Welcome to God's Lemonade Stand

It is my hope that by reading this daily you will grow in your walk with Christ and knowledge of scriptures and be set free from any struggles in your life that are weighing you down. Be blessed to be a blessing.

Friday, July 12, 2013

OH NO!


It is funny but the idea for this title came to me in the concept of thinking about times we utter the phrase "Oh no" so I jotted it down in my "idea" notebook and then planned to write on it in the coming week. Well sooner than later the writing began as I woke up today and could not find my Friday devotion which I had written a couple days ago. It was not in my Devotions file, spam file, inbox,or trash file but it was gone into cyber space. Instead of freaking out, which would be the normal reaction to this situation, I amazingly remained calm. Probably all of us who use computers can identify with losing files or having it crash on us right? 

So here I am at 5:30 a.m. recreating a Friday devotion of a totally new topic which was unplanned. Guess it was God's  plan to have it go out now though. 

So what other times in life do you utter this phrase "oh no!" Perhaps when you accidentally run out of gas?  Maybe you have car trouble in the form of a dead battery or it just won't start? Lost keys perhaps? Here is a good one, you lock your keys in your car? Been there done that!  You forget about something on the stove and it burns? You are going on a trip and get to the airport too late and miss your flight as the security line was longer than expected? Maybe bad weather or a mechanical issue cancels your flight? If you are an active person  and get injured and sidelined for a while that too makes you say "oh no" when you can not get out to run or do other things you enjoy. Perhaps if you are in school and have problems with an important test or maybe even fail it then you became quite discouraged. Indeed life gives us many times to say "oh no". 

What is the answer to life's frustrations? First we have to think of all we do have and what God has blessed us with. Thank Him. Things could always be allot worse. Praise Him in good times and in bad times. Keep your focus on Jesus as if you allow your thoughts to drag you into the worry frantic pit then  once again Satan will be so happy as he has derailed you from having peace that only God can give. 

One of my favorite verses is John 14:27(NIV) which reads as follows 'Peace I leave you my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Also Colossians 3:15(NIV) is another terrific "peace verse" and it simply says "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called  to peace. And be thankful.' Finally Isaiah 26:3(NIV) reminds us that 'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.'

There you have it. Your prescription for peace in a nutshell is basically to keep your mind on Christ and not on your problems and issues. Trust God to see you through whatever it is that has thrown you off course.

PRAYER: Today Lord I choose peace over chaos. I know at times in life things do not go as we planned. Help me to use opportunities when plans change because of no fault of my own to seize the opportunity to get closer to you by keeping my mind and heart peaceful. I know this drives the enemy crazy. I choose peace today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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