How many times have you been frustrated or disappointed when God says “No” to you? When those doors that you desperately want to enter but He seems to refuse to open.

None of us like it when God uses the ‘N-Word, WHEN GOD USES THE ‘N-WORD’……but we have to accept it.

But, if we stop and think about it, while we’re so focused on what WE want to do, many times people are ‘bugging’ us to do things in which we have no interest. A project…a task…a favor…an opportunity that we didn’t ask for. Many times we say…

“I don’t have time for that!” or,

“I don’t know how to do that!” or,

How about This? “That’s not in my job description!”

Could God be sending those unwanted ‘opportunities’ to us to set us up for a greater purpose…His purpose?

Something greater than us or what we want? Why is God saying, “Yes” to something I don’t want?

Think for a moment that Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Joseph or any of the apostles asked or applied for their assignments. In fact both Moses (Exodus 4:7) and Paul (2  Corinthians 11:6) were NOT gifted speakers, but the core of what God said, “Yes” to in their lives involved speaking and writing.

Stop for a moment and think about what’s being requested of you right now. Is that God saying, “Yes”?

Don’t be so quick to say “No”, when you get unsolicited requests. Pray about it. Measure it against God’s word. Pray for discernment.

You may be saying, “No” to the next move in your purpose.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Have you ever made Him feel you’ve forgotten Him?

How many times have you started your day without saying, “Good Morning”?

How many meals or snacks have you eaten without saying, “Thank you”?

Have you gone a day without ‘calling’?

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Have often do you check what He’s ‘posted’ in His ‘HOLY MEDIA’?

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How many times has He tried to get your attention and you responded, “Not Now!”

How many times have you asked Him to leave ‘your house’ and invited the devil in?

Even when you’re diligently seeking Him, He sometimes may seem far away… because no matter how close you may THINK you are to Him, you can still be closer.

No matter how much faith you THINK you have…we all still have some unbelief.

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Remember this…

Every person used by God in the bible at some time felt forsaken…including His Son.

Matthew 27:46 (NKJV)

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

If you feel God has forsaken or forgotten you read Psalm 13. Notice how it begins in sorrow, but ends in an affirmation of trust and praise…That’s why He seems far away sometimes. So we can follow even closer behind Him.

Psalm 13 (NKJV)

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?
² How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴ Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵ But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

We all have them in our lives…dry seasons. Periods of time when we endure serious trials and tribulations. Some people’s trials may be more severe than others, but when you’re going through…your trial is still difficult to you.

We’ve read what God told the exiles in Babylon in Jeremiah 29…

Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NKJV)

 ⁴ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace… 

He told them that He expected them to not only be at peace with their situation, but to make the most of it, and pray for the city of their oppressor.

We’ve also read what God commanded of servants in Ephesians 6…

Ephesians 6:5-7 (NKJV)

 

⁵ Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; ⁶ not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

There’s not much worse on earth than not enjoying one’s freedom. Notice that God didn’t ignore the existence of slavery to the point that we were given instructions on the proper attitude if we were bound as servants. More on why in my post link….

Also consider what we’re told in the book of James concerning difficult trials…

James 1:2-3 (NKJV)

 ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 We are not only told to be patient in trials, but to ‘count it all joy’. Wow! I know this might sound easy to some ‘super spiritual’ people, but I am willing to admit that this is sometimes not just difficult for me, but very difficult. And, that’s okay because Jesus Himself comforted us letting us know that He knows that even when our spirit is willing that our human side gets weak (Matthew 26:41).

So, in those seasons of our lives when we are experiencing a drought in our lives…those seasons when it seems that NOTHING seems to go our way, why won’t God allow us to ‘fall apart’? Why does He demand JOY?

DROUGHTS ARE NECESSARY

Sometimes we encounter droughts to develop our character. There are times when we have to go through the valley to get to our blessing. And, sometimes our droughts are because of our bad choices…either way, we are to learn patience in those difficult seasons as advised in James, to develop our character.

DROUGHTS SOMETIMES LAST A LONG TIME

It’s easy to read about droughts and famines in the bible that last several years in one sitting, but the reality is that the days and nights of those people in the bible were just as long as our days and nights. Notice in Jeremiah 29, if you continue reading that chapter you’ll find that the captivity was to last 70 years. Sometimes our dry seasons will last a long time. God doesn’t want us to endure those periods of hardship depressed and hopeless. He wants us to learn to have joy in difficulty so we can even enjoy our lives in challenging circumstances.

YOUR ARE EXPECTED TO BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE WHILE IN YOUR DROUGHT

How many times has someone come to you in need of spiritual, emotional or even financial help while you’re enduring your own personals storm? Have you ever sent someone away saying, “I can’t help you, I’m trying to deal with my own situation!”. God is developing us to be strong enough to bless someone else while we are ‘going through’ ourselves.  You may save someone else’s life while in your storm.

IT’S ONLY FAIR

Philippians 1:29 is one of the most overlooked and under preached verses in the bible. Quite frankly it’s because no one wants to hear it, and it’s very hard to accept…

Philippians 1:29(NKJV)

²⁹ For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

Suffering, trials and tribulations are a part of our purpose as Christians. Why? Because it’s only fair. Jesus suffered and died a horrible death for all of our sins. How difficult is it to have access to all power and submit to the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12:2) knowing that some people will never appreciate it But, still He squeezed out enough joy on the cross to forgive the very one’s who were crucifying Him.

GOD EXPECTS US TO HAVE ‘JOY IN DROUGHT’ TO DEVELOP A GODLY MINDSET

 

Learning to have joy in our most difficult seasons because doing so is truly CONFORMING to the image, character and mindset of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God expects us to conform enough to His Son’s image to do the same (Luke 23:34). How can you love your enemies and bless those who persecute you unless you (Matthew 5:43-48) unless you learn to have joy when they are persecuting you.

Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Trails are sure to come. Pray for God to help you have joy in your drought. Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Yes.

Happiness is based on conditions around you, but joy is based on the condition inside you.

BE BLESSTIFIFED!