Disappointments Are Designed To Make You Quit

Disappointments are designed to make you quit, so don't.

Life is full of disappointment. It almost seems like everywhere you turn and with everything you try to do, some sort of disappointment comes your way right. I started the day feeling really excited. There are two things I've really desired in my life. One is a want, the other is a need. Both are really important to me and I believe that it is God's will for me to have both of them, however there has been one obstacle after the next.

A few days ago, I had a eureka moment, a brilliant idea, the kind that could only come from God. I figured out how I was going to finance one of the things - the want.

This morning, I had another eureka moment, again, the kind that could only come from God. I realized that the plan I had for the want would work perfectly for the need instead. EGAD!!!! God had just FREAKED ME OUT! I was amazed, stunned, ecstatic, baffled and thoroughly excited. I was dancing on the clouds, basking in glory and set for an excellent day. That is until I made the phone call that would set things in motion for me. I had a huge spoke thrown in my wheel and it will take a MIRACLE to sort things out.

But guess what. I serve the undisputable king of the universe who holds the world in His hands and makes this go according to HIS plan. So I'm not worried and I won't quit. Disappointments make you appreciate a thing more when you finally get it. I trust God and I'm ready to fight for what's mine.

So though disappointments are designed to make you quit, I have decided that the enemy will not win this round. My God has already fought on my behalf. Maybe you too are faced with one disappointment after another and are almost ready to quit. Don't give up. God has already won the battle on your behalf. Step up and claim what is yours.

DON'T QUIT!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

To grab your copy, click here. 

Joana James - Author 

All of Joana's books may be seen here. 

Discussion Day 1

The following is an excerpt from a Christian novel -  I'll tell you which one in a few days. Today, I would love to hear what you think, not about the story, but about the discussion the characters are having below. Weigh in, air your views, agree, disagree and send your friends to do the same. 

As the weeks rolled by Daynia finally began to heal. Her friends all stood by her, much to her surprise. Ashley held her pitiful form several times while she cried helplessly, but those occurrences were becoming less frequent and she could now function normally at work. She found her way back into her circle of friends with ease and they made her feel like she had never left.

At church, the expected stares accompanied by whispering was almost non-existent and only occurred among the older more judgmental members who’d gone passed the age where they remembered the indiscretions of their youth. Daynia theorized that they remembered quite clearly but chose to remain in a state of total denial as they could not live with their own consciousness. Whatever their reason, their whispering didn’t bother her too much because her God did no such thing. She’d received total forgiveness again and even though she was beating herself up for making the same mistakes all over again, God didn’t hold it against her so she walked with her head held high.

***

“It’s so hard for a Christian woman to find the right mate,” said Ashley. She and Daynia were walking along the beach having some girl time. Ashley made a special effort to do things with her friend these days. She needed the company to help keep her focused.

“Yeah, it is isn’t it? He has to line with God’s plans for you, he has to share your passion for God and he has to be willing to wait for sex.”

“Yup, it’s a tall order, even for men with the best of intentions,” said Ashley.  “That’s why we need to wait for God to do the picking; we can’t do a good job by ourselves.”

“You picked a good one.”

“Yeah, Daniel’s great, but don’t forget that I had to wait a while before he came along. God had to fix him first. In his previous state, I wouldn’t have gone within ten feet of him.”

“So that’s the trick really, we gotta wait till they’re ready.”

“Yeah, take Richard for example, he’s not a bad guy, he just wasn’t ready.”

“Oh come on Ash, you’re gonna tell me that a man who spent a year and a half lying to me is a good guy.”

“Yes Dayn, that’s exactly what I’m saying. He needed time to deal with the ghosts from his past. They don’t go away just because you’re now trying to live for God. It’s a process and he didn’t go through his process."

Daynia walked along silently whilst she pondered what Ashley was saying.

“We all had ghosts remember,” continued Ashley. “You have that horrible relationship with your family and all those bad relationships. I had to learn to love myself and treat my body with respect. Remember how I used to dress when I first started coming to church.”

Daynia laughed out loud. “Yes! I do. Those outfits were rather… um interesting.”

“Exactly! Now, I’m a glamor queen without showing my goods to the whole world. I went through my process. You were doing a good job with yours before Richard. You just need to keep pressing. Know what you want for your life and focus on that.”

Daynia stared at her friend for several moments. “When did you get so wise?” she asked, laughing.

“Oh I don’t know, it just happened,” responded Ashley as she tossed her hair back and held her head high in a look of mock sophistication.

“Whatever!” laughed Daynia as she pushed Ashley into the incoming tide. 

So there it is...let's hear what you think!

