When We Feel Like a Failure.

It May Seem Like We Have Failed but God Has Not.

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Anyone ever feel like you do not always understand why things do not work out the way you planned? I wish God would speak directly to us today to tell us exactly what He wants us to do. I wish He would say yes this is what I want you to do, or no don’t do that. Do you think we would really listen to Him or just argue with Him and tell Him what we want? Maybe I do not know what I am wishing for. There might be stricter consequences if He did that. We know He speaks directly to us through His Word and that is good enough because that is His plan.

I may fail God but He will never fail me. God will not fail us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU.

Joseph’s brothers did evil to him but God used it for His glory and good. Genesis 50: 19 But Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring this present result, to preserve many people alive.

But sometimes I am a little confused on exactly what He wants me to do at a particular time in my life. I feel like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, not knowing what is going to happen next. I feel like Moses when he did not get to cross the Jordon into the promise land.  God spoke through Moses for 40 years.  Then in the end when he could not enter the promise land but he showed great faith when he spoke to the Israelites.  I cannot imagine how broken hearted Moses was but I can empathize with him. This seems more real to me than ever now. BUT Moses kept his faith and he gave God the glory and credit.  God was the one who crossed the Jordon ahead of them. Not Moses.  Deuteronomy 31: 3 It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you; …. Moses tells them in Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you.

What seems like failure to us may very well be glory and success for God.  We do not know God’s ways and that’s the way He planned it. He has revealed everything we need to know to us. Romans 11:33-36   Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For Who HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

God does not need us at all. Acts 17: 24 The God who made the world and all the things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, …For we also are His children.

He does not need us, YET, He desires us. James 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?  8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.  10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and He will exalt you. He desires us to be in His presence so much that.

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He gave His Only Son for our sacrifice. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

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Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12: 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. One thing I do know for sure:  The greatest commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6: 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Matthew 22: 36-37 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And He said to him, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it. YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

Without faith, we would be so lost we would die. We would not know which way to turn.  We truly stepped out on faith when we moved to Zambia and we continue to live our life on faith in God and all He says in His word is true. We do not fully understand what has happened or why and we may never know in this lifetime. But we believe Romans 8:28 is true and God will cause this all to work for His good and His glory. Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ: Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?

My charge to you is to keep the faith and keep on keeping on.

Romans 8: 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  1 Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We have been afforded the opportunity of a lifetime to live in Chipata Zambia for six months.  However, our greatest opportunity is to serve God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength where ever we are.

If you want to find this faith go to: http://www.worldbibleschool.org

When God Stops You Dead in Your Tracks!

 

When God Stops You Dead in Your Tracks

I want to write but the words do not want to come.

Why do they not want to come?

When one’s heart has been shattered and broken until it hurts so badly just to breathe.  You must remind yourself to just breathe. Just breathe.

When one’s dreams have been broken into a million tiny pieces.  How will you ever dream again? How?

When one’s hopes have been splintered into a jillion sharp hurtful pieces. If you dare to try to hope again you will surely bleed to death.

When one feels like no one understands what you have been through, even when you have told them. You feel as if you stand alone in this.

When God stops you dead in your tracks, He must have something better for you.

Romans 8:28 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

When your heart is shattered, He will fix it for you, He will breathe new breath into you. 

Acts 17: 24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths

Psalm 34:18 ESV  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3 ESV  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

When your dreams are broken into a million pieces, He will give you new and better dreams, His dreams for you, not yours.

Ephesians 3:20 ESV  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

When your hopes have been splintered into a jillion hurtful pieces, He will give you the true Hope that really matters, His hope, not yours.

Romans 5:2-5 ESV  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV    For we walk by faith, not by sight.

God’s Everlasting Love

Romans 8: 31-38 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long: we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When you feel like no one understands all you must do is know that the One who truly matters cares as He always has and always will.  When you feel like you stand alone all you should do is open your eyes and see that God is right where He has always been. Waiting for you to reach out and grope for Him. He hasn’t gone anywhere. 

Acts 17:26-27 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, For we are indeed his offspring.’

If you do not feel like you have found God, you may study His word for free and then you will know for sure. Go to www.worldbibleschool.org

Thanks and blessings from Shelia’s Notes.

All content is copyrighted by Shelia’s Notes©2017

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

So Many Words Tossing Around!!!

Sometimes my heart is so full of thoughts, feelings and emotion. Sometimes I cannot put them into verbal words. Sometimes I can sit down with my lap top and just start typing and the words will flow from my heart and mind.

For sometime now I have wanted to write. I know I am not the best at writing but I know that I want to give it a try. I have had a blog for several years now but I have not been good at keeping it updated.

I have always been better at writing my thoughts than speaking them out loud. Some how they seem to make more sense and sound better when I write them than when I speak them. Maybe this is because I was painfully shy as a child.

I have so many things I want to write about but I seem to never get around to actually writing. The thoughts swirl around in my head, especially when it is time to sleep. I tell myself I will remember them in the morning and then the new dawning sweeps them away. I jot notes of thoughts that I want to write about. They seem to never get uncovered and the words never get written.

God has allowed me to participate in so many things that I never could have dreamed possible as that painfully shy little girl. He has taken me to places that I did not even dream of going. He has exposed me to things that have forever changed my being.

As a child I was an avid reader and the books took me places that I would never have gone as that blue eyed, painfully shy girl, whose hair was almost auburn when the sun touched it just right.

So this sight is going to be where I will try to make an honest effort to write my thoughts that come from my heart into my mind.

If you want to follow me, maybe I can say something that will touch your heart or add comfort to your day. I will tell you right now that there will be a lot of God’s Word on this site because He is the Upmost important person in my life.

What is the greatest commandment?

Mark 12:30 and YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the hears.

Thanks for coming and feel free to leave a comment.

Many blessings and if you would like to study the Bible free on line, just click the link:

http://www.worldbibleschool.org

All content and photos are copyrighted by Shelia Holmes ©2017