Turn to the Lord

Posted on August 14, 2023 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 55:6-7(NLT)
“6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.”

One of my good friends called me on New Year’s Eve crying because her significant other bailed on her. They had plans to go out and bring in the New Year with each other, but he said he had to work late and never showed up or called. They’ve been seeing each other for two-years, but for the last couple of months, he’d been distant.

No one would argue that a broken heart is very difficult to overcome, and the only thing you can think about is grabbing on to something to soothe the pain so that you don’t ever feel it again. In my case, after my first bout with a broken heart, I didn’t want to hear anything about meeting another man. I avoided relationships like the plague. Even though I knew I couldn’t remain in solitude forever, I was nervous about meeting someone new. At that time in my life, the thought of having to possibly take a chance with my heart being broken again was too much for my mind to conceive.

As I’ve done so often with the heartaches of my life, I remember something my grandmother told me when I was in my teens. Her words bring me comfort even today. Years ago, I was crying my eyes out when she discovered me. Entering high school, it was my first crush, and boy was his rejection devastating. For weeks, I cried myself to sleep, and the day my grandmother saw me, my eyes were almost swollen shut from crying so much. She told me, “Leave it in God’s hands, baby, He’ll fix it.” I barely understood the depth of this truth then, but the comfort and reassurance of her words eased my young soul.

Now that I’m much older and have learned to lean on God for strength, I hang on to my grandmother’s encouragement and delve into God’s Word for comfort and solace. Hebrews 4:12(ESV) tells us, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Like many of you, I’ve endured heartbreaks that have taken my breath away, but through it all, nothing can soothe our hearts and restore our souls like God’s Word.

The Word reveals the power of God. It reveals His willingness and ability to use His power and strength for our good. When we turn to Him, He will inspire us with hope and help us see that He has so much more in store for our lives. He knows that when a relationship falls apart, some of us fall apart with it. He wants us to realize that He is our strength and hope. He doesn’t want us falling apart. He doesn’t want us thinking that our lives are diminished or over because someone doesn’t recognize how special we are. God wants us to have hope that we can be better, wiser, and stronger through the Lord Jesus Christ. We must have faith that He can and will turn things around if we turn to Him.

In Deuteronomy 4:29(NLT), God told His people, “But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.” God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He tells us in Malachi 3:6 that He does not change. We must seek the Lord with all our hearts. His love is the only remedy for our pain, and He freely gives it to us. So often in life we miss out because we’re not seeking God for His comfort and care. We believed that a person or possession could fill up our empty places. Our Heavenly Father is the only one that can fill our cups to overflowing.

You might think, “Well, I’ve heard things like this about God, but I don’t know how to find Him.” You might think that He won’t hear you because maybe you haven’t done all the right things. The reality is that God knows you better than you know yourself. He’s your Creator, and He wants you to know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made, as the psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:14. We don’t have to be perfect to go to God, we just need to be humble before Him. We need to recognize that we don’t have all the answers, and we need help. He is not far but as near to you as your own heart. Let Him in. Turn to Him and allow Him to turn your life around.■

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.

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.

God’s Truth is Hidden in Our Hearts

Posted on July 30, 2023 by daaorg1214

2Corinthians 12:9(NLT)
“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

When Julianne met Mark, she said her heart skipped a beat, and that’s how it felt almost every time she was with him. It wasn’t one of those kinds of things where the attraction slowly sneaks up on you. She was hooked instantly, and because of those internal butterflies fluttering away, she allowed herself to fall for Mark completely. She made him her whole world. Her friends complained about her not spending time with them anymore, and her parents saw a different side of her as well. Julianne assured her loved ones that she was just in love, and they didn’t need to worry. She was head over heels about Mark, and very little else mattered. They texted each other at work throughout the day, and spent just about every available moment together, but after a few months, things changed. Mark was beginning to pull away and gave Julianne no explanation why.

Most of us have a sense of the kind of pain that was waiting for Julianne. We’ve either seen it experienced by someone we know, or we’ve caught a glimpse or more of it ourselves. It can be the most severe emotional pain. It’s like the person we’ve let into our hearts has, with one hand, reached down our throats to our very cores and is squeezing and crushing us simultaneously. It may seem like it, but the reality is that no human being has this kind of power over us. In most cases, the ex goes on about his business, and is nowhere in our proximity, yet we may still be hurting as if they were right there, abandoning the relationship all over again.

