Reflections, January 11th, 2009

Sunday, January 11, 2009

When was the last time you gave God praise just for being alive? The fact that He woke you up another day in the land of the living? Sure, there are some that wish not to wake up because of all that they are facing. There are those that believe that life would be better off without them. That their life is not worth much. What a lie from the enemy! Maybe you are one that takes for granted that you will have a tomorrow, or that your family and friends will, as well. We spend so much time complaining, being angry, and unforgiving, that we do not see the gift that God has granted us. Life is a precious gift. And tomorrow is not promised to anyone. So how we treat this gift, can very well determine our tomorrow.

Dear Heavenly Father,

       It my humble prayer that you will look upon the lives of my family and friends, and all that come across today's Reflections, with much kindness, love and mercy. Father, I ask that they would be given the opportunity to see themselves through Your eyes. Grant them the gift to see how truly blessed they are despite the circumstances and situations they may be facing to day. Give them encouragement and peace in their hearts. Enable them to walk not only in the knowledge and wisdom of who You are, but who You have called them to be. Allow them a glimpse into what you have ordained for them. Give them hope to hold on. Allow change to come in their attitudes towards life and themselves. Let them see through the eyes of a loving God, just how precious and valuable their life is, and how much it matters to others.

       Father, I pray that the spirit of peace and love and forgiveness reigns in their homes, and that You will meet their every need--whatever it may be. Father, I ask that you would show up and show out, and put the enemy to shame. Anoint Your children with a fresh anointing today. Bless them with courage and understanding. Fill their hearts with praise. May their hearts be tender to your touch, and may they have a heart eager to please You. Above all else, Lord, may they come to know You intimately. So that they may have on earth all that has been already established in Heaven concerning them. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

Some of us have been taking for granted the time that God has granted us, and filling it with feelings of self-loathing, bitterness, anger, and un-forgiveness. All of which, shortens our lives, and takes away from the joy of living. It also blinds us to answers that God has for us.

God does not want us living with regrets. Regrets hinder us from achieving our goals, and coming into the fullness of what God has ordained for us. There are so many things that we are facing in the world today: the economy, unemployment, housing crisis, diseases, loss of businesses. So much has occurred, it has taken our focus, and hindered us from seeing the blessings of God. Our minds are addled with the things of the world, and our hearts are burden with self abasing thoughts, and grudges against those we say we love. In order to receive what God has said is rightfully ours: peace, joy, love, happiness, abundant living in Him; we have to be in a position to recognize when we are veering off the righteous path, and sliding on the slippery slope that the enemy often pushes us toward.

We are living in such a time where the world is dictating gloom and doom, but God is speaking life and abundance. How can there be abundance when so much is going wrong? God says that the abundance is in Him. When we place our focus on, and our trust in the Creator, whether than the creation, we will begin to see through the eyes of God what way we should walk in. How do we do this? By spending time with the Father, and allowing Him to transform our thinking and behavior.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Romans 12:1-3

We must begin to see ourselves as worthy of God's goodness and mercy. We may have failed a million times. We may have fallen numerous times. But God tells us to get back up. Nothing is over until God says it is over. God has given to all of us a measure of faith, and He expects us to use it.

Your self worth is not incumbent upon you being a success in this world. Your self worth is incumbent upon you being the kind of person that God has called you to be. It is not, and should not be based upon material things. Material things are temporal. They pass away. But the things that should hold the most value, are those things that make up your character. Your self worth should be based upon your character, your ability to love and receive love, your integrity, honesty, the kindness of your heart. Your ability to forgive others. Often times, if you look at a person's family, you will see what was a priority. I don't want to pass down just an inheritance to my children. I want to pass down a legacy. A legacy may not come with a bunch of dollar signs. But it can come with much love and integrity, and the answers to how to gain wealth. Not just in finances, but wealth in every area of life.

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Mark 11:24-26

Allow forgiveness to be in your hearts. Yes, sometimes it is very hard. But I'd rather forgive and walk away, than not to forgive and not be forgiven of my sins. We hold onto grudges, when we should daily be releasing them into the hands of God. Life is too short, and I am not willing to miss Heaven because I refuse to let go of the hurt and bitterness that someone may have caused in my life. With un-forgiveness comes a heavy weight. We don't realize it, but we carry it around with us wherever we go. We carry it into other relationships, and it becomes a noose around our necks. God wants us to be free in every area of life. Even when it comes to forgiving ourselves. We have all made mistakes, but we cannot allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity, or allow anyone else to place us there. Life is action, it is constantly moving from one place to another. One moment to the next. Only memories stay in the past. And if we allow them to, memories will bind us, and lock us to a past of hurt, anger, and un-forgiveness. Whereas, God says that the past is behind us, and He has freed us, and has given us an abundant life to take hold of. But it is dependent upon us moving...toward Him, His purpose, and His will for our lives.

This past Thursday, I had to go in for surgery. I prepared myself as best I could. I wasn't scared or nervous. The anesthesiologist said to me, "You know, as with any surgery, the greatest risk?" I said, "Yes, death." In that moment, I thought about my life. I was confident that I was going to make it, because God said He wasn't through with me yet! But, the thoughts do come to you and if you lived a life pleasing to God.

I had the nicest surgical team. I was truly surrounded with a team that made me feel comfortable and confident. But while in the hospital, there were some people that weren't so fortunate. There were some that didn't make it. There were some that were all alone; not even a relationship with God. And that got me thinking about how we view our lives. How we treat the gift that God has given us. How we fare in our relationships. Tomorrow is not promised. So we should live each day as such. I may have given my husband and family a hard time about resting. (They know how much I hate being still!) But, I know it's because they love me and want me to get better. I'm still in a bit of pain; but nothing like I was a few days ago! Thank You Jesus! I was contemplating on reposting an old Reflection. But I couldn't. I was so filled in my heart and spirit about what God had given me, that I had to share. Once again, I didn't think it would be this long either. But when the spirit of God is moving, and He wants to give His children a word, you allow God to have His way. Amen? Amen! Part of my recovery is also due to the fact that I know that I have so many people praying for me. That in the kind of world that we are living in, that there are still those that believe, and care enough to lift your name in prayer, and sincerely want God's best for you. That goes a long way.

Live life to a fullest. Treasure the gift that God has blessed you with. I pray that the spirit of prosperity will rest in every area of your lives: spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and financially. May God's will be made manifest in your life. Be blessed. You are loved.

©2009. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.