Are you tired of it all? Find yourself in a circumstance without hope? Feel all doors and windows are shut and you're getting claustrophobic?
Do you think no one else understands what you are facing? That's probably true, you know.
When viewed through human eyes, no can usually empathize that well with a desperate situation. Even though we've all been there,done that; a desperate situation is still just that- desperate and without hope.
Let me tell you about a woman I know. She found herself in a frightening, pathetic, painful situation just as you are right now. Where, how and who are not important- it can be anyone, anyplace in a desperate situation. But this woman, who was in a situation so hopeless that death was certain, dared to risk enough that she stepped out in faith and obeyed in spite of the obvious.
Because she was obedient, a ray of hope came into her life.Read up more on this woman in 1 Kings 17:8-16. Obedience is the key;when you are at the edge of all reason to hope, obedience unlocks the door for blessing and hope to follow.
Perhaps right now, your life's hurtling at breakneck speed to a dead end wall. Do you want to just get off this particular journey and end it all? but Your God has a message for you," I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me?" Jer 32:27.
If you are thinking,"Yea right! My situation is different,nobody can help me out here." know that God is God and nothing is too difficult for Him. Look back to the woman in the story- she obeyed faithfully in a situation where sucide was the only answer and God supplied! Ask yourself today,"Is my __________ too difficult for God? (fill in with your own burden.)
No matter how impossible it seems to you, the answer is always the same from God," Nothing is too difficult for me!!"
Apr 4, 2009
When you've reached the edge of all reason....
Posted by Shanna at 7:58 PM 0 comments
Labels: casting burdens, God's marvellous ways, God's Power, negative thoughts, Nothing is impossible for God, overcoming Satan, protection, suffering, Testimony, thought process, trials
Mar 23, 2009
Stormy Nights
There are two ways God could go about clearing the storm currently raging in your life:
Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Othertimes, He lets the storm rage and calms His child.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace,which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His Peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (No, I didn't come up with something so profound..that wud be Philippians 4:6-7)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirirt. Rom15:13
Posted by Shanna at 11:35 AM 1 comments
Labels: God's marvellous ways, God's Power, God's Purpose in my life, negative thoughts, Nothing is impossible for God, overcoming Satan, prayer warriors, prayers, protection
Don't Despair!
If the situation seems beyond repair and you are convinced by the world that prayer isn't going to get you anywhere...not even fasting and prayer, then this post is intended for you...
The purpose of prayer is not to change God,but to allow God to change us.It is to discover and do God's will,not to obligate Him to do ours. The purpose of prayer is that God's splendour will be displayed on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Posted by Shanna at 11:28 AM 0 comments
Labels: Decisions, God's marvellous ways, God's Power, God's Purpose in my life, Nothing is impossible for God, Obedience, prayer warriors, prayers
Mar 19, 2009
Why me,Lord?
Ok, all hands up those of you who have asked this at least once! I have news for you people - even Jesus did this! He knew He has sent to earth fwith a single purpose.Yet hours before the ultimate act of obedience, He asked His Father," Why me? Do I really have to do this? ( Matt 26:39)
Consider the scenario of guy yappin' away on his mobile while navigating heavy traffic. A lady jaywalks. He loses control of his vehicle and rams into a crowd of pedestrians. She made a poor choice. He made the wrong choice of time to be on his phone. Either way, people hurt all over. The ripple effect...
Bad stuff can also happen coz we live in a world that isn't perfect.
So are you telling me that either way I'm a goner??
Not by a long way! There's Someone who has promised to stick with you thru thick and thin. Read it all over again in Matt:28:20.You can count on Him anytime. Bad things are bound to happen on earth.That's the way of the world.
But keep in mind, there are no tears or sadness in Heaven. He will wipe away your tears. Don't we,loving parents, go out of our way to comfort and console a crying child? Do we not wrap them in our arms until the pain subsides? Are we above and better than our creator at Godly parenting? (Read Psalm 56:8, Rev 21:14,Matt 5:4)
For those of you still singing the chorus at the pity party-Two wrongs do not make a right. Learn to ask for His decision before consulting self. Even Jesus did this. The world is most often wrong.
