Abandoned

We all have experienced God’s kindness and faithfulness. His mercy and love in our lives. Yet, but when we are sitting in our own disappointment or fear, we are prone to filter out our heavenly Father’s character through our feelings.

When the circumstances around us are messy and broken, our inner critic may adopt the narrative that God isn’t working in our situation. When were faced with heartache or loss, we tend to tell ourselves “God doesn’t care, He doesn’t even see me.” When quite the opposite is true.

When Jesus cried out on the cross: “My God, my God, why have to forsaken me?” We hear the torment and sense of abandonment in His cry. To the outside observer, it looks as if Jesus is, for the very first time separated from God and alone. But His cry indicates communion.

All of us know times of darkness, though for some of us it’s darker than others. Abandonment, loneliness, fear, grief, rejection, and pain. And in response, at times it feels like we’re only getting divine silence. Just like Jesus experienced.

And we have the choice as to what we fill that silence with: A sense of rejection and retreating from Him, or a longing to know Him more, trusting and remembering that our Lord lives us no matter what, and that He’s always waiting for us with open arms.

Perhaps with these 13 days until Resurrection Sunday all you can manage to say is “My God, my God.” But the same Holy Spirit who secured the unbreakable bond between Father and Son is present in your own garden of Gethsemane moments. Even at the moment of agony and abandonment, we can still call on God.

If you are going through a period of darkness and it feels as if God has abandoned you, don’t let it drive you to despair. God is with us even through the deepest despair and most savage betrayals.

We can find comfort in the promises of Scripture: if God is letting you go through the valley, you can absolutely be certain that even this separation cannot block God’s grand outcome for us.

Matthew 45-53

Spiritual Loneliness: What To Do When No One Understands You

In this material world which is full of consumerism and advertisements, being awakened spiritually is a rare phenomenon.

It is so rare that the people who are awakened spiritually often find themselves lonely. This loneliness is not a negative kind but the human brain always treats loneliness as isolation and treats it in a negative way.

Ways To Deal With Spiritual loneliness

1. Reality Itself Is Just A Play In Consciousness. It’s All A Dream: Spiritual awakening comes with the idea that whatever we are feeling in the now is irrelevant. This meaning that reality is like a dream and it is going to be over. If reality is so transitory, why should you let it affect you on a personal level? You should actually make efforts to champion reality.

2. Operate From Love Rather Than Fear: Don’t be afraid to love. Maybe you feel that you are alone and you think that there are reasons for it like you are not nice or likable or something like that. The reality is that the only reason you are alone is that you are on a different path or journey in your life.

While the ones around you are still far behind you. So spread love and care and be positive about this rather than deal with relationships from a point of fear or sadness.

3. Go With The Flow: Just let things happen as they are. Don’t try too hard to find company or become desperate because you are alone. Just go with the flow and let life happen to you. Don’t worry, loneliness will teach you how to be alone.

4. Seek Others Out: There surly must be other who are on the same journey as you. Find them. They will surly understand you because they have been through the same problems as you and they have also survived.

Do Not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Don’t worry, you are not alone and most important you are special. Not everyone can be what you are. Not everyone can be where you are.

The 5×5 Rule

Often times, it can be difficult to recognize the stressor in our life. Many times it can be more than one stressor that can take a toll and negatively impact our attitude. Until we find the root of our problem we will not solve the problem.

The 5×5 rules is a great skill to combat stress in difficult situations by putting problems into perspective.

What’s The 5x5 rule?

The 5×5 rule states that if you come across an issue take a moment to think whether or not it will matter in 5 years. If it won’t, don’t spend more than 5 minutes stressing about it.

When your problems need to be put into perspective, the 5×5 rule is a good thing to remember. The fact of the matter is, some problems do not need your full attention. It’s easy and quite honestly just human nature to devote hours to days, and even sometimes weeks to being upset about trivial matters. So, if something won’t matter in 5-years don’t bother being upset about it for more than 5 minutes.

It may seem like a silly way to cope, implementing this into those anxieties that arise throughout our day cab drastically change our day-to-day outlook. Often times we are put into situations with people that can make the day tough to get through. But when you think to yourself, ‘will the cure situation I’m in, matter it 5 years?” More times than not, the answer will be no.

So, the next time you find yourself struggling to take it east – breathe and ask yourself” will it matter in 5-years from now. If it won’t don’t let it consume your day. Then take 5 minutes stressing over it, and keep telling yourself that this will not affect or define me in 5-years.

