God Gives You Beauty For Ashes

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. – Isaiah 61:3

So, you feel like you are immersed in quicksand. Well, the good thing is that when you sink all the way down to the bottom there is no place to go but up and God is your hot air balloon to elevate you.

We all go through seasons in life (yes, I did say seasons with a plural) where things are awry or abase. It happens to all of us on this journey of life. These are the times when we must press into God and cast our care or else, we can wind up in the psychiatric care unit. God Gives You Beauty For Ashes.

For those of you that love school and are scholars and enjoy testing trust me the testing that life brings are very sharp, biting, and unpleasant. However, after you have suffered a little while God will give you beauty for ashes. Unfortunately, there is no timetable or tracking device to determine when he will lift the veil, but he will.

In the Bible is the story of Job and the hardships he endured that God allowed to prove to Satan that Job was a good man and would not buckle under immense pressure and stop serving God. http://www.miraclebook.net

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: and there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, the fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.” – Job 1:1-19.

So, as you can see here is this righteous man of God named Job that had to deal with very severe testing however at the end of his testing period God restored to him everything that he lost and gave him double for his trouble. “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found as fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So, Job died, being old and full of days. http://www.miraclebook.net

So, as you can see God gave Job beauty for his ashes and because God is no respecter of persons, he will do the same for you. Whether you have tried multiple times to have a baby and it didn’t happen due to miscarriages don’t give up, keep trying God has a child with your name on it or maybe you can adopt and that will save you the nine months of hormone changes. Maybe you lost a home to foreclosure, fire, or a hurricane. God will restore you and give you another one. If you had your car totaled in a wreck or had it repossessed don’t panic God has a brand new shiny one waiting for you. If you lost, you job and the door was closed on you and you though you would retire from that job God has a new door and better position waiting for you. With the loss of that job, you had to cancel your dream vacation and now you think you will never have the opportunity to take that trip again. Don’t faint in heart God has it all worked out and not only that trip but several others you will embark on. Possibly the love of your life walked away from you, or they passed away. God knows you are lonely and hurting and he will bring you love again. You have been dealing with a long-standing health issue and now the last medical report is still unchanged, and the doctor tells you that you will have to live this this condition for the rest of your life or even worst you may not live very long. Remember God always has the final say and he will give you beauty for ashes.

Stay in faith, keep believing, keep trusting God, praise and worship God for the victory in advance. Don’t do like the children of Israel did and wait until they had crossed the Red Sea and then they broke out their tambourines and started to praise God. Your victory is coming, God Gives You Beauty For Ashes.

The Despondency Test

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. – Psalm 42:5

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. – Jeremiah 29:11

Expected – to anticipate or look forward to the coming or occurrence of. – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expected.

According to Jeremiah 29:11 God has an expected end for all of us and according to the dictionary that is something we all should be looking forward to. So then why are so despondent? http://www.miraclebook.net

Despondent – means having lost all or nearly all hope. Implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort.

From the time God created the world he gave us all free will and with that we believe everything should always go our way and that we should always be living on easy street. When that does not happen and when we are going through extended seasons of challenges, trials, discomfort etc. we become despondent. We all want things to happen fast, quick like warp speed for the star trek fans reading this but that is not the way God operates. He expects a degree of FAITH, TRUST, BELIEF from us all. When we do not have those, we can expect to sink into the abyss.

According to our God given heavenly assignment in life not the man-made ones we decide God is going to keep us on the potter’s wheel until we are what we need to be to complete those assignments. Being on the potter’s wheel means we are being shaped, molded, refined into what God knows we need to be. It is what you would call the HOT SEAT! Don’t try to escape it because no one does. God created all of us and either we do things his way or we will be in the gutter. http://www.miraclebook.net

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” There are many different tests in life that we will be expected to pass and one of the big ones is the despondency test. If we are always going to moan, complain, despise when God is trying to do a good work in us and get us prepared for the abundance, he has for us then we will never attain all that he wants for us and what we want for ourselves. We will be like the children of Israel that never made it into the promise land and died in the wilderness.

So, what do you do when things are not going your way? Pray, keep doing good, keep going to church, keep helping and serving people, keep tithing, keep reading your Bible, keep up your praise and worship to God, always have gratitude. At the appointed time God will lift the clouds and bring you into the abundant life he has in store for you. We all think we know when we are ready to level up, but we don’t. You don’t want to go to a higher level of influence and success when you are not ready or mature for it because the platform that was built for you will just crumble. http://www.miraclebook.net

Trust God’s timing and pass the despondency test and make the devil mad as hell so when you are elevated like David, Job, Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Esther, Ruth and many other heroes in the Bible the devil will have to turn aside and look for his next victim, but it will not be YOU!

Christian Books – Donna Louis – When You Feel Like You’re Drowning

“When you feel like you’re drowning in life don’t worry—your Lifeguard walks on water.” – Anonymous

Life is a journey, and, in all journeys, you have highs and lows. You will have some straight paths as well as some crooked paths. You will have some smooth roads as well as some bumpy roads. You will have some areas that are well lit and then some that are completely dark. You will have peaks and valleys, as well as ebb and flow. You will encounter mountains to climb as well as straight paths to walk. Check out my website

Life can be beautiful and messy at the same time. You must make a choice if you are just going to lie down and allow the dust to cover you and eventually with weather conditions just disintegrate and die. Disintegrate – to undergo a change in composition. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disintegrate

Your other choice is simply just to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again and just keep moving forward. Or as the phrase says, “cowboy up.” The phrase cowboy up it means when things are getting tough you have to get back up, dust yourself off and keep trying. – https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cowboy%20up.

When you feel like you’re drowning remember that God is with you, and he is an ever-present help in times of trouble. This is what the bible tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46;1. There is no trouble that we bring on ourselves or that comes to us that God cannot fix and make disappear. A prime example of this would be the story of Peter walking on water coming to Jesus and then he allowed doubt to creep in his head, and he immediately started to drown, and Jesus extended his hand and saved him. Christian Books – Donna Louis – When You Feel Like You’re Drowning

“And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” – Matthew 14:22-33.

So, remember when things seem the darkest that is when God’s light shines the brightest. Keep the faith, trust and believe in God and remember what his word says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:2. Christian Books – Donna Louis – When You Feel Like You’re Drowning