Hello 2012!

Hello 2012! I must admit that I am sorely behind in keeping you all up to date on the goings on in my life. 2011 was a year that I will never forget. I got married again to an amazing woman, almost died from an incredibly rare infection in my foot, and continued my challenges with personal family issues. And yet somehow through all of this I was able to keep making music (a subject for another post). I have been asked repeatedly to write about some of these things, and I am going to address them. I like to keep family issues private and respectful, but at the same time I think we can share encouraging things to others without beating anybody else up in the process. I will have a long post to share about my experience with almost dying last year which can also hopefully help anyone else facing the same type of infection.

Anyways, the bottom line is that I refuse to go down this easily. LOL The good Lord intends to keep me around for awhile to fulfill some other things He is doing, and so like a good servant I will heed the Master's call. I want to end this post with 3 keys to Godly wisdom which my Uncle (Pastor Larry Riddle) shared with me. They got me through some tough times when I wasn't sure why God wasn't stepping in and handling things. I hope they minister to you.

Principle #1

God is Sovereign

Principle #2

God's timing is always perfect.

Principle #3

I am God's child to do with as He pleases.

I just wanted to write a little about what they have meant to me as I have repeated them to myself in stressful situations.

God is sovereign. If you are wondering whether He can step into your situation at anytime and change things, He can. He may not choose to at the moment, but He is more than capable of handling our requests when we bring them to Him. And it doesn't matter how bleak the situation may look. God specializes in the impossible. In all things pray.

God's timing is always perfect. Sometimes He says yes to our request, sometimes no, and sometimes not now. Not now is not a no, it just means that He needs some other events to take place before He will act. There are many examples of this in the Bible. God is a master of strategy, and also long-suffering with us. I remember the story of Esther and Haman. Haman had secretly built a gallows to hang the jews from since he hated them, and he had a plan to set them up to be killed by royal decree by tricking the king. God patiently waited for Haman to build his machine of death, and during that time it looked as though he was going to get away with setting up the jews to die by his wicked plans. God however was not caught by surprise, and Haman's plan was exposed and the king had him hung from the same gallows that he had built to execute the innocent jews on. Just because you have not seen results does not mean God is not working in the background, aligning things for His purpose.

I am God's child to do with as He pleases. This is the toughest one. We all like being a child a of God. Having our Dad there to be so good to us. But like any good parent, He wants us to be holy more than He wants us to be happy. And He usually has purposes for our lives that don't always consist of easy things. So what if what He pleases to do with us is difficult, maybe seeming even unfair or unjust? This is where Christian maturity must take hold. To those whom much is given, much is required. He never gives us more than we can handle, but you can bet that if He gives us a lot He will expect us to handle it because He has given us the strength to do so. So if you are going through something unfair right now, remember that God's purposes for the events in your life may not be about your comfort and happiness. Maybe you are meant to minister to others who are facing similar challenges, maybe you are meant to grow into deeper levels of faith and trust in Him. Don't fight the storm. Know that there is purpose in it. Let the storm take you where it must. God has a plan for you in the midst of it and right in the place and time you will be at when it ends. There is purpose in everything we endure.

I hope this ministers to you.

Steve