Ways God Speaks To Us

On every we are ready to hear God, we then need to know how God speaks and how to recognize His voice. In his book Ten steps Toward Christ, Pastor Jimmy Evens explains the five main ways God speaks to us and how we can recognize His voice in our lives.

1. Through His Still, Small Voice Inside Our Hearts. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah encounters God through a ‘still, small “ voice. This is the best way to describe God’s voice in our lives. God’s voice is profoundly audible, though it isn’t always distinguishable by our physical ears.

God doesn’t have to speak loudly, because He lives in our hearts. He doesn’t want to intimidate us. God is a master of communication, and He speaks our language. When you pray, listen for a still small voice inside your heart that is the most loving voice you’ll ever hear. That is God. Follow that voice.

2. Through The Rhema Word Of God. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

In the scripture above, “word” is the Greek word rhema. It means “the living voice of God’ or now word of God.’ As you read your Bible daily, you give God an opportunity to speak a rhema word to you. He does this as you read Logos, which is the written Word of God.

One of the many reasons we should read the Bible is that God often uses it as a means for His “living voice’ to speak into an area in our lives where we need it at that time. As you sit down to read the Word daily, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. Also, ask God to give you a good rhema word as you read. You will find that He will do it often, and those nuggets of truth will transform your life as you receive and obey them.

3. Through A Sense Of Peace. The peace of God in our hearts is one of the most important ways that God speaks to us daily. Through His peace, He guides us situationally, just as an umpire directs a game situation by situation. As we pray for direction from the Lord, in many cases He doesn’t answer by saying so to us. Instead, He answers through His peace.

As you seek the Lord’s guidance, you should always pay attention to the level of peace in your life regarding this issue you are seeking Him about. God has an eternal perspective and isn’t limited by circumstances. As you pray for daily direction, don’t forget God’s peace. It will follow you throughout the day and “umpire” those decisions that can come at you so fast,

4. Through Open And Closed Doors. God knows His purpose and destiny for us and He doesn’t want us to get off track. He is protective and doesn’t want us to be harmed. Therefore, He uses circumstances to open doors for us and close doors for us.

“Lord, open doors for me that no man can close doors for me that no man an open until I am standing in Your perfect will for my life.”

We can align our hearts with God’s sovereign will and become much more sensitive to His guidance. Don’t be discouraged when a door is closed. There will be another one will open to guide you into God’s will for your life. He is faithful and is working all around you to guide you and keep you safe.

5. Through Other People. God often uses people to speak to us. One of the primary people He uses is a wide or husband. God wants to remind us that we need each other. He also wants us to be humble and teachable in our relations with others.

God uses parents to speak to children. God used Mary to speak to Jesus when He was a child and an adult. God also uses authority figures to speak to us. As you pray for guidance, be sure to listen to the voices of others around you. You Obviously can’t listen to everyone, because they aren’t saying the same things. But you can listen for those times when someone is saying something to you that God confirms in your heart is from Him.

God speaks to us today. Seek Him daily in His Word and through prayer. As you do, ask Him to speak to you as you examine your heart and keep it pure before Him. Be sensitive to His voice in the five areas we have discussed. It won’t take you long to begin to hear Hum and personally witness the difference His voice makes in your life.

I experience God’s voice personally with a churning in my stomach when something I’m doing is going to lead to conviction or danger. It’s another way God speaks to us, but we have to listen and pay attention.

Warning Signs You’re Not Staying True To Yourself

Do you sometimes feel inadequate, inefficient and unsatisfied with your current status?

Do you find yourself battling with self-realization and not knowing exactly what to do?

If this is the case chances are you’re not staying true to yourself.

What Does It Mean To Stay True To Yourself?

It means to be completely honest with yourself, staying faithful to your values, being sincere, open-minded and fair.

It doesn’t mean that you look down on people or that your disrespectful.

It means that you will not let others define you or choose for you, it means you are capable of making choices for your life and able to take responsibility for it.

Signs You Are Not True To Yourself.

1. Following the path of instant gratification

Being true to yourself requires you to know what you want and are willing to follow the path that leads you towards it.

But most times, we try to satisfy our immediate desires without much thought of how it will impact our lives.

Each time you reach for that double cheeseburger packed with processed chemicals and dripping in trans fat, knowing it will surely add to your already excess pounds is the kind of instant gratification that won’t help if you want to be at your healthiest and happiest.

Or if you impetuously decide to go on that experience shopping trip for new clothes knowing your bank account is close to empty, that euphoria you had when you started won’t last and not only will your bank account be empty, but so will you.

Doing these things to satisfy your desires without thinking of its effect, is a warning sign that you’re not being true to yourself

I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun or give yourself a nice treat, but you need to be smart about your choices and consider their consequences, whether they are harmful or helpful.

Next time you’re tempted, stop to think about the effect it will bring, whether now or in the future, by doing so, you’re being authentic and real to yourself.

2. Follow Someone Else’s Script

Most people have their life scripted from birth to death, their whole life has been carefully mapped out by cultural rules that dictate to them what they must wear, who they must marry, how they must behave and even the careers they should pursue.

These rules are most time enforced by families…and the victims of these situations, although not thrilled with these rules, dare not question it, for fear of being cast out of the family unit.

I met a young lady and her mother a few weeks ago. The young lady was telling me about the only books she was allowed to read growing up were missionary books. Her parents had decided she was going to teach, so she went to college after high school to become a teacher. After about 3 years of teaching, she was supposed to travel to help children in the missionary field to third world countries. Her are her mother were out in the community asking for donations so she could travel overseas. I couldn’t help but think, how she was groomed to be the person she is today. I thought how sad, that she didn’t have a chance to even experience life on her terms.

The case in point, eventually, they end up not fulfilling their true dreams and living a fake life.

If this is the kind of life you’re living then your not staying true to yourself, and you’re on,y serving the desires of those rule makers in your life. Those, who will never have to live that life out for themselves.

Some of these rules may not in themselves be harmful, but you need to ask yourself, “Is this what I want for my life?”

If no, then you have to find the courage to break free from this script handed over to you and make your own rules so you can start living your dream life.

And the freedom and peace of mind you’ll enjoy will be well worth any challenges you may have to overcome.

3. Fear Of Change

Some people have lived a particular kind of lifestyle for some time which may not be making them happy, but fear to make changes and prefer the easier route of doing what every else around them is doing because their fears keep them stuck.

Let’s be honest here, it’s often really difficult to step out of the safe place you’ve being living in, even if it is truly better for you.

In other words, many people fear to stand at the edge of their comfort zone or even step out of it.

There are so many people like this, and if your one of them, then you’re definitely not staying true to yourself.

Making changes is not easy, and it will definitely not happen all of the sudden, but you must be patient enough to see it through.

Do not lie to yourself. We have to be honest about what we want and take risks rather than lie to ourselves and make excuses to stay in our comfort zone.

Roy T Bennet

4. People P,easing Can Never Lead To Staying True To Yourself

So many people find it hard to make decisions on their own, and such life abhors a vacuum, someone will always step in and make decisions for them.

Who wants to be the one to follow or imitate others because of a desire to please others, or for fear of looking bad or rude.

Someone once said when you don’t follow your dreams, someone else will gladly use you to fulfill theirs.

How true is this?

It is so true but only if you allow it.

You can become a life,one puppet in someone else’s hands if you are not willing to find and follow your own dreams.

But it’s never too late; you can make the right decision today to stop and take an entirely different route that will lead you to your dream life.

5. Attaching Your Self-Worth To The Opinion Of Others

Most of us learned from an early age that to be successful in life, we have to get good grades in school, graduate with a high GPA and then work the 9-5 white collar job.

Sound life fun doesn’t it?

Many grew up with this idea in their head and built their self-worth around it so that if they find themselves struggling for a good grade in school or trying to manage a job that takes all their time and energy with close to no reward, they start feeling inadequate.

Maybe you’re experiencing this, and you cannot think of quitting your job because of what people will think or say about you.

Why?

Because the 9-5 is what everybody else is doing and you don’t want to be the odd one out by doing something else m something ghetto is far from usual.

You’re not staying true to yourself if this is the mindset you carry.

If you want to be successful and happy and fulfilled, then you must be willing to break the trend and become an innovator, making your own ark by doing that which adds more value to your life.

Do not hesitate to join the likes of those breaking the norms today, be true to yourself and enjoy the freedom you deserve.

You will never know your true capabilities unless you step out of your comfort zone.

So, don’t be too nervous to try, don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be scared to jump into the world that is right for you, that’s there for the living.

Many will call you foolish; they will look at your decisions and call it crazy; some will even laugh and call you a dreamer.

But as long as you know what you want and what you’re aiming for, asking as you have a goal to reach, it doesn’t matter what they say because your determination will drive you to your success.

If you’re ready to turn your world around, you can begin today by realizing your true passion, and staying true to yourself.