Godly Reminders

Praise God for some stark realizations, affirmations and sweet reminders I've received over the long holiday weekend.  I pray that you will be blessed as well as you read through my post.  

1.  God gives you the competence to do your work, establish strong relationships and make sound decisions.  It is not exactly right to claim the glory for ourselves and be airheaded because of our achievements, but know that it is only through God’s gracious gift of “competence” that you are able to do the things you do.. and have done in the past.
2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

2.  Pain, hurt, disappointments are some of the key indicators to know if God is humbling you.  Do you have a problem with arrogance?  Pride?  Accepting your mistakes?  It takes more of a huge effort to remain humble rather than to be defensive and give reason to what you’ve done to other people.  Are you going through a difficult time right now?  Pause and pray.  God may be tapping you on the shoulder asking you to humble yourself.  After all, pride never caused anything good in a relationship.  Make a stand.
James 4:6 NIV
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

3.  Set aside time to pray for people in your daily prayer closet.  I greatly appreciate friends and family who pray for me and my family; may God bless them (you know who  you are *smile*) with abundance and prosperity.  You are in my prayers, our prayers, as well.  I will be getting “Praying God’s Will” by Jay Duque this week as this book will help you/us to pray, not just for ourselves, but for other people as well.  
James 5:16 NIV
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

4.  God is GOD.  He disciplines just as your biological father would.  Without discipline, we would never have learned the values we will live with as soon as we turn into adults.  When God disciplines us, it may be difficult, it may be painful; but just as our dads would tell us, “anak, it’s for y our own good”…  God tells us that, it makes us stronger spiritually and mentally, mature and “not lacking anything”.  No child can learn to walk without stumbling.
James 1:2-4 MSG
Consider it a sheer gift, my friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

5.  God loves you.  God loves you – period!  He loves you and me and everyone else.  He is patient and kind.  He is patient in the sense that no matter how much we sin, He will still give you a chance to do that 180-degree turn, apologize, say sorry with all your heart and live for Him.  Sometimes we hate ourselves for not having this or that, we become disappointed when things don’t turn out the way we want them to.  We need to love our God more.  And only then can we learn to love ourselves and other people too.  It may sound weird, it may sound far out, but make a spirituality check and identify what/who you are living for.  Is it temporal?  Does it depreciate?  Is it always connected with money?  GOD is eternal.  No beginning, no end.  I don’t think anything in this world can match that.  Who/what are you clinging on to?
Titus 2:12 (NIV)
12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age..