Growing Personally

Sometimes we expect more from God that he ever actually promised. Elijah thought God would use him to change the whole nation for God.

Perhaps we thought we would have a great success we’d become the greatest businessman. We expected we’d become exceedingly wealthy like Abraham, and have no financial difficulties. We expected we’d be much better off than our fathers. Better off, better educated, better resourced. But God never said you will be better than your father. He has no favourites but then you don’t love any less that you father either.

God never promised we would see a whole nation turn back to God in one concert, one service, one year or one lifetime.

Perhaps we thought by serving God fully, we’d be protected from harm (actually every one full of Holy Spirit was killed by evil men) We expected to have no troubles in life, for our family and home to be shielded from every pain and that our children would all sere God every week of their life. But every wrong expectation will only increase our disappointment and pain.
Friend, God wants to heal and restore pain in our heart is meant to alert us to the need for healing.

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While Elijah slept fitfully in the shade of the tree, he felt the sharp hit on his arm and woke to hear an angel speaking.

Elijah was depressed but God in His compassion and mercy takes the initiative to seek Elijah out. He ate and drank and went back to sleep till again the angel woke him so he could eat some more. Sometimes in life, you just need to rest. If your feet are tired have asleep; if you mind is tired go for a walk.

Yet adversity always introduces us to ourselves. We see the real us. The question was the same as to Adam “What are you doing here?” How did you end up in this position?

Friend, the journey of life, is too great for us alone without God, without His food and His touch but after he ate and drank and rested, he was ready for a 40 day walk to Horeb. Is it time for fresh food and a fresh touch from God? Rest in his presence till you get hungry and thirsty for Him, He will not disappoint you.

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Sometimes we get into season in life where intimacy seems to go from our marriages. Usually, there has been a conflict which is not fully resolved. The couple says they have forgiven but really they have withdrawn their heart from their spouse. Their heart is not fully given to their spouse as it was on their honeymoon.

We are designed and marriage is designed to give our heart away 100 per cent to another person. Withdrawing of the heart is actually hardening of the heart toward someone you supposed to love? Sometimes offence occurs because expectations are not met, so you harden your heart to protect yourself from further hurt. We find we are less able to trust them and we build a protective barrier around the heart.

Soon after the heart doesn’t work emotionally like it used to; the same words the same environments don’t make the heart feel the same as before.

To feel intimacy and connection once again, you have to unconditionally give your heart back to your husband or wife. That may be scary but the alternative is to stay in the prison you’re in.
Friend, if that sounds like you today, confess that you have taken back part of my heart from your spouse and declare that you will not make them fulfil your list of requirements before you give them your heart. Choose to give them 100 per cent of your heart from this day forward and thank God for restoring intimacy in your marriage.

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You are the handiwork of God. God doesn’t make any junk. Some of you probably think “If I had someone else’s personality and looks I’d be happy with how I am.

In the US they took a survey amongst 100s of bright and good looking kids from well adjusted Christian families and 95% said there were things they didn’t like about themselves and if they could, they would wave a wand and change things about their life.

In a troubled home, where there has been abuse and pain, it’s hard to think it could be the handy work of God, and the abuse isn’t! Not every bad thing that happens to us in life is from the hand of God. God does not cause it, nor does He plan it or want it to happen, but God will show His love and healing kindness in the midst of our pain.

The whole world is built upon the system of comparison but a comparison of yourself with others is not wise. We can’t all sing like Celine Dion but God didn’t want you to or He would have made you like that.
Friend, if you concentrate on what you don’t have and what you are not rather than on what you are and what you have, you miss out on Gods call and potential of the unique gifting He has put in your life.

