Introduction
If you’re reading this you’re at a good place. You’re still here. You have a chance to grow, get a different understanding/perspective of life & God and a chance to see the goodness and true nature of God through the personal level that I got to. No matter what you've been through God loves you and is waiting with open arms. Don't look at religion, sets of rules and laws. God wants a relationship with you. He fights for you even when you can't see it. Even when you are unfaithful to God God is faithful to you. Life will always have it's problems and challenges but having God on your side, partnering with Jesus gives you an instant victory. First, the best way to know God is through his word (THE BIBLE) which is real. At these times we are in, in life with how much things have changed and are corrupted you may hear that “the bible is man made”, “it’s ‘whitewashed’”, “it’s just a fairytale”, “it’s just something used to control”, “it was used by slave masters to keep black people brainwashed”, etc. But I want you to always remember none of these statements are true. You may also hear things such as “with all the bad going on in the world, children dying, people sick, chaos, violence and wars, how can I believe that there is a God and that he is good?” Evil has been in this world since the beginning of Man. The evil in this world has corrupted the mind and attached itself to human nature meaning this is not from God. We all have free will. People tried to use the bible for their own evil intentions but the fault is in man not God. God may allow things to happen but it’s for a purpose and his knowledge is greater than ours and what we can understand. I look for the good (GOD) in any situation and if you push and push you can see it through whatever. After every storm there is a bright sunshine, sometimes a rainbow. Compare that to one part of God’s nature. In this reading I will share personal things and my outlook on things I’ve went through that opened up opportunities to get to know God deeper and understand him more. I will have scriptures to support (original and new translations), and just all the wisdom and advice that I’ve obtained throughout my life so far.
To my children reading this I love you so much and want the best life for you. I want you to get connected with God the best way you can so you can live the happiest life possible through any situation. I hope to make you proud. I’m praying for you even before you get here.
Opening
When you open the bible the first thing you will find out is that God created all and is in control of all. Every single thing in life. You will see just how much power he has and as you continue to read you will see that there’s nothing he can’t do. God is omniscient (knowing everything) He sees and knows all, past, present, and future.
(Isaiah 46:9-10)
...I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please”
New Translation: ...For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.
(Matthew 10:30)
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
(Psalm 139:15-18)
“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you”
New Translation :”You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me. O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
That’s amazing right? We have a God who knows every single detail about YOU and YOUR life and life itself on our side. But, just as we have a God who is for us we have an enemy known as Satan/The Devil/The thief who isn’t for us he is against us and hates us. He hates us simply because God loves us and if we accept Jesus we are saved. His biggest device is deception. He biggest way to keep people trapped is by making people believe he isn't real, he doesn't have power and to deny God and the spiritual realm.
(John 10:10)
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”
New Translation: The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Since we have this adversary in life you will face many challenges. You will have many situations that seem like it isn’t fair. Many times that he will try to attack you, but don’t worry, God always wins just partner with him. The devil lies, he deceives and will make you think that God is the cause of these problems since God is in control of life but rest in knowing that the devil is a lie and “GOD GOTCHU”!
Questions to think about: Is God unfair? Let’s explore this and come back to it.
- What is the most “Unfair” thing that has happened to you? How did it affect the way you thought about God?
My Answer: Being in situations that I did not know would happen because of something I did. I would always end up in frustrating situations that was a result of my actions. I felt like it was unfair because I didn’t know that me ‘doing this’ or ‘doing that’ would cause these situations to come forth. It first made me question God and ask “WHY?!” “Why would this happen, why would you allow this to happen to me, if you knew I didn’t know any better? Why would you allow me to keep doing what I was doing knowing that the result from it would bring me pain, heartbreak, sadness etc.?” It made me feel like God didn’t care about me. It made me view God as some big man in the sky that was like “Oh you messed up? Sucks for you… now you have to reap the consequences. Oh you didn’t know that what you were doing would cause this? Oh, well you still got to pay for it. Sorry.” That’s NOT A GOOD WAY TO THINK ABOUT GOD right? That’s a terrible way of thinking, but it was what it was at the time.
Now, (if you have any) reflect on any unfair moments you’ve had in life and try to remember how it made you feel knowing that God is in control of everything. Write them down if you can. (Hold onto these thoughts we will revisit this later in the reading).
