You Want To Get Revenge, This I Can Guarantee, That God Hits Harder Than You and Me. You Might Have A Good Revenge Plan. But God Is Going To Hit Them Harder Than You. God Knows Your Enemy Weak Spot, He Hits Where It Hurts. Listen To This:

You Want To Get Revenge, Go Sit All The Way Down, Let God Fight Your Battles. This I Can Guarantee, That God Hits Harder Than You and Me. You Might Have A Good Revenge Plan. But God Is Going To Hit Them Harder Than You. God Knows Your Enemy Weak Spot and He Is Going To Hit Where It Hurts.

You may have wanted your lick back when people stole from you, or cheated on you, when people wronged you, God will hit your enemy (family or friend) where it hurt. He’s going to cut off that financial blessing from them, that job from them. There are people who have talked badly about you, lied on you and to you, those who have tried to cross you out of your blessing. God knows the things you are going through internally, the things you are facing that you need help with, the family losses that you have had, the dollars you need to pay your bills. God see, hears and knows everything someone is doing against you, and they are going to feel His HIT! God Hits Harder Than You and Me.

Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I’ll PAY YOU BACK for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you” {NIV}

Contrary to popular belief, REVENGE ISN’T SWEET; it makes us SOUR! Marcus Aurelius said it best: “The best revenge is to be UNLIKE him who performed the injury.”

Furthermore, studies have shown an association between negative emotions such as Anger and Revenge with a variety of Destructive Physical Symptoms, including headaches, backaches, allergic disorders, ulcers, nausea, high blood pressure, and heart attacks! Sadly, while vengeful people plot another’s demise, they are unaware that they often develop a painful health problem for themselves! In a nutshell, they don’t realize that Paybacks have a way of Paying You Back Too!

Mahatma Gandhi gave us this insight: “An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.” It’s vital that you Remember for every Payback, there is a Surcharge. So, YOU will have to Pay Also!

One of the things that really frustrates me is the lack of justice in our land and in our world. When hardened criminals get off with what appears to be a slap on the wrist, my dander really rises. I just can’t stand the lack of consequence for evil behavior.

While injustice in our country and world abounds, my spirits do rise when I ponder the word of God which clearly communicates that the wicked will not go unpunished. The Day of the Lord approaches when the Judge of all the earth will ensure that the wicked are done away with and justice is done.

Because of their constant sinning against the Lord, the Jews of Jeremiah’s day received what they deserved- the judgment of the Lord. Even though they were and are his special people, God did not let them get away with rebellion against Him. The people that God used to mete out this judgment were the Babylonians. However, the tactics and methods of the Babylonians were unconscionable and brutal. This gave rise to the question, which Jeremiah anticipates in Jeremiah 50-51: “Will the Babylonian be punished for their evil deeds? Will justice be done?”

The message of Jeremiah 50-51 is “Yes, the Babylonians are going to be punished for the evil they commit against you. The destroyer is going to be destroyed. Babylon is going to fall and not rise again”.

For the Jews Jeremiah 50-51 held forth 2 great comforts: 1. The Babylonians were not going to get away with their evil deeds 2. The Jewish nation was going to survive. God was going to redeem them from the land of captivity and return them to their homeland and be their God. God will not let the wicked go unpunished.

However, I want to also talk about revenge.

Revenge is an outward manifestation of an underlying problem: ANGER! Anger left unchecked will deepen into bitter roots of resentment or even jealousy. And when these Unbiblical attitudes are full-grown, the desire for Revenge springs up! “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal to throw it at someone else; When You Are The One Who Gets Burned”! Your anger is Doing Damage. The problem is, You’ve Overlooked the Burn Marks In Your Hands to Prove to You WHO Received the Damage!

Revenge Opposes the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). Another translation says this: “So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so, Do Also To And For Them…” (AMP). Therefore, if you seek Forgiveness when you are in the wrong, don’t expect to get it if Revenge is the Seed You’ve Sown in the Lives of Others!

Instead of taking things into our own hands, this proverb encourages us to let go and let God deal with our enemies! Because with God; wicked people, will eventually get their “just due!” Therefore, you are Never to Exercise Vengeance because God said: “Beloved, Never Avenge Yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance Is Mine, I Will Repay (requite), says the LORD” (Romans 12:19 AMP). Therefore, vengeance Belongs to God, and He Alone Has the Right to Exercise It! And Unless You Can Prove You Are Indeed GOD, You Have No Rights to Vengeance! Another translation reads: “Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; That’s Not for You to Do. “I’ll Do the Judging,” says God. “I’ll Take Care of It” (Msg). Did you catch all that? You don’t get to hit back, you don’t get to get even, you don’t get to judge, and you don’t get to take care of it! That Is All in God’s Authorization and Under His Jurisdiction Alone! The word “jurisdiction” means: “the official power to make legal decisions and judgments; the territory or sphere over which the legal authority of a court or other institution extends” Its Latin Origin comes from “Jus,” meaning “Law” and “Dicere” meaning “Say.” In other words, When It Comes to Vengeance, God Alone Has Jurisdiction to Make Decisions! Why? Because that’s what the Law (Bible) Says!

In a nutshell: Get Angry if you must, But You Can’t Get Even!

