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****** DISCOURAGED?! ******
Be Encouraged!

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you–you of little faith!" Luke 12:27-28 TNIV © Copyright 2001, 2005 by Biblica

The world rings change, it is never constant but in its disappointments. The world is but a great inn, where we are to stay a night or two, and be gone; what madness is it so to set our heart upon our inn, as to forget our home?
Quote By: -- Thomas Watson

Are You Discouraged? Take Heart!

All of us are dealing with change every day in this season of the life of our country. Sometimes this change ushers in disappointment and sometimes it ushers in satisfaction. Disappointment seems to be a constant in my life lately and I am always reminding myself of Whom I belong and Where my real home is. Assuredly in times such as these, we need to keep our focus on Jesus and the future and hope He has provided for us as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. This world will pass away, but Jesus Christ has secured our forever.

My Conversation With God About Discouragement!
Recently, I had a conversation with the Lord about a memory I have of
how He used discouragement to shape my inner personality for good!
Here is that conversation between God and I:

********Self Imposed Discouragement********

Lord, I like to run full out for You! It gives me joy unspeakable! It is completely my heart’s desire to run the race You have set before me with excellence! The thing that trumps my inner personality with discouragement, derailing my life-race at times, is my independent nature trying to be a perfectionist, instead of being completely Yours!

******Willfulness Leads To Impulsive Actions*******

I realize You, Lord God set my course within the parameters of Your Kingdom plan. When I run my life-race, in a full out pursuit of Your Kingdom purposes, there are times I willfully-stupidly decide to let loose impulsive spurts of my own personally–designed precision racing form! Which I of course, think at the time is way easier than Your way!

*************Purposeful Jesus****************

My Way-Maker sometimes does not challenge my willfulness, He purposely lets me go the way of my will and learn on my own about the consequences of an erratic life pace! Ouch! These teaching times coming out of my stupidity really hurt, but oh how I learn some Godly wisdom and hopefully learn my lesson well enough to pass the next test!

*Mishandled Discouragement Always Leads To Bad Choices*

Mishandled discouragement seems to be the forerunner to most of my bad–impulsive choices, where I haughtily and willfully left Your side, Lord with foolish thinking spinning out my emotional woe! I entertained the disappointment, it took a turn to disillusionment and it was not long before I hit a road block of unbelief!

When I became dead ended by unbelief, it was easy for the enemy to entice me with the lie of not needing to run my race following, Jesus my Pace Setter!

Yes, I foolishly agreed with the lies and then I began to follow the opinion of my enemy that I was smart enough to set my own pace and I became enticed further away from God's plan by the enemy taunting me that if I had done what I wanted in the first place, I would not have been discouraged like I was now, by trying to doing something that was way out of my natural comfort level.

************Lessons Learned From Pride************

Ahhhh Lord, I have learned the lesson of my pride going arrogantly off on its own without Your guidance! Ahhh Yes! I have done some pretty foolish things! LOL! Yet- You still love me and encourage me by using it for my good. I have learned so much from You, Lord and I am grateful you do not give up easily on us stubborn ones, who are learning how to handle discouragement and flip it to encouragement before it bites us with unbelief!

*****Guard Your Heart During Life-Course Changes*****

Discouragement visits me every time my life pace changes and I am learning how to adjust and guard against my heart going off track! Lord, I remember the first time I impulsively stopped mid-sprint because I let myself be distracted by the discouragement of change. I wanted to stay the course of what I was doing and felt I could comfortably do! What I was doing was good ministry at the time, but not in line with the course change You had paced out for me. You wanted to lead me in a new direction; I wanted to stay the course I was on. All I could see was the discouragement of change I did not want. Willfully I chose to go my own way.