So, with all these thoughts about ”WHY?” I had, I began to struggle with things. Such as trying to figure out my own life. “What is my path in life?”, “What am I going to do in life?”, “Who will be my partner in life?” and “How long do I have in life?” I was constantly stressing over these things, especially the last one. It would get to the point where it seemed like I would look for the negative answers to these questions. Never even thought about the positive answers. I knew that since God was in control and the word says he cares for us that I shouldn’t be worrying but I couldn’t help it.
(1 Peter 5:6-7)
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you”
New Translation: So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
I always wondered if God was disappointed in me because of some of the things I would go through. “Did I do something wrong to offend him?’ I would ask myself. “Am I not good enough?” As I would pray and ask God for revelation he revealed that I should first continue to pray and whenever I would find myself worrying I should remember these “4 P’s”:
- Principle- God is able
(Ephesians 3:20)
“Now, to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, “
New Translation: Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
This means that God goes beyond, beyond time, place or cause. He gives more than we need and can provide more than we ask. He can do the unthinkable. BUT, this can only happen when we dive into “P2”.
2. Program- According to the power that works in us
God can do any and everything but it is up to us if we receive it or not. We must have faith over all and exit out the power of disbelief, fear, doubt, anxiety and anything else negative. Submit your problems to God always. We should have faith and expectation because of “P3”.
3. Promise- To him be the glory
God wants to open doors and perform miracles in our lives because he cares for us and wants the glory. We have to manifest (bring forth through our thoughts) the goodness and greatness of God.
4. Perfect Love
Gods’ love for us is perfect. It’s unconditional. It’s everlasting. Psalm 136 says that his love is ETERNAL...FOREVER! Nothing we can do will ever make him stop loving us. It is lies of the devil and fear, anxiety that clouds us from knowing and feeling Gods’ love.
You should never make decisions that are fueled out of fear. If fear is in it or associated with it it is not God. Infact, you shouldn’t do anything that God doesn’t back up or back you on. One way I pointed out what was God and what was not was by targeting what I felt. I came across a quote that had a table of “God vs The Devil”. Store this in your mind and heart and apply it always.
(Lamentations 3:37-40)There’s a saying by a man named Thomas Carlyle, “No pressure, no diamonds”. Everyone loves diamonds, how they glow when the sun or lights hit them, their value. But, you can not create them into that beautiful perfection without pressure. When tough situations hit our lives and feels like pressure it’s God molding and forming us to our beautiful perfection. He’s making us better. We will always come out on the other side more beautiful, stronger, perfected when we allow ourselves to grow through this pressure and build us up rather than break us down. Nothing can come into our lives without God’s permission.
“Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed? Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord;”
New Translation: Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.
This means that even The Devil himself must get God’s permission to tempt people or cause certain chaos. Don’t let this scare you though, God will never give us anything that we can’t handle.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”
New translation: The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Remember these 5 key things about yourself:
- God created you
- God formed you
- God redeems you
- God calls you personally by name
- God owns you
God says that when we pass through waters he will be with us. (Isaiah 43:2) Water symbolizes the tough times in our life. The troubling times we may face. Pay attention to the key words “pass through”, meaning we will not stay. When we pass through the rivers they will not overflow us. The rivers symbolizes prosperity. Some people get their blessings and rewards and forget that they still need God for things to stay together. Finally, when we walk through the fire we shall not be burned, nor will the flame scorch us. Fire represents the destructive painful moments that feel like we can’t endure. When these troubles come our way the best thing to do is PRAISE GOD. Be happy, be joyful, speak against your situation. For example, say you planned to do something that may cost more money than what you normally have in your bank account. You discipline yourself and save up money for a period of time but then something happens. An unexpected bill comes and takes all the money you saved. You begin to get frustrated, get anxiety and get sad because you feel there’s no hope. You don’t know what to do, this thing means so much to you and now you feel you’re unable to do it. I’ve learned that the first thing you should do in these times is shut up. Just silence your mouth and thoughts. It’s ok to feel frustrated but you don’t want to speak negatively and speak something that hasn’t come because of your emotions. Go straight to prayer, go straight to the source, God. There’s a pattern for prayer that produces power. Remember every battle is God’s.
4 Parts Of Prayer:
- Recognize God’s hand in your situation. His power, his abilities, and all that he can do.
- Remember God’s history. Events that took place that was God. His power in your past.
- Realize God hears you. Remember that he will incline his ear to your situation and cares for you and what you’re going through.
- Reflect Godly humility. Humble yourself knowing that you can’t do anything apart from God, apart from Jesus.
