give thanks in all circumstances

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.
Psalm 4:1-5

How the words of God speak to our hearts when we need it most... How He reveals His Words to speak so timely to the situations... God is simply amazing...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:2-3

Just a few moments ago, i had an argument with one of my spiritual daughters... At one point through out the MSN conversation, i was fuming mad to the brink of tears, as i realise that whatever i am saying is received negatively by her and that she is missing the point... a phone call to Mel allowed the Lord to remind me to be grace and loving as i discipline and put forth my stand... and as i read the daily bread for today entitled No grudges after sunset... i can't help but repent of my sinning against this sister of mine... in my frustration, harsh words came out... and no matter how much grace and love abounded in the words to follow, just did not make any impact on her... realising that i have misrepresented God most likely, i repented... i am not saying that God is not a harsh God, but i am saying that in my harshness, the grace and love did not come through... God may be harsh, but His grace and His love for us still comes through clearly.. and in this area, i have failed to represent Him truly...

i thank God for the lessons He is teaching me through this... not only is He allowing me to make my stand in this situation, He is also allowing me to learn to represent Him more accurately... i thank God that when i seeked Mel for help, she did not spoonfed me with the things to say or do... but she reminded me that i have been appointed leadership over this daughter of my King, and that i have every right to correct her, that i am chosen to be used to discipline her... so i can speak confidently, because i am God's chosen... i thank God that He is giving me the opportunity to learn to be gentle yet firm... that He showed me what not to do through this situation... i thank God that He is empowering me with the experiences i need as a leader to handle such situations... i thank God that God loves both of us enough to allow me to be able to learn something out of this and at the same time reminding her of the promises she made to God... there is a lot more to thank God about out of this situation... but most importantly, i thank God that He is God... that He is sovereign and holy...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

there are times when i do hope my spiritual daughters need not go through the trials, but then again, who am i to hinder God's plans for them... all i can do is make my stand clear in the situations that arise, and then let go and let God... will at all times, interceding for God's wisdom to come upon us all until the final decision is made...