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.■

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.

Love Knows How to Wait

Posted on April 11, 2023 by daaorg1214

I received a phone call recently from a Christian woman who’s been single for a little while. Like many of our sisters out there patiently waiting, she’s attractive, savvy, stable and witty. She’s at a point in her life where she’s expecting God to bless her with a good man any day now. The only drawback is that she finds herself being the pursuer instead of being the one pursued. Not long ago, she was introduced to someone by a friend and they decided to meet up for a bite to eat. They both agreed, “No pressure, just a casual meeting.” She was surprised by how literal he took this.

Come on now, you know how we do. Even though it was casual, sister-girl still had, “First date” on the brain. She got a little dolled up because we all want to leave the best first impression we can. Well, that wasn’t quite the approach he took. As a matter of fact, it didn’t appear as though he had put much effort into making his best impression at all. His appearance left something to be desired and his demeanor was lackluster, but after dinner she still sent him a ‘thank you—nice to meet you’ text later that evening. Days later, nothing—zilch—nada—crickets. No call, no text, not even to say hello.

She called me and asked if she should be the one to call him. My response to her, “Absolutely NOT!” It’s not about playing cat and mouse games. It’s a matter of how we truly see and value ourselves as women. There are people in your life that appreciate you, and you know this because they make you feel appreciated. Just as game recognizes game, light recognizes light. Heavenly Father wouldn’t make a presentation of a marital partner who can’t see our light and appreciate it. He tells us as much in 2Corinthians 6:14 when He says that light and darkness can’t have communion with each other.

We hear a lot of negative talk out there about how challenging it is to find a good man. Is that the truth or is it that we’ve listened to it for so long that it has blinded us to the truth? We don’t often hear about men who understand the treasure of a good woman and express it, but they are out there. And we don’t have to chase them down. That would not be a response of faith, but fear. Relationship drama is notoriously broadcasted on every form of media we can think us. We see the ugly live and in technicolor, and it has really done a number on many of us. The arrogance, meanness, and pettiness has made us so afraid of trusting one another, that we’ve convinced ourselves it’s not possible to find a man that’s a match for our level of decency and moral character. Understand that God is brilliant beyond brilliance, and intelligent beyond intelligence. If you’re alive and breathing, you can trust that another like you is near, and God has taken care of all the details of your meeting one another, but your trust in God is a must.

Amos 3:3(KJV) poses an interesting question that cuts right down to the meat of the matter. Amos was a prophet who learned what many of us have found challenging to learn in life. He asked in this verse, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” There must be agreement for us to walk with God, and there must be agreement for two individuals to walk together as partners, but most importantly, you must have agreement with yourself. Agreement is consistency, compatibility, conformity, and harmony that is based on God’s truth. Your truth is that you are God’s daughter! You carry His Holy Spirit within you, and you are loved by God to such an overwhelming degree that it will take you an eternity to explore its depths. God’s got you! He wants you to have the best way more than you could ever want it for yourself. He said in Jeremiah 29:11(ESV), “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” You must trust that every detail of your life’s fulfillment has been taken care of by Him.

Romans 8:32(NLT) declares, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” God is a God who blesses His people, but we can’t forget that as His people, we have a responsibility as well. Jesus Christ said in John 14:15 that if we love him, we will keep his commandments. Don’t get ahead of God. Instead, pray without ceasing. You don’t have to rush love, because love knows how to wait on God’s perfect timing, and you should too.

Real love is God’s love, and it doesn’t push, shove or force. Love is kind and gentle, and it comes to us as effortlessly as we give it out. We can’t make someone love us, but we can make a commitment to love God with all our hearts and live by the example of Christ. We must be as patient with ourselves as we would want our partners to be. We are learning that our love must be expressed through our faith in God, and our destiny will beautifully unfold once this practice is firmly in our grasp.■

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.

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.

Heavenly Father Comes to Your Rescue

Posted on March 28, 2023 by daaorg1214

2Peter 2:7-10(NLT)
“7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. 9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. 10 He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority.”