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How many people look in the mirror and say “You are awesome¸ you look so cool.” How many of us ever look in the mirror and say “I wish I didn’t have such small eyes, or I wish I wasn’t so tall.”
It may seem strange but many young people find it hard to dedicate her life to God because of how they look or the circumstances in which they were bought up. They think if God really loved them surely would have made him look like Cindy Crawford or Mal Gibson.
They reason. “If God didn’t make sure I was brought up in a perfectly loving and holy family, surely he can’t be as wise or kind as we think. Some people think that God made them on Friday afternoon, hurrying to get finished for the weekend! But there is no Miss universe or perfect man in the Bible. God has no pattern person as far as looks go. This is an invention of commercialism who want you to buy the products that they say can make you gain a perfect skin, body or look in life.
The only pattern or standard God give us in the Bible is for character and that picture is Jesus. Self acceptance is accepting that how God made you to look, the personality you have the back ground you came from is absolutely perfect for you. Not perfect but perfect for you!

Friend, God’s plan is that we come though life and become as much like Jesus Christ as possible even if it means that sometimes we have to face difficult situations and people.

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The problem with the past is that it is exactly that; the past.

If you live in the past, you will only ever be what you were; a failure, a drunk, an abuser, hopeless or depressive. You can’t change your past you can only change your future. The only place you can make things to be different is the future. The only place you can meet with God is in the future starting right now.

You can even be captive to a good past. Some people and some companies are bound to the success of the past and it limits them. They think it was the best year; no year could be better.

Some of you have had dreams not yet fulfilled but dreams only come to pass in the future. If you thinking about something that has already happened it’s a memory. It may be great memory but its fading fast and you can’t change memories whether they are good or sad. You can sit at the feet of a memorial stone but it can’t help you.

You can’t undo the sad and painful events of your life but God can totally remove the guilt and shame of every mistake you made. God is able to change the meaning of the past. Somehow God has used the past to bring us the place where we were ready for Him and that is worth any price.
Friend, He can’t change what happened but he does change the result of what happened and He changes it for good.

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We all either tend to focus upon our past or our future. We can become tied to our history or our destiny. It is our choice. Obviously the people of faith are moved by their sense of destiny but many people are handcuffed to their past; they drag around with them the scars and the disappointments of life and they are still not free to embrace the future.

For some people the past is like a badge of honour. “You must understand me because I had a hard time growing up or I had very difficult time in the last few years. You have to let me be a bit sad and miserable. They think they can never be different because of their past. I didn’t have the right father or the right education or the wrong friends. I’m like this because of that!

But there are some great souls who say “In spite of my past, I’m like I am today. I’m bold, I’m confident; I’m free from bondages, addictions and the victim mentality. I’m free because I’ve tied myself, not to my history but to my destiny. They know that the past can’t affect their future unless they let it. They have decided not to be a prisoner of their past but a door keeper to their destiny.

You know you can do nothing about your past but you can do a lot about your future. Don’t blame anyone for not being with you or not helping you in the past. Because frankly, it doesn’t make any difference.
Friend, God is writing a new story and the past is only the prologue to give His message of grace in your life, a context.

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Elijah was strengthened but he still took his time to walk to Horeb. As he walked he thought about his destination ahead, the mountain of God. It was only 250 miles but it took Elijah 40 days. That is a slow amble!

He couldn’t see God in his life circumstances. God isn’t doing as he thought He would. Elijah had stopped counting his life valuable to God. He even asked God to end his life. His fault reasoning was this “If my circumstances are rubbish and valueless, then I must be of no value.

Elijah arrives at the cave; possibly the great cave in the rock where Moses met with God and revealed Himself as the merciful God (Ex. 34) and sits in the cave amongst the mess of his life. He’s been thinking of what to say to God but when God turns up, instead of following the speech he rehearsed, he blurts out his troubles; all of his depression, paranoia negativity, defeat and hopelessness. “I’m no better than my fathers.”

He felt a failure. Sometimes we get our value from the perceived value of our life and circumstances or even our lack of wealth of profile in church or in the body of Christ. But we are valuable to God because we are His special creation.
Friend, when we realize that we are of great value to our Father then we can be assured that every situation we are in, is crafted and designed. Both us and our circumstances are part of God workmanship. Don’t equate your value with your circumstances. Jesus life was strewn with difficulties and trouble yet he was so loved by His father. So are you!

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