Do you find yourself in any of those categories? Are you in a relationship right now that is a constant drain on your time, energy and finances without adding anything valuable back into your life? Do you say yes to projects because you don’t know how to say no and then find yourself wishing you never signed up?

If you find yourself in a state of being perpetually tired and stressed, ask the Lord to reveal why you are experiencing that. Ask Him how you should address those areas. He will show you how to prioritize the activities and release the baggage you have if you follow His instructions.

To be stressed is to not trust God. Trust Him with every detail of your life. You have seen how the vision for your life is coming to fruition. Why would God leave you hanging now? Give all that doubt and negativity to Him and exchange it for joy and peace of mind instead.

Matthew 11:28-30 (New International Version)

28″Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Are there things that you need in order to shape your life into what you want it to be? Do you have a list of items that are simply lacking or need to be replaced? Do you find yourself looking at others who seem to have all those things that are missing in your life and wonder when it will be your turn to receive?

If you are wishing and waiting for your turn to receive all these things that are “missing”, then I would like to remind you of the universal law of sowing and reaping.

Too often we get into the mindset of “lack” and begin to hoard whatever it is that we do have in order to preserve ourselves. We become stingy with everything out of fear that there will not be enough. Other people’s problems have nothing to do with us, we say we have enough to worry about. We say we cannot give to help another nation when we are starving ourselves.

While that perspective may seem perfectly logical, it simply does not work. The more one looks out for self, the more isolated you become. The more isolated you become, the list of things you lack begin to grow. When you cannot give of yourself, you cut yourself off from love, nurturing, support and countless other resources. When you feel you are entitled to receive help because of your circumstances yet are unwilling to help others, eventually your well will run dry. You will deplete your resources and be in an even worse state.

You may say, “I have nothing to give.” Too often we equate giving with finances. Every person has something to give. You can lend your time to help another person or people in need. You can donate your services when you have special talents and abilities. You can be a friend to someone who needs support. As you do this, you will become a bigger person as the seeds of love are watered in your heart.

Not only will you become bigger, you will become connected with likeminded people who want to help. Suddenly the things you need are being placed in your hands. The support you wished for is now readily available. With the help of others you have the strength to accomplish things you never dreamed of.

If you are in need, give something of value away. Test this principle in your life and see how it can change everything.

Mark 4:24-25 (The Message)

“Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”

Luke 6:38 (New International Version)
^“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Who is that person in your life who always seems to know exactly what to say or do to get you from zero to rage in 60 seconds? They push and they push and as usual you walk right into the trap and explode in anger. Perhaps you have more than one person in your life who is skilled at causing you to tie your chest in a knot, scream, yell or try desperately to restrain yourself from doing something that would bring highly undesirable consequences.

How many times have you been driven to this state by these people or group of people? Why is it that no matter how many times we go there, we somehow believe that it won’t happen again? Why do we expect people to do something or be anything other than what they are?

The key to dealing with the difficult ones is to simply accept them! They are who they are. If you expect them to be anyone else, you will be upset and disappointed every time. In fact, we would all be happier if we simply started accepting people for who they are, even if we think they should be something else. If you do not accept them, you judge them, and that is not a seat you want to sit in.

Don’t forget that you are most likely someone else’s “difficult one.” If there isn’t a person on the earth who can say you have been difficult, God can say it. He sees and knows all.

Pray for people in your life that you find it hard to get along with and maintain your position of peace. Follow the example of Jesus. He did not seek trouble or react defensively. He maintained His position, accepting people as they were and remaining who He was at all times.

Try love, understanding and forgiveness when dealing with the difficult people in your life. Give people the same grace and mercy that you need for yourself.

Matthew 7:1-2 (New International Version)

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

What would you do if you had something to say that could change everything?

Would you wait and hope that someone else will say it? Perhaps you just don’t want the responsibility when the weight of your words will most definitely have an intended or unintended impact.

It is easy to go with the flow, accept life as it is happening and observe it all without taking the risk of being the one who spoke up.

