Iron Sharpens Iron

Posted on May 14, 2023 by daaorg1214

Life is all about relationships. God has set up all relationships as an instrument to strengthen our relationship with Him, and as we are strengthened, comforted, and encouraged by Him, we can then bless others through Jesus Christ. We are to become established and saturated in His love for us and our love for Him. Then all our other relationships will be birthed from the overflow of our fellowship and communion with God. He tells us in Proverbs 27:17(NLT), “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” In this verse, God is letting us know the benefits and requirements of a quality friendship. Friends are supposed to help each other remain spiritually sharp so that they are prepared and seasoned for the work of God’s Kingdom.

Rubble strips are a road safety feature. They help to alert drivers when they’re inattentive to potential dangers. These strips in the road cause the vehicle to vibrate, and this makes an audible noise that is intended to wake up an individual if they fall asleep at the wheel. Well, when it comes to the life that God has called us to live in Christ, we sometimes fall asleep at the wheel as well. In other words, we allow ourselves to lose focus when it comes to our relationship with God, and this puts us in a vulnerable position. It’s just the opportunity that the devil waits for.

1Thessalonians 5:6(NLT) states, “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.” Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is the glue that holds our lives together. When we allow our attentiveness to slip, our minds can revert to old and negative ways of thinking, and not only this, we don’t guard our hearts as effectively as we should. A good friend will speak the truth of God’s wisdom and shake us out of this apathy and wrong thinking. They will remind us of God’s goodness and encourage us in the faith so we can wake up and snap out of unproductiveness.

The corrective wisdom and encouragement that a friend provides is not always easy to hear. Sometimes it’s strong medicine and we desperately need it. Most of us want to hear flowery words that compliment us even when we’ve not presented our best efforts, but this kind of flowery talk is seldom helpful. A true friend will speak the truth to us, and they will not heap unwarranted praise on their friends. When a friend has a habit of giving constructive criticism and genuine praise, you trust their honesty and count on it. Again, they tell the truth, and this helps to deepen trust in one another.

The psalmist prayed in Psalm 119:133(NLT), “Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.” This should be the prayer of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Word orders our steps according to His Will for our lives. Friends can help us stay on that narrow path, and it’s not necessary for them to be contentious or harsh in any way. As good friends to one another, it’s our privilege and responsibility to speak the truth in love. God commands us in Ephesians 4:22(NLT) to “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” This is the Will of the Father, and we must love others this way in all our relationships. If we do, we will be a treasured friend that is spiritually sharp and eager to always please God.■

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.

Being Your Truest, Highest Self

Posted on February 27, 2023 by daaorg1214

Proverbs 4:7(KJV) says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Wisdom is defined as truthful, right knowledge that aids correct and right believing, and God’s Word is the source of it. He tells us that wisdom is the principal thing, and we need to take a minute and digest this, because the world would have us to believe other things are principal, things like money, fame, or success. These are very nice, but they are byproducts received from believing and trusting God’s Word. They are not the principal things, so our decks must be restacked so that seeking wisdom becomes the major objective for us. And not only are we to seek it preeminently, we are to make sure we get an understanding of the wisdom we seek. This is the part, that if missed, will cause us to approach faith sideways; without the benefit of hitting the target we hope to achieve.

Some of us are about ready to implode, to burst open at the seams because we’ve acquired a tremendous amount of biblical knowledge, but we’ve lost the connection between understanding and the knowledge we’ve gleaned. Another way of looking at this is that we’ve got a lot of knowledge in our heads, but it hasn’t yet trickled down into our hearts in a way that truly makes the knowledge a part of us. We keep acquiring and acquiring—getting and getting, but we’re not applying what we’re learning. More knowledge may make us smart, but it doesn’t increase us spiritually until a spiritual connection is made.

Understanding is the spark that makes wisdom the revelation it needs to be. It is very often the missing link to the blessing we’ve yet to acquire. This is important because our lives will mirror a lack of understanding. Our lives will reflect that something we need is missing. A lot of us are so busy and tapped to the max with everyday life that we can’t even think deeply about what we’re doing. We’re just moving from one thing to the next, and it all just seems like one big glob of transactions and activities. We can’t make sense of what we’re doing or why. Well, your life is supposed to make sense. You may not understand all the moving parts, but at the end of your day, you should have a sense of purpose and pleasing God. This comes from understanding who you are, what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.

Who are you?
Jesus Christ said in John 1:12 that he has given everyone who has accepted him the right to become children of God. Through him, this is who we are. Because of Christ, we’ve received eternal life, and our faith in him made this possible. Our faith began our eternal journey. Our faith made it possible for us to receive God’s Spirit, and only the increase of our faith will allow us to continue to grow in Christ. From where you stand today, you do not know the end result of what you will become, but God knows. And although mentally you don’t know the ‘you’ that you are becoming, everything you need to transform into this person is in you already. Please don’t let this piece of yumminess slip by you. All that you are destined to become in Christ is already in you!