Louis XII of France is said to have treated his enemies in an Unexpected Manner after ascending to the throne. Before coming to power, he had been cast into prison and kept in chains. Later, when he did become king, he was urged to seek Revenge on those who had opposed him, BUT HE REFUSED! Instead, he prepared a scroll on which he listed all who had perpetrated crimes against him. Then, he placed a Cross in Red Ink behind every man’s name! When the guilty heard about this, they feared for their lives and fled. Then the king explained, “The Cross which I drew beside each name was not a sign of punishment, but a pledge of forgiveness extended for the sake of the crucified Savior, who upon His Cross Forgave His Enemies and Prayed For Them.”

Moral of the Story: Just because you have a right to be angry doesn’t mean you can exercise it to cause injury! In God’s Book, that’s still Wrong! Anger is one letter short of Danger.

“Anyone who angers you conquers you!” (Author Unknown) And last I checked, the Bible Still Says, You Are to Be Led or Controlled by the Holy Spirit ONLY, Not Your Emotions, Feelings, or Hurts! So, stop allowing your anger, resentment, and attempts at Revenge to become your mini-God! You’ve bowed down to it long enough and often enough already! Cast down the idol of your anger, resentment, and Revenge, and serve the Lord as His True Disciple: “Let me give you a new command: Love One Another. In the Same Way, I loved you; you Love One Another. This is how everyone will Recognize That You Are My Disciples – When They See the Love You Have For Each Other” (John 13:35 MSG)

You can’t say out of one side of your mouth that you love God, but you hate your brother or sister out of the other side! The Bible reads: “If anyone boasts, “I Love God,” and goes right on Hating His Brother or Sister, Thinking Nothing of It, HE IS A LIAR. If he won’t Love the Person He Can See, How Can He Love the God He Can’t See? The Command We Have From Christ Is Blunt: Loving God Includes Loving People. You’ve Got to Love Both” (1 John 4:20 MSG).

You can’t Praise God and Curse Your Brother or Sister!

“My dear friends, with our tongues we speak Both Praises and Curses. We Praise Our Lord and Father, And We Curse People Who Were Created To Be Like God, AND THIS ISN’T RIGHT” (James 3:9-10 CEV). So, like it or not, if you’re going to Love God, You’ve Got To Love LIKE God!

Listen, I’ve learned that getting Revenge may get us even with our enemies, but Forgiveness Places Us Above Them! We are never more LIKE God than when we turn the other cheek!

- “Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Another translation says it like this: “And Forgive Us our debts, As We Also HAVE FORGIVEN (LEFT, REMITTED, AND LET GO OF THE DEBTS, AND HAVE GIVEN UP RESENTMENT AGAINST) Our Debtors” (AMP). Did you get that? Forgive Us Because We’ve ALREADY FORGIVEN THEM FIRST! Now That’s Within Your Jurisdiction!

Hear the Word: “In Prayer There Is A Connection Between What God Does, And You Do. You Can’t Get Forgiveness From God, For Instance, Without Also Forgiving Others. If You Refuse To Do Your Part, You Cut Yourself Off From God’s Part” (Matthew 6:15 MSG). However, I don’t think we fully grasp this, Scripture!

Look at it this way: If you are angry with your brother or sister over what he or she did to you on November 1, 2015, and you haven’t forgiven them since all the wrong YOU’VE has done since November 1, 2015, Has Never Been Forgiven By God No Matter How Many Prayers You’ve Prayed! Because Your Forgiveness Hinges On Their Forgiveness! I’ll reiterate the text: “In prayer, there is a CONNECTION between what God does and What You Do. You Can’t Get Forgiveness From God, For Instance, Without Also Forgiving Others. If You Refuse To Do Your Part, You Cut Yourself Off From God’s Part” (Matthew 6:15 MSG). I don’t know about you, but I do too much wrong from day to day that needs the Forgiveness of God, that I can’t afford to go year-by-year Living Outside of the Forgiveness of God! 

REMEMBER: It’s Conditional! You Are Forgiven After You’ve Forgiven!

People of God, the Scripture Will Not Change Just Because You’ve Been Wronged! The Fact Is, If You Don’t Forgive Them, HE Will Not Forgive You! Now, Do You Want To Take Chances Living Outside The Forgiveness of God?! Are You That Angry With Someone That You Would Rather Walk Around Unforgiven By God?! I don’t know about you, but Absolutely No One Can Make Me That Mad! Anger, Revenge, Resentment, Unforgiveness are All Expensive! They Will Cost You God’s Forgiveness; Heaven as Your Home; a Crown; a Robe; Your Name Written In the Lamb’s Book of Life; Peace; Joy; Contentment etc.

Therefore, I ask you again, Is Payback Really Worth That Much To You That You Would Pay This High Price to Bankrupt Your Soul By Losing So Much of God’s Goodness!?!

Take some time today to think that over!

Someone may ask you, why should we forgo Revenge and offer Forgiveness? Tell them it’s simple Because We Have Been Forgiven Repeatedly and Completely By God! Therefore, We Can’t Live Anyway Contrary! Consequently, we Must Do For Others What Has Been Done For Us, Forgive, Repeatedly, and Completely!

To Issue Payback Is Human, But To Pardon Is Divine!

Let’s go a little further:

Matthew 18:15-17, “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him – work it out BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he doesn’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest and try again. If he still doesn’t listen, tell the church. If he doesn’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer God’s forgiving love again.” (MSG).

Don’t Be Messy! Don’t allow your hurt to make you act out of character. If there should be an issue between you and another, take it to them alone! Please don’t make a scene; don’t make a show; this is not about performance but repositioning two people at odds so they can call it even. Don’t get caught up in the cliques; don’t involve anyone that’s not a part of the problem and solution.

