Got Road Rage!!!?

 A spiritual lesson for me

You know, the other day as I was driving from work I was feeling every bump and hole in the ground and it was so painful to me. I began complaining to myself about it in my mind because of how much it was getting on my nerves... the ups, the downs, the narrow winding turns and swerves, the dips, potholes, and stop and go with the traffic. All of a sudden, I was mentally and spiritually stopped in my tracks. The Lord began showing me how our life is like that. It has ups and downs. It has turns and swerves. It has narrow roads and wide roads. It has dips, potholes, stops and gos as well.

But, it is not the broad and straight roads that I should seek spiritually that are all smooth and nothing to get in the way or to hinder. It is the strait (difficult) and narrow road that I should seek after, with all of its' narrow windings of trouble, with all of its' ups and downs in life, with all of its dips, and deep potholes, with all of it's stop and go traffic that causes pain. Why, you ask?

You see, a friend of mine explained to me how, if it was all straight and wide on a road when driving, it is easier to fall asleep at the wheel because you are not as concerned or alert. You are more vulnerable to allow distractors like texting, cell phone calls, make-up, eating, and the like to happen. So, an accident can occur more likely and you may not make it to your planned destination.

However, spiritually with the winding and strait (difficult) and narrow road, I am more alert for incidents. I am paying more attention and less likely to allow distractors to take away that attention. With the ups and downs I am strengthened and made wiser to be prepared for the next ones. With the dips and the deep potholes that causes me pain, I can grow and learn from and am able to help others through and over them. With all of the stops in my life I have time to reflect and meditate on God's will and direction for my life so that I am not just going at all times without thinking, without praying, without studying His Word. But instead, I would know exactly where I came from, and where I am headed because I allowed God to be my GPS (God Powered Service). Therefore, with all of these that we see as negatives, can be used as positives to make it to our planned destination.

This is a good spiritual lesson for me in turning something negative to a positive outlook. You know what the funny thing is? After thinking of all of this, I didn't mind the traffic and rough roads as much while I was driving them that day. They still cause me pain, but my outlook about them is different. I hope and pray that some experience in your life, when meditating upon it, will cause you to have a different outlook on life about that and many other situations.

A good scripture to look at today is when talking about all of the terrible trials, tribulations, evil and wicked things that happened to Joseph, who didn't cause any of these things to happen to him, but they still happened. God used these things: He used when satan was attacking him through his family, tempting him through his boss' wife, trying him through his boss, teaching him through his imprisonment, and exalting his to the position that He had planned for him to save His people. This was Joseph's response. Gen. 50:20 - But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Remember this, you are not just going through this and that and overcoming hurts, pains, and tribulations for nothing. You are going through it to grow, to be strong and bold, to have a testimony, to have compassion for others, to learn to be victorious and overcoming it to help others to be victorious as well... You are going through this to save much people alive. 

Never give up! Never surrender! Never Quit! Keep going knowing that if you have surrendered all to God, He is carrying you through it!

May God Be Praised In All I Do!

What Is Your Friend To You?

I was listening to a program by Ed Young called "The 50 Shades of "They"".  I was so impressed with it that I just had to share it.  The focus of this is "What have "they" influenced you to do that you wouldn't have done if "they" hadn't been around?"  The people in our lives make such a big difference.  More difference than we realize.  They affect our character, our behavior, our moral values, our successes, our failures, etc... None of us are an island unto ourselves... even though some of us try to be, we only succeed at maybe becoming a peninsula... maybe... or so we think.

Ed Young gave this excellent acronym for FRIEND:

F = FOUNDATIONAL

R = RELATIONSHIP

I  = IN

E = EVERYONE'S

N = NATURAL

D = DOMAIN

I thought this was a great way to look at how we are affected by others, by being more aware, considerate, and cautious in our choice of the people that we choose to hang around with and/or call "Friends".

There were 6 questions asked.  If you ask yourself these questions, God will show you who the "they" are in your life:

1. Do "they" MOTIVATE you to love God more - Heb. 3:13?

- Go where the "they" are "Motivaters" in your life and swim away from the shallow water of 'friends' who are "Haters" when you begin to succeed and/or do better than they are doing?

2. Do "they" CELEBRATE God's blessings in your life - Prov. 11:10?

- Go where you are "Celebrated", not tolerated!

3. Do "they" have your back - Prov. 17:17?

- When you are going through hard times, see who sticks with you. 

4. Do "they" hold you accountable out of love and friendship - Prov. 27:6?

- Accountability emerges out of an affinity and love.  So you have earned that right by the closeness of the friendship you have.

5. Do "they" live what they believe - Psalm 119:63?

- Are "they" serving, praying, and giving to those who are outside of Christ... not just to other Christians.

6.  Do "they" have the right "they" in their life - 2 Cor. 6:14?

- Remember, by what we behold, we become changed.  If they are surrounding themselves with the wrong "they", then it also identifies to you what kind of person your friend is as a "they" in your life.

You see, we call so many different types of people friend.  i.e. facebook friend, associate friend, best friend, etc.  There are shallow water "theys" and deep water "theys".

Life is too short!  Swim away from the "shallow water" friends. Get rid of them out of your life and swim with the "deep water" friends.

See ya til next time... and remember... 

Living Victoriously begins with your state of mind!