When we became born again in Christ, the old life we had died. Colossians 3:3(NLT) tells us, “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Before we accepted Christ, our human-spirit was dead. This was because of Adam’s fall. When he sinned in the Garden of Eden, he died a spiritual death, and every person born after him is born in sin, and therefore, is born with a spirit that is disconnected from God. A human-spirit that is disconnected from God is not alive to Him; it has no light and no life.

Our human-spirits are recreated in Christ through the new birth experience. The totality of who we are becoming is hidden in him, Colossians 3:3 tells us this. Our real spiritual self is in Christ, but our soulish self is the thing that is visible to everyone; interacting and reacting to the environment around us. It’s the part you and I have to work on while we’re on this earth. 1John 3:2(NIV) encourages us to accomplish this work by setting our minds and hearts on our Christ reality, because this is the person God has destined us to become. This verse tells us, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

You and I can’t alter our real lives one bit. They are hidden in Christ for safe keeping. The only thing left for you and me to do is to reveal our gratitude for what is hidden in Christ, by demonstrating outwardly what is hidden inwardly. We are commanded by God to be Christ-like by living, loving, sharing, and being like him more and more each day. This is our destiny! This is how we affirm our truest, highest selves—by making sure our everyday walking-around, soulish-self is mirroring our eternal self that is hidden in Christ! It’s walking in his love! Walking in his love is walking in the truth, for he tells us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life.

You are being your true self as you make choices and decisions that line up with your Christ reality and identity. If you make choices and decisions that do not line up with your truest self, you will betray the core of who you really are. When this happens, your life will then mirror this betrayal. You will have given the enemy, the author of confusion and chaos, an opening. We don’t want to do this.

What should you be doing?
Understand that God designed the universe to respond positively to our highest self in Christ, because our highest self in Christ is the truth. In 2Peter 1:5-7(NLT), He tells us, “5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” This is our call to action—the kind of action that backs our faith. We are to respond to God’s goodness with actions that are morally excellent, intelligent, disciplined, patient and persistent, and most importantly, Godly.

Why are you doing it?
The reason we should be responding to God with actions that are morally excellent, intelligent, disciplined, patient and persistent, and Godly, is because these are actions that keep us in fellowship with Heavenly Father. These actions represent the truth of who we are, and who He has made us to be. They speak to our Christ reality, and place us squarely on the path to our destinies. The one thing of which you and I must be absolutely sure is that God has a good plan for our lives. Our destinies are far greater than any of us can imagine, and the purpose to which you have been called fits perfectly in His plan. Everything that God created was designed to be successful. We were created to be successful and blessed, and when we align our wills with God’s Will, His plan for us will beautifully unfold.

We come to earth with deficits, but God’s plan is to help us make sense of our lives, to give us direction, and to do a work in us through the Holy Spirit. We are not perfect, we are being perfected in Christ moment by moment. Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) tells us, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” We must walk in the purpose for which we’re called, because it is our destiny to have all that God desires us to have and to be all that He has called us to be. Get wisdom, and get understanding, so you can order your steps in His Word, and walk according your destiny.■

Is a Flaw Keeping Your Blessing Hostage?

Posted on February 13, 2023 by daaorg1214

Aisha grew up in New Jersey, with three brothers. Even though she’s the oldest, her younger brothers were always very protective, and they still are today. She’s 43, has never been married, and has been in and out of relationships most of her adult life. She wants a man that makes her feel as protected as she’s always felt with her brothers, but inevitably, she ends up being disappointed. In her view, the men she’s dated haven’t been able to live up to this standard. She swore off dating for a while but is now open to it again. I had a conversation with her a little while ago. She had met someone new at her job and they went out on a date. She told me she experienced a really awkward moment on the date when he asked her a question. She really struggled to answer it and was embarrassed about it. He wanted to know, “What is a beautiful woman like yourself still doing single?”

Driving home that night, all Aisha could think about was why she had such difficulty answering this question. In her conversations with girlfriends, she had been accustomed to blaming character flaws in the men for her past failed relationships, but there was something about the manner in which this man asked the question that left no room for blame. She would have to look within for answers, and this was something she hadn’t done to any great degree before.

Aisha is undeniably a beautiful woman, but her manner at times can be likened to putting a bull in a china cabinet. She has a negative filter when it comes to a lot of things, and she views many people and situations through a very critical lens. Things that would be better left unsaid, she says them; and her criticisms are almost never tempered with love. The thing is, she doesn’t put herself through this same scrutiny.

All of us have flaws, but we can’t afford to use this as an excuse. There are certain flaws that impede our destinies, cause us to walk outside our purpose, and they cause us to miss out on the blessings God has stored up for us. Ultimately, these particular flaws take us so far outside the Will of God that they harm our relationship with Him severely. These are the flaws and weaknesses that we’re in the earth to address. They spawn the lessons that continue to cycle back until we either learn them or die. Arrogance will always keep us blind to this, but through humility, God will give us the grace to see it.