Posted by Shanna at 9:21 AM 0 comments
Labels: beware, Christian parenting, Decision making, Decisions, Eternal Consequences, God's marvellous ways, God's Purpose in my life, negative thoughts, Nothing is impossible for God, protection, suffering
On Stormy Seas
If you are wondering why God let's bad things happen to us, remember
1) Satan—despite his incredibly cunning intelligence, cleverness, and power—is still only a puppet in God's hand to bring about His purpose. We see this clearly in the Book of Job. God is far more powerful than Satan. Though Satan boasts about His power on us (and that too because we let him!), God's power and might is far greater over Satan.
2) You don't have to keep paying for your mistakes all the time. Making a mistake is bad, but not repenting or confessing the same is WORSE! Confess your sins, rest assured Jesus has forgiven you. He has paid up all your debts in full, past present and future. But remember you got to confess( Don't confess wholesale... -if you don't know EXACTLY what you need to be forgiven for,you probably don't deserve to be forgiven. Once you are forgiven doesnt mean you DON'T have to live with eth consequences. You Do! But remain calm, God's going to take your burden and change it into a blessing! Not just for you, but for many others.
Posted by Shanna at 4:31 AM 0 comments
Labels: Eternal Consequences, God's Purpose in my life, Happiness, Holy Spirit, Nothing is impossible for God, Obedience, Understanding
Feb 26, 2009
Are You busy as a bee?
A friend of mine as a fridge magnet that reads: " DON'T BE B.U.S.Y." alongwith a graphic of a woman who has a briefcase in one hand, a nursing baby tucked in the crook of the same arm, a vaccum cleaner in the other hand as well as sauce pan bubbling away on the stove nearby -a very familiar scenario to me..all that was missing was my laptop!!
And what does B.U.S.Y mean? Being Under Satan's Yoke.
We've really underestimated that little imp Satan. He's gotten us so highly focussed on being an achiever that we forget he has ulterior motives. We are so busy making our plans and our own goals and then pray and ask God help us achieve them. Have I actually stopped and asked God whether this little diversion of mine was what he had actually had in mind for me?
Life on this earth without God's Plan is hollow. Satan has many cunning deceptions - fame, fortune, power, sexual desires, busy cares of the world, hobbies, leisure activities and many more.
God has another plan for the you. It is a Plan of meaning, a Plan of purpose. A Plan of life forever in an abundance of peace. We need to get reconnected to God mercy and love.We as sinners are separated from God's Kingdom, by our own lifestyles and choice, not God's.
The best part is it's FREE! No membership fees, no advance payments, no EMIs, no cacophony,... just a free invitation to an abundance of peace and purpose in God's Kingdom. All you need to do is stop a while from the business you call life and ask yourself whether whatever it is that occupies your time now is gonna get you credit points to Eternity. (don't misunderstand me here...it's not good deeds that get you to heaven!)
Do you think you are making the best use of your time and are you really a good steward of your time and life?
This is what God has to tell you today," Without Me, you can do nothing." John 15:5
But With Him, we can mount up with wings like eagles Isaiah 40:31
Posted by Shanna at 4:45 AM 0 comments
Labels: God's Purpose in my life, Great Commission, Nothing is impossible for God, Procrastination, Time Mismanagement, Understanding
Letters to my sister
My youngest sister is highly accomplished- she’s barely 21 and she’s got a hotshot job in Google and climbing the corporate ladder with aplomb! In all that she sets out to do, be it singing, drama, writing, whining (ok, she does that one only to her elder sis’)- you name it, there’s none like her!
Rebecca’s determined that before she has to settle down in life she’s been there, done that. That way she has no regrets in the staid (or so she thinks) married life that’s to follow. Miria and I are extremely proud of her- I don’t remember being this focused or level headed when I was her age. (Any reader who wants to comment on me at that particular age, please refrain! :D, yea yea, I know it’s hard!)She knows all the pressures and troubles she could face and she stays steer clear of them.
