'"For I know the plans I
have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to
give you a future and a hope"' (Jeremiah 29:11).
Before you argue, before you get upset about it -- whatever
'it' happens to be -- or before you let your anger and frustration go up in a
blaze of verbal or physical retaliation over any issue, ask the Holy Spirit to
help you take control of your mind and mouth; to stop, to slow down, both emotionally and
mentally... Remember this, and ask yourself a few questions...
"Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back" (Proverbs 29:11).
Does this REALLY matter?
Is this going to change the world?
Is it even going to change my world?
If I choose to argue, get upset, or lose my temper over it: Is
that really what I want? Is my getting upset going to make any difference in a few weeks, months, years? What will happen if I don’t get my way? Is it going to kill anyone? Will it
really kill me?
The aforementioned are a few of the questions I have found
the Holy Spirit asking me in times of stress and frustration. And through these
questions, He has helped me to discover that If it is not going to change my world or
the world, and no one is going to die, you need to let it roll. Do not waste
energy or time on anything which will be burnt up when it passes through the
Light of eternity.
"For we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28).
And chances are, if we are honest with ourselves, in the
normal flow of day to day life, we have very few things come up that would, in
all truth, fall into a resounding "Yes, this is too important to wait" category for the previous questions.
Well then... what should we do? What can we do when we are
having one of those days, weeks or even months where nothing is going our way
and life is continually being frustrated beyond our limits of control and comprehension?
We must renew our mind, our ways of thinking. We have to replace
the negative lies and thoughts we have embedded within us over the years with Truth. Let's take a look at what God has to say about how we can
make it through discouraging stretches in life while learning to overcome negative programming.
And “ don't sin by letting anger
control you.” Ephesians 4:26a <--anger should be an alarm which
alerts us it is time to pray.
Overcoming our negative thought life will take a disciplined effort of growing in
faith, but if we put that faith in God and nothing else, it is entirely possible
to overcome these day to day, week to week, month to month, or even year to year
frustrations through our relationship with the Savior.
“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.”(Proverbs
3:5-6)
When we put all of our trust in The Lord, we do not depend
on what it looks like in the natural. We do not lean on our reasoning skills of
how we perceive the circumstances at hand, which by the way may not be appearing
very favorable at present. Nevertheless, we are not a people looking at our
circumstances. We are to fix our eyes upon the Author of our faith. And know
that He is working in and through all things to bring about His good, all
knowing, perfect and loving will for our lives. His part is to bring that
about, to work it out for us.
"For nothing is impossible
with God." Luke 1:37
So relax, we cannot
do God's part for ourselves. Our self willed power can only get us so far. Our
part is to call upon Him, to continually offer ALL things in prayer to
Him...BEFORE we react, before we speak, we pray. We must bring it all to the
throne of grace; the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Our spiritual life
is not something separate from our psychical life, our actions, thoughts or
speech... therefore, Surrender it all. Everything.
This is why I've recommended a prayer journal. So that you
can write down your requests and those things you are struggling with. By
document an ongoing dialog with God, we can look back over the months and years
and see how He has helped us, how He has moved in our life or by providing the
grace (grace - enabling power) to progress through it. Write it, pray it and
trust Him to take care of it, in His perfect timing, not when we think would be
best. If we don’t we will become frustrated when things don't happen in our own
timing. Trust Him. Even when the winter season has seemingly lasted way too long…
'To everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up
what is planted,
A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,
A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,
A time to
embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
A time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,
A time to rend and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.' (Ecclesiastes
3:1-9)
After we are certain that we have trusted God with it, then
and only then, can we know if we should remain silent in waiting, or if we
should speak calmly about it with someone.
~Selah.
