Restraint – MarinaMorrison(aka)EdenStillwater'sInspirations

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that there’s a time, a place, and a way. God, knows all; especially all hearts. We are told that His power to save increases as our understanding of His Salvation increases. He never forces Himself on anyone; never rushes in too soon to save us. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t want to help us. It simply means that we will be helped more by learning and doing ourselves. It’s the “hands on” learning experience that strengthens us; building up the confidence, or faith, we need in Him and in ourselves. Part of being a child of God, a parent, a friend, is exercising that same restraint.

We are reminded that God’s power is limited only by our lack of vision. This makes me think of Jesus and the man at the pool at Bethesda. When Jesus saw how long he’d been lying there like that, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) There’s a powerful revelation in that; especially when we’re dealing with generational curses. We have to ask ourselves that same question.

There’s another statement Jesus made that comes to mind here. He said to a lame man that He had healed, “See, you are well.” (John 5:14 ESV) If you take the comma out of that sentence, you get this: See you are well. This has to do with vision. It has to do with a new horizon for you. Look forward to where you want to be (your horizon), and see yourself well, successful, etc. This is the transformation part of being saved. (Romans 12:12) We change our thinking and walk in the new ways. We don’t have to wait to walk in the new ways. God sees us as righteous, victorious, and glorious the instant we accept Jesus as our Lord, and become God’s children. However, restraint is also necessary here. We need to learn to wait on the Lord, and let Him lead us at times. We also need to keep in mind that He may withhold things until we are ready for them.

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God exercises great restraint when it comes to interfering in our lives. God’s not a bully; He’s a gentleman. He’d rather be loved than feared.

“Think how tenderly I respect the right of each individual soul. Never forcing upon it My Help, My Salvation. Perhaps in all My suffering for humanity that is the hardest, the restraining of the Divine Impatience and longing to help, until the call of the soul gives Me My right to act. Think of Love shown in this. ”

I’ve been reading this little book for a number of years, now. God never fails to show me something new, or reminds me of something important, just when I need it most. As I read this message today, I think about my sons and daughters, and their mates. I don’t want to be a “smother”, or a “smother in law.” I also remembered a few “General Managers of the Universe,” from times past in my own life. “Thank you, Jesus, for divine restraint, I prayed.” **Emotional blackmail and manipulation are two huge pitfalls in this area. Some people fall victim to them time and time again, until they overcome the need to be in control.

It’s easy to rush in with the answer; easy to take over without really meaning to. This is where that restraint comes in. “Please God, help me stay shut up.” This message ties in well with the one about being humble and serving all. A servant does what he/she is asked to do; he/she doesn’t run the show.

It is pretty hard to bite one’s tongue at times, isn’t it? I remember watching my kids go off on their first days of school. Each time, I cried. Each time I knew I had to let them go out there without me. And one prays they’ll come running for help when they need it, right? No matter how old they are, this is true.

Whenever I think of this, I thank God for the privilege of prayer. I think I’d lose my mind if I couldn’t pray. And I can see God up there smiling, because He’s got it all under control. And, when we exercise divine restraint with our kids, our friends, our mates, etc., relationships tend to be stronger in trust, open communication, and real teamwork and unity. When we always rush right in to the rescue, we reinforce helplessness and undermine self confidence and accountability.

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Tag: Restraint

Learning Restraint

For The Universal GM In You