On several occasions I have received insight so heavy that it caused me to ask ‘Why me?’ Whether I took action on what I learned or not, I realized that I would always be responsible for what I knew. More and more I am striving to have the courage and basic obedience to communicate or act upon the knowledge God gives me. When God gives me something to pray or speak about, I have to submit and trust Him with the outcome.

As demonstrated in the Bible and throughout our own individual lives, words have creative power.  One can curse a child and literally watch them wilt under the power of those negative words. You can also repeatedly speak life over that same child and watch how death loses its sting under the power of loving words. We can call wonderful things into being in our lives, relationships and careers by speaking life into those areas. We can also bring wonderful change to others by speaking courageously into their lives.

How will you use your words today?
Proverbs 18:20-21 (New King James Version)
²⁰ A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Dear Lord,

I am coming before you right now on behalf of myself and all my brothers and sisters who are feeling overwhelmed right now. In times like these I feel like my knowledge, my strength, my wisdom is not adequate for the situations I am facing. I want to be sure of my actions. I want to know exactly what the outcome will be. I want to know that the vision I saw will come to pass.

I know that the past and even the present do not alter the plans that You have for me. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and that goes for me and my entire family.

I know that even now, You are right here with me, holding me in Your arms and  pouring Your love over me. I know that You are working out every situation that concerns me. You are reaching into the places that I cannot reach and making them right. You will put everything in the proper order in the proper time.

Thank You for being my Lord, my Savior and my Heavenly Father. Thank You for illuminating the areas of my life that You are fine-tuning for Your glory. Thank You for holding me close and being my strength. I remain completely surrendered to Your Will because You know what’s best for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Psalm 18:35-36 (New International Version)
³⁵ You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

³⁶ You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

God has a plan for your life and that plan never changes. What changes is you! You can ignore the plan, run from the plan, trip yourself up, get lost somewhere in the wilderness, blame God and everyone around you, but He still has the blueprint in His Hand. The longer you run, the longer you delay entering the blessedness of His Will.

The Lord has given you the ability to choose. Are you happy with what you have chosen? Do you see His peace, joy and love unfolding in Your life? Or are you experiencing the same things day in and day out? Do you find yourself continually caught up in drama and conflict with other people? Do you wish for the spotlight and the praise of others?

When your actions are based on a desire to  please man rather than God, you are not in line with God’s will. You cannot receive God’s best for your life if you are trying to impress people! Is this hard to understand? Who gave you your life? Who has the power to transform your life?

God is the only One who can transform your life. However, this will not happen unless you really want it. If you want to change, you have to be willing to put people-pleasing in the past. As long as you are trying to impress someone, you are only performing. You have no real relationships because you are not real. Most of the people you are trying to please do not love you, possibly because they have never met the real you.

The God who loves you has a plan for your life that you may not even be able to imagine right now. He has the best things in store specifically for you. He is waiting for you to accept His Will. It does not matter how much time you think you have wasted or how much you may have messed up. God didn’t rip up the agenda. He knows how to redeem the time and get you up to speed. Just surrender to Him today.

Lord I thank you and I pray for my brother and sister reading this right now who genuinely want Your best for their life. I pray that You would remove the distractions and the voices that discourage them from being all that they can be. Help them to see themselves through Your eyes, Lord. Allow them to feel the warmth of Your love and know that You will be with them every step of the way. I pray that they would surrender to You and allow You to transform their lives. Remove the weights Lord, remove the shackles that hold them back . Free them to be complete in You today Father. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.

Hebrews 12:1-3  New Living Translation

¹ 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. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. ³ Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

I had awesome conversations with two of my friends yesterday in which we reviewed the history and development of certain areas of our lives. As we talked I remembered the roller coaster of emotions that I have experienced over time. I remembered the feelings of happiness, excitement, confusion, uncertainty, peace, love, anger and contentment to name a few. I thought about no matter how wild the ride has been, the moments where I decided to trust in God were the moments where He showed up mightily on my behalf.