Romans 10:9-10 (NLT) tells us, “9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths are required for the new birth reality. It is the only way to receive salvation. God makes it clear that it is the heart that makes the difference, for this is where love abides. We must swap out the heart that causes harsh judgement and undue criticism against others and exchange it for a heart that welcomes kindness and compassion.

Ephesians 5:25 tells us that God’s standard is that a man loves his wife just as Christ loves the church. Christ loved the church so much that he offered up his life for her. This allows us to know beyond a shadow of doubt that truly a man can love a woman this way, because God has told us it is so. The question for the woman is whether her heart draws this level of love. It will be challenging to do so if her heart is filled with remnants of fear and darkness.

Demonstrating the love of God must be at the top of our agenda in life and in relationships. Once we are anchored in it, this love then becomes actively engaged as we give it out, but you can’t give something you haven’t practiced within yourself. When Aisha was asked why she’s still single, she came up with, “I’ve been patiently waiting for the right fit.” It sounds good, but it didn’t feel authentic to her soul, and she couldn’t hide it. She very much wants things to work out with the man who asked the question. So, she has begun to confront some things that she has hidden behind for many years.

God doesn’t want us running away from the truth ever. And the truth is that, to the extent a flaw keeps our blessing hostage, we must confront it and do the work to get it handled. It can be very uncomfortable, there’s no mistake about this. Aisha must learn to lean on God for her protection, and not look to a man to be something more than what he is. God will often work through the man, but all protection comes from Heavenly Father, and we should never think anyone can do it better than Him. There must be room in our hearts to accept that the right fit for us may not be strong in all the areas we expect, but they will help to build us up as we seek to fulfill the purpose to which we are called.

A New Heart Brings New Blessings!

Posted on January 30, 2023 by daaorg1214

The Prophet Ezekiel delivered a powerful Word of Prophecy from the Lord, our God, to the people of Israel. In Ezekiel 36:26-27(NLT), God told them, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” It is important for us to know that the people of God living during this time had gotten themselves in quite the pickle, and it was because of their disobedience. They made a conscious choice to turn away from God’s regulations and do their own thing. This was a terrible mistake, and they found out the hard way. In this regard, they were like many of us living today who get weary of waiting to see a change in our circumstances. Like them, some of us think about taking matters into our own hands. Our God cautions us against such actions, because He has a much better solution.

When God looked at His people living during Old Testament times, He saw the future. Back then, they were really doing the most with all that idolatry and evil darkness they were dabbling in. But despite their non-sense, despite their disobedience, God blessed and delivered them. When they saw what a mess they’d made and cried out to Him for help, He came to their rescue. The record of mercy and grace He bestowed on them is a testimony to those of us living today. It builds a foundation of truth regarding God’s love that anchors our relationship with Him even more.

Their hearts were hardened against God and they consistently ignored His commandments. The same spirit of rebellion that gets into some of us was rampant in them. Instead of bringing glory to God’s name, they brought shame to it and glorified the devil. Talk about needing a new heart, they certainly did. Great hygiene and a good bath couldn’t clean the filth they harbored in their hearts. A work had to be done internally, and only God could do it.

The thing that you and I must keep in mind is that God’s people living in Old Testament times were servants, they were not children. They could not have His seed in them because Jesus Christ had not yet come and made the infilling of the Holy Spirit available. For believers today, it is an incomparable treasure to know that God will restore us utterly and completely. If He would do it for His servants, He most certainly will do it for His kids.

There isn’t anything that our God can’t and won’t do for His people. His promise of a new life brings hope when we’re struggling with pain, shame and disappointment. Relying on His power, and His love instead of our own is the only way to usher in the newness we need. Heavenly Father assured the Israelites that He would give them a new heart, that He would remove from them a heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. This is the heart that believers can have through the Holy Spirit, a heart that delights in pleasing God.

Our desires to partner in marriage, to have loving families and relationships, are desires that God has placed in our hearts. For many of us, this wonderful dream represents the newness we desire, but it must be matched by newness in our commitment to obey and trust God’s Word in a greater way. The prophecy that He gave Ezekiel was a foretelling of the redemption He planned for His children through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Christ we have a new covenant with God, and Hebrews 10:16 tells us that God has placed His laws and regulations in our hearts and written them on our minds.

