Everybody wants to be happy? Who does not want to be happy? Raise your hand!
Most people in the world, especially without God in their life, look for happiness, in external things, in circumstances, and what is hap-pen-ing in their life and around them. The very work 'happiness' is mostly directly related to what is happening in a person's life. If good things are happening, then they are happy, if bad things are happening, then they are not happy. But there is another type of happiness, it is nothing to do, with what is happening or not happening around you. That type of happiness, is a gift from God. God gives that happiness to certain people, and it is entirely according to his grace, and according to his purpose. If you look at Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, king Solomon, very clearly says, that God gives some people, not only wealth and material blessings, but also he enables them, to enjoy them too. You can have plenty of things in your life, you can have millions of dollars in the bank, but if God does give you ability to enjoy them, then you miss out. It does not actually matter, what things you have, or what is happening around you, because what Solomon is talking about, in the book of Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, comes from heaven, and not from earth. We do not know, how God makes a person to be able to enjoy their money and other material blessings, but according to Solomon, that is how it is. According to him, God makes a person able to enjoy the things they have. Also, in those verses, it says, that although a person can have a lot of toil in their work, which means a lot of hard work, happiness is still, a gift from God, and is not about if your work goes well, and what things you are able to obtain. It is nothing to do with, if you are driving a Rolls Royce, BMW, and have a Rolex watch on your hand, and there is a 'fat' wallet, in your pocket. What Solomon is talking about, is the happiness, which God gives to some people, and is dependent on him, and not on what the person has, or does. It is entirely, a gift from God. There are plenty of people out there, who have millions of dollars in the bank, drive expensive cars, live in posh houses, but are still unhappy, and you wonder often why? And on the other side of the coin, there are other people who are poor materially and financially, but seem to be happy. Now, that is a paradox. That shows that happiness in a life of a person, is not only dependent on what social status you have, what profession you are educated in, how big your wallet is, and how beautiful your house, and your car are. There are many other factors, and according to the Bible, there is another factor, coming down from heaven, which is entirely according to God's grace, which makes a person happy, as a gift from God.
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In today's business world, especially in the West, the rat race never ends. People are rushing to work, rushing to get back from work, rushing to do this, to do that, toiling and working long hours, and go to their homes, and the same each day. The attempt to achieve more, work more, earn more, never ends, but so does their level of burn out, and unhappiness.
King Solomon, was somehow also in the 'rat race', building and working on endless projects, toiling endlessly, and after he completed all, that he wanted to achieve, he asked himself, was it worthy, or what was the point of all that. He eventually found, by the wisdom which God has granted him to have, that for human beings, it is better for them to enjoy the product of their toiling and working, rather than spend more time, working more, not being able to enjoy, what they have worked for. Many people today, find that they still are not happy, even after working so, much, earning so much, and having a never ending 'rat race' daily. If we look at what King Solomon says in the book of the Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, and verses 12, 13 and 22, we can see, that what he recommends that people do, which he thinks is better, is that they should enjoy what they are working for, instead of trying to work more, be extremely busy, with all sorts of projects, and never be able to sit down, and enjoy all they are working for. Solomon says that it is actually a gift from God, for a man to stop his work, take time to enjoy what they have worked for. Of course it is. How can a person enjoy what they have worked for, if they do not have the time to sit down, slow down, and chill out, spending time with friends and family, and thus, being able to enjoy the consequences of their work. That was the design of God, from the very beginning. Even though God placed Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden, to work in it, they surely had time to sit down and just enjoy that garden, and all it had to offer. I am sure Adam and Eve, did not have overtime, and did not work overtime in the garden of Eden. They surely had a time, to slow down, and enjoy all their work, in that garden. But today's lifestyle, of many people, is most work, more toil, and less time for family and friends, less time for leisure activities, and that is not a recipe for happiness, but for blowing out all your fuses, when a person finds, that they just are not happy. They can not be, if they do not enjoy, what they have worked for, just as Solomon says in the Book. Hard work is good, but God did not create men for work only, but to have time to enjoy the beautiful garden of Eden, and spend time with each other, basically, just to enjoy the fruit of their labour. That is the gift from God. Hard work is necessary, but working yourself to death, was never God's design or intention, and never will be. There is time for everything, just as the book of Ecclesiastes says, and that applies to time for work and time for living. There you have it, beautifully explained, in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 4, verse 8. That man described in that chapter, is having a lot of work to do, which surely made him rich, and gave him wealth, but he himself realised, that despite of the fact, that he had all that business, and surely a lot of money, he was still not happy. Then he began to ask himself, some good and useful questions, about his life, his work, and what was going on. If we are not content, with our wealth, that will always be the driving force, to do more, work more, burn out, and yes, earn more, but with no time, to enjoy what we were toiling for. That is why Solomon says that it is not all about how many businesses you have and are doing, and it is not about how much money you have in the bank, but it is also about how much of what you have, are able to sit down and enjoy. So I believe, Solomon somehow at some point, left the 'rat race', in order to sit down and enjoy, all those project he was working on, and he recommends that we do the same. Do you want to be happy? Who does not!
