Friday, September 3, 2010

Don't Get "Dis-Appointed!"

The past couple of days have proved to be a little.....well.....out of the ordinary for me.  I am, by nature, a very positive upbeat person.  But, I let my guard down.  Ever done that?


And I THINK I just used this scripture in my last post....


Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
~Proverbs 4:23.


How quickly I got my eyes off of God's promises and onto my circumstances.  And I moped around all day, unmotivated and unproductive.  REALLY, I know better.


 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
 ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18.


Luckily, for me, it didn't last long.


My mom gave me an article to read yesterday, so as I was sitting in the pick-up line at Logan's school, I opened it up.  And, as usual, God began to speak to me and show me the error of my ways. 


I'm so thankful He loves me (and you!) enough to do that.


Apparently, I had allowed unfulfilled expectations and our temporarily less than perfect circumstances to cause disappointment - which I then allowed to come in and set up camp for a bit.

Not good.


The article said..."Disappointment is not just a sad, emotional state of mind; deep disappointment can actually sever our hearts from faith.  It is the enemy's work.  Demonically manipulated disappointment can actually "dis-appoint" a person from God's destiny for their lives" (Francis Frangipane).

It's naive to think that we will never get disappointed.  That is, unfortunately, a part of life that we can't escape.  It's in those times that we have to grab hold of our faith like never before, keeping discouragement, unforgiveness, and/or bitterness from taking up residence!  It's also in those times that God can do a work in us beyond our comprehension - a work sure to benefit and increase our preparedness for a future season.

Anything and everything that tries to bring us down or halt our forward movement is such a lesser thing when compared to the King of Kings!  We just need the right perspective. And we have to stay alert and aware.


I began to wonder....if this happened to me so quickly, how many other people who are going through trying times are stuck in this place?  How many people have sunk even further and allowed deep disappointment to come in and sever their hearts from their faith?


Are you there? 


Has disappointment found its way into a secret chamber of your heart, robbing you and keeping you from God's plans and purposes for your life? 


Maybe you just got there. 


Maybe you've been there for a while.

Or maybe you didn't even know you were there.


F.F. also said that disappointment cuts us off from our vision, and without vision a people perish.

Have you lost your vision?  Is it hard for you to remember the dreams and promises that God once gave you?


Don't accept the power of disappointment in your life. Recognize it when it comes, and tell it to hit the road, Jack!!

Remind yourself how good God is! 

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable! Ps. 145:3

Decide TODAY, right now, to renounce disappointment. Forgive, repent, or do whatever you need to do to return to your Redeemer! Be set free and move forward into your destiny!

Don't allow disappointment to "dis-appoint" you!!


God has great plans!!

xoxo
Shelly

6 friends had this to say:

Glory to God said...

I found your blog through another blogger that you follow. I've only read this post, but I have to say that I completely agree with what you're saying here.

I think a deep-seated disappointment actually can show us how much, or how much we don't, trust God. God knows the plans He has for us, and they're always for our good, even if we can't see it.

I, too, find myself getting caught up in disappointment to the point where Francis Frangipane's quote seems very real to me. I really need to refocus my attention back onto God and His purposes and plans for my life.

Great post! I'm now going to be one of your followers. Looking forward to more of your posts. Have a great weekend and God bless!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

This was a great post.

FlowerLady

Stacy @ Heartprints of God said...

Shelly,
What a "heart-opener"! I have never before thought of disappointment as a tool which Satan can use to "dis-appoint" me. We have all been appointed by God to be HIS ambassadors...and now, the eyes of my heart have been opened to see how the enemy can use disappointment to keep us from our God-given destiny and from living out the purpose for which we were created.

Great post! Thank you for allowing God to take what Satan meant for harm and in turn use it for the good of strengthening the body of Christ. To God be the Victory!!!!

Dorothy said...

Hi Shelly,
Your post reminded me of that oldie but goodie, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus'. Your words of encouragement spoke to my heart today, after a week of many disappointments. It's only when I take them to Jesus, that I can process my hurts and and rest in HIs glory and grace.
Blessings
Dorothy :)

Brenda Susan said...

wow, very good and timely post! Thank you!

vonimoller said...

No one needs to know this but I'll share anyway!
Yes ive been stuck there for over a week and yesterday i had a job interview - a wait of THREE HOURS where God said now listen. I had forgotten The Promises and i felt confused and lost. I didnt go to the interview, i dont think that was ever the point, i feel it was more to get out of where i placed myself to listen........