Daily Manna from Heaven

THE BIG FROGS IN YOUR LIFE

By: Dr. Harold Sala

He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” 2 Chronicles 20:15

John Redman tells the story of a farmer who came to town and asked the chef of a new French restaurant if he could use about a million frog legs. “Oui!” he responded enthusiastically, but he quickly asked, “Where in the world would you find so many frogs?” “I have a pond at home that is filled with them,” replied the farmer, adding, “they drive me crazy night and day.”

After they agreed on a price, with anticipation the French chef awaited the first delivery of this new delicacy which would soon appear on the menu. A few weeks later, the farmer made his first delivery: all of four frog legs. With a red face he stammered, “I guess I was wrong. There were just two frogs in that pond, but they sure made a lot of noise.”

That’s often the way it is with the stress factors in our lives. Like a grain of sand in your eye, or a torn cuticle on your finger, a small amount of friction can produce a great deal of discomfort and irritation.

Medical research indicates that your mental attitude has a lot to do with how you handle stress—the bullfrogs in your pond which are causing you to toss and turn without sleep at night and upping your blood pressure by day.

Knowing that God is in control helps quiet the bullfrogs, but there is always that battle that rages, “How can I turn these over to the Lord?” We’re afraid of losing control. Yes, we want God’s help but we also want veto power just in case we don’t like flying in the clouds, not quite seeing where we are going.

Here’s the important question: How do you turn things over to God?

The answer begins with your relationship with God. A lot of people want to use God like a parachute on a plane that is going to go down. Once they safely reach the ground, they want to disengage and go their own way. But the relationship which brings security for you as a believer in Jesus Christ is one in which you surrender your life to the sovereign will of God, knowing without question that you have become God’s child. The Bible calls it “conversion” or “being born again.”

It means you acknowledge your inability to save yourself or to help yourself. This gulf between you and God is what the Bible calls “sin.” It’s the rebellion of your heart that makes you want to live as though there were no God. It’s when you confess your sin and ask God to forgive the rebellion of your life that you run up the white flag of surrender.

Doing this, you embrace God’s Son as your Savior and Lord. He promised, “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). This means that you aren’t alone in your workplace, your marriage, your neighborhood. That knowledge in itself takes stress out of your life.

Finally it means you confess Christ as your Lord, asking Him to guide, to direct, and to empower you. It’s then that you come under His banner and security.

In closing, I need to make a disclaimer. Being a follower of Jesus Christ won’t eliminate all the stress from your life. Like the frogs in the farmer’s pond, there will always be bullfrogs croaking when you want to sleep; but knowing that God is in control quiets their voices.

If you have paper and pencil, make a note of 2 Chronicles 20, an old story which speaks to the needs of our lives today. Remind yourself of what God told King Jehoshaphat, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). Ah, yes. With that understanding, you can cope with what bothers you. It’s a fact.

James Parmis Ministries - www.JamesParmis.com

Seeds of greatness

Today’s Scripture

“Do not cast away your confidence for it will be richly rewarded.” (Hebrews 10:35)

Today’s Word from Joel and Victoria

God is constantly trying to plant new seeds of victory inside of you! He’s trying to increase you and enlarge your vision. He wants to take you to new levels of victory. But in order for this to happen, the seed has to take root in your heart. Before you’re ever going to be successful, you’ve got to see yourself being successful. Before your dreams come to pass, you’ve got to look through your eyes of faith and see them come to pass.

The enemy doesn’t want you to grow and increase, or fulfill your destiny, so he immediately tries to distract your heart and uproot the seed God planted. In order to defeat the enemy in your life, you have to stay focused on God, His Word–and the dream He’s promised to you! Constantly meditate on His promises, and thank the Lord for His faithfulness no matter what the circumstances look like. Before long, you’ll begin to see the dreams God placed in your heart come to pass.

A Prayer for Today

God, a champion lives within me. Give me the focus and the courage to live the life I was destined to live. I want to recommit myself to reading Your Word daily and staying in fellowship with You so that I can grow the seed of greatness you planted in my heart. In Jesus’ name – Amen.

James Parmis Ministries - www.JamesParmis.com