 Photo by Andres Ayrton In our society there are so many messages in the media that encourage the unmatched power of willpower. We are advised to white knuckle it, grit our teeth, buckle down and make it happen for ourselves. Daily we are bombarded with mantras that advise us that we can: harness the power within, and change our lives for the better with sheer determination. We are led to believe that a person needs nothing or no one else to transform his or her life other than good old me, myself and I. Although there is truth in the premise that for lasting change to happen and positive problem solving to take place, one must be fully committed, there is much more to examine here.  In addition to needing family, friends and mentors in your corner to aid your success, I challenge you to invite God to join your problem-solving team as well, and perhaps even act as the captain if you are ready. In Philippians 4:13 it says: I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. I would like to break that down a bit to provide advice on why this enlightens us to understand why willpower alone often falls short. I Can Do All ThingsIn this verse it says I can do ALL things. It doesn’t state I can do the following things and the following things alone... with God by my side. It says I can do ALL things. Drop. The. Mic. With God as our pilot even the most problematic path seems surprisingly manageable. I am a singer and I love to sing a song by Scott Wesley Brown that is entitled He Will Carry You. The song lyrics state: "There is no problem too big, God cannot solve it There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it There is no storm too dark God cannot calm it There is no sorrow too deep He cannot soothe it" I don’t know about you, but I would say that certainly covers it all! Never does it say independently I can do all these things, because the verse does not stop there. There's more! Let's move on. Through Christ Who Give Me StrengthWe were never meant to walk alone. We were never meant to do life in our own strength. That will only carry us so far. Life is just plain hard, and we need something greater than ourselves to keep us moving forward, especially during tough times. God is our ever-present help in times of trouble. His mercies are new every morning and He is always ready to empower us with His presence, offer His strength and provide a shoulder to cry on as needed during our darkest days. It is so exciting to grasp that you don't have to carry your burdens alone. Won't you consider allowing God to take the reins or if you already have Him on your team, allow Him to take a larger leadership role in your life? You won't regret it. Trust me. When it comes to problem solving, you and God are truly a match made in Heaven! Tuck that in your heart today! Prayer: Dear Heavenly father, Thank you for the reminder that we do not have to try to handle our situations on our own. You have promised us to give us the strength to get through and You are the best problem solving partner anyone could ask for. Help us never to forget this, In Jesus Name, Amen Sending you a virtual hug, Dana
Tags: Why the power of willpower falls short, willpower, power will, will power, God and strength quotes, quotes about strength from God, God quotes for strength, God quotes on strength, quotes about strength from God, life skills, living skillsCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana/ walkingintheword
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 Let’s walk together through Proverbs 3: 5 – 6. In these verses, it says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. There is a lot to unpack in these two verses, so let’s begin. Trust in the Lord with ALL Your HeartWe need to know that God is the only constant in our lives. Trust can be very difficult at times. People and circumstances let us down regularly. With God, it is so different though. What He says, He will do. His promises are solid and failproof. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and what He did for those in the past, He will do for you. He is the SAME God, and you can 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt trust Him with ALL your heart, not just some small piece. This could be something very complicated for some of us to grasp depending on our spiritual backgrounds and whether we have had any trust issues in the past or present. I understand that but believe me you can trust God as He always has your best interests at heart. My daughter Shannon has a sweatshirt, that says God’s Got Me, and that message is so very powerful and true.  Lean Not to Your Own Understanding Do not try to figure out what God is doing in your individual situation. Just. Trust. Him. God sees the beginning to the end. He does not owe us any type of explanation, and He already has it all figured out. We can truly only see a very small part of the big picture. Many times, we do not get it. We are so heartbroken and frustrated. We want to say “God, what are you doing?” Unfortunately, we must go through the storm to get to the rainbow, though we so wish that was not the case. I remember before I went to teacher’s college, my husband and I were at a crossroads growing our family. We had just had another miscarriage and at this time it was a potentially fatal, ectopic pregnancy. Our hearts were shattered. We decided through prayer and soul searching to permanently close the door on that chapter of our lives and start a new and exciting one that included me going back to school. As I walked on campus for the first time I thought, I could be home with a sweet, little baby right now, but knew that instead