We can have every confidence that God wants us to fulfill His purpose, but He also teaches us through the prophecy given to Ezekiel that a stubborn, stony heart doesn’t please Him. We must respond to Heavenly Father by doing the things that honor His name and doesn’t bring shame to it. Through Jesus Christ, God has given us a clean heart. He’s given us a new and right spirit, and we must do our very best to stay faithful to Him so we’ll be prepared for the new blessings He brings into our lives.■

When Answers Don’t Come Easy

Posted on January 23, 2023 by daaorg1214

The psalmist said in Psalm 23:3 (NKJV), “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” This is what God will do for us. He will restore our souls, and then lead us in the path of His righteousness. The question we need to ask ourselves is are we willing to be led. For those that have been praying to cross paths with the person they will marry, it is important for them to know that our Heavenly Father hears their prayers. He’s designed the universe in such a way that the moment we begin to pray, something shifts. Things begin to come together to bless us, and a momentum starts to build. Our faith is the force that continues to move this momentum forward, but there will most definitely be some blockers along the way. Immediately upon noticing them, we must look for something in our souls to be restored. We must make sure we’re hearing what God is saying, so we know exactly what needs to be healed and continue to follow the path of His righteousness.

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses was handling some final business with the Children of Israel, because he knew he would not enter the Promise Land. In an address to them, he reviewed the journey they had been on together. It took the Children of Israel 38 years to cover a territory that should have taken them 11 days. Why? Because of their unbelief. God had promised to give them a land of milk and honey, a land that was beautiful, with good soil upon which to grow crops and increase livestock. Yet, they wouldn’t bring themselves to trust the Word of the Lord.

Exodus 6:7-8 (NLT) gives us the record of what God told Moses to tell His people. He said, “7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. 8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’” In verse 9, we have the record of the people’s response to what God said. It tells us, “So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.” They doubted God’s promise. Even though they were physically free, the harsh labor under the Egyptian pharaoh had put them in mental and emotional bondage. So, they wouldn’t listen to Moses and went around in circles because doubt took root in their hearts.

God’s people were slow to have faith in Him, and this is why instead of marching to victory they wandered in the wilderness almost 40 years. This wandering, not seeking God and not having faith in Him, happens to many of us living today. We lose sight of God’s goodness, and this cripples our hopes and dreams. Jesus Christ teaches us in Mark 11:23(NLT), “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” We must have faith in God’s love and in His willingness and ability to bless us, and we must trust that He always keeps His promises. It’s very important to God that we have a faith mind-and-heart-set towards Him.

Healthy communication is crucial to any successful relationship. Not only must we speak the truth, but we must be in a position to hear it. Our relationship with God is the most precious gift we will ever have. We need to hear what the Father is saying to us, because we need His instruction to carry out His Will. We also need to hear from Him about those places in our souls where we’re not allowing His love to rule. Very often, not hearing or perceiving God’s message is a blocker that slows our faith momentum. The Spirit of the Lord resides inside of the believer. God wants us to know that no one can be closer to us than Him. This closeness and intimacy in our relationship with Him was His plan, not ours, and it demonstrates His overwhelming love for each of us.

The gift that we can readily give ourselves is to be persistent in pursuing a revelation from the Lord. When answers don’t come easy, and we’re faced with dilemmas in life, God is always present. Some believers have complained that God is not speaking to them, but He never stops communicating with us. We must learn to listen. We have a hard time hearing His voice because we’re so focused on other things. Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 6:33 that we must seek our Heavenly Father first, and this must be a continuous habit pattern in our lives. We are spiritual beings and the more we quiet ourselves and get still before God, the more our spiritual hearing will increase. When it comes to the revelation that we desperately need to hear, it isn’t enough to receive a word from someone else’s lips. We need to be confident that God will speak to us and that we can hear Him. Pray on this. Increase your faith in the reality that God desires and is willing to speak to you. Read and study His Word, then you will hear Him speak, and wander no more.■

Making Right Decisions

Posted on January 2, 2023 by daaorg1214

If we are honest, we all have to admit that sometimes we get a little ahead of ourselves. God blesses us to achieve success, and when it comes to important decisions, we might begin to think that we do not have to lean on His intervention and guidance as heavily as we once did. This is an area where we have to be extremely attentive, and not slip back into old habit patterns. We have to remember the many sticky situations that God has delivered us from in the past, because the truth is that life is becoming more complex. More is at stake now than ever before, and even small decisions and choices can change the course of your life. So trusting God in the area of decision making is extremely important for us.

Most of us get it. We know that we need to hear from God before we make important decisions, but sometimes we lose sight of our spiritual status; more to the point, we fail to remember that God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He communicates with us in spiritual ways. This puts the responsibility on us to make sure that we are spiritually able to hear Him speak as He tells us which path to choose and what decisions to make. There are some practices that we can put in place that will help us to do this.

Ponder your past
Sometimes we forget how costly our past mistakes were, especially the decisions we made when we were maybe too impatient to wait upon the Lord. I know a very talented lady that prayed about whether or not to start her own business, or to continue working for a large corporation. She and her husband had saved a nice retirement nest egg. They were hard working, Christian people with a passion. Her husband loved her dearly and supported her in the decision to leave her job. She felt she received a definitive ‘yes’ from the Lord, simply because she had not received a definitive ‘no’. As it turned out, this was not the best decision for her or her family. They forced the timing, lost much of their nest egg, and it ultimately broke up their marriage.

