Mike Abel is the author of this work and retains all rights in this work When you have personal victory in any situation, your spirit lifts and you feel good about yourself and about nearly everyone around you. When you have private pain, you need the time and the space to cope and work through the inner anguish. You want time and space to overcome the weariness, the pressure, and the thing that afflicts your inner tranquillity. The last thing you need is to have as much privacy as a goldfish in a glass bowl. Conveniently, people who cause the pain or should be defending or supporting you often keep their distance. This frequently turns out to be a blessing because you might prefer to be on your own with your secret tears, heavy heart and lonely nights. Many people have lost everything, but they hold on to hope and never let go of God. These people invariably go on to rise from the ashes and reach heights that surpass their previous best. It is easy to become downcast and depressed when you are going through a valley. It is easy to be unbearable to those around you - and not even know it. When you bear private pain, it might feel like you have failed the people you care about or failed your own aims and dreams. No matter what the cause of your private pain, God is still on his throne. This world has not ended – neither has yours! Amid the pain and maybe the agony of a setback, you have to get on with your life. You may be one of millions, who puts on a brave front and suffers quietly on the inside, Sometimes for years. Private pain is a real thing but you must not allow it to overtake or swallow you. When you are down in the dumps, it takes more than a decision or a wish to get out. You must make up your mind to move from the place of private pain to a state of balance, new hope, and peace. It takes will and power. You must have the will and God will provide his power - for you to get up and get on with your life. Ask God to rescue you from a broken heart, discouragement, rejection, betrayal, or defeat. Trust God to heal the dents and wounds which private pain inflicts on your confidence and self worth. Remember, God is with you in the valley. He may not answer your prayer in a way you want, but He will answer. God promises to return or replace what you have lost. A new highway of better prospects may replace a bridge that shattered under your feet. His strength will enable you to bear the pain. Joy does eventually come. You will rise again, bearing some scars maybe, but certainly wiser and stronger and ready for a better day. THINK AGAIN Mike Abel is the author of this work and retains all rights in this work Sadly, we miss many blessings because we do not have the patience to keep trying, or we too hastily turn our thoughts to something or someone else. You may feel that there is too slim a prospect for your success so why think again. You may rashly conclude that the matter is not important to your life so why think again. You then walk away, or loose heart or disconnect. For a variety of reasons, we often do not think again, either about previous decisions we made, or about the final choice in a present situation; and we end up with second best, regret, or we loose a winning battle. This sort of ending, is the very opposite to God’s plans for you. God himself reconsiders the penalty that your history or behaviours rightly deserve. He does this because He does not want you to suffer. It is God’s desire that you benefit from the good things you have longed for and which God has reserved for you. Many of us do not pause to reconsider the situation, to see if we should change our minds or intentions. The continual plea to you from your future is that you avoid actions that may result in regret. Your destiny relies on you to make up if you can, for past failures. Your destiny calls to you to live up to the promise of a great life. It may be that you are still undecided or have had no clear direction, even after praying about a situation. Then pray again, differently this time round. Prayer is an act of faith and therefore gives you access to a power that is higher than human reason. God can open your mind to different facets of a (past or) present situation, which you did not see when you first prayed and formed a view. It may be that after you reconsidered your decision, you felt satisfied to proceed without changing your posture. This is fine - if you arrived at the decision after praying about the matter. Confining your decision to your thoughts alone robs you of the wisdom that is readily available from God. Pray then think; pray again and think again. The practice may take a moment or a month but it can make the difference between success and failure. Think again and change your ways if you are unhappy with your self or the world in general. Think again and change your mind if you feel you have nothing or little to offer the world. Think again and change your heart if you are about to abandon the dream that God has placed within you. MAKING SENSE OF DISAGREEMENTS Mike Abel is the author of this work and retains all rights in this work JesusJesus unveiledunveiled his new doctrinedoctrine and the Jews murmured. Many of his disciplesdisciples “walked no more with him” – they left him. For Jesus, the declarationdeclaration of his purposepurpose was something more important and more valuablevaluable than the departure of many disciples. Paul the apostleapostle disagreed strongly with Barnabas and refused to let Mark accompany them on their missionary journeyjourney. Mark had previously deserted