James spent most of his life wanting to see the church be healthy and whole.  Being made whole is our right in Christ.  Some days I feel like I am teaching God’s truths, but most days I feel as though I am trying to convince people of them.  We are so used to being let down in our lives that we come to accept it.  The enemy tires to convince us not to deal with the painful things in our past.  Because we are so used to being let down, we actually agree with him telling ourselves, “Maybe it would be better keep the lid on that.”  That is a lie from the pit of hell.  Our minds are like pressure cookers and without that release, we will absolutely go crazy.  I am not saying that you should go tell your problems to everyone you meet, but I am telling you that keeping them suppressed will hinder your growth in Christ.   The enemy has everything to lose when we become healthy in Christ.  Our testimony is our story.  The inability to deal with your painful experiences can cause you to self destruct.  II Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  We have the right to a sound mind; no matter our health, no matter our circumstances, and no matter our past.  We can’t lose our minds when we are in Christ.  Many times our first instinct is to panic because of the sudden rush of fear, but Beth Moore teaches us that fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real.  Panic leads us astray every time and God does not give us the spirit of fear.  Isaiah 33:6 says, “He will be the sure foundation for your times.”  He is our constant source of stability and once we become transformed by receiving Jesus Christ as our savior, we no longer think like that person, we no longer act like that person, and we no longer feel like that person.  Isaiah 43:18 promises: “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.  Behold, I will do something new…”  When we are in Christ we are a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.  Circumstances of our past have a way of clouding our memory of God’s many truths.  The world is crying out for a Father’s love.  To receive this love, we must humble ourselves and go to the Father as if we were a little child.  God will not let us down because He is faithful and true to His word.  Even though things of this world will forsake you, the Lord will always receive you (Psalm 27:10).  Even for those without a father or for those that are widows, He tells us in Psalms 146:9 that “The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the ways of the wicked.  Our deliverer is also our defender.  Our Lord is many things, but to the fatherless He is their shield, their refuge and their provider.  One of the best examples of God protecting the fatherless can be found in Esther.  Esther had neither a father nor a mother; yet God watched over her and placed Mordecai in her life to do the same.  He protected her and He blessed her because of her faithfulness.

When something horrific happens in our lives, we can wrestle with God about why or how He could let it happen, but it is simply beyond our comprehension.  We reach a point when we are so upset that we must decide if we are going to be truthful to ourselves and to God about the way we feel or if we are going to lie to God and to ourselves.  In our circumstances, it is real easy to pretend or say one thing and mean another, but God knows the truth: “Your mouth is close to me, but your heart is miles away. (Isaiah 29:13)  We can very easily become mad at God for allowing things to happen and that is fine, but we must be honest to ourselves and to God.  If we are upset with God, we should tell Him so.  God looks at our motives; He doesn’t just listen to our words.  Our sincerity is not hidden from Him; Christ Himself asked God why He had forsaken Him when He was on the cross.  When we express honest emotions, we are releasing the pressure valve.  When we get them out, we find out we weren’t angry at God; our feelings were just hurt.  We are loved and chosen children of God and if He has allowed and permitted something painful to happen in our lives, it must have the possibility of ending in profound blessing.  We cannot let go of God until our blessing comes.  Genesis 32:26 “But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let go unless you bless me.”  We must tell God that we won’t let go until He turns all the painful gut-wrenching experiences in our lives into testimonies of blessings.   There is nothing wrong with feeling hurt and betrayed; God gave us emotions for a reason.  The biggest and hardest struggles we have in life aren’t with people; they are with God and how He could allow our circumstances to happen.  I promise you, when we trust in God, we will come out on the other side with twice the amount of faith we had going into it.  Trust God today; no matter your circumstance and don’t let go of God until He blesses you.