Many of us wake up every morning and go about our daily business without giving thought to how God keeps our lives thriving. He protects us from hurt, harm, and danger, and He allows us to see another day. Ephesians 2:8(NLT) teaches us, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” We can’t take any credit for the salvation God offers us through Jesus Christ, and we can’t take credit for the many marvelous ways in which He blesses us each day. Many individuals go through life feeling as though they’re trying to juggle too many balls, but make no mistake, God is the One keeping them in the air. He’s the glue that holds our lives together. We must not ever forget this, and every day is an opportunity to demonstrate our gratitude to Him.

God has done great things for us! Those of us that have children send our kids off to school, and we hope and pray they will be safe and sound. God has protected them, and we should never take this for granted. For years, we’ve gone about our routines of getting ourselves from one place to the next, driving to and from work, going shopping, taking care of our responsibilities and ourselves. We do all of this and more. Do you think it’s all you that’s keeping you and your loved ones safe and secure? Uh huh! It’s all because God has rescued us through Jesus Christ, and because of His grace, we can have access to a more than abundant life.

Look at what is happening in our world today. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t hear or read about some outrageous nonsense or worse, a needless violent or preventable tragedy. We should all say, “There but for the grace of God, I was spared.” We must be thankful to God for how He preserves us, and those we love and hold so dear.

2Peter 2:7-10 tells us about the Old Testament record of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot was vexed in his soul after witnessing wickedness daily. It was all around him, and no one was honoring God and giving thanks to Heavenly Father except Lot. It may feel to some of us that the wicked ways of many people haven’t changed much since then, and in fact, may have gotten worse. The truth that we must all comprehend is that God has not changed. He is good all the time. Just as He made sure His hand of protection was with those living in Old Testament times that trusted Him, God will do the same for those of us who love and trust Him today.

In the Old Testament, people who served God were His servants. Because of what God accomplished through the sacrifice and resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, not only do we have the responsibility and privilege to serve God’s Kingdom, but we are God’s children! We have His seed, the Holy Spirit, abiding within us through the new birth experience. If you and I will allow him, the person of the Holy Spirit will lead, guide, and direct us to the truth. Jesus Christ teaches in John 16:13(NLT), “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

Heavenly Father doesn’t leave anything to chance. When we are committed to remaining close to Him, He corrects us through His Word. He helps us go deeper into scripture to receive tremendous revelation and understanding so that we live victoriously in Christ! He doesn’t want His kids to suffer or to be lonely, sad, and without love. 1John 4:8 tells us that God IS LOVE! He wants us to let His love swell to overflowing in our hearts so that we learn to love through Jesus Christ. He commands us in Colossians 2:7 to let our roots grow down into Christ, to learn so much about our wonderful Savior that our lives are built on him. This is how we grow strong in faith and overflow with thankfulness.

God commands us in Philippians 1:27(NLT), “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” We must be more vigilant about living by the example of Jesus Christ, and no one should confuse us with those who are of this world. God has called us to be set apart. Our responsibility is to pray without ceasing for everyone, this includes those who believe in God and trust His Word as well as those who do not. Through His unending and amazing grace, God will always come to our rescue because we are His children. This is the message we must give to others and that we must trust wholeheartedly ourselves.

Your Strength Renewed

Posted on March 22, 2023 by daaorg1214

2Corinthians 4:16(NLT)
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.”

Why did I turn on the radio? Of all the songs, it had to be playing one of my ex’s favorites. He said it reminded him to never give up on us. When I heard it, I immediately began to cry, and the tears just kept coming. I couldn’t stop thinking about the many years we’d been together. Now, six months after the breakup, I’m wondering how we got to this place. How did I end up where I never wanted to be, feeling alone, depressed, and hopeless?

When you’re in a relationship that you so badly want to last, you’ll keep trying to find ways to make it work. But when it is apparent that there is more harm and very little good, we must accept the reality that we’re not with the person that is meant to journey forward with us. Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations. We make mistakes and have our fair share of battling heartbreak and sadness. Sometimes we choose to be in relationships with individuals that exhaust us mentally and emotionally. We put ourselves through the ringer for this person, because we want so much to have a significant relationship, but at what cost?