Every human being on the planet, wants to be happy. But why is that? Because God designed man to be happy, from the very beginning. If you think what kind of life, Adam and Even had, before they fell into sin. I am sure, they were enjoying themselves, in the garden of Eden. God had provided everything they needed, in that garden, all the nice food was there, and there was no any evil going on, around them, they felt safe, they were safe, they had all their needs supplied, and all the beautiful plants were around them. There was nothing in the garden of Eden, to make Adam and Eve unhappy, depressed or worried, and they still did not know what evil was, because they had not fallen into sin yet. That was the original intention and design for mankind, from God, from the very beginning. Why should God change his intention today about that same design, he created, from the very beginning? People everywhere, Christians or not, are looking for happiness. People without faith in God, do not know anything about the original design and intention of God, that God designed man, to be happy, from the start. So, they are looking for all sorts of things today, to make them happy. The major problem is, if you are without God in your life, you are spiritually dead, in your heart or spirit. Your soul is alive, your body is alive, but your spirit is dead, because it is separated from God, who is Life. God is the source of all life, and when Adam and Eve sinned, and were separated from God, because of their sin, they both spiritually died. That is why, every human being on the planet, if they do not have Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, are dead in their heart or spirit. So, people in the world, are trying to find happiness in all sorts of external things, like money, big houses, nice clothes, entertainment, but deep down, they are somehow still unhappy. The reason is that they are trying to fill a spiritual need, by material external things. And that can not happen. A spiritual need, is fulfilled in a spiritual way, by God living in the heart of a person. All other things, which are external, like money, houses, cars, entertainment and other material things, are good, and necessary, but can not fill the spiritual void in the heart of a person. That is why Jesus said that he has come, so that those who believe in him, will have life in abundance. You can not have a life in abundance, if you have all those things in life, like money, cars, houses, nice clothes, friends, and other things, but do not have the living God inside of your heart, because only God makes your spirit or heart from dead to alive, a new creation, when he comes to live in you. In the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 2 and verses 24, 25, 26, show that it is God who give happiness to people, and happiness is a gift from him. Happiness is a gift from heaven, for those who chose to believe in Jesus Christ, and follow him. He gives the life abundant, because they believe in him, and happiness finds its way, from heaven, into the hearts of men. Is there a way, to stop lack of money, jobs, cars, houses, or whatever you need, in your life?
There is, if you consider what the Word of God says. God has promised to supply all our needs, according to his riches, in Christ Jesus. There are many passages in the Bible, which clearly show, that God does want to supply, all our needs, just as he did supply, all Adam and Eve needed, from the very beginning, when he created them. The question is never if God wants to supply all our needs, but if we want to believe, that he does. God has already done, what we need, to make sure, that we have all that we need. But, there is one thing, he would not do. And that is, to force his provision of what we need, to us. Yes, he cares and provides for us, if we ask him or not, but somehow, he wants us to ask him, for what we need. That is why Jesus said, that we should ask, because if we do, we will receive. Why does God, wants us to ask him, for what we need? Why he just does not give it to us, without us having to ask him for that? Because by our asking God for what we need, we display, our dependant on him, and our faith in him, as our provider. When we ask, we express our faith, that he will provide. We show to him, that we believe we are dependant on him, to supply our needs. In Mark 8:2, 3, Jesus gives us the assurance, that if we chose to walk with him, follow him in our daily life, listen to him, spend time with him, he has taken all our needs, into consideration. Although he did not supply the needs of those people spending their time with him, at the very first day, he did after a few day, just because he did not them to go home hungry, and collapse on the way from hunger. But the main reason he wanted to supply all their needs for food, was, because the were with him, and they left all their jobs, family, houses, and other things they were doing, in order to be with Jesus, listen to him, and do what he tells them to do. They were first seeking the Kingdom of God, instead of seeking first, what they will eat or drink, if they went with Jesus in a remote place, without any food. Do you see that? They did not have food with them, and were hungry, after spending a few days with Jesus. That shows, that from the very start, they chose to go and be with Jesus in remote places, even without having what to eat or drink. They knew they will be hungry soon, but yet, they chose the Kingdom of God first, by going with Jesus, spending time with him, and listening to him, even if that meant for them, to leave their homes, their jobs, their families, and hobbies, and other staff they were going daily, in order to be with Jesus. The were looking to satisfy their spiritual hunger, even if that meant, on the expense, of being physically hungry, for a few days. That is one of the main reasons, why Jesus wanted to feed them, and provide for them, even if meant, to do it in a miraculous way, as recorded, in Mark 8:6. Seek you first the Kingdom of God. This will happen to you, if you do similar things, to what all those thousands of hungry people did, when they spend their time with Jesus, even on the expense, of losing weight, being without food, in a remote place. What we look at in life, will determine, if we have more, less, or not at all faith in God. What we look at, we pay attention to, and give ourselves to it. If we look and our attention remains with the circumstances of our life, or with the news on the TV, or with what the doctors or friends say to us, then we can be full of fear, and lack of faith.
In Matthew 14:30, you can see, that as long as Peter was looking at Jesus, in the middle of the storm, he was safe, and was walking on the water. But the same verse says, that Peter shifted his attention from Jesus, and began to look at the wind, he became afraid, which proves, that he lost his faith in the word which Jesus gave him, ‘come’, and began to believe in the power of the wind and the storm, rather in the power of God and his Word. The Bible tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Peter was doing just that, fixing his attention to Jesus, and walking on the water for a few seconds, but then he fixed his eyes on the circumstances around him, and especially on the wind. I am sure Peter began to think to himself, how powerful that wind and storm was, and completely forgot, how powerful his God was. But that is what happens to everyone, who fixes their attention on the wrong thing, because what we give our attention to, we empower to influence us, either on the circumstances in our life, which will produce often fear and no faith, or on the Word of God, which will produce faith and diminish fear. If Peter decided, to stay focused on what Jesus told him to do, and carry on looking at Jesus, instead looking at the wind, he would be able to walk on the water, and he would be able to walk over many other things and challenges, in his life. He had to stay focused on the words of Jesus, instead of focusing on the power of the wind and the waves. That is what determines success or failure, faith or doubt, victory or defeat. How many times in the Bible, it is very clear, that God really wants to supply all our needs! He never guaranteed that he will supply all our greed, but guaranteed that he will supply all our need!