That may seem like such an obvious statement to make, but it’s hindsight for me. For years I blindly followed my emotions, allowing them to toss me back and forth like the waves of an ocean. This often resulted in poor choices and damaged relationships. I’m learning now to submit those raging emotions to my Father in Heaven.

When the questions start running in my head or the rage begins to build I feel the prodding of the Holy Spirit. He gently taps me on my shoulder to get my attention and let me know that I need to nip all of that in the bud. I turn my attention toward Him and He usually tells me to wait. If I listen, I wait expectantly for the resolution and it always comes. The conclusion of the story is always far better than I could have imagined when I wait on God instead of running ahead with my emotions.

When I look back and see how the Lord has taken care of me in every situation, it is so easy to say, “Yes, He really is GOOD!”

Deuteronomy 2:7 (New International Version)

7 The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

I have come to the conclusion that people in general are too easily offended. If someone looks at you a certain way, they must have an attitude. If they didn’t greet you a certain way, they have a problem with you. If they don’t do something exactly the way you expected them to, they must not care about you. Why do we put ourselves through this?

The energy we expend while being upset over what we think somebody meant by their actions is energy that could be better used to improve the quality of our relationships.

If you love someone, trust them. If you don’t “love” them, why do their actions affect you? Either way, let it go. Most of the time when you let these things go, you find out that you were worried about nothing. However, if you choose to get upset and make a big deal over what you feel is an offense, you may damage an otherwise healthy and loving relationship.

It is important to remember that the world does not revolve around us. We think the actions of others automatically have something to do with us, or that our friends and family should consult with us before they live their life. Not so. I am striving to be consistent with my love for the people in my life and simply trust and believe in their love for me. Not only am I freeing them from my expectations, I am freeing myself to simply be happy.

Proverbs 17:9 (New International Version)

He who covers over an offense promotes love,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

 

I recently had my eyes opened to some broken areas in my life through an awesome 3.5 half day forum discussion. I learned that I had been dragging past events into my relationships, resulting in destructive behavior and a lack of commitment on my part.

I thought I had forgiven people from my past but I realized that as long as I held them responsible in any way for the breakdown of the relationship, I had not truly forgiven them.

Without true forgiveness, how was it possible for me to walk in love? Learning this created a desire in me to want to make things right. The thought of doing it was difficult but once I got started it became easier.

I decided to take 100% responsibility for the breakdown of my relationships. Then I sought forgiveness from individuals which turned out to be an amazing and surprising experience. I felt such a release as I shared what was on my heart but what I didn’t expect was the graciousness and the compassion of those who were on the receiving end of my apology. I almost couldn’t believe my ears.

I am thankful for the opportunity to mend relationships and erase the pain of my past today, especially because tomorrow is not promised. The limitations of my past prevented me from being the loving person that I aspired to be.

How can I walk in love while holding ill feelings toward my brother? Now I am free to reflect the image of God, the embodiment of Love.

Can you think of any broken relationships in your life right now? Do you have a desire to break free of all the negativity associated with that? Do you miss your estranged loved ones? You have the power to erase the pain of the past concerning those relationships right now. You have the power to make it right with the people in your life. Will you free yourself today?

Take responsibility for your relationships and fix them today. You cannot control what other people do, you can only choose to love and accept them or leave them alone. To be loving and accepting is the choice that will bring joy to your life.

Ephesians 4:30-32 (New International Version)

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

What are you willing to be in order to have the life that you want?

 For years I said I wanted to be married and have a family but I was unwilling to be committed. I also wanted peace and happiness in my life yet I was not obedient to the will of God. I formed this belief that God was somehow angry with me and wondered if I would ever please Him.

Have you done this? Have you wished for your life to be different, yet failed to do what was necessary to bring forth the change?

Jesus told a wealthy young man that it was easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. I suspect that it is not the riches that prevent someone from entering the kingdom of God, but their unwillingness to give up their way of doing things.

You can be loving and have the relationships that you want. You can be creative and have the businesses that you want. You can be compassionate and make a difference in your world.

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Matthew 19:23-26 (New King James Version)

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”