Getting Over The Big Things

One of the things that trips us up the most as Christians is the ability to move past the things we love that aren't good for us. Often, we realise what is holding back our growth LONG before we actually let it go.  Knowing that something isn't good for us doesn't automatically mean that we are able to let go of it.  It could be a bad relationship, or maybe a friendship that drains you or a job that's sucking the life out of you or a shopping addiction that's killing your finances. It could be anything. Sometimes we just need to make a strategy and take practical steps to get over certain things. 

I've found the following steps to work for me. 

1. Set a deadline  - give yourself a date after which you will no longer allow yourself to pine over what you're about to lose.  Ensure that is realistic or else when the date comes and goes and you're not over your problem you'll find yourself becoming depressed. 
2. Write it down - a visual reminder Sometimes it's all that we need to get over certain things.  If your space is private enough consider putting it on your mirror as a daily reminder.
3. List all the reasons that whatever is it you are trying to get over is not good for you.  Making an actual list will sometimes give  you that jolt you needed to move on. Reality will hit and you will have a stronger mental resolve as a result. 
4. Let it go a little bit at a time.  Cold turkey works for some things.  Other things need to be changed over time.  Break down your problem into parts.  Set mini deadlines for dealing with each part.
5. Pray, pray, pray.  This should come first, in the middle and last.  In other words,  pray the entire time.  Pray for God's wisdom, strength, clarity of thought and focus because you will need it.  You might even consider a fast too.  A fast will  help teach you some self control, this may help prevent you from going back to what you've left behind.

I do hope that these steps will help you leave the weights behind and launch into God's purpose for your life.  Have a blessed day. 

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

To grab your copy, click here. 

Joana James - Author 

All of Joana's books may be seen here. 

Prodigal Sons & Daughters

If you've been a Christian for even a day, you will have moments where you have doubted God, His power, His faithfulness, maybe even His love. Over the years, my favourite thing about God became the way He forgives, simply because I've needed that forgiveness so many times. I came to understand that even when I couldn't forgive myself, God forgave me. My own guilt and condemnation from the devil kept me bound but God was always there saying "daughter, I forgive you, now please, forgive yourself".

In Luke 15, Jesus tells his disciples a wonderful story, one that has helped me understand God's love. A rebellious son left his father's house against his counsel, took his share of the inheritance and squandered it, yet when he returned, the father still showed love and mercy towards him. He never said, "you squandered all your money- you came back, but you're going to have to work in the fields like all the other workers until you can earn my trust again." The father, drew his son back into his arms and returned him to his seat of honour - as his son. Wow. That is exactly what God does every time we fall.

You may not have gone as far as leaving the fold, or maybe you have. To God, it doesn't matter, you are his child and he wants you back. God's love is everlasting and far reaching. He loves even those of us who can't seem to walk the straight and narrow without making a mistake (which is everyone). God knows and sees our hearts and a truly repentant heart is His favourite thing.

The Bible reminds us over and over of God's love for EVERYONE, even sinners (Ephesians 2:4-5, Romans 5:8). It even tells us that if one of us out of a hundred goes astray that God's heart is grieved and He will still seek that one person out (Matthew 18:12-14).

I'm reminded also, that we can't do anything to earn God's love or His salvation. It's a free gift, one that we don't deserve but He gives us anyways. Some of us behave as if we have more right to salvation than the next person, but it isn't so. Doesn't matter what sin the next person has committed, it could even be murder, God's compassion and love for them is the same. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God's love is amazing and unchanging. It reaches out to all of us sinners no matter what we have done. He doesn't pick who to love based on our own "goodness", He loves us simply because we are His creation, His children, His long lost sheep.

So today, if any prodigal sons or daughters are reading this, please don't be afraid to come back to God, he will receive you with open arms. Trust Him, lean on Him, depend on Him. He loves you and He wants you back.

Be Blessed!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

To grab your copy, click here. 

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

All things work TOGETHER for our Good

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

This Bible verse takes a lot of abuse. We misquote it a lot and one variation that I hear often is "all things work out for good". This is what causes a lot of people to doubt its validity. This misquote causes us to expect every situation to work out in our favour. When it doesn't, we blame and doubt God.

What this scripture is really saying is that no matter how many difficult situations you may face, in the end God's plan is that all the tiny pieces of the puzzle will come together and the big picture will be something great.

You see each situation has a purpose in our lives; and it's not to frustrate us, but to mold us for the future. Our reaction to each one is important because it determines whether we are ready for the next stage in our process. God never promised that we'd have stress free lives but He did promise that He would always have our backs (Hebrews 13:5b).

Remember that in the end all these tiny situations that cause us headaches will come together and work out in our favour. It's always at the end of the puzzle that we realize what each piece was for. The same thing goes for life. You will realize how each situation or struggle has come together for your good at the end when you look back and marvel at how God worked it out.

Till then, keep on trusting God. Know that He is busy putting your puzzle together and it WILL work out according to His plan if your trust him and do what He asks.

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

To grab your copy, click here. 

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo