Signs of Trouble – Heads Up!

Some people appear to live a trouble-free existence, but let me assure you that no one is that fortunate. However, some individuals learn to manage trouble instead of allowing problems to control them. Proverbs 11:6 informs us that a "righteous man is rescued from trouble" because a righteous person has the option of responding differently. 

People who have Jesus have integrity that guides them when troubles appear. Cruel people ask for trouble because integrity and godliness are not a guiding force in their lives. A righteous person is rescued from trouble when God is present to prevent their ruination. 

When the pressures of trouble are coming on hard and fast, God’s word from Psalm 119 will prevent you from collapsing and giving up. “I'm single-minded in pursuit of you, O Lord. Please train me in the ways of wise living so I will not miss the road signs you post for me. I trust the promises you’ve placed in my heart, so I won't sin against you.” Jesus is your very present help in times of trouble.  

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Do not be afraid – I am with you! I am your God – let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.

~ISAIAH 41:10 Good News Bible

Overcoming Obstacles

On his way to getting everything he wanted, Jacob encountered obstacles that brought his life to a dead end. It's important to realize God is not against your getting what you want if it doesn’t conflict with His moral and spiritual values. Jacob had consistently violated God’s principals and guidelines for living.

Although Jacob failed to get away with lying and cheating, the crisis it produced became an opportunity to change his life. This was his chance to turn an obstacle into an opportunity for a wonderful future. Jacob dreamed God would bless and protect him and give him the land that would become Israel as it’s defined today.

Another obstacle Jacob faced was separating from his mother, for he was his mother’s favorite son. God proposed a plan for Jacob to live under His protection rather than his mother’s care until Jacob was responsible and mature enough to act like a man. Can you see yourself living under God’s protection? It can be yours by committing your life to him.  

Craving Godly Blessing

When Isaac sent Esau, his eldest son, into the country to hunt game for a special meal to celebrate Isaac’s giving Esau his blessing, guess who was secretly listening to the conversation? Esau’s mother Rebekah was concerned that Jacob, her favorite son, would miss out on God’s promise to her.

Just think about it. God had promised Rebekah that Jacob would become patriarch of the family, but God’s plan was to supersede Rebekah’s. Guess what? She couldn’t wait for God, so she devised her own plan. She didn’t realize that taking matters into her own hands was an invitation to disaster, especially when it negated God’s purpose.

God wants us to wait for his plan even when it appears impossible to acknowledge delays of any kind. God’s purpose is for us to develop endurance, the capacity to hold onto faith, especially where fear abounds. Endurance includes trusting God even as the impulse to run forward is overwhelming. God is the Lord of all hope so stay fixated on that hope.  

Like It or Not, Change Will Come - Part 2

At every stage of life, change is imminent. Change opposes complacency or the status quo, but we're often hesitant to make even small changes. We know and understand that change is needed, even desired, yet anxiety creates opposition because of the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what lies ahead.

Benjamin Cardozon said of the judicial process, “Nothing is stable or absolute. Everything is fluid and changeable. Evolving or becoming is never finished.” When we’re forced to think about life, we would agree. When everything is on the line and we’re forced to accept change, there is a strange hesitance to move forward and accept what life offers.

In Malachi 3:6 God issues a warning and a promise: “I the Lord do not change.” God challenged his people to return to him and he would return to them. Returning and trusting God gives assurance to insecure people facing continuous challenges. Jesus promised us, “Look, I will be with you always.” You can trust his promise.