Living With Purpose – Week 2
Welcome to the new series Living With Purpose in Every Season! If you missed last week’s post you can find it in the link below.
Living With Purpose – Week 1: Silent Seasons
And now for Week 2!
Living With Purpose – Week 2: Sweet Seasons of Blessing
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV)
Have you ever had a season in your life when things actually worked out right?
Maybe it was a dream vacation, a romantic proposal, or perhaps it was the birth of a child after years of prayers.
Maybe you received a check in the mail at the perfect time or watched God provide in the most precious way.
Maybe it was the time someone paid for your meal, or brought over a bag of hand-me-down clothes that were the perfect fit.
Maybe for you it was the way God changed your life from wreckage and baggage, to freedom and grace.
Think back on your life and remember.
What has God done for you?
When we forget what God can do, and does for each of us, we often stop living with purpose. We get wrapped up in what we need from God and forget how to live for God. We spend our time waiting for the next big break and we stop praising God for what He has already done for us.
As we continue Living With Purpose in Every Season, here is a simple challenge this week:
1. Recall what God has done.
2. Rejoice in the blessing.
Praise God again! and again! and again! Every time you recall a blessing tell God thank you again. It’s amazing how it changes our perspective when we focus on praising God.
3. Record it in a journal.
Write down what God has done in your life so you don’t forget it! When you have a record of the blessings, it gives you a place to return to when you begin to feel discouraged.
4. Remember the way it felt.
By writing it in a journal you are able to grasp the feeling of knowing God gives good gifts to His children. When we feel unloved, forgotten, or lonely, it’s easy to get down and depressed. But when we read about the way God lifted us up in times past, we are lifted up in the present time.
5. Report it to others.
When we tell others about God’s blessings we are offering hope to a hurting world. Don’t keep blessings to yourself. Give God glory and give others the hope of the gospel by letting them know when God answers prayer, comforts your heart, or lifts your heavy load.
As we walk through this year and learn to live with purpose in every season, let’s remember all God has done.
Today, I want to praise God for the way He carried me through 2016. When cancer hit our family twice, once from each side, I struggled to see the good in it all. I mean what could possibly be good about cancer? Right?
But God did something for me during that season. He showed me that every bad thing that happens in my life, pulls me closer to Him. It forces me to live a grounded life, anchored firmly in His power and strength.
When my strength is gone and hard seasons come, I’m learning to remember my past blessings. When I praise God again for blessings from the past, I’m compelled to praise Him in the present.
What will you praise God for today? What has God done for you in the past? What is God doing for you today?
Living with purpose in the present is remembering what God has done in the past.
Love & Blessings,
Share this with someone you love and let them be encouraged too!
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It’s so good to be reminded to periodically think back to what God has already done. It is faith-building for what we know he can do in the future!
Yes Lisa! He promises to lift our heavy load and carry us through!
What a powerful word: “When I praise God again for blessings from the past, I’m compelled to praise Him in the present.”
I’m a big believer in counting those blessings!
When we count our blessings, it encourages our hearts and then others we share with. Have a blessed day!
At the beginning of the year, I looked over the list of answered prayers from 2016, and was surprised that I had already forgotten some of the blessings. It’s so healthy to just sit and be reminded of the goodness of God that has washed over our lives!
Thank you for stopping by Michele! Isn’t it wonderful to look back and see all those blessings and be reminded of how good our God is?!
I agree, there should not be a day without praise. And remembering the good things God has done in our lives. Also I think it is wise to praise God just for who he is. We can praise Him in every situation. And that changes everything. Thanks for the post, neighbor. Blessings to you!
Thank you Mari! Have a blessed day.
Micah,
Such powerful encouraging words! I see too often this struggle in my heart and mind to REMEMBER HIS GOODNESS. Completely loved this line:
“Living with purpose in the present is remembering what God has done in the past.”
So I had to tweet it :) Have a great day!
~Sherry Stahl
xoxo
Sherry,
Thank you for sharing the encouragement you found! Have a blessed day!
What a beautiful post. Definitely something I will be doing this week.
Thank you Heather!
Micah, beautiful post and reminder to remember God’s blessings. They are all around us.
Thank you for stopping by Woman to Woman Ministries and linking up. God bless.
Jennifer, thank you for stopping by. When our strength is gone and hard seasons come…..we still praise Him! Have a wonderful day.
Hi Micah,
It’s so true that when we remember what God has done for us time and time again in our lives, it inspires our gratefulness and gives us hope for the future, even when our circumstances are difficult. So glad God brought you through 2016 and hoping the year ahead shows you more of his plans and purpose for you! Enjoyed my visit here (from Coffee for your Heart)!
God is SO good! Thank you for stopping by Valerie!
It is so important to remember God’s blessings and thank him for them. This year I’m trying to note down some blessings each day and it’s true they are there to be found, even in the hard times.
Isn’t it wonderful to look back and see all those blessings and be reminded of how good our God is?! Have a wonderful day Lesley!
Beautiful post!!
Thanks, Meg!
Remembering how God has blessed me get’s me through the trying times of life. Sometimes, when I am intuned with God it’s easier to remember the blessings but other times I have to work at it. It is a spiritual discipline but it does bring comfort when it becomes easier to recall those blessings and how He has brought you through trying times before. If He did it then, He will do it again. Thanks for the rhema word!