Be Happy

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:
"Rejoice always. , pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

In this day of stress and pressure, we need to stay ahead of it all. It is so easy to say how busy you are and don't know how you'll manage. It's so easy to let it get on top of you and end up depressed and miserable and piling in to all of the pressure. The Apostle Paul tells us to 'Rejoice', not just now and again. Not just when we get some good news or something goes right for once. No, Paul says to 'Rejoice - ALWAYS'. In other words be happy in your life.

Now this isn't always easy, not with everything being fired at you on a daily basis. It's a choice. We all have the ability to choose things, no matter what comes our way. Paul is basically saying, 'Choose every day to be happy. Every moment of every day, choose to live your life in enjoyment, despite the circumstances.' You may say, 'That's not easy. You don't know what I'm going through.' This is very true, I don't know what you're going through, but you still have choices. You can still choose to be happy, even if it's the last day of your life. But this takes practice. I've worked in a hospice with dying people and their relatives and I've been amazed how they've opened up to me and allowed me to help them reach this place of dignity. Easy? No. Achievable? Yes.

 There's always a way through most things. If there isn't God will provide a way. The thing is, we have to be in a place to allow Him to help us. We may have debts and demands for payment coming through the post every day. This can't be ignored. We have to do something about it, and there are people skilled in this area to help you through this. Seek them out. It can't be ignored, it needs action.
There may be family issues, marital problems, loss of employment, unable to find work issues. The list can be endless. But we still have choices. You may have made a few bad choices lately. However, there's a way through this. Set yourself free from the worry by giving it all to God and put a smile on your face. No matter what you're going through, Jesus is still on the throne and if you allow Him, He will take control. However, you must talk to Him; share it all with Him and seek His help. He'll be only too willing to offer this help. He won't wash it all away though. We have to learn by the mistakes of life. Sometimes it may not be our fault, but we're still left with the problem and it still needs His help.

The first place to start is with Jesus. Start praising Him. He has the answer. Allow Him to put that smile back on your face and to be happy. When we're happy, the way forward doesn't appear so bad; it's only when we allow things to get on top of us.
So start rejoicing and give it to your Friend.

Let down badly

Genesis 40:23 "Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought." New Living Translation

Let's take another look at Joseph. To get the full picture, it may help to read chapters 40 and 41.
Let's do a recap on Joseph's life:

*  He was hated by his step brothers because of their jealousy towards him for being a favourite.
*  They took him and threw him into a pit, taking his colourful coat, soaking it in sheep's blood
    and telling Jacob, their father, that he must have been killed by a wild beast.
*  Soon after this they sold him into slavery to some travellers. They, sold him on to Potiphar,
    Pharaoh's Chief of Bodyguards, where Joseph worked as a servant in his house.
*  Being quickly promoted to running the whole house, Potiphar's wife, soon became sexually
    interested in Joseph and made passes at him. Joseph refused and she accused him of trying to
    rape her. Joseph was thrown into prison.
*  Joseph interpreted dreams that the Chief Baker and Cup-Bearer had. The Chief Baker was hanged
    and the Cup-Bearer promised to mention Joseph's false imprisonment to Pharaoh. He forgot.
*  It was a full two years until the Cup-Bearer finally remembered him

Wow, that's a lot of stress for a young man to bear. He was only 17 when he arrived in Egypt and he spent 13 years, serving Potiphar and the prison services before he was eventually brought before Pharaoh.

Joseph must have felt let down; forgotten and left on the side lines. Have you ever felt this way?
Anger and frustration must have reigned in his life at times. He was human. Yet on meeting Pharaoh, he never spoke ill of the Cup-Bearer. There was no record of wrongs. He knew God was on his side and that he would eventually be rescued from this situation. He trusted God, wholeheartedly. He never gave up hope, although he would obviously been tempted to feel sorry for himself.

Memories and thoughts of the past would probably have been uppermost in his thinking. If we listen to our negative thought for too long, we begin to believe them and then we're on a journey to nowhere. Re-train your thoughts to think healthy things. Philippians 4:8.

Meditate on some of the things that Joseph went through. Probably the hard ones would have been being severely hurt by his family - rejected. Also having his hopes dashed by someone he trusted forgetting about him.

Have you been rejected and had your hopes shattered? Have you been hurt by someone very close to you? God understands and wants to heal the wounds of all the suffering. He is the only one that can be totally trusted. Jesus will NEVER let you down, reject you or forget about you.
Why not draw close to Him today and share your heart with Him. He's waiting!

