It's a important time of the year. Exams are coming up, essays are due, the football season is entering the final month! Just one extra bit of effort can make all the difference. The pressure is on, you feel as if life doesn't go beyond that final deadline. Everyone has their advice, their techniques to handling all of the work & pressure...it can feel as if there are so many different ways and you don't know which way to take so you sit there and hope that whatever you do end up doing, it is enough!
I'm not here to tell you which way is right when it comes to exam and essay work and I am no Jose Mourinho, so no football teams will be ringing me up for advice!
Whatever you do, however you do it....cover it in prayer. Soak it in it, don't let any part of this journey escape without being completely immersed in God.....
Why?
1. Because God wants to help
1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
God is our Heavenly Father, He doesn't want us to sit here and suffer, He wants to strengthen us and assure of us that He has a great plan for us and He will see us there! (Jeremiah 29:11 guys :D)
2. Because Jesus did it
Jesus constantly was in prayer, He made a point of going to the Father and spend hours at night with Him. The night before He was crucified, where was He? He was giving all of Himself to God, so that He would have the strength to do the Lord's Will. Jesus lived by prayer in His Ministry, this is shown in His healing of many illnesses and sending demons away from the possessed.
3. Because other Bible characters do it
In Nehemiah 1 & 2, Nehemiah's passionate prayer for Israel is noted as well as his prayer before responding to the King (he had a scary job, to ask a King who could kill him to let him re-build this wall in Jerusalem which he may not have been pleased about). Nehemiah went and re-built the wall under the blessing of God. Everything amazing that happened on Mt Carmel in 1 Kings 18 was due to God answering Elijah's prayer.
I believe, to change this world, we should concentrate more on prayer than actions, not that actions are not important...they often seem to be the response of prayer anyway.
4. The Bible says so - Phillippians 4:6-7....Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Lastly, always remember this wonderful verse in Proverbs 16:3, the book of wisdom...
"Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans."
God isn't blind to your suffering, He wants to hold your hand and get you through everything. Let Him in today. I have been realising more and more myself the power of prayer. God answers it so often, and when He doesn't you end up seeing why and being thankful!
Give it all to Him today :-)
Showing posts with label Plans for the future. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plans for the future. Show all posts
Friday, 8 April 2011
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Picture of the Day!
This is my 100th post!! Hoooraaayyy!!
I love this picture! I took it yesterday when visiting my cousin Simon in Swindon. This is one crazy roundabout, and is just as confusing in reality as it is on the sign. It looked like a dodgem thing at the fair!
In reality, our lives are also very confusing and we have times where we have no idea where we are going and why we have to go that way once we go in a confusing direction.
One thing I do know is that God knows the future and Has Great Plans for us...
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
If you are fed up of that verse now...maybe it's because God sees you haven't truly believed it and experienced the freedom and joy it brings.
He is Good. He Loves You. He wants the best for you. Trust Him :-)
I love this picture! I took it yesterday when visiting my cousin Simon in Swindon. This is one crazy roundabout, and is just as confusing in reality as it is on the sign. It looked like a dodgem thing at the fair!
In reality, our lives are also very confusing and we have times where we have no idea where we are going and why we have to go that way once we go in a confusing direction.
One thing I do know is that God knows the future and Has Great Plans for us...
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
If you are fed up of that verse now...maybe it's because God sees you haven't truly believed it and experienced the freedom and joy it brings.
He is Good. He Loves You. He wants the best for you. Trust Him :-)
Monday, 21 February 2011
His Plan
Having spoken to various good friends over various things the last few days the following thing has occured to me:-
Our best laid plans are often different to God's.
I think we all have an idea in our head of how we would like things to go. I often mistakenly take the idea in my head as perfection and what perfection would look like.
I suppose it is arrogance to assume that we know best and I'm guilty as charged.
I was thinking of what Joseph said to his brothers when God's Plan for Him came to fruition. Joseph had many hard times and confusing situations despite doing very little wrong.
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
This world is a place full of evil, hate and selfishness. If you disagree with me just watch the News. Things will not always go as we have planned but God never loses control. As my pastor likes to say, 'The Trinity don't do emergency meetings'.
I truly believe in happy endings. It's only because I believe in a God who loves us and works the best for us in every situation, no matter how gloomy it looks. I believe in looking back at hard times smiling at how God helped us through it and worked in us through it. I believe living exciting, uncomfortable lives where our security is in God alone. I believe in Heaven and no matter how horrible life on earth is that we will have a perfect eternity with God if we trust in Jesus Christ.
Once my hope was in earthly things such as girls, football matches & money. The problem with those things are that girls can dump you, your football team can lose and money runs out.
My hope now is in the God who will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5), can never fail (1 Corinthians 13:8a, Romans 8:31), and whose love will never run out (Romans 8:38-39).
Praise the LORD!
Our best laid plans are often different to God's.
I think we all have an idea in our head of how we would like things to go. I often mistakenly take the idea in my head as perfection and what perfection would look like.
I suppose it is arrogance to assume that we know best and I'm guilty as charged.
I was thinking of what Joseph said to his brothers when God's Plan for Him came to fruition. Joseph had many hard times and confusing situations despite doing very little wrong.
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
This world is a place full of evil, hate and selfishness. If you disagree with me just watch the News. Things will not always go as we have planned but God never loses control. As my pastor likes to say, 'The Trinity don't do emergency meetings'.
I truly believe in happy endings. It's only because I believe in a God who loves us and works the best for us in every situation, no matter how gloomy it looks. I believe in looking back at hard times smiling at how God helped us through it and worked in us through it. I believe living exciting, uncomfortable lives where our security is in God alone. I believe in Heaven and no matter how horrible life on earth is that we will have a perfect eternity with God if we trust in Jesus Christ.
Once my hope was in earthly things such as girls, football matches & money. The problem with those things are that girls can dump you, your football team can lose and money runs out.
My hope now is in the God who will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5), can never fail (1 Corinthians 13:8a, Romans 8:31), and whose love will never run out (Romans 8:38-39).
Praise the LORD!
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