This is a vicious cycle of pain, and one of the best gifts we can give ourselves is to muster the courage and faith to step out of it. We need to confront our pain with the truth of God’s Word, so that God’s healing power can go down deep. Our Heavenly Father teaches us about how His healing begins in Hebrews 8:10(NLT). This verse reiterates God’s prophecy that was first given in the Old Testament to His prophet, Jeremiah. It states, “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” For there to be a new covenant as Hebrews 8:10 tells us, there must be an old one. Our Heavenly Father gave the old covenant to His people living during Old Testament times, and He did so through His servant, Moses.

God wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets. He commanded Moses to deliver the tablets to His people, but even while God was writing His commandments and meeting with Moses on Mount Sinai, the people had already violated them. When Moses came down, they had made an idol and were worshiping it. Moses later received a second set of tablets from God, but God’s people continued to violate His statutes and commandments, even after all the miraculous things He did for them. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 78:10(ESV), “They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.”

The old covenant is known as the Mosaic Covenant or Law of Moses, but God made a better covenant for us through Jesus Christ. Because of the finished work of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has poured out His Spirit on us. God’s truth is hidden in our hearts because He has given us His seed, the person of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:16(NLT) tells us, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” Make no mistake, we are much more powerful than we think, and this is because we are our Heavenly Father’s children. We are strong because He has made us strong, and we need to be confident in this.

Through His Spirit, God has written His Word on our hearts and minds. This means that we have all that we need on the inside to overcome. We can do it because God says we can. Philippians 2:13(NLT) tells us, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” God is working in us, and we need to have faith in Him so that we can manifest all the good things that He’s planned for our lives. This is what we must remember when the emotional pain we experience seems too much to bear.

2Corinthians 12:9 teaches us that God’s grace is all we need. His power works best in weakness, and life will most certainly reveal this. Julianne literally almost fainted when Mark told her he wanted to take a break, and he ghosted her to the point of total disconnect. She had to be a different kind of woman to heal and become stronger, and although she didn’t think she had it in her, through the Holy Spirit, she most definitely did, and so do we. ■

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.

Hope Will Not Put Us to Shame

Posted on July 23, 2023 by daaorg1214

Romans 5:3-5(ESV)
“3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

“This is a tough one for me – I’ve never been alone and Kevin’s decision to leave me
and the kids still doesn’t seem real to me.”

In my spirit, I felt that my friend Gwen was going through something. We’d usually talk at least twice a month, but it had been a while since we last spoke. I’d called her a few times and sent a couple of text messages, and it took a while for her to respond. When she did, her responses were brief, and that wasn’t like her. Gwen and Kevin had been married for twelve years, and the last two years had been tough. One of their kids has autism, and Gwen didn’t think Kevin was as supportive as he should have been. On a Saturday afternoon, my doorbell rang, and there stood Gwen. She stopped by on her way to her mother’s house and said she wanted to see me in person instead of telling me about her news over the phone. “He left me and the kids!” She belted out and fell into my arms as they seem to automatically move to embrace her.

Romans 5:3 says that we rejoice in our sufferings because they produce endurance. Endurance is a quality that is necessary to run this race of life that God has set before us, but when we’re going through something like Gwen, endurance may not be all that appealing. In fact, it’s probably the last thing any of us would want to think about. As a parent with mouths to feed, your mind is inundated with thoughts about how you’re going to support your kids and get from point A to point B. The thing we must recognize is that endurance is the ability that allows us to do that. It helps us to move ourselves out of heartbreak and into a place of resilience and strength. Endurance goes hand in hand with faith and hope, because even though things may look troubling, our faith in God sustains us and carries us through.

Psalm 95:6-7(NLT) says, “6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!” When our minds are racing with anxiety and worry, most of us don’t listen, but we should. We should listen to the truth that God tells us in His Word about His power, love, peace, and comfort. He is worthy to be praised and our gratitude for all He has done for us should prompt us to pay attention to His promise to help us. It is an extraordinary privilege to worship God and to do the things that please Him, but some of us have an accurate image of our Heavenly Father in our minds and hearts. Because of this, we can allow the difficulties of life to make us become emotionally detached from Him. Whether we know it or not, this is a deeper pain than any heartbreak or abandonment caused by a mere human being.