**Running Without God’s Discernment Is Risky Business**

I remember during this time Lord, that I decided to veer off my course a little bit to pick up and carry another person’s problems. I rationalized it would be okay to try to run my course and help them too. I presumed that it would be acceptable for me to make a little diversion in my life path! I imagined and day dreamed that I could do this good thing! In my opinion, I could make it work out for all of us! My self image was really inflated! I was that good!! I felt I could really help them and still run the race. I was trying to finish! I contemplated about the wisdom I had learned along the way on my life-path and reasoned that I had the perspective that could solve their problems. I could fix them! I had the solution! I just had to figure it all out!

***A Self Motivated Will Can’t Stand The Heat Of Trial***

At that time, I was quickened about my need for Your wisdom in this situation, yet I remember our talk about the need for my course change and my decision to stay my own course, and I knew I could not consult you about this, so I self–motivated my will and decided I could do it. I made a slight adjustment in my life itinerary to accommodate what I wanted to do. I then white–washed my disobedience with the rationalization that I was doing a good thing, that I naturally had all the ability to do! Oh, I can’t tell you how many times after that I thought those same foolish thoughts as I piled on more and more of other people’s life equations that needed solving! I guess I don’t have to tell you what happened as God watched my whole plan unravel, knowing where it would end!

*******Invincible Pride Feels Good At First*******

You know Lord, at first, I felt very invincible as I kept adding more and more weight in my backpack, but after a while of sweating, persevering and toting the extra load, I found myself dragging my feet as everyone running their life–race began freely flying by me. It was at that point frustration and discouragement began to set in my soul! Do You remember that I had the gall to question You, Lord! Wow, I did – didn’t I Lord! I arrogantly asked You why I seemed to be the only one weighed down! I was snotty wasn’t I Lord when I asked You: “Why can’t I keep up with the rest? Why don’t You give me Your strength to help me with this yoke of burdens?” I got even more bigheaded with You as I said this: “It is not fair that everyone else is passing me up when all I am trying to do something good for others! Why am I failing when I am trying to do what is right?”

*Being Lame=Being Bitter = A Fast Track To Foolishness*

Isn’t it funny how we blame God and accuse God of not being just! Blame – Is Being Lame – And that I was!

I bitterly limped right out of Your Presence, Lord with discouragement as my be–lame crutches, and very determined to do it myself because I decided with my limited sight, that God was not going to help me.

I acted on the piece of information I could see – not the whole truth God saw! Being deceived, I decided God was not going to help me! I said: “If You are not going to help me, I will just have to do it myself!” How foolish was that??!!

****Heavenly Hindsight Makes You Smile****

I remember after that conversation, You Lord, just patiently jogged beside me, looking on and waiting for my will to collapse, knowing that soon I would no longer be able to bear the weight of discouragement and would find out how much I needed Your encouragement, needed to depend upon Your strength. I have to smile when I think back on that little independent trek I took with my will erroneously leading my spirit and how I kept stubbornly trying to keep up my self–determined pace. I pushed myself so hard! I had something to prove! Of course by then, my tempo was slower than a snail and I was way behind in my life–race as my dashed expectations and weighty discouragement added further heaviness to my emotional baggage and tagged me with failure!

*************Stupid Is As Stupid does**************

I stupidly kept expending my reserve energy by entertaining, throwing pouty–parties and complaining–whining about how I could not keep up with everything I had to do! With my mind bogged down by my self imposed discouragement, it began creating its own “back–ak–wards spin” as it pursued the perfect answers for all the unsolved problems I still carried in my backpack! Exhausted, I ignorantly kept up my willful pace even though my soul was juggling way too much weight, which kept me continuously emotionally off balance!

**Independence Run Amuck Hog Ties Your Will To Pride**

The worst part of my independence run amuck was the way my discouraged emotions were tipping the scales of my spirit into overkill. Now as I look back in heavenly hindsight, at that season of time, I remember You smiling Lord, as You silently watched me obstinately dragging my will, which by then was completely hogged tied by my pride! I was feeling tired all the time, my mind was in a fog, my spirit in chaos and my soul was screaming for some rest!

