Get up and Pray

Posted on January 7, 2025 by daaorg1214

Luke 22:44-44 (NLT)
44He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. 45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

At one of the most challenging times of his life, our Lord and Savior wanted those closest to him to pray with him. There’s no doubt that part of his laboring in prayer to our Heavenly Father was for the disciples. He wanted the Word that he taught to them to be anchored in their hearts and minds, and to be so to such a degree that they would not fall for the tricks of the enemy and yield to temptation. He knew what he had been sent to do, and it’s not too much of a stretch to think that in his humanity, he wanted to see the disciples persevering with vigilance and prayer during that difficult time. It was not to be. His disciples fell asleep when he had asked them to stay awake and be watchful. They were asleep at the wheel, so to speak, and as children of God, this is the kind of behavior we should never want to mimic.

There’s no question that life comes with opportunities for both joy and pain. However, we are often surprised by just how challenging situations and circumstances on the painful side of life can be. It can be tough to face pain, disappointment, and a broken heart with the joy and faith of Christ. Sometimes, we feel like laying in the bed and crying for days, but our powerful Lord offers us another more meaningful way to handle the hiccups and dilemmas of our lives. His instruction and encouragement to us is to ‘get up and pray’.

Each of us may process emotional distress differently, but at some point, we have to ask ourselves if we are going to believe and trust God to do what He’s promised in His Word. We have nothing like the circumstances our precious Lord and Savior faced, but his example is the one we’re commanded to follow. He was not weak by any means. There has never been or will ever be any human as strong as he was when he carried out his ministry within the earth. Our Heavenly Father was the Source of his strength. So, if there was anyone who would have been exempt from prayer, it would have been Jesus Christ, but he prayed all the time because it is required to remain spiritually strong.

We must pray continually because this is what our Savior has taught us. Mark 1:35(NLT) says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Prayer was his habit pattern and praying early in the mornings meant that before he saw the face of anyone else, he sought the face of God. Again, a habit of earnest prayer is a standard that allows us to remain spiritually strong, so that the difficult seasons of life will not cause us to turn our backs on our faith in God.

1Peter 4:12-14(NLT) says, “12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you.” It’s a myth to assume that just because we are followers of the Lord Jesus, and filled with God’s Holy Spirit, that we will not face fiery ordeals. Sometimes, our weaknesses are attacked by the enemy. Other times, we might have to keep quiet when we really want to give people a piece of our minds. We have to make sacrifices and not do some of the things we enjoyed in the past. These sufferings are far from what our Master Jesus endured, but because we are lights living in a dark world, we do share in his sufferings on some level.

He tells us to keep on rejoicing because even though things are not comfortable, God has blessed us, and the Holy Spirit will comfort and help us to be victorious in Christ. We must not forget that we have the strength of God because our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple; he lives inside us. Our Heavenly Father knows that we’re going to go through some tough times, but through Christ, we have the strength to stay encouraged and never give up. So, whatever you’re facing, get up and pray. Pray often. Even though you might have tears and sadness, God is able to heal, deliver, rescue, and restore you, no matter the circumstance. He will show you His power and love if you have faith in Him and make turning to Him in prayer the most important practice of your life.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Get Unstuck!

Posted on December 23, 2024 by daaorg1214

Our powerful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, declared in John 10:10(NKJV), “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly.” The thief that he is referring to in this verse is the devil. Jesus Christ also informs us in John 8:44 that the devil is the father of lies who lusts after evil and does dastardly evil things. Stealing, killing, and destroying anything and everything is the enemy’s trademark, and he is merciless with all his corruption and deception. So that there would be no confusion, our Lord and Master very clearly makes the distinction between the love, light, and life that he gives us and the evil and darkness of satan. This distinction is a serious issue, and we can’t afford to make a mistake. We must gain the wisdom to discern whether we’re dealing with a trick of the enemy or a blessing from the Lord.

