Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? Your alarm clock didn’t go off, so your late for work. You missed your turn off. So now you have to go five miles out of your way. Maybe your car won’t crank. Everything goes wrong at work (and I mean everything!). To top it all off, the in-laws are unexpectedly coming over and the house is a wreck. And the list goes on. And your response to all of this is “Why me, Lord!”. Does this sound familiar?

It’s easy to blame these things on others, ourself, or even the devil. But, what if it’s God? What if we’re late to work or missed our turn because there was a wreck that was on the way that would have caused serious injury or even death? What if everything going wrong at work is to teach us patience and remember not to sweat the small stuff? What if the in-laws coming over unexpectedly is simply an opportunity to show the love of Jesus to them or to give them encouragement or even receive encouragement from them? It’s easy to focus on what’s wrong because we don’t always see the big picture. But God is looking out for us because He knows what lies ahead.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.

So, the next time you ask the question, “Why me, Lord!”. Remember that God has a purpose and a plan for your life. He’s not through with you yet! We see only a piece of the puzzle while God sees the completed picture. So, stay focused on the God we serve and watch your situation turn around. One day you will see the reason for what your going through!

Have you ever wanted to be a part of something bigger than you are? Maybe you’ve thought about being a movie star, a baseball player, or an astronaut. Maybe your dreams aren’t that grandeur. Your dreams or more subtle, like being accepted to a college, getting a promotion at work, or moving to another city. Whatever the case may be, we all have dreams and desires we would like to obtain. We want a piece of the action. Without them, we would live an aimless life.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision no revelation of God and His word, the people are unrestrained…..

In order to see those dreams come to pass, we need to stay focused on God and His Word. A good place to start is by entering in His presence. The best way to do this is to begin to sing your favorite praise and worship song. This will cause your mind to shut down from all the thoughts coming your way of your daily routine. In so doing, you create an atmosphere of fellowship with God. Then, God will begin to reveal Himself to you with His Word. When a scripture comes to mind, go get your Bible. Look it up and find out what God has to say about it. As you do this, the dreams and visions God has for you will begin to flood your heart. Before you know it, you’ll be pursuing a part of something that’s bigger than you are. It maybe even something you’ve never thought about before. When those God ideas start coming your way, step out and take hold of them. Then, you too will have a piece of the action!

1 Corinthians 9:24-26 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run their very best to win, but only one receives the prize? Run your race in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours! Now every athlete who goes into training and competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a crown that withers, but we do it to receive an imperishable crown that cannot wither. Therefore I do not run without a definite goal…….

Have you ever watched the Olympics, a football game, or a chess match? They all have one thing in common. They’re in it to win! But, they will never obtain their goal if they don’t train to win. As born again believers, we must also take our spiritual race seriously or we will not win. So, what kind of training do we have to do? First of all, we must know the rules of the game. Following the rules will enable us to obtain our prize.

We can know the rules by studying the Word of God and spending time in prayer. This will require time and effort. But, as you dig in the Word, you will become stronger and stronger. This will enable you to stay focused on the goals that God desires for your life. He will begin to show you where to go, what to do, and how to do it.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness, stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, looking away from all that will distract us and focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity, who for the joy of accomplishing the goal set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work.

The second thing you must do is stay focused. Have you ever noticed that swimmer in the Olympics, the quarterback, or the chess player? They do not look to the left or the right. They do not look at the crowds. They look at the goal set before them. They have established a determined discipline to win.

In the same way, the more disciplined you become, the more focused you will be. Those sins that used to get in the way will fall away. All the distractions will not sway your determination to win. You will even be able to endure the trials that come your way. So, stay focused on the Word. Talk to God on a regular basis and listen to the directions He gives you. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to obtaining all God has for you.  It’s your race! So, go out there and train to win!

 

what do you think about throughout your day? Are your thoughts  consumed with how the bills are going to get paid because you have more month than money. Maybe it’s a situation at the workplace you thought you could have handled better. It could even be that you wonder about the bad economy and the price of fuel going up. If your a student, you think about the one class that gives you trouble and how you can make a passing grade. All these thoughts coming your way can be summed up in one word – WORRY. So, what is worry?