When we’re broken, and have others depending on us, we need the kind of comfort and assurance that only the Lord can give. God leads, guides, and directs us into the kind of life that pleases Him and fulfills us as well. He is our Shepherd, Refuge, and Maker. We’re His people and He has promised to take care of us. He allows us to rest in green pastures and leads us beside peaceful waters. He, and He alone, restores our souls and lead us in the paths of righteousness. We need to remember this when we’re faced with devastating loss.

No matter how damaged we are, God is forever and always our Shepherd. He said in Malachi 3:6(NKJV), “For I am the LORD, I do not change;” Titus 1:2 tells us that He cannot lie. He wants us to lean on Him because He has all power in His hands, and He is willing and able to help us. We must also be clear that we have a part to play as well. We must shift our false beliefs and thoughts away from defeat and self-punishment and allow God’s perfect love to cast out all our fear and anxiety. All the traumas and heartaches we endure will reveal some patterns of behavior that we need to release. They need to be removed from our lives, so God’s love has greater room to move and restore.

Psalm 146:5(NLT) says, “But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God.” Our hope in God will not bring us shame. It will bring us victory, restoration, and renewal! Our hope in God will give us the strength to learn from our past mistakes and take back our power to love better and make better choices. We do not have to be held captive by the pain we’ve endured. We must be committed to ask for God’s forgiveness for all our sins. We must pray for wisdom and understanding, and we must pray and apply the blood of Jesus Christ in those areas in our lives where we need healing and deliverance. Although our hard times are unexpected and painful, God has something much brighter and better for us if we remain hopeful, keep our faith in Him, and focus our eyes on His love 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.

A Stronghold in Times of Trouble

Posted on July 16, 2023 by daaorg1214

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Why am I in this situation? How in the world did I get here? While I was married to my husband, I asked myself these questions almost every day, but when we began the relationship, things weren’t as bad as they had become. When we first started dating, he was kind, generous, and he always put me first. Our courtship lasted a year and then we got married. Of course, the first month was an adjustment period. We both had pretty established lives before we got married; our own places, good job security, and financial stability. I didn’t think the few disagreements after we moved in together were unusual, but after six months, small disagreements turned into days of not speaking to one another. I never believed I was the kind of woman to disrespect myself or my man, but his mental and emotional abuse was too much. It brought out things in me that I never knew existed, and I was at the lowest point of my life.

Every day, there are women going through the same things I did. Some are experiencing much more dangerous situations than disrespectful name calling and a hard shove here and there. The thing that becomes very clear to anyone in an abusive relationship is that once a certain level of respect is lost, things spiral down a dark hole very quickly. It seemed that my husband and I were almost near the bottom. It felt impossible that he would make a change and begin to honor me. Too many horrible things had been said and done. The treatment was indeed the bottom of the barrel, and I felt the only thing I could do was brace myself for more pain.

I started to struggle in my faith and doubt God’s love for me. I felt abandoned not only by my husband, but by God as well. “If God will allow this hurt and pain then what do I have left?” I asked myself. 2Corinthians 13:5(NIV) gives us the reality check that answers some of the most challenging questions of life, like the ones I had as I struggled to come to terms with my life. It tells us, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” When things are going well, most of us never question whether we are living by faith the way that God commands us to, but when life goes sideways, we choose the route that most do, which is to blame God for the conditions we’re facing.

Some will even think that God is punishing them and that they must endure the hardship and suffer. They erroneously think that this is what God wants. He doesn’t. In John 10:10(NKJV), Jesus Christ tells us what God wants for every person. 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.” God wants us to have a more than abundant life, and He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to make this kind of life available to everyone.

God will help us during the most difficult times of our lives. Psalm 9:9 (ESV) tells us, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” When our faith is not where it should be and we are not putting all our trust in God, He still helps us, but we need to know that His Will is that we learn to walk by faith in a greater way. God doesn’t want to be at the same level of faith from year to year. Colossians 2:6-7 tells us that He desires us to be rooted and built up in Christ, and we are to be established and going higher in faith in Him. God wants us to follow His Word so that we avoid relationships that will not yield the kind of love and support He wants His daughters to receive from their spouses. Having faith in God means that we believe it is possible to love and be loved according to the example of Christ.