God’s Word tells us that satan was once called Lucifer, the archangel of light. You and I don’t fully know the extent of authority and power he had as the archangel of light, but we can imagine that it was extraordinary because light is extraordinary. Our Master Jesus is the light! He said in John 8:12(NLT), “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The light to which Jesus refers in John 8:12 encompasses love, power, intelligence, and every other good thing that exists. Because of his prior rank and occupation, satan knows more than any of us do about all that light entails, and he is a masterful manipulator and deceiver. Disguising and counterfeiting are right up his alley, and if we lack wisdom, we can mistake the deepest darkness for a rainbow.

Examine your heart

Becoming stuck in life is a condition that is caused when the enemy has found a way to block us, and therefore keep us from going higher. This is not something that occurs externally and then makes its way internally. It’s an attitude, a way of speaking, thinking, and feeling that is contrary to the way of Christ. It’s in our hearts, and because it is, it trickles out to impact many other aspects and details of our existences. The reality that we live from inside out cannot be denied. We are deceived when we think that the reason our momentum has come to a halt is simply because we can’t figure out our next move. The truth is that we’ve come to a place in our spiritual journeys when the light of Christ within must shine brighter and light a new path to God’s blessings.

For as long as we sojourn on earth as human beings, we will have the responsibility and privilege to continually grow closer to God through Jesus Christ. Our goal should be to become more like Christ and put on his love and light in a greater way. Our Heavenly Father designed life to cooperate with our efforts to have a clean heart and a pure soul. We should also know that life has a way of stopping us in our tracks when our dedication to grow in the Spirit doesn’t match the blessings God has for us just around the corner.

Be diligent in prayer

Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:21(NLT), “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Most of us would walk a thousand miles barefoot if we knew that our treasure would be at the end of that road. This willingness and aspiration are targeted at what we desire most, and if what we desire most isn’t God, we’re headed in the wrong direction. God doesn’t punish us for this, He works with us, and our prayers to Him are just the invitation He’s waiting on.

We grossly underestimate the power that is released when we align our prayers with the Will and purpose of God for our lives. When we’re stuck, the reach of our vision is stunted, but when we begin to see what God sees, the possibilities in Christ open up for us. Our souls have room to breathe, and we regain momentum.

We can’t remain in a weakened state where we are vulnerable to the enemy’s tricks and plots. To get unstuck and witness greater blessings in our lives, we must grow spiritually in Christ and in our faith in him. Making decisions based on our own desires will not yield the results we need. A habit pattern of spending more time with the Father in prayer and surrendering to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this is our path out of confusion and chaos; this is what leads us into to the light.

Remember, getting out of sync with God’s agenda makes us feel as though we’re wading through quicksand, but Jesus Christ is our firm foundation, and following him will always lead us to safety. He tells us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life! So, we can be confident that we don’t ever have to be stuck or feel as though there are no options for us to move forward in life. This is never a reality for the believer that renews their mind and feeds their heart God’s Word. When we get on board with loving our Heavenly Father the way that Christ does, we can enjoy the peace of knowing that no trick of the enemy will be able to keep us from all that God has in store.■

God is With You

Posted on November 25, 2024 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 41:10(ESV)
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God is with us when we go through some of the darkest times of our lives. When we feel lost and don’t know what to do, and we’re wondering how we ended up in the space and place we’re in, we can be encouraged in the Lord. Our Heavenly Father is with us all the time, and He is always willing and able to help us in our times of need. Sometimes, we let our feelings get in the way of accepting this truth. Then we fail to acknowledge the presence and power of God. Romans 8:1(NKJV) says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Feelings of condemnation can enter the picture when we don’t feel good enough, or we think that God won’t hear our prayers because we’ve done wrong things. This isn’t true, and we shouldn’t let feelings of unworthiness keep us from reaching out to our Heavenly Father.

God tells us in Revelation 22:13 that He is Alpha and Omega, the first and last, and the beginning and the end. He knows the end at the beginning, and He knows the beginning at the end. He’s not forgetful, and there isn’t anything that He does not know. He said in Isaiah 55:9(NLT), “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” God has all power and intelligence, and our problems and issues are never too big for Him to solve.