You see, this is where the church often gets messy. Because we talk to everybody about the situation, except the one person, it indeed involves. And of course, we only give our side, which is the side that shows us in the best light, although this light is usually a lot dimmer than we’d like to admit. We want to hear everybody tell us we’re right, and we deserve to pay them back for what they did. And truthfully, it’s okay to feel hurt, even anger, when someone wrongs you, but you still must handle it the right way. You can’t say you love God while you curse them out. You wouldn’t know you live for God when you’re trying to destroy someone else’s life. You can’t say you want to be like God while your characteristics are contrary to His character. Instead, take the issue to whom it belongs and resolve it in a godly manner where God would be able to look and say, ‘My children are acting as they belong to Me now.’ Stop inviting outside guests to see you act a fool. Make amends even if you weren’t the one that caused the breach. Remember, you don’t receive Forgiveness when you don’t give it.

Matthew 18:21-22, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how often must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you; you must forgive him more than seven times. Even if he wrongs you seventy times seven” (NCV).

To many, this seems unfair. It seems wrong. It seems unjust. However, what if God only forgave us seven times, then stopped? Where would we be? Imagine God saying, ‘sorry, you’ve maxed out your forgiveness benefits.’ And Peter only offered seven times. But from birth, how many times have we wronged God? If this were the case, many of us wouldn’t be forgiven past our youth! You’re not going to want to hear this, but as a believer, you don’t get to put a limit on Forgiveness. Why? Because God doesn’t set a limit on your Forgiveness. And since your Forgiveness is directly connected to theirs, do you want God to cut you off as Peter would suggest, at seven?  I think not. Because as saved as we are, we sin beyond seven times by the time we wake up in the morning! We need God’s constant Forgiveness, and likewise, our brothers and sisters need our endless Forgiveness. So, pray and ask God to give you a heart of compassion like His. Provide you with stricter skin to handle offense because the offense will often come by those we love most.

Think of Jesus. After all, He did among the 12; three of them couldn’t even stay awake for Him in prayer, one would betray Him, and only one could be found at the foot of the cross at His death! And yet, He didn’t replace them, didn’t cut them off, didn’t destroy the friendship, didn’t keep rehearsing what they did and didn’t do. No, He continued to be with them, to reveal more of Himself to them; He still loved them and loved them so much that He forgave them. So let us, as Christians, start acting more Christ-Like. Stop keeping a headcount on who hurt you and how many times. Because if God were to count how many times you’ve hurt Him, what would that number look like?

Today, forgive significantly because you have been greatly forgiven.

Ephesians 4:32, “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (MSG).

Don’t let your mouth get messy! Keep your mouth off people’s lives, and yes, that includes those who have hurt you. The Bible speaks against us, Believers, using cutting words, backbiting, and profane talk against anyone. That’s not how we communicate. That’s not our language. Our words have life and death power, and because we belong to Him and are to act like Him, our words need to speak life. Not gossip, not slander, not rumors, not lies, not belittling. We are to speak life and do so gently and sensitively. After all, you can’t be nasty towards someone you’re mad at because they were hateful towards you. We don’t get to play tit-for-tat. We should have put all our childish ways aside long ago. We are mature, character and integrity-driven saved folks. And its high time we act like it. Use your speech for conversation, not cursing.

Pay Back is a Blessing, so if You are to Pay Anyone Today, Make the Payment a Blessing, and Watch God Add to You a Bonus!

You Handle Forgiveness, Let God Handle Payback! God Hits Harder Than You and Me!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

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You Are Disappointed With Those You Look Up To: You’re Disappointed In Those You Live With. Disappointed In Those You Work With & Depend On: Disappointed In Those You’ve Poured Your Life Into: Disappointed In Ourselves! Have You Ever Been There

Proverbs 13:12, “Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a…good break can turn life around.”

If you’re still living—then disappointment is inevitable! Webster defines disappointment as, “When expectations fail to be met, producing anger, frustration, sadness and discouragement.”

Disappointment with those we look up to; those we live with; those we work with and depend on and those we have poured our life into. But there is one last disappointment I want us to dig into in today's message.  THIS IS THE YEAR YOU OVERCOME AND SURVIVE EVERY DISAPPOINTMENT!

No matter how great the disappointment, take it to God FIRST in prayer, even if you must enter your prayer closet hurt, disappointed, bitter, angry, confused, rejected, abandoned, used, betrayed, lied on, suicidal, take it all to God in prayer, even if that prayer will last long into the night! Thank God, He never sleeps or slumbers! Take it to Him, then rest in Him, knowing He is going to bring something good out of your something bad! 

If you’re still living—then disappointment is inevitable! Webster defines disappointment as, “When expectations fail to be met, producing anger, frustration, sadness and discouragement.”

