1. God Hears You
David said, “I love the Lord, because He has heard me…Because He has inclined His ear to me…” (Psalm 116:1)
God is listening to you! He hears you! This is one of the great promises that made me fall more in love with God, when I first saw this verse.
Sometimes we want someone to vent to who will listen and care, and won’t judge.
I think so much of the frustration in our lives, in our families, in our businesses, in our country, or in politics is because both sides talk, but neither feel heard.
But hear this! When no one listens, God listens!
The governor might not listen. Your neighbor might not listen. Your family might not listen. But God does. He hears you!
I love Him, because He hears me. He hears our cry. He hears our suffering. He hears our prayer. He hears our pain. He hears our struggle. And He is ever–ready to respond.
What a God!!!! What a Savior!!!!
2. Jesus is Touched by Your Feelings
“For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus is touched by what you feel. It matters to Him. That’s what makes Him such a great High Priest to whom we can go boldly––at the throne of grace, we receive mercy and grace in our time of need.
Jesus has deep feelings for you. And in your time of weakness, struggle, or difficulty, He will not let you go; He will not let you down.
The scripture says: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish. He will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:3, NASB)
I LOVE what The Message Bible says in this same verse:
“He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right.”
You will not be brushed aside by God. He will not disregard you. He will steady you. He will make things right. What a promise!!!!!!
3. It’s OK to Be Angry
“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger…” (Ephesians 4:26)
Anger is not a sin. It can lead to bad decisions, but it’s OK to be angry. God created us to express our emotions upward to Him. When we do, we will lose our need to express them OUTWARD at others.
“…and do not give the devil a foothold.” (V.27) When we take our anger to God, and pray it through, we prohibit the devil from operating through our un-checked emotions.
Being “slow” to anger is a process.
1. Be in a hurry to listen. If you’re in a hurry to hear, really hear, you will be slow to speak.
2. Be slow to speak. Why? When you’re slow to speak, your emotions (including anger) will slow down. That will allow you time to think about it before you get mad about it.
3. Be slow to anger. Teach your emotions how to follow you rather than you following them. If you express your anger and emotions UP, like David did, you won’t express it out. The best part about David is he usually finished his emotional rants with: “…but then I will trust in you.”
4. God Is Up to Something Bigger Than What You See
We often have a narrow perspective in our lives when we look horizontally at what’s in front of us. God has the ultimate view. From His perspective, it is finished. You win! Changing our perspective can change everything.
While Paul was in prison, he wrote, “I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:12, NASB)
Paul saw the bigger picture.
Paul knew God was up to something.
Paul saw his circumstances working for the gospel’s greater good.
We need to adjust our thinking from: “life is happening TO me,” and change it to: “life is happening FOR me.”
“God is up to something so much bigger! Joseph told his brothers, “…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20, NASB) Joseph saw the bigger picture.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
If it’s not beautiful yet, give God time! He’s working on it.
Don’t be in a hurry! Except to hurry up and trust!
5. Breakthrough and the Light of Revival Is Always on the Other Side of Darkness.
Genesis 1:2 says darkness covered the face of the deep (I’d say we’re in some deep darkness now!). But the story doesn’t end there.
Don’t be afraid of the dark, because it’s in the darkness that God conducts His most stunning performances.
That’s why the very next verse, in Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, let there be light.”
In the middle of the darkness, God’s Word brought light. Darkness can’t cast out darkness, but light can. What is dark in your life right now? What is dark in the world right now?
Please know that God has a breakthrough at the tip of your tongue. Just as God spoke the words: “let there be light,” and light came, He has also given you the power of life in your tongue!
The entrance of His Word brings light, Psalm 119:30 says. As you speak God’s Word, it enters the darkness and creates light in the midst of it!
Speak life. Speak light. Speak God’s powerful promises.
So, these five things have been on my heart for a while now. These five things give me reason to smile. These five things give me reason to be thankful and positive. Let’s not be in a hurry. Let’s stay connected. We have the true light. We are the church… and we will prevail. On the other side of all this, we will see great breakthroughs, and a move of God, such as the world has never seen.
Part 1
Part 2