Grace

"My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9

Many years ago, my faith led me into a dodgy situation, one where I was on the verge of losing my job, because I was a Christian. I was a social worker at the time and the only Christian in the whole complex. One of the other social workers, who openly admitted that he didn't like Christians,  caused a problem by stating that my faith could become a problem dealing with some of the cases. This was untrue and was made to single me out as someone who was a liability.

This social worker was very 'well in' with the other team members, whilst I had only been in this particular team, about a year. He made such a fuss over this accusation that it became an official complaint. I had done nothing, except be a Christian, and I was totally exasperated by it all.
A day was allocated when I would have to answer the complaint made against me. The complaint, was hypothetical, one that had not even happened but could cause a problem if it did. It was about homophobia. This chap felt that I would not be able to work with people who were gay, because of my faith and how God felt about this. This was ridiculous. I had worked with gay people before and it had never been a problem. I was there to be of help, not to judge people. However, they wouldn't listen to this and I was going to be hanged before a trial.

The first half of the meeting was about what could happen and how they felt it was too sensitive to have me on the team. In the second half of the meeting, I would have to explain myself - why I felt this was not a problem. However, I was up against a no win situation. they had already made their decision.
It was lunch time and I sat in some gardens just giving it all to God. This was so unfair. I was being victimised and also it was persecution and a kind of religionism against me. And yet, there was nothing I could do. Suddenly I felt God say to me, 'My Grace is sufficient for you. Don't worry, it'll be ok.' When I went back for the second half of the meeting, it was almost like God took over everything. Even when I spoke, He was in control of my words. The meeting ended where they found I had done nothing wrong whatsoever and I was vindicated. For my own peace of mind, I moved to another team and it wasn't long before the team I had left, were disbanded and moved to other areas, separately.

You know, people can try but they'll never be able to take God on and win. I was in a difficult position but as I cried out to God, He came and sorted it.

What about you? Are you going through a difficult time? Are you being mistreated? Give it to God, He is the master at sorting things out. 'Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more'Romans 5:20

God's grace is sufficient for you. You may be weak, but God is so strong and He is committed to you. Trust Him, He so wants to help.

Complaining

Exodus 15:24     "And the people complained against Moses saying, 'What shall we drink?' "
Exodus 17 :2 -3 "Therefore the people contended with Moses and said, 'Give us water, that we may 
                            drink.' So Moses said to them, 'Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt 
                            the Lord?' 
                            And the people thirsted there for water and the people complained against Moses 
                            and said, 'Why is it you have brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children
                            and our livestock, with thirst.?' "

Grumble, grumble, complaint, complaint, in fact moaning and groaning. The Israelites were never satisfied. God had used Moses to bring them out of Egypt, to freedom and all they could do was moan about him. They were totally ungrateful and were getting ready to stone Moses because of their feelings.
The main thing here, is that they were looking to man to provide not God. They had placed their trust in Moses instead of the Lord Almighty. Jeremiah 17:5 says, " Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh is strength. Whose heart departs from the Lord." It is futile to put our trust in another person.

An important point here is that, it is so easy to put your trust in a pastor because, after all, he is our leader and like a shepherd, he leads us in our walk with Jesus. That is ok if we don't put him in God's place. We should always have trust and respect for our leader but it is God who supplies, not him or her. It is God who will take us into Heaven, not the pastor. It is God who died in our place and no one else.

Point two, is grumbling and complaining just separates us from people. Who wants to spend time with a moaning old and so? All that does is rob us of our peace. It does not build us up.
Philippians 2:14 tells us, "Do all things without complaining and disputing". And that includes having the mental thoughts and questions in our minds. Deal with these thoughts before they lead you further from God.

God deserves our praise, not our moans and groans and dis-satisfied comments. How can people see Jesus in us when we are angry, disputing things and generally being dis-satisfied. What if God were to moan and groan about us. He would find much more to grumble about in us. However, He gives Grace. We don't deserve it but we get it and honestly, we should be so grateful to Him that through Jesus, He sees no stain on us.


                   

A.W.I.P.

1 John 3:2 - 3 "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure."

We have a hope that one day we will see Jesus face to face; we will be with Him eternally. That is our hope. However, the word hope can often seem more like a wish. We often say to someone, 'I'll see you later hopefully,' or, 'The job will be finished this afternoon - hopefully.' Really what we're saying is wishful. We're not certain that we can fulfil what we've said, but we'll try. Look at the word 'hope' here in verse 3. It's a Biblical hope, it carries with it a certainty that it will happen. The word hopefully, is therefore stretched into 'hope - fully'. We fully hope that this will happen. There is a certainty about this.

