Encouragement

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This is Rick’s recipe for the different moments of your life:
‘Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.’

Rick is the Pastor of Saddleback Church in Carlifornia. He is the Author of a bestseller, “Purpose Driven Life".This book has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. He is a gifted speaker and widely sort after to speak at Christian conferences.
The above excerpt is a reply he gave in conclusion to the answer to a question about the purpose of live in an interview with Paul Bradshaw.
I want to elaborated on each of the recipe for the different moments of life.
Paul said, ‘Make the most of every opportunity redeem the time’.
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Col.4:5 NIV
15So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Eph5:15-17The New Living

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
There will be happy moments in our lives no matter our circumstances. God wants us to enjoy then and give praise and tanks for them. We must not take them for granted .praising God for what He has done for us opens the door for more mercies, favors and goodness.
Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."Gen24:27
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.Ex.15:2
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.Deut8:10
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdensPs68:19
Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.Ps.72:18
Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!Ps147:1


Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Happiness is dependent on ‘good things’ happenings- you get a new car, you are given a pay rise or promoted and the like. But life is not a bed of roses. God is not only interested in our comfort but also in our character and so there will be difficult times when our faith is tried to enable us discover the stuff it is made up of. This is not a time to cry wolf but a time to seek the Lord. He said, to see who seek Him will find Hi if they sought Him diligently, with all their heart. I will pour water on he who is thirsty

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.Ps55:6
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.Ps9:10
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.Ps27:4,8
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thingPs34:10
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.Ps105:4
"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD : Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;Isa51:1

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Worship belongs to God and God alone. But often we are tempted to worship self. Satan also wants to take God’s place and would tempt us to worship him like he did Jesus. We must be wise to bring out the sword of the spirit like Jesus did: , "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "Matt4:10

Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,Ex23:25
God is a spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. We must worship Him, His way as we are led by the Holy Spirit and not our way or the way of the world.
You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. Deut 12:31
Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."2Ki.17:39
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.Ps99:5

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
There are painful moments in life when you lose a loved one, when you are visited by illness that defies prayer, when you are deserted by those you love when you are misunderstood and vilified…The list can go on and on. This is the moment to keep your eyes on Jesus and trust God. When you hit rock bottom and you back is against the wall or worse still on the ground, you can only look up. It is not a time for pity-party. God is still on the throne. He is good all the time. He can bring a gain out of a pain. Don’t try to figure out how. He knows how to do it in His own way and in His own time. Ste your love upon Him and declare it for you to hear. Put the enemy to shame.
Paul experienced those painful moments and so did Jesus; so will you and I too

7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.2Cor:12:7-10
But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.Matt26:56
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. Isa53:2 Message

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.” Ps9114-16
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.Ps32:10
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.Ps37:3,5,40
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.Ps34:8,22
He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.Ps40:3
He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORDPs112:7
It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princesPs118:9
The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Prov29:25
You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.Isa26:3




Every moment, THANK GOD.’
Paul said we should give thanks in everything.
‘give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.'1Thess5:18
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever1Chro 16:8,34
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name1Chro.29:13
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.Ps7:17
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.Ps.28:7
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.Ps30:12
We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. Ps 75:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.Ps107:1
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORDPs118:19
At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.Ps119:62
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.1Cor.15:57

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