Broken

Broken

I've been going over my sermon this week on "Re-Building" talking about Nehemiah rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem and tying it in to how the church can rebuild.  But, the same principles are true of our lives.

Many of us reading this blog today are broken, things in life have tore down the walls of protection, hope, and peace around your life.  Divorce, death, job loss, depression, relationship issues, troubled kids, financial stresses, anger, unforgiveness, etc...the list could go on of the things that can cause you and me to feel broken.

When I am broken, I feel helpless. I become frustrated, and it is there I am reminded it's not my job to be God and rebuild my situation or life alone, it's my job to listen to and follow God and allow Him to help me rebuild my life or situation. 

It will not happen overnight, it may take time, it may not be the same as before, and then again, you may not know what the future will hold, but the key for me and you is to put our hope and trust in God.  God will never let us down, lead us astray, or fail us.  Any failure or let down is on our part.

Sometimes we need to be broken and at the bottom so that God can finally get our attention and that we can finally allow God to do His job.  So many times we want to do God's job and if we don't try to play God then we are usually blaming Him for all that's wrong or playing victim or feeling sorry for ourselves.

It's time to step up, grow up, stop making excuses and blame shifting, and pick yourself up and seek the Lord.  Repent if you need to repent.  Change if you need to change.  Adjust your attitude if you need to adjust it. Whatever the case, I can't speak because I don't know your situation and you don't know mine, but I do know no matter the situation God can help us rebuild our lives.

 We have to stop living in the past, break old habits, destroy old cycles, get rid of our negative thinking, and status quo and we need to start all over.   No  matter the situation you face today or have been dealing with, let God guide and help you to rebuilding your life.  Understand it will take time, one day at a time. Understand you can't be God or tell God how to do His job.  You also cannot live in the past and keep doing things the same ways when they do not work and haven't been working.  You must learn to trust more in God's provisions and His timing, understanding its gonna take time to reubuild your sitution.

Your life may  never be the same or go back to the way it was, and sometimes that's a good thing, but either way that doesn't mean your life can't be better, have more meaning, or have more God if we would start the process of rebuilding our lives and giving our situations over to God.   Admit your are broken and need fixed.  Realize God is our creator and the only one who can heal and fix our brokeness. I'm there with you today folks, we all got issues and problems in our lives that need God's attention and intervention so that He can begin the rebuilding process. Let's all start today.

 “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.-Nehemiah 2:18b(NIV)

New Things

New Things

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
 Revelation 21:5NIV

New can be a good thing or a bad thing, just depends on the circumstance or situatioin..  A new job can be exciting, unless you lost your last job and didn't want to look for one.  A new relationship can be good, unless you are still pining over the last one that ended that wasn't your choice.  A new start can be nice, unless you are still living or dwelling on the past, which will make it difficult to start over.

Regadless of the situation good or bad, things will become "NEW" at times whether we want them to or not.  I think it's more of an attitude or outlook that we need as opposed to making things worse or prolonging the inevitable. 

Sometimes we need to start over in a new job, a new town, a new church, a new relationship, or new scenary whether it was our choice or not.  We need to understand that God is still God no matter our earthly circumstances and as the scrpture above indicates with God all things are new.

I can relate in my life right now.  I am in a new town, a new church, a new job, and a new opportunity. Ofcourse, this newness was my choice, but the church I'm coming to didn't have a choice they weren't looking for something new, but their minister of the last 2 1/2 years passed away back in May unexpectedly of a heart attack, so whether they wanted or intended to start over, God had other plans for them.The church I just left serving will start a new day with a new minister and so the new things continue.

I am not sure what you are facing today, dealing with, going through, or whatever?  Maybe you want some things to be new, maybe you didn't want anything to change, or you don't feel you are ready for something new? Either way, having a bad attitude, blaming others, sulking, or feeling sorry for yourself won't change the fact that you may have to start over or begin a new day with new things.

My encouragement for you is whether you wanted new or not to embrace it, seek God and trust Him and ask for His help, guidance, strength, or whatever it is you may need in your situation. But, above all don't make things worse by being negative.