Ephesians 5:25-28 (NIV) says, “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” This is God’s standard. Of course, a wife must be equally as loving, kind, and respectful of her husband, but as women, we must know that God’s Will is for us to be loved and supported to this degree.

We must have faith that God is our stronghold in any condition and in every situation. Even when things seem impossible, Romans 8:28 tells us that He can turn them around and cause them to work together for our good, but we must be clear that He doesn’t want us to be mistreated just as He doesn’t want us to mistreat anyone either. It’s going to be necessary for us to hold up a mirror and examine ourselves. Self-reflection and being accountable to following the example of Christ is the best tool for anyone interested in living their best life.

Most of us spend our lives doing exactly what we want to do. Before we made consequential choices and decisions, we didn’t think to ask for God’s counsel or permission, and this method of approaching life will not yield the results we hope. Part of growing in faith is changing the way we think as we also pray for God’s guidance and direction. We also must develop a deeper well of love so that we are spiritually prepared to love others according to the example of Christ. Ephesians 4:32 teaches us that we are to be kind and forgive one another. This level of love for Jesus Christ and love and compassion for others is required to please God. It should be in our hearts way before we consider marriage. When it is, we will be better able to recognize and discern if a man does or doesn’t have the capacity to love us in the way that Christ does. ■

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.

You Are a Victor Not a Victim

Posted on July 9, 2023 by daaorg1214

Micah 7:7-8 (NLT)
“As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.”

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn’t have to change because he is perfect, and his love knows no boundaries. We, on the other hand, are works-in-progress. Change is the nature of our existence. God tells us in Ephesians 4:23 that our minds must be renewed. This means that we must change the way we think so that our thoughts line up with the thoughts of Jesus Christ. Learning information and behaviors is also a big part of what we humans do, and some of the information and behaviors we pick up along the way are the opposite of the thoughts and example of Christ. As we grow into adults, we discover that much of what we’ve picked up isn’t good for our souls. It is hurting us, and doing so big time, but some of us still will not change. That’s a problem.

The Word of God teaches us to live differently, not for the sake of simply doing so, but because changing the way we think, live, and behave according to the example of Jesus Christ will help us to be who God created us to be. That’s a really big deal, the biggest as a matter of truth. 2Timothy 3:16(NLT) tells us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” Our lives are not meant to be one big ball of confusion; they are supposed to make sense. The lens for making sense and for progress will always and forever be what God says, not what we or others say.

One of our biggest problems is that we try to set up our own systems of what is best for us, and that will lead us down an endless rabbit hole of darkness. God tells us in Proverbs 3:5(NLT) to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” He tells us this because He knows that most of us believe we can depend on our own understanding and be just fine. That’s not the case. We were created by our Heavenly Father to have an intimate relationship with Him. He made us in His image, and He knows what is necessary for our lives to flourish with wholeness, love, and joy. He tells us in Proverbs 3:5 to trust that, to trust Him with all that we are.

God also tells us in Proverbs 3:7 that we should not be impressed with our own wisdom, but instead we should turn from those things that do not please Him. This turning from things that displease Him is very challenging for some of us. We are sometimes overwhelmed by the circumstances of our lives, and we feel stuck, with no way to cope or bring about the change we desperately need. Everything around us seems to be moving at a shocking speed, but we’re feeling more isolated, sad, and immobile than we ever have.

Contemplating change in the middle of that can be daunting, but to help ourselves, we must give change some serious thought. The temptation to stay in or go back to the familiar is the struggle that blindsides our desire for happiness and wholeness, and the introduction of new patterns and behaviors is immediately rejected by a lot of us. We’re dug-in, even with abuse.

In 1Timothy 6:12(ESV), the Apostle Paul encourages us to “Fight the good fight of the faith.” He makes it clear to us that getting our minds and hearts on board with faith in Jesus Christ is a fight, but it’s a good fight. It’s the best fight in life. We all have our crosses to bear. We all have baggage that we are struggling to release. The thing we must recognize is that releasing the baggage is the goal, and God expects us to achieve it. He doesn’t abandon us in the fight, He helps us to win it!

That’s the mindset that moves us from victim to victor. It’s recognizing that God expects us to have the release, freedom, and victory in Christ always on our minds, and He expects us to believe these are available and possible for us. Philippians 4:6-7(NLT) tells us, “6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” The solution is not to try and carry the load ourselves. It’s to recognize that we can relinquish control and give everything to God in faith.