*Truth Turns Rationalization To Repentance-Restoration*

Suddenly my spirit succumbs to complete discouragement and crashes into my will, sending me tumbling, plummeting downward into a deep pit of depression. I find myself in a heap on the floor of a dark pit of despair! My will is broken, my soul is bruised and my spirit is crying out in the pain of it all! I sat there stunned as I realized I was very alone and I could not see You, Lord anywhere on my life-path! I cried out: “Where are you God? Why have you left me?” Then the truth that had stood the test of my foolishness spoke to my inner man in a still small voice and my rationalization was turned to reality! I humbled myself as light began to expose my sin and out of a contrite heart I spoke: “I am so sorry! Please Forgive Me Lord!” I remember the cleansing tears flowing and then immediately seeing a hand, the Right Hand of God offered to me and wisely choosing to take it! You pulled me up out of that pit Lord, and to this day I am very grateful! God”s Omnipotent Presence Turns Discouragement To Encouragement! The sweetest thing I committed to memory from this lesson was the first thing You did Lord, after I took Your Right Hand in mine and you pulled me up from the pit! I will never forget how You gently took the yoke off me and then fully embraced me to Your bosom turning all my discouragement to encouragement! I felt such unconditional love! It was a precious worship moment that I have written on my heart!

*Second Chances Are So Very – Very Sweet*

AWE-GOD! I am so thankful we have a God Who gives second chances! It is so nice when you come full circle and smack right into failure, to be able to remove the obstacle and begin again.

Even if you fail miserably and don't pass the test the first time, God will pick you up and He will teach it again! God never quits on us, it is His huge desire to finish what He started in us.

If you stay long enough in the trial so you can learn a life-lesson from it, God will even give you a retest and celebrate with you when you pass the test! AWE-GOD!

****Have You Felt God's Redemptive Touch? I Have!****

You then nurtured and cared for my wounded soul, and when I was ready, You instructed me and set my feet back on the course You originally had designed for me and asked me to follow You. At that moment, I remember feeling overwhelmed with gratefulness for this new opportunity, the second chance to finish the race You started with Me and I stepped out into a brand new adventure with You! AWE-GOD! How sweet was the day when my discouragement was transformed into encouragement!

****Valuable Life Lessons=Kingdom Purpose****

Lord God, I love You! I know in my heart, this time I will run the course set out before me! I will jog in step with My Pacesetter because I have learned this valuable life lesson from my Life-Course Designer and have felt the power of His Kingdom Purpose for me!

What About You? Are You Discouraged?

Have you ever had one of those kind of discouraging experiences
that knocks the wind out of your sails
and makes you feel like you will never sail again?

The one thing that still inspires me is the significant role
that discouragement played in getting me
to follow a pace of my own instead of God’s Way!

Jesus, My Way–Maker prescribed a pace in willessness,
positioned in the grace of The Pacesetter and run with His purpose!

Have you ever been deeply discouraged?
God’s ways are truly not our ways and I would never have expected my
negative season of discouragement could ever be used to encourage–evoke
such a God–positive season of life–change in me!

I realized-learned that discouragement at the onset is a bad feeling,
but God can use it for a good and tangible result!

Are you discouraged? Take Heart!! Something good is about to happen!
It did in me! Something good happened in me right after discouragement!
Willessness! Brought Me Great Inner Peace!

AWE-GOD! I Hope – Pray The Same For You!

Encouragement For You!
Take Heart, Be Of Good Cheer!
Don’t Be Discouraged
BE FOUND ENCOURAGED IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS!
Let The Hope Of God, Jesus Christ, Be Your Pace Setter Of Faith
And Run Your Race Excellently With Your Expectations In God.
Stay Your Course – Set Your Eyes On Jesus – Follow Him 1st!

Side Dishes Available With This Meal

This meal is served with the side dishes that complement it's fine cusine! The side dishes are on the bar to your right. I strongly encourage you to take some time to sample each one of these side dishes. Click on the name of the available side dish! Hope you enjoy your selections! The side dishes available today are: