My Utmost for His Highest

Well, as Adam and I have faced some minor struggles in our recent life, I was reminded of something I read once. It said, Make plans! Make lots of plans, but don't fall apart when they don't come through. (By the way, this has nothing to do with my Christmas dreams below) I tend to forget sometimes that God has designed us so that no one can always come through for us and we will often fail others, even the ones we love the most. So, this weekend at church, Pastor Mike preached a message and in it he said that depression is, believeing something that the enemy tells us, and then playing it over and over in our mind until we spiral downward into depression. I do this FAR too often. Not to the point of depression but just wear I feel defeated and useless. This study really ministered to me. I alreay knew the truth of this but needed to hear, rather, read it again.
November 1, 2006
"You Are Not Your Own"
Do you not know that . . . you are not your own? —1 Corinthians 6:19

There is no such thing as a private life, or a place to hide in this world, for a man or woman who is intimately aware of and shares in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. God divides the private life of His saints and makes it a highway for the world on one hand and for Himself on the other. No human being can stand that unless he is identified with Jesus Christ. We are not sanctified for ourselves. We are called into intimacy with the gospel, and things happen that appear to have nothing to do with us. But God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. Let Him have His way. If you refuse, you will be of no value to God in His redemptive work in the world, but will be a hindrance and a stumbling block.
The first thing God does is get us grounded on strong reality and truth. He does this until our cares for ourselves individually have been brought into submission to His way for the purpose of His redemption. Why shouldn’t we experience heartbreak? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, as if to say, "Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine." If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?