Pain is real. Whatever it is that is driving you crazy, you can overcome it. Be you. And believe in yourself.
Because ‘God uses our problems to test us and mature us.’ Yes, that is right. ‘Maturity includes taking responsibility for the messes in our lives.’ No one is going to do it for you.
‘We grow spiritually when we obey God even when it isn’t comfortable or convenient!’ Growth is not comfortable. Pain is our teacher. ‘You can feel that what God is asking of you is too hard but still obey Him.’
We obey God because He loves people who are responsible. And ‘unless you take responsibility for your actions, you will never be free from their consequences.’
Things get worse when we ignore them, when we don’t take care of them. But the reality is that nothing gets better by itself. ‘Hiding from your problems never works to your benefits.’ If you want your problem to go away, or to put it under your control, you must face it.
‘You cannot have respect from others unless you take responsibility for yourself.’
When you take action to improve your life, ‘God will reward you. Because ‘God’s desire is to reward you, not to punish.’
You can reward yourself by being nice to other people. ‘Being good to someone who has hurt you disarms the devil.’ In this case, whatever it is that is holding you back, that thing is the devil.
And whatever you may have gone through in your life, ‘you cannot get better when you are bitter.’ To get better, you must let go.
Letting go is the right thing to do. ‘If you do the right thing, even if you lose something initially, in the end you will get a double blessing.’
‘When you go through difficulties that is when your bonds are broken.’ Difficulties are not really difficuties. They are our teachers. They are our mentors. They make us better people.
When you are faced with something bigger than you, don’t quit. You can get through it. Remember, ‘Dealing with difficulty is like lifting weights in the gym.’
That is why you shouldn’t quit on yourself, no matter what you are facing. ‘Don’t be afraid to confront things that are new to you.’
If you do not, you will never get better. But if you take of business, ‘you will be stronger when you get to the other side of your difficulties.’
Because you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes, ‘a mess may become your miracle and your message.’ Why is that? Because ‘in God’s school, you never fail.’
‘Through suffering, you grow spiritually.’ Suffering prepares us for life. When we are suffering, we are growing. But do not give in to fear. ‘When you give in to the desires of the flesh, you feed your fleshly nature.’
Do not do that to yourself. Because ‘you will grow stronger as you follow God’s will.’ All you need to do is to trust God Because ‘God asks you to trust Him.’
To do that, ‘You should choose godly people as your friends.’ Follow people who truly believe in God. People who believe that ‘spiritual prosperity is more important than material prosperity.’
But that doesn’t mean you have to be a people-pleaser. It won’t work. ‘You cannot be a people-pleaser and a God-pleaser at the same time.’
Don’t do that. Don’t give what you do not have. Remember that ‘there is no harder pillow than a guilty conscience.’
Free yourself. Free yourself from your own self-designed prison. You can free yourself. You are in charge of your life. ‘To be free from self is the greatest freedom.’
Trust that God is working behind the scenes. He is not playing. He will not let you down. ‘We trust God because we don’t have the answers and we cannot solve our problems.’
But ‘you cannot trust God if you have no unanswered questions.’ What you want God to do for you, present it before Him.
‘Your trials can make you a better person or a bitter one.’ Don’t bitter, get better.
Getting bitter is the easiest way. ‘The easiest way is not always the best way.’ Take the hard way, not the easy way.
God is very patient. ‘God waits until you have exhausted your own works before He changes you.’
And He will change you. Sometimes God uses trials to reform us. He knows that ‘trials exercise and strengthen your faith.’ God will take us through things that we cannot handle on our own.
‘You must take the same test over and over until you pass it.’ Failure is hard to swallow. But we need it. But to really know what you want to know, ‘you must take the same test over and over until you pass it.’ While you are doing it, don’t beat yourself up. Because ‘trouble prompt you to say things you shouldn’t.’
‘Your words have the power to either help people or hurt them.’ If you do not have anything good to say, do not say anything.
Instead of using your own words to make your situation worse, ‘talk to your problems instead of about them.’
Use your words to elevate your life, to bring happiness into your life. ‘When you know who you are in Christ, you don’t need to prove yourself to others.’
Whatever it is that you are going through in your life, be patient. It will go away. ‘Trials develop patience and perseverance.’
Control yourself. Do not let what you are going through confuse you. ‘Keeping a good attitude requires self-control.’
Do not worry about other people’s opinions of you. They don’t count. ‘Regular attitude adjustments are needed in life.’ Because things are always changing. And there are things that we can’t control. To cope with them, we have got to learn how to adjust ourselves.
There are better things in life than trials. ‘The best way to avoid misery is to keep it in perspective.’ You can do that by serving other people. Remember, ‘you can be happy if you serve others.’
Because ‘your attitude is the prophet of your future.’ Wherever you are, alway maintain a good atttitude. Whatever it is you are going through in your life, ‘always maintain a good attitude in the midst of a bad situation.’
Why is that? Because ‘you cannot be creative or energetic with a negative attitude.’ It won’t work. Because when we are negative, we can’t think really well.
The only way to bring back your creativity is to be positive. ‘Being positive means seeing hope in the midst of your problems.’
Life is tough, but good. Always stay positive. Because, according to research, positive people are more creative than negative people.
