D-Day

They say that it is easier to create habits than it is to break them and I believe if you want to break one, you have to not only work at it but try to record your status as you try to break it. You look at how long it has been since you last did something and if you have not succeeded in completely breaking it, then you look at the number of times you have done something and try to progress. I feel like this will be most effective for me in trying to get rid of some things in my life and I can fill my time by spending time with God. For some reason when I have free time, I do not immediately think about praying or reading my bible, rather I try to find something else to do. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is a bad thing it kinda depends on my mood and the situation. Depending on the sin, I would say that most sin occurs when we are bored or are looking to try something different from what we normally do everyday. If we keep ourselves occupied with God and fixed on the things that are uplifting for him, then we will see the benefits of it by having our time be filled with joy and we will not feel as bad when we are done. Our conscience regulates our feelings after an activity or a decision and we know immediately and most of the time in advance that our decision is bad. Good decisions lead to more options in the future because God provides opportunities for all people and he has perfect plans for all people. The decisions you make will alter your status because other people have standards that are placed in them by God and if you do not meet those standards then you will not be of the same quality as you could have been. I am not saying that that you are being judged or that people will not like you, all I am saying is that people want the fullness of what God has for them and some of our decisions may eliminate options down the road for people because you are not what they expected. Step up, make the change and do some damage control when you are in the wrong. You are only hurting yourself and closest friends by making destructive decisions in your walk with Christ. Make the most of your options and chase after God with everything that you have.

The day of change has long been upon us as we should always be seeking to live pleasing in the sight of God. Then enemy cannot continue to conspire against us if we do not allow him any room to work. We must stay diligent in our search for more of God and we do that by keeping ourselves in good spirit and staying strong in The Spirit. Psalm 6:8-10 states, "Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace." This is my prayer right now because I need strength. Pray for strength every day because he will supply you with it. You do not need to pray and ask him straight up but just wake up and ask him for strength. Talk to God, you do not always have to close your eyes or kneel. People may think you are crazy but just act like you are talking to a person right in front of you, after all, he his present. Do not give up when it seems hopeless and you feel like you are drowning. He will pull you through anything and he will not let go when you are in the troubled water especially when he knows you are fighting to come back to him.

I hope you all had a great day. If you have any prayer requests or want to discuss anything, feel free to contact me. I am praying for all who have asked for it. Please continue to pray for me in everything.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Enough

Do you ever go through a day just thinking that nothing can go your way? No matter what you do it seems like you cannot get a break and sometimes it just feels like most of your life runs that way. Well you are not the only one and there is hope for you and everyone else. Everyone hits times in life that seem to just rough them up and an escape seems impossible. Here is another one... Do you ever feel like things could be better even when they are going good? Maybe even the rough times seem better because at least you knew it would be constant? I can tell you that you are not the only one to have ever experienced this and you most certainly will not be the last. When these times hit, you just have to try and remember that the blessing is right around the corner. In most cases it will be more than you could have ever imagined as long as you have faith and believe. You cannot receive if you are not open to the greatness presented before you. Sometimes it is a big step out and you just have to trust what your heart is telling you so that you can step up and grab a hold of it. Fighting through things is not an easy thing to do but God will be enough for you and he will provide the necessary tools to bring you through things. I watched a comedy the other night with the story being about the first guy who was ever able to lie. He told people that a man in the sky allowed for bad things to happen to people. They were outraged and cursed the man in the sky when he heard this but when he told them that he was more responsible for the positive things and the gifts they had received, then they thought the man in the sky was better but kind of twisted. The point being that everyone wants God to be just but only when it is for the common good. If he allows something bad to happen then immediately he becomes the villain. Continue to thank God for what he will bring you through because he has special ideas for you in the end if you can make it through the tough times with him.

The Israelites went through this sam period of trial in the desert and they even wished they could go back into Egypt and slavery! They complained that God was not providing them with enough after he had pulled them miraculously from the clutches of a mighty pharaoh. In Exodus 16:3 they are quoted as saying, " 'If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.' " Now after hearing their cry, God provided the manna and quail from heaven but not too long later they were complaining again and they even avoided the promised land because they did not believe that God would provide what they needed. When we let fear dictate our next step, it typically leads to failure. That may come as a big surprise but fear of anything often leads to failure. Success usually comes when you overcome that fear and it can be in the midst of a challenge and change the outcome. The Israelites had so much going for them and they still complained. I feel like we do this a lot of the time and we just need to remember that God is enough and he will supply all that we need. I kick myself sometimes because of things I buy and I can think something through for a long time but still can doubt decision after I have made a purchase. Then, I go on and complain that I do not have money for other things. God is teaching me right now the value of things monetary as well as sentimentally. We cannot just continue to pass on good opportunities in life and we have to learn how to take ahold of a situation so that we can make the best of it and not look back and wonder if we did things right. We can make it through as long as we continue to carry the right attitude and work diligently to get to the end.

I hope all is going well, please continue to pray for me and I am praying for those who have requested prayer. God is doing awesome things. I want to remember the youth group at Church at Chapel Hill as they lost a student this past week and are headed to camp this week. Pray that God continues to move in the lives of the students as they are an amazing group of kids.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson