Spilt Milk

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Why cry over spilt milk?” It's something we can visualize in our mind.  Imagine a person standing at a refrigerator door, thirsty, ready for that cold glass of milk, then while pouring the milk it goes all over the floor.  What can you do besides clean it up and pour again? Some would actually stand there and agonize over what they can't drink, because of what was lost. But what if it was the last bit of milk in the house? Then you just have to wait until it's restored in the morning!  There are situations in our lives that are rather like spilt milk.  We can't go back and change them or pretend like they never happened. We just have to allow the Lord to help us clean it up and go forward. Sometimes easier said than done but here is what works for me.

 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22 (KJV) I love how it reads in The Message translation: “Pile your troubles on GOD's shoulders—he'll carry your load, he'll help you out. He'll never let good people topple into ruin.”

What happens when we don’t cast our burdens upon the Lord and also keep everyone else's burdens?  We carry unnecessary weight. We live looking backwards wishing things were different. Instead, we should move forward from our past, and move into what God has for us. That is what it means to let Jesus carry our load.  We don’t need to become emotional junk haulers constantly trying to fix ourselves when we are not capable of doing so. Just remember that the burden needs to be released to the Lord, He can handle it. 

It's more than memories--it's also fixating on what we could have, or what we believe we are entitled to. Some actually get a mindset of, “that was my last chance at happiness.” But if God is our Father, He's our joy and knows what we need at all times. We should stop crying over spilt milk and move on.  We have to release ourselves from standing and looking at the puddle. We can't afford to keep reliving the past, because if we do, we may miss what God has for us. The spill, as painful as it may be, is not the end of us. God has the last say so on our lives, not a job, relationship, business, etc. It's time to stop crying over spilt milk… Past is past and the new he wants us to walk into is right in front of us. Let’s not miss it because we are weighed down looking backwards.

Blessings,

How to Live with Hope!

In life we face many opportunities to overcome opposition. This is a different attitude toward adversity in the sense of looking at it as an opportunity rather than as defeating opposition or insurmountable odds. We sometimes face situations that seem impossible, or at least know someone who does. The key is: don’t spend your time talking about how big the problem is or confessing that you’re never going to make it. No, on the contrary, start declaring, “The hand of God is upon my life!” When we realize God’s hand of favor is upon us, our understanding of hope and the power of renewed hope will lift us up.

I love the passage in Hebrews 6:18-20a (The Message) “We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God” When we have been through these experiences we know the power of God and the strength, peace and hope that HE gives is something we can only experience in Him. If we would only choose to hang onto the truth of who God declares himself to be and trust that we can expect our world to change. Remember hope is based on our faith in God. We don’t hope in someone or something—our hope is in Jesus Christ! You and I have a testimony and that testimony is a confession of who our Lord is and what He has done! Look back and see what all He has done in our lives. Do you really think He would leave you now?

When those thoughts of doubt come, declare the truth of God’s Word! How are we going to get healed out from under the weight of debt? “The hand of God is upon my life.” How are we going to break that addiction? “The hand of God.” How are we going to accomplish our dreams? “The hand of God!” In Ezra 7:28 (NIV) Ezra declares, “Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.” God’s hand on our lives never leaves us.

The more we recognize God’s favor, the more we declare and believe His promises. Then we will see God’s hand at work in every part of our lives. As we stand in faith and hope in Him, we will see His promises become visible in our life. We will experience His favor and victory and have an overwhelming sense of balance in our daily life!

Blessings,