Broken until you reach the end of yourself

Have you ever been broken until you feel you reach the end of yourself? This is the time to reach out to God, who provides many rich promises of love, hope and strength in His word. Throughout the ages, millions have trusted in Him and not been disappointed. Perhaps this sounds like too simple a solution in this modern age of complication and sophistication, but I assure you, simplicity is the key to life. Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest". Matthew 11:28. Won't you trust Him today?

A promise that God will fill our hearts with joy

I love this Bible promise that God will fill our mouths with laughter and our lips with joy. It tells us that we can rise above our circumstances at all times and no matter how troubled we may feel, God will always be our grounding, and not what is happening around us.

In hours of discouragement, God is our encouragement...

This is such a beautiful poem by Helen Steiner Rice and I have always loved those first two lines, though the whole poem is so powerful:

Sometimes we feel uncertain, 

and unsure of everything,

Afraid to make decisions, 

Dreading what the day will bring,

We keep wishing it were possible 

to dispel all fear and doubt,

and to understand more readily 

just what life is all about,

God has given us the answers 

which too often go unheeded,

but if we search His promises 

we’ll find everything we need

and seek, to lift our faltering spirits 

and renew our courage too,

for there is absolutely nothing too much 

for God to do,

For the Lord is our Salvation 

and our Strength 

in every fight we fight.

Our Redeemer, and Protector, 

our eternal Guiding Light,

He has promised to sustain us, 

He’s our Refuge from all harms,

and underneath this Refuge 

are His Everlasting Arms,

So cast your burdens on Him, 

seek His counsel when distressed,

and go to Him for comfort 

whenever you’re lonely and oppressed,

For God is our encouragement 

in trouble and in trials,

and in suffering and in sorrow 

He will turn our tears to smiles.

Dealing with my workaholic issues...

I couldn’t sleep last night – again.  The reason why was I was plagued with thoughts of work.  My mind was racing – I actually realised that I was thinking of the same things over and over again, resolving them and then thinking of them again. One of my colleagues once told me that my problem is that I think about people that are not even thinking about me – in the work context, that is – because I wanted to rush my lunch so that I could get back to the conference room.

It got me thinking as to why – why was I doing this? It all came back to my fear of failure. I have a fear of failure! This is what makes me a workaholic. But what does it matter, even though I am giving my all to my work, working as unto the Lord, as we are encouraged in the bible, Jesus said that “Do not be over-anxious, therefore, about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own cares. Enough for each day are its own troubles” Mt 6:34. 

This does not mean that I have to give up work, or giving my all to what I do.  It means that at the end of each day, as soon as I walk out of that door, I am leaving everything in the hands of the Lord – trusting Him that all will be fine and that tomorrow when I walk in the door, things will still be fine.  He never sleeps or slumbers, so I can trust Him for all of these things!

Halleluia! What a mighty God we serve! I bow down in reverential awe of His splendour and greatness and I pray that you, dear reader, will be able to trust God with all that you do and leave today’s troubles for today.  God has given us a spirit of a sound mind and not of fear (“For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” 2 Tim 1:7).

Be encouraged today!

See beyond your circumstances and trust in the promises of God

The affirmation in your mind about something must be stronger than the circumstances you are facing.  Speak to the picture (your belief), not the fact. The children of Israel did not believe the promises of God when they saw the giants in the land.

Take note of the powerful promises of Psalm 103:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
³ Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."

Another promise is found in Romans 4:17:

"...God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did..."

Indeed, He promises us good things - in times of trouble, let us not forget all of His benefits.

When thinking is renewed, life changes

The mind is the control mechanism of life. When thinking is renewed, life changes - "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov 23:7). The answer to overcoming problems is therefore to renew your mind:
1. Conform to God's pattern of thinking: However you react is based on pre-programmed ideas you received when you were growing up, but the Bible says: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Rom 12:2)
2. Remove your old programme of thinking: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things..." (Mt 12:35) Your life is not at the mercy of others. You determine the effect of others on your life. You are the one who decides if a difficulty is going to control you, or if you are going to control a difficulty. The way we deal with our circumstances is rooted in our minds. Once your mind has been renewed, your life will change - "...be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph 4:23).
3. Our lives are not determined by WHO we are but by WHOSE we are: "Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me in the shadow of Your wings" (Ps 17:8)
In truth, it's all about depending on God, rather than yourself, or the way the world sees you - He values and treasures you, no matter what your circumstances, no matter what you have done or failed to do. Trust in Him and you will have perfect peace, your mind will be renewed, your focus will be renewed, you will face life with a new attitude!

