“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT).
Have you ever had the feeling that something was so very, very right, but then when you did it, it ended up being so very, very wrong? Feelings lie. They lie to you all the time! There’s an old country song that says, “How can it be wrong when it feels so right?” Are you kidding me? There are a lot of things that are wrong that feel so right at the moment. After six months in a relationship, you wonder, “What was I thinking?” Just a few weeks into a job, you think, “How in the world did I get caught up in this?” A quick decision that seemed harmless at the time leaves you broken and scarred years later. If you want to experience fewer dead ends and failures in your life, you need to hear what Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (NLT). If you really want God’s blessing on your life, you have to depend on God’s wisdom and not what your feelings say or what your gut says. Trust in the Lord and not on your own understanding. So how do you get God’s wisdom? You pray. You talk to God, and you let him talk to you by reading the Bible. That’s how you get God’s wisdom. The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (NIV). God doesn’t want you to make foolish mistakes. He doesn’t want you to hit dead ends or go through failure after failure in life. God wants you to succeed. He wants you to make wise decisions with your time and your money and your relationships. It’s not like you’re waiting on him for his help. He’s waiting on you! God says, “Hey! I’m here. I’ll give you wisdom, and I’ll give it generously. I’m not grudging about it. I want to make you wise. You’ve just got to ask.” If you want to be blessed, you’ve got to get God’s wisdom. And if you want God’s wisdom, you’ve got to get in God’s Word.
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“[God] canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 NCV).
We all blow it from time to time. We don’t have to live with guilt, but we do have to live with our mistakes. The Bible never hides this truth. It is painfully honest about the failures of its heroes. God saved the world from flood through a man named Noah—who then got drunk, naked, and blew it all. Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea and into freedom—yet his anger kept him out of the Promised Land. King David was a man after God’s heart but also had an affair and murdered the woman’s husband so he wouldn’t be discovered. God realizes our frailty. If he only used perfect people, the Bible would be a pretty short book. But, God has a solution for our failures: grace. The Bible says, “[God] canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 NCV). In fact, if you look at all those failures in the Bible, you get a clear picture. Just like those heroes of the Bible, you and I are trophies of God’s grace. Your primary witness to the world around you isn’t all the great things you do for God. It’s how you handle mistakes you’ve made. Do you mope or do you revel in the grace of God? People want to meet a God who turns failures into triumphs. People want to meet a God who can transform the lives of broken people. The amazing part of God’s grace isn’t just his power to forgive. It’s also the strength he gives us when we start over. “God knows what we are made of; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14 GNT).
Your failures don’t surprise God. He expects them. He knows what we’re made of—because he created us. The Bible says, “God knows what we are made of; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14 GNT). God won’t stop loving us when we mess up. The central message of the Bible is this: God doesn’t love you because of who you are or what you’ve done but because of who he is and what he has done. God made you. He loves you. It's settled! You can't make God love you more. You can't make him love you less. He loves you just as much on your bad days as he does on your good days. His love is not performance based. The Bible has a word for this. It’s called grace—and it’s absolutely amazing. God looks down and says, "I choose to love you. And you can't make me stop loving you." Even when we’re ridiculously bad, God won’t stop loving us. It truly is amazing grace. When you understand his grace, you can relax about your failures and have the confidence to take more risks. You may have come to God multiple times for forgiveness on the same issue. Maybe you’re not sure you deserve his love and grace. And you’re sure that God has grown tired of your constant efforts at change. But you can relax. God never tires of a conversation with you. He’s never too busy. No matter how many times you come to him for forgiveness, he’ll be waiting with open arms. You may have grown up in a home where conditional love was the norm. Your parents’ affections may have been based on your academic, athletic, or social successes. When you failed in one of those areas, you felt the loss of your family’s love. Relax. That’s not how God deals with you. The Bible says, "[God] canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14 NCV). The Christian life isn’t a mistake-free life, but it can be a guilt-free life. God understands your failures, and he loves you anyway. That’s amazing grace! “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT).