For many of us marriage is the goal, but sometimes we focus too much energy on the other person and not enough energy on our relationship with God. We need to settle our minds on the reality that every good thing in life is birthed out of the energy and love we put towards honoring Heavenly Father. The psalmist said in Psalm 18:2(ESV), “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” The Creator of the universe is perfect and magnificent in every way. He never has to do a do-over or a take-back, because He does everything perfectly from the very beginning. He is extremely intentional and on purpose, and all power is in His hands. God is worthy of all our praise, glory, and honor. He alone is God, and nothing ever slips by Him.

When we know this about God, it must be reflected in our faith. It must be expressed in how we think and feel about Him. He will not fail us, and we owe Him reverence and respect. It is also important for us to know that He cares about us, and He wants the best for our lives. John 3:16(ESV) declares, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is extremely precious to Him, yet God did not spare him to save us. Romans 5:8(ESV) says, “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is how much God loves and desires to bless us.

As women, some of us find ourselves hungering to have a man love us, but we are not hungering to live more in God’s love through the example of Jesus Christ. We feel so sad once a relationship ends, and most of don’t see it for the new beginning it represents. When a relationship is over, sometimes we feel barren, numb, and don’t know what to do to ease the pain. There’s an empty place in our hearts, and God wants His love to occupy that space. Only His love can give us the spiritual strength that helps us to overcome any obstacle. We desperately need to become more acquainted with the person of Jesus Christ.

The pain eases as we let the love of God in. How do you let His love in? You surrender to it! You surrender your way and let God direct your steps each day. When you’re recovering from heartbreak, you might experience exhaustion on many levels. Nothing feels good, and it seems that all the excitement has left your life. God will replenish you if you trust Him with your whole heart. Isaiah 40:31(NLT) says, “But those who trust in the lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

As you take your hands off, you have no other choice but to let the Lord do the steering. Don’t be afraid that you will not love again, become “LOVE” yourself by allowing Christ to fill your heart. Let God take over and take your eyes off the man, because another human being can never be the answer that solves our life’s puzzle; only Christ can do this. Study God’s Word so that you learn to make wise decisions and choices, and don’t allow your feelings and emotions to make decisions for you.

You must feed your mind, soul, and spirit the truth and power of God’s Word. Don’t let despair win. You are the champion that God says you are. He says in Romans 8:37 that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ, so fight the good fight of faith. Heavenly Father only wants what is best for you. Put as much or more energy into letting God renew your strength as you put in allowing heartbreak to take it from you. Have faith in His love, and you will be amazed by how He transforms your life.■

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.■

Overcoming the Discomfort of Dissatisfaction

Posted on February 20, 2023 by daaorg1214

Discomfort is often a calling card for change. This is a truism that we need to be reminded of constantly. We’re creatures of habit, and we like being able to count on the familiar. Even individuals we consider to be spontaneous and impulsive have made a habit of not adhering to plans and schedules. Inevitably, we will all come to a place in life where the status quo will no longer work for us. It’s a place where we begin to feel a strong sense of dissatisfaction with the way things are, and we know that something in our lives has to change. For some of us, going into the same building, seeing the same people at work, and doing the same job day in and day out has become very dissatisfying. For others, the dissatisfaction is closer to home, because they’re unhappy and unfulfilled in their relationships. Most of us can put up with agitation on certain fronts, but when we’re totally dissatisfied to the point of feeling feel down about ourselves, something must change, and it must start with our prayer lives.

Prayer should always be our first step
1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. Our Heavenly Father is not telling us to pray twenty-four hours a day. He wants us to rest and take care of our obligations and responsibilities. He also knows that we have occasions during the day when we can and should devote quality time to Him. This verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to be very careful that we don’t neglect these opportunities. We are to use them to pray with discipline and diligence. God wants us to make prayer a habit pattern because prayer is one of the most powerful instruments of change that Heavenly Father has given us. Quite naturally, when we begin to notice that our lives are losing vitality and fulfillment, praying to God in the name of Jesus Christ should be our first step. Ephesians 6:18(NLT) tells us to “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Prayer creates and maintains an open line of communication with Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. We talk to Him with an earnest and humble heart, and He speaks to us as well. Often, it’s not hearing the counsel of the Lord that develops a dissatisfaction with life. Heavenly Father doesn’t want us in this state because it opens the door to temptation. We saw this with Adam and Eve. God blessed them beyond measure and provided everything they could ever need. They were tempted by a plan of the devil to manipulate them. They allowed themselves to believe his lies over the truth of God’s Word. Once doubt entered their minds, the devil then landed a one-two punch with temptation, and they fell for it.