A prayer I would pray would be like this:
“Dear Heavenly Father I come to you in the name of Jesus. Thanking you, first for allowing me to come to you in my time of need through prayer. Thank you for knowing what I am going to pray about before I even say a word, and providing answers & solutions. I’m so thankful that nothing is too hard for you. You have no limits. (Then reflect on a time God came through for you in the past and tell him how much you’re thankful for that as well. Think of a time something turned around into a good for you that looked negative) God I need and I ask for your help in this situation. You know that this means so much to me and that this other thing happened so unexpectedly. I don’t know what to do. Things are out of my power but never out of yours. I ask that you work supernaturally in my favor through your love and care for me through Jesus Christ. I ask that you turn this situation around for me into a good and provide. (Then be specific with whatever you’re praying for, go into full detail) I will give you the glory and you only. Thank you for answering my prayer through your will. I now use my faith and I claim my breakthrough. I Love You God. In Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen.”
After you pray let go of all worry and fear. Even if you still feel bad in a way, let go. Say what you want out of your mouth. Call it into your atmosphere. Our words have power. (Proverbs 15:4) God is the creator of ALL, he can do anything! ;)
So now let’s go back to question 1.
“Is God unfair?” The answer to that is yes. God gives us way more than what we deserve, and way more than what would be “fair” for us. The bible says that our “righteousness” is that of a dirty rag but he still loves us.
(Isaiah 64:6)
“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away”
New Translation: We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
So in learning this I came with answer to my “WHY?!” God is not the author or creator of our drama. He allows it to come to a point of hurt and “pressure” so that we can step into better and be better. Let’s look at what James 1:17 says in the bible.
(James 1:17)
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”
New Translation: Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
SO, GOD GIVES ONLY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFTS! There was one story in the bible about a man named Job. He was God’s faithful servant. God allowed the devil to steal all of his belongings to test Job’s faith. The first test was when The Devil took away all of Job's animals, killed the servants that were with the animals, and killed all of Job's sons and daughters. It was horrific and sad. Still though, Job remained faithful to God and did not curse him. The second test was when The Devil caused sores all over Job's body. Even though Job lost everything he had and suffered from painful sores all over his body, he did not sin against God. He did not curse God. In the end Job kept on having faith in God even though at times he struggled. God blessed Job with double of everything he lost.
(Job 42:10-17)
“And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before…….Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters…...After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days”
New Translation: When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!......So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters…….Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.
So you see God cares and can work wonders from our bad situations, from our “WHY?!” situations. These times allow God to justify us then glorify us. He will allow it for our character development. God is interested in our happiness but first in the conditions of our hearts. He wants us to better ourselves. (Romans 8:28-29) He will ultimately bring good from our situations if we trust him, don’t turn from him and do the right thing. The best and safest place to be is in God’s will. What he wants for our life and what he ordained is his will. You can tell if something is God’s will through scriptures from the bible. Whatever contradicts his word is not his will. Godly council helps as well. When you speak to others who are seeking or know Jesus you can receive good Godly advice. Another way to know if something is God’s will is through provision. Now, it will NOT be easy. In Fact it will feel like things are against you. Don’t force things. Just keep going. Don’t try to figure things out on your own. God will direct your steps. If you fall just shake it off and get back up. If God wants something to happen it will be. If something isn’t working it’s either not the right time or not his will. His will requires us to obey him first and trust him second. God gave us access to a piece of himself. It is called the Holy Spirit. There’s the father (God), the son (Jesus) and the Holy spirit which is an advocate for us. The Holy Spirit helps us and if we keep Jesus it will be with us forever. God’s peace lives in the Holy Spirit. His peace is not governed by external things. It is internal. It can bring calmness inside of us through the worst situations. We have to do our part and partner with God. Jesus is the way. He is the truth. He wants to help you so much. He died for everyone but think of you individually. He died for YOU, that's love. Life is so much sweeter and beautiful with him. Here's a prayer if you don't know Jesus to accept him in your heart and start new right now. If you're tired of not living life to it's fullness or even if you just want more say this out loud and believe. You don't have to be perfect, that's religion. Come as you are.
Dear God, I want more. I've been going through life just going through. You said in Your Word that if I acknowledge that You raised Jesus from the dead, and that I accept Him as my Lord and Savior, I would be saved. So God, I now say that I believe You raised Jesus from the dead and that He is alive and well. I accept Him now as my personal Lord and Savior. I accept all that is in you.
I am now saved. Jesus is my Lord. Jesus is my Savior. Thank you, Father God, for forgiving me, saving me, and giving me eternal life with You. Amen!
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