Please make everything easy: Chapter 18
Simple6
Posts: 170 Member
"You can be sure that anywhere God leads you, He is able to keep you. Whatever He orders He pays for. We do not have to live in a constant struggle if we learn to lean on Him continually for the strength we need. If you know God has asked you to do something, don't back down just because it gets hard. When things get hard, spend more time with Him, lean more on Him and receive more grace from Him."
Hello My Dear Friends,
How timely this message is in my life. There are some tough things in my life. In the places I have chosen to obey the Lord. So I really needed to be reminded that He is my focus, even in the midst of hard times.
Hebrews 4:16(AMP)
16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
During these hard times, I need to be mindful of what is coming out of mouth. For what is coming out of my mouth is what is being reproduced in my heart. What is being reproduced in my heart dictates my emotions. There is no question that some things in my life are hard right now. However, that is not the location of rest for my thoughts or my emotions. My heart needs to be focused on receiving His mercy for this moment. On finding His grace for this season. I will focus on Him, reigning in my life from a position of love and grace. My God is trying to teach me to war through till I receive the victory. He wants me to engage in spiritual warfare that is directed by His wisdom and totally empowered by His grace. This how He makes me to be "more than a conqueror" (Romans 8:37).
Being more than a conquer requires I have more than ordinary thinking. Ordinary thinking always states what is as in absolute. Ordinary thinking borrows trouble and delights in the "what ifs." Joyce writes; " Our Lord did not wander around the wilderness forty days and nights talking about how hard it was." Neither did Jesus worry about "What if He got too weak to get food, or what if He couldn't find any?"
Ordinary thinking always wants the easy way. This mindset robs me of gaining the muscle and experience I need to grow in this area. So many times, my development has been arrested by choosing the easy path. It is easier to blow up at my husband then to walk in self control. It is easier to justify my actions then take my right then walk out what I know is true. How did Jesus learn obedience? Hebrews 5:8 Jesus was the Son of God, but he still suffered, and through his sufferings he learned to obey whatever God says."
Suffering is hard.....wait! No more acknowledging my own understanding. That is ordinary thinking. Time for God oriented thinking : I will acknowledge that there is no suffering, be it learning to shut my mouth, to practice self control or to flee temptation, that is too hard for God to help me with. Suffering is too hard for me to do on my own, but God has given me all that I need to go through the trial. I know His plan for me, is to give me a hope for the future. I will not waste my trial on whining and complaining or seeking another route. I will learn the tools I need to walk into my promise land and to defeat the giants that are there. I will hold my thoughts renewed to His word and use my mouth for His word, His praise and His purposes.
Father, I just repent for whining. For speaking and thinking that my life is too hard. Also for the unbelief I have of your ability and your power through me and for me. Please help me to obey, even when it feels too hard and I feel discouraged. Please help me to access your Holy Spirit for all my moments. As I am learning about these wrong ways of thinking, I just pray you show me which ones I am operating in and help me change. I can do all things, face all situations when I depend on you. Please Lord help me depend only on you. Thank you for making me ready for the battle. For allowing me to renew my ordinary mind for your extraordinary new mindset. In Jesus Name, Amen
"Please make everything easy..." is not a Godly mindset. Jesus didn't allow himself to think it, and I too must not allow myself to think it. No more whining about how hard this is....instead I will fill my thoughts and my words with His praise for how Great He is for me in this place, in this moment. Then will I be armed with the right weapons, strategy and location.
Hello My Dear Friends,
How timely this message is in my life. There are some tough things in my life. In the places I have chosen to obey the Lord. So I really needed to be reminded that He is my focus, even in the midst of hard times.
Hebrews 4:16(AMP)
16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
During these hard times, I need to be mindful of what is coming out of mouth. For what is coming out of my mouth is what is being reproduced in my heart. What is being reproduced in my heart dictates my emotions. There is no question that some things in my life are hard right now. However, that is not the location of rest for my thoughts or my emotions. My heart needs to be focused on receiving His mercy for this moment. On finding His grace for this season. I will focus on Him, reigning in my life from a position of love and grace. My God is trying to teach me to war through till I receive the victory. He wants me to engage in spiritual warfare that is directed by His wisdom and totally empowered by His grace. This how He makes me to be "more than a conqueror" (Romans 8:37).
Being more than a conquer requires I have more than ordinary thinking. Ordinary thinking always states what is as in absolute. Ordinary thinking borrows trouble and delights in the "what ifs." Joyce writes; " Our Lord did not wander around the wilderness forty days and nights talking about how hard it was." Neither did Jesus worry about "What if He got too weak to get food, or what if He couldn't find any?"
Ordinary thinking always wants the easy way. This mindset robs me of gaining the muscle and experience I need to grow in this area. So many times, my development has been arrested by choosing the easy path. It is easier to blow up at my husband then to walk in self control. It is easier to justify my actions then take my right then walk out what I know is true. How did Jesus learn obedience? Hebrews 5:8 Jesus was the Son of God, but he still suffered, and through his sufferings he learned to obey whatever God says."