The background picture I used to create this image is courtesy of: 

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/375206212681505921/

THREE ENCOURAGING MESSAGES

Dear Friends in Christ,
Today I would like to share with you three encouraging messages about the man in the tombs who met Jesus and had a life-changing experience. One would think that the fact that he, A RAGING LUNATIC, was living in the tombs, CUTTING HIMSELF WITH STONES, meant that there was no hope for him. But he met Jesus, and oh, glory to God, in Jesus there is hope, because no-one is hopeless whose hope is in God. No matter what you are going through today, He is the one who promised that He would be with us, “even until the end of the age!”
Be encouraged today
Carla

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Stop Cutting Yourself Down!
“He was...in the tombs...cutting himself with stones.” Mk 5:4-5
Discussing his low self-esteem, cartoon character Charlie Brown says, "It goes back to when I first set foot on the stage of life. They looked at me and said, 'He's just not right for the part!'" You may smile, but when you've spent your life engaged in self-flagellation, you know exactly what he means. The man in the tombs spent his days "cutting himself" because he thought he was worthless. And many of us who wear a game face in public spend our days doing the same thing.
Your self-image is second only to your faith in God. It doesn't matter what others think of you, what matters is what you think of yourself - based on what God thinks! Self-esteem has to come from self. That's why it's hard to believe the good things people say about you when you can't see them in yourself. Plus, how you treat others flows directly from your reservoir of personal dignity and self-respect. It's impossible to "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Mt 19:19) when you don't even like yourself. Paul says a man should love his wife like he loves himself (Eph 5:28). But when you detest yourself, how can you love your mate?
The only time any of us even comes close to perfection is on a job application! Stop cutting yourself down! God made you the way you are in order to use you the way He planned. Start complimenting Him on the great job He did. And remember, He loves you unconditionally - and that's the only reason you need for loving yourself!
~ by Bob Gass


CRYING ON THE INSIDE
“He was...in the...tombs, crying.” Mk 5:5
Jesus didn't cross the Sea of Galilee in a storm just to meet with a disturbed man. There were plenty of those on shore! He did it because, although this man seemed so fierce and tough on the outside, on the inside "he was... crying." He hated who he'd become and the situation he was in. How about you? Are you crying on the inside because of how your life has turned out? Maybe you intended to be a better parent, a more faithful partner, an honest employee or an exemplary leader, but things didn't work out the way you planned and now you're in a mess.
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled"Mt 5:6. Wanting to change is the first step! Thank God Jesus never said, "Blessed are those who are good enough already," or we'd be in big trouble! No, He was talking to those who want to do the right thing; who still believe they can, even if they aren't right now; those who desire to do better.
Remember, it's not what you've done that makes you a candidate for God's forgiveness, it's how you feel about what you've done. God will never condemn you for asking for His help. In fact, deliverance begins with a desire and a willingness to challenge your problem. So what's your heart's cry today? What do you want to change about yourself and your life? Get alone. Reach to God for help. He'll respond with love and forgiveness. He won't disappoint you!
~ by Bob Gass
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THE DIVIDE-AND-CONQUER STRATEGY
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” 1 Jn 1:8
In the New Testament, "A man with an evil spirit...ran to [Jesus] from the graveyard where he had been living...yelling and cutting himself with stones" (Mk 5:2,3 & 5). Why was this man living in a graveyard outside the city, away from everybody who cared about him? Because Satan's strategy is to "divide and conquer," by isolating you from those who care about you. He'll do whatever it takes to convince you to break away. Without a support system he knows he can get the better of you. He'll try to convince you, "you're not like those people; you're better." Or "your situation's unique because of your background; others can't relate because they've never had it this bad." The problem with thinking you're different from everybody else is - concluding that you don't have to abide by the same rules! At that point, Satan’s lies become a license to act and speak in ways that dishonour God and hurt you.
The Bible says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” By hardening your attitude and whipping out the old “yeah but” card, eventually you become disconnected from the truth. And that’s dangerous, especially when you disengage from those who are willing to speak truth to you and have your best interests at heart. When Satan comes with his “divide and conquer” strategy, refuse to buy it. Stay connected no matter what, by refusing to be separated from God’s people, God’s Word, God’s Spirit, God’s plan and God’s purpose for your life.
~ by Bob Gass