| Author | Message | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 335 Registered: 8-2004  |
"All things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8:28 "The circumstances of a saint's life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint threre is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you cannot understand at all, bu the Spirit of God understands. God is bringing you into places and among people and into conditions in order that the intercession of the Spirit in you may take a particular line. Never put your hand in front of the circumstances and say -- I am going to be my own providence here, I must watch this, and guard that. All your circumstances are in the hand of God, therefore never think it strange concerning the circumstances you are in. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to enter into the agony of intercession, but to utilize the common-sense circumstances God puts you in, and the common-sense people He puts you amongst by His providence, to bring them before God's throne and give the Spirit in you a chance to intercede for them. In this way God is going to sweep the whole world with His saints. "Am I making the Holy Spirit's work difficult by being indefinite, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession, and the human side is the circumstances I am in and the people I am in contact with. I have to keep my conscious life as a shrine of the Holy Ghost, then as I bring the different ones before God, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for them. "Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, but the Holy Ghost makes intercession in our particular lives, without which intercession someone will be impoverished." --Oswald Chambers This reading was a particular blessing to me as I read it last night after a very stress-filled and momentous day in my life. I was second-guessing myself and doing the very 'I must watch this, and guard against that' that the reading mentions. God is so good to rebuke and chasten, and uplift and encourage, in just the amounts and at just the times we need! Rejoicing in God's blessings, Mary | ||
| Bb Registered user Username: Bb Post Number: 105 Registered: 7-2004 |
Mary, Thank you so much for sharing that! I also have been going through some stresses with my teenager and yesterday was terrible. This morning I am still thinking about my problems and then I read this. It is just exactly what I need to remind myself. Our circumstances are ordained by God! He knows what I need to do and what I need to grow! Thank you. | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 698 Registered: 1-2003 |
I am having teenage troubles too! No one told me that cute little babies turn into hormonal teenagers! | ||
| Seekr777 Registered user Username: Seekr777 Post Number: 354 Registered: 1-2003  |
Teenagers, YUCK, maybe we should ship them FAR, FAR, away to a distant island with a passport that only allows them to return a certain number of years later.  Richard PS: For the humor challenged the above was said with tongue placed firmly in cheek. rtruitt@mac.com | ||
| Seekr777 Registered user Username: Seekr777 Post Number: 355 Registered: 1-2003 |
Mary thanks for sharing your reflections above. The last few months have been difficult but taught me that God is in control even when I don't always see where it is all going. Even with the problems with Annie and my marriage I see the hand of God working through it all. That is what is so awesome. This past weekend I attended a Men's retreat at my church. It was awesome seeing the Hand of God (Holy Spirit) working in the hearts of the men attending. We met until late Friday evening. We were supposed to finish at 9pm but we didn't get out until near 11pm. Saturday the church was men only and we met from 9am until 4pm which turned out to be closer to 6pm. One thing that was such a blessing was knowing that a group of woman were in prayer in the "Upper Room" where our youth meet. There were about 30 women there praying and interceeding for the men of our church and visiting churches. They were in prayer the entire time of the retreat. I have a nephew who like I came from a traditional SDA background and I invited him to attend as well. I was wondering how he might react to the intensity of the service since it was totally nontraditional. It was a time when men were being called to allow the Holy Spirit complete control of their lives and totally give themselves to the Lord. I just turned him over to God and said he is in your hands. Do whatever you want. I realized it wasn't my "problem". In Christ, Richard rtrutt@mac.com | ||
| Bb Registered user Username: Bb Post Number: 106 Registered: 7-2004 |
Richard, I can see now how God was working in my life even through difficulties and the demise of my first marriage. He is so wonderful in the gifts he has given me since going through that! Yes, my teenage son now thinks I am a complete moron. He used to think I was SO awesome, talented, etc.! I had heard all of this before, but didn't think MY kids would act this way when they hit the teen years! ha ha. He won't listen to my advice at all. Then when he figures out on his own that "hey, that is a good idea!" he thinks he thought of it all by himself, and that I was never harping on him about it. Well, prayer has been helping. I need to let God have control of each circumstance and not try to take it all on myself. I have had two immediate answers to my quick prayers for help regarding this boy. God is good! Bb | ||
| Bb Registered user Username: Bb Post Number: 107 Registered: 7-2004 |
P.S. Richard, I considered shipping him off! Can't seem to do it though. | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 738 Registered: 7-2004 |
If you allow the kid to mature past 22 you will find that he realizes that his parents are intelligent after all. Oh, then he will start treating you as though you are fragile and your days are numbered -- at least that is my experience with my kids. They know my brain works but have doubts about everything else. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 2894 Registered: 12-2003  |
Ha! So funny, Belva! Our 22-year-old actually comes home occasionally just to "hang out". Yep--getting past the teens definitely alters their perspective! Our 18-year-old is...well, let's just say 18 is a BIG improvement over 15 and 16!! He actually sometimes asks our opinions...gasp! Colleen | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 2895 Registered: 12-2003 |
Mary, I love that Chambers quote. Thank you for sharing it. Besides pondering that my circumstances are ordered by God, I also appreciated the part about our conscious life being the shrine of the Holy Spirit, thus enabling us to pray whenever God places a person in our awareness. The Spirit does the interceding, not me. Thank you. Colleen | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 988 Registered: 3-2005 |
Mary, Another great Chambers devotional. You have posted a lot of good ones (they are all good). I sure feel better knowing that everything that happens to us-good or bad- happens only because God foreordained it to happen. There are absolutely no accidents in the Kingdom of God. Stan | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1988 Registered: 3-2004  |
Mary, Thanks for the Chambers devotional. It sure makes sense of many things that are happening in my life right now. I need to pray more for those with whom I work as well as for various family member. I learned in my 12 step program that there are no coincidences. I learned to call them God Incidents. Thank you God for using Mary to send us a message. About teenagers, I have had only one, but he was a normal teenager. A friend of mine, my son was in his early teens, told one time, that when she was in college the students were studying teenagers. The professor of psychology told the class the best way to get through the teenage years was to send the teen to live with a grandparent, favorite aunt/uncle. Then when they are 18 bring them home. If I had done that with my son, he would have come home with a vocabulary of so many 4 letter word that were not love, like, care. You get the point. His favorite uncle used all kinds of foul language. But I survived those years. Thank you God. You are awesome. Diana |
