OVERWHELMED?

When I am feeling OVERWHELMED with all that I am unable to do, I start to panic.  And when I start to panic, I cannot think clearly. And when I cannot think, I cannot pray.  And when I cannot pray, I lack restraint and I begin to make mistakes.  I begin to act irrationally.  I cry when my steak is overcooked.  I yell at the Suburban that has been steadily creeping into my lane.  I take 2 hours to complete a 30 minute task.  I use “all caps” in my emails.  Goodbye Butterfly.  Hello Bully.

This transformation from a butterfly into a bully can happen in an unguarded instant. If I do nothing to stop the chain of negative events, I may do serious harm to a wonderful relationship, job opportunity, or newly perfected routine.

God has set very high standards for His people.  But He has also set up a very unique judicial system.  If you commit to doing things His way, God will always provide a ram in the bush to help you reach your goal.  When confronted with a problem, ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ASK FOR HELP IN REAL TIME.  God wants us to rely solely on Him for the answers to our problems.  And once we engage Him to intervene, we have done our part and we can RELAX AND BE HAPPY in the face of all.  

Life is fraught with so many obstacles.  There are days, weeks, months when it appears like the hits just won’t stop.  Yet, we are admonished to do everything in our power to avoid a contentious spirit.  Every ruffling of the Holy Spirit within opens the door to dark spiritual energy that if unchecked can render a bad situation much worse. When I reflect on the many missed opportunities of my life, I note that bad decisions were exacerbated when I opted to take matters into my own hands instead of relying on God to sort it out.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Phiippians 4:4-7

We must be vigilant and unruffled in the face of the vicissitudes of life.  When they start their wind up, we must acknowledge them for what they are…distractions.  We must then PAUSE, WITHDRAW and pray until our calm returns.  Then, we must leave our prayer corner armed with the knowledge that we are servants of the most High.  Our God is AWESOME and can slay any dragon that is thwarting our progress.  PAUSE. PRAY. RESET. & RE-ENGAGE WITH JOY. 

God is here.  It is a promise, darling.

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