Getting to the Root
When the sadness of dissatisfaction with life persists, it can cause even the most mature Christian to abandon good judgment and opt for what they believe is an immediate fix. We can start to view money as the solution, and get ourselves into a debt situation. People have been known to pick up gambling and over-indulgence to put a band-aid on their pain. In marriage, a sense of dissatisfaction with our spouses may give the devil an opening to tempt us to step outside the marriage–to think that the grass is greener on the other side, when in actuality our souls are withering, and our partners are reflecting this decline back to us.

Spiritual maturity will always press us to recognize that dissatisfaction with external situations is a calling card to look within. Often, when Jesus Christ healed an individual, he pointed out to them that a mental and emotional adjustment had to occur first. In Mark 9, when a father sought him for the healing of his son, Jesus Christ clearly pointed out that the father had a responsibility to believe, because the son wasn’t in a condition to believe for himself. In Mark 9:22, the father begged Jesus, “Please have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” This word ‘IF’ nullifies faith. Jesus wanted to help them, but the father of the boy created an atmosphere where faith would not move.

Responding to Christ
1Timothy 2:5-6(NLT) are such powerful verses regarding our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This passage tells us, “5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.” We have a Mediator in the person of Jesus Christ. To mediate is to intervene for the purpose of bringing about a result, reconcilement, and/or agreement. Mediation is what Jesus did for the father of the son that needed deliverance. Jesus Christ knew both the problem and solution. He told the father in Mark 9:23(NLT), “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Jesus Christ delivered a straightening rod in the form of a question and an answer. You can be guaranteed beyond certainty that Jesus Christ will respond to you, because this is what Mediators do; they respond, or else how can they mediate? In the world system, a person typically will trust a mediator implicitly. How much do you trust Christ? In the world system, a person would understand that the mediator only wants what is in their best interest; therefore, they would tell the mediator the absolute truth. Have you told Jesus Christ the absolute truth? Have you come to him with every detail of your pain? Are you using a person, situation, or thing to camouflage your doubt in God’s Word?

We should be praying to God in the name of Jesus Christ, asking Him to help our unbelief. Like he did with the father whose son needed deliverance and healing, Jesus Christ will respond to our prayers, and will do so in a way that brings out the thing that is blocking our faith. He will direct the Holy Spirit that indwells us to point out any “IFs” in our mind-and-heart-set. It’s an internal thing, we can be most assured of this. We should then respond to Christ with full surrender, allowing him to guide us through as we leave doubt and dissatisfaction behind us. ■

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.■

Seven Things You Should Never Tolerate in Your Life

Posted on December 19, 2022 by daaorg1214

There is one thing that you can know for sure, and it is the fact that God has empowered you to shape and mold the quality of your existence. This power is extended to us through Jesus Christ, our powerful Lord and Savior. He made it possible for us to be the master builders that the Apostle Paul referred to in 1Corinthians 3:10. God never intended this vehicle called life to be one big, out-of-control mess. He is a God of supreme order, and through His Word and the example of Jesus Christ, we can take authority and begin to fashion our existences through the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. Part of doing this is drawing a line in the sand and being firm about the things we will not tolerate and give place in our lives.

#1 Draining Relationships
Jesus Christ taught us the importance of unity and respect in our relationships. He modeled this for us in the way that he interacted with the disciples. Ephesians 2:21(NLT) tells us, “We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” As the body of Christ, we can see how dependent we should be on one another, but not everyone will see it this way. Rather than adding to our walk in Christ and blessing us to go higher in our walk with him, we may find that some people are very draining. They limit our enjoyment of life, and it doesn’t feel good to be in their presence. If you find that this person’s negativity is bleeding into important aspects of your life and keeping you from living a joyful existence, you are well within your rights to put some distance between you and them.

#2 Negative Conversations
One of the things that we will often dismiss is our responsibility to govern what we listen to and hear. God tells us in Colossians 3:8 to not let filthy communication come out of our mouths, and this should also remind us to steer clear of it all together. Proverbs 17:4 (NLT) tells us, “Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.” This is not the person that God wants us to be. It is important for us to remember that participating in negative conversations or listening to them can have a long lasting and negative effect on our lives, because there is most assuredly a price to pay for indulging them.

