Have you ever complained in your trial? Jeremiah did. Lamentations 3 was his written complaint. Verse 20 was his encapsulation. It says, “My soul still remembers and sinks within me.” Anytime we return in our mind to the trauma’s in our past, we relive the emotional pain.

Jeremiah did something that turned the tide of his complaint to praise and exultation. Verse 21 says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.” He took his thoughts from off himself and placed them on Who the Lord is at all times.

Verse 22-23 says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Asaph is another example for us. Psalm 77:3 says, “…I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.” Verse 4 says, “…I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” Asaph reversed his negative spiraling down. We can also.

We alone are responsible for our thoughts. Our words and actions come from our thoughts. Have you ever said something or acted a certain way that you wished you hadn’t? Our thoughts, actions, and attitudes come into play with every interaction we have. Whether with loved ones, or those in the marketplace, our inner character is on display.

Character is developed through our trials, which come in all shapes, sizes, and intensity. The Lord is our Potter. He knows what needs to be trimmed off our lives. I tried wheel pottery. I didn’t have the strength in my hands to center my lump of clay.

In order to center the clay, it takes a lot of pressure as the wheel is spinning. If the lump isn’t centered, it will never become a usable vessel. We may not appreciate the Lord’s way of centering us. He knows what we need in order to be more like Him.

Our first example of blame shifting started in the Garden of Eden. God gave specific instructions. Genesis 2:16-17. In Genesis 3, the serpent tempted Eve. She ate the fruit. When God confronted Adam and Eve, the blame shifting began. Eve blamed the serpent, and Adam blamed God. Verse 12 says, “…The woman that You gave me…”

Blame is often rooted in buried anger. Our unresolved issues are never a valid reason to blame others. Our negative behavior is never someone else’s fault. What has happened to us is in our past. Five minutes have passed away. It cannot be taken back, changed, or altered in any way.

We only live in the present. If you are blaming someone or a circumstance for your negative behavior, it is time to release it to the Lord. He paid the price to set you free through His total forgiveness.

Blame has many roots. I want to focus on this one aspect since we covered procrastination recently. Blame is an excuse for not dealing with unresolved issues. Proverbs 4:23.

Blame is often a false belief based on not feeling good about ourselves. Therefore we look for some reason to blame so we don’t have to look inside. Our heart is our belief center. When we have a faulty belief it controls every aspect of our lives.

Truth. Ephesians 1:4 says that He chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him. Why would we choose to blame ourselves or others when Jesus doesn’t? Blaming is judging.  As we judge we will be judged. Matthew 7:2.

We sabotage ourselves when we blame others as our ‘why’ we failed to finish something. It alleviates us from having to shoulder the responsibility. Procrastination is the refusal to investigate the emotional reason behind our inaction.

I love the angel’s words to Daniel. Let them reverberate in your heart. Daniel 10:19 says, “…O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!…” 

I have found strength for my soul as I read through the Psalms. Here is what I learned years ago.. Take the date of the calendar then add thirty. Today is the 9th. I would be reading Psalm 9, 39, 69, 99, 129.

Oftentimes David was overwhelmed. He would acknowledge that to the Lord, then he would ask for help. Psalm 143 says, “Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed.”

Then he remembered how the Lord helped him in the past. He took his thoughts under control. Verse 5 says, “…I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the works of Your hands.” David recentered through focusing on the Lord.

Psalm 138:3 says, “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” Years ago one of my pastors gave me a little note. Be bold, and strength will fill your soul.

God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. Joshua 1:6, 7, 9. Verse 9 says, “…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua was the new leader of the children of Israel. He was in charge of countless folks. 

Colossians 1:11 says, “Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.”  Ephesians 3:16 Amplified says, “May He grant you out of the rich treasure of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the (Holy) Spirit (Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality).”

It is God’s strength that empowers us moment by moment to do the things He has called us to do.

Psalm 138:2 says, “…for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” As I was memorizing this part of the verse, my mind wandered to His name. Think about this. Philippians 2:10 says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” We know from Acts 4:12 that there is no other name, “…given among men by which we must be saved.”

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Think of these names. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

When God magnifies His word, He is lifting it up to overarch all else. He declares it as the greatest in superiority. It is to be an essential priority in our lives. 

Isaiah 26:3 says “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Trust is resting in Him. I love the definition of rest in Hebrews 4:10. It says, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

Releasing

Everything

Simply

Trusting

Cease from self-effort, as in trying to figure it out, doing things in our own strength, worrying, fretting, or being anxious. Fear is a normal reaction when facing sudden danger. That is how we are created ~ fight, flight, or freeze. 

However, when we remain in anxiety even though there is no danger, our sympathetic remains in high gear creating stress and  disease. We manage out of control stress by keeping our thoughts on Who God is at all times. He is Present, All Powerful, and All Knowing. He is in control of all things.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing. but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” The fruit is in verse 7. If we release our anxiety to the Lord, “…the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Anxiety results when our thoughts are focused on our inadequacy rather than God’s ability. The truth is that self-effort always fails in the end. Asa recognized how powerless they were. He cried out to the only One who could intervene.

Anxiety often begins with just one thought. If we entertain that thought, physical feelings will emerge. Our sympathetic nervous system kicks into fight or flight. However at the moment of feeling anxiety, we can quell it through thanksgiving. Psalm 22:3 says that God enthrones Himself through our praise. Praise brings the tangible Presence of the Lord.