The question is never if God will supply what we need or not, but will we believe that he will? That is the question which always remains there, for all born again children of God, to answer for themselves. When we read Matthew chapter 7, we can very clearly see, how Jesus talks about God meeting our needs, and he even compares our fatherhood and the relationships of earthly father, to that of our heavenly Father and us. How can we as his children still ask, and wonder, if God will supply all we need, when we read Matthew 7, and see clearly, what Jesus said, that God will give us good things, when we ask him for them! Yes God knows that we need food, clothing, jobs, money, houses, and other things, but he still wants us to ask him for him to give them to us. Now, in Matthew chapter 7 and verses 9, 10, 11, Jesus talks about those evil fathers, or bad fathers, who although they are are evil in their character, still have some love for their children, and still want to grant the desires of their children, for gifts, and all sorts of other good things. Them being evil, can not stop them to display the little amount of good left in them, and the love they have for their children, by giving them good things. You would not expect to receive very much good, from an evil person, that is why Jesus used the bad characters, to compare, to the immense and unlimited goodness of God, which he has for us. The evil nature of those so called evil by Jesus fathers, still can not stop them to display their good fatherhood, to their children. Now, what about our heavenly Father, who is good, and there is nothing evil in him? Although the evil characters of the bad earthly fathers, could interfere and somehow limit their little goodness in them, for giving nice things to their children, with our heavenly Father, that is entirely different. Our God and Father, who loves us dearly, and who has limitless goodness for us, because he is good, just can not stop wanting to give us good gifts, and good things, when we ask him for them. There is nothing in our God and Father, which can or will cause him to stop, wanting to give us nice things! Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, that our heavenly Father, will give us good gifts, when we ask him, much more, than any earthly evil father could give, to their own children. The question is, how much more? And I believe, the answer is, without limit! Why should God have a limit, of how many good gifts he wants to give us. I believe, that God our heavenly Father, wants to give us good gifts, much more that we can handle to have, use, and have fun with. Is there are limit of all the good things, our Father in heaven, our God, wants to do in our lives? And if there is why? But I do not believe that there is a limit, because I am sure he finds that difficult to put any limit on the good things, he wants to give us or do for us. Let me ask you a question. How many good things, you think, God gave to Adam and Eve, when he put them in Paradise, after he created them? I believe there was plenty of nice things, which God created in Paradise, for Adam and Eve. I am sure, they could never be bored, or have enough, with living in Paradise. There surely, were many nice things in Paradise for Adam and Eve, to have fun, and be able to say "We really live in a Paradise!" That is how our heavenly Father God, want us to be like, because of everything he has done for us in Christ, even if we do not live in Paradise anymore! But we must not forget, that we can never miss Paradise in heaven, but will also be in it for eternity. The ways of God in our lives as Christians, often defy logic and common sense. But why is that? Because God is God, and we are just his creation. He is limitless, but we are limited. He always knows why he is doing things, and we often do not know, why we are doing it. And because his ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
The way God sees things, is many times not the way we see them. In Luke 5:5, 6, we see Jesus asking Peter, to go and fish again. Now, you can not just go and tell a professional fisherman, who has tried to catch fish for a whole night, and who has caught nothing, to go and fish again, in the morning. No, according to the professional fisherman Peter, things do not work like this, in the domain of professional fishing. It seems illogical, is out of common sense, and seems like lose of time and effort. But when Jesus asked Peter to go and fish again, Peter had two choices, to follow his professional knowledge, experience and skill as a fisherman, which he could explain, was a common sense, and was backed up, by a lot of professional fishing experience, or, to follow a demand, which was going against all professional fishing experience, was not making any sense at all, and could not be explained and did not have an answer of why it should be done. In Luke 7:6-9, we can see a similar experience, of the centurion, who went to Jesus, and displayed a great faith in him, by what he was confessing. How did that centurion, who was not even a Jew, have such a great faith, and believe in what Jesus was saying and teaching? Well, in Luke 7:3 it says that the centurion, heard about Jesus. What did he hear about Jesus. He definitely heard some great reports of how Jesus was healing people, just by saying a word. And that is what made the centurion to go to Jesus, and ask Jesus to just speak a word, and believed that his servant will be healed. Now, in the case of Peter, we have a Jew, in the case of the centurion, we have a Gentile. God does not care where you come from, what is your culture, if you are a Jew or Gentile, what is your professional experience, skill and knowledge. No, the only thing God cares about is your faith in his Word, and especially not trying to figure it out, how he would do a miracle in your life, why will he do it, and if it make sense or not. God's idea of making sense, is totally different of what my and your idea of making sense is. He just does not care about our common sense and way of thinking, often 'stinking'. In both of the cases, we can see the clash of logic, professional experience, common sense, with faith in God, and what God says! It is exactly the same today. There is no difference. God is only looking if there is somebody, who will touch heaven with faith, and he will ignore the ones, who are coming and knocking on the heaven's door, with the knock of unbelief and doubt. That kind of knock, will not be answered, and can not cause the heavenly key to open the door. In the case of Peter, it did not make sense, to listen to what Jesus was telling him to do, and go fishing, just because of the professional fishing experience of Peter. In the case of the centurion, well, that guy was not even a Jew, but was a pagan, a soldier in the Roman army, one from you would not expect to see great faith, but that proved wrong, because God does not want to miss a heart, full with faith, either of a Jew, or a Gentile. There you are, we either go with the things that make common sense to us, are according or our skill, knowledge and experience, all things which we can explain, or, we go with what God says that we should do, and things which often can not explain, but trust, because we know him personally. Take God at his Word, and see the miracle, or take your sensual experience, knowledge and a common sense, and miss the train loaded with miracles, from heaven. Do you struggle with forgiveness from God in your life, for something you have done as a Christian, and that was something with which heaven was not impressed, and you wonder, if God has really forgiven you?
There many Christians, who struggle with the 'idea' that God perhaps, will not forgive, the so called 'bad' thing, they have done. To think that God will not forgive, even if have repented for something wrong you have done, is to live with faith, in only the 'half' of grace from God. But you see, there is no 'half' grace from God for you, just because you have sinned. If you look at 1 John 1:9, it clearly states that if you confess your sins, God will forgive you! That is the truth! That is the Word of God, speaking to you, right now! Do not measure the level of the wrong thing you have done, with the level of the grace of God for you! The amount or the size of your sin, will never be able to come on the same level, with the grace God has for you! No sin is big enough or dirty enough, to be able to stop the grace of God coming over it, and washing it away, from your life. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, God surely has estimated, the amount and size of all sins, people will commit in the future, and he made sure, that there would not be enough sins, or any sin, which will be able to heavier on the balance scales, than his grace. The darkest of all of your sins, is not dark enough, to prevent or stop the light of God's grace, to wipe it away, and make it diminish forever. Perhaps you say, that I do not know, what you have done, and how bad it is. Yes, I do not know, and I do not need to know, because I do know, what the Word of God says about it. And it says 'Forgiven!' The fact of your guilt, for the sin you have done, as a Christian, has to face the truth, which is the Word of God. If you have sinned, and feel guilty as a Christian, even after you have repented before God, your feeling of guilt is a fact, and is real, but is not necessarily the truth. But the Word of God is the truth, and that is what matters, because God's truth says you are forgiven, feeling it or not! That is truth established in heaven and in his Word! Just hang on, on it, and the truth will set you free! When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, every single sin, which any human being has committed in the past, or will commit in the future, has been taken into account from God. Every sin! There is no sin, that heaven can not or will not forgive, apart from the eternal sin, as the Scriptures say. So, be encouraged! God loves you enough, to forgive you all your sins, and he has, if you have repented, just as he has promised you, in his Word. Oh, suffering, there is plenty of it, wherever we turn!