Domestic violence and abuse usually occurs in the shadows, and most victims try to keep it hidden, but we can’t hide it from God, although many of us behave as though we can. We might think He doesn’t see our pain and that He will not help us escape the constant fear that many live under. With those who suffer domestic violence and abuse, relationships become an emotional roller-coaster. The abuser may be charming and sweet at times. They are often apologetic and very passionate, and this leaves us torn between staying and leaving. It’s also the reason that many individuals remain in abusive and unhealthy relationships. They feel imprisoned on so many levels, but rest assured, through Jesus Christ, there is a way of escape.

Abusive relationships and situations can bring a lot of shame as well as other emotions that keep us living life on the edge, but no matter the circumstance, we can’t limit what God can do to bring us freedom and wholeness. Things happen in this world that we live in that are brutal, chaotic, and bring a lot of suffering. This gets complicated by our lack of knowledge about our identities in Christ and a misunderstanding of who God is. Proverbs 19:21(ESV) tells us, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” The burdens of life weigh heavy on us, so much so that we forget that God has a purpose for our lives, and there’s no way to get around the reality that His purpose must be fulfilled.

God’s purpose is for us to live in Christ, to be in relationship with Him through Christ and to do all the good things that He planned for us long ago. His purpose is not for us to be abused in any way or to suffer in life, and we must allow for the reality that our minds and hearts need to change to see His love in a greater way.

We should never allow anything to cause us to shrink away from God. He knew the mistakes we’d make before we made them. He knows our weaknesses and said in 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” The most important thing in life is to be in relationship with God. It’s so wonderful to know that our relationship with God isn’t dependent on us and how much we love Him, it’s all about Him and His love for us, because He loves us no matter what. So, the very best thing we can do for ourselves is to acknowledge and be thankful that God is always with us. He is always willing to come to our aid, and if we ask Him in prayer, He’ll take the things we did wrong and use them to teach us to love Him, ourselves, and others through His grace, strength, and power. ■

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Not All Scars Are Visible

Posted on November 11, 2024 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

It’s been seven years since Karen’s divorce, and she still talks about it as if it happened yesterday. Karen and Kevin were high school sweethearts and on the day of their wedding, she could not have been more captivated and in love. Kevin felt the same way, but Karen noticed that his love and affection often came with conditions and waned from time to time. This became apparent after she gave birth to their first son.

Karen struggled to lose her baby weight, and Kevin complained about her eating habits. He often criticized her for not being able to lose the weight, and she felt he withheld his affection at times as a way of punishing her. After their second child was born two years later, she gained more weight, and with taking care of toddlers and working, it seemed harder to lose. She began to feel bad about herself. Kevin had been her best friend and the love of her life. She had counted on his support for as long as she could remember and never dreamed that he would body shame her.

When the person you count on most in the world doesn’t show genuine concern and support, but instead hurts you deeply, it can wound your heart or open up old wounds again. You might feel devalued and very lonely. It’s important for us to know that God understands and wants to help. Philippians 4:6(NLT) tells us “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Our Heavenly Father wants us to bring all our cares to Him, including the emotional wounds that occur when our physicality is verbally demeaned by someone that is supposed to have our backs.

1Peter 3:7(NLT) says, “In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” This is the standard that God has set for husbands, but when it came to her weight, Kevin didn’t do this. He didn’t honor Karen and treat her with understanding. His treatment was far from the dream of marriage she had envisioned. The disappointment of it on top of everything else cut deep, but Karen didn’t open up to Kevin about how hurt she was.

She’d try to reassure him that she was working on losing weight, and she tried many diets, but she didn’t lose as much weight as Kevin wanted. She couldn’t get back to the figure she once had, and eventually she was okay with that. After a while, Kevin’s complaints and comments about her weight lessened, but her feelings had changed about her husband. She didn’t notice it until Kevin wanted to visit his parents with the kids. She couldn’t bring herself to get excited over it, even though she dearly loved his folks. She didn’t want to go anywhere with him really. She felt ashamed and that he was always judging her. The scars from his ridicule and complaints about her weight were not visible, but they were there and they were unresolved.