Really the only times that God wants us to focus on our pasts are those times when we seriously need a reality check. It’s true what they say; sometimes we need to remember where we’ve come from in order to help us get to where we’re going. Proverbs 4:26 (NKJV) tells us, “Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.” We should do this not just for the path we are about to take, but in some cases, we should also think about those we’ve taken in years gone by.

It’s true for all of us that some of the paths we’ve chosen in the past have landed us in a lot of hot water. Maybe we chose to continue in a toxic relationship or maybe we left it too early. Some of us have taken jobs that were not optimum for our personal growth, and some of us have stayed at the jobs we are currently in far too long. Mistakes that were made in the past have long-lasting repercussions, and some of us are where we are because we didn’t use the wisdom of God’s Word. Heavenly Father blesses us of course, but it is always good practice to ponder the instances of our poor choices, so that we become more established in patience, faith, and better judgment.

Trust that God Will Guide You
If we will look back over the times when we’ve walked according to God’s Will, we’ll have a good basis to recognize that it is indeed His Word and His way that establishes us. It gives us a solid foundation that we can depend on, especially during the times we are unsure.

Psalm 25:12 tells us, “Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose.” Talk about the Lord’s willingness to guide His people, you don’t get any better than this!!! The word ‘fear’ in this verse doesn’t mean that we are to be afraid of God. It means to honor and reverence Him. He promises to guide those that reverence Him, and show them the right path. So we can’t ever say at any point that we trusted Heavenly Father to guide us in our decisions, and He did not do so. When we are honoring Him the way that we should, He will steer us in the right direction every time.

Make sure you have the right motives
Things like selfishness, pride, and arrogance can block our way. Sometimes when we go to God, we consider only the outcome we desire for ourselves without any compassion and thoughtfulness for others that may be affected by our decisions. I have prayed for blessings that I thought initially would benefit my entire family, but these were things that had been my life long dreams, and not theirs. In these instances, I prayed for God to help me make the right decisions as to whether or not I should proceed, but I didn’t feel as though I received a definitive answer. I wondered why, and began to get upset. I thought that I was deserving. This is a harmful mindset of entitlement that many of us have without realizing it.

Upon deeper reflection I discovered that the things I wanted and prayed to receive would have made things more challenging than helpful for my family. I had to repent for being selfish and prideful. We have a responsibility to clear our hearts of any such heavies prior to going before the Lord.

Be willing to yield your preferences for His
God has a plan for our lives. Ephesians 1:4(NLT) tells us “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” God handpicked us long before we were born. This doesn’t mean that our whole lives are prearranged. It means that God has already laid a path and made a plan for us that is based on His Word. It’s up to us whether or not we will follow it.

In Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT), He tells us, ““For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”” The path for our lives has already been chosen. It is a narrow path, and it is a good one. God would not have us to be confused, not knowing the difference between left or right—right or wrong. He is an on-purpose God, and everything He does is purposeful. You and I should be extremely interested in knowing what God has planned for us, and we should be very committed to following it.

The fantastic news is that Heavenly Father knows what is best for us always, and if we’ll lean on Him and trust in His guidance, He’ll show us the way to go. Proverbs 3:5-6(KJV) tells us, “5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Often we have different motivations for wanting to make one decision over another, but we do not know the future, God does. We must acknowledge the sovereignty and omniscience of God. He knows the plans He has for us.

Sometimes He speaks to us inwardly, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Other times He speaks to us through His Word, other people, and even our circumstances. The important thing to know is that we don’t have to look to the left, nor to the right when it comes to making decisions that please God and are the best for us and our circumstances. If we’ll just be willing to offer up our own our preferences and opinions, have patience, and continue to be prayerful, He will continually direct us to make the right decisions for our lives.■

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.

Knock Down Walls and Bypass Opposition

Posted on December 26, 2022 by daaorg1214

Do you feel in your heart of hearts that you are destined for much greater things, but you have no idea how to start? Does it feel to you that you’re boxed in because you lack the resources to get your vision off the ground? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to either of these questions, then you’re probably also asking yourself another pivotal question as well. If God has placed a dream in your heart, and you’re confident that there’s more to life than what you are experiencing, why hasn’t Heavenly Father opened the door for you to seize the prize?

To answer this question, I’d like to begin with something that I witnessed not long ago. I watched a series of teachings by a well-known Christian prophet, that is also an author and teacher of God’s Word. His teaching style is not charismatic or theatrical, and it may not be considered captivating in some circles, but he’s a person that has studied and continues to study the Bible extensively; with access to Greek manuscripts that many of us will never see. He has been privileged to lay his eyes upon books that were written hundreds of years ago, and he sheds light on some of the mysteries that have boggled the minds of biblical scholars for years. So indeed, this man is a treasure.