Webster’s dictionary defines worry this way: 1. mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated : anxiety b : an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation. 2 : a cause of worry : trouble, difficulty.

So, by worrying, you are meditating on negative thoughts. Therefore, you are tormenting yourself to the point that you make your whole day be filled with dread. What were you thinking?

the Bible is filled with Scripture that tells how to handle worry and how we should think.

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your cares all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares about you with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully.

Matthew 6:26-30 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow seed nor reap the harvest nor gather the crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by worrying can add one hour to the length of his life? And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin wool to make clothing, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is cut and thrown as fuel into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

The Word of God specifically says that we are not to worry. You may be thinking to yourself at this point that you’re being irresponsible if you don’t worry. I’m here to tell you that not worrying is the best thing you can do about a tough situation you may be facing, because you’re not strong enough to handle it by yourself. God is a big God and can handle anything you trust Him with. So, how do you not worry? It’s all a matter of what you think about. This is what the Bible says:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart.

Wow! That’s simple enough! Yes, it is. Simply replace all those negative thoughts that are bombarding your mind with positive thoughts. It might be awkward at first, especially if you are an expert worrier. But, the more you practice, the easier it will become. A good place to start is to meditate on the Word of God. Now don’t let the word meditate spook you. It simply means to mutter over and over. When you were worrying about that tough situation, you were meditating on it in a negative way. So, just turn your thinking around by speaking the Word of God every time a negative thought comes your way. Before you know it, you’ll be own your way to becoming an expert at trusting God. Then, you will shake your head in amazement at the answers that come your way and say to yourself, “what was I thinking?”

We’ve all heard the stories of famous people who tell how they went from rags to riches. We often think, “Wow, I wish that could happen for me!”. Well, I’ve got good news! If you are a Christian, it already has. If you’re not, then you too can have a rags to riches story to tell. Let me explain what I mean by this. The Bible says:

Isaiah 64:6 For we all have become like one who is ceremonially unclean like a leper,And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags;We all wither and decay like a leaf,And our wickedness our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing, like the wind, takes us away carrying us far from God’s favor, toward destruction.

As you can see, without the righteousness of God in our lives, we are dressed in some nasty clothing. But once we are born again, the Bible says:

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be like wool.

Now, with the righteousness of God, we are dressed with nice, clean clothes. We are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21). No longer do we live in the land of lack where poverty and sickness dwell. We have the riches of God in our life and we walk in healing and health. Our story should no longer be how down out we are, we have God on our side! We have eternal life. We have God’s favor operating in our life.

There are all kinds of good things that come along with being in right standing with God. So, take off those filthy rags, accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and put on righteousness and find out riches you can claim in God’s Word. Then, you too can stand with rich and famous and tell your rags to riches story!

New Boundaries Ministries is about helping believers in Jesus Christ grow and establish a deeper relationship in the Lord. We all ask the question, once we are born again, “What do I do now? What does God want me to do with my life?” Discovering the answers to those questions can be challenging and fun at times, while frustrating at other times. We all face this emotional roller coaster. However, there are steps we can take that will enable us to enjoy the journey no matter what our feelings may tell us at any given moment.

There are basic steps we must take to answer these lifelong questions. First of all, we must study the Word of God.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman tested by trial who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.

The Bible is our training manual. The more we know what it says; the more we know about the Author, Our Heavenly Father! Just like any relationship, the more we know about someone, the more we know about their likes and dislikes and what is expected in the relationship.

Secondly, we must pray. Prayer is our communication pipeline to God. It is important to take to Him, then listen to what He has to say. His words to us will always line up with the Word of God. So, naturally, as we study the Word, we’ll not only know how to talk to God, but we will also know what he has to say.

The Lord’s Prayer is a good place to start. Jesus gave it to us as a pattern to follow.

Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way:‘Our Father who is in heaven,Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come,Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors letting go of both the wrong and the resentment. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

Once these two basic steps are established in your life, you will be own your way to having those questions answered in your life. So, let’s get ready for the exciting things God has for us to do in our lives and establish new boundaries in our relationship with Him. I promise you will not be disappointed!