He had never apologized, and she had never told him how she truly felt. A lack of communication, compassion, and support can deepen the scars from shame and insecurity in matters like these. When neither partner is willing to confront issues with prayer and the love of Jesus Christ, they fail to introduce God’s healing which is desperately needed. Romans 8:29(NLT) tells us, “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This verse communicates the overwhelming, unlimited, and never-ending love that God has for us. He will never stop loving us, and this same love comes to live in our hearts when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

The scars from emotional and verbal abuse will rob a relationship of intimacy, and it also shows us very clearly that our brand of love is not enough glue to hold a relationship together. When times are challenging in our relationships, often the wounds are deep, and the residuals and emotional scars can impact our affection and devotion towards the other person. This doesn’t mean that we have to live in despair or give up on who we are. What it means is that spiritual growth in Christ is necessary, and at least one of the partners must have some recognition of this.

Many couples are dealing with hurt that has been inflicted by abusive and unkind words, as well as other unresolved pain between them. These scars are not visible and the issues that caused them may seem insurmountable, but nothing is impossible with the power of God’s love. When we feel bad on the inside, we eventually end up hurting others and sometimes it’s the person we love most. We can do something about this, and we should. We must always remember that our humility and honesty with ourselves, others, and most importantly, with God, will open the door to the love of Christ. If we are diligent in prayer and faith, we will introduce God’s healing within and in our relationships as well.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Through Rivers of Difficulty, God is With You

Posted on October 14, 2024 by daaorg1214

Luke 12:6-7(NLT)
“6 What is the price of five sparrows–two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

Pam and Jesse have been married for thirty-five years. They have three grown children and two grandchildren. While visiting her mother in Florida for a few days, she received a phone call that her husband had suddenly passed away of a heart attack. Not more than two months prior, they’d celebrated his sixtieth birthday. Pam initially froze from the shock of the news. She had just spoken with her husband that morning, and she just couldn’t process what had happened, but as the hours passed, something completely unexpected happened. Pam felt almost a sense of relief, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Jesse was a very intelligent and resourceful man. He was also proud, stubborn, unaffectionate, and always had to be right. An electrician by trade, he was masterful at repairing and building just about anything. He always wanted more out of life and resented his parents for not helping him go to college after high school to become an engineer. Throughout their marriage, he had taken the brunt of his disappointments and frustrations out on Pam. From the very beginning, he turned to alcohol to cope with stressful situations, but things got worse after the children were born. He was verbally and physically abusive, and his two sons grew up disliking their father because of it. Alcoholism and abuse had been the norm in their home, but for Jesse, marital counseling was out of the question, and so was divorce. Pam felt that she had spent the last thirty-five years holding her breath in the prison that Jesse had made for them all. When he died, she felt she was finally able to come up for air.

Ephesians 5:28-29(ESV) tells us, “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.” Jessie didn’t do a decent job of loving himself, so Pam really didn’t stand a chance. He couldn’t love Pam as the Word teaches in Ephesians 5:28-29, because he didn’t allow God’s Word and love to saturate his heart. He tried to mask his resentment and anger with alcohol, and after he turned 50, his body began to betray him with numerous health issues.

Pam said she blamed herself for not mustering up the courage to leave Jesse years ago, but she didn’t want her children to grow up without their father. She also didn’t think she could make it on her own. She was sometimes angry with God that things had turned out the way they did, but she hadn’t considered the reality that life is full of choices, and sometimes we repeatedly make the wrong ones. At fifty-seven, she’s beginning to understand that whether it’s when you’re twenty-five or fifty-five, life will push us all to confront how we see and value our own selves.

2Timothy 1:7(NLT) tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” This is what we have received as God’s children! Through the Holy Spirit, we have received power, love, and self-discipline or self-control. We are empowered to live with authority and dominion over our own lives, but many of us are not taught the truth of 2Timothy 1:7. We make mistakes because of our insecurities and self-doubt, and the enemy continually hurls situations and circumstances that keep us down and separated from the mind and heart required to exercise power, love, and self-discipline.

Jesus Christ tells us in Luke 12:6-7 that God knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows everything there is to know about us, and He also knows what He has given us. Ephesians 1:3(NLT) demonstrates God’s overwhelming generosity towards us. It says, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” We are pressed down, shaken together, and packed to overflowing, and God tells us this in His Word. He wants us to know how richly He’s blessed us, and He leaves it totally to us to reach out and grab all that He’s provided.