Turn on the TV, and there is plenty of suffering to see, to keep you glued to the TV for 24/7. But can you really be free from suffering? That is the big question. What does God think about your suffering, and what he wants to do about that? There are only three choices God can make about your suffering. One, it is set you free from it. Two, it is to be indifferent about your suffering. And the third choice is not to release you from it but let you continue in it. Which one of the choices you think, God will definitely make about your suffering and your difficult situation? I hope you guessed it already! That he will definitely make the choice to help you and set you free from pain and suffering. If you read the Bible, you can clearly see, that in Old and New Testament, God is concerned about your suffering, and not only that, but really wants to help you, and set you free from it. God will either set you free from suffering, but even if he does not for whatever reason, he will help you to go and pass through it, but definitely, will not leave you helpless! The problems we sometimes face, is that we often seem to trust in people, and what people can do for us, instead of trusting in God, and what he can do for us. For example, if you are ill, and need healing, there is one of the best doctors and specailist you know, who has a very good reputation of helping a lot of people get better and get healed from their sickness and disease. And because of the doctor's expertise and reputation, you rush to make an appointment, and wait to be helped. There is nothing wrong with seeking help from doctors, and they can help you and do help people to be healed and feel better, but the point is, that sometimes, even the best know experts and doctors, can not help at all. And that is what happens, in many people's lives. But with our God, there is no a 'No' answer. Everything is possible with the one who believes. God does not have a limited ability or knowledge, of how to deal with your suffering or disease. With his is always 'Yes' and 'Amen' to all his promises! And many of those promises are about a healing from God, comfort from him, or delivery from suffering. The person who wrote Psalm 108, has surely learned in his life, that the only sure help in the time of suffering, is from God, from heaven, and not from men. If you actually look at Psalm 108:12, the writer is very clear, that help from men is worthless, and is asking God for help in trouble. That is what we should do, always remembering that God can never say to us 'I can not help you', and that he has actually promised and said in his Word 'I will help you', not like many doctors out there, who can come to people and say 'That is all we can do. We are sorry but we can not help you'. That is what a worthless help from men is, sometimes, something which you will never hear from heaven! We should try not to give our hope of release from our suffering, regardless of how hopeless our situation look like, because we believe the God of hope. There is always hope with God, no matter what you are passing trough, because he is always present help in trouble, just as we are promised in Psalm 46:1, and in Psalm 50:15. When it comes to suffering, in the life of the Christian, God is always concerned, and is always ready to be present in trouble, as he has promised in Psalm 46:1.
God always cares about our tears, and he wants to wipe them away, as he has promised in the book of Revelation. God cares for your tears! What are you crying for! If it not of joy, then it surely is because of suffering. There is so much going around in the world now, to make you feel crying for a week, non stop. Is God passive to hurry up to comfort you, and wipe away your tears? The Bible is full with verses about God, wanting to comfort his own children, in the Old Testament and the New. If you look at Psalm 119, verses 50, 52, 92, and 93, you can see how vital is for everyone, who has the Word of God, living of the inside of them, to make sure, that they do not forget, what God has promised. You can parish in anguish, disappointment and fear, if you mainly concentrate and look at the bad things going around you, and in the world. But in Psalm 119:92, 93, you can see that the writer claims victory over suffering, by holding on to his faith in the Word of God. He is making sure he does not forget what God has promised in his Word, and that surely includes promises about comfort from God, in a time of trouble. Trouble on the outside, but comfort on the inside by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit himself, and by the promises of God, kept in your heart. The load of suffering and depressing news in this world, is growing bigger and stronger, from day to day, and unless we pick up the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and think, it, apply it, and meditate on it daily, we too, can easily perish in suffering and despair. The Word of God has the ability to revive the soul, as it is written in it. When we find ourselves in the fire of suffering, more often than not, we naturally think and worry, about the thing which makes us suffering and how to get out of it. But, what God wants us to do, is to spend more time thinking about what he has promised to do, when we are suffering, and think more about that. Just look at verses 50 and 52 of Psalm 119, and see how the person was finding comfort in his own suffering. By remembering the Word of God, and by holding on on the promises of God. If you continue to meditate and hold on, on the promises of circumstances and what you hear and see, they will infiltrate, your mind, your heart, and eventually your life, and they will become your new reality, instead of the truth and the reality of what the Word of God says. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he, as the Proverbs say. How often you think, when you get depressed, that you are stuck with it, and can not get rid of it?