What do you do when you feel like giving up? Everyone has that moment where they’ve been struggling with something—it may be a health issue, a broken relationship, financial problems, or depression—and they start to wonder if they have the strength to keep going because they just can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. If you find yourself at that point today, I want to share some encouragement with you from Hebrews 12 and give you a powerful reason to keep on keeping on. Hebrews 11 is the “faith chapter” that tells us about great people of the faith—Abraham, Moses, David, and many others. Their stories are sources of encouragement in and of themselves. But a phrase that starts off the first verse of the next chapter is what I want to focus on. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith . . .” (NLT) What Paul is saying is that you don’t want to give up because heaven is watching and cheering for you. That’s encouraging news! You have an audience. Nothing you have ever done has been hidden from heaven. God sees it all! As Job says, “He sees everything I do and every step I take” (Job 31:4 TLB). And Jesus tells us, “Even every hair on your head has been counted” (Luke 12:7 GW). God knows every detail of your life. He watches every breath you take. There are no secrets between you and him. And it’s not just God who’s watching. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and all the other saints are there as well. How is this encouraging? When you start to get discouraged, remember that people who have gone through much worse circumstances than you are watching to see how well you’re enduring. When you feel like giving up, remember the people who have gone before you and are offering you encouragement through their life stories of faith. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV).
Everyone has fears. Your problem isn’t that you’re afraid. It’s what you do with the fear that really matters. Jesus tells us in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (NIV). I could share at least a dozen biblical ways to get over fear, but here are two ideas you can start with right now. Practice the presence of Jesus. Learn the habit of reminding yourself every single moment of the day, “God is with me.” Practice talking to him all the time—when you’re walking down the street, getting in your car, or even taking a bath. When you do that, you will realize he’s always with you. You don’t have to “spend some time” with God. All your time can be “God time.” When you become aware of God’s presence in your life, fear will go away. When God is near, you lose your fear. Why? Because God is love, and the Bible says: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV). The more you feel loved by God, the less you’ll fear. Move against the fear. You can’t go around, over, or under fear. You must go straight through it. You need to do what you fear the most. That’s called faith. You need to open the door of the closet and see for yourself that the bogeyman isn’t as big as you thought he was. Fear is always worse than reality. The fear of failure is worse than failure. Failure is no big deal. You just get up and start over. The fear of rejection is worse than rejection. The fear of embarrassment is worse than embarrassment. Why? Because the fear goes on for hours and days and years. Fear is “False Evidence Appearing Real.” Fear is a fake. These solutions won’t just help you deal with fear. You can use them to help others, too. You likely know lots of people dealing with fear in some area of their lives. Pass these principles on to them. “Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died’” (1 Kings 19:3-4 NLT).
Everyone goes through times where their emotional tanks are empty—even great heroes of the Bible. Consider the experience of Elijah, one of the most important prophets in the history of Israel. After a highlight of his ministry—he went toe-to-toe with a pagan prophet and won—he got a death threat from the queen and began a downward spiral of emotional exhaustion. Elijah’s experience gives us 10 indications of emotional exhaustion. Keep your eyes open for these issues in your own life and the lives of people around you. Here are 10 signs of emotional exhaustion from this part of Elijah’s life.
If you see some of these characteristics in your life right now, you’re likely emotionally exhausted or experiencing burnout. You may even be depressed. But there's hope. So, what do you do if you realize you’re emotionally exhausted? When Elijah faced that experience, God led him to do three things that helped him recover—and they’re things that can help you recover, too, when you’re at the end of your rope. 1. Rest your body. In the world’s most famous psalm, the Bible says of God, “He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2 NIV). Sometimes God must make you lie down because you’re unwilling to do it on your own. You can’t be spiritually and emotionally strong while you’re physically depleted. That’s what happened to Elijah. God did not scold Elijah. God didn’t say, “Come on, man. You’re just having a pity party.” He simply let Elijah sleep. The Bible says about Elijah in 1 Kings 19:5, “Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep” (NIV). Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do when you’re emotionally exhausted is to take a nap. 2. Release your frustrations. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. In 1 Kings 19:10, Elijah says this to God: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (NIV). Elijah didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t filter his feelings. He told God his frustrations. Here’s the point you can’t miss about this verse. God isn’t shocked when you complain to him. He’ll listen to you until you run out of words. Let them all out. God can handle anything you throw at him. 3. Remember and refocus on God. When you’re emotionally exhausted and nearing burnout, you need to remember what God says and who he is. When we do that, we shift our eyes away from our problem and toward Jesus. We get a fresh awareness of God’s power and God’s presence and God’s personality. We need to see that far more than we need to see our problems. In 1 Kings 19:11-13, God demonstrated his power firsthand to Elijah. The Lord showed him who was in control. When you’re struggling through burnout, it’s often because you’re trying to play God and control everything. When you refocus on God, you realize he is in control. You can stop exerting your own control. If you’re feeling burned out and emotionally exhausted, God hasn’t forgotten you. Just like God did with Elijah, God stands ready and willing to help. “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true” (Joshua 21:45 NLT).