God told His people in Isaiah 43:2(NLT), “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” He will do this and so much more for those who love and honor Him. Like many of us, it took Pam several years to recognize this. God had not let her down, because it is impossible for Him to disappoint us. He would not place us in a position where we have to wait until someone dies to experience His freedom. We can live in His peace and liberty this very moment if we will trust Him. He will bring us through the rivers of difficulty and not let us drown. We will witness this continually if we have faith in His strength, love, and power, and trust in all that He has given us in Christ.■

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

There Is a Season for Everything

Posted on October 7, 2024 by daaorg1214

Ecclesiastes 3:1(NLT)
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

By God’s perfect and wondrous design, we know that just as there are seasons in weather, there are seasons in life. As expected, a new season will follow a passing season, and there is a continual rhythm to their coming and going. We all experience this world differently, with experiences and encounters as varied as the billions of individuals that inhabit this planet, but the one constant for all of us is that, like the seasons, life will change. Life is dynamic. It’s full of ups and downs, and of course, it’s full of surprises. Whether by choice or force, it will bring change front and center for our acceptance or rejection. We can be sure that if we reject it, that season will cycle back and do so with stronger winds and harsher storms, reminding us that it is better to greet change than to ignore it.

Frustration, disappointment, and a broken heart are just a few of the consequences that land in our laps because we’ve failed to recognize when it’s time to grow, change, and go higher. With our Great Big Wonderful God, there is never regression, but always progression and elevation. The past is something none of us can recapture. We can’t go back and relive one second of our pasts. By divine design, we can only move forward, and God reminds us of this in Isaiah 43:18-19(ESV) when He said, “18 Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;”

In every season, our Heavenly Father demonstrates His unfailing love towards us. He is not a boring God as some believe. He is amazing beyond the definition of the word, and He is very happy being His extraordinarily omnipotent, omniscient, magnificent, loving, and gloriously holy self. He is love, and His delight is to share with us all that He is! This is the main objective of any change that life brings our way; to see God greater and to love greater through Him. We may not see it that way now, but if we patiently endure in the Lord, we most certainly will change our view on this matter.

1Corinthians 13:13(ESV) says, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Again, God is love, and as His children, He wants us to increase in His love continually. We cannot increase and expand our lives through pain, shame, bitterness, or regret. As we study His Word and pray often, we will grow in Christ by taking on his nature, and we will be able to love others with real love, the kind of love that truly ministers to their hearts. Jesus Christ tells us in Mark 12:30-31 that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, and the second is to love our brothers and sisters in Christ as ourselves. There are no greater commandments that these, and they are all about God’s love.

Loving God, others, and ourselves greater through the example of Jesus Christ is always the reason for the different seasons of life. I recently heard about a couple that didn’t consider this truth. They have been married twenty-three years, but their relationship has been starved of real love for so long that now they see each other only as roommates. Counseling is out of the question they feel, and they both believe that this new season is one of moving on and living different lives, but is it?

The only guarantees in life are God, His Word, and His love. So, whatever it is you’re going through, don’t hold on to the hurt, pain, and frustration. Instead, seek God and grow in His love. Nothing remains the same, and most of us recognize that seasons are temporary. So, a crisis of any kind is never permanent, but here’s the thing; many of us will make permanent decisions that change the situation without realizing that the season was meant to change us. Changing our hearts was the target and we miss this.

Genesis 8:22(NLT) tells us, “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Seasons are going to change. Summer, fall, winter, and spring will come and go, and no matter our age, we will face these seasons. Be determined that you will not miss what God has for you, and be ready to learn the lessons life brings, because they are always about His love. Remember that our powerful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is your foundation. He’s our solid Rock, and with him, you will always have the courage and faith to greet each season with His love and light.■

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Don’t Give Up on God

Posted on September 23, 2024 by daaorg1214

2Timothy 1:7(ESV)
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Jeanene just found out that her teenage daughter’s boyfriend has been abusing her. She was fuming and could hardly talk from the anger she feels. Her daughter has somehow got it into her head that abusive behavior is okay. She sees her boyfriend’s outbursts and aggression as his passionate love for her, and she has refused to end the relationship. Jeanene is at her wit’s end. She doesn’t know what else to do, and she can’t figure out how her daughter who was ‘so smart and sweet’ is now sneaking out of the house at all hours of the night to meet this boy. He has a hold on her daughter like nothing she’s ever seen before, and Jeanene believes that if she pushes any further, she might lose her.