Let’s pray continually to remain flexible to God’s will and plan for our individual lives. His plan is a far better one than you and I can ever produce. Most importantly, let Jesus Christ take the wheel and be in the driver’s seat of your life. He is Lord! Truly believe this and let him build you up by learning about him through God’s Word. This will open your heart and mind to the changes you need to make. Then, with a thankful heart, have faith that he will lead you to victory and success as you walk in his peace everyday of your life.■

Give God Room to Move

Posted on July 2, 2023 by daaorg1214

James 1:2-4(NLT)
“2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

I’ve been on this Christian journey for many years, and I’ve seen and heard many stories from women that have endured horrific and destructive relationships. Looking from the outside, you’d never suspect that some of them have a care in the world. From high-earning professionals and professors to stay-at-home moms and Sunday-school teachers, women from all walks of life and varied backgrounds have smiles on their faces, but deep wounds in their souls. They try desperately to keep their tragic and abusive home life a secret, and no one knows the level of abuse they’re enduring. God gave the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that no one would have to live a life of pain. Healing is introduced in our lives as soon as we choose to believe this.

Psalm 62:8(ESV) tells us, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Our Heavenly Father is our safe place. This is the truth, but when we’ve been battered by life, it is sometimes challenging to fit those healing Words into the places that have been blocked by our pain. We can’t imagine the journey from victim to overcomer, and that through Christ we can actually move ourselves to healing and wholeness. The healing process isn’t easy, but it isn’t nearly as gut wrenching as living in fear, and the rewards are far greater than anything we can imagine. We’re never alone. Jesus Christ is with us every step of the way, and if we lean on his strength, Philippians 4:13 tells that he will empower us to do all things.

There are many misconceptions about domestic violence, and what constitutes an abusive situation or relationship. This has caused some that are being abused to be in denial about it. We can be tricked by our need to understand and empathize with the abuser, and this can push us deeper into the cycle of abuse. It’s not just physical. Abuse comes in different forms. It can be psychological, emotional, sexual, financial, and stalking as well. So, it isn’t always physical, but it is always about control and trying to steal someone’s power through manipulation, coercion, or other threatening behaviors.

It is common for the person being abused to blame themselves, but they are not to blame, and releasing the shame is a pivotal step towards healing. For some, abuse was present in their homes growing up, and for others it was completely foreign. No matter how abuse came to be introduced into a person’s life, it can ravage the mind, heart, and soul. God’s healing is necessary for restoration and repair, but we have to give Him space to move. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us experiencing any type of abuse. He wants you to experience the beauty and depth of His love, power, and strength, but these beauties come by faith in Him. We simply must trust God and believe that He will come to our aid.

Some aspect of difficulties and painful circumstances are facts of life for everyone. We all have baggage to unload and issues to work through, but God didn’t create life to be a series of painful experiences. He gave us life to enjoy our relationship with Him. Jesus Christ said 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.” In this verse, Jesus makes us aware that we have an enemy, and this enemy is in the earth to steal, kill, and destroy. Our precious Lord and Savior came to the earth to deliver us from oppression and darkness, and to give us a more than abundant life. This is a life where we experience his wholeness and completeness every day that we are given.

An abusive relationship can seem like an emotional roller-coaster that never slows down long enough for you to get off. Our Heavenly Father is not unfeeling. He knows what we’re going through, and He wants to help us. To give Him room to move, we must meet God with a mind and heart that is hopeful towards Him and invested in the reality that He has all power in His hands. Colossians 3:10(NLT) tells us to “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” We must be willing to release some of the old things that keep us drenched in a painful existence, and we must make our minds new with hope and faith in God. This gives Him room to move in our situations so that we can get off the roller-coaster of pain and begin to enjoy the freedom of living the life that He wants us to have. ■

Strength in Times of Uncertainty

Posted on June 25, 2023 by daaorg1214

Psalm 23:4-5(NLT)
“4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.”

