11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.13I can do all this through him who gives me strength
Regardless of the circumstance we are in, contentment should be our portion. Even though God has not answered the prayer point we should be strengthened an not give up. We should continue to rely on the prayer answering God.
"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding." Proverbs 17:27 (ESV)
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite places to pass the time was on our couch, snuggled up on my father’s lap, watching television. One of my dad’s favorite programs was also one of mine — the Andy Griffith Show. The plot centered around the folk of a small town named Mayberry and featured Sheriff Andy Taylor, a widower, his precocious young son, Opie, and their loving Aunt Bea who kept things together on the home front.
But my favorite character of all was the sheriff’s bumbling sidekick, Deputy Barney Fife. I laughed my way through Barney’s antics.
Trigger-happy Barney prided himself on being "quick to the draw," and he loved to "watch the lead fly." He would frantically grab for his gun whenever there was an utterance of trouble brewing. In haste and excited recklessness, he would try to draw his pistol from his holster to protect the town from evil, but in doing so, he’d quickly shoot from the hip and shoot himself in the foot instead.
Now before we get lost in idioms and Mayberry reminiscing, let’s make a practical application. We might not carry a deputy’s pistol, but we shouldn’t shoot from the hip with our words either. Better said, we shouldn’t "shoot from the lip."
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
We should refuse to cooperate with the lies of the devil, when he tries to discourage us. As the psalm says, we should put our hope in God, who does not lie. We prophesy into our lives that "We refuse t be discouraged in Jesus Name." Even before he left earth and before we become discouraged, God sent us a comforter to be with us, so we should not worry and be discouraged. PRAYER POINTS
Let’s face it, there isn’t a single one of us that does not have a problem or an issue that we must tackle. It may be a problematic child, delay in one expected life event or the other, a broke down car, an unsatisfying job, etc. We can call those problems mountains. Mountains, literally and figuratively, are very big and often between you and somewhere you want to be. The only way to get on the other side is to climb over it - defeat it. We cannot go around it, because that is just avoiding it. What you avoid today and do not deal with, will always be there for you to tackle tomorrow. As children of God, we are not exempt from facing mountains in our lives. With the strength of God, how should we face mountains?
How Should We Face Mountains?
Keep Calm: When we encounter problems or face situations, our initial reaction is panic. “How should I do this? What do I do? Who can I call?”, are the first things we say. We often forget that we have a power behind us that is ageless and undefeated - Jehovah Sabaoth, the lord of hosts. When you encounter a mountain, instead of going into panic mode, stop and keep calm.
Work on the Exam: Sometimes, problems or issues we encounter is just God’s way of giving us an exam. In school, when you get an exam paper, you are aware that going into a panic does not allow you to think clearly. Settle down and look it over. Despite the fact that he set the exam, we are truly blessed to have a God who will give us the answers.
Turn Away: Turn around and do not look at the problem or mountain head on. Why do we face a mountain without looking at it? Because looking and dwelling on the size and scope of it will make us depressed and lose focus, not only on the other areas of our lives, but on whatever solutions and tools that might help us defeat the mountain.
Take it Up: One of my favorite hymns is “What a friend we have in Jesus”. My favorite line is “Oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to the Lord in prayer.” Since we have a God who will help us in times of need, take that problem and deposit it at his feet. Sometimes, the answers to our problems is right in front of us, but we can see it. Taking it to God and not dwelling on it, will give you much needed space to receive and see the solution.
Erase Impossible: As children of God, ‘Impossible’ should not be found anywhere in our language. There is nothing that is impossible for God to do. It is not just saying it or knowing the stories of Abraham and other people God helped. It is believing it and knowing that your situation is no different. If God can cause a woman in her nineties to give birth, a donkey to speak, a sea (not stream) to divide to the ground in two with dry land underneath, walk on water, raise the dead, and defeat armies just by the sound of the wind, what can he not do?
One of my favorite bible devotional writers says “There is no problem too great for God’s intervention, and no person too small for God’s attention”. Always remember that!
Does my name, gender and background reveal who I am? How about my strengths, weaknesses, achievements, goals, physique, dreams, and desires? I have asked around, but I am not satisfied with the definition friends, family and acquaintances have given me. I am searching for who I am (I believe we all are), but I still cannot find a clue to this puzzle. I even wondered if my emotions are a reflection of me, but that does not seem to answer the question.
In the Psychology class I took in College, I learned about the Johari Window of life. It is a tool that helps one discover individual self and areas to work on. According to the theory, there are four windows which are:
Open Area
This is the area that is known to self and to others
Blind Area
This is the area that is known to personal self
Hidden Area
This is the area known to others
Unknown Area
This is the area that is unknown to self and other (which is like unconscious self)
Based on the Johari window, the parts of me I know are not even that much to begin with. Despite what Johari might say, his table does not help me solve this puzzle. I am still searching, trying to figure out who I am.
However, I have finally found peace with this unknown imperfect being that is me. I start remembering what God says about me. I am just an imperfect person trying to please a perfect being. As human beings, we are prone to sin, but God calls us to live a Holy life (I Peter 1: 15-16). The human heart is deceitful as a result of sin. That is the more reason we run to God for forgiveness and ask for the Blood of Jesus to clean us. I now understand that I cannot fully understand myself, let alone who I am, if I do not go to God. Brethren, I implore you to discover yourself in God and let Him place value on you. Do not allow your view of society and what others say decide your value. Let the one who knows you the best, the one who knows your end from even before you were born, place value on you and tell slowly to you, who you are. I say again, discover yourself in Christ Jesus before you say “I Do” to someone else.
Enjoy this song from Sinach Titled “I know Who I am”
In mid January, I received news of a cousin who passed away, in very unfortunate circumstances. Not even 40 yet, she had her whole life ahead of her, and yet she passed away in her father's house after a long illness, leaving behind an estranged husband and a 13 year old daughter. As what was once her life was dissected, I discovered that for the last 5 years of her life, she lived apart from her husband. She injured her legs, and was having mobility issues. Her husband dropped her and their daughter off at her mother's, in the village, for what was supposed to be a brief visit, and he never returned -- until the day of her burial. It is also certain that in the time apart from his wife, he is with another woman (perhaps a new wife) and has children. Every three months or so, he sent my cousin 5000 naira ($26) to take care of herself and their daughter. Numerous calls were made to the man, to come and help her aging mother and aunt take care of his wife, but to no avail. He wasn't even planning to attend her funeral, until he was told that his absence would result in a curse being placed on him.