Suffering is hard.....wait! No more acknowledging my own understanding. That is ordinary thinking. Time for God oriented thinking : I will acknowledge that there is no suffering, be it learning to shut my mouth, to practice self control or to flee temptation, that is too hard for God to help me with. Suffering is too hard for me to do on my own, but God has given me all that I need to go through the trial. I know His plan for me, is to give me a hope for the future. I will not waste my trial on whining and complaining or seeking another route. I will learn the tools I need to walk into my promise land and to defeat the giants that are there. I will hold my thoughts renewed to His word and use my mouth for His word, His praise and His purposes.
Father, I just repent for whining. For speaking and thinking that my life is too hard. Also for the unbelief I have of your ability and your power through me and for me. Please help me to obey, even when it feels too hard and I feel discouraged. Please help me to access your Holy Spirit for all my moments. As I am learning about these wrong ways of thinking, I just pray you show me which ones I am operating in and help me change. I can do all things, face all situations when I depend on you. Please Lord help me depend only on you. Thank you for making me ready for the battle. For allowing me to renew my ordinary mind for your extraordinary new mindset. In Jesus Name, Amen
"Please make everything easy..." is not a Godly mindset. Jesus didn't allow himself to think it, and I too must not allow myself to think it. No more whining about how hard this is....instead I will fill my thoughts and my words with His praise for how Great He is for me in this place, in this moment. Then will I be armed with the right weapons, strategy and location.
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Replies
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Finally getting round to posting my thoughts on this chapter and on the next one. And I reread your post first. WOW Thanks Jenni! I am sure I read that 3 weeks ago when you posted it, but it just ministers to me in a whole new way as I read it again.
I too have been learning how much I need to watch what comes out of my mouth. The words "This is too hard" have been coming out FAR too much recently. Yes, life is hard. Yes, it is a struggle at times. BUT we can have an effect on how that difficulty impacts us. As you so rightly said, Jenni, we need to get our focus on HIM. That repositions our life, our attitudes and consequently the impact these difficult seasons have on us.
I am learning that this difficult time I am going through can impact me in one of two ways: either I can have that "Give-up Thinking" that Joyce refers to and can (with some good justification) say life here right now in these circumstances is just TOO HARD and I will therefore give up, pack up and go "home"; OR I can say "His commands are NOT too difficult for me" and then stay and continue doing what He would have me do here.
The more I reflect on the reality of the situation around me here, the harder it seems and the more impossible it is for me to stay. The more I reflect on God's goodness and his faithfulness to me and my family (seen in SO many ways recently) the more I focus on Him and His commands to us, the more the situation really doesn't seem as hard as others would like to make me think. It is SO MUCH a battle in the mind!
Joyce writes: "If you know God has asked you to do something, don't back down just because it gets hard. When things get hard, spend more time with Him, lean more on Him and receive more grace from Him." And also "Sometimes God leads us the hard way instead of the easy way because He is doing a work in us. How will we ever learn to lean on Him if everything is so easy that we can handle it ourselves? "
This is SO TRUE! I may not be "comfortable" with the situation here right now, but I know that God very clearly told me and my husband to stay put for now. He wants us here - for how long, I don't know - but until He says to go, we stay. I therefore be continually declaring that His commands are NOT too hard for me!
I loved another quote from Joyce: "Even if being in His will sometimes has difficulties attached to it, being out of His will is much more difficult" !
Lord, I repent of my desire to make things easy. I want to be obedient to your call on my life. I ask you to help me continue to hear your voice and to follow the way you lead - whatever that may involve. I declare that your commands are NOT too difficult for me!"0 -
Dear Ali,
How you are ministering to my heart as I read your post. You wrote, "Yes, life is hard. Yes, it is a struggle at times. BUT we can have an effect on how that difficulty impacts us." I really needed to be reminded of the power God has given me for each moment of my life this week. This week's hard situation was flu. My Kryptonite is nausea. I suffered so much with my pregnancies that when it shows up now, I immediately freak out. Rationally, I know it will pass and I will soon be well, but emotionally, I am thrown to the past of having to be fed intravenously just to carry my baby. I would have moments when my body would heave and heave and I thought I was going die because I couldn't breathe. It was awful for me.
I really needed help refocusing my heart on Jesus, your post was just what I needed. My body was heaving with retching and cramping, my words where, "The Lord is my healer and He is with me now. I can do this and be well. " Just hearing those words helped me not to panic and it immediately brought God into the center of my consciousness. It helped my body relax and let the bug be purged.
So thank you, my friend for writing just the words I needed to hear. Also for walking out what we are learning. I love how you are applying this in your life. I just encourage you to keep on seeing Jesus. You are already doing such a great job with this. Truly, His commands are not too difficult for you.
Jenni 0