Why? Because ‘positive minds produce positive vibes.’ On the other hand, ‘Negative thinkers are never happy.’ Because they are after bad things. They don’t expect positive things to happen to them. Their focus is on negative things, not how to get things better.
Negative people swim in the ocean of regret. If you want to enjoy what God has done for you, you don’t need negative thinkers around you. And ‘never allow yourself to wallow in regret.’ Instead, ‘look for an upside to your mistakes.’
‘You cannot outrun your problems.’ But you can present them before God. He knows what He is going to do with them.
No delay. ‘God wants you to be constant even if you are suffering.’ Being constant doesn’t mean you should try to solve your problems by yourself.
You will get frustrated. ‘Frustration occurs when you try to make something happen that only God can make happen.’ Trust God. Trust that He is getting things done for you. Be patient. ‘When you are impatient, you forfeit peace and joy.’
‘Peace and joy’ come from being grateful for what God has done for us. Instead of enjoying what we have, we are angry about what is not there. ‘Being upset about what you don’t have while not enjoying what you do have is one of life’s great tragedies.’
Refuse to be a victim of what you do not have. Instead, do focus on what you have, focus on what is working. If you are always focusing on what is not good in your life, you will never find happiness.
Do not do that. ‘Your life needs to be filled with thankgivings.’ Always be grateful. Do not worry about what you are going to eat tomorrow. Do not worry about what is going on in your life. God is working.
‘No problem is big enough to separate you from God’s love.’ But what you atre going through can make you a better person. ‘Your problem can make you stronger.’
‘You may become frustrated if you do what is right and don’t get what you think is the ‘right’ result.’ That is okay. Because God is not in a hurry. He takes His time to do what is right. ‘The way God does things is much better than the way you would do them.’
Believe in what God is doing for you. ‘You need to stop reasoning and just trust God.’
You cannot do everything by yourself. You need to experience your life with God. Invite God into your life.
‘Experience with God is one of the most valuable assets you can have.’ Use your time to enjoy your life. Do not focus on what is going on in your life. Always, ‘think and talk about what God can do, not what the devil has done.’
‘No matter what, don’t let yourself develop a victim mentality.’Why is it important? Because you are not a victim; you are a winner. You are a doer.
‘Never allow any kind of trouble to come between you and God’s love.’ You can stop it. All you need to do is to trust God. ‘Believing God loves you means believing He will do what is best for you.’
Ask God for help. If you are not getting the right results, ‘maybe you are not asking God for big enough things.’ Ask for what you want. Do not worry about what you can’t do.
Don’t wait. Because if you don’t ask, you will never get. ‘God is waiting for you to ask for every spiritual blessing He has already provided.’
Be bold. Wherever you go, be bold. If you want success, ‘have the freedom and boldness to ask God for anything.’
Instead of asking God for small things, have the courage to ask for better things. ‘Start asking God for big things.’
‘You don’t always get what you deserve, but you share in what Jesus deserves.’ But ‘if you expect outrageous blessings, you should give God outrageous obedience.’ You can only get big things from big thoughts.
‘If you don’t obey God, you miss out on His blessings.’ Obey God, not people. Follow God, not people. Invite God into your life. ‘… let God change me before my life would change.’
‘If you will be radically obedient to God, you will have less of mess in your life.’
‘Pride is the root of all evil and the beginning of sin.’
‘Peace is not possible without humility.’
‘You can experience joy in the midst of sorrow.’
‘Self-pity makes you increasingly miserable.’
‘God can give you the peace that passes understanding in the midst of your most painful situatons.
‘Meekness is not weakness but strength under control.’
‘Meekness says, ‘I will wait on God and not take matters into my own hands.’
‘When you are mistreated, wait on God to vindicate you.’
‘Receiving correction is the pathway to growth and advancement.’
‘God wants your faith, not your effort.’
‘Jesus wants you to give mercy to others, not require sacrifice of them.’
‘Show mercy to those who treat you unjustly or make mistakes.’
‘Do not sow what you do not want to reap.’
‘Help others, not just those deserving of it but those who are not.’
‘Mercy sees a person’s heart.’
‘You cannot love if you are in a hurry.’
‘When you confess your sins, God forgives you and sees you as pure before Him.’
‘Purity of heart is not a natural trait but something you must work on.’
‘Being a peacemaker requires spiritual maturity.’
‘Humility is a fruit of the Spirit.’
‘Before you can have peace with others, you must be at peace with God and with yourself.’
‘Loving yourself is receiving God’s love, which is freely given.’
‘Focus on your strengths and pray about your weaknesses.’
‘Worry if the devil is leaving you alone, not when he is attacking you.’
‘Bearing suffering patiently is what pleases God, not the suffering itself.’
‘A positive attitude under negative circumstances is better than a negative attitude under positive circumstances.’
‘Compromising is what blocks your blessings.’
‘I would rather have God’s blessings than human applause.’
‘People sometimes pay a high price for a cheap thrril.’
‘Obedience to God means forgiving those who hurt you.’
‘In Jesus, you have everything you need.’
Source: Meyer, J. (2023). Blessed in the Mess: How to Experience God’s Goodness in the Midst of Life’s Pain. Hachette Book Group, Inc
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