Be Strong and Courageous

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  Today Lord, I’d like to spend some time talking about discouragement.  As You well know, I’ve been dealing with this particular feeling quite a bit recently and it can be an extremely overwhelming emotion if not kept in check.  I’ve also received messages from many others struggling against similar demons, so I thought it was worth discussing today.

In my case, the bulk of my challenges with discouragement are centered around running a business in a radically depressed economy.  While we’ve persevered through what I hope is the ugliest part, I was forced to make some very unhappy, but necessary decisions for the survivability of the company.  On top of that, the road that always seemed reasonably obvious for me has been clouded by a wide variety of uncertainties, leading to deep feelings of doubt, fear and discouragement.  I know that when the dust settles that we’ll be the better for our trials, but in the meantime not allowing Satan to use these moments of earthy weakness to attack my spirit can be a difficult task.

Of course, there are many other forms of discouragement as well.  Each day I see and speak with people struggling with these feelings over problems with schoolwork, dieting, quitting substance addiction and a plethora of others.  These situations lead to moments of emotional weakness which can truly leave us vulnerable and wanting, and keep us from hearing Your Voice clearly.

So Father, how do we combat these attacks on our spirits in times of turmoil?  Looking to Your Book for guidance, I find quite a bit to focus and encourage me :

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:6-8

We were never promised an easy life on earth, but we’re fragile creatures Lord and it’s easy to forget that sometimes.  You did promise us however that if we follow in You and honor You, that You will never leave our sides.  What an amazing Gift!  You’re there celebrating with us in our moments of joy, and You’re there to comfort us in our times of need… We simply need to quiet the “noise” in our minds, and open our hearts to Your Voice.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Guiding Presence in our lives.  Please help us filter out that emotional “noise” and focus our hearts on Your Will.  Bring comfort and direction to all those struggling with feelings of discouragement and depression, and let them know the true worth they have being one of Your Children.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

A Wondrous Gift

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!  Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!  What a powerful release Lord!  I truly feel like the floodgates on my heart have opened, and it’s an amazing sensation.  I can’t thank You enough for this, and I lift my Praises to You for this wonderful gift.

As there are others that read these conversations Father, let me explain.

The last couple of months have been filled with significant trials for me, my business and my family and although I’ve tried to maintain a positive outlook and listen for Your Voice, I’ve been very much eaten up with fear, worry and self-doubt.  These deep-seated demons have affected me severely enough that my health has suffered, and I’ve not been able to focus as closely as I should on ministering to those who count on me.  I didn’t lose Faith Lord, but I certainly felt beaten… until this morning.

I had just dropped off my boys to school, and was headed towards my office thinking about what new nightmares the day had in store for me, when You intervened.  In the middle of a thought, out of nowhere, I started crying uncontrollably.  The only way I can explain it is that my heart felt like a plug had just been pulled and all the pain, fears and worries burst from my chest.  It was a truly staggering feeling, and I’m still tearing up thinking about it.  You are indeed a Wondrous God!

I Accept Your Love, and Your Help, and Your Gift!

I lay my Burdens at Your Feet Lord!

Heavenly Father, I can’t thank You enough for this release and for staying close to me through my trials.  I know I am Blessed, and Loved and I feel Your Peace.  May all those in similar turmoil receive Your Presence as I was Graced to this morning.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Tomorrow will worry about itself.

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  I want to start today by thanking You for being such a good listener.  I feel like I’ve been talking Your Ears off the last day or so, and while my heart is still troubled by earthly worries, laying them out to You does worlds of good for my sense of Hope.  I keep hearing You telling me to let go and find rest in Your Love, and I’m trying to Lord… but these fears have a true grip on me at the moment.

Searching for focus in You today, I found some comfort in verses from the Book of Matthew :

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

Verse 27 really grabbed me Father.  “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Wow… I guess I need to take a step back and Accept that.  (Ok… There’s that word again.  I get it.) Then a little further on in the chapter, Verse 34 says :

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Such a simple truth, and yet I somehow haven’t been able to see it through my inner clouding.  I have my focus now Father.

Thank You for leading me to Matthew today Lord, and for staying by my side through these trials.  Only in Your Loving Hands can my heavy heart be whole.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  Well Lord, I didn’t exactly start the day on a stellar note.  As You well know, Shannon and I very seldom have any significant arguments.  We’re very much on-keel with each other, and any little disagreements we do have now and again are usually quickly and calmly worked out.

That wasn’t the case today however.

A simple misreading of a reaction to something I said led to tempers flaring on both sides, and a twenty minute excited exchange… Over basically nothing.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. – 2 Timothy 2:23-24

Ouch!  Yep, that pretty much describes our fight… foolish and stupid.  I stand convicted Lord, and am deeply ashamed.  Instead of listening for Your Guidance in that moment, I allowed my temper to shut myself off from You and caused unnecessary pain to someone I love deeply.

Heavenly Father, please help me focus my heart and mind on Your Voice in times of stress.  Help me not be quick to anger, and instead bring a level head and calm influence to situations that arise.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. – James 1:19-20

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Focus on Acceptance…

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!  First off, I want to thank You for another lovely weekend with my family and friends.  Date night with my wonderful wife Shannon on Saturday night was a great way to end the week, and although I ended up “under the weather” on Sunday, I was Blessed in that my family made sure I had the quiet time I needed to rest and recuperate.  I certainly wasn’t as productive as I had originally planned on being, but the downtime did help us all to recharge our batteries for the week ahead.

Today Lord, I want to delve further into my Focus Word (Accept) for the year and how it’s already affected my thoughts and actions.  It’s amazing to me, but since You placed that word in my heart I find it jumping into my head quite regularly.  For example, I had a situation this weekend where I was extremely uncomfortable with the way someone was acting in a public situation.  They weren’t doing anything wrong per-se, but it made me feel awkward all the same.

“You need to Accept them for who they are” I heard in the back of my head.

Fair enough.  As I said, they weren’t doing anything wrong and they certainly weren’t hurting me in any way.  I realized I had just taken it upon myself to feel uncomfortable at the way they were behaving, and was letting it affect my disposition.

Therefore, today’s statement of focus from my experience this weekend is :

I need to Accept that God has made each of us an individual who is unique and special.

Now please understand Father, this doesn’t mean I won’t stand up against people doing something morally or ethically wrong, or not confront evil wherever I see it.  I simply need to have more flexibility when dealing with differences in how Your Children act and interact with others.  You’ve made us all wonderfully individual and unique, and I’m going to work on celebrating those differences more.  Amen.

~Phather Phil