Although he teaches without a certain theatrical quality that many of us have grown accustomed to hearing from some preachers, the love of God oozes from his very being. He’s a lovely, soft-spoken man, and his love for Jesus Christ is palpable. He brings to the table an understanding of scripture that millions of people have died without ever getting remotely close to. He has been appointed to open the eyes of our generation to what God is doing in this day and time, there is no question about it.

During one part of the series, the camera panned the room and allowed the viewers to see more of the setting where this particular session was being filmed. He was in fact visiting a smaller venue than what I had seen in his other videos, and it was apparent that the congregation was not at all accustomed to his style of teaching. I watched as many of them missed this opportunity to gain a greater understanding of God’s Word. They were looking about the room, appearing bored, sleepy, and a few were shown passing notes. It was evident that some of these folks were not truly interested in seeking to partake of the feast laid before them.

You hear so many people crying out to God that they want more of Him, and they sound so sincere, and dare I say, so religious; but these same individuals will not seek God for more. They WANT more, but will not make the efforts to SEEK more. They will not seek to understand God on a higher level, and seek to know His Will and Plan for their own individual lives.

The end result of this lack of positioning is a feeling and sense of being boxed in, without the resources to expand beyond barriers that hold a person back. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 22:14 (KJV), “For many are called, but few are chosen.” God Almighty, the Great El Shaddai, calls us to the feast He has prepared. He calls us not because we are so worthy, but because He has chosen us upon which to lavish His best.

Romans 2:11 tells us that God has no respect of persons. He doesn’t favor one over the other. So in Matthew 22:14, Jesus Christ isn’t leading us to believe that some are chosen because God favors them more. We are God’s elect and chosen ones because we have an intention to fulfill the call.

Just as a new life needs food and milk to live and thrive, our minds and hearts need the truth of God’s Word in order that our lives on earth can be prosperous and impactful. When it comes to fulfilling your purpose and living the life you’ve always dreamed of living, there’s information from the truth of God’s Word that you simply must have in your arsenal. We can’t do all of the things that we normally do, taking in little bits and pieces of God’s Word here and there, and think this will position us to stand strong amidst opposition. It will not; it’s not enough. We must position ourselves for greatness so that we can receive the treasure God has for us. This is not a new message, but it is one you must continue to hear to stay motivated and encouraged to fight the good fight of faith.

This feeling of being boxed-in is unfulfilled potential. That’s what it all boils down to. I knew an extremely sweet woman years ago, who became ill in her seventies. She expressed to me her regrets about not having lived the life of which she believed she was capable. She said that she always felt that something was holding her back, but she could never put her finger on what it was. She passed away regrettably, and I was deeply saddened that she died feeling that she had lived far beneath her privilege, and had not fulfilled her potential.

The thing that held her back is the same thing that holds many of us back today, and it is the refusal to expand our knowledge of who God is, what He will do for us, and what He has called us to do through His precious and powerful Son, Jesus Christ. This is something that we’re not going to be able to bypass. Ignorance pertaining to the purpose for which God placed you on this earth creates a barrier around your life. The only thing potent enough to penetrate it is the revelation of your purpose and your intention to carry it through.

A person can feel it internally when they are aligned with the plan of God. Something is filled up within your soul when you fall in step with His Call. You burst out of oppression, knock down walls of no’s, and bypass opposition, because you are legally in a place where the enemy cannot buffet you. Only seeking God through a commitment to know Him greater can give you this.

Sometimes, we see ourselves as someone that is not able to do much in the way of impacting and affecting the lives of others positively and significantly. The truth is that we carry in us the power to change towns, cities, and for some of us, nations. But because we will not stretch to increase spiritually, we are not legally prepared to take ownership of what is stored up for us.

It’s common knowledge that a healthy individual must pass from childhood to adulthood, this is true in the spiritual realm as well. At some point in our walk we will have to get beyond the need to be enticed by anything other than a deep and burning desire to grow mentally and spiritually through God’s Word. We need to come to God with a heart and mind that is eagerly seeking to know the very information that is going to position us to do more for His Kingdom. When we hold this key in our hands, we will find that it will unlock any door we want to open. ■

For Best Results, Do It God’s Way

Posted on December 12, 2022 by daaorg1214

The other day, I watched some kids practicing soccer in the park. During the practice, I heard the coach instructing them to pace their breathing, so that they wouldn’t become too exhausted while running in the game. “If you want to play long and strong, breathe slowly and steadily, rather than quickly, so you don’t overwhelm your body.” He said. I thought to myself, “Wow! I’ve never thought about the importance of breathing techniques, and how they impact the body’s performance.” I figured the body would do what it does automatically, but the coach was teaching the kids to take command of their physical beings in order to sustain peak performance. That’s what a good coach does, and this is what God’s Word does for our lives as well.

There are times when we become so used to doing things the same way that we’ve always done them, that we don’t think to slow down and ask God if we’re doing them His way. Many times it’s not because we don’t care, but more so out of not being aware or not having proper instruction. We’ve heard this saying time after time, “you can’t get different results from doing the same things.” If we want different results, and that’s exactly what many of us are praying to receive, we’ve got to do things differently in certain areas of our lives.

