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"THE POWER OF
A SATISFIED HEART"
by Victoria Boyson
Web: www.boyson.org
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A person with a satisfied heart is a person whom God can bless.
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything
give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18
So often we can find ourselves wrestling with God instead of wrestling the
mountain in our lives. We can, through our frustration, end up rebuking
God, instead of rebuking principalities and powers. We can get caught in
the complaint cycle and whine to God about how long it's taking Him to meet
our need, instead of thanking Him for all that He has already done for us.
Our need can continually drive us back to God, seeking explanations from
Him, instead of thanking Him for the mountains He has already moved and
the seas that He has parted to get us this far.
How soon we lose sight of all the miracles He has performed to bring us
the blessings we have already been given. While waiting for God to do the
"big" thing for us, we forget to be thankful for the little blessings along
the way. I believe that the small blessings we receive from God are really
a test for our heart. He wants to know if we will be thankful for even the
smallest gift.
Satan wants us to become dissatisfied with the blessings God has given us.
A dissatisfied heart is easy for him to manipulate. When we are frustrated,
he can get us to do and say things we would not otherwise do. Attitudes
erupt out of our dissatisfaction that we would not otherwise have. And,
of course, jealousy and ambition are both rooted deeply in an ungrateful,
dissatisfied heart. A dissatisfied heart is like a hunger that is never
filled or a fire that never dies out. If you allow it, it will eat away
at the enjoyment you find in this life.
The Safe
Zone
Having a satisfied heart can keep us in a "safe zone." There is a place
where Satan cannot gain access to our minds. That place is where we give
thanksgiving and praise to God for all that He has done for us.
"In everything give thanks; for this is God's
will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I have a friend who is a pastor, and he recently went through a situation
in his church where many people in his congregation left. Instead of becoming
embittered about what he had lost, he made a conscious effort to thank God
for the people who stayed with him. In a time of loss, it is easy to lose
sight of all we still have! In all circumstances and at all times, we can
always find something to be thankful for and remain thankful in the place
God has put us.
When God graciously shows us something He wants to give us, and it does
not happen right away, it is easy to become frustrated. If God has promised
it, He will complete it. But we have our part to do and that is thanking
Him in spite of how things look in the natural. Our frustration and anxiety
will only serve to hinder God. Praise and thanksgiving proves we are trusting
in Him to do what He has promised in His timing, in His way.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known
to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (Emphasis
mine)
The presence, the peace, and the power of God are gifts given freely to
those who trust Him and do not allow anxiety to remain in their hearts.
The peace of God will be a guard over our hearts, fighting against anxiety
and dissatisfaction. Anxiety will erode our faith and trust in God, but
the peace of a God that passes all understanding will produce a satisfied
heart. I truly believe that a satisfied heart can touch God and experience
His presence anywhere at anytime.
Adopting
Ruth's Heart
In the story of Ruth, we see a picture of a woman who has not grown up in
the Jewish faith. She has married into a Jewish family and has taken their
God as her own. She, her mother-in-law (Naomi), and her sister-in-law had
the rug pulled out from under them when, one by one, all their husbands
died. Hearing that things were better in her homeland of Israel, Naomi decided
to go home to her people. She urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their
homelands, but Ruth refused to leave her.
"Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from
following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will
lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die,
I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and
worse, if anything but death parts you and me." Ruth 1:16-17
Ruth stayed with Naomi as though she were her own child. Whatever would
happen to them in the future, they would go through it together. Ruth took
her hands off of her own life and let God have control of whatever happened
to her. She trusted God to take care of her. She laid down her own plans
and embraced God's plan for her. Ruth made herself Naomi's caretaker. She
even gleaned the leftover grain that the harvesters left in the fields so
she and Naomi could have bread. It was her decision to let God take over
her life, even if it meant she became lower than a servant in Boaz's fields
(see Ruth 2). The decision to follow God's plan eventually made her a very
blessed woman indeed.
She was gleaning in his fields when Boaz spotted her and took care of her.
