve and others who had faithfully followed Jesus.  They had just witnessed from afar the horrifying scene of Jesus hanging on a cross, too fearful to hover and watch nearby.  All their hopes and dreams of a Savior and King were dashed.  Now, they feared arrest from the Roman authorities and the Jewish leaders who sought to stamp out this new religious movement.  Questions must have raced through their minds as they wondered about all they had learned in the previous three years.  What had been the point of it all if Jesus lay dead in a tomb?  How could they possibly carry on without Him? 

When the women went to the tomb to prepare the body, they didn't expect Jesus to be risen.  They thought His body had been stolen, just as the Jewish leaders had feared.  Then they saw the angels who helped them to refocus on the truth! 

"Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen:  remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.  And they remembered His words,"  Luke 24:6-8

How many times have we forgotten the words of Jesus when we get in a tight situation? 

"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."  John 20:19

I have to smile as I think about how startled they must have been and how skeptical they acted when they saw Jesus, thinking He was just a spirit.  We know that Thomas had doubts, and the others weren't too sure until Jesus shared a meal with them, demonstrating the truth of His resurrection to them.  Doubt had taken hold of their hearts and paralyzed them.  Here they were in hiding wondering how to save their lives from certain death.  Yet we must not accuse them too harshly, for after all, they are merely reacting as we would have acted.

When trials and troubles come, we immediately begin to question.  I know I have.  Do you too doubt that our Lord can deliver and save in the midst of an impossible situation?  Have you lost hope for a saving solution to your problem?  Do you despair of deliverance? 

"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." Psalm 145:18

Maybe you are rejecting His will for you to walk through your trials while trusting Him to walk with you so you can bear them.  The Apostle Paul's greatest ministry was in his letters written to the churches scattered throughout Greece, Syria, Turkey, Macedonia, and of course Rome.  What a gift of encouragement and exhortation he sent to the churches! 

His circumstances could certainly have caused him to lose his focus, but they didn't.  Paul saw every tribulation and trial as an opportunity.  For instance who would want to be under house arrest continuously chained to a Roman guard?  We have to smile as we realize that Paul had a captive audience with which to talk of Jesus.  Paul was used to spread the message of salvation and many came to Jesus as a result.  Surely we would have quit if we had undergone the trials Paul endured.  Think about the beatings, the imprisonments, the long journeys, the deprivation, and persecutions he endured.  Paul used his opportunities to be a witness of Jesus Christ and spoke the message of salvation to all.  Paul was an overcomer. 

He wrote:

"But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."  Philippians 1:12-14

Have you noticed that in times of trial and tribulation, we are driven to our knees to pray and seek the face of God?  Would we be so close to Him without the trials?  Probably not; for we would become more consumed with the cares of our lives in the daily world.  We would forget we believers have our citizenship in Heaven and that we are mere sojourners here.  I was reminded by a radio pastor that if all went smoothly just as we wanted, we would never yearn for the heavenly Kingdom.  Wise words. 

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."  Colossians 3:2

When life goes out of our control, remember that He is still in control. 

If you are struggling to believe the truth and do not know Jesus as your Savior, then please go to Do you know for sure?

Peace be unto you!

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"Preserve me, O God:  for in thee do I put my trust."  Psalm 16:1

REGAINING OUR FOCUS

"And let us not be weary in well-doing:  for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  Galatians 6:9

The Bible is filled with true stories of men and women who suffered and doubted in the midst of terrible trials.  Yet, their stories also prove that God is faithful.  If they can make it, then we can take heart because we can too.  Alone, it's practically impossible, but  if we keep our focus on the One who can help, we will find help in our time of need.

Remember David who ran for his life from King Saul after being anointed the new king of Israel?  He too doubted and begged for God's help. Here are some of David's woeful thoughts from psalms he wrote while running from King Saul...

"Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak:  O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.  My soul is also sore vexed:  but thou, O Lord, how long?  Return, O Lord, deliver my soul:  oh save me for thy mercies' sake.  For in death there is no remembrance of thee:  in the grave who shall give thee thanks?  I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears."  Psalm 6:2-6

"How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?"  Psalm 13:1

Maybe David's words are the pleas of your own heart.  In the midst of our trials, we often feel abandoned by God.  Surely if God loved us, He would not have left us alone we may think.  He must not care.  I've done all I know to do, so why doesn't He honor His promises?

It is easy to lose our focus on Him.  When we do, we leave ourselves open to many more sorrows.  Trials and tribulations reveal the seeds of doubt already planted in our heart.  We become powerless to perform the work He has called us to do.  Emotionally, we place ourselves into a chasm of despair and depression driven by hopelessness and helplessness.

In times of despair, we usually need to get our focus back on Him.  Following are some helpful tips to use to regain your focus.  

REGAINING OUR FOCUS...

