Restless? Shift in to neutral and seek God.

I recently read this quote by Pastor Willie George from Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK. “Restlessness is a time for seeking God-- not for making sudden moves!” 

When things are not going as planned, emotions are at an all time high or life and/or ministry is disappointing, it is easy to get restless. Restless is defined as: Unable to rest or relax as a result of anxiety or boredom. In other words, you are uneasy, fidgety, anxious, troubled and unquiet.  We have all experienced feeling this way. How we respond to restlessness is very telling of our spiritual maturity.

The response of the flesh when we feel restless is to move. If you have ever experienced restless leg syndrome you will understand. When you get restlessness in your legs the immediate response is to move them. The problem is that it only gives a very short period of relief, then you feel restless again.

The word of God paints a good picture of what life is like for those who do not learn to quiet their soul. 

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.  Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 NIV

Warren Wiersbe makes the observation, “The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life. Our old nature is restless…the world around us is frantically in a hurry. But a restless heart usually leads to a reckless life.

How do we calm our soul? First we must recognize what is our soul and what is the leading of the spirit. Have you ever been convinced that you were to go in a certain directing...it feels right...you just know!  And then, after making the decision you realize it was the wrong thing. Where did you miss it? The soul can be misread for the leading of the Spirit if we are not keeping the word of God before our eyes and in our heart. 

Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “ For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” NLT

The word will divide the soul (mind, will and emotions) and expose what is OUR natural thinking and desires, dividing it from the spirit and God’s wisdom.  We want God’s wisdom. Staying, when we feel like running, because he told us to, will lead to life and success.  Responding to restlessness in any other way BUT seeking God will cause all sorts of problems. Then we find ourselves down the road wondering where we missed it and why life is less than blessed. 

God had promised a son to Sarah and Abraham. Sarah grew restless and tried to make things happen in her own strength. Ishmael was born and although he was, like any other child, sweet and beautiful. He was not Gods promise fulfilled and Sarah began to grow bitter and resentful. It never turns out well to make decisions from a place of restlessness.

Psalms 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know that I am God...” Our job is to get still and then let him be God in our lives.  Most of the time, being still is very much a job until we train ourselves to not respond to the restlessness.

I have made it a practice to shift into neutral when I feel restless. What’s that mean. Neutral for me means no decision making, no quick moves. I don’t do anything but get still. I force my emotions to quiet by reading the bible and worshiping the Lord. I purpose to set my eyes on Him. 

I encourage you today, if you are feeling restless, shift into neutral.  Make time to quiet your soul and seek the Lord. Don’t make any quick decisions.  In fact, don’t move at all until you have divided your natural emotions from the leading of the Spirit of God. Seek His wisdom. He loves you and has promised that if you will seek Him, you will find Him.

Proverbs 8:14-17 (NKJV) “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.”

Big Hug!

Tamera Ford

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E is for Excellence Proverbs 31 Mother Daughter Lesson 5

Session 5:  E is for Excellence
 

1.  Icebreaker:  Cinderella's Slipper
Bring a selection of high heel shoes and  put in two different sacks.  Girls have to race to match the shoes from the bags and put them on and first team to find all the matches and put them on wins. 
 

2.  Teaching:  Excellence

 Prov 12:4 an excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. 

 

Today we are going to talk about the spirit of excellence.  Let me show you what a person of excellence looks like:

 

Illustration:  Bowl, pepper, soap on finger stands out in a crowd, people stand back to watch a person of excellence.  A person of excellence means a person with superior qualities in character.  (Pour water in bowl and sprinkle pepper in the bowl.  With liquid soap on your finger dip in bowl and watch pepper separate to the sides.)

A person who has a spirit of excellence is a person who is going to stand out in a crowd.  For example, if you are a person of excellence you don’t do the norm you always go beyond the extra mile.  Doesn’t mean you will be in the lime light everytime.  Jesus said if you want to be great in the kingdom of God learn to be the servant of all. 

When I think of a person of excellence I think of these 3 qualities:

1.  Treat people as special.  How is your love walk?  Example of gift of dirt. (Wrap up a gift of box of dirt.  When we use dishonoring words it is like we are giving someone a gift of dirt.) 

Do you honor or dishonor people?  How can we show honor to others?  Ex Millie and Rhoda Jane in “Millie Unsettled Season”  Pg 235-238, pg 241-242  How do we shine in excellence?

