So if He is easy to please ! Why do we try so hard to please Him?

Psalms 136:1 (TPT)

Let everyone thank God, for he is good, and he is easy to please! His tender love for us continues on forever!

So if He is easy to please ! Why do we try so hard to please Him?

Are we trying to please Him out of our insecurities?

Are we trying to please Him out of our own expectations ?

Both of the above will lead us to believe we do not have what it takes or cannot live up to the standards expected of our Heavenly Father. As the level is higher than we can achieve or even come close too.

As a child I grew up with this mentality towards my earthly father. The harder I tried I failed, or seem to go backwards. My sister seemed to get more and more right. Her life seemed to go seamlessly from college, to teacher’s college, being instantly respected and given accommodation for free, to study. Then meeting a good man, getting married and starting a family. She did have a few problems, but to me they seemed insignificant. My parents seemed to be so happy and supportive of her. As for me I did not seem to fit into their plans for me and this led me into several different situations. That threaten my relationship with my parents and my life.

When you think you do not have any value. Then realise that you cannot live up to the standards set by others and never will. Add to this that you have never heard those words, I am proud of you from your parents. It often will leed you to take action and take control, out of lack of self worth. Taking control often means like me self sabotage, for some people this means, drugs,alcohol, partying and sex or even crime and violence. As for me I stopped eating and tried to take my life this way.

It seems strange now, but when you are living in a place without any self worth and trying to achieve unrealistic expectations. It fast becomes very real, for so many it becomes the path to end their lives. Fortunately for me with the right help I survived, But that did not mean I was healed. My mask was just changed and life became about body image as I was now doing body building, then money and partying as a traveling encyclopaedia salesman. Then other sales jobs, including a real estate agent and auctioneer. Before starting a business with my fiancee. This company was made bankrupt which was not my fault. But I took it as it was., just another failure, which inside had been my true understanding of myself.

At this point I gave my life to Jesus and things started to change. But the problem was I now saw my Heavenly Father from the perspective of my earthly one. One day I had a very interesting conversation with my uncle and He said that my dad had told him how proud he was of me. How he was enjoying picking up all these amazing cars I had been working on and driving these cars was incredible too. Being a part of picking them up and seeing the work done and helping return them back to the customers he really enjoyed . So I wonder how long my dad had been proud of me and because he had never told me. I had thought the complete opposite. I had actually been living, I believe up to expectations I had thought up or most likely suggested to me by satan. After all John 10:10 says: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

So I wonder if satan tries the same tricks on us, in regarding to our relationship to our Heavenly Father.

I believe he does as every test satan tried in the wilderness with Jesus. Was trying to make Jesus think differently about Himself ‘His True Identity’. Who His Father had just declared He was, as seen in Matthew 3:17 (NIV) Also How much the Father Loved Him and was please with Him seen in that same scripture too.

Matthew 3:17 (NIV)

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.

So yes I Believe these same tricks are being used by satan today on you, me and others.

I wonder how many self appointed expectations we have placed on ourselves ? Possibly justified them in our own minds, as being set by others or even the Lord Himself.

Let’s finish here for today ! Next time we will be looking at these questions.

What pleases the Father the most ?
How to find what His will is for you, for each day ?
How do we stay focused on His will for us each day and what do we do, with everything else ?
The importance of saying how proud we are of our children and how to do this.

A Personal Invitation

Maybe you have come across this post and never met Jesus. Maybe you have heard of Him or never heard of Him. If your life has no worth or purpose then I want to invite you to meet Him. This simple prayer can and will, change your life forever. As it did with me and has for countless others. It might seem strange, weird or make know sense. But let me tell you, from experience it’s true, So why not give it a go ? Would you pray with me

Lord I admit I am a sinner in need of a saviour

Would you please come into my heart and life, then make me whole.

Amen

If you prayed this prayer please let me know by adding a comment to this blog. I will try and help you from there.

Challenge Time

The first step is to ask the Lord for him to reveal all the expectation’s you have put on yourself. Say a prayer like Father reveal to me all the expectation’s I have believed to be true. (Write these down.
Now take the list of expectations He revealed to you and ask the Lord the following. Father I give you my expectation of …………………………………….(say the first thing on your list) Now Father what are you going to give me in return ? Write down what He says or reveals to you. Be as descriptive as possible including pictures, scriptures, words or visions. Now repeat this process with everything on the list.
Now this is where you get to either keep those expectation’s you have or what He revealed to you is the truth. If you want to keep what you have then it’s ok maybe keep the list and ask the Lord for His time to revisit it. But if you want what He revealed to you then say a prayer like Father I choose to lay down and give to you……………………………………..(say the first thing on your list) I choose to instead pick up what you reveal to me …………………………….(Say what he reveal to you was Truth ) thank you Jesus amen. Now repeat this process with everything on your list.
Once you have completed all this take sometime to worship and give Him praise

Father I thank You for revealing all the expectation’s we have tried to live up to for so long. I thank You for revealing the Truth and setting us free in all these areas of our lives, according to your word in John (8:32). I thank You for those who have accepted You as Lord and Saviour today. Help them now to connect to others who know You. Father I asked that You would please allow them to see YOU for who You truly are amen.

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Craig Patten
Founding Pastor/Prophet
Encounter Centre & Ministries