God tells us in His Word to be wise and have spiritual discernment, and to achieve these by reading and studying His Word. In Hebrews 4:12, He tells us that His Word is alive! It’s sharper than a surgeon’s scalpel, or any two-edged sword. It’s so sharp, exact, and precise that it pierces through, dividing the soul and spirit, and joints and morrow. This verse goes on to tell us that God’s living Word judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. It lays us wide open before God, so that at any and all times, we are completely bare before Him. This is the piercing level of wisdom and knowledge that God has placed at our fingertips through His Word. He’s done this so that we will know Him in all His magnificent glory, power, and love. He’s also done this so we will comprehend and expect that He will use His power to achieve His purpose and do so profoundly in our individual lives.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that our Heavenly Father made us in His very own image. We are intelligent beings with a mind and heart that cannot be touched with human hands or seen with human eyes. We are His created spiritual beings, specifically tailored to experience an abundant life on earth. We are blessed beyond measure, because at one point in human history, people thought it was impossible to know God or to understand His thoughts. Even with all their philosophies, they missed out on Him because they had no way to know Him. All praise to our glorious Heavenly Father that this isn’t the case with those of us living today. We have His Word, and because we do, we have the keys to His Kingdom!

Our issue is that life can throw some serious curve balls our way, and sometimes it does this when we’re at our most vulnerable. God tells us in Hosea 4:6(ESV), “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge.” Because we haven’t sharpened our discernment and wisdom by reading and studying God’s Word, the enemy uses tricks and plots to deceive us. Many of us have chosen the wrong partner because of this. We connect with a person that is responding to our fears rather than choosing a person that responds to our faith. Although it may not seem like it, through Christ, we can turn our worst decision into a steppingstone for our success. We can do this through the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we give our lives to Jesus Christ and became born-again, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. He is a part of the Godhead. He is the Spirit of God, and God has given him to each of us as a gift. Philippians 2:13 tells us that the Spirit is working on the inside of us, giving us the desire and the effort for God’s good pleasure. However, we must know that the Holy Spirit never forces or pushes. He works only to the degree that we allow him. Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ through his sacrifice and resurrection, the Holy Spirit is here with us, and if we allow him, he will work in, with, and through us. So, the greatest thing that we can do for ourselves is to let him be at work.

Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(ESV), “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” The Spirit guides us into the truth, where liberty in Christ is found. Jesus Christ told us in John 8:32(NLT), “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We cannot be free by believing a lie. We must know the truth of God’s Word to be free.

If we don’t know God’s Word, and we are not allowing God’s Spirit to guide us, we might walk into a trap. When this happens, our lives can send us into a dark valley very quickly. We begin to feel as though nothing can help us, but this is not the truth. Rather, it is the lie that the enemy wants us to believe so that he can continue tricking us. We have a choice. We can continue in fear and doubt, or we can trust that God is with us, that He has not left us alone, nor will He.

God’s desire is that our cup, our lives, overflow with blessings, and He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live abundantly, but we have a part to play as well. The situations and circumstances of life can leave us feeling uncertain and afraid, but we have a friend who has all the wisdom, power, and strength we will ever need. Jesus Christ told the disciples in Acts 1:8(ESV), “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Holy Spirit is our friend, and he lives within us. He will help, comfort, teach, and guide us, but we must partner with him by reading and studying God’s Word.

We are not weak, as some would have us to believe. In Exodus 15:2(ESV), Moses and the children of Israel sang, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation;” Romans 8:31(ESV) reassures us of God’s great love and declares, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Jesus Christ because he gives us strength. So, lets get on board with God’s Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Let him guide you out of the valley and into the truth where you can walk in God’s wisdom and have strength and confidence in times of uncertainty. ■

Let God Help You

Posted on May 2, 2023 by daaorg1214

During the last couple of weeks, my daughter’s school has dedicated a lot of focus on writing skills. She’s been sent home with writing packets every day. Included is a little sticky note from the teachers, urging parents to help the child if they have difficulty by making the writing assignments fun. I kept a close eye on my daughter as she began her homework. I waited to see if she would ask for my help, but she never did. Trying to give her space to form her thoughts, I watched quietly nearby, making sure I was available to jump right in if she needed. I noticed she started to struggle a bit, so I spoke up. I offered suggestions of a few fun topics she could write about. She listened for a couple of minutes as I rolled on, but then she said, “Mom, I got it, I want to do it on my own.”

