Philippians 4: 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I am finding in speaking with people that the majority of people are not happy... 

as I look over my own life... there was a time where I was so negative and so miserable.. all around unhappy... and while it is true that I was going through bad circumstances.. the circumstances weren't really the problem.. my thoughts were the problem... 

Philippians 4: 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

if I were able to see good.. and overcome the negative and depressing thoughts then I would not be downcast.. sometimes we look at someone who is always looking on the bright side and we think they have not lived through anything.. 

maybe the truth of it is that they have lived through enough to learn to see God in every situation.. to see that God will work all things for the good of those who love Him... so see that God is a good God and when the time is right He will change the situation... 

I am believing that if I were to go through the things I went through years ago.. now my mind and my walk with God are strong enough that I will not be sucked under by depression and misery... I pray this is the truth... 

1 Kings 9: 2 Then the Lordappeared to Solomon a second time, as he had done before at Gibeon. 3 TheLord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart. 4 “As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, 5 then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ 6 “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods,7 then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. 8 And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will gasp in horror. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’ 9 “And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them.’”

I was reading this last night and had several thoughts.. one was the heartbreak that we cause God.. God is so good to us.. yet He constantly seems to have to remind us to keep Him first in our lives.. we learn that things go badly when we put anything before God.. yet we somehow still continually struggle not to do it.. I just don't understand us.. I am not talking about someone else.. I am talking about me.. I battle this too.. and I have no idea why.. it seems as if unless my life is almost empty of people then I battle to keep God first.. why would that be necessary?.. why couldn't I be close with people and still have God at the forefront? idk.. I pray He will give me relationship and allow me to work this out over time.. not take relationships away right away while I am learning to figure this out.. 

the other thing I thought about is we think we hear from God all the time.. (myself included again) and the bible says that solomon only heard from God twice in his life... different people in the bible only heard from God a few times.. somehow we (me) think God is to talk to us every day.. reassuring us.. just talking.. 

now let me clarify this.. I believe God leads us and speaks to us from the bible.. from the Holy Spirit also.. but as far as big messages from God.. as for direction in our lives or purpose or that type of thing.. I am thinking those messages are only heard once or twice in a lifetime maybe... 

I think I need to be very careful to hear God's voice about my life and not my own... 

but I am so thankful for the voice of God.. the leading of the Holy Spirit.. the word of God.. the relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on a day to day basis...