Mountains Into Molehills

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Today's Passage> Philippians 4:6-9
Memory Verse> Phil.4:6

I've seen quite a few things in my day that probably should've caused me to have lost my sound mind by now. Every now and then, I go back to the days of the war when we slept on the concrete floor of an abandoned house with only clothes beneath us. We left everything behind us and, from one day to the next, only God knew where provision was coming from. Day in and day out, there were people dying on their own or being killed all around us. I'll never forget the stench of it, coming only from the pit of hell with all the hate and anger that compelled the soldiers to do unspeakable things.

But thanks to God's awesome grace, I came out of it with a confidence that nothing happens outside of God's knowledge and control, and all things work together for the good of those called to accomplish His purpose. Even so, though, many years later,I still carried the scars of those days and manifested the emotional burdens I thought I had gotten rid of. How did I do that? By walking around with a paranoid attitude, thinking everyone was out to get me and that I would have to look out for myself by building these walls. No-one would ever see my tears, but I would internalize and deal with pain by comforting myself with food. And these outbursts of anger that came out of me were so unexpected, especially when my children were younger, that it almost destroyed my relationship with them because I took everything out on them whenever they made mistakes.

It wasn't until God began to show me that I could walk in healing by thinking thoughts of good report and life, not frustration and despair. I discovered that I had heard so many words of condemnation-- even before the war-- that I had learned to find only the negative in others. I didn't know how to praise and encourage because I hadn't heard it often. But as I grew in relationship with God, He showed me that there was no way I could shower praises on Him, yet find only the negative in others that He created. I have truly been changed from the person I used to be to the woman I am now.

Instead of focusing on what the situation calls for, stressing out and being anxious about things I couldn't control anyway, I remember what God's Word says and focus on that. Lately, I even find myself moving away from the negative influences. I no longer feel obligated to tolerate them just to be polite, because that negative stuff only gets deposited in our system. I'm learning that every experience served to teach me how to expect the best from God no matter what. I'm taking Him at His Word that I am not to be anxious or easily frustrated about ANYTHING, but bring EVERYTHING to Him in prayer. And the peace that flows from my communion with Him keeps the evil one from getting in. Talk to Your Father today about the mountains in your life; you'll see them crumble into molehills in His awesome presence.

Prayer: Father, You have so graciously taught me to trust You in everything. You are God alone, and no situation is too big for You to handle. May every mountain be turned into a level plain as I let You in more and more. I pray today that Your people will also begin to trust You and give You their mountains as well. And may the enemy be defeated in all our lives. In Jesus' Name, Amen.