#3 Defeating Self-talk
We’ve heard it said a number of times, but it really is the truth; we are often our own worst enemies. Never is this more true than in the case of beating ourselves up with thoughts of inadequacy, and feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. David said in Psalm 139:14 (KJV), “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” David knew that he wasn’t a perfect man. He had made some mistakes, but he also knew enough to understand the omnipotence, sovereignty, and omniscience of God. Heavenly Father has predestined each of us according to His divine Will and plan. Having a healthy respect for our individual uniqueness will aid our Godly endeavors. So we can never dismiss or diminish that we are masterful creations in Christ. We don’t have time for defeating or negative self-talk. Instead, we should busy ourselves by honoring our standing in Christ and having confidence in our ability through the Holy Spirit, because this is praise to the Almighty.

#4 Ingratitude
Gratitude is a strong sense of being truly thankful for what has been done for you or on your behalf. Colossians 3:17 (NLT) tells us, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Gratitude is a dominant attribute in the culture of heaven, and it is a legal requirement of operating by faith. Tolerating ingratitude in our Christian walks is not only harmful to our relationships with God, but also to our ability to remain in a state of well-being. Psalm 97:12 (NKJV) tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” Our hearts should be so filled with gratitude that merely thinking about the goodness of God, and all that He has done for us should ignite within us feelings and thoughts of pure thankfulness. So we would do well to put off feelings of entitlement and arrogance, and to make thankfulness a continual and firmly engrained habit pattern for the duration of our lives.

#5 Living without Fun
None of us deserve all of the blessings that we have received, but the truth is that God chose us on which to lavish the fullness of His love, mercy, and grace. Not only that, He has made us worthy to receive these wonderful blessings through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In John 10:10, Our precious Lord told us that he came to this earth to make a more than abundant life available to each of us. It’s true that some of us are living beneath our privilege, but this is something we can change. We can start by having confidence that Heavenly Father wants us to have fun and enjoy life. This is a very meaningful aspect of living an abundant life.

We see so many unhappy Christians, and we should be the happiest of all people because we have the knowledge of what Christ has accomplished for us. Not only is it possible to be happy and have fun as a Christian, but the Spirit will help us to make the most out of every moment. He will help us discover new interests and to develop new talents. We just need to have faith in God’s desire to see us happy, and then make a conscious decision to enjoy our lives.

#6 Ignorance Regarding Your Purpose
Sooner or later, we will all come to a place where we’ll realize that journeying forward will be extremely difficult without knowing ourselves on a deeper level. You were handpicked by Heavenly Father to be His very own, and everything He does is purposeful. When we recognize this, we can then begin to reflect upon our lives more constructively.

So few people know why they are here, and most often it is because their eyes are closed to it. They take life as it comes without using the tools that God has given through His Word, the example of Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to find out the purpose for their existence. God demands that we seek His Will and place it above all else, and we shouldn’t ever tolerate living a life without knowing our purpose and committing ourselves to walk in it.

#7 Living Outside of Your Integrity
Integrity is a deeply embedded allegiance to uphold qualities like being honest and having a strong sense of do-rightness. It is also a state of being whole, complete, and undivided. All of us have a register of integrity that is based upon things that we absolutely will not accept in ourselves and others. It’s a threshold that we understand and compute as a level that is too low to go. As we grow in Christ, our level of integrity should rise; not go lower.

God has created us with a trigger within our souls that automatically goes off when we are about to make choices and decisions that undermine the core of who we’ve been called to be. Some of us have become so accustomed to ignoring this trigger in certain areas of our lives that we don’t even recognize it any more. One of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves is to pause, listen to that inner voice, and examine whether something is well with our souls. In these cases, we need to wait for the ‘all clear’ from the indwelling Holy Spirit. He’ll give us warnings before we head in a direction that violates the integrity of our very beings.

As Christians, the way we move throughout our existences daily should be built upon the mind and heart of Christ. Each of us has the capacity to build up ourselves to extent that we flat-out refuse to accept things that move us away his example. The bottom line is that when we take a stand on the integrity and authority of Christ, we will find that everything in our worlds will follow suit. ■

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.

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

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