I have got good news for you! If you are a child of God, and you have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit in your heart, you can definitely be free from depression! Why do I say that! Because the Word of God says that! And there is nothing better to hear, when you want to be free from depression! You see, the more you watch the News, the more depressed you will feel, because, most of the News out there, are a depression producing news! in most of them there is no good. And vice versa. The more of the Good News you listen to, the Word of God, the better you will feel, and the Word of God has the potential to heal and remove the depression from you, because the Word of God is living and active, as the Bible says. If you look at Psalm 10 verses 14 and 17, you can see that God really cares for the afflicted, and that includes all those who are depressed. In a matter of fact, verse 14 in the NIV translation of the Bible, says that God considers your grief, and takes it in hand. Do you know what that means? That means he cares enough for you, to heal and deliver you from grief and depression! Why should he take it in hand, and consider it, if he did not plan to heal you and deliver you from suffering? God is not only sympathetic with our suffering, but he cares enough to be willing to deliver us from it. In verse 17 of Psalm 10, in the NIV version, it says that God wants to encourage you, and he listens to your cry. What are you crying to God for? Are you depressed? Do not forget what it says in verse 17, that God wants to encourage you! Just go to him, remind God what he has promised in his Word, that he will encourage you and that he listens to your cry for help, and than thank him for the answer, and believe that he has done it! That is all! It is not complicated. If he says that he will, he will and you just accept it with faith and thank him for that! Do you worry about the things going around in the world? Do you worry about things in your own life, perhaps how get rid of a chronic disease, or how to find an employment, or perhaps, about broken relationships with members of your own family?
Why do we worry? Well, worry does on in our own brain, by us calculating and estimating what we can do, in order to make sure, that we will be free from danger, or to make sure, that we will be safe, and without unnecessary suffering in our life. All that sounds good, that we are taking a precaution of how to avoid harmful or dangerous things in our life. But, the problem becomes, when we start thinking too much, and on a regular basis, about the same things again and again, so much so, that those thoughts of worry, occupy our mind most of the time, or at least, very often. The Word of God is full with examples of people being anxious or worried in their life, about various things. Just look at the Psalms, and you can find plenty of anxious and fear loaded people, and how they came to God for help, and for comfort. In Psalm 68:19, the Word of God tells us very clearly, that God bears our burdens daily. That is interesting! God is concerned about my and your problems, anxieties and worries, on a daily basis. Because our daily burdens are just that, our daily fears, anxieties, problems and worries. If not, then what else could our burdens be? But is says very clearly that God bears our burdens or problems, daily, not some times, not once a wee, but every day! Is not that comforting to know, that God cares for what troubles us, and what we worry about? Just as the Bible tells us to cast all our anxieties on him, because he cares for us. Next time you sit down and worry about certain things in your life, I would suggest, that you grab Bible, open in on Psalm 68:19 and remind yourself, of what God thinks and says about the problems you worry about. God wants to take care about your burden and worry everyday. Would you let him have your problem and sort it out, or would you continue to keep the problem to yourself, and carry on worrying about it, instead of dropping it in God's hands, to let him sort it out for you? The choice is yours! One thing is certain! That if you believe in God and follow and serve him, all your needs will be met! All of them! Not just some!
God is more than a willing and has promised, to supply all your needs! That is the truth, if you want to believe it or not! God does not want any of your needs, to be unsatisfied! Why should he care to supply some of your needs, and not another? When we read 1 Timothy 6:17, we can see that God wants to provide us with what we need. And not just provide for us what we need, but he wants to provide it in a very rich way! That is what that verse says! That is God's idea, that is what the Word of God says! That is not some prosperity man made teaching! This is the teaching from heaven, recorded on the pages of the Bible, the Word of God! Now we can agree with it, or not agree with it, the choice remains entirely ours. Even more than just provide for us, God is also concerned that he gives things to enjoy! God is not only giving you a thing you need, and say "Here it is, have what you need". No, he wants to give you things to enjoy! That is what the Bible says! That God richly provide us with everything, means he does not leave a need unmet. Richly means richly. Richly means more than what you need. Rich provision with everything, means no lack. How can you be needy and lacking what you need, and God not provide for you richly, just as he promised in his Word? No, he surely will do what he said and has promised, but God does not lie, and his Word is truth! God says, and does what he says in his Word, not like us people, promise one thing, but do something else! Promise from a man, is like a polite refusal to do something. Promise from God, is a fact, something recorded in heaven, and given to us on earth, something which can never fail to do what it is give for. Jesus said, that heaven and earth will pass away, but his Word will not pass away! How well you know your Shepherd, will determine how much of green pastures you see around in your life.
The less we know Jesus Christ our good Shepherd, the more dry grass and no pastures we will find around us. God wants to lead you to a green pastures, if you are his sheep. God always wanted to give you green pastures, instead of a dry morsel. From the very beginning, God gave Adam and Eve a green pastures, and more, the Paradise. God hates lack in your life, as much as you do. Just read Psalm 23:1. The very two verses of Psalm 23, show that God hates lack in your life, and loves to take you to a place, where you will just relax, and enjoy the green pastures of provision from him, because you are his beloved child. And even if you walk in the valley of death, and the valley of Covid 19, and there is darkness all around you, God still wants to prepare a table in front of you, to supply your need and beyond, so much so, that even the enemies of your soul, will just look in dismay, at the abundance from God in your life, and not be able to do anything about it, apart from being jealous - Psalm 23:4, 5 Notice in verse 5, it says that your cup will overflow. You see that? God is not only concerned that there is no lack of what you need in your life, but he want your life, to be overflowing with his provision, just as Jesus did supply many baskets of leftovers, for the thousand of people, who were with him, listening for him and his teaching for days, leaving their daily engagements behind, in order to be with him. Seek first the Kingdom of God. God has warned us, not to worry about what we shall eat, or what we shall drink! You do not need to worry anymore, how you will get money for what you need, be it food, clothes, rent, cars, and other things! The fact that Jesus said that you should not worry about how you will get what you need, shows, that God is really concerned about your needs being met! But what is worrying about your needs being met? Well, it is the constant thinking, reasoning and calculating in your mind, of how and from where is the best place for you, to find what you need. It is all based on logic, and not on faith. Faith does not calculate, reason, or estimate! It just trusts and believes the truth, and the Word of God is truth. It all comes down