Without grumbling

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2:14-18 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
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Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Focus on the Lord.

A lot of discontentment is rooted in things that we can change ourselves if we only tried instead of just complaining about it. But, there are some areas of discontent that we can't change; however, we can change our attitude toward, which makes all the difference.
     There was a 96-year-old man, we'll call him David, that I know of who was ready to die. His wife and friends had all passed away. His health was failing him, but only on a few levels. He was just tired and lonely. He didn't focus on his blessings, only on his troubles. Blessings included: he had a son who lived next door, his mind was still sharp, he was able to live in his home and take care of most of his needs. Fortunately, a man decided one day to go door to door to spread the Gospel and invite people to his church (not a Jehovah's Witness) and happened upon David's door. They became friends and David was able to be drawn closer to God as a result. It helped his attitude and some of his feelings of depression and despair. He died delighting in the Lord.
     There's a woman we'll call Linda who just seems to be flat out angry about her age. She's always trying to prove to people that she's still fit, still able to do everything herself and that her mind is still fully intact. All of this is fine except that in spending so much effort on these things, she belittles those around her. She's become rather bitter and very judgmental. She can't change her age, but she can change her approach to age. Since she is still sharp and able-bodied, she could be making use of that by reaching out to others who aren't doing as well, volunteering, joining groups to do things she's interested in doing. I believe she's so focused on the negative that she, like David, can't enjoy the gifts God has given her.
     No matter what your discontentment is, you have control to change your attitude. Pray about what upsets you. Focus on the Lord.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
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Focus on love

It's difficult to be discontent when you stop and count your blessings. It's difficult to be discontent when you stop and focus on God, on His love for you and (hopefully) your love in Him. Our Father is with us always. He understands our moods. He knows we sin and are going to continue to sin. He knows that we often try to live life without Him. Yet He loves us. Meditate on that today and share this with someone you know who is feeling discontent.

So we have come to know and to believe 

the love that God has for us. 

God is love, 

and whoever abides in love abides 

in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:16 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
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Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Suffer want

You can choose to be discontent, or you can choose to be content in Christ.

The young lions suffer want and hunger; 

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Psalm 34:10 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
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Discontentment in relationships

I know a young man, we'll call him "Tim" who is seemingly discontent with his life. His excuse or reason is that he's a single father of two children, a girl, and a boy. 'If only' he would lament. If only I had a wife and a mother for my kids, life would be so much better. His reasoning that his kids need a mother is false because they already have a mother. It's he who needs a woman in his life which is completely understandable except that he goes about it all wrong and never learns from his mistakes. I don't know about his first two wives, but he's divorced from both of them.
     Several years ago, he met a woman with a small child and they hit it off great. He asked her and her baby to move in with him and his two kids after dating for just a month or two. Huge mistake. After a short time, she moved out, but Tim and she continued to date for years and even got engaged. Eventually they had a huge fight and they broke up.
     A few months later, he met someone new and she seemed 'perfect'. He overlooked several obvious red flags (and she did, too) and after about two months, they eloped. She and her two kids moved in and she got pregnant. After just a few months things got to be unbearable and they went through a very messy separation.
     A few months later, Tim met another woman, who was even more perfect. This time, he moved himself and his two kids in with her and her two (or three?) kids after about two months of dating. It wasn't long before she too became pregnant. Things didn't work out and he and his kids had to find a new house.
     So here's a situation where a person is so discontent that he keeps repeating the same action over and over again hoping for a new outcome instead of learning from his mistakes.
     There is no contentment outside of God. Tim needs to pray about what God's plans are for him instead of just rushing in and making these Godless decisions on his own. He needs to consider the consequences of his actions on his children and the other children involved. He needs to slow down, hold off on sex, hold off on cohabitating and marriage. My late husband always used to say "when something seems too good to be true, it usually is." You can't possibly know someone well enough after just a couple of months. When you come to situations like this, it's best to pray and wait for an answer from our Father in Heaven.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, 

faith, love, and peace, 

along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

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Always give thanks

Rejoice always, 

pray without ceasing, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Instagram @archadia27
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Too much stuff

I grew up in a middle-class family and as far as I knew, we never wanted for anything. Part of that was because my parents never talked about finances in front of us, but still, we had a house, food, clothing, transportation.
     Then, I got married and found out what it was like to be poor. We lived paycheck to paycheck and were always robbing Peter to pay Paul. During that time, I remember thinking, "if we only had more money," as if that would solve all of our problems.
     We did eventually make more money, but, like so many others, with a higher income came a more expensive house, a more expensive car, premium cable channels, etc.,... in other words, the more we made, the more we spent and so I was still thinking, "if we only had more money."
     Each time we moved, we needed a bigger and bigger moving truck which meant we were accumulating more stuff every year. Our basement became a storage space full of bins and I didn't even remember what they contained.
     All of this was during my dark time when I wasn't with the Lord. I wasn't in the Word, I wasn't going to church, I wasn't even praying, and I attribute the darkness of life during that time as a result of trying to go it alone. God was there, I just never spoke to Him. Therefore my possessions became my "god" so to speak; they were what I wanted, so in reality, they were what I "worshipped". I thought I could find contentment in storing up treasures on earth. I was wrong.

And he said to them, 

“Take care, and be on your guard 

against all covetousness, 

for one's life does not consist in the 

abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 12:15 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for someone who is discontent.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Instagram @archadia27
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power