When we experience a setback, we tend to focus on the wrong place. We look at the bank account. We keep our eyes on others in our lives. We put our attention on what we can hold on to. God says that when everything in life is falling apart, we need to remember that his promises can be trusted. The Bible tells us, “Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true” (Joshua 21:45 NLT). When you can’t count on anything else, you can count on the promises of God. That’s what Paul told his shipmates when they were being battered by a storm in Acts 27. All looked lost. But God had told Paul that they all would be safe. Paul trusted God and told the others: “So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me” (Acts 27:25 CSB). Paul didn’t place his faith in the ship or the captain. Paul trusted God. That boat wasn’t going to last forever. Paul understood that, but he knew the promises of God would last. Are you trying to put your trust in a puny lifeboat? Maybe it’s your sparkling personality. You’re sure that you can get through anything because your personality will shine through. Maybe it’s your looks. They’ve always been the key to your success. You figure you can lean on your looks when troubles hit. Maybe it’s your money. You plan to buy yourself out of whatever problem you face. But all of those puny lifeboats will someday perish. The only safe place to be in the middle of a storm is directly in the center of God’s will. Just ask Paul. Acts 27 ends with an incredible comeback—the Bible says “everyone escaped safely to share” (Acts 27:44 NLT). Like they always have, God’s promises came true—everyone was safe. When you lean on God’s promises during a storm, you won’t be the only one who is helped. God just might save your whole ship. “‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again’” (Luke 5:5 NLT).
We all suffer setbacks at work from time to time. But sometimes the simplest step from setback to comeback is just two words: Obey God. God has told you something that’s illogical and foolish. It makes no sense financially, relationally, or emotionally. Worse yet, you’re scared to death. But God says to do it anyway. For the past couple of days, we’ve been looking at a story from the Bible about a business setback. In Luke 5, Simon Peter and Andrew had been fishing all night and caught nothing. For first-century fishermen, it would have been an awful setback. But Jesus came by and used their boat to preach. Then Jesus told them: “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish” (Luke 5:4 NLT). It was completely illogical. It made no sense. But Jesus said to go out deeper and drop their net. Why did Jesus say to go deeper? That’s where you find the big fish. It’s also the biggest risk. There’s no faith without risk. “‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again’” (Luke 5:5 NLT). Simon Peter did what Jesus told him to do. He didn’t do it because it was a smart or popular idea. He did it because God said to do it. He didn’t argue or hesitate. And God gave Simon Peter and Andrew a bigger business success than they could have dreamed. The Bible says God gave the brothers so many fish that their nets tore and they had to enlist the help of other fishermen. But none of that happened until Simon Peter obeyed Jesus—even when it was illogical. What has God told you that you’re not doing? Does it seem impossible? Does it make little sense financially? Is he telling you to go into the deep water? It doesn’t matter. God wants you to take a risk and obey him. You can either stay in the shallow end where it’s safe or go into the deep water where the big fish are. The choice is yours. Once you obey, God will take care of the rest. Your best days are on the other side of your obedience. So will you obey? “May the God of peace . . . equip you with all you need for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:20-21 TLB).
The principle of “use it or lose it” is universal. If you don’t exercise, your muscles get smaller. If you don’t invest your money, you’re going to lose it. If you don’t learn to use your mind, it will get duller and duller as you get older. If you have a talent and you refuse to practice, you’ll lose that talent. The opposite is also true. If you do use it, you get even more of it. So if you use your muscles, they get bigger. If you take a little bit of money and invest it wisely, it gets bigger. It multiplies! Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “May the God of peace . . . equip you with all you need for doing his will” (TLB). What do you need more of in your life? How about energy? How about time? How about money? How about talent? Here’s the secret: Whatever you need more of, take the little you’ve got and start using it to serve other people unselfishly. Then watch God multiply it. You say, “I don’t have time to serve other people. I don’t have time to minister. I already don’t have time to get all the things done I need to do. How could I add anything else?” Why do you think you don’t have time? Because God never meant for you to spend all your time on yourself! Why would God give you more time if you’re just going to spend it on you? It’s like the principle of tithing, where the first 10 percent of all you make goes back to God. Why? Because when you give that 10 percent back to God, God takes the other 90 percent and makes it stretch further than it would have if you kept 100 percent yourself. That’s true with your time. That’s true with your talent. That’s true with anything in life. If you don’t use it, you lose it. And the way you get more is by investing whatever you’ve got. Watch and see how God will give you everything you need—and more—for doing his will when you use your time, money, and talent for him. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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