At first, I was happy that she felt confident enough to handle it on her own, but I knew that her homework assignment was more advanced than she thought, and she would not complete it as well as possible without my help. As I thought about this experience with my daughter, it made me think about our attitude sometimes when it pertains to the tests, trials, and tribulations that come our way. Life is designed to test our strengths and weaknesses, but this is nothing we should be overly concerned about, because our strength lies in the Father. As God’s children, we’ve been given authority to overcome any adversity and obstacle through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:37 tells us that we are not just conquerors, but MORE than conquerors through Christ! This foundation building truth is especially crucial for the single Christians that struggle with relationship issues. We’re in a season where couples are under so much pressure from outside influences, and they are trying to handle it and everything else on their own. Jesus Christ tells us very clearly in John 15:5 that we can’t do anything on our own. From the smallest to the greatest detail, we need God’s help.

One of my friends shared the other day that she was having a tough time deciding what to get for the significant man in her life. She found out that he purchased a very big Christmas gift for her. Now she feels obligated to do the same for him. I told her to pray about it first and let the Lord lead her. She said, “Ugh, praying is not always the answer. I’ll figure it out.” As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are often taken aback to hear this kind of sentiment expressed, and it is because we recognize the importance of seeking God first in every aspect of our existence.

In Isaiah 41:13(NLT), God told His people, “For I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’” You are never the lesser for allowing God to hold you by the hand and help you out in even the smallest of life’s obstacles. One truth that I learned early in my Christian walk was that you cannot rise above that which you don’t know or haven’t been taught. Sometimes we think asking for help admits that we’re not capable or it shows a sign of weakness. I can admit that I’m very hard on myself and coming from a home where we were taught how to be self-sufficient, asking God for guidance and help wasn’t always my first response. I’m so thankful that I learned the truth about our Provider, for He is our Sufficiency and is always willing to help us. We think, “I should be able to handle this on my own.” But the truth is that God created us so that we would lean and depend on Him for everything.

2 Corinthians 3:4-5(NLT), “4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” Every good thing comes from God. We must have a great trust in our Heavenly Father, because He will not ever fail or forsake us. We don’t have to beg, and we cannot control the masterful way in which He solves our problems and meets our needs. He knows exactly what to do. It is His good pleasure to provide for His children, and to express gratitude for His overwhelming and matchless kindness, you must have faith and let Him help you. ■

The Truth Is the Same Every Time

Posted on April 18, 2023 by daaorg1214

There’s a famous quote that says, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to worry about keeping a lie straight.” There’s also another golden gem that most all of us have heard, “Honesty is the best policy.” Unequivocally, honesty is always the best policy, practice, and pursuit; but sometimes in life, we are faced with a situation when the truth, if spoken, will be devastating for someone to hear. In this case, what do you do? Well, like everything else in life, this is one of those situations where we must have faith in God’s Word. Jesus Christ is the truth, and he tells us that it will make us free. So, if we want to honor our relationships, then the truth is always the way to go, but as with much in the Christian life, it is how we deliver it that makes all the difference.

I had a conversation with a woman who shared her true feelings with the man she loves. They’ve been on and off a few years, and she didn’t feel as if either of them had been upfront about their feelings and intentions. She’s ready for a marriage commitment, and thought it was time for her to put all her cards on the table. In a relationship, I’m all for being as authentic in communicating your desires and needs as possible, but a person must be as honest about the situation they are dealing with as they are about what they want. Somewhere deep inside her heart, I believe this woman knew the man didn’t share her desire to take the relationship any further, but she had refused to face it.

After she shared her feelings, he went out of his way to avoid her. This man knew the truth, that he didn’t want to marry her, but he didn’t know how to deliver it. The whole situation turned out completely different than she had hoped, and she was devastated. Being ready to hear the truth is something most of us claim to be; being prepared to hear ‘no’ is a whole other ball game. This man didn’t want to hurt her, and instead of having an honest, compassionate, and mature conversation, he hid. He mirrored her own refusal to face the reality that he didn’t want to marry her.

