Change Your Reaction and Change Your Direction

I can remember sitting down at night and watching four hours of Fox News on TV. Every commentator reported the same bad news of the day. Each one had a different spin on the horrible news of the day. It was like looking a pile of dog doo-doo from different angles. Nobody changed the outcome. Nobody found anything good anywhere. Guess what? I stopped watching Fox News on TV.

But to soothe my....whatever, I started reading Fox News on the internet. Meticulously I would click on each headline to read a story. I got tired of that for the same reason. They and all the other news sources pride themselves on presenting their own version of the awful side of life.Now, I'll click it on, read the headlines and determine that there is nothing I really want to read. Then I click on Tim Tebow, Gators Football or SEC news. Man do I feel better.

The fact is bad news happens every day. You don't have to be a bad guy to have bad things happen to you. The people that have hurt me the most are people that I originally placed a lot of love and hope in. Somewhere down the line, that wonderful relationship turned into Fox News. Something bad was on every channel.

The plain fact is, bad stuff happens to good people. As long as you're alive on this planet earth it's always going to happen that way. There's no way around it.

Jesus said the same thing in John 16:33--KJV--These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Take a look at what the Apostle Paul said--KJV--1 Thessalonians 5:18--In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

And, --KJV--Philippians 4:4--Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

These three scriptures are talking about all the bad news you see on Fox, CNN and all the other news networks. They are talking about all the bad stuff that has happened to you so far, the bad things you know are about to happen and the bad things that you don't see coming. Jesus said it and Paul reiterates it. Bad stuff is going to happen to good people whether they want it or not and whether they deserve it or not. Then what's up with the happy and cheerful?

Here's a few more to think about. Jesus said to cheer up when things look bad because He has already overcome the world. Your problems past, present and future have already been taken care of by the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul said in Romans 8:28--KJV-And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Bad stuff ain't good when it happens but Jesus has overcome that bad through His blood and promised to work that bad into something good.

Take the children of Israel who were in Egyptian bondage for 400 years. Yeah, that's bad. And it hurt. And they didn't have much to live for being slaves and treated like the scum of the earth. However, God had spoken to Abraham 400 years previously, told him of their slavery AND told him about their great deliverance.

Now we know the end of the story. We can shout because God delivered them with a mighty hand just like He said He would. AND, He brought them out of bondage richer than they ever dreamed they could be. Why? Because God said so, that's why. When God says something, He does it. Isaiah 55:11 tells us that God's Word would not return to Him void but that it would accomplish whatever it was that He wanted to accomplish.

Yes, Abraham had to wait 25 years for God to redeem His promise, but he got it. Yes, the Hebrew children had to go through a bunch of embarrassing, disgusting labor and toil. BUT God rewarded them for it. That was His intention all the time. 

Yes, Paul and Silas were embarrassed and hurt when they were beaten and thrown into the Philippian jail. All they did was preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out devils. You would have thought that the townspeople would have been grateful to have the crippled walk, the blind to see and criminals straighten up and steal and kill no more. 

But, Paul didn't see the jail as a stopping or a forever point. He had studied the Word of God all of his life. He knew that God was the God of "IT ONLY LOOKS LIKE". He knew that it only looked like God's people would be slaves and would never inherit a land like He promised. It only looked like the walls of Jericho were too thick to conquer.  It only looked like Goliath and the Philistines would win the day. It only looked like the fiery furnace was going to take the lives of the three Hebrew children. And on, and on, and on. It only LOOKED LIKE things were bad right then.

Paul had given God control over every aspect of his life. As he trusted God, Paul saw the beatings and the jail as a God-opportunity to declare His powerful hand. You know the story. Paul and Silas prayed, sang and rejoiced in the darkest part of that jail. That's what man did to try to stop Paul, Silas and the hand of God. God found a rejoicing praiser in the middle of that jail. That's when God decided to step in and honor His rejoicing servant.

Paul and Silas believed that all things were going to WORK together for their good. Instead of moaning and begrudging these circumstances that they never imagined would come their way, they began to praise God for whatever God was working out for them. They had no idea that there would be an earthquake. They had no idea if someone was going to bail them out. They kept their faith line and their praise line open for whatever God had up His sleeve.

Back to what Jesus said in John 14:1. He told everybody, "Don't allow your heart to be troubled." Ok, if I'm not supposed to allow my heart to be troubled then I can presume that I am supposed to do something about getting my heart to be happy and rejoice. 

The things we go THROUGH sometimes aren't anything we can praise Him about. BUT, we can praise Him for working something good out of all that we are going through. God knows that taking us THROUGH some rough times will strengthen our character and will ultimately bring us into a greater awareness of His grace, His mercy and His awesome power.

So, we can say that without a doubt, the ugly junk that we are going through is a plan of God for our lives, Jeremiah 29:11. Through all of this doo-doo God had planned something GOOD for us and not something bad. The object is to praise and rejoice in Him in the very middle of rough and ungodly circumstances.

Here's what I have learned to do instead of moaning and groaning about my situation. I have learned, like the Apostle Paul showed us, to be grateful FOR the circumstance. Be grateful for that hateful spouse, friend or boss. Why? Because God is using their abuse to take you to your promotion. He's taking you somewhere good while he's gonna deal with them later. Learn to allow your heart to rejoice instead of being troubled. In everything that happens to you give thanks because it is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus. 

There's a master plan for you that God is working out for you right now whether it looks like it or not. Kick your heart into praising mode and watch what He's going to do for you. Don't be discouraged. Your rugged trail will be much shorter and more enjoyable when you praise Him through it all.