We are incredibly blessed to have God’s perfect instruction manual on how to get our lives right. 2Peter 1:3(NLT) tells us, “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.” We get to know the nature of God through His Word. It is through this knowledge of God that we can actually begin to put this Word on in our minds and hearts, so that we embody the example of Christ.

Psalms 91:2 (NLT) tells us, “This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” There is no way we can lose out if we put all our trust in God. If you are a person of good intention, you will want to make the most out of where you are in life. Whether it’s in your family, in a new relationship, or on your job, you want to make a positive contribution and have a positive impact; but there are so many things going on from one moment to the next, we can’t possibly handle this on our own. We need God’s help. He sees all the details. He knows all the ins and outs, and He also knows exactly how, where, and when we can be the most effective. This is one of the many reasons why we should totally depend on Him, and learn to love and live His way through His Word. It’s the best way, and it will cause us to thrive and prosper under His continual covering and care.♦

The Place God Has Prepared for Us

Posted on December 5, 2022 by daaorg1214

Exodus 23:20-22(NLT)
“20 See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21 Pay close attention to him and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. 22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.”

“Sometimes I just want to give up! Nothing in my life is easy! Every time I turn around, there’s another hurdle to jump through.”

Can you sense the frustration and disappointment in the statement above? Sometimes, the Christian journey isn’t easy. There can be jubilant highs and gut-wrenching lows. There are hurdles to jump through, and many trials and tribulations to overcome. These are all a part of life’s journey. But somehow, many individuals think that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are exempt from challenges and adversities. We are not. The difference between those that have made Jesus Christ their personal Lord and Savior and those that have not is the victory that he offers us through our faith! 1John 5:4(NLT) declares this! It states, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”

You may feel as though you’re on the losing side, but this is where faith comes in. We must trust that God set up our journeys in Christ to be victorious and triumphant, not downtrodden and powerless. When we’re struggling to believe this, God commands us to renew our minds so that feelings of defeat and sadness are not our go-to emotions. He wants us to replace these with faith and confidence in Him.

Our struggle begins when we believe that we must strive to be good enough and that we must force ourselves to have confidence. Jesus Christ tells us in John 6:63(NLT), “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” He’s teaching us the difference between the realm of the flesh and the realm of the Spirit. You and I didn’t save ourselves from the bondage of death and darkness, there was no way we could have possibly done this. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Through the finished work of his sacrifice and resurrection, God has set us free through His beloved and powerful Son.

He tells us Galatians 5:1(NIV), “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” This means that we’re to abandon the mindset of trying to make ourselves right and lay hold of the mindset of accepting God’s way of making us right through Jesus Christ. We are spiritual beings, and our new way of responding to God and life is through His Spirit.

God teaches us many spiritual lessons about His provision, protection, and power through the Children of Israel in the Old Testament. We see His faithfulness and His desire for a family. And we also see how God expects us to behave as members of His family. He is our Heavenly Father, and He commands us to lean totally and completely on Him for everything. In Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT), He instructs, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” So, even in our emotions and feelings, Heavenly Father expects us to make them submissive to our faith in Him.

We can learn a lot in the Old Testament from the mistakes His people made when they didn’t trust Him. They witnessed God part the Red Sea to rescue them from slavery under the Egyptians. He rained manna from heaven to feed them, and when they complained about the manna, He caused a wind to bring quails to them from the sea. In the wilderness, He split open rocks and caused water to burst forth like a spring. The miracles God showed them were too numerous to count, but even with all His miraculous works, they still did not remain faithful. With everything that Heavenly Father did for them, they were not totally convinced of His love and power.

You and I can be assured that witnessing God’s miracles doesn’t necessarily cause our minds and hearts to change towards Him. This is a tremendous lesson for us to learn. Jesus Christ commands us in Mark 12:30 to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. This means that we are to love our Heavenly Father with all that we are. This kind of love comes from Jesus Christ, and it is not dependent on the wonderful things that God does; it is dependent on the reality of who God is. We must love Him because He is the ‘Great I Am!’ He’s holy beyond holiness, brilliance beyond brilliant, perfect beyond perfection, and majestic beyond majesty. He is worthy to be praised because He is who He is. This is the truth on which our faith must be anchored.

This race that you and I are running in life is the race that God has set before us. We didn’t set it, He did. Our lives belong to Him. He knows every detail, experience, and encounter in our lives before these things occur. In Exodus 23:20, God shows us that He will even send His angels ahead of us to protect us, and He will keep our feet from falling while we’re running this race of life, but we must trust Him and He will not force us to do so. Everything we do, think, feel, and say is completely up to us. We are the ones to determine whether we will walk in the victory of Christ based on the choices and decisions we make. God desires that we choose Him and His Word every time. He desires us to walk in the victory of Christ so that we will not be defeated by the tricks of the enemy. He wants us to know that we will outsmart the devil by thinking, speaking, and behaving like Christ, and having the kind of faith that Christ has.