The truth doesn’t change. It’s consistent, and it will not fail us. The beloved sister who allowed herself to fall in love with someone who didn’t love her back, did so out of a belief that she didn’t deserve more. This man ducked and dived to avoid seeing her. Is this really an individual that can handle the challenges of marriage? Doesn’t seem like it. So, to grieve for something that isn’t the best for you would not be the best use of your time. A better solution is to do what Philippians 4:8 says and fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and excellent. Those yummies describe the kind of man who will not run from commitment. That’s what God has in store for us, and we should be preparing to receive it.■

The Strength of God Within You

Posted on April 4, 2023 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 40:29(ESV)
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”

Because of his ministry and commitment to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s Word reveals that the Apostle Paul faced many hardships, including the threat of imprisonment and death. 2Corinthians 12:7 tells us that he was assaulted and tormented by a messenger of satan, which he referred to as a ‘thorn in the flesh’. Paul’s responsibility to the faith was huge, and as he progressed in ministry and notoriety, he had more than his fair share of enemies, but Paul didn’t allow any of this to keep him from carrying forth God’s work. He could have thrown in the towel and given up, but he had faith in God. He was confident that through the Holy Spirit, God’s strength was the foundation of his life, and it should be the foundation of our lives as well.

This is an especially important truth for those enduring the abuse of domestic violence. There are so many emotions involved in this struggle. We can be deeply devoted to the abuser, but terrified and angry at the same time. We desperately want to break free, but there’s a part of us that ultimately always gives in to what the abuser wants. These are controlling behaviors, and for many individuals in situations of domestic violence, this is their “thorn in the flesh.”

Whether this person is intimidating you by body blocking, sulking until you give in to what they want, or being menacing, mocking, and aggressive through their behavior and speech, it’s all an attempt to have dominance over you. To fall victim to this kind of treatment is not God’s Will for any individual, man or woman. Domestic violence and abuse is all about someone trying to have power over you. When you’re being controlled this way, despite your desire not to be, it is a sure indication that your mind and heart need to be nourished by the bread of God’s Word.

We can’t walk and live in a truth we don’t know, but when we know better, we have the potential to be and do better. When someone we love isn’t treating us the way all God’s children should be treated, we need a change of heart and mind. Our faith in God needs to be increased, and Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Many of us don’t believe that if we get out of an abusive relationship, that we’ll be okay. The person that is being abused may not have a support system or financial backing in place, and this can make leaving seem more riskier than staying in the situation. This line of thinking seems rational to someone that is used to being robbed of their strength and power on a continuous basis. The mind of a victim remains blinded to possibility and confidence when it is not stimulated by faith in God.

Reading His promises and gaining knowledge of His love is transformative. 2Peter 1:3 (NLT) states, “3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” According to the brilliance and perfection of His intellect, love, and power, God has gifted us everything that is required to live to the fullest. Right now, at this very moment, you are packed to overflowing with His gifts. His strength is inside you. Coming to know God through Jesus Christ is the thing that reacquaints us with the wonder of who He created us to be. We become better acquainted with our truest and highest self by learning about Jesus Christ and by following his example. Then what’s on the inside begins to impact and change our outside reality.

Ephesians 2:8(NLT) states, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” All God’s promises points to the magnificence of His plan to have us participating with Him in the way He purposed. What exactly is the way God has purposed? It’s to fully walk in His power and strength, and to be fully confident in the depth, width, and breadth of His perfect love. Paul said in Romans 1:16 (NLT), “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.” Through Jesus Christ, God has succeeded in putting humanity right with Himself. He’s done it all for us, and He has made it our responsibility to believe, trust, and make ourselves comfortable in all that He has accomplished through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

God desires us to exercise His power and strength in our lives so that we will no longer be blinded by fear and paralyzed by darkness and terror. His desire is that we walk in the liberty that Jesus Christ won for us. God’s grace and love is the winning strategy in life. So, it just makes sense that we should make it our life’s ambition to know Him more, because this is the way to put on more of His strength and wear it like a second skin.

He tells us in 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.” If we lose sight of the greatness of God’s love and being, we will lose sight of all He has created us to be. We were not put on this earth to be blind-sighted, misled, and mistreated by a thorn in the flesh. We’re here to live in Christ through God’s love. To do this we must embrace God’s vision of who we are and get into His Word, because this is key to growing in faith and allowing the strength of God within to transform your life inside out.

Domestic Abuse Awareness.Org

Breaking the chains of domestic abuse through the power of Jesus Christ.

Category Archives: Spiritual Encouragement

Turn to the Lord

God’s Truth is Hidden in Our Hearts

Hope Will Not Put Us to Shame

A Stronghold in Times of Trouble

You Are a Victor Not a Victim

Give God Room to Move

Strength in Times of Uncertainty

Let God Help You

The Truth Is the Same Every Time

The Strength of God Within You