“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books – especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.” — John Wooden
Adversity comes with a sense of “I can’t do that” or “I don’t know how this will ever change.” What changed for me was believing that the how will come if I understand. You can’t merely want something to turn, sit on the couch and wait for it.
Problems can seem to be insurmountable to the point we don’t see how that anything will change. I heard something that resonated with me. If God can put stars in the Universe, he can probably figure out a way to help your issue. All it requires is a belief deep in your heart.
If your problems are financial for example, you cannot just say, God, I need to pay my bills. You still need to go to work and do your part. How many times in your life has something happened that was unexpected out of the blue. Believe that God can work miracles in your life.
What happened to me especially with my financial issues and my relationship was the catalyst I needed for change. I let them go. They’re so big that I could not do it on my own. The mountain was too big for me to climb on my own. In the natural world, I was on my own. This book is teaching you how to live in the supernatural world where God lives. Trusting that behind the scenes he is working to help me.
Worry and self-doubt stifled any progress that I could have made. It made nothing better. My hand in trying to fix everything only made it worse. You can choose to worry all day long if you want. The alternative is let it go, believe that faith does it. Do not worry about the how that’s God’s job. I promise he does not need your help. He does not work well with others; in this, he prefers to work alone. It’s your job to let him.
Little by little my financial worries are dissipating. All my bills are getting paid, sometimes just getting paid. Not sure how I am even going to eat yet I have not gone hungry. My credit is intact, and the phone calls have stopped. I am doing my part every day. God sees that I work, I work with a smile, I don’t complain that there is not enough, and I smile to be a friend to all.
The other day I received an email from one of my favorite Church’s that they were going to fall short of their budget this year. The reasons I understood why. So, I could only give $10.00. I did so joyfully. I left my job to run an errand. Came back a customer caught me outside and asked about a trailer I had for sale. Long story short my commission for this small trailer was $100.00. The deal fell into my lap. A ten-fold return for something I just believed in my heart.
It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, belief in God. Believe in promises from a book written thousands of years ago. Even if you’re skeptical about God, be open to learning something new by studying the word of God to change your life.
What if the story is true. How as a father could you bear seeing your son beaten to a pulp, then forced to carry his instrument of destruction (the cross) to your death? The strength that took to endure is beyond mortal comprehension. I think we can believe after that sacrifice in his word. The word that gives me life.
From all of this, you can rest assured that his promise is real. All you must do is believe. Praise God every day for your life. Thank him and directly through prayer and your excellent work blessing will come. When the enemy says, “see it’s not changing fast, God has left you.” That’s when you can rest assured that just around the bend, just a little further in faith, your life is about to change. All we must do is believe when everything suggests nothing is happening. That’s when you need to sit down relax and enjoy the ride.
Belief must be a total commitment. You cannot just say if you must believe in your heart. It’s easy to say I believe in God. If, however, I do nothing to back up that belief its words nothing more. When you hop up on a chair, you have unwavering faith that it will hold you. What if a spring is Broken just below the surface of the seat cover. You flop down and drive a spring right into your behind, ouch. Every day without a thought or care, flop you go. The real question is how we can believe in something so innocuous so entirely and yet struggle believing in God?
The real question for us all is how do we get unwavering faith in God so that we can flop in his chair? The short answer is prayer and letting go. We must put down the luggage we carry and let God have it. Way easier said than done. With faith the how does come! Imagine the wonder if you could put down the backpack of worry we all carry.
Having an unwavering belief will require that your role with the punches, pardon the cliché. Did I mention this is where the test comes? What you didn’t say anything about a test! What do you think tough times are? A check of your faith, your belief that everything will be okay. OR, you sink into a Pitiful Pearl state of mind. I’m also not talking about major life events like death or divorce. I’m talking about regular life stuff.
Life will throw you test to check your resolve. Okay, you’re going to get over this. We’re always going to have something to contend with in our lives. How we handle issues that get in the way is how God will judge us. Mine alter ego Pitiful Pearl would many times say “just my luck” “why can’t I catch a break” when just handling what comes with grace will get us through quickly.
When God knows that WE know he is in charge, that all things are possible through Christ. Guess what all things are possible through Christ. We can’t see the HOW but what we can see is that God will handle whatever comes down the pipe. Do what is in front of you every day. Remember you can’t sit on your backside and say okay God handle it. You still must get up and go to work, you still must be a friend, you still must be a parent, and life will move on. What will be different is if you are different, meaning if you handle the next season of your life with grace. Or does Pitiful Pearl visit you? It’s a choice you must make.
Keeping focused on believing God has us in his hand when life just kicked you right in you know what. God sees you taking a shot right in the gut but letting him know that yep it hurt but God I’m standing with you. I have done this now many times only to see his grace work in my life. I went from horrible dark places scaring my family for my safety. To realize that if I stay out of God’s way, peace does come to me.
My problems may not resolve themselves as quickly as I would like. I could jump in and start trying to solve problems that are just too big for me to handle alone. Instead, I am using what I am telling you to try, and it works. Nothing happens in the time frame I want. It does happen in God’s good time. When I let God handle my life and realize I may even miss a deadline for some significant life event but allow God’s timing to reveal itself. Somehow even at the brink of disaster, it all works out. Nothing blew up, nothing life changing happened, it resolves itself without my help. I did the work in front of me each day.
The how for me is not as important to me as letting God know that I believe. That in times where I think my world is blowing up, I without hesitation trust him. Am I 100% on this NO! That only makes me human subject to make mistakes. Quickly I will let God know that I am sorry, my forgiveness given to me. Presented in the words of the Bible; you might want to get a copy (study bible).
This chapter will close with this thought. If your child got deathly ill, you would have no problem going to God. In fact, you will probably go to God every moment of every day until your baby gets well. You will thank him if your child pulls through, earnestly you will thank him.
My point is if you want God to perform a miracle in your life. You don’t have to have a catastrophic event for that to occur. If you want your life to be about beautiful blessings and happiness, go to God every day in faith prayer. Thank him for the blessings you have even if they have not manifested themselves in your life.
Don’t wait as I did until life blows up and now you have a huge mess to clean up. We all go through hard seasons in our life. Would it not be nice to have the tools now to help you weather the storm?