You Are To Blessed, To Be Stressed!

It’s a wonderful day to be a child of God. Do you realize how blessed you are? Do you realize how important you are to the Lord? So often in our lives, we find ourselves swamped with the stress and strain of everyday living. Challenges on every side. No matter how hard you try the tests continue to come. There are times, in your life, when you feel you have been defeated. You no longer want to fight. You no longer want to try. You no longer want to leave the house. You no longer want to believe things will ever get better. Things have been so bad, for so long, you have begun to accept that this is how it will be forever. Have you been there? Are you there now?

Today, I have been commissioned to come and minister to you. My friend, you are special to God. You are made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). Yes things are difficult at times. Yes people are plotting against you. Yes the lies and rumors are spreading. Through all you have endured, You Are To Blessed, To Be Stressed! The Bible declares in 1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you. The things you spend your time stressing over, God can resolve immediately. You are a child of God! You are surrounded by His angels, equipped with His purpose, anointed by His power, and called for His glory. Things are better in your life than you think. Just because things appear cloudy or bleak, does not mean God cannot locate you.

My brother, my sister, You Are To Blessed, To Be Stressed! When the challenges appear on your job, in your home, in your marriage, within your ministry, or even in your mind, you must know It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psalms 118:8) Go forth today in the assurance of the Lord’s power. Be at peace today. Rest in the satisfaction of knowing God is taking care of you and all your affairs. Beloved, You Are To Blessed, To Be Stressed! Thought to Ponder: If God watched over you while you were unsaved, how much more will He do now that you are saved?

Scripture Reading for the Day: 1 Samuel 17

May God Bless you at Your point of need!
-Minister Darrick McGhee

Just Prepare and Show Up (God Will Do the Fighting) - Bishop Eddie Long

My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. -Ephesians 6:11

It is time to fight, but we are nowhere near the boxing ring. We do not understand that all we have to do according to God’s economy is make up our mind to be there and trust God. He does the rest.

The reason you are losing the battle day after day is because you refuse to discipline yourself with the Word and train. For that reason, you never show up at the fight. When the bell rings, God does not come in and fight for you because you are nowhere to be found in that arena. As a result, the enemy wins by default. Then he finds you where you are hiding and works you over just for the fun of it. Ignorance, fear, and poor discipline can wreck your life, even after you receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life!

We may get into scuffles and suffer bruises and falls from time to time, but the real battle on earth does not take place on earth at all. Paul—the man who was shipwrecked, beaten, and imprisoned for Christ in the physical realm—described the real battle in the spirit realm in Ephesians 6. God and His hosts will fight your enemy while you sit there and simply behold the salvation of God! But God will not fight for you until you show up at the battlefield.

You still have to have your battle equipment and maintain it. You still have to go through the training and the discipline because that is what empowers you to sit in the middle of a battle! You still have to fast. You still have to pray. You still have to read, study, and meditate upon God’s Word. If you do these things, you will have the faith and discipline to take your seat at the side of the Most High God and watch Him destroy the works of the enemy once again.

Your help comes only when you are in action.

Today's Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I think I have made this thing too hard by going about it the wrong way. I thought that I had to carry this thing on my back, but You never said that. You want me to show up in full battle gear in my home, on the job, at city hall, and on the streets. Then You will finish the fight for me. I bless You in Jesus’ name, amen.

A Message About Being Grateful

“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” - John Wooden

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present / love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure / the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Setbacks do happen

 

Setbacks occur.

Setbacks are normal.

How many times have you started a new diet or made New Year's Resolutions and found it difficult to stay on point?

Setbacks are our teachers. When we fail to succeed, we have an opportunity to learn what we did wrong. Did we choose the wrong program? Did we set unrealistic goals?

Think of a recent setback and allow it to teach you. Reflect on what went wrong, why it went wrong and how you can do it better the next time.

YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE.

You must simply change your approach. 

Or choose a different option entirely.

It's okay to change your mind.

It's NOT okay to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (that's the definition of stupidity :) .

Think instead about how you will do things differently next time.

Remind yourself that you almost always get a do-over.

And, as always, when the reflection is done, move on...

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Being Grateful: Leaving things in God's Hands

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to man.

We, too, steal things from the One True God:

- We steal when we take matters into our own hands, thinking God is too slow or not coming at all;
- We steal when we insist on our own answer instead of being content with God's;
- We steal when we grab for something we want, because we think God won't give it to us;
- We steal when we say we did it when the truth is it only happened because God worked through us.

The problem with this promethean pattern is it destroys our ability to be grateful. If we took it, then we got it no thanks to God or anyone else.

When we snatch things out of the hands of God, it says more about our ability to trust God than it does about whether or not God is trustworthy.

When we grab for what we want, it quite possibly reveals a root of bitterness growing within us, defiling us to think God will not be there for us when we need him (Hebrews 12:15).

When we steal from God's infinite bounty, we're submitting to the lie that we're unworthy to be blessed by God and so we have to take because he's unlikely to give.

Gratitude is one gauge that measures our dependence on God. The more dependent we are, the more grateful we become.

The psalmist sings of gratitude that overflows your soul, compelling you to praise the Almighty, King of Glory: "I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God" (Psalm 84:2 NLT).

by Jon Walker

It's okay to make mistakes

You've got to live life, not think about it. Step into the midst of things, try and fail and learn and stand up again. The question is not whether you will or will not make mistakes - you will. The question is do you want to learn and grow, or do you want to shrink back and be stuck? Take that step you've been avoiding. You can succeed, or you can get feedback that it didn't work, but in either case you are sure to feel alive.

It's Okay to Feel Hurt

It’s okay to feel hurt. It’s okay to acknowledge that your best friend hurt your feelings, that your spouse made a thoughtless remark or that your co-worker said just the very thing designed to set your teeth on edge.

You are HUMAN. You were given emotions for a reason – to feel things. Feelings are great indicators of things we should pay attention to. If our feelings are hurt, there is most likely a reason. And you should reflect on what that reason may be.

You are not Super Woman or Super Man. Everyone feels pain. Everyone gets hurt. Your job is to reflect on the circumstances, learn from them and move on.

Acknowledge your PAIN. Ignoring it will only make it worse. It’s important that you acknowledge and deal with it because it has a nasty habit of compounding in the back of your mind when you’re not paying attention.

A thoughtless remark on top of a too-close-to-home criticism does not make a person happy. Be happy – by allowing your pain to be acknowledged, explored, and then dismissed.

Take some Risks Today

Although it says to take risks, I believe it's about acting in accord to our faith in God and his promises.

 Take some risks today!

Risk being out of your comfort zone!

Risk sharing your true feelings with someone you love! 

Risk being thought foolish to pursue a noble goal! 

Risk exposing just a little bit of yourself to reveal your true soul!

Risk talking to someone who you think despises you! 

Risk looking stupid to reach out and help someone else (even if they reject that help!). 

Risk avoiding stagnation. 

Risk  avoiding inertia.

Risk escaping all those things that are holding you back. 

Take some risks today!

And See Where They Might Lead You :)

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Life

Life might not go as we plan, but it will go as God determines. It will end up with us sharing in his comfort, victory, and glory.

All will be revealed in due season.

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Be Confident in Who You Are...

Be confident in who you are.
Know that who you are is right for this time, is right for this day and your very exact personality will find its place in this big, wide world.
Be confident in your abilities.
Be confident that you will accomplish what you set out to do.
Be confident that you will know your own mind.
Be confident that if you take risks, you will reap some reward (even if it's just learning not to take that risk again!).
Be confident in who you are. Because, in the end, that's all you might really have.