them and had not shared in their work.work For Paul there was something more important and more valuable than to risk another desertion by Mark. The prophet Amos asks a question that is relevant in these disagreementsdisagreements: “Can two peoplepeople walk together without agreeing on the directiondirection?” The Apostle Peter recounts how spiritually ignorantignorant and unstable people could not understandunderstand or accept the insights in Paul’s letters; so they twisted what he said. Paul knew that he could not changechange his messagemessage no matter what the persecution or the distortion of his teachingsteachings by his opponents. There was too much at stake for the Kingdom to worry about the attacks.attacks Disagreement is where peoplepeople have differencesdifferences of opinionsopinions or actionsactions. Disagreements arise even between the union of a husband and wife, and between childrenchildren. Generally, disagreementsdisagreements are not evilevil, but they become evil when they festerfester. The worst kinds of disagreements are those kept secretly in the heart, heart like Judas against JesusJesus; like Delilah against Samson and like Haman against the Jews. The quiet festering creates a climateclimate for evil to enter and fill the heart with betrayalbetrayal and treachery. treacheryThe mouth then releases into the wind feathers of resentmentresentment and malicemalice. Jesus our Lord foretold that this would happenhappen in the churchchurch and in families.families SatanSatan always destroys his agents after they do his dirty workwork. Judas killed himself. Haman was hung etc. Desolation and death come suddenlysuddenly upon them. It is sad and weird that in order to betray someone you must first belong to their circlecircle, and must have shared some happy and profitable times together So, disagreementsdisagreements are part of life. They are best resolved by open discussion, or an open acceptance by the parties that they disagreedisagree. Either the one party submits to the authority of the other party or they authorityadopt differentdifferent directions relative to the issue. There is always room for reconciliation. Mark and Paul had overcome the differencedifference that caused their earlier separation. separation If you have been a victimvictim in a disagreement, do your best to avoid bitterness in your heartheart. Bitterness torments, defiles and contaminates. Let the experienceexperience of the disagreement teach you about others and about yourself. What matters is that you stay the better person in the eyeseyes of God. God always defendsdefends the just! BETWEEN NOW AND THEN Mike Abel is the author of this work and retains all rights in this work Some people remain inactiveinactive, in one place and anxious,anxious waiting for something to happen. Others are ready and doprepared things that contributecontribute to the event they expect and expected eventall the while, they watch for signswatching for signs. God waitedGod waited thousands of earth years to give his son Jesus to this world.planet earth All the while God was activeactive in the affairs of humankindmankind, and revealed signs to predictpredict and to countdowncount-down the entrance of Jesus. Whether it takes a moment, month, or years from the origin of your waiting to its fulfilmentfulfilment,fulfilment, some very definite things clearly happen between now and then. The origin of your waiting could be the hard work you have put in and now you are waiting for a reward. The origin of your waiting may be a doctor’s diagnosisdiagnosis that sets you praying for a miraclereversed by a miracle; or a promisepromise waiting for fulfilment. You will experience a floodflood of thoughts and emotions while you wait for a way out, a way in, or a new way. The time between now and then is a crucial period crucial timefor you to develop your relationshiprelationship with Godrelationship with God and use the power of a spiritual focusfocus to influence the outcome or the event that you anticipateanticipate. God alone has the ultimate power to give you your promised land flowing with milk and honey. Most of us cannot take the waiting between now and then. Either we have not learnt to manage the stress of waitingstress of waiting, or, we have not learnt to see ahead to the result, end resultand draw joy and comfortjoy and comfort from it. In many cases, both these reasons apply. The answeranswer is to keep in detailed conversation with Godconversation with God between now and then. Four main things happen when you are in regular contact with God via prayer, bible readingprayer etc... Firstly, your faith in God and his word increases – stress, fear, and frettingfretting will decrease. Secondly, the expected outcome will become clearer to you.warts and all. Thirdly, you will then know what actions you must take and what actions you must avoiddump. Fourthly, you will be more preparedprepared to accept God’s perfect timing for your fulfilmentfulfilment and joy. These things are true whether you want a child and cannot fall pregnantpregnant, whether you are waiting for a job, or whether you are waiting to buy a house, or waiting for the safe return of someone you love.spouse The period between now and then is a time of faithtime of faith, because you hope and desire for something good and you expect to obtain it. This is not mere positive thinkingpositive thinking. This kind of faith is about relying wholeheartedly on the power of the living God to deliver the desires of your heart - and end your waiting with satisfaction.