Selie Visa
1) God Wants Me To Be Happy:
Misplaced priority leads to errors. This is a case of putting the cart in front of the horse. Being happy is not bad, but God’s first concern is not our happiness. God is more concerned with our holiness. In other words, God is more concerned that we are in the right relationship with him, rather than us being happy. Happiness should not be our top concern, God should be.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1 NIV)
The tender mercies of God, such as a tender father shows to his stubborn and unmanageable children, our offenses are easily forgiven. When we humble ourselves, God’s compassionate feelings prevail to do kindness and remit our sins.
Metaphorically taken, our bodies are the sacrifices brought to the altar of God. In opposition to those dead sacrifices which they were in the habit of offering while in their Jewish state, our bodies are living sacrifices.
The sacrificial phrases show that there must be a complete surrender – the whole man, body, mind, and soul must be given to God. The person no longer considers himself to be his own, but the entire property of his Lord and Saviour. Finally, the sacrifice to be acceptable to God must be Holy - without spot or blemish.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24 NIV)
Taking up the cross doesn’t mean taking up our worldly worries, problems, and burdens. The Cross is Jesus Christ. Here are the principles to follow Jesus and be his disciple:
1st To have a sincere desire to belong to Christ.
2nd To renounce self-dependence, and selfish pursuits.
3rd To embrace the condition which God has appointed, and bear the troubles and difficulties he may meet with in walking the Christian road.
4th To imitate Jesus, and do and suffer all in his spirit.
To deny ourselves well be interpreted as to renounce, himself fully - in all respects, and putting Christ first in our lives.
2) I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me:
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NIV)
Here is the verse that is not wrong, but how it is applied. This verse is not a hype-up verse to gain strength to do some human feat. This verse is not about getting enough strength to win your game or gain that promotion. What’s going on here is much deeper.
Paul in writing to the Philippians said he experienced times of dire need when he had nothing but he learned to be content whatever the circumstances were. He had also experienced what it was like to have plenty. His secret is contentment in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in poverty. Paul is testifying that he was able to face adversity, suffering, and affliction that God leads him to, through Christ who strengthens him.
3) Everything Happens For A Reason
This phrase typically shows up following a tragedy. What we are trying to do is offer a little hope in a difficult situation. But it doesn’t add up. In the story of Job, he never found the reason or reasons for his suffering. The truth is that life is hard. People die for no fault of theirs. Relationships end though divorce is not God's plan of marriage. Our health deteriorates as we grow older by natural processes. And God is not up there causing these things to happen.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
To understand this verse correctly, examine what is actually being said. The persons in whose behalf all things work for good are those who love God, and, consequently, who live in the spirit of obedience. All these things work together and while they are working, God’s providence is working. They who say sin works for good to them that love God speak blasphemous nonsense. A man who now loves God is not now sinning against God. The promise belongs exclusively to those who love and obey God.
God does take the mess of this world and gives it reason. God takes the worst of situations and turns them into something beautiful. God takes our mess and points us to the hope in Christ.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4 NIV)
4) God Won’t Give Me More Than I Can Handle
This is what we tell ourselves whenever we are facing some difficulty. Some of the things that happened in your life or in my life were more than we can handle. Instead of thinking God won’t give us more than we can handle, we need to give up and let God help us. The things in your life can be more than you can handle, but it’s not more than God can handle. God calls us to a life that we are only capable of living with Him. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says come to me when you are tired and burdened. So, stop trying to live your life on your own and let Jesus help you.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Do you see the resemblance between this verse and the phrase? God is faithful, He is with you, and he won’t give you more than you can handle, right? No!
While this verse does say that God is faithful and that he is with us, it doesn’t say that he’ll never give us more than we can handle. It says that we won’t be tempted beyond what we are able, and then later on in the verse, it goes on to say that with the temptation God will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. But it doesn’t say that God will never give us more than we can handle.
Here Is The Truth. Following Jesus and living a life free from idols and the entanglements of this world does not guarantee a pain-free life. He never promised us a life without suffering, trial, or temptations. In fact, this verse says the opposite. It says that there will always be suffering, trial, temptations, pain, and situations that we won’t be able to handle on our own. Jesus is not saying if suffering and trials come because they will surely come. But as followers of Christ, God promises to always be with us because he is faithful.
Today, we can find lots of preachers on TV, Youtube and other social media platforms. We can simply Google to find and study a topic on a website we are interested in. But there is a negative side to the vast number of resources available. Very often the difference between right and wrong teaching is by a hair's breadth. Our spiritual discernment is to find out what is true, what is almost true, and what is false. No teaching should be taken for granted. Our interpretations must be rooted in the Bible and not feelings and emotions. Though many statements sound good to us, they may be false or half-true. We must base our lives and doctrines on what God has said to us in his word, the Holy Bible.
