Have you ever felt in your life that you have always had the short end of the stick? Have you ever felt that no matter what you do that you can't do anything right? I had a friend that gave me a great idea for a Bible Study with the characters of a well known children's cartoon. You all have heard of Winnie the Pooh and his friends of the 100 acre woods. The questions that I asked in the beginning reminded me of a character who in this story was always negative, the glass was always half empty, the world was falling apart, and he was the stick in the mud. Many of us have been found in Eeyore's shoes at one time or another. Many of us find ourselves in this pity party longer than we really ought to be there. What a mess we bury ourselves into when we fall for Satan's pity demons. But there is hope! God is ready to reach down and take you out of the mess that you are in. Cry out to the Lord in your troubles (Psalms 40:1). Sometimes we are so busy whining and complaining about our failures in life and our disappointments that we often miss God. We are often too busy in the woe is me status in life that we can't hear God telling us how we can get out of this mess that we are in. Jesus told the crowd in Matthew 11 to "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." It is better to give our problems to the Lord instead of dwelling on it. What a difference would the Eeyore's of this world have witnessed if they had simply handed their woes to the Lord and rested in His care. The horrible pit that you are in can and will destroy you if you do not ask the Lord for help (Psalms 40:2). In other words, you are in way over your head! If you can't see the hand of God reaching down to you, then you need to take your hand off your face. Prepare to be lifted out of the miry clay. As you are being lifted up, God has prepared a solid foundation to set you on (Psalms 40:3). He didn't decide to rescue you and place you in a pit of sinking sand. Not only will He place you on a solid foundation, He will give you words of praise. In your heart it will resound through your voice and echo to the very ears of Almighty God. At times we find ourselves in the mist of anxiety and fear. Something God really taught me in Matthew 6 was this little verse, "And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?" I believe that Jesus was simply saying, what does it matter and why are you worrying if God has already taken care of it? Worry has been proven to be a killer in people's lives. Jesus had foreknowledge that worry kills. So why are you worrying, Eeyore?
Many will say, "I am in too deep to get out" or "God can never save me, I am a mess." I thank God that David felt the same way in Psalms 138 but he knew where his help came from, "Though I am surrounded by troubles, my God WILL preserve me." I love the absolutes in the Bible. God WILL preserve you! He will keep you calm, cool, and collected (Psalms 94:12-13). The question remains, how does this come to past? In Psalms 91, we find a great example of what to do. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty". I love how the Amplified puts it, "HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]." No power can come against the power of Almighty God! God will place a shield around you that will not allow any weapon to come against you (Isaiah 54:17) and so we will need not to worry about why we aren't getting our "blessing". After a while, that religious spirit of "I am just waiting on my blessing. I am just waiting on God." If you are waiting on God, that's awesome. However, if you are complacent, that's another story. God will give you the strength to come out of your adversity (Phil 4:13/James 1:12). He doesn't place a boulder on your back, my friend. If you have a boulder on your back, He gives you the strength to lift that boulder up.
Something to remember while I close, God didn't promise you a life of stress free living. In fact, Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulations and trials but to be of good cheer for He has already conquered the world. What does that mean to you and I? It means that Matthew 19:26 is true when Jesus told his disciples that "all things are possible with God." No matter how deep you are in, no matter how much depression and anxiety you have, God is ready to take that burden off and lift you out of it! What do you need to do? Ask. It sounds so simple...but it is. Ask.
What difference it would have made for Eeyore to have asked God, "My house isn't the greatest but Lord, thank you for sheltering me. I am content with it. God I do ask that You honor Your Word that says that You will meet my needs in accordance to the riches and glory of Your Son who died for me. " And then we would have seen Eeyore share honey with Pooh and enjoy a life worth living.
Many will say, "I am in too deep to get out" or "God can never save me, I am a mess." I thank God that David felt the same way in Psalms 138 but he knew where his help came from, "Though I am surrounded by troubles, my God WILL preserve me." I love the absolutes in the Bible. God WILL preserve you! He will keep you calm, cool, and collected (Psalms 94:12-13). The question remains, how does this come to past? In Psalms 91, we find a great example of what to do. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty". I love how the Amplified puts it, "HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]." No power can come against the power of Almighty God! God will place a shield around you that will not allow any weapon to come against you (Isaiah 54:17) and so we will need not to worry about why we aren't getting our "blessing". After a while, that religious spirit of "I am just waiting on my blessing. I am just waiting on God." If you are waiting on God, that's awesome. However, if you are complacent, that's another story. God will give you the strength to come out of your adversity (Phil 4:13/James 1:12). He doesn't place a boulder on your back, my friend. If you have a boulder on your back, He gives you the strength to lift that boulder up.
Something to remember while I close, God didn't promise you a life of stress free living. In fact, Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulations and trials but to be of good cheer for He has already conquered the world. What does that mean to you and I? It means that Matthew 19:26 is true when Jesus told his disciples that "all things are possible with God." No matter how deep you are in, no matter how much depression and anxiety you have, God is ready to take that burden off and lift you out of it! What do you need to do? Ask. It sounds so simple...but it is. Ask.
What difference it would have made for Eeyore to have asked God, "My house isn't the greatest but Lord, thank you for sheltering me. I am content with it. God I do ask that You honor Your Word that says that You will meet my needs in accordance to the riches and glory of Your Son who died for me. " And then we would have seen Eeyore share honey with Pooh and enjoy a life worth living.
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