" SATAN IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF OUR TROUBLES"

Good Evening to All!

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
(2 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV)

To keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me. (GNT)

I don't know about y'all, but when things happen to me, I start looking for something or someone to blame. At least I used to. God is definitely working on me for that shortcoming. Anyway, used to, every time something would go wrong, I would automatically think, "the devil's working overtime on me this week", OR, I would think well, such and such didn't go my way, so it must not be God's will.

I am finally maturing in Christ enough to realize that first of all Satan is not the only obstacle in this world. We can be our own worst enemy. We get in our own way of getting things done, and we put limits on God's ability to help us. Not to mention that sometimes things happen because "life goes on". We tend to forget that we have free will, which means not only can we make our own decisions, we have the choice between right and wrong decisions. Most of the time, if we do not include God in our decision making, something will go haywire.

A lot of times what life throws at us, or what Satan may throw in our way meaning to trip us up and dampen our faith, will only make our faith stronger. If we will give God a chance, whatever Satan or life throws at us, to mess us up, God can used to make us better, and stronger in our character, and faith.

Jesus said Because you belong to me, your pain is not meaningless or random. It is purposeful. I intend to use it in your life for my own good purpose. This kind of reminds me of Romans 8:28 which says And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

A wonderful example is when Jospeh's brothers sold him into slavery. They meant it for evil, yet look what God did! He gave Joseph a wonderful life growing up, and gave him a position of prestige in adulthood.

The essence of faith is being confident in what you can's see. You might not be able to see how or when He is using your suffering for good, but you can still be confident that He will.

Instead of being so focused on who is to blame, we need to begin focusing on welcoming God to work and use the suffering our our lives to keep us from sin.

Good night to All and May God Bless!

Good Afternoon to All!

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (21) To Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV).

As He helped the Israelites back in Biblical times, He helps us today, just for the asking. He is the Same God He was back then. He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever.

This being said, why is it that we STILL try and do things on our own without asking for His help? For some reason, we struggle and struggle through life trying to attempt things and often (more often than not) end up with a mess on our hands. If that doesn't happen and we actually succeed, it probably isn't without problems of some sort. I know, I'm just as guilty.

Asking God for help is the LAST thing on my mind when I'm doing anything. That is until I have been struggling and trying, and starting over and over again. and fighting with whatever it is I am trying to accomplish. If that doesn't work, I will call someone else to help and usually make myself look silly. Why not ASK God for help FIRST? He won't laugh at us, He won't condemn us for not knowing how to do something. That is a human trait. Whether it be a task at hand or even a way to approach a person to give them bad news or explain something, I am LEARNING to approach God's throne FIRST.

I do not express myself well, so I'm always afraid whatever I say will be taken out of context or completely opposite of what I am trying to say, so it takes me 20 or 30 minutes to explain myself and by then people are more than likely getting tired of listening. As my husband has so lovingly said MANY TIMES, It takes me 20 or 30 minutes to say what most people can say in 2 minutes! Of course I know he isn't trying to be mean, and he's telling the truth, but it still hurts my feelings, so I have really trying to do better. I try to remember to ask God to help me with whatever task or comment I am undertaking so I will get it right the first time.

What makes us think that we know more than God? What makes us think that we can accomplish things better or easier than God? I'm kind of talking to myself now because I still have a lot to learn, and I have a clue for myself, WE CAN'T. Now as God's Word says, "With God All Things Are Possible". In other words as long as we ask God for help in our endeavors, We can succeed (if what we are doing is in His Will).

God is SO GOOD! He WANTS us to ASK HIM for help. Remember, to Go to Him first when you have a problem or a task to undertake. He can make ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE.

Have a Wonderfully Blessed Day!

"HELP!"

Good Evening to All!

I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you! (Isaiah 4:13 AMP.)

No matter how well we think we have our lives under control, no matter how independent we are or how mature we are, we will ALWAYS need help with everything whether we realize it or not. God must have realized this or He would not have sent us the Holy Spirit (or comforter).

Unfortunately, for some people it takes longer than others. We are all guilty of enjoying the thought of independence and the maturity or ability to do whatever needs to be done on our own without needing help. We have long been the victims of our own ego trips, or pride. Instead of asking for help and getting whatever done right and expediently the first time, often turns into hours of difficulty or wrong decisions only to cause us to have to start over again or regret decisions we have made.

There are many references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. It talks about how He guides us into All Truth. It says how He teaches us about living for God. It states that He is our comforter. It also says that we have an advocate with the Father. 1 John 2:1-3 says My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

I stated all three verses, because it speaks of Him taking on the "whole world's sins". He did not do this until He was crucified, and "giving up the ghost." Which ascended into heaven and came back to earth as the Holy Spirit to leave within us, but He is also our advocate with the Father. He intercedes on our behalf. He being the Holy Spirit guides us and teaches us how to live for God, which brings me to the last verse about knowing Him IF we keep His commandments.

Now. I've have gone through all of that detail to remind you that God wants to be part of our lives. He wants to be included, to help us in our everyday endeavors. He must be invited. Don't expect him to just "butt into you life like unwanted advice from your in-laws". He is a gentleman is just waiting to be asked and invited in. We must take a step back and realize that there is none better to give advice than the Holy Spirit He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows the outcome of things so He is in a much better position to give us advice and the correct decisions.

If we rely on God for our help, in EVERY aspect of our life, every decision we make from small decisions like what to wear to important decisions like the way to live our life and who to marry, our lives will be so much richer and fulfilled.

The Bible directly tells us to Not lean unto our own understanding. He tells us that for a reason. We are "spiritual beings", but because we also live in the flesh, our spirit and flesh are constantly at war with each other. Therefore, if we will keep hold on God's Word, constantly look to Him for help, and listen for His still, small voice within our spirit, and do according to what He says, then we will be able to get through any trouble or trials that come our way.

We seem not to realize that we need help until a loved one passes away, we are in financial turmoil, or we or someone in our family is very ill, then we cry out for Him to help us. That's all well and good. He wants to help us then also, but we need to recognize that we can do NOTHING, not even breathe without His help.

If we want to live life the way God intended, filled with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, ( Romans 14:17) we have to admit that we need help and we have to receive it from the Holy Spirit, the One God sent to help us.

We must also remember that not admitting that we need help is considered "pride" and pride is considered a sin by God.

I know that after reading my devotional today, I will need to keep a check on my "pride-ometer"and ask the Lord for help and guidance every day.

Good Night to All And May God Bless!