When you read the Bible you see that our choices in life have a more direct influence on the lot we have in life more than any other thing. Look at the children of Israel in the wilderness choosing to grumble about their circumstances and worshiping a golden idol. Circumstances come but how we chose to respond to those circumstances is what determines the flow and direction of our lives. These circumstances that we face are often created by others, but how we face them determines our outcome. Look at the life of Joseph. He did no wrong and yet he greatly suffered at the hands of others. He never gave up hope, or faith in God and eventually God brought him out. Circumstances is the NUMBER one thing that people email me about. Circumstance that are out of control and more than they can bare. I'm here to tell you today something that if you can hang on to this you will be able to endure and pull through any circumstances until God give you the victory.
1. You cannot control what others do to you, but you can control how you respond to it.
It isn't what others do to you that defines your life, it is how you respond to what they have done that is going to make you or break you. The difference between a victor and a victim is not what others have done to us but rather how we have responded to what they did.
2. You cannot help but to make some mistakes in life, but how you react to those mistakes will either make you or break you.
We have to learn from our mistakes, and we have to make it RIGHT. If you keep getting hurt and taken advantage of and you keep going back, you are not learning from your mistakes and your life is going to get darker and darker. Some people were not meant to be in your life. If you have spent more than a few months waiting for someone to change or keep their promises you are being suckered into living the life of a victim by a con-artist. There are a lot of them out there, don't play their game. Find your own path in life where you can obey God and feel good about yourself.
3. Money is not the answer to your need.
This world revolves around money,but at least 60 percent of the people I talk to have their spending out of control. Covetousness makes us want those neat expensive gadgets, games, and devices. These things breed prayerlessness, and keep us discontent and unsatisfied. If it takes all the money you have to get it, then leave it alone. Only buy the necessities. A dollar here and there on coffee and java, does it really add up? It does. We are a society that spends money no matter if we have money or not and often we spend it on things that are not even necessary. If we could look in contrast to how the other nations of the world live, in grass huts, on dirt floors, in trash heaps...we would be shocked at just how much luxury we live in. Find a budget that fits you and be thankful for what you have, give and it will be given unto you, and God will give you more.
4. You can't fix everyone else. There are so many people that I minister to that are tied up with the drama of other people. You can't fix your kids. You can't fix someone you are living with. You can't fix the government. You can't fix your Pastor or the church. We are trying to fix things that only God can fix and it is leading to too much stress and over load. You have to trust God and put things in his hands. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better, and if we try to keep them from getting worse all the time we are actually in the way.
5. God's grace is the key. When others do things that cause us harm, God's grace will lift us up out of it if we will trust him for it. Grace is unearned favor, it's nothing we deserve. God may take us through the fire to restore our lives but don't get angry at him or act like He owes us something. We were saved by grace, nothing we deserve, and he answers our prayers by grace, nothing we deserve, it is a gift from God. Faith teachers today lead people to believe that God owes us something. God owes us nothing, be thankful that he does not give us what we deserve but instead gives us more grace. Ask God to give you grace when you make a mistake to stick it out and make it right. Ask God to give you the grace to live well when you don't have enough finances to make it through each month. God can give you peace and security when in the natural you don't have enough. Joy is a gift from God and can be given to us in spite of our circumstances. Ask God to give you the grace to handle others and don't try to fix them all the time. Do you want someone dedicating their life to changing and fixing you? Most of us don't. Trust God to fix all things in his time.
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