to how much we believe that what God has said in his Word, about our needs being met, is true. If we really believe what God has said and promised in his Word about our needs being met, then we just can not worry, and calculate anymore, but will only believe. Believe and worry, are like a plus+ and minus-. They can not co-exist and dialogue between themselves. Believe is trusting without explanation, based on the Person who we believe and what He has said in his Word, and worry is totally logical, analytical calculation, and estimation of facts, circumstances, and other people's opinion, about our situation or need. God loves to be trusted, believed, and obeyed, but he never asked us to understand him, or what and how he does things! The more you know God on a deeper level, the easier it is for you to trust and believe him, and what he has said. And the more you know God, the easier it is to figure out, that you just can not understand him, or comprehend him, but yet, you still trust him and obey him, because you have a better knowledge of him. Believing and trusting God, comes more on a heart level, but reasoning and worrying comes more on the level of your mind, on a more logical level. But you should never forget, that it is your hear or spirit that is born again, and where the Holy Spirit resides first of all, and not your mind. In Matthew 6:11, it shows clearly, that you pray for your daily needs, you should ask just for what you need for today. Not, asking for a whole week ahead of provision, or a whole month. No, just ask for what you need today. But why only for today? Well, it is easier if you are going to worry about your needs being met, to worry just for today, just for one day of what you need, than to worry about a week or a month of supply ahead. If you start worrying about from where you will get what you need for one month ahead, you will become a burn out Christian. You will be loaded with stress, and stressful thoughts, thinks and worrying for a whole month ahead. You will crack, and you brain cells will certainly work overtime and be overloaded, and eventually give up and 'burn'. No, do not do that, just if you are going to pray and worry about your needs, pray and ask just for today, because Jesus said, that it is enough of trouble for today, that is why you should not worry about tomorrow - Matthew 6:34. Jeremiah 31:12, 13, 14
We can see in those verses, what the will of God for us as Christians is. Those verses in Jeremiah's book, are for Israel, but we as Christians are called in the Bible also spiritual Jews. God has those blessings for us, as he had them for the Jews. God wants us to have abundance, and not just abundance, but to shout for joy because of the abundance and in his material provisions for us. God wants us to be glad, and to dance. Good earthly parents, also want their children to be glad and to dance, because that will give them joy too. Just look at verse 13, and we can see, that God is concerned for our troubles and suffering, wants to comfort us, and to give us joy. In fact, that verse says that God does not want his children to have sorrow. That completely eliminates the idea, which some people believe, that God gives them the suffering and trouble, so that he can teach them something through it. But according to these verses here, it is not so. Verse 14 shows something similar to what Jesus said, that he has come to give us abundant life. The Word of God is full, with so many promises, for all those who believe, that their needs will be met by God!
If you find yourself lacking anything which you need in life, like, money, jobs, food, etc, then read, because the Word of God has to say something to your personally about that! There are some Christians, who claim for example, that if God has promised something in the Old Testament, then that is only for the people of Israel, and not for us as Christians. That is not so! In the New Testament, saint Paul says that we are spiritual Jews, because we are co-hairs with Christ. We are the children of the promise, children of Abraham, just because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, we are not physically Jews, but we are spiritual Jews, according to saint Paul! When king David says in Psalm 103, that God satisfies his desires with good things, do you think that is only for him and for the people of Israel? No, because you are a child of God in Jesus Christ, therefore, that promise is also for you! God loves you as much as he loved king David! Why he should love us less! In Psalm 103:2, it says that we should not forget the benefits from God. What benefits? Well, all those blessings which God has given you in the past, or has given you today! That is all those things you needed in the past, like food, jobs, clothes, and any other spiritual or material blessings! The problem is that, when we face lack in our life, and when we wonder where we are going to teg the next meal, or the money to pay the bills, we tend to concentrate on the lack, and not on the promise of God, or the benefits and blessings, he has already given us in the past! You see, if we continue to thinks about all those good things and benefits God provided for us in the past, that will increase and strengthen our faith, to receive from God what we need now, or in the future! What we think about, will either increase or decrease our faith for provision from God! That is why, king David says that we should not forget all the benefits from God. God want to satisfy what we need from him, but often he uses our faith in him and his Word, to do that! Want a proof? Just look at how many times Jesus said in the Gospels, that it should be according to people's faith, when they asked something from him, and he did a miracle for them. Jesus often said to them "...according to your faith..." Why did he say that? Because he wanted to use their own faith in him, in order to do the miracle. He could do the miracles anyway, but he wanted to involve their faith in what he was teaching and saying. God always looks for our faith to be involved, in order to do a miracle. Meditating not only on God's promises in his Word, but on all those good things God has given you or done in your life in the past, will strengthen and increase your faith to receive a miracle from him, now or in the future. What to do, when you are in a great distress?
Read Psalm 77. Verse 2: When our soul is so distressed, that we naturally refuse to be comforted, because we have lost all hope! Verse 4: That is a great distress! So much trouble and distress that you become numb in your emotions, unable to speak! The solution? Start remembering all the blessings help and good things God has given you in your past! Meditate on them! How did God helped you in any distressing situation in the past! Think about that! Verse 6: Remember all those days or nights in the past, when you were feeling so blessed from God, and his presence, that you sang him songs! Verses 7, 8, 9: Ask yourself these questions? Can God stop being merciful and loving you ever? Can he forget you and your distress? Oh, no, his great love and mercy for you make him unable to forget you and your distress! He cares for you! Just hung on him and his promises! Do not give up, because he never gives up on you, because he loves you so much! Verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 The solution to your distress and problem, is to start meditating and thinking about all the mighty and powerful miracles and things which God has done many times in the past, either for other people like his own people Israel, or for you personally! When we start thinking about all the blessings, and all the help God has given to us or others in the past, that is when we start hoping and believing that there is no reason for him not to do the same today in our lives! Why should he do it only in the past, but not now! He does not change, his love and mercy for us does not change, so he will do it for us again! Do you want to terminate and eliminate the lack of what you need in you life, the way God intended it to be? Then read on, because there are sure ways from God, of how to stop living in not enough of all you need, be it finances, car, jobs, food, clothes and other necessary things in life!
