cannyben

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’” Haggai 1:5 After you’ve gone through a challenging season, you’ll eventually be ready to resume life again. But as you do, you should keep a few principles in mind. You should expect to feel mixed emotions and also take time to extract the lessons you’ve learned from the hard time. And here’s another thing you should do: Evaluate everything. Because hardship changes people. You’re not the same person after a trauma that you were before. Instead of returning to the same old patterns, behaviors, and habits, God wants to give you an opportunity to reset your life. There are likely some things you were doing before the hard times that you shouldn’t start up again. As the ancient Jews resumed “normal life’ after being in captivity, the prophet Haggai had a message for them: “Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never...

We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.” Ephesians 4:14 One of the most powerful forces of nature is wind. That’s why the Bible uses wind as a metaphor for so many things. There are winds of testing, trouble, conflict, and temptation. But God makes it possible to withstand each one. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (ESV). The word withstand means “to remain undamaged by a destructive force.” One of the best ways to remain undamaged by the winds of life is to stay connected to your spiritual family. God never meant for you to withstand difficult days by yourself. One of the first things God said was, “It isn’t good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18 TLB). Whether or not you ever marry is irrelevant. You need a spiritual family for support so you can stay c...

Blessings Come From Doing Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:17 The uncontrollable winds of life—relational winds, financial winds, and spiritual winds—can overwhelm you and throw you off course. But God’s Word is filled with principles to help you withstand even the toughest winds. God doesn’t just want you just to hear his Word. He wants you to do it—to obey it, to practice it. The Bible says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25 NIV). Notice the three things that happen in a storm. The rain comes down, attacking the roof of your life. The streams rise, flooding the foundation of your life. And the winds blow, beating against the walls of your life. You’re getting it from the top, the bottom, and ...

“No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.” John 14:18 Sometimes you find yourself in situations you don’t want and don’t like. In fact, on some days you may feel like the storms of life threaten to drown you. Remind yourself how much Jesus cares. Not only does Jesus see your struggle, but he also cares about your struggle. And not only does he cares, but he also does something about it. You can see this pattern of Jesus seeing, caring, and doing in the story of Jesus walking on water in Mark 6:47-48: “Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake” (NIV). The disciples had four things going against them: It was dark, they were in the middle of a lake, they were alone, and “the wind was against them.” How did Jesus respond? He didn’t just stand on the shoreline and tell them what to do. Instea...

Planning Helps You to Live With Purpose “Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.” Proverbs 4:26 God has a plan for your life—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make plans too. He doesn’t want you to drift along, letting circumstances determine the direction of your life. He wants you to be intentional about the path you choose. Although the Bible gives many reasons for planning, here are three reasons that are foundational. God makes plans. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (NIV). God wants you to be like him. So, if God makes plans, then you should make plans too. But there’s one thing God is not: “God is not a God of disorder” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV). Do you have any plans for the rest of the year? The next 10 years? If you haven’t made any plans for your life, then it’s likely your life is out of order—and that’s not how God created you...

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 Paul says, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NLT) He doesn’t say you should be joyful only in good times. He says you should be full of joy always. But how can you do that? The Bible teaches that—even when times are tough—you can be joyful if you follow these four simple strategies: Thank God in all things. When you pray, do it with thanksgiving. The healthiest human emotion is gratitude. It actually increases your immunities. It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. People who are grateful are happy. But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They’re never satisfied. It’s never good enough. But if you cultivate an attitude of gratitude—of being thankful in every circumstance—your stress will lessen. Don’t worry about anything. Worrying doesn’t change anything. You learned it from your parents. You l...

“If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.” James 4:15 We’ve been looking at Nehemiah’s model for making God-inspired plans. So far, we’ve learned five steps: Step 1: Ask God for favor on your life. Step 2: Prepare for an opportunity, and then wait. Step 3: Expect fear, but don’t let it stop you. Step 4: Establish a clear target. Step 5: Set a deadline. Here are Nehemiah’s final two steps in developing a life plan. Step 6: Anticipate barriers. Part of the planning process involves anticipating problems. Proverbs 27:12 says, “A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them” (TLB). Nehemiah thought through all the problems he might face. Then he said to the king, “Would you be willing to give me letters to the governors of the provinces west of the Euphrates River, so that I can travel safely to Judah? I will need timber to rebuild the gates of the fortress near the temple and more timber to construct the city wall and to build a place for me to l...

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 God’s plans and your plans can work together to accomplish the purpose he has for you. Nehemiah is a great example of this. Here are three steps that Nehemiah modeled in developing a life plan. Step 3: Expect fear, but don’t let it stop you. When the king saw Nehemiah approaching, he asked him why he looked so sad. In those days, it was a crime to be sad before the king, yet Nehemiah was about to ask for a leave of absence to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. Nehemiah did two things with his fear: • He expressed his feelings. Nehemiah replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins” (Nehemiah 2:3 NLT). Admitting how you feel is how you grow. • He prayed quickly before speaking. “The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 2:4 NIV). Sometimes prayer can just be quickly and silently saying, “Help!” T...

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 As you look to God to do great things in your life, there are two facts you need to understand about the dreams he gives you. First, no dream is built without the support of others. Just like a building needs support, your dream needs support. True success is never a one-man show. Anything significant you do in life will require help from others. God intentionally wired us to need each other so we will learn how to work together. The Bible says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV). Why can’t you go after your dream by yourself? Here are three reasons: • You don’t know everything you need to know. • You...

There is a right time and a right way to do everything.” Ecclesiastes 8:6 When God puts a dream in your heart, you don’t necessarily have to act on it right away. The Bible says, “There is a right time and a right way to do everything” (Ecclesiastes 8:6 GNT). Pitchers understand the importance of timing in baseball. Every pitcher throws the same 5 ¼-ounce ball and stands the same 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate. But the difference between a pro pitcher and an amateur is timing. A pitcher’s timing can make or break them. Another good example of timing is found in Nehemiah 2. Nehemiah knew timing could make or break his dream to rebuild Jerusalem. He could have made a grand entrance into town with trumpets and flags, announcing the reason for his arrival: “I’m here to save the day!” Instead, Nehemiah stayed quiet for three days after arriving in Jerusalem. What was he doing those first three days? Since he was a man of prayer, there’s no doubt he was praying. He was also a planner, so...

“They replied at once, ‘Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!’ So they began the good work.” Nehemiah 2:18 Learning how to enlist the support of others is an important part of following your God-given dream. But how do you get others to help you with your dream? Nehemiah 2 offers four steps for bringing others on board to accomplish your dream. Step 1: Do your research. Before you announce your dream to your family and friends, make sure you have all the information you need. You don’t want someone to ask a question you can’t answer because you didn’t get all the facts first. Nehemiah knew this as he arrived in Jerusalem to begin working on his dream. He said, “I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart . . . I went . . . to inspect the broken walls and burned gates” (Nehemiah 2:12-13 NLT). Nehemiah didn’t depend on secondhand knowledge. He conducted his own research. Step 2: Paint a picture of what needs to change. Before someone can see in their mind how something could be...