With that said, here are some examples to help you when:

1.. YOUR DISAPPOINTED WITH THOSE YOU LOOK UP TO: Think of Samuel and Eli (1 Samuel 1-4). Samuel’s mother entrusted her child to Eli the High Priest, confident he’d mentor and prepare him for God’s service. But Eli had a serious character flaw! He was a weak, passive parent who stood by while his own sons abused their priestly privilege, bringing shame and disrepute to the family and ministry! There’s a very befitting quote that says, “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.” (Author Unknown) I believe it’s fair to say that Eli was “…only taking a walk.” I mean with a “mentor” like Eli, who’d have even blamed young Samuel for taking a nosedive right into the very heart of immorality, when the man he looked up to failed him so badly?! But no, instead he fielded his disappointment and kept his eyes on God: The Bible says, “…Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him.” (1 Samuel 3:19). And as a result, God turned him into one of Israel’s Greatest Prophets! Henry Ward Beecher accurately stated: “Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointment.” Well Done, Samuel, Well Done! So, how are we to deal with the disappointment we feel in those we look up to, that let us down? Because it’s bound to happen at some point in life. Whether it’s a parent, clergy, family, friend, business associate, spouse, governmental official, etc., we are bound to be let down by those we look up to. But does that give us license to lower our standards because they didn’t raise theirs? Absolutely Not! Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. You see, even when Eli messed up his Role, Samuel maintained his Character. He never attacked Eli, he didn’t bash him, he didn’t talk about him, he didn’t spread rumors, lies, gossip or even Truth about him. No, Samuel just lived the life of a good leader, which reminds us that we can point fingers and lay blame, but where does that get us, even if we’re in the right?! The better bet is to take the high road. Live right, think right, speak right, behave right, no matter how wrong your surroundings or the people in them. So, the next time someone you look up to lets you down, keep them in prayer and be a mirror to them showing them the reflection of what good (not perfect) looks like. Why? Because Eli died and missed out, but the person you look up to doesn’t have to. So, share your heart with them gently and honestly, then whether they agree or disagree, you move onward showing everyone that you can learn a good lesson even from a bad example! Don’t judge them, just refuse to make the same errors in judgment. You can do it; I know you can!

2.. YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE YOU LIVE WITH: If anyone wouldn’t let you down, surely it would be your family, right? Wrong! Just ask young Joseph. When his father favors him and God promised him a big dream, you’d think his own blood brothers would celebrate him, and celebrate with him! But instead, they responded with jealousy, anger, spite, bitterness, ridicule, and resentment, while dropping him in a pit, then selling him into slavery! Far from friends and home he languished in prison for a crime he didn’t commit! What an invitation to bitterness, and an opportunity to rehearse the wrongs done to him while plotting his revenge. But if he’d done that, he’d have died an innocent, unknown convict in a foreign jail! Instead, he allowed God to vindicate him, using his circumstances to position, prepare and promote him to being Egypt’s Prime Minister—now that’s how you deal with disappointment! Robert Kiyosaki said: “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” Well Done, Joseph, Well Done! So, how do you deal with family, your own blood, that stabs you in the back? What happens when the attack is from an assailant under your own roof? What do you do when it’s your sibling that drops you in the pit, or your cousin that sells you out, or your auntie that lands you behind bars?! How do you recover when it was a relative that inflicted the hurt?! You do as Joseph did, you trust God throughout the entire process! Nowhere do we read that Joseph cried out ‘why me God’; he didn’t blame dad for not being there to protect him; he didn’t retaliate against the cupbearer who forgot him; he didn’t get angry with the whole world and try to issue his own form of the big payback. As he went from disaster-to-disaster God never left his side. In every bad, God produced something good. Now, is it easy, especially when it’s blood, to just trust the vindication and vengeance to God alone? No! But it’s the best way to handle it, to put what you will mishandle in the hands of God! In the end, those same relatives had to come and bow before Joseph, will that happen with you, probably not, but isn’t it worth it to trust God and let Him work? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll at least get the apology and more importantly, you’ll get the reconciliation. Saints, take the high road my friends, even when it’s family that’s trying to drive you off course!

3.. YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE YOU WORK WITH AND DEPEND ON: To succeed, you need people; you can’t make it without them! And when those people fail you, it’s painful. Imagine Moses’ disappointment. He leaves his brother Aaron in charge while he attends a summit conference with God and receives the Ten Commandments. Returning, he finds Israel in anarchy, idolatry, and unspeakable perversion! And where’s Aaron, you ask? Leading the Rebellion! When Moses needs him Most, Aaron fails him Miserably! But watch Moses, true leadership shines even in darkest of disappointment! He confronts Aaron, takes the mess to God for resolution, and prays forgiveness for Israel! God listens, then reminds Moses of his assignment! [It’s disappointing, Moses, but…] – “…go, lead the people…my angel will go before you…” (Exodus 32:34 NIV). People of God, disappointment doesn’t cancel your assignment—nor does it close the door on God’s presence! So, go forth, even during disappointment, and do what He sent you to do! “Man must be disappointed with the lesser things of life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater.” (Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton). Well Done, Moses, Well Done! So, leaders, dare I even ask if you’ve ever been disappointed by your leaders? Surely you have, many of us have. But that doesn’t mean you disown them; you don’t give up on them; you don’t give them the cold shoulder; you don’t attempt to replace them; you don’t ignore them; and certainly, you don’t retaliate tit-for-tat with them! No, you follow Moses’ example. Take the issue before God! Let Him tell you how to handle it, not your ‘inner circle’; not your clique; not your buddies and pals; not people you know don’t like them; and certainly, you don’t attempt to get back at them from over the pulpit! Moses took the issue he had with Aaron his leader, to God. And God could’ve told Moses get rid of Aaron, you don’t need him, you’re the key person to this assignment anyhow. No, He simply tells Moses to not focus on the attack but on his assignment, “…go, lead the people…my angel will go before you…” Leaders, I do not have to tell you just how difficult it is to lead people, especially those who are stiff-necked, hardheaded, and rebellious! But do you get to retaliate? Nope! You are still held accountable for your leadership, your life and lifestyle and your responses to offense. Your character and integrity must remain intact. You must still be above reproach, even when those you lead keep falling under it! Yes, the disappointment hurts, but you can’t let the wound infect your assignment. Do what Moses did, take it to God, receive His directives, and continue. Why? Because God said, “…go, lead the people…” which means others will be affected by how you respond when disappointed. Don’t let childish immaturity be the only way your followers can describe your leadership. Handle it, rise above it and keep moving the people forward! Don’t mess up your ministry because you’re mad!

