DISTRACTED MUCH? (Part 2)
And we thought 2020 was rough...
We continue to live in unprecedented times. Know that I am praying for all those affected by the winter storms affecting the United States this week. I also want to thank our brothers and sisters internationally that have lifted up the concerns of our nation in their prayers even as they are going through.
We are the Body of Christ.
We need each other, and the world needs us.
This is a season when the pain of your present circumstances can become so prevalent that it makes your purpose,
your "somewhere over the rainbow",
your light at the end of the tunnel
feel so far.
Fleeting.
Fading.
How can we think on such things when the world around us is turning up-side-down?
Because God n You still have things to do.
In last week's blog, I asked the question:
What if this great thing,
this great
diversion
interruption
disturbance
intrusion
interference
obstruction
hindrance is a signal NOT to stop but press onward?
When Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was in prison.
Prison.
Confined.
Isolated.
Little resources.
Uncomfortable.
A space that seemed unforgiving and unyielding in its weight.
Sound familiar?
But despite it all, he knew one thing....
He wanted to know Christ.
Personally. Intimately.
For himself.
And the more he was oppressed, the more he sought God.
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. ~Philippians 3:10-11
Our present sufferings are not the end. They are the platform for Jesus to reveal Himself in us, but we have to set the stage.
Are you distracted much? Yes.
Are you called to press on anyway? Absolutely.
Press on in prayer not just for your present, but for your future.
Appeal to the sensitivities of your Savior as you go through.
Remind Him how you want to look like Him in every situation.
This is our incubating season.
I encourage you to stay not only positive but prayerful.
Shift your language from frustration to affirmation.
Speak life. Speak love.
Read scriptures.
Use your gifts to lift up your household and others.
Inhale your worship and exhale your praise.
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. ~Job 42:5
There is a lesson in every struggle.
Get to know the God who has your back.
Romans 8:31-39 states:
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He has not forgotten you.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Despite your past, your future is secured by the blood of The Lamb.
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one.
Jesus - EMMANUEL - GOD is with us...
Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
... and He's not going anywhere.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Heaven wants to use you even in this moment,
so don't let this moment become an excuse to delay your pursuit.
God and you have things to do.
When you are able, go back and check out last Friday's "QT w/GOD n Me on Facebook.
I pray that it shifts your perspective on the distractions in your life.
And remember...
FOCUS.
Don't let life distract you. Focus on the One who died that you could thrive.
CLIMB.
This win will not be pretty, but it will be worth it. Keep going.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. ~Ephesians 4:14-16
Because of the outages, this week's "QT w/GOD n Me" on Facebook is cancelled.
We will reconnect next Friday.
But we still have work to do.
Read our focus scriptures (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4). Check out last week's FB live, if possible (https://fb.watch/3I-nICJH84/), and we will see you next week.
Praying warmth and safety for us all.
~
Were you helped by today's blog? If so, do me a favor...
SHARE IT WITH ONE AT LEAST PERSON TODAY.
We want the world to know that sometimes, it's just gotta be GOD n ME!
~
Were you helped by today's blog? I want to know what you think.
And if you were, share it with your friends and family (even your enemies, if you want). We want the world to know that sometimes, it's just gotta be GOD n ME!
~
WRITER | MENTOR | TEACHER
LOVER OF CHOCOLATE |
PURPOSED TO EMPOWER |
30+ YEARS IN MINISTRY LEADERSHIP |
PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL
Phillipa also the Founder of ilooklikeLOVE, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization providing diaper assistance to families in need and opportunities for mothers to empower themselves.
Look for her upcoming book,
GOD n You: Finding Your Place in Forever.