God created you with needs, so he is more than concerned to satisfy and provide for those needs, as he has promised in his Word. All thought the Bible, be it Old Testament or New Testament, we can see our God as being the provider of all people have needed in the past. But that is not only for the past, because he has promised to provide for all his children, past, present or future! Our God is not like some politicians, who promise us something, but fail to deliver! No, God does not waste his time and our time, with false hopes, about our needs being provided for! Our God is never limited by our circumstances. He creates something out of nothing, just as he created the heaven and earth by his Word, out of nothing. No mountain of lack, and not enough, is too big for our Father God in heaven, to be removed! There are so many passages in the Bible, which show that God can provide for needs of people, where there is not even any reason to think so. Think about the Israelis who spend 40 years in the wilderness, how God provided for all they needed, even though, they doubted that he can! He provided for thousands of people in the wilderness, without them being able to work for it, or pay for it. He fed them and provided for them, in a place, when logically, not person would think, that you can get your needs met in whatever way. That is in the wilderness. What type of food can you get, for a few thousand people, on a daily basis, in a wilderness? Nothing! Yet God proved to them, that he will provide for them, for 40 years, daily! Not 40 days or months, no, 40 years of daily supply of all they needed, and yet, there were some, who still doubted where their next meal is going to come from. When we read Psalm 37:19, we can see that God has promised that in the time of disaster, you will not wither, and in the time of famine, you will have plenty! Do not try to figure it out, how can you have plenty, in the time of famine! That is not what God wants from you, to try to figure it out, and reason it, or try to explain it. Yes, it does not make sense, that when there is famine around, you will have an abundance of things to enjoy, but God does not care, about our common sense, and he does not depend on it at all, in order to supply what we need. Famine can never produce plenty, but our God can and will, for those who trust and believe in him. All that he is asking of us, is to trust him, and believe that what he said, will be accomplished, regardless of circumstances! God is not a man, that he should lie, and his Word is truth, because Jesus is the Word. Our faith and trust in God pleases him, first of all, not our reasoning. In fact, in the book of Proverbs, God commands us not to rely on our reasoning, but to trust him with all our hearts. His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so are his way of doing things, and providing miraculously for our needs, when we can not provide for ourselves, because we find ourselves in a time of famine. This Covid 19 has created a lot of famine and lack, in the life of many people globally, but Covid 19 is not strong enough, to stop our God, providing for our needs! It never will be! Some people say that God does not respond to pain, but only to our faith.
I am not sure about that! How can a merciful, loving, gracious and compassionate God, not care or respond when we are suffering? It just does not go like this! God responds to our faith, but also to our suffering! His great love for us makes him to response when we suffer! How many earthly fathers would not respond, if they see their children suffer! The pain of the child, is the pain of the father too! When we read Psalm 34 verses 6, 17, 18, 19, we can see very clearly that God has promised, that if we live in a way, that pleases him, he will deliver us from our suffering and troubles! We need to grasp that truth, because the Word of God is truth, and what God said, will not change. It is interesting to notice, that God does not say that we will not have trouble, but has said just the opposite, that the righteous man may have many troubles. That is what God says, that we may have many troubles, but also promises us, that God will deliver us from all of them, that includes depression, anxiety, illness, lack of money, job or other things we need. When we are depressed, sick or lack money and other things, that is a problem and a trouble for us. Not some troubles, no, he said in his Word, that he will save us from all our troubles. In fact, he says it three times in Psalm 34, that he will deliver us from all troubles! No matter how big or small, because everything is possible, with God, for the one who believes. Our belief in the Word of God will change our suffering and situation, but the Word of God will not change. Psalm 10:14, 17, Psalm 8:9, Psalm 9:18, Psalm 18:5, 6
We can see in this verse, that God the Father, delights in us, his children! Do you know what it means? It means that he is never away from us, and never leaves us alone! His delight for us, makes him more than a willing, to give us any blessings, either spiritual or physical. He delights in us, he is not angry with us! His anger fell on Jesus on the cross for our sins! Because of his great love and delight for us, he is gladly willing to give us every blessing, spiritual or physical! He wants to give us the good land! He is more than willing to give us good things, like a earthly father would to his children, even more than we are willing to receive from him! Our delights in his blessings, brings him joy and delight, because he is our Father! God rejoices when we rejoice in the blessings he is giving us. He delights in us, and gives us freely everything, because we belong to him, and because we are his children, and he is our Father, and not because of what we do, and how holy lives we live! Yes, he has commanded us to be holy, because he is holy, but our performance and how we live before him, does not determine why and what he gives us! There is so much trouble out there in the world today, so that the heart of a Christian or unbeliever, can sink into the darkness of despair. All that Covid 19 stuff, has created even more fearful event in the world, to make your head spin.
As a Christian, do you find yourself sometimes also sinking in despair and anxiety, even just by watching what is going on in the News? Do you sometimes feel fearful and worried, what is going to happen next in all this situation of trouble and bad news in the world? If you do, you are not alone! Even as a Christians, we can fall into depression and negative way of thinking just by watching what is going around us, and in the world. But, as a Christian, you have the great advantage, in comparison of people of this world, without God! What is the advantage? Well, the solid truth and fact, that you have the Spirit of the Almighty God, living on the inside of you, the one who is also called the 'Comforter' in the original Greek language by which the New Testament is written. You see, when we read chapter 14 and verse 1 from the Gospel of John, we can clearly see, that Jesus told his disciples, not to let their hearts be troubled. That is not an option, I believe that is a command! God does not tell us "Well, if you want to feel anxious and troubled, that is fine, but I suggest that you do not let your heart be troubled". No, Jesus did not say that! He just said to them in a very simple plain language "Do not let your heart be troubled"! Do you see that? God is saying "You DO NOT LET your heart be troubled". So we make the choice to let it be or not be troubled. All starts with us, not with God, about the condition of our hearts in the time of trouble. We can let our hearts be troubled by our circumstances, or we can chose not to let our hearts be troubled. It is all down to our choice. The only way we can experience the peace of God which Jesus has left for us, and which passes understanding, is if we first, DO NOT LET our hearts be troubled! The Bible commands us to not be anxious for anything, but in everything to pray to God with thanksgiving in our hearts. I know that is easier said that done in our lives, especially when we are in a difficulty, but that is what God wants from us, to aim to stop letting our heart be troubled, and to let our hurts trust in God, for his help and deliverance in all the adverse and difficult situations in our life. God has already given us all that we need, to not let our hearts be troubled, when there is trouble in our life. He has provided everything we need from him, in order to continue to be with hearts full with his peace from heaven, as Jesus promised us that he has left his peace to be in us. When you read John 16:33, you can see, that there is a promise from Jesus for us, and that is, and the promise is, that in this world we will have trouble. Oh he knows all about this Covid 19 and all other troubles that bother us, and he cares! But in that same verse, he also said, that we should take courage, because he has overcome the world! That is a powerful statement! I believe Jesus is saying to us in John 16:33, "OK, I know you will have trouble in this world, but I have given you solution and help in those troubles, because I have overcome the world". Do you see that? If Jesus has overcome the world, so can we, by him continuing to overcome the troubles we have in this world, just because he lives in us today. He still continues to overcome the world, and its troubles through us, and by living in us, for his glory and our comfort! Jesus was saying to the disciples in John 16:33, that if he could overcome the world, so can we, just because he lives in us, and wants to make us over-comers of the world and its troubles as he is even today. Did you know, that God surely wants you healthy and healed!