Pray!  "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."  1 Timothy 2:8

Meditate on Scripture!  "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  Romans 10:17

Wait!  "Wait on the Lord:  be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:  wait, I say, on the Lord."  Psalm 27:14

Offer praise and thanksgiving to our Lord for all He has done!  Count your blessings!

"And not only so, we glory in tribulations also:  knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:  and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:3-5

"For thou wilt light my candle:  the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness."  Psalm 18:28

   MUSINGS...  David's thoughts of deliverance in Psalms

"I laid down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me." Psalm 3:5

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice:  let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:  let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."  Psalm 5:11

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:  for thee, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."  Psalm 9:9-10

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.  I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:  so shall I be saved from mine enemies."  Psalm 18:2-3

"Shew thy marvellous loving kindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them."  Psalm 17:7

"He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me:  for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity:  but the Lord was my stay."  Psalm 18:17-18

"As for God, his way is perfect:  the word of the Lord is tried:  he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.  For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?  It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.  He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.  He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.  Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:  and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.  Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip."  Psalm 18:30-36

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  Psalm 27:1

"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:  in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."  Psalm 27:5

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:  therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."  Psalm 28:7

"In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:  deliver me in thy righteousness."  Psalm 31:1

"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."  Psalm 32:7

"I sough the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  Psalm 34:4

"But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:  he is their strength in the time of trouble."  Psalm 37:39

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me:  thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."  Psalm 40:17

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Being Content—Even when Life is Not Fair

By Nancy Twigg

For many years, I was able to think of contentment only in terms of material possessions. During that time, if you asked me why people are not content, my automatic answer was, "Because they want more and more stuff without appreciating what they already have." Unfortunately, my canned response didn’t bring me much comfort as I worked through my own issues with contentment.

I never struggled with wanting a larger home or fancier car or designer labels in my closet. My challenge was fretting over whether our lives would work out the way I thought they should. My husband, Michael and I both were raised with the belief that if you work hard and stay out of trouble, you will get ahead in life. As good as this notion sounds, unfortunately it has not always been our experience in real life.

When we left our jobs a decade ago to begin working for ourselves, our businesses grew slowly despite all our hard work. Michael studied for years to get a PhD but has not been able to consistently find work in his area of specialization. We suffered several other setbacks beyond our control. On many occasions, I complained to God, "Why is life so hard sometimes?"

In the same way, your contentment issues may have nothing to do with material possessions but rather with circumstances—challenging situations in life that haven’t improved despite your best efforts. Although we hope and pray for healing from illnesses or resolution for difficult conflicts, the reality is, these prayers are not always answered as we hope. Contentment means running the race when things are going well—and continuing to run even when they are not.

Regardless of the source of your discontentment, understand these three things:

1. Contentment is within your grasp. Be encouraged. You can learn, as Paul did, to be at peace with your circumstances. Forget how green the grass appears somewhere else. By continually focusing on what is over there, you are unable to see the blessings of what’s right here in your own backyard. In my quest for contentment, this meant I needed to remind myself continually of the things that had gone right for us, rather than focusing on the things that had gone wrong.

2. Contentment thieves should be arrested. Pesky thought patterns rob you of your contentment and peace of mind. These thoughts start so innocently but can lead to major chaos. Something as harmless as admiring a friend’s marriage, job, or financial situation can easily shift to comparing and finding inadequacy in your own marriage, work, or finances. The habit of dwelling on what-ifs can be equally dangerous. Lingering on what might have been only casts a dark shadow over what is. The best way to deal with contentment thieves is to be aggressive in squelching this form of mental static. Refuse to allow your mind to wander down those paths. I’ve gone so far as to say an authoritative "No!" out loud to remind myself that these thoughts are not welcome.

3. Thankfulness can be cultivated. Contentment and thankfulness go hand in hand. The more thankful a person is, the more content she’s likely to be. The less thankful a person is, the less content she’s likely to be. Even if your circumstances aren’t what you would consider ideal, choose to be thankful. And during the most trying times, you can certainly find something to be thankful for, even if it’s just the knowledge that God is with you. You’ll be amazed at how little you have to complain about when you spend a majority of your time giving thanks. Contentment grows as you nurture it with gratitude.

So how is your level of contentment these days? Has discontentment cluttered your heart and confused your mind? If so, it doesn’t have to be that way. Become a student of contentment. Learn to be content on the inside, no matter what’s happening on the outside. Kiss the clutter of discontentment good-bye so you can welcome the clarity of being at peace with your circumstances.

[Excerpt taken from: From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out © 2007 by Nancy Twigg, published by Standard Publishing (www.standardpub.com). Used by permission.]

 

ABOUT NANCY... 

Nancy Twigg is an author and speaker who loves inspiring women to live more simply. To learn more about Nancy’s speaking and writing ministry, visit her online at www.keepitsimplesister.com

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"But godliness with contentment is great gain."  1 Timothy 6:6

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."  Proverbs 31:28

"But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." John 3:21

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:6