Be Happy, Be Honest

Many of us try to hide our true problems. Many fake it till they make it. Some of us just find ways to keep busy so that we don't have time to handle our true problems. Many times we also hide how we feel with a big smile on the outside or even with a drink or two. It's natural for us because we are humans. "To hide is human." We tend to hide what we really are on the inside because we are afraid to reveal too much of ourselves. We don't want to appear weak to others. Like boiling volcanoes waiting to erupt, our hidden problems also build up if we don't handle them with care.  I think if we are really honest, we all can say we face problems in life. I want to talk about specific problems of loneliness, guilt, fear and emptiness. That is because we were made with the idea of an ideal which we can't seem to reach. Be it that ideal friendship, amount of good deeds, material goods, fame or pleasure, they often leave us dissatisfied at the end of the day. More often than not, we end up wanting more and more. The ideal or should I say true happiness always seems to be just a step away but yet we never quite get it. Why? It is because God says He has placed eternity in our hearts that no man can understand it. God is the One who placed that Ideal in our hearts and He is the only that can fill it. Sadly, instead of turning to God, many of us turn to the wrong places. What is stopping us from experiencing true happiness? Answer: Our faults and sins that have separated us from God. God knows that and now He wants us to be honest about our faults and sins before Him. From the beginning of time, humans have tried to hide from God. Don't delay, be honest and talk to God about it. Maybe you ask, 'Are you sure He can be trusted with my secrets?' 'Can He handle all my faults and failures?' Well, He made you & me and sent His Son to die for our sins. He has the best in mind for all of us. Certainly, we can trust the One who loves us so much that He died for us. He wants us to be truly happy in Him today. Be happy, Be honest!

"The Bubble that Burst"

Location: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, California
Speaker: Greg Laurie
Audience: 29,000
Occasion: Harvest Crusade
Date: 14 August 2009, Friday Night
Case Study: Madonna, Simon Cowell and Solomon
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Some 29,000 people kicked off the 20th Southern California Harvest Crusade Friday night with this...

His name was Solomon, a king who lived hundreds of years ago,
evangelist Greg Laurie told thousands at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. He was mad for pleasure and was the guy who tried it all.

But the conclusion he came to was that everything was meaningless.

"He was trying to live life without God,chasing after everything this world had to offer," Laurie explained. But Solomon realized "there's nothing this world offers that will satisfy a person who's created to know God."

Naming current celebrities such as Madonna and American Idol's Simon Cowell, Laurie illustrated the same sentiment of emptiness is felt today.

"Is Simon Cowell, this wealthy, powerful, successful man, a happy man?

In [an] interview, he says 'I get in very dark moods for no reason ...
I get to points where I think I'm never going to be happy.
Someone said to me recently you're like a human buffet table.
Everyone comes and takes something from you and at the end there's nothing left.'"

"There's nothing new under the sun," the 56-year-old evangelist Greg Laurie said. "Hundreds of years ago Solomon said it. In yesterday's newspaper, a Hollywood celebrity said it."

Addressing the thousands in the brightly-lit stadium
who may be searching for happiness, meaning and purpose,

Laurie told them the answer is found in a relationship with God.

Relaying the conclusion Solomon came to, as revealed in the Old Testament,
Laurie told them that the bottom line is to fear God, do what He says, and realize He knows what He's talking about.

Urging crusade attendees not to waste their life, the Southern California evangelist invited them to come forward and accept that Christ died for their sins.

"God's not looking for the religious type.
He's looking for the sinner type," he said.
"No one is beyond the reach of God."

Nearly 3,000 people made professions of faith in Christ that night.

PS: For more info, check out http://www.harvest.org/crusades/2009/anaheim/webcast/player.php?id=134&width=1018&height=680&alt_path=/crusades/2009/anaheim/

Maybe we can learn something from Billy Graham's message... on True Happiness

The Happiest Place to be is in the Center of God's Will

Some of us have heard the saying, "The happiest place you can be in is the center of God's will, the most frustrating place to be in is outside of God's will." Personally, I believe that saying. Do you? Lets see what God says, "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."* So now I guess the question is, "How can I really know God's will for my life?" It boils down to choices. Can a believer know if he is really making the right choice? Many times I think I are making the right choice but honestly speaking, I am not sure. Personally, I have read books regarding God's will but more than often, I will not find what I need for my specific situation. Maybe you find yourself in the same situation. How can I really know which school, job, friends I should choose? Well, I hope these 4 universal principles will help you stay happy in God's will. This is important because "The happiest place is in the center of God's will"

Principle 1: Principle of Obedience.
"God loves us so much that He always gives us the power to trust and obey what He wants us to do"

Explanation: In those areas that is addressed specifically in the Bible, the revealed commands and principles of God (His moral will) are to be obeyed.

Examples:
a. to glorify God in all things ( 1 Cor 10:31)
b. to minister to others (Romans 14:19)
c. to fulfill God-given responsibilities (1 Pet:10-11)
d. to evangelise lost people (2 Pet 3:9)
e. to do good works (Titus 3:8)
d. to produce spiritual fruit (Titus 3:8)

Principle 2: Principle of Freedom.
"God loves us so much that He always gives us the freedom of choice within His moral Will"

Explanation: In those areas where Bible gives no command or principle (nonmoral decisions), the believer is free and responsible to choose his course of action. Any decision made within the moral will of God is acceptable.


Examples:
a. Adam and Eve were given freedom to eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden EXCEPT from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17)
b. Giving to the church (2 Corinthians 9:7)
c. Marriage (1 Corinthians 7:39)

Principle 3: Principle of Wisdom
"God loves us so much that He wants us to actively seek wisdom from His Spirit, others and self so that we will learn how to make the wisest and most beneficial choices in life"

Explanation: In nonmoral decisions, the goal of the believer is to make wise decisions on the basis of what is spiritually best and fruitful. Most importantly, God himself has promised to give wisdom to those who ask Him in simple faith! On the other hand, let us also be humble enough to seek wisdom from careful research about the facts, wise counselors God has brought in our lives and past experiences.

Examples:
a. Paul's travel plan changes due to external pressure (1 Thessalonians 3:1-2)
b. Paul's sending of Epaphroditus to Philippi (Philippians 2:25-26)
c. Twelve disciples' appointing deacons in church (Acts 6:2=4)

Principle 4: Principle of Humility
"God loves us so much that He wants us to cooperate humbly with His perfect overall plan for our lives."

Explanation: In all decisions, the believer should say, "if God wills" and humbly accept or be willing to change in accordance to God's overruling will. This reminds us that our choices could be wrong and that God's will is always best. So when we realized we are wrong, we need to humbly admit and accept changes God wants in our lives.

Example:
a. Paul and companions were sensitive and humble to accept change in their mission work when the Spirit of God stopped and redirected their travel plans (Acts 16:6-10).
b. Paul was humble and willing to have God change His plans (Acts 18:21, 1 Corinthians 4:19, 16:5-7)
c. James' warning against boasting about future plans (James 4:13-16)

*Psalm 16:11
For more information, check out bookles - "Principles for Decision Making: Living according to God's will" by Friesen & Maxson