Some have labeled domestic violence as the quiet epidemic, because its victims are often silent and hidden behind a façade of normalcy. It is also very true that like Jeanene’s daughter, abusive relationships can be addictive and obsessive. Without Godly wise and caring guidance and intervention, it can become a pattern of choosing partners that are manipulative, controlling, and threatening. The statistics are staggering when it comes to the percentage of both women and men that have experienced some degree of abuse in a relationship. Many teens are normalizing this behavior and parents are not always proactive about conversations on the subject.

There are many families dealing with a loved one that is in an abusive relationship, and it can be emotionally exhausting. We might feel like giving up, but the Lord Jesus Christ offers us hope and we must grab it with both hands. Everything is spiritual, and this is a truth that many people overlook. 2Corinthians 10:3-4(NIV) says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” A stronghold is a pattern of thoughts and behaviors that are introduced by the demonic and are not aligned with God’s truth. They are wrong beliefs and lies that impact attitudes, emotions, and behaviors in a harmful and obsessive way.

1Peter 5:8(NIV) warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”We need to watch out and remain on alert for obsessive and idolatrous thoughts because these are used by the enemy against us. When our children have these kinds of thoughts and behaviors, sometimes we don’t recognize it until they are in a serious situation. As we do our best to help them, we cannot afford to leave out the spiritual weaponry of faith and prayer.

God is greater than any problem or situation we could ever face, and we need to be confident that He is willing and able to help us. 1Corinthians 10:13(NLT) tells us, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” The answers and the way out come from God, and we need to trust in this with our whole hearts.

Whether it is a family member or our own personal abusive relationship, we must never give up on God’s grace, mercy, and power. We need Him and He wants us to lean on Him in every situation of life. 2Corinthians 10:4 reminds us that the weapons we fight with are not of the flesh, in other words, the human mind can’t come up with the powerful weapons that we use; as God’s children, our weapons are spiritual, and through Christ, they destroy any stronghold. So, never lose faith and never give up. Trust the Lord with all your heart, and have confidence that there’s no situation, no stronghold, that He God cannot heal, deliver, resolve, restore, and make better.■

Your Escape Route

Posted on September 16, 2024 by daaorg1214

At the rate the world is changing, with all the chaos, hatred, and violence, it’s hard to imagine how it can continue at this pace. A lot of us are confused, discouraged, and disillusioned. Life seems like one crisis after another, and we’re walking around with deep internal wounds from all that is happening. You may think to yourself, “what else can go wrong?” That’s a question that many are asking themselves, but the question that God would like us to ask is “what else can go right?” In Philippians 4:16, He gives us the strategy for escaping the woes of life. In this verse, He tells us, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ was on a boat with his disciples when suddenly there was a fierce storm, and the disciples were very afraid. Mark 4:37(NLT) says “A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water.” It is very important for us to know that while this storm was occurring, our Master Jesus was inside the boat sleeping. Verses 38-39 tells us, “The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.”

The storm that the disciples faced is a good analogy for the storms of life. A tumultuous situation can occur in the blink of an eye, just like it did with the disciples. And like them, we might cry out to God, “Father, why did you let this happen?!!! Are you going to let this problem sink me?” They thought that Jesus Christ was oblivious to their suffering and they assumed the worst. This is what many of us do when things get dicey. We panic. Jesus Christ was asleep during the storm and this conveys the reality that there is never a problem or situation that can surpass his enormous and incomparable power to handle it. In the storms of life, our Lord and Savior tells us to ‘be still and remain calm’ because through our faith, we will witness his unconditional love. We will see the many ways in which he will use his power to help us during the most difficult seasons of our lives.

