The infinite power of positive
a god powered life
By Melinda Stallings
“Behold the fowls of the air: they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
“I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“For God did not give us a spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
It’s a pleasant morning, temperatures in the high 60’s; my back door is open to catch the slight breeze, and I can hear the beautiful sounds of the bounty of birds who come daily to my feeders. As I sit down to breakfast, I look out into the backyard. There are sparrows and blue-jays, cardinals and mourning doves, bluebirds and brown thrushes, chickadees and hummingbirds, and a lone red-headed woodpecker who commands the feeder each time he descends. And as I set my breakfast down and settle in to say my blessing, I am completely overcome with the fullness of the love of Jesus Christ. In that moment, I look all around me – at my beautiful little home, at the bounty of nature in my backyard, at my full plate of healthy and delicious food, at my two pups (who were already stationed at either side of my chair), at the pictures of my daughters and friends, at the fullness of my life; and I keep saying thank you, thank you, thank you God.
Two years ago, it was a different utterance. It was why God, why God, why God?
I moved to Baton Rouge from the Houston area four years ago to be close to my brother. Two years after my arrival, my brother suffered a massive heart attack. The day I discovered him was the eve of Epiphany, literally and figuratively. He was coming to get my Christmas lights down from my house before twelfth night. When he didn’t show up his customary 30 minutes before an appointed time, and when he didn’t answer his phone, I knew something was wrong. The evening before, I told him I would have the coffee ready, and I thank God the last words we said to each other that evening before we hung up was our customary “I Love You.”
God has a way of using all events for our good though, and to bring us closer to Him – if we are willing. Although I was always a Christian and had stayed close to my church and God, this grief settled into my soul like a soaked woolen blanket. During that time, I felt so alone. There was so much to contend with, and I had always relied on my brother’s guidance. It is the steadfast love of God, who loved me even when I railed at Him, that got me through that trying time – where time stood still yet progressed at breakneck speed. And it was in that time, that I realized that God would never leave me.
For months on end, I tried to control everything. I was seeking my own counsel since I felt like that was all I had. And my counsel was not that great in that state of mind. Nothing seemed to be working – issues became more convoluted. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t act; my world was closing in on me. About a year in, I became so despondent that, in a cry of desperation, I hit my knees and sobbed into the side of my bed. My railing and my beseeching were as of a young child – and indeed that’s what I felt like. A lonely, scared, tired, confused, beat up child. I cried until I had no more strength. As I lay on the floor, exhausted, I asked God to take it all. Remove the fear, instill the faith that had wavered, draw me close and provide people in my life to help me. I promised to seek the counsel of God first moving forward – such a simple concept, yet I had lost it in my bewildered, grieving state. That night, I feel sure that God held me ever more closely in His loving embrace.
And as time and I progressed, I saw that God indeed had a plan for me; plans to prosper me and not to harm me and that with Him, I had hope for the future that HE had planned for me – even though it wasn’t the future I had planned.
Through small actions and release, I realized that God wanted me to have an abundant life. Even in the midst of losing my best friend, I learned how to live more fully though the Grace of God. The journey was trying but the more I opened to allowing God to lead me through, the less treacherous the path became. I began to make better decisions, I felt more powerful knowing that I had God with me in all my decisions, and indeed, God provided the right people at the right time in my life. I would pray for a blessing on every decision I made, conversation I had, business endeavor I undertook. Ask and ye shall receive.
Jesus came that we might have life – that we may walk in peace, that we may have the ability to overcome evil, to love, to be able to enrich the lives of others, yes; even in our own times of trouble. Love lifted me. But I had to remember to put love first, the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. When I sought His will and followed the guidance of my soul through asking in prayer, He provided everything that I needed. And He still does.
Life is fleeting. We know neither the time nor the hour. I’ve decided to make every day count – positively, powerfully, for God. And to remind me, I keep this little LIFE acronym handy. I hope it will bless you when you feel the world closing in around you – just remember GOD is always there, just invite Him in – oh, and let Him have control. He’s got the whole world in His hands!
L – Love: “…and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13) – God’s love is unfailing.
I – Integrity: What would Jesus do? Act in integrity and all else will fall into place.
F – Faith: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” (Hebrews 11:1); “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17)
E – Eternal: God’s love for us is eternal. He will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5).
Melinda Stallings is a keynote speaker, author, consultant, coach, and mother of two daughters. She guides people in discovering the power of positive within themselves to uncover their God-given purpose and passion in life and share it with others. She moves organizations from conflict and essential business skills “breakdown to breakthrough” through the POSITIVE Approach. She can be reached at Melinda@MelindaStallings.com, www.MelindaStallings.com and (713) 817 8199. For inspirational quotes, follow her on Facebook at Melinda Stallings International.
