We stress less when we find REst in the Lord
“When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way.” Psalm 142:3
Here I am awake at 1:57am, when I have to BE up at 5:45am to prepare for my travel and day ahead. I was angry BEcause I have BEen awakened, but then I had to REmind myself that God has a message for me, and He will/has supplied sufficient REst. The past two days have BEen stressful in ways I have not experienced in a while, and what does this morning’s message speak to? STRESS. The scripture uplifted from. Psalm 142:3 says, “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way.” What I didn’t say initially is that I was awakened multiple times this morning, and I tried to avoid getting up, BEcause I knew I had an early day. I don’t know why I tried to ignore the Father. SMH.
The first time I was awakened from a dream where someone in my past was gifting me BEcause of my interaction in the past, but the next time I was awakened by my child’s watch which had an alarm set at 1:15am!!! I was angry, and immediately said, “Lord, take this frustration from me so I can go to sleep!” Well, guess what? I guess I have to BE careful of what I ask, BEcause He gives it, even though not in the way I thought. The message this morning speaks about stress, so I know He was telling me to REad my devotional; that’s where the answer to my REquest is found. It speaks about taffy, and how it is made from stretching and pulling and rolled and shaped. The writer says, “You might not realize it, but we are like taffy.” Like taffy, we are pulled in many different directions (mentally, physically, and/or emotionally), and the message continues, “It's stressful, especially when we we’re already exhausted before all the pulling began.
Our spirits are faint within us, and we need to get rid of the stress. When were in the midst of these times, God says he knows our way. He can strengthen us, refresh us, and give us joy as we're pulled from task to task.“ You know what? In this moment, I feel calm, RElaxed, REsted and content. Lesson learned? Never ignore the Father, even when we are tired and stressed, for He can and will give us REst and REassurance. As the title indicates, we are “Sweet Like Taffy”, but He is sweeter, supplying everything we need, even in unexpected ways.
Luke 17
Let us REmember words spoken from the Lord in Luke 17:6 and 19, “‘And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you…. thy faith hath made thee whole.’”
REflection from Fruitful Living with Courtnaye Richard
The final message from Fruitful Living with Courtnaye Richard speaks to “Living a Life of Faith, Meekness, and Self-Control”. We are REminded, “Remaining faithful to Christ is all about staying ever so close to Him as we walk through life’s ups and downs. As we focus on living fruitfully, we can also be certain that our great enemy Satan wants nothing more than for us to be unfruitful and unfaithful to Christ.” But as we already know, and a’s emphasized time and time again through one of my favorite verses, God will work everything (even what the enemy attempts to harm us with) for our good (Romans 8:28). Richard goes further saying, “Many have describe meekness to mean ‘power under control.’ Being meek is living a life that is humble, gentle, and not proud. It’s living a life of surrender with open hands. It’s living a life that says, ‘Your will be done Lord, not mine.’”
Let us always focus on what the Father would have us to do, not what our flesh may direct us to do. And then with self-control, she says, “Self-control falls in line right behind meekness as we've read in Galatians 5:22-23. When you think about self-control, it’s really all about controlling yourself. It’s realizing that when you’re feeling hurt or angry about something or someone, you have a choice to lash out or practice the fruit of self-control.” May we always choose Christ and Christ-like ways that are sweet and nourishing to our soul and to others who may BE on the REceiving end.
Psalm 139:23
When we ask of the Father to look over us, He will REmove what may hinder us from walking and doing His will in love.🙏🏽🦋💚🌈
We stress less when we find REst in the Lord, my friend.