4.. YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED IN THOSE YOU’VE POURED YOUR LIFE INTO: Let’s check in again with Moses, Founding Pastor of the First Church of the Critical and the Ungrateful, a congregation of former slaves, delivered, abundantly blessed, in route to the Promised Land, but without a shred of loyalty or gratitude for the man who put everything on the line to make it all possible! Fresh out of Egypt they turn on Moses, accusing, blaming, and berating him (Exodus 14). Was Moses disappointed and hurt by it? Sure, who wouldn’t be?! But each time he wanted to quit he’d discuss it with God, pray for his complaining flock, receive fresh orders from headquarters and return to work! It’s what “God-Called” men and women do when they’re disappointed and feel like giving up! “If you use disappointments as sort of mid-semester exams, for learning, you will learn that every disappointment you overcome makes you stronger—and wiser. The greatest success stories have been lived by those who had to grow strong and wise in that very way.” (Loretta Young). Once Again, Well Done Moses, Well Done! Leaders, once again I want to encourage you, because it’s not easy to take one vision and try to get an entire house to see and follow it. I know it would be wonderful to have the whole house on the same page, however, realistically, our churches are family trees with a whole lot of mixed nuts! One person wants the school; the other person thinks the school won’t work; the other person doesn’t mind a school, but doesn’t like the blueprint of the school, and all the while you wish you could throw all of them in detention and keep building the vision by yourself. But unfortunately, pastors, it doesn’t quite work out that way. We’re apart of One body with many members, and every member is vital to the health and wellbeing of the whole. So even when it seems like you can’t get one good solid supporter, remember you always have God and with Him you are in the majority! Moses led a frustrated, frustrating bunch of complainers, but did he throw in the towel? No, and neither will you. Like it or not, but you will pour even more of your life into the people, and some of them have eternal leaks, but that’s not your problem! Their capacity is for God to handle, you simply pour of yourself into them. God will never allow you to dry out and die, He will continue to replenish you, His Chosen Vessel of Honor. Therefore, understand that disappointment will visit, but don’t let it move in! Stay the course, God’s got you!  

Now take a moment and look at 1 Samuel 15:10-12, “…God spoke to Samuel: “I’m sorry I ever made Saul king. He’s turned his back on me. He refuses to do what I tell him.” Samuel was angry when he heard this. He prayed his anger and disappointment all through the night…” (MSG). As already stated, if you’re still living disappointment is inevitable! But might I add, it’s not ‘Impregnable’, which means ‘Unable To Overcome’! You see, when anger and disappointment threatened Samuel, he fought back in Prayer! If you’re smart, you’ll do the same! Disappointment only delivers a death blow to those who don’t fight back! You can literally read those verses and feel Samuel’s anger, after all, do you know how mad you must be to pray angry and disappointed…All Through the Night?! But sometimes prayer is the best thing, because when you’re hurt, angry and disappointed, your mouth runs faster than your mind. So, you tend to say some things that you meant to say and a whole lot more that you didn’t! But when you empty all of that out to God in prayer, He’s a master-sorter, He knows how to pick through that prayer for what’s really needed. Therefore, no matter how great the disappointment, take it to God FIRST in prayer, even if you must enter your prayer closet hurt, disappointed, bitter, angry, confused, rejected, abandoned, used, betrayed, lied on, suicidal, take it all to God in prayer, even if that prayer will last long into the night! Thank God, He never sleeps or slumbers! Take it to Him, then rest in Him, knowing He’s going to bring something good, out of your something bad!

Now, we’ve talked about disappointment with those we look up to; those we live with; those we work with and depend on and those we’ve poured our life into. But there’s one last disappointment I want us to dig into, and that’s:

5.. DISAPPOINTMENT IN OURSELVES! It’s potentially the most debilitating kind of disappointment because it can throw you into a downward spiral that’s hard to stop or recover from! Rollo May said: “Depression is the inability to construct a future.” And for most of us, who can tell the whole truth, we’ve had so many little disappointments along the way that we can’t even fathom a pencil-sketch of a big future! Well, there’s an even better quote that I want you to hold on to by Albert Ellis, he said: “You largely Construct your depression. It wasn’t given to you. Therefore, you can Deconstruct it.” You see, mounting disappointments are a map with all directions pointing towards the destination of depression! But remember, anything you can CONSTRUCT, you can also DECONSTRUCT, or cause the destruction of”. The other definition I like is, “to dismantle and expose the workings of.” If you’ve built up and constructed disappointments in your life, you can also grab your toolkit and deconstruct those same disappointments. Take them apart, dismantle them and expose the works behind them, so you can ensure that what worked before in building that disappointment, won’t ever work again! And even if “YOU” brought discouragement, disappointment and depression on yourself, there is still a way to recover! JUST ASK PETER! Peter had sworn undying love and fidelity to Jesus. “Lord, everybody else may abandon you, but not me! I’m yours till death.” (Read—Matthew 26:33-75). And he meant every word of it! But under the pressures surrounding the crucifixion, he yields, and three times denies knowing Jesus. Later, remembering Jesus’ words, “Before the rooster crows, you’ll deny me three times,” Peter, heartbroken BY HIS OWN DISMAL FAILURE, “went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:62 NIV).

