Don't Be A Crippled Christian: Set Your Hand To Something

You see different types of leaders in the Bible. There are those who just went ahead and did things (used their intellect); and those who received specific instructions on what to do directly from God. 

I was reading about Joseph for example, and how he handled the situation when the people ran out of food (Genesis 47: 14 - 26). And then on the other hand are men like Moses and Joshua who God gave specific instructions on what to do. For example, in Joshua 6 when Gold told Joshua that he was to take Jericho and how he was to do it. 

As far as I understand, I can either go ahead and decide that I am going to take a specific course of action; or I can receive specific instructions from God. I can also accept both. But essentially, I am 'free' to go ahead and do what I think is best in a given situation. 

I think this discovery answers my question about why is it that Christians seem to always be worried about being out of the will of God; whereas unbelievers go out and are unsuccessful.  

Christians become crippled by waiting to hear an audible voice from God, or a word from a prophet. Unbelievers don't believe in God so they don't feel a need to 'wait around' to hear anything. 

I was personally encouraged when I read about Uzziah and how the Bible says that as long as he sought God, He made him prosper (2 Chronicles 26: 5). That's all there is to it. You don't need to sit and wait around for a voice from heaven. Do what's in your heart to do. God promised that He would command the blessing upon all that you set your hand to (Deuteronomy 28: 8). 

So set your hand to something and see what happens! 

Perfect Love

All the years that the cankerworm has stolen is being returned to me (Joel 2: 25). I believe that I made a critical discovery about me. I can see how the enemy has used the very way that God made me against me. Thank You Lord for this discovery.

One of the things I read about the melancholic is that he tends to be passive. I must fight to not just allow negative thoughts and emotions to weary me down. I have a choice; I can choose the types of things to think about. I already have the power over all the power of the enemy. I already have a sound mind. I am already more than a conquerer. 

Now let me say that I am not saying that passivity is from God. That's one of the weak points of the melancholic personality. But let's say that I'm not necessarily the aggressive type. There's nothing wrong with that. But then sometimes things happen, like someone being unkind to me. But because I'm not the type to fight back, it would seem like the enemy orchestrates many of these moments where I end up feeling defeated. In other words, my 'soft' personality has often been used against me. It would have been helpful for me to have learned to stand up for myself and not just play the role of a victim. I say learn because I wasn't born with a 'tell-it-to-your-face', 'don't-you-dare-treat-me-like-that' personality. Hope you're getting what I'm saying. LOL

Anyhoo, these days I've been meditating on this: 

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]. (1 John 4:18 AMP). 

I'm beginning to have a greater understanding of what this scripture means. I'm learning to apply it to me. It kinda fits in with what I'm discovering about me. A part of this 'soft' me is sometimes afraid to express herself. Sometimes the words won't come out, or don't come out right. It's a part of what I was trying to explain earlier. If I have been mistreated, I am afraid of telling you that you did. But even where no mistreatment took place, if I need to make a request, I don't know how to. Plain simply, I'm afraid to ask. I am now seeing that I even have this same fear if I need to talk to God about things or ask Him for things. "Fear brings with it the thought of punishment" were the words that sprang out at me the most. And this is because I wonder if God will be mad at me for saying this or doing that. 

I can see how I have been changing even prior to my rediscovery of this scripture and my gaining more understanding about it. I can see how I had been operating out of fear. I can only look forward to the best that's yet to come as I begin to operate in its principles. 

Unnu tek care!

Cross. Angry. Miserable.

Well, yesterday was payday! Thank God for work. This past week, I had reason to rejoice when three students at my school who participated in an English Speech Contest received individual first prizes, and the school also received the overall first prize. I wasn't able to attend the competition. When I arrived at work yesterday, the Vice Principal showed me the trophy and told me thank you. I appreciated that.


In other good news, I felt like I was about to catch a cold. But when I wanted to worry about it, I felt like God said to me, "Have a little faith." So I did what I could which was to have two raw pegs of garlic which I cut finely and had with my dinner. The next morning, the stuffy feeling in my nose was gone. Yay! God cares about every little area of our lives. My husband and I ate raw garlic with our dinner everyday during the last winter period and neither of us got sick. That was my first sick-free winter since I've lived in Japan. Garlic rocks!


         

Now on to why I was feeling cross, angry and miserable. Far too often I feel as if I'm up one day and down the next. Fear. Doubt. Anxiety. They are the primary culprits. So I said, "NO SAH. Dis nuh right." I felt annoyed at the way I was feeling. You know, I don't like feeling down. Who does, right? So I had to get cross, angry and miserable with the constant negative thoughts and emotions. I thought about how I was feeling and I said:-

1. Life is life. You will have highs and lows. No big deal.

2. Fear is just simply: False Evidence Appearing Real. Plain LIE. 












3. Why not for once believe the best about myself?

4. Not by might. Nor by power. But by God's Spirit.














I was also reminded that:-

"Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and physical and mental strength and ability over all the power that the enemy possesses; and nothing shall in any way harm you." Luke 10:19.

Well, what can I say, I made it through the rest of the day quite well. :)