God's Spirit In You Makes A Difference

While I never seek out pain in order to grow closer to God, I’m thankful He can use pain to reveal Himself to me.

I know a lot of us are facing some really hard things today. We live in a broken world filled with broken people. And while I can’t even pretend to give you an easy answer, I can tell you with confidence that God’s Spirit in you makes a difference. Maybe your circumstances won’t change, but God can change you.

Following God is really hard if we are going to follow God fully. There’s just so much self-sacrificing that must happen and so much faith that it requires.

But there is a good side to all of this hard stuff. God is just waiting for us to admit it’s hard. And I imagine He kind of sighs in relief too, that He finally gets to step in and help. Because God created us to have a relationship with Him and to show His glory. For He only uses the willing.

God does not answer vague prayer. God knows the desires of our heart but He wants us to verbalize it to Him so WHEN He answers, there is NO DOUBT that He is the cause of that answered prayer.

When things are going smoothly, we deceptively think we have life under control. At those times, we neglect to seek God’s help and miss tremendous blessings.

Blessings come in many guises, but sometimes we fail to recognize them!

You see, I have not learned to trust God in the good times. Oh, I love Him easily in the good times. I’m thankful in the good times. But I have learned to trust God in the bad times. It’s in the hard times, when I cry out for help, that I experience His miraculous intervention. It’s in the lonely times, when I cry in despair, that I am comforted. It’s in the fearful times, when I pray for peace, that I am overwhelmed with His protective presence.

I haven’t learned to trust God by listening to an amazing sermon. I haven’t learned to trust God by hearing how my friend trusts God. No, I have learned to trust God by experiencing something difficult, by stepping out in faith and obedience, and finding out for myself that He is trustworthy.

I have learned an important lesson through my hard experiences....God keeps His promises! If He said He can bring good out of something that looks bad – He will do it!!!

Today, I had my doctor's appointment with the Rheumatologist. She did a series of blood tests along with some x-rays. She is not sure about my rash because it is not in a sun exposed area, so I am being referred to a dermatologist for the rash. I go back to the Rheumatologist in 3 weeks for my results. She is going to consult with my Neurologist and my Neuro Opthamologist in the meantime. She said, "We will figure out what this thing is!" My family and I feel like we are headed in the right direction with this doctor. Praise God!!!!

Through all of the unknown, sometimes all I think about is how much I’m going to miss this or that. But what I need to think is “God, what wonderful thing do You have for me next?”

So I’m choosing to think that now. I don’t know what’s coming next. But I’m believing that God has something great planned. I just don’t know what it is yet.

The God who parted the Red Sea, who closed the lion’s mouth, who lit the soaking wet wood on the altar, who turned water into wine, who made blind eyes see, who helped crippled men walk, and who raised the dead....That is my Heavenly Father!

God's purposes WILL be accomplished! He is at work behind the scenes. He will never send you where He's never been. For the road to greater things is not marked by easy answers.

Let's forget what it looks like, how impossible it is and do what He's called us to do in spite of it. When we act in faith, He will credit our account.

Sometimes the only way God can teach us something is to allow circumstances in our life to lead us to and through the very thing we need to discover. One of my favorite authors, Joyce Meyer, says "There's no such thing as a drive-through break-through."

Blessings,
Dalinda

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