Purpose in the Pain

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I’ve talked about before how tough it was for me living in Germany. Initially, the hard part was being so far away.  I had gotten comfortable where I was living, my family was not very far away and overall I was happy with life. That is of course until the news came that we were moving to Germany. At the time, I was mature enough to understand that it wasn’t my husband’s work sending us to Germany it was God. But I must be honest and say I still did not understand or like the fact that these changes were coming. I felt like my whole world was being flipped upside down and that was very hard for me to accept. When I finally got myself together and began to embrace my life in a new country, sure enough the enemy came and attacked again in a few different ways and tried to get me back to that same place I had been in when I first got there. But just as sure as he attacked, I prayed and prayed. I cried, hollered and screamed. I pleaded with God to please help me understand. I prayed for God to get me up out of that place and finally He did.

I said all that to say this, my time in Germany was tough, but I made it. I got through what feels like was the hardest 3 years of my life. Looking back, I can now say without a shadow of a doubt that there was purpose in my pain. No matter how bad I hurt and how much I did not understand at the time, I know there was a reason why I had to go through what I went through. I grew so much spiritually and God got me to a place of total dependence on Him.

Purpose

This is how I was able to find the purpose in my pain. I began to realize why I was created. I realized that my purpose in life was so much greater than anything I had ever imagined. This is also why the devil attacked me like he did. The purpose in my pain was to push me. My pain pushed me in my quest for God. My pain pushed me to think big. My pain pushed me to not just think outside the box, but actually live outside of the box. My pain pushed me to not just walk by faith but to make faith my lifestyle. My pain pushed me to be greater and bolder when telling people about God. My pain pushed me to walk in love no matter what. My pain pushed me to start my own blog and publish my first book. My pain pushed me to be the best me that I could possibly be. My pain pushed me to take off every limitation in my life. And now, one of my goals in life is to help others do the same. I want you to understand that there is so much greatness on the inside of you. If you stay comfortable and never try anything new, you will never grow and you’ll never be able to walk in that greatness. You have to get uncomfortable. It may hurt, matter fact it is going to hurt but rest assured that God is going to see you through. At the end of the day, it all boils down to this…the more uncomfortable you are, the more you have to depend on God. That’s the way it was intended to be in the first place. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deut 31:6 ESV)

~letstalkaboutlife365.com~

Thought Check:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

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I Need you to Trust me, so I can Trust you

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When I was younger, two of the first Bible scriptures I remember learning and actually memorizing was Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.’ For some reason these scriptures just resonated in my heart as a child and they still do to this day. It reminds me that no matter what, I am to trust God at all times and most importantly stop trying to figure everything out. I have to be honest, me not trying to figure stuff out is a battle I deal with on a daily basis. I am bothered when I do not know something or when things do not go as I expect them to. Hence the reason we are to take comfort in the scriptures and lean not on our own understanding. At the end of the day, I have come to realize that some things I will never understand, but that must never affect my trust in God. Instead, I am learning to use one of the most powerful tools that God has given all of us. I am learning to pray more and more. The more you pray, the stronger you become. The less you depend on self and realize where your strength comes from, the easier it will be for you to trust Him completely.

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While in my prayer/study time the other day God gave me a huge revelation that I want to share with you. He said, “I need you to trust me, so I can trust you”. That moment was life changing for me. God needs you and me to trust Him in every area of our life, stop trying to figure it out, lean not on your own understanding. In doing so, He will then be able to trust you. Are you still waiting on your financial break through? Are you still anticipating a promotion on your job? Are you still hoping for a new business? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have one more for you. Can God trust you? Make a decision today.  Decide to fully and truly trust God with all areas of your life; finances, children, health, employment, family, school, etc…then yes He will be able to trust you because He knows that no matter what, you are not going to lean on your own understanding, instead you are going to acknowledge Him in everything so He can direct your paths.

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The God that we serve is a BIG God. He’s a merciful God. He’s a gracious God. He’s a giving God. His love is perfect. He wants to see you succeed. He wants you to own your own business. He wants you to write a book. He wants you to graduate from college. He wants your body healed. Most of all, He wants you to trust Him so He can trust you.

~letstalkaboutlife365.com~

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Thought Check:

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. (Psalms 37: 3-6 NIV)

If you haven’t already, be sure to get your copy of my latest book, ‘Let’s Talk Life: A New Perspective

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Lay it Down

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Do you ever feel as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? I can think of a few times in my past where I have felt this way, not quite understanding why. If you are feeling this way, I want to encourage you to do a little self-evaluation. Who are you around? If you had to document every moment of your day-to-day activities, what do you spend the majority of your time doing? I assure you that somewhere along the line, the burdens you carry were never intended for you to carry in the first place. The word of God says that He will never give us more than we can bear. But what about the stuff you gave yourself? Some stuff you are experiencing in life right now come from you.

If you allow yourself to be in a situation that you were never meant to be in, you end up carrying a burden you were never meant to carry. You cannot be every thing to every body. Learn how to pray for people, trust God then let it go. Do not let other people’s problems become your problem. Make it up in your mind that you will not disappoint God by trying to take things into your own hands. Watch how much better you feel when you make the decision to trust God, not worry and lay everything at His feet in prayer.

Remember, there are consequences behind every action, so if you decide not to trust God and do things on your own then you have to accept and deal with the results. Our loving Father holds the world in His hand, so there’s no reason you should feel like you have to carry it on your back. He has granted us the opportunity to come to Him in prayer at any time. When a friend, loved one, or complete stranger comes to you with a problem, don’t try and handle it yourself. The best thing you can do is pray.

One last thing, make prayer your first resort, not your last. While you’re trying to figure it out, God has already worked in out. In your prayer time, ask God to rid you of every unnecessary burden and shut every door you have opened for yourself and open new doors that only He can open to keep you in line with His will.

~letstalkaboutlife365.com~

Thought Check:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 NKJV

 

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Available wherever books are sold!!!

Let's Talk Life: A New Perspective