Kenneth Copeland say, 'Wishing will not accomplish anything in the Kingdom of God. But hoping will, especially when you couple it with faith and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

If we are believers, that is if we have asked Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour, we have a Biblical hope that one day we will be with Him. It's not a 'hopefully' it's a 'hope -fully - a certainty.' However, we can often fear that we won't be good enough to get to Heaven. You may think that, because you keep on letting God down with this sin and that sin, that there is no chance whatsoever.

Wrong. you are 'A.W.I.P. This means you are 'A Work in Progress'. You are. 'Under Construction.' God knows where you fail. He knows how hard you try to be a Christian - how you try and live up to His Name. The thing is, he knows our hearts. He knows our intentions are good and He knows how sad we feel when we mess this up.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6:
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 

We are A.W.I.P - a work in progress. We are under construction. However, as Christians we have that Biblical hope that we will make it.

'Will my flesh rule this moment, or my spirit?'

The way we react to certain things is so important that we need to look at it, time and time again. We can either react in a way that creates a great atmosphere or react in a way that keeps things calm. However, I believe that it is a life long practice, one in which we have to be on guard day and night.
One never knows from one moment to the next what we're going to be faced with. Therefore, that is why it is so important to start the day by having a 'Quiet time' - reading the bible and praying, also ensuring that we are equipped with the Armour of God. (See a previous message).

Psalm 37:8 says, "Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret, it only causes harm"

I love what RT Kendall says, 'Will my flesh rule this moment, or my spirit?' In other words, how are we going to react to a certain obstacle in our lives. We can either look at it in a suspicious and angry manner, which will obviously shatter any peace that existed; or react in a way that brings about peace and integrity. Don't get me wrong, I know this isn't easy. Some people have to go into therapy and undergo Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help them with their thoughts and actions. This is very successful as it helps people to sort out why they did a certain thing or why this was said and how could it have been done better. If you have been referred for this, keep at it as it will help.

However, from a Christian point of view, as we read about the great people in  the bible we often see that many were angry, depressed and wanting to pack it all in. Some, like Peter were prone to a quick temper at times and could be outspoken. At one stage in the Garden of Gethsemane he cut off someone's ear with a sword. You may not have gone that far but you may identify with this reading.

What are your reactions like? I'll be honest, mine are not good at times and I have to work at how I handle myself. God knows this. He knows how we are. He created us and gave His life for us and He puts up with us daily - thank God. But at times, we need to let Him help us sort stuff out. We need to be honest, He knows about how we react anyway. As we offer ourselves to Him, asking for His help, He will teach us to learn how to react differently. How to change how we think (Romans 12:2), and begin to help us to be free from making a mess of things on a frequent basis.

It can start with allowing time each day to spend in God's Word, spending time with Him and learning be more like Him.
Give it a try and before long, you will be allowing your spirit to rule, not your flesh.

Enjoy your day

"This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118: 24 NKJV

As I sit at my window the weather is awful, teeming down with rain, the wind is blowing things all over the place. Looking out of the window at all of this, I notice rubbish bins blowing all over the garden but it is so wet and cold, I don't want to go out and rectify this.
Have you ever felt like this? What about when you wake up and realise it's not the weekend, it's a work day and possibly the busiest you're going to have for ages. How you wish you didn't have to go to work, 'If I could only win the lottery.'

At times, we're very tempted to say that it's an awful day, because of the weather or because we have such a massive workload ahead of us. Really though, why not turn this thought around and be grateful that you have a job to go to; a job that provides your needs. Many wish they had this. The weather may be awful but thank God we have weather. Many people who have died would give anything to have the weather back in their lives. The weather may be atrocious but that doesn't mean it's a bad day, just that the weather could be better than it is.
It comes down to choices. We have the choice to make the best of the day; to seize the opportunity and enjoy what life may bring. Or we can be down in the dumps and moan and groan about it.

The Psalmist tells us, 'This is the day the Lord has made.'  God has made this day for us - another day of our life. Many people won't wake up today, we have and He has given us a day to enjoy, to breathe in the joy He gives us.
Next the Psalmist says, 'We will rejoice and be glad in it.' This part of the verse could be personalised by submitting the word, "I," instead of "We." As I've mentioned, we have a choice, the bottle is half full or half empty. We can say 'I will rejoice in it,' or we can moan and whinge about all we have to do and it's not fair that we have to do this etc etc. We can either throw a pity party or rejoice and be glad.

Jesus Christ is faithful. He loves us more than we could ever realise and He wants us to get the most out of what He has given us to do. There are people dying in this world right now. People are starving and/or homeless. How grateful we should be to Jesus that by His grace, we are not one of them. The thing to ask ourselves, is, 'Can I do anything to help them? Can I pray for them or send an organisation some cash to help deal with a crisis? Can I personally do something and make this day a day that can promote rejoicing?
Think about it.