Notice also in Exodus 23:20 that God tells His people that He had prepared a place for them. When He told them this thousands of years ago, He was referring to the Promised Land. But because of what God accomplished for us in Christ, we can walk in the Promised Land every day because God has set us free! We need to focus on the reality of who God is more than we focus on our emotions and feelings. We should never want it said about us that we value our emotions and feelings more than we value the truth of God’s Word.

It’s a mistake to think that God can’t relate to the troubling times we face on earth as His Children. He absolutely does, and He tells us in Romans 8:37 that He’s made us more than conquerors over those things through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Many of us have a pattern of relying on how we feel, and we allow this to govern us, but feeling low, sad, and defeated is not the place God has prepared for us. He wants us to put all our trust on the reality of who He is. He is faithful and has all power in His hands. When we trust in the totality of His goodness, grace, and mercy, He will go before us and lead us every step of the way. He will handle those that talk about us and try to cause us trouble, as we have confidence that victory in Christ will always be our destination when we continue to place all our trust in God.■

Kick Pain to the Curb!

Posted on November 28, 2022 by daaorg1214

Release the pain and anger of past heartaches and embrace the
victory God gives us through Jesus Christ!

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14(NLT), “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” In order to get the full impact of what God is teaching us through Paul in Philippians 3:13-14, we need to know a little bit about Paul’s background. At one time, his mind was so blinded by satan that he actually authorized the persecution, murders, and imprisonment of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The things he had been taught were wrong, and because of this, he was going backward instead of forward. He fed his mind and heart lies and misinformation. He became full of arrogance and surprisingly, he thought he knew what God wanted.

Before Paul was converted and gave his life to Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, he made humongous mistakes. Again, in his past, he was notorious for persecuting the very people that God commanded him to preach to after his conversion. So, when he started ministering the Gospel, as we can well imagine, it was an uphill journey. He understood that this was his purpose and destiny in Christ, but people had reservations because of Paul’s murderous history. They knew the things he had done, and it was hard for them to accept that he had been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Paul became such a devoted and masterful teacher of the Gospel that the people could not deny that God was working through him. This is such a poignant example for us because Paul counted the things that he gained in Christ to be far superior to anything he had possessed or done wrong in his past. In Philippians 3:8(NLT), he proclaimed, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”

This is the posture, mindset, and attitude that God expects from us. We have made many mistakes in our past. We didn’t know the Lord as we do today, and we may not have had the desire to please Him as we do today. Some of us have gone through painful divorces. We’ve injured others and we’ve been injured ourselves from broken relationships. The emotional heartache and hurt of this pain can be very challenging to get over, but like the Apostle Paul, none of us can afford to allow our pasts to define our present or our futures.

This is a choice! Each of us must choose to let the past remain in the past. We must do this for our own sake and for the sake of God’s Will and plan for our lives. God tells us in Ephesians 4:31-32(NLT), “31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” I recently had a conversation with a woman that is still enraged over the infidelity of her ex-husband. She refuses to get over how he treated her and their marriage. He’s moved on and is now in another relationship, but she is stuck in her past. This isn’t what God wants for any of us. He doesn’t want us to be blocked in our hearts and minds by something that occurred a long time ago. And if we’re keeping it real, none of us can change what has already occurred.

We can’t have a redo when it comes to our past. When those situations occurred, they may have impacted us in a very painful way, but instead of allowing them to trap us like quicksand, we should learn from them. We must understand that we can kick pain to the curb and keep it moving by attending to the things of God. We were born with God’s purpose in our DNA, and we will not be satisfied until we begin to walk in the destiny that He has placed us on this earth to achieve. We have victory in Christ! This is the truth! Paul recognized that everything outside of Christ is a lie, and everything in Christ is love, light, liberty, and life!

Everything in Christ is the truth! Our emotions may remind us of the past, but our emotions were never intended by God to govern our lives. Jesus Christ is Lord! He governs our lives, and nothing should ever come before him. We can be very emotional creatures, and as women, a lot of us base our emotional well-being on how the men in our lives respond to us. Instead, we should base our emotional well-being on how WE respond to GOD. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to be committed to our spouses, but He requires us to make Him the center of our universe. This is a space and place that cannot be shared with anyone or anything, because God is love and we can only truly love others because His love fills our hearts to overflowing.

1John 4:11-12(NLT) teaches us, “11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” This is the goal, to love better through Christ. Don’t hold grudges and resentment and be angry for a lifetime; don’t allow yourself to go there. It’s so destructive to our entire being. Don’t make room for emotions and attitudes that don’t serve you well. Instead, be committed to let God’s love fill you to overflowing. Believe the promises of His Word and repeat them to yourself continually. Pray and ask God to give you a new heart and be confident in His healing and His desire to give you victory in your life.■

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