Some of the disciples were expert fishermen, they knew how to handle a boat and no doubt had experience with a little bit of turbulence. They had confidence in themselves in this area, but in life, things will happen to shake our self-confidence. Life constantly reminds us that it was not meant to be lived without God’s guidance and help. Isaiah 58:11(NLT) tells us, “The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”

The storms of life can cause us to question many things. They can invade and threaten our existences, but we must not lose faith in God. 1Corinthians 10:13(The Message) tells us, “13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” Our Lord and Savior tells us to ‘be still and remain calm.” Romans 8:28 tells us that our Heavenly Father causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He never leaves or forsakes us. No matter what the conditions and circumstances look like, God will always provide us with an escape route. Things may look difficult in the beginning, but as you trust our Heavenly Father with all that you are, He’ll make a way for you to be victorious in the end.■

Don’t Become a Pillar of Salt

Posted on September 9, 2024 by daaorg1214

“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Genesis 19:26 (ESV)

“Life is good. I have no complaints.” A dear friend said this to me not too long ago, but a couple of weeks after I spoke to him, he phoned again. With a very dejected tone in his voice, he expressed that he was feeling very down about his life. He felt that things were hard and said if he had a chance to do it all over again, he would do many things differently. Often during our conversations, he has talked about his “boys” and how they have it so rough because of their unhappy marriages. They complain to him all the time about their wives. He has always felt his life was pretty easy in comparison, because he is unencumbered with the responsibilities that his married friends have, but something has happened to change his perspective. His life took a turn that surprised him, and he sees things differently. He’s regretful, especially about his choice to end his last relationship, because now, he’s facing the most challenging time of his life alone.

All of us have been at a place in our lives where we regretted some of our decisions. It’s not a good feeling. We remember at one time feeling carefree, and we didn’t think about the possibility that circumstances might change. We didn’t heed God’s instruction to remain prayerful and close to Him so we can always hear His voice and follow His guidance. Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(NLT) that the Holy Spirit that indwells us “will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” We desperately need the Spirits guidance, and we need to have a hearty prayer life so that we learn to recognize the Spirit’s promptings, because they guide and keep us on a safe path.

Many of us make ourselves comfortable with situations that do not require us to grow, evolve, and change for the better. Some of us remain in relationships that continually hinder and hold us back. We’ve discarded good relationships and held too tightly to bad ones. Like my friend, we always think we have more time to get ourselves straightened out, and we prolong the spiritual maturity and growth that will equip us for challenging times. We become stuck, because we refuse to accept that we should be spiritually growing and moving forward.

Some of us become stuck because we’re continually looking back to past mistakes, or because we want to recapture and relive the past. No matter the pull, looking back too long will cause us to lose stamina and momentum on this race called life. If we refuse to move forward, things can become catastrophic. The Old Testament record of Lot’s wife gives us a window to see how this can play out.

Abraham is called the Father of our Believing, because he was fully persuaded that what God says He is willing and able to perform. Hebrews 11:8(NLT) says, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” When God told Abraham to leave his homeland, he obeyed, and his nephew, Lot, went with him. Both uncle and nephew had lots of family, servants, and livestock, so much so that the servants of the two began quarreling. Abraham finally said to Lot in Genesis 13:8-11(NLT), “8 Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” Lot chose Sodom because it looked lush and beautiful, but it was a treacherous place and doomed to be destroyed.

Before it’s destruction, the angel of the Lord gave Lot and his family instruction and said in Genesis 19:17(NLT), “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” As the sun was rising one morning, the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:25-26(NLT) says, “25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”

This nameless woman, Lots wife, refused to look ahead to what God had in store for them. Clinging to what was behind, she turned and her choice to disobey and to kick faith to the curb was sealed. Many of us are doing what Lot’s wife chose to do. We’re refusing to accept the truth that we must grow continually in Christ, and this is a process that will never stop.

My friend was once involved with a woman that very much wanted to be his wife. In my estimation, she was the best thing that ever happen to him. Everyone thought so, and he knew she was a good woman, but when things became serious, he brushed her off. He wanted to be free and saw the responsibility of taking care of a woman’s heart as burdensome and too much for him. He was clinging to this rather than understanding that we’re here on this earth to love others to our greatest capacity. He failed to understand that responsibility and accountability are benchmarks of spiritual maturity in Christ, and that we can’t steward greater blessings without accepting greater responsibility.