But then, it’s hardly a surprise...I remember the seven year old Rebecca whose solution to everything was prayer. The best part of it was hers used to work better and quicker! It was like she had a direct hotline with God! And oh her voice-all the Sunday school songs that I’m trying hard to remember, I seem to recollect in her voice alone!
Yes, indeedy, God’s been faithful. He’s blesses her abundantly for one so young. She’s studying (and passing her tests with the highest marks!), working (and ranked among the highest performers), acclaimed drama artiste (you haven’t sent me the paper clipping yet, Becky!) and one of the Most requested singers in the Goggle TWIF!! And oh, did I mention she got her license recently??
I can’t wait to see what God has in plan for her. He’s given her the opportunities to be molded into someone who can be really powerful for Him. Our lives were created by God to glorify His name. Others may look at us and see the abundance of blessings that come from Him. He knows His purposes for us and how he wants us to live them out. Our very life belongs to Him. Rebecca, my desire for you is to walk in wisdom and make the most of your time and life (Read Colossians 4:5 and Ephesians 5:15). We maybe living one day at a time, but for each of them we are accountable for eternity!
God Bless you, my Love!Remember you are an arrow for Christ!
Posted by Shanna at 4:36 AM 0 comments
Labels: arrows for Christ, blessings, calling, children, Christian Sisters, evangelism, God's Purpose in my life, Great Commission, Nothing is impossible for God, Praise and Worship, RZIM, Time Mismanagement
Feb 19, 2009
Good Morning, Beloved!!
My God has the most original sense of humorI 've ever encountered! In a daring turn of events today morning, God used BMW to tell us,"Good Morning, My darlings! I'm right here taking care of you today!"
There I was running thru' getting the kids rushed off to school. Now in our daily morning race to get both Sharen and Jo ready for school, duties are clearly delineated. I am in charge of breakfast and tiffins, school packs, swim wear, signing off any circulars, hair, ironed uniforms and all that kind of paraphernalia. Hubby dearest is in charge of cleanliness and appearance.
Usually everything goes according to clockwork. We can do it in our sleep (which we usually do!).
Today, however, I saw all three of them hunched over something on the floor. The boys had identical shell-shocked looks on their faces while Sharen was squinting at something a wee bit out of their focus.
I rushed over and there it was!
A centrefold of the latest BMW. Sleek and gleaming with lush interiors. My husband was all but drooling. Anyone who knows my husband remotely well knows that it has been his desire to buy an E class by the time he's 38. The E class got strict competition today morning by the BMW.
Sharen finally managed to read the sentence she was struggling over. A quote by Jonathan Swift(yea, the same guy who made my undegrad life miserable by writing the epic, "The Battle Of Books" )..."Vision is the art of seeing things invisible." It was smack in the midddle of the ad.
What happened next was one of my HSI (Holy Spirit Inspired) moments.
Now, what I was doing there with a correction pen at that moment of time, I do not know. But I quickly scribbled a few additions, struck out the words Vision and Jonathan Swift:
Dear Renjith,
Faith is the art of seeing things invisible.
Yehovah Yireh.
With the quirkiest kind of humor I've seen, God sure chose the best way to say Good Morning to us today morning!! He affirmed our belief that our God surely knows our hearts desires and he used BMW to tell us nothing is impossible for him.
Both of us had been talking earlier in the morning but whether we would really be able to tackle all the tasks God is gonna assign us. I was telling him in particular about yesterday's post where I affirm that if I'm plugged in to recharge at the right place, only good will flow out of me. God's power can strengthen us to do the impossible.
Today in our infancy we consider the BMW a wisp of fiction, the impossible...as we mature in Him, and it gets more attainable, we will know better to give it only as much importance as it deserves. But Yes, this was definitely God telling us to Keep The Faith! Nothing is Impossible for Him! He gives us all things according to His riches in Glory. The recorrected poster's stuck at our bedside so that hubby remains motivated.
BTW, did any of you realize how out of place the original quote is on a car ad? NOW do you see why I said God really used BMW to send us a Huge Good Morning?
Posted by Shanna at 9:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: BMW, Good Morning, Nothing is impossible for God