2.  Doing more than what is expected.  Always going the extra mile in your work, in your character and in your serving.  Story of Joseph.  Read Gen 39:1-5  A good name is better than riches.  When people think of you what do they think of first?  Do we compromise what we believe when we get around our friends just to be accepted?

3.  Having a good attitude.  Let’s look at some bad attitudes and see what they look like.  Show pictures of children with rolling eyes, smirk faces, bad attitudes and talk about them.  Then show clips from Cinderella (when step sisters where giving her commands and treating her mean and how she displayed a good attitude even when she had every right to be bitter).

Cinderella had a spirit of excellence about her that she chose to love even when she was hated.  She always did her work with great excellence.  And her attitude betrayed a spirit of excellence because she had every right to be bitter and call her life unjust and because of this she ended up being crowned the queen of the kingdom.  A lot of times when we humble ourselves and serve others there might look like there is no reward but God always sees the heart and will reward you openly.  In serving others her reward came.

11 My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight, for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong and to be inwardly clean no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns.  May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to God. 

3.  Spotlight of Honor

4.  Craft:  Make bulletin boards with Styrofoam and gingham material with ribbon making the crosses. 

5.  Snack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trust God. Love People.

A minister once said, "You cannot find in scripture where you are to trust people. The Bible tells us to put our trust in God."

If you've never thought about this before, it is a bit surprising at first. But with more meditation, it is not only true, but makes sense.

"It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8).

The Bible instructs us to trust God with all our heart. It's when we trust people with all our heart, that we often end up hurt and disappointed. People (you and I included) are not able to fully satisfy another's trust. We will fail at some point.

But does this mean we never trust people? No.

The word trust describes a reliance on the integrity, strength, or ability of another. For example, I trust my husband and he trusts me. We don't live in an atmosphere of suspicion. We have proven integrity with one another. But we have also failed at times and disappointed one another.

And that's where God helps us.

We are to fully trust Him and simply love others.

"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).

Love is able to look over the faults of another, whereas if we only put our trust in people we will be let down. Love, on the other hand, may be let down when people fail to fulfill our expectations, but it has the unique ability to forgive and offer compassion --despite our disappointment.

In fact, the Bible repeatedly says, "You shall love your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:8, Matthew 5:43, 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31,33, Luke 10:27). According to the Bible, your neighbor is anyone living in the same land. I guess that would include anyone who's feet tread the same ground as yours.

So the bottom line is this: TRUST GOD. LOVE PEOPLE.

You and I are bound to get hurt if we put all our trust in people. And we'll lose out if we never learn to love them. But in the end, we win when our trust is in God and His love for people remains strong in our hearts.

Daphne Delay

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I'm Sorry . . .

Somewhere lost in our list of vocabulary words over the course of time seems to be the words, 

"I'm sorry."  One of my recent all time favorite decals has been this:   

In our household, we are real, we do make mistakes, but we say, I'm sorry and we forgive.  We do really loud, we are patient and we LOVE.  One of the best gifts we could have give our children was to lead by example and as Martin Luther King Jr. quotes "Forgiveness for us is not an occasional act, but is a constant attitude."  I'm sure our children will recall during their younger years, their Daddy making them hold hands for a period of time until forgiveness set in.  It's the most amazing thing, how quickly they were then willing to forgive and forget!

Bishop T.D. Jakes says it best, 'unforgiveness unchecked becomes a cancer in the soul.' Unforgiveness doesn't stay in one isolated area where it started; it spreads into other areas of life.  It begins to affect our children, relationships, moods and behavior.  It eats up personality and creativity. Unforgiveness empowers history at the expense of destiny!  That's too much of a price for me to pay!

Most of the time, we will have to forgive, not because we feel like it, but simply because the Word says we must and every time it must be an act of faith.  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 11:25-26.  I decided a long time ago, that an apology doesn't always mean I'm wrong, it simply means I value my relationships, my children, my marriage, my future and destiny more than my ego!

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.  Give your best anyway.  
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.           Mother Teresa

Make a confession to activate the power of forgiveness:  Father, in the Name of Jesus, I make a fresh commitment to You to live in peace and harmony - with my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, with my friends, associates and family.  I let go of all bitterness, resentment and unkindness in any form.  Father, I ask Your forgiveness.  By faith I receive it.  As I forgive and release all who have wronged and hurt me, I ask You to forgive and release them, in Jesus' Name.      

Mary McIver
                

        

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