When it comes to relationships, some of us are stuck in the same patterns we had in high-school, and we haven’t matured much emotionally since then. Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt reminds us that we must have faith in God and do as Abraham did, which is to move when God says to move. This means that our relationship with Him must be a priority in our lives, so that we learn to recognize His voice and follow His guidance. Don’t become like Lot’s wife and hold too tightly to the wrong thing. Instead, make it a commitment to be flexible to God’s Will as He leads you to greater responsibility and greater blessings. ■

The Questions You Can’t Seem to Get Answered

Posted on September 2, 2024 by daaorg1214

Jeremiah 33:3(ESV)
“Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things you have not known.”

Once, when I was going through a difficult time financially, I felt like I was drowning with no one to rescue me. I had been divorced for almost a year with two children to take care of. My life at the time did not resemble anything I had envisioned for myself ten years prior. Newly divorced meant that I would need to rethink the plans I once held for myself, because nothing seemed to be turning out the way I had hoped. I still loved my husband, but I was facing the reality of taking care of my children and myself. Our security felt unsteady and unreliable, and I was sinking in my mind and heart. Over and over again, often with tears strolling down my face, I asked God, “Why did you let this happen to me?”

I was bewildered with no idea why my marriage fell apart. I genuinely thought that we had achieved a unity and harmony in our marriage that other couples wished they had. How could I have gotten that so wrong? My husband wasn’t as happy as he pretended to be, and while he led me to believe our marriage was solid, for the longest time he had been waiting for an opportunity to leave. He found it when the kids went to visit their grands for the summer.

The pain wouldn’t go away, and I couldn’t shake my need to understand how things went so bad so quickly. A lot of people blame God for their sorrows. Even though I didn’t know the Lord the way I know Him today, I knew that playing the blame game was wrong and unproductive. I was looking for answers that would help me turn things around. I wanted to know how to get my husband back. My life needed to change because I didn’t think I could go on dealing with that gaping hole in my heart.

As the divorce became complicated and at times very ugly, I was angry with God. “Where are You when I need You the most!” I’d cry out. The truth is that He was right there with me. The psalmist said about the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father in Psalm 23:4(NIV), “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God is with us no matter what we go through. He never promised that we wouldn’t have pain in life. Many of us are living testimonies that indeed we do. He helps us to endure the pain, and through His help, guidance, and comfort, we become spiritually stronger, and most importantly, our faith in Him grows.

God asks us to cut anxiety out of the picture, and to turn our sadness into thankfulness. He tells us Philippians 4:6 (NIV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” This is instruction from our Heavenly Father about how to handle the adversities of life. So, the question is never about God forsaking or abandoning us, because He will never do that. The question is always about why we are not trusting Him the way we should. It’s about our disinterest in getting to know Him better through His Word, and our failure to let Him prove that He is the only One that cannot fail.

In John 16:33(NIV), Jesus Christ said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Our Master Jesus didn’t hide the reality of life from us. In this world we will have trouble. Sometimes those we love the most will betray and hurt us the most, but we can’t allow this to take us down. We can have peace in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He overcame the world, and through his love, power, and strength, so can we.

God has not kept us in the dark about life in the Spirit. Through His Word, He has told us everything we need to know. We want answers about why our hearts were broken and why we were mistreated. Jesus Christ gives us this answer in John 10:10(NKJV). He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” In this verse, Jesus tells us that the devil is the thief, and he is in the world to steal, kill, and destroy, but through Jesus Christ, we are overcomers! So, the questions we can’t seem to get answered must not be about what the enemy has done, but about the victory that Jesus Christ has won for us. We should be asking him every day how to please God and live for Him. When this is our focus, we will live through the peace, strength, and power of Christ. ■

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Category Archives: Spiritual Encouragement

Get up and Pray

Get Unstuck!

God is With You

Not All Scars Are Visible

Through Rivers of Difficulty, God is With You

There Is a Season for Everything

Don’t Give Up on God

Your Escape Route

Don’t Become a Pillar of Salt

The Questions You Can’t Seem to Get Answered