Have you ever been there, asking: “God, how can You possibly use someone as messed up as me?” I lost the job; I flunked out of school; I had this baby out of wedlock; I have a prison record; I fell off the wagon again; I’ve destroyed my finances; my health is falling apart; my marriage is on life support and we’re both ready to pull the plug; I can’t even remember the last time I prayed or fasted or studied Your word; I can’t remember the last time my hands clapped, my feet danced or praise was on my lips and worship in my spirit. Lord my family is a feuding mess; the loans were denied; the bills are about to drown me; there’s so much to pray for regarding my kids, I don’t even know where to start; my parents are getting sicker; God I can’t get two sentences to make sense in my head, Lord, why are you still trying to use me?!

Listen, Peter failed to meet his own expectations, but Jesus was never shocked! He was aware of Peter’s flaws when He called him into the ministry. He knew that His blustering, outspoken disciple had a tender heart, so He extended grace to him rather than remove him from office! And as disqualified as you may feel from all your disappointments in life, God is not going to remove you from office or your assignment either!  

When Christ gave post-resurrection orders to “…tell His disciples and Peter…” (Mark 16:7 NIV) to meet Him in Galilee, He reaffirmed His choice of the failed disciple! The rest of Peter’s story is New Testament History!

So, yes, You Can Recover Even From Disappointment In Yourself!

Never forget, God is the Master Potter, and no matter how many times we His clay become marred in His hands, He never throws us away! We’re never discarded! He simply molds us again into another vessel He can use again.

Jeremiah 18:1-6, “God told Jeremiah, “Up on your feet! Go to the potter’s house. When you get there, I’ll tell you what I have to say.” So, I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, THE POTTER WOULD SIMPLY START OVER AND USE THE SAME CLAY TO MAKE ANOTHER POT. Then God’s Message came to me: “Can’t I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?” God’s Decree! “Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel. At any moment I may decide to pull up a people or a country by the roots and get rid of them. But if they repent of their wicked lives, I will think twice and start over with them. At another time I might decide to plant a people or country, but if they don’t cooperate and won’t listen to me, I will think again and give up on the plans I had for them.” (MSG)

So let up on yourself! If you think you’ve ruined God’s purpose and plan for your life because of your screw ups, you clearly have underestimated God’s love, care, protection, and provision for you! You are not strong enough on your worst day to dismantle God’s assignment on your life! Neither your mistakes nor your deliberate, willful sin, can hinder what God has for you! So, know this, today is the day you forgive yourself and determine to be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you’ll be today! Every day He gives you brand new mercies, and not so you can keep going over old disappointments.

Friends, if last night wasn’t your LAST night, God still has much in store for you! So, stop beating yourself up, sometimes God uses our greatest disappointments as reappointments to life and ministry! He hasn’t given up on you, so don’t give up on yourself! It’s a new day, make a renewed you, and fulfill your purpose in life! God is waiting to hand you your next assignment, now get back to work!

THIS IS THE SEASON YOU OVERCOME AND SURVIVE EVERY DISAPPOINTMENT!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday evening at 6:00 PM CST & 7:00 PM EST on the NOW Network  http://www.theNOWnetwork.org

ROKU, Cable & Online: https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday

So, Here Is Your Word For Today: RELEASE IT! Did You Wake Up Carrying That Load Again Today? How About You Also Let It Go Today? Here is your Faith Decree: I Decree Today That I Will No Longer Stumble Over My Struggles, Or Cry Over My Crisis:

Jesus is always an ever-present help in times of trouble. Sometimes God will keep you from the fire. Other times, God will make you fireproof and take you through the fire. God’s love for you is heavier than the load of cares and concerns you keep carrying! So, Here Is Your Word For Today: RELEASE IT!

We May Have Talked to The Lord About Our Burden, But We Have Failed to Trust Him with Our Burden. Did You Wake Up Carrying That Load Again Today? How About You Also Let It Go Today? Let Jesus Do with It What Only He Can Do.  God’s Hands Can Handle What Your Hands Cannot! 

We May Have Talked to The Lord About Our Burden, But We Have Failed to Trust Him with Our Burden.  Like a car in need of repair, it is not just enough to tell the mechanic what is wrong with the car. You must leave it with him! Probably the biggest single reason we will not let go of our crushing burdens and concerns is this: CONTROL. We insist on keeping it under our control. We are too stubborn or too afraid to roll it over onto Jesus back.

Here is your Faith Decree: I Decree Today That I Will No Longer Stumble Over My Struggles, Cry Over My Crisis, Agonize Over My Afflictions, Retreat From My Refining Process, Or Have A Tantrum Over My Trials. There is no test given to me, that my God hasn’t already provided the answers to pass.  This time, when my Faith comes out of the Furnace it will be on Fire instead of in Ashes! In Jesus Name I Decree it to be so. Amen. So, It Is and So Shall It Be! RELEASE IT!

