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| Concerned about your children? Talk to God about them. Thinkstock Photo. Purchased by Patti Greene |
These “small” areas of concern can pop up at any time
or at any place. They can occur at a party, in a job interview, in church, or
in a business meeting. While these unsettling feelings may or may not be as
major as a marriage falling apart or a serious accident, they are important to
God. And, they are worthy of our prayers. Many people assume that they shouldn’t
bother God with small “insignificant” concerns, and they reserve their prayers
only when there is something big that requires His wisdom, skills and
resolutions. That is unfortunate.
If you are like me, the first thing I do when I
encounter a little unsettling emotion is I try to rationalize the feeling away.
I wonder if it is just me feeling that way due to my personality or
insecurities. Others may try to ignore those feelings. But, some may really
want to know why they are encountering that "on-and-off-again" gnawing feeling over an
inconsequential person, event, or emotion.
Back in our early marriage, we were on our way one
Saturday morning to purchase a new home. We prayed about it, had our
appointment all set up with the new home salesman, and all we had to do was to sign on the dotted line. While
we felt “pretty sure” buying this house was a good thing to do, we decided to
pray specifically that morning about it. We prayed that the Lord would stop us
from purchasing this house if it was not in His will. Of course, in my mind, I
could not fathom any way our decision would be changed. Our appointment was in
15 minutes. We lived 1.5 miles away from the sales office. We only lived a few streets over from the
babysitter where we were going to leave our 2-year old daughter. What could go
wrong?
As I was driving home from dropping our daughter off at
the babysitter’s house, a car slammed right into the side of my car rattling me to
no end. It was my fault. I failed to notice that the cross street had a two-way
stop - not a four-way stop. Immediately, I knew that we could not go through
with the purchase of this home. My husband and I could not ignore the fact that
we just prayed for the Lord to stop the purchase. This car accident seemed a
big enough reason to call the salesman and tell him we changed our mind.
This isn’t the best example to use because purchasing a
home is a big decision. And, while most situations are not as cut and dry as this
one, all of our decisions or areas of concern
should cause us to reach out to God. Let's ask Jesus to call upon our
Heavenly Father on our behalf. We need our Lord and Savior with us to know HIS mind
in all matters – big and small.
There are incidents when we know something is wrong
because our moral upbringing, values, or Biblical understanding has been
engrained in us. If that is the case, we should ask the Lord to give us the
courage and speed to run from that situation. We need His strength, His help, His
protection, and His Word to convict us so much that the only relief is to get
out of whatever ungodly pursuit we are involved in. It could be an unhealthy
relationship, a “feeling” it might be time to change jobs, or a time to seek
out a specialty doctor.
Other times, we just can’t pinpoint why something isn’t
right. In these situations, we need to have a heart-to-heart with God. Maybe it
is because we are too judgmental, selfish, or stubborn and the Lord needs to
work in our hearts to weed out some of our character or personality flaws.
Maybe an uncomfortable feeling is to show us we need to change something within
ourselves and our own spirit.
If we honestly, seek out the reasons why we are feeling
this way, we will be opening up our hearts to receive what God has to say to
us. We may need to talk to a mature believer to help us. God may want to work
on our pride or some other character trait, or he may just we wanting to move
us to the next level in our walk with Him.
As a side note, some character/personality traits God
may want us to work on are us being less:
- Argumentative
- Arrogant
- Bossy
- Critical
- Gloomy
- Hot-tempered
- Jealous
- Materialistic
- Scared
- Self-centered
- Shy
- Stubborn (the one my husband says is the main one I need to work on!!!)
- Timid
- Withdrawn
- JUST TO NAME A FEW!
1. Ask God why you are feeling a certain way, and ask Him to show you why you are experiencing that “something isn’t right feeling.” Occasionally an immediate decision needs to be made, for example, if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, leave immediately. Maybe you need to break up with that boyfriend you are having sex with. Maybe you need to leave that job that is asking you to be unethical. Maybe you will need to find a new church if the preaching isn’t Biblical.
2. Read the Word of God and earnestly ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit so you will be able to see the situation through Jesus’ eyes.
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| Trust Jesus! Crosses from Hobby Lobby. Photograph taken by Patti Greene |
Blessings Always,
Patti Greene
Bible Quotation and Verses:
“The
Word of God, the Bible, is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith
and practice. Instead of being some heavenly ‘answer book’ to support our
selfish desires, it is God’s standard for our lives in helping understand His
Person and Program.”
James
D. Devine, Author Find God’s Will for
You. Page 111.
For there is one God, and there is one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper
time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the
mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting
all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Prayer:
My Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus who can go to You on my behalf and plead for me. Lord, thank you for caring about everything that concerns me – my big and little thoughts, cares, and impressions. Give me the wisdom to know I can come to you for everything. There is no concern that is too small for you to care about. Give me the time, energy, and desire to give everything I own and everything I am to you. Use me to help others and to be a vessel for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Books by Patti Londa
Greene: Awaken Me: a
devotional prayer journal and God, and God, It’s Me: 181 Days for
Young Adults to Become Passionate about Prayer and Bible Study
[Second edition books
will be out shortly. If you would like to order one of the first edition books, please e-mail me and I will arrange a signed copy to be sent as soon as possible AT A VERY REDUCED PRICE.]
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