God was enlarging my territory to minister and serve many children. Christian teachers are so needed in the public school system and that is not lost on me. It was God’s plan for my life. Many things we may never understand and only when we get to Heaven may we get our answers. In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him I challenge you to let God into every aspect of your life. Invite Him into your decision making, relationships, career, and finances. Let him be the Lord of your life in all aspects. He is the God of the universe, our firm foundation, and He desires to help us in all our life areas, no matter how big and small. He Will Direct Your Paths God knows which way your life will go. Often it is not a straight path, but instead a rollercoaster or winding road. We will ultimately get to the destination He chose for us, but often we would NEVER have chosen that route. It often takes so much heartache to get to your heart’s desires. At the end though, we can look back and see that God was truly ordering our steps even if it seemed completely confusing at the time. The Bible confirms that God orders our steps in Psalms 37:23. He doesn’t always shine the path with a flashlight, but rest assured He will be holding our hand in the hard times, always. Tuck that in your heart today. Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father please help us to know that we can trust you completely. We are your children, and the Bible says that you hold us in the palm of your hand. When we don't understand reassure us that you are always there and help us to understand that there is always a purpose for what we go through. In Jesus Name, Amen Sending you a virtual hug, Dana
Tags: Can I trust God? What does trust in the Lord with all your heart mean? Proverbs 3: 5-6, Where is God in the hard times? What does lean on your own understanding mean? faith, trusting in God, What does it mean that God orders our steps?Copyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana/ walkingintheword (Dana Romualdi)
Welcome to Walking in the Word. Come join me on a weekly adventure through God’s word. I am very excited to be your tour guide. We will have many thought provoking stops along the way. Let's linger together and examine my favourite verses and passages of scripture that have brought me joy, comfort and peace in so many different and difficult situations. My prayer is that these verses will resonate with you as well. So, with no further ado, let’s begin!  Do we have any “old school” Sunday school friends out there? I am sure I am not alone. Being raised in the Pentecostal church, in Sunday school class it was almost certain each week that we would sing the familiar, little, church chorus, entitled This is the Day. Sadly, it is not sung as much in church these days, and I really do miss it. Recently I led worship at our local Salvation Army and had the unique pleasure of bringing it back. Brought lots of smiles in the crowd and great memories for me for sure. We all have good days, bad days and days that are just somewhere in between. I can’t help but notice though, that this verse says THIS is the day that the Lord has made, not yesterday was or tomorrow will be the day that the Lord has made. EVERY day is a gift from God, and we need to realize this and celebrate that simple fact. Many days bring heartbreak and sorrow. I have had so many of those days lately in my own life yet isn’t it interesting that the Bible still says THIS, as in those days also are the days that the Lord has made. Every day has purpose and is meaningful and can hold something we can find joy in, even if the reason to "rejoice" shows up much, much later. The gift of another 24 hours on earth is not something to take for granted. A new day is something that many are not privileged to have. If we are not careful, we can get so caught up in a “when I, then I, mentality.” I knew someone like that. It went something like this... “It will be better when the weather changes, or it will be so great when my kids are older, or when I have saved more money.” You get it right? Not now, but when things are changed in some way, then this will be the time that I will “rejoice.” Do you even realize how much precious time is wasted with this type of thinking? Instead, the Bible instructs us that the time is NOW to rejoice and find meaning in each day. THIS day is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it. Look for the good in each day. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it is something very small. There is always something worth noticing. Always keep your eyes and heart open. On our best and worst days, God is still there. On our hardest days He stands with us, with a broken heart as well, as He leads us and guides us to brighter days ahead. God is with us on EVERY type of day and with His strength we can rejoice no matter what comes our way because He just loves us that much. With God at our side, we can face every type of day TOGETHER, hand in hand. Tuck that in your heart today. Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your presence in our lives and that you have promised in your word to be always with us. Through this rollercoaster called life you are right there with us, no matter what type of day we are having, and we are forever grateful. In Jesus name, Amen Sending you a virtual hug, Dana P.S. To read my blog post about how there is a time for everything click here.
Tags: This is the day, gift of a new day, Psalms 118:24, enjoy the present Copyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana/ walkingintheword
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