How Many Times Have You Thought or Said ’If Only I Had Just Waited on God? You May Have Talked to The Lord About Your Burden, But You Have Failed to Trust Him with Your Burden. Impatience Produced Ishmael; Promise Produced Isaac...Therefore, WAIT!  God’s Plan Will Prevail and Produce What He Promised! Do Not Mess Up God’s Promise Over Your Life by Attempting to Produce a Harvest from a Seed God Never Told You to Plant! There Are Seasons in Your Life! You Cannot Rush It, But You Can Surely Ruin It! Stop Trying to Help God Out. Therefore, Always Wait for God’s Due Season! Trials are for training you to win victoriously! Which is why the life of the believer is not without trials! Ephesians 6:16.

Like it or not:  God allows circumstances to develop around our lives to give our faith opportunity to be proven! “Also, through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces PROVEN character, and PROVEN character produces hope.” (Romans 5:2-4 HCSB) Did you catch all of that? “…We Also Rejoice In Our Afflictions…” Why? Because Our Afflictions, “Produce Endurance, Proven Character and Hope…” In Other Words: Your Affliction Works to Your Advantage! How Your afflictions are proving that you have what it takes to endure the battle and win the victory. But it also works on your character. That’s what God does when He sends afflictions into your life to improve your character. He wants you to grow and develop His characteristics in your life in such a way that people can see His stamp of approval on your life. Your character is your brand. It tells people what you stand for and what you will not tolerate. Your afflictions are teaching and training you to maintain good character, integrity and a reputation that is above reproach and one that resembles God’s

Truth Is: It’s Only When We’re Tested In Battle That We Become Skilled Warriors!

Therefore, you might as well get ready because you can be confident God will allow trials to come your way through afflictions such as: a strained marriage, straying children, critical bosses, false assaults on your character, or a difficult friendship that requires unconditional love. However, regardless to how many afflictions come our way, God has promised us, “many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the Lord delivered him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). So, what are you crying and complaining about? There is no affliction that is permanent! They are all temporary! when you pass your training tests of trials, “…the Lord will deliver you out of them all…”

Don’t be discouraged in battles, God is using them to develop you into a great warrior, skilled in spiritual warfare!  No longer a generation who has no experience in battle! But now a generation that makes the devil cringe every morning when your feet hit the floor to remind Him, you’re dressed in the whole/full armor of God, and you’re ready for another fight! “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but MIGHTY through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Cheer up and gear up because your afflictions are training you to pull down strong holds!

God Cannot Abandon You. God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Some people felt that when they needed God the most, He could not be found. This is what started their personal faith, battling with the feeling that God had abandoned them. I often say if God seems at a distance guess who moved. He has not gone anywhere, where is your dwelling place, where have you take up residence lately.

Painstakingly, we began to learn and study for ourselves about who Jesus was and what He really said. That is when you will find Him. The real Jesus, the God Who was always there giving you the freedom and grace you needed to explore your faith.

He had not abandoned you; you were just looking for the wrong person. The man-made persona of Jesus some people had been taught about during their formative years; He was not the true Jesus.

When we look back on a situation or season of life, you will see how God was showing up in some great ways, they were simply hard to see at the time:

1. Provision. It does not always come in the means you asked for, but God’s provision is being extended to you. Have faith. See the little things, they are there as part of the bigger picture.

2. Protection. Even when the world seems to be falling apart around you, God has got you. Bad things happen to us or those we love, and it seems there is no possible way God is protecting anyone. But He is there. Only Jesus can redeem what was meant for evil.

3. Preparation. At the end of the experience or sorrow, we begin to see how we were being prepared for what comes next. We can help others who are suffering. We can stand assuredly knowing that God had our best interest at heart all along.

God has promised to always be with you and the real God cannot break that promise. Here is the evidence of God’s true character: Compassion, Second chances, Forgiveness and Unconditional love. According to Miriam-Webster, the definition for Christian is, “One who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.” Notice it says, “professes belief.”

There are many well-intentioned people who are preaching a brand, or form, of Christianity that are not in line with the heart and track-record of God. If your red flag is raised because of how a church or individual is speaking on God’s behalf, listen to that inner voice. It just might be the Holy Spirit directing you.

God took care of you yesterday. He is taking care of you now. He will take care of you tomorrow!

Let us be honest, there were some moments you could not wait, so you just took off, and you caused a crash. Or maybe you are about to sin the sin of “get-there-itis” today! And maybe it is even a good goal. Maybe it is something you want to accomplish for yourself, your family, business, ministry, or church. Maybe you want to get married, or something to help your child, or to help other people. BUT God has not made it come to pass. So, you are starting to push, to plan, to scheme, to arrange, to manipulate to make it happen.

And truthfully, I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have sat across from someone in counseling who has that very same testimony…’If only I just waited on God.’ How many marriages would not have fallen apart; ministries and churches split; homes foreclosed; businesses shut down; finances dry up, and all because we just had to make it happen, by any means necessary, instead of waiting for God to make it happen, in His time, in His will, in His way.

However, unfortunate for us, we preferred to travel down the harder road of trying to “help” God out. We start formulating plan ‘b’ since God’s plan ‘a’ is taking entirely too long! We start scheming and scamming only to get what we wanted, but not at all what we needed!

Many of us are accustomed to having a back-up plan. We are depended upon to figure stuff out, to make it work, to fill in the gap, to strategize how to rob Peter to pay Paul. But all of that, is all of us, and none of God. You see, it is not like Sarai was hoping for a promise, the promise was already given, she did not even have to ask for it, it was given without the need of her request. All she had to do was wait on the timing of God for its fulfillment. And saints, that is exactly where we get it wrong! We tend to get impatient, devise a plan and go wandering instead of waiting. But what does the Bible have to say?