The is no one place in the whole Bible, where God has been unwilling to heal people, either Old or New Testament! But there are plenty of Scriptures in the whole Bible, which shows that God heals, and wants to heal you too, Old Testament or New! Whatever the condition you have, does not matter for God, because he does not care if it is so called curable or incurable condition. Jesus said that everything is possible, for the one who believes. Everything! Even Covid 19 is no barrier for God to heal! How can some Christians wonder if God heals today or if he is willing to heal? Where they get that idea from? Surely that idea did not come from heaven, or from the Word of God, but it definitely came from hell! Definitely! Why? Because there is only one in this world, who does not want you to be healed, and that is the devil, who according to Jesus, came to kill, still, and destroy. Destroy what? Your health, and your believe in a healing from God today! God does not allow there to be sickness in heaven, and he does not want sickness on earth, especially in the bodies of his children, the born again Christians. We are the body of Christ. Would God want his body, the body of Christ, his church, to be sick? Would not Jesus care enough for his body, the body of Christ, the church to heal it from disease? Surely he will, and he does, as is the testimony of thousands of people in the world today, who have been healed from God, from all sorts of diseases, including cancer and Covid 19! Glory and thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ, that he heals us today, those who believe that he still does! In Psalms 92:12-14, we can see very clearly, that the Word of God promises that those who believe in God, and serve him, will flourish like palm tree. Now, let me ask you a question. How can you flourish like a palm tree, if you are sick in your body, and especially if you look like a dry plant, and not like a flourishing palm tree, due to an illness in your body? Now, look at verse 14 of Psalm 92. Do you see what it says? It says that you will stay fresh and green, if you are a child of God! How can you look fresh and green, especially, if you are sick with a serious illness or condition. No, when you are really seriously sick, you will look like a trampled on vegetable, and certainly not like a plant which is fresh and green. The idea that the Word of God says that those who believe in God, will look fresh and green, is absolutely implicating, that God wants you to be healthy and healed. That is what God said! He just has said in Psalm 92:14, that if you serve him, and believe in him, he will definitely make you look fresh and green, just like a Palm tree. Think about it. Can a sick tree look fresh and green? Surely not, but a healthy tree can and will. So will be you, if you want to believe what God says about you, your condition or illness, that if you carry on believing what he said in his Word, you too will look fresh and green, free from sickness in your life, because Jesus has already done on the cross, and by his resurrection from the grave, everything we need, to be healed. In the wound of Jesus we are healed! Amen! You can break free, from anxiety and worry about, how you will pay your next bill, where to find a job, or to be healed from disease! That is what God promises in so many places in his Word for his children! Do you find yourself, in a situation where you are stuck with an incurable condition, or you wonder how you can pay your bills, or you worry about how to find an employment, and more money for your needs? Well, all this situation in the world, with this Covid 19 stuff, is really making the world wonder and worry, what will happen next. But, if you are a Christian, read on, because the one who created the world, has put his attention on you, and your situation. God either cares for us, or he does not. What matters is that he has said that he cares. He cares for your bill to be paid, he cares to restore you to health, and he cares to provide what you need! That is a fact established in heaven, and in his Word. The Bible says that no word from God will fail! Your illness, your lack of money or lack of employment will fail to accomplish its own purpose, but the Word of God will never fail to accomplish its own purpose, but will fulfil the reason, why God sent it on the first place! If you look at Psalm 9:9, you can clearly see that is says that God is our stronghold, in a time of trouble. Well, living in a Covid 19 is a time of trouble, but God is our stronghold, and we can surely run into the protection and the provision from God, in that time of trouble. When we are in a time of trouble, it is the time to run to God and come close to him for help, and not run away from God. In Psalm 9:10, God says that he will never forsake us. That is about God not forsaking us, or forgetting about us, especially when we are in a time of trouble! That is what it says, because it says so, in verse 9, of Psalm 9. That means God will not forsake you, or forget about your illness which is waiting to be healed from him, and he will not forsake or forget about your need of money or employment. That is what God is concerned about not forsaking you! He just says that you will be helped, provided and healed from him, only if you do one thing, and that is to trust in him and his Word. If you can do that one thing, as it says in Psalm 9:10, to know God's name, seek him, and trust in him, then the rest will be done for you by God himself! If you seek first your employer, or your doctor for your disease, very often you can be disappointed with the trust you have in them, because that trust can often crumble. But God is saying 'Trust me, because I am trustworthy'. How many times you can trust God? Any time, without limit, just as he is not limited. That is all he asks, that we trust him, and his Word. God has a good solid reason, to ask us to trust in him and his Word, and that reason is, that he knows that his Word is true! That is why Jesus said so many times in the Gospels, 'truly, truly I say to you'. Your hope in God, to help you in your illness, find a job, or money, will never perish, if you continue to trust him! That is what Psalm 9:18 says, meaning that if you are afflicted by unemployment, illness or a lack of money, your hope to be helped by God, will never perish, but what you hope to get from God, will be accomplished, because he has promised so! |
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