The Other Side of The Mountain

2 Corinthians 11:25

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁵Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been aboard a ship wrecked at sea; a [whole] night and a day I have spent [adrift] on the deep

Paul's life is amazing to me. How could Paul, such a man of God, be so beaten up by everyone around him. Everyday his circumstances came against him and he had to overcome. Paul had to wake up and prod ahead, even sometimes when he did not feel like it. Have you been there? This past month has been like that for me. Everyday a new challenge. Everyday a new crisis. Nothing seeming to fall into place. Everything against us. That certainly was Paul. But what did Paul do. He wrote this scripture.

Philippians 3:10-14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁰[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [^[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
    ¹¹That if possible I may attain to the [^[b]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].
    ¹²Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.
    ¹³I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
    ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

Our main purpose is to know Him. To reach for our Lord. To know that we are not perfect but we can strive to be perfect. If we are waiting for a perfect situation before we step out in faith we will never move ahead. We must forget what lies behind and move ahead. If the Holy Spirit tells us to move now, we must do it now, even if the surrounding environment seems difficult or unfavorable at the moment.

If we feel the mountain is too large do not despair. Because remember who is just on the other side of the mountain.

2 Corinthians 5:7

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁷For we walk by faith [we ^[a]regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance

Just over the top we will meet our Lord. He is standing there with his hand out waiting to take us to His plan for us. We cannot see Him as we must learn to "walk by faith and not by sight." There will be roadblocks that satan uses to stop us but we must press on. As I look over the last few weeks I can see Gods handwriting over the whole time. I must look with spiritual eyes. As I press forward I must forget what lies behind and look to the mountain and know that just on the other side my Lord is waiting to carry us to our new adventure. A new time with Him and seeking His will not our own. Let us always "walk by faith and not by sight."

43 years ago today I faced my biggest challenge as my wonderful son was born with so many issues. But even back then before I even knew the power of God I trusted and believed He could bring us through. I dedicate today this blog to my son Michael who today is a walking miracle.  My God is and always has been on the other side of the mountain. Let us move ahead seeking a new revelation with the Lord.

My prayer today is this: Lord, as we step into a new time and new season let me remember that you are on the other side of the mountain. Sometimes we do not see you yet but you are there.  You have something new for us. Something exciting, a new adventure. Lord as always we put our faith in you and only you. You always show up just in time. You are never early and you are never late. Thank you Lord for always being on the other side of the mountain.

Calming the Drama

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2
 
This past week has been spent in a place where I could feel very out of control and very frustrated. Due to some circumstances we were placed in a precarious position and had to deal with the circumstances this week. It has been a very humbling experience. I could have let emotions run high and get the best of me. But all week I have heard the Lord tell me to "Trust Him". We say this all the time but do we really Trust God. Do we really do as the scripture tells us. To humble ourselves and be patient as we wait upon Him.

Too often, when my expectations aren’t met or I’m faced with things I can’t control, my emotions and thoughts spin out of control. Before I know it, I start talking before I even think about what I’m about to say. And all that wise instruction about being humble, gentle and patient is quickly forgotten.
What about you? Do you ever yell at your kids or let frustrations mount when plans and expectations spin out of control? Do you suffer from a little of your own  drama?

This week God gave me another “opportunity” to choose humility, gentleness and patience with my self. Yesterday as I walked out of the door I could have chosen to let the drama get the best of me and spin out of control or I could chose to Trust God and be patient and humble. By chosing to be humble and patient a few thing happened. First of all I knew God was totally in charge, not me. I could let the Lord walk ahead of me and pave the way. Upon leaving the house just up the road a car pulled down our street and the front license plate said "Trust God". I think the Lord knew I needed another remembrance to put all my trust in Him. To again be patient and humble.

Thankfully I can say, that morning, I paused and gave way to the Holy Spirit’s leading. And my desire for peace to become my new norm and to leave drama behind was successful!
So, how do we do this on an ongoing basis? How do we choose to be humble, patient and bear with our husband, children, friends, and problems in love?
If time allows, I have found it’s really good to pull away from the situation and give myself a time out. Removing myself, if even for just a moment, affords me the opportunity to humble myself before God and ask Him to help me regroup my runaway emotions and submit my thoughts to the control of the Holy Spirit. Pulling away also shows my family and friends the benefits, like patience and gentleness, that result when I don’t allow my emotions to rule over me.
If there isn’t time to physically remove myself from the situation, there is always enough time to take a deep breath and invite the Holy Spirit to bring me wisdom and self-control.
When we surrender our emotions, our actions and our reactions to God, peace can become our new norm as we choose to leave drama behind!

Dear Lord, today help me to leave behind the drama that exists and use me to be a peace maker in my home and my church and all of my surroundings. I want to learn to give myself a time out and ask the Holy Spirit to enter each situation I find myself in. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.