Wherever your “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…” is, know that God sees you, hears you and cares for you. Even if your ‘this place’, is a place of sorrow; grief; anger; bitterness; loneliness; brokenness; abandonment; lack; pain…God sees you, hears you and cares for you “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…”

Even if your ‘this place’ is heading to divorce court; the psychiatrist; another specialist; the unemployment line; in the midnight hour of tears…God sees you, hears you and cares for you “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…”

Even if your ‘this place’ just left the abortion clinic; the maternity ward with no baby; a place of stagnation; confusion; fear of tomorrow; low-self-esteem; rejection; suicidal thoughts; high; drunk; going to jail or just getting out…God sees you, hears you and cares for you “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…”

At dialysis; receiving chemo and radiation; struggling in rehab; in the wheelchair; on the cane; with the walker; dressed up; dressed down; and too weak to even get from under the covers…God sees you, hears you and cares for you “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…”

Are you getting this?

You are God’s Beloved, no matter where your “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…” currently has you. You cannot ever go unnoticed by God. He loves you too much to lose track of you, even when it is you who laced up your sneakers and went running right outside the Will of God for your life. He is still there. Don’t you see Him? Don’t you hear Him? Well, He sees and hears and cares about you, no matter what you have done; how many times you have done it; who you did it with; why you did it in the first place; where you did it; when you did it; He does not even care if it was deliberate, and all your fault, your Father loves His children! And like the prodigal son’s father, your Father sees you as far away from Him as you are, and still He is heading in your direction with arms open wide and a whole new garment of clothing to shed your past and mistakes. He is ready to restore you, why are you delaying your own recovery? Today, take IT, and all of IT to Him, and let Him take all your staleness and grant you a fresh start. Today is a great day to begin again. Last time, you ran off with your own plans and mission. This time stick with God, the road ahead will be so much easier!

Remember, God sees you, hears you and cares for you… “…EVEN IN THIS PLACE…

God extends an awesome and encouraging invitation to His children in Psalm 55:22. It says, “CAST your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).” (AMPC) “When you leave everything in God’s hands, you see God’s hands in everything.” “The same God who set the universe in motion is the same God who holds your life in His hands.” (Heather Dixon)

You my friend, as well as all your cares, are in the safe, powerful, and protective Hands of the Almighty God! Therefore, what is taking you so long to finally cast all your cares on Him? In other words, why carry what you can cast?!

In 1 Peter 5:7, you are invited to cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. So why is it still in your hands? The Living Bible reads: “LET HIM HAVE ALL YOUR WORRIES AND CARES, for he is ALWAYS thinking about you and WATCHING EVERYTHING THAT CONCERNS YOU.” (TLB) The word ‘HAVE’ is defined as ‘TO OWN’. God not only grants us the blessing of casting, assigning, and transferring our cares and concerns, but He also becomes their newfound owner! To ‘own’ is ‘to have or hold as private property.’ They no longer belong to you! Now, how encouraging is that? Again, with this promise belonging to you, why are you not casting what you know you cannot carry?

If we were to draw a picture of you and your burden right now, would you be all bent down, staggering beneath the weight of it all because you have been trying to carry it yourself? But remember this, there is another person in the picture! It’s Jesus, walking right beside you, whispering, let it go. Give it to Me Which reminds me of the three Hebrew boys in Daniel 3:25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (AMPC) No matter how hot the furnace of affliction you must endure, know that you are never left to walk through them alone, Jesus is always an ever-present help in times of trouble. Sometimes God will keep you from the fire.

Other times, God will make you fireproof and take you through the fire. He is simply waiting for you to cast your fiery trials, cares, and concerns on Him. And why does God want you to cast your cares on Him? Read 1 Peter 5:7 again in the following translations:

“…He cares about you” (NLT)

“…He cares for you.” (NLV)

God’s love for you is heavier than the load of cares and concerns you keep carrying! So, here is your word for today: RELEASE IT!

You May Have Talked to The Lord About Your Burden, But You Have Failed to Trust Him with Your Burden. Like a car in need of repair, it is not just enough to tell the mechanic what is wrong with the car. You must leave it with him! Probably the biggest single reason we will not let go of our crushing burdens and concerns is this: CONTROL. We insist on keeping it under our control. We are too stubborn or too afraid to roll it over onto Jesus back. Stubborn because we want our way with it, no matter what. Afraid because we apparently do not trust what Jesus will do with it. The Result: an emotional and spiritual hernia from carrying what you never should have been carrying!

What is it going to take for the weight on you to be lifted? You are going to have to reverse what you learned from The Little Engine That Could; and say those liberating words, I think I can! That moment of surrender makes you desperate for what God and God alone can do. And desperation is the condition with which God can do the most.

Here is your Faith Decree: I decree today that I will no longer stumble over my struggles, cry over my crisis, agonize over my afflictions, retreat from my refining process, or have a tantrum over my trials. There is no test given to me, that my God hasn’t already provided the answers to pass.  This time, when my Faith comes out of the Furnace it will be on Fire instead of in Ashes! In Jesus Name I Decree it to be so. Amen. So, It Is and So Shall It Be!       

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.journeyintotheword.com

Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday evening at 6:00 PM CST & 7:00 PM EST on the NOW Network  http://www.theNOWnetwork.org

ROKU, Cable & Online: https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday