Storms will come!

Over the past months, I have faced trials, I have gone through challenges and I have had to deal with conflict with people who are close to me. So as I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I have reflecting on what has gone on, how I have dealt with circumstances and how I can do things better next time. One thing about me is no matter how much I mess things up....I always look at how I can improve for next time, as we all know storms will continue to come.

One of the biggest mistakes I find myself making at times is that I try to do things on my own, my own strength, my own understanding...and its not until its too late and I have made a total mess of the situation that I finally call on the Lord. Its almost like I use God as my last resort, my last option when other things have failed me. But this is the complete wrong mindset...for God should be the one and only we run to.

Psalm 127 says the following:

Unless the LORD builds the house,
       its builders labor in vain.
       Unless the LORD watches over the city,
       the watchmen stand guard in vain. 

We need to learn that the Lord must be brought into our situations from the start, otherwise the work is done in vain. It's no point asking for wisdom after we have already gone through the situation...and most likely messed it up. From before we commence, we need to look to the Lord for wisdom and guidance through our situations. But in order to build with wisdom, it will cost us something!

Proverbs 24 talks of the importance of wisdom, in particular verses 3-4 where it says

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

When you build according to the Lords word, you can rest assured that you will survive the storms. And not only will we make it through the storms, but we will come through them stronger than we were before we face the situations.

But we also need to understand that it wont be easy, its not going to be a matter of saying "God's got it under control, Im going to go kick back and wait for the storm to be over!" Just like going to the gym to get that awesome 6 pack...just signing up and showing up every now and then will not get you there...you need to go through the hard times. But the awesome thing with our Lord is that we have the assurance He will never leave our side! But one trap that many of us fall into is the over confidence in our own ability. We may start out with that dependence on God, but as we walk through out trials with a confidence, we start to push God away thinking that we know what we are doing...and we know where this will lead us!

So what must we do in order to establish a solid foundation from the start, before the storm takes over...

Realise we are inadequate
We need to fully realise that we are inadequate. We must be completely dependent on God no matter what the circumstances. On our own, our efforts are just not enough.

Realise at times we are on a treadmill going nowhere
We have so much information and resources available to us today, but we must realise that its important to work smarter rather than harder! But even more than this...there are times we need to realise that we dont have to do everything...but rather we just need to pause and wait on the Lord. For the Lord gives his beloved rest!

We have to reign in warfare
Simply put...we need to be prepared for the hard times, for they are not going to come with an announcement of their arrival! At the start of this year, I didnt think to myself that things would get quite rocky for various reasons? This is why it is so important that we read our Bible daily. So that we can get our daily feed of the Lord's word. Otherwise when the storms come, we will be left stranded with no wisdom on how to face the circumstances!

But no matter what circumstances you face, or difficulties you go through...never be ashamed of your story! For your story has the potential to provide hope to those around you, it allows God to use your life in order to guide others. We have a loving God who is always with us and will never leave us in our times of need.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;
       the waves of the sea were hushed.

(Psalm 107:28-29)