Believing God's promises are for me

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When you've been through many trials and tribulations, years of suffering with little let-up, you start to doubt God's goodness toward you.

Oh you may still believe that He is good toward others, but you have a hard time experiencing His goodness toward you because of difficult circumstances.

That is where I was in my faith for longer than I like to admit.  Oh my faith in the Lord was still strong.  But I struggled with the difficult things He allowed to enter, and continue, in my life.

After all, I listened to Him and obeyed Him where most would not.  Why the long, hard season?  

I believed in His goodness even when I obeyed and things still turned out awful, or worse than they were.  But I had stopped clinging to His promises for me. 

God does not always fix all of our problems, though He does come alongside to comfort us in the midst of our problems.

What if those harsh realities never go away this side of heaven?  Can we still believe not only in God's goodness toward us, but also that His wonderful promises are still for us?

So 2022, I've decided, is my year to cast off any doubts about the Lord wanting to fulfill His promises to me personally.

I have started claiming them, as they say.  This is not a "manifestation" name and claim it type deal.  It is believing that the Lord's promises are for all those who believe.  And I am among those who believe!  As a believer, that is my job - to believe God!

So I've taped a couple of His magnificent promises to my bathroom mirror where I can't miss them!  I see them throughout the day.  

And you know what?  Though not much has changed around me, I feel His hope bubbling up inside me.  I am believing again.  

And even though His "good plans" for me may still entail seemingly "bad" things, I choose to believe that everything that He either causes in my life or allows to happen is a good thing.

How can pain be good?  

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

If faith is not tested, how will it become stronger?  Purified?  

Trials are a part of every true Christian's life.  When I gave my life to Christ, I willingly crossed over from the pilot's seat to the co-pilot's seat.  He is the Captain of my life's ship, not I.

So when He steers me directly into the storm, do I give in to fear?  Sometimes.  But why should I?  I know the Captain!  I know that He knows exactly what He is doing.  Even when it makes no sense to my human, limited mind.

I am not advocating suffering for the sake of suffering at all.  But I don't have a problem with this - the fact that there is much suffering in life - because I trust God.

See there are only so many choices on the "menu" of life in how we handle suffering.  

Medicate (drugs, alcohol, etc.)
Denial
Psychology
Expert help
Partying
Anger
Hopelessness
Escapism
Busyness

We are all either "eating" from this menu or choosing Christ.  

Since nothing from that menu really works - at least not longterm or for real - then I choose Christ.  And the times that I don't, my "soup du jour" is usually escapism which leaves me empty inside.  So back to Jesus I go!  

I found this book, Praying God's Promises, a while back and I come back to it again and again to remind me of God's promises to me.  I highly recommend it because it lists His promises by category so you can readily find God's promises for you in your situation.  The author lists the Scripture and then directly after, re-words the promise in the first person.  It has been a godsend for me.

I am excited about this New Year as I start to believe once again that God's wonderful promises are for me personally!

Dear Lord.  Please forgive me when I let hard times cloud my belief that Your promises are for me.  Help me cling to them all the more in the hard times, holding on to You as my great hope.  Thank You for Your magnificent promises for and to me, Lord God.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Disclaimer:
This blog post contains an affiliate link to a book.  I may receive a commission for purchases made through this link.

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