<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>God is faithful and is always with you, protecting and watching over you whether you believe He is there or not. Just because you cannot sense Him intervening, it does not mean He is distracted working on the other side of the world.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>There is an old saying, “God’s care for His children is like the Sun: It’s constant. Even though the clouds often obscure it, this does not mean it’s not there.”</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>And Isaiah 59:1 reminds us, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.” Even if you have made some serious mistakes, it does not mean He does not still love you or has forsaken you. Maybe He is just patiently waiting for you to give Him your life instead of just your problems.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>You may be beating yourself up and thinking this is one of the worst times of your life but be encouraged, there is wonderful news! Have you ever considered Romans 8:28 as a promise directly to you and your problems? Listen to this again, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>This is a very popular passage in the Bible and for good reason. Many times we do not receive the enjoyment and nourishment from God’s banquet table because we are so focused on our situation. If we would spend the same amount of energy on prayer that we do on worry, I believe we would see more victory and less discouragement.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Since God is working behind the scenes to make things work out for us, we may not be demonstrating enough patience with Him. Maybe He is trying to show you something very special that you would not have been able to see any other way.&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>It has been said the majority of great things which have been done on the earth, have been accomplished by those going through difficult times. Mature Christians are to be like steel when it is “tempered” with heat to make them pure and strong in experience and wisdom, yet covered with velvet as they manifest God’s character with compassion, humility, and sensitivity.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Instead of spending all of our time trying to figure out why things happen, we can seek to know Him more intimately. How will this help? Because He is the only one who has all the answers and knowing and loving Him is how we learn more about everything. Learning and accepting this truth about the endless commitment of God’s love toward us is a revelation of His unfailing covenant to be with us now and forever.&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Knowing that Jesus suffered on the cross because He loved us, allows us to see the lies of our adversary when he tells us that no one cares or that we are hopelessly lost. With the increased spiritual sensitivity which Jesus is waiting to give us, we can start making good decisions and get back on the right path of God’s will.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>A. W. Tozer is quoted as saying, “Man’s mighty burden is his obligation to God. It includes an instant and lifelong duty to love God with every power of mind and soul, to obey Him perfectly, and to worship Him acceptably.” Included in this quest to be transformed into God’s image is the fact that Christ will help us become victorious in whatever area we need to overcome.&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>New Year resolutions commonly include trying to resist food cravings as we admit that our minds lead and control our bodies. It’s been said if you do not want temptation to follow you, stop acting like you are interested. Don’t run from it, just look it in the eye and defeat it.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Another example is having a problem with cursing, which by the way is a terrible witness. We can ask God to put an alarm on our minds and tongues to stop us before it is too late. It’s much better to be aware of our sins before we commit them than to ask forgiveness after the fact.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>What many fail to realize is that once our testimony is compromised, we may never have an opportunity to share Christ with that person again because the enemy will always remind them about that time when we lost control. If we are determined to allow God to renew our minds, this will bring a positive change to the way we live!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><em>Read more about the Christian life at <a href="http://www.billyhollandministries.com" data-type="URL" data-id="www.billyhollandministries.com">www.billyhollandministries.com</a></em></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->