Sent to Encourage You!

There is nothing, no circumstance, no trouble, no testing, that can touch me, until first it has gone through God the Father, pass Jesus Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, It has come with purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But I refuse to panic, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God. 

For some great purpose or blessing of my own- it may peirce me, hurt me, make me cry---- But no sorrow will ever overcome me, no trial will ever disarm me, and no circumstance will ever cause me to doubt the goodness of my God. For I shall rest in the Joy of Who my Lord Is! 

Much LOVE to all who recieve it! <3 

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The Fruit of the Spirit WORD series- Self Control Pt. 3

I took a break from my Fruit of the Spirit series on SELF CONTROL as I was with family celebrating the home going of my dear aunt. I want to jump back in by discussing how to strengthen self control. As with most anything practice makes perfect. You don't become physically strong by sitting on the couch. You become physically strong by picking up weights and EXERCISING. The only way to gain strength spiritually to have self control or anything else for that matter is to EXERCISE it! Strength comes through obedience to God! Each time you obey God you gain strength. Remember which ever spirit you feed that's the one that will grow. So if you feed a spirit of anger and rage that's the spirit that will grow. If you feed a spirit of self control that's that spirit that will grow. 

The problem with us is that we don't truly believe and fully trust that God is who He says He is and will do what He said He will do. If we have been done wrong then we allow our selves to lose control in an effort to fight our own battle. Or if you suffer with depression its because you don't have the self control to ward off all the negative thoughts and emotions that are flooding your mind. Perhaps your lack of self control has caused you to become a workaholic; always working when your spouse and children need you to play your role in their lives. What ever area you lack self control in at the very root of it you'll find that you're lacking Faith and Trust in God. It's not up to us to fight our battles, it's not up to us to supply all our needs, there is no point in being overwhelmed by our struggles and disappointments when God said the battle is His, He will supply ALL our needs and ALL things work together for the good of them that Love Him. 

When we come to a full understanding of who God is and when we fully trust that He will do what He said He will do, when we EXERCISE obedience to Him and we keep our minds stayed on Him then self control will be a natural habit.

Do you have consumer or gardener mentality?

Here in America, most people have a consumer’s mentality. When a consumer buys a product and brings it home and realizes there is a problem with it, he or she takes it back. Often couples bring a consumer mentality into their marriages. Of course, the devil loves to point out your spouse’s flaws and problems because he is the accuser. To keep your spouse’s faults from overwhelming you and damaging your marriage, you must adopt a different mentality. The gardener’s mentality. A true gardener doesn’t accuse the seller or reject the plant. A gardener takes responsibility to do what is necessary to restore the plant to health. Asking “I wonder what I could be doing that would cause this problem?” Or, “I wonder what I can do that will fix it and restore it to health?” We can all thank God that Jesus has a gardener’s mentality toward us. If you are a consumer, you are most likely impatient and frustrated with your spouse’s problems. Talking no responsibility to nurture your spouse or redeem the situation. If you are a gardener, you see the problems in your spouse but view them much differently from a consumer. You are optimistic about them getting better and are proactive and positive. Your caring behavior gives your spouse encouragement and love. Prayer and obedience become God’s tools for redeeming your spouse. Are you a gardener or a consumer? ~Inspired by Jimmy Evans

The Fruit of the Spirit WORD series- Self Control Pt. 2

Day 2 of our study on self control is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. (1 Thessalonians 5:8, 9 NLT)

I Thessalonians 5:8 says those who profess your self to be a Christian (live in the Light) BE CLEARHEADED! Don't allow circumstances to cloud your mind, don't let anger cloud your mind, don't let self-righteousness cloud your mind, don't let unforgiveness cloud your mind, BE CLEARHEADED! Use your armor of FAITH and LOVE to protect and surround you! The key to having self control is to remain focused on God at all times. If my focus is consistently on making my FATHER smile and keeping in mind that His Word tells me to LOVE you and treat you right no matter how you treat me then I can keep self in control! If I elevate my Faith in my Father and trust that no matter what my surroundings are, God will provide, protect and elevate me I can keep self in control.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 you'll find the example: God said I maintained my self control by choosing to save you rather than pouring out My anger up you! THANK GOD FOR GRACE AND MERCY! He is our example! When you want to lose it all and let your spouse or other persons have it think of the example God laid out for us. That is why He told us in Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

The Fruit of the Spirit WORD series- Self Control

You guys unanimously shared that self control was one of the attributes you struggled with most. In tonights discussion I will talk about what self control is and why its needed. This topic will continue the rest of the week. You can access it here or on my blog. I will place the link in the comments. Ask questions as you see fit. I will answer as many as I can.

Self control means regardless to my situation, surroundings, circumstances or human influences nothing will make me step outside of myself. I control my responses and I take responsibility for my words and actions. The mention of the term self-control undoubtedly brings to mind different images for people depending on their particular circumstances. Many probably think of combating dominating habits that can range from the simple to the more complex and debilitating. It may be as simple as a poor diet or a tendency to overeat at Thanksgiving, or talking too much. It may also be something more serious like chain smoking, drunkenness, drug abuse, sexual sins, a quick temper, a pattern of exaggerating or lying. Others may think of tendencies toward losing control and becoming abusive. Yet others need self-control because they are lazy or have poor work habits while others are workaholics and need self-control to back off and learn to relax.

Regardless, self-control is very much related to maturity or lack there of. One of the basic characteristics of infancy is a lack of self-control. Not only do babies need diapers, they must be carried because they lack the necessary control and muscle coordination to sit up much less walk or run. If a baby is healthy and normal, in time they will develop more and more self-control—a sure sign of growth and maturity.

The importance of self-control can be seen in the news media which graphically portrays how the lack of self-control, because of man’s various inner cravings, impact our society for evil. Plainly, when men and nations turn away from God (knowingly or unknowingly) and seek significance, security, and satisfaction through the desires of the flesh, it leads to a blatant absence of self-control. This will then manifests itself in hundreds of ways with devastating results on individuals, families, and on society as a whole. Imagine the state we would be in if Jesus had lost His self control while up on that cross. Now imagine the damage we do when we lose ours and the effect it has on our relationships, families, churches, children and society.