Then he said to her:
"Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to
glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay
here with my maids. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go
after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you." Ruth
2:8-9
Ruth couldn't understand why Boaz took notice of her, why she had such favor
with him. But Boaz had heard of Ruth's faithfulness and loyalty to Naomi
and because of it she found unreasonable favor with him. He blessed her
and said, "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the
LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge"
(Ruth 2:12). Boaz saw Ruth's kindness to Naomi, and it drew him to her.
God did repay Ruth for her faithfulness, more than she could have dreamt
possible. She eventually married Boaz and became the mistress of all he
owned. But even more than that, she became the great-grandmother of kings.
King David the son of Jesse was her great-grandson. And twenty-eight generations
after her was born her very GREAT-grandson...King Jesus...the Christ!
God's Plans Are Greater Than We Can Imagine
Ruth had been satisfied to serve Naomi. She had given up her own plans for
her life in order to serve another, and God blessed her with status and
wealth. She took the lowly path and refused to leave her mother-in-law.
She had no way of knowing what would happen to her, but she trusted God
to care for her and was satisfied to glean in the field. She was satisfied
with and thankful for the grain in the field. Her gratitude and loyalty
pleased God so much so that He blessed her and raised her up and gave her
more than she could have dreamed.
The way we treat the people God puts in our lives can be a testing ground
for God to see if we are ready for greater things. So many are asking God
to give them a ministry, yet they have neglected their first ministry, which
is to minister to the needs of those God has placed around them. We learn
how to minister to others by ministering to our family and friends. If we
mistreat them, God will not put more people under our care because we would
eventually mistreat them as well. We cannot possibly love others more than
we love those who are dear to us.
We need to adopt Ruth's heart and live satisfied to serve those we love
- satisfied to clean toilets, change diapers, or to change oil. All these
simple tasks can be done as an act of worship unto God. When we learn to
enjoy serving God through simple things, God will give us more important
things to do.
Thank God today for all He has done for you. Trust Him for all that is to
come and feel the peace of God that transcends all understanding fill your
heart right now. You CAN trust Him...He IS good...He IS faithful!
Victoria Boyson, Inc.
www.boyson.org
Copyright (c) 2003-2004
All rights reserved.
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"The Birth of Your Destiny"
It Is Time To
Give Your Life To Your Dreams
by Victoria Boyson
$12.95 Book |
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We are excited
to announce the recent release of Victoria Boyson's new book,
The Birth of Your Destiny.
God wants to give
you a dream for your future and implant the seeds of destiny in your
heart. Just like a baby hidden in the womb, so are the promises God
has given to us. He speaks to us of our future, to conceive within us
His will and purpose for our lives.
Giving birth to
your destiny is a difficult and exhausting process, but inevitably your
misery will turn into joy, and you will produce the product of grace
that you have always dreamed of. You are much too close to the end to
give up now. How do I know this? You have this book in your hands. Experience
an impartation of God's grace and faith to fulfill all that He has for
you.
 "The
Birth Of Your Destiny not only instructs you about theological
facts pertaining to destiny, but the fact that this book is in your
hands tells me that you are well on your way to the fulfillment of your
destiny. It will provide important keys to unlocking the fullness of
God's plan for your life."
- By Francis Frangipane
Feel free to
order online
OR by phone (1-8.6.6-881-0477)
http://www.elijahshopper.com/detail.aspx?ID=1266
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To donate by regular mail, use this address:
Elijah List Ministries
(Now a Non-Profit Ministry)
528 Ellsworth St SW
Albany, OR 97321
or call: 1-8.6.6-881-0477
or 1-541-917-0484
If you donate $15 or more to Elijah List
Ministries, we will send you our current tape of the Month NO_CHARGE, as
a token of our appreciation. Any amount over $15 will be tax
deductible.
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you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as
well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own
websites. We ask only that you keep Elijah List website, email contact info,
and author contact information intact.
Thank you and blessings,
Steve Shultz, Publisher, The Elijah List
http://www.elijahlist.com
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The
Birth of Your Destiny
