What’s In Your Heart?

Posted on October 24, 2017 by daaorg1214

I remember the first time I realized that my actions had caused someone important to me to experience feelings of deep hurt. It was a few months after the incident oddly enough. In the moment it occurred, I was very matter of fact about the harsh words that effortlessly spewed from my lips. I rationalized that I had spoken my truth and the person deserved to be put in their place. This woman considered herself to be a close friend of mine. It didn’t bother me one bit that she would no longer look upon me as the nice person she thought she knew. I didn’t have a filter, and for some reason my emotional register was low on empathy, especially when it came to certain unwise choices and actions that others had made.

Ephesians 4:32 (NLT) gives us the mind-and-heart-set that God expects from His children. It says, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Being kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving is a beautiful thing, but even though we might have been born-again for years, some Christians haven’t quite hit the mark on these, and I was certainly in that group. Deep down, I carried anger in my heart. I was angry because people had let me down considerably, including the men I had dated. And to be quite honest, I was a little angry at God as well. I didn’t understand why so much had happened to me, and felt like He needed to cut me a break.

The anger, for the most part, wasn’t overt. It was cloaked in all the Christian niceties that are expected of us. I believed myself to be kind, sensitive, and compassionate, but there were certain areas where all that went out of the window. There were certain characteristics in a person that brought out the worst in me, and for a long time I refused to be held accountable for it.

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” In other words, if you put it out there, it’s coming back to you. We tend to learn this the hard way. I sowed seeds in the form of hurtful words, and when it came back to me, it did so with a vengeance.

One day, as I was going about my usual business, I overheard a conversation between what I presumed to be two friends; they were sitting at a table behind me as I was having lunch. Their conversation had been initially very jovial, but turned to a subject that should have been a very private matter. One of them made a joke about it, and became critical of the other. She didn’t stop, but seemed to get worse by the moment. I was drawn to listen because there was something oddly familiar about her tone. It slowly dawned on me that I was having a déjà vu moment, and I didn’t like the feeling at all. It was very disturbing. I found myself wanting the other person that was being spoken to in this manner to defend herself, to say something that would cut through the mocking and terribly insensitive words from her friend. I turned around, partly because I couldn’t believe my ears, and partly to make an attempt to show a face of solidarity for someone being treated poorly.

I saw the face of the woman who had sat silently, and the hurt was evident. It reminded me of someone that has grown used to harsh words being spoken to them, and just shuts down when it happens. I got up to leave, and that’s when I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say, “This is what you did to Linda.” It felt like I was moving in slow motion when the Spirit’s words hit my consciousness. I got weak in my knees and could hardly stand. The fact that I had injured someone in the way that this woman’s friend had injured her was too much. It pierced me like an arrow, and I cried violently all the way home, and all night long.

It wasn’t just that I had inflicted hurt on another person, but that I had felt no remorse for it. I had been arrogant and puffed up for a long time. I felt the eyes of Christ spotlighting my walk that day, and the remorse I experienced was exceedingly deep. I had been immune to my own propensity to act out of anger and resentment, to leave a trail of bitterness rather than love. I had let the Savior down. I repented of my sin, and he forgave me.

His forgiveness and my realization that I needed to repent were not surface level realities. Deep calls to deep. His forgiveness reaches deep into our hearts, and heals it, but not until we pave the way. 2Chronicles 16:9(NLT) says, “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” This verse helps us to better comprehend the omnipotence and omniscience of Heavenly Father. He sees all and knows all. He holds us continually before His face, and He’s looking for those of us with a certain kind of heart.

None of us are perfect. We all have things about us that we need to work on. We’re works in-progress, being perfected in Christ day by day as we trust in him, but we must realize that sometimes things like anger, resentment, and arrogance linger in our hearts. We must have the courage to ask God to show us what lurks beneath the surface, so that we can bring it before Him and repent. He’s looking for a heart that is wanting and willing to empty itself of these remnants of fear, so that He can strengthen us as we remain committed to walk in His love. ■

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Little Piece Here and A Little Piece There

Posted on October 17, 2017 by daaorg1214

It is hard to say whether the cases of domestic violence are on the rise. Those that have been abused were silent about it for a long time, so it is possible that there have been more cases of abuse in the past than any of us will ever know. We have been keepers of the secret because we felt we had to be. Exposing the abuser was for many victims a case of life and death, so they continued to suffer silently, but things are changing. A current of unprecedented courage is rising because many are recognizing their strength and unity in numbers, but still so many are choosing to remain in abusive, unhealthy relationships, even when they have more options today than ever before.

God calls upon us to walk by faith and not by sight. One of the things that we have to believe in order to walk by faith is that we are never walking alone. God is with us every moment of every day. Hebrews 13:5-6 declares that He will never leave us or forsake us; He is our Helper. Romans 8:31 (NLT) asks, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Who is mightier than God? Not one! So, the goal for those of us that are not quite there in terms of believing that God is fully in our corners is to work in the area of our faith. We need to grow in our trust in God, and we also need to learn to lean on Him totally.

There are many that will tell you that they believe and trust Him with their whole hearts, but the grip that fear has on them is evident in their existences. Fear robs us of energy, and one of the ways in which it does this is to prompt us to portion off ourselves. We do this so that we never have to confront the person—the real you—that is underneath the fear, because if that happens, something about the way we’re currently operating will have to change. Many of us are more afraid of change than we are of suffering. So, what ends up happening is that we give a whole lot to the person that is keeping us tied down and oppressed; we give a little to ourselves, and we give God the leftovers.

Heavenly Father is the One with the power. He’s the One with overwhelming love for us, and He’s the One that can heal our lives and cause us to remain in His everlasting peace, but somehow, we convince ourselves that someone else has more power than Him. Jesus Christ instructs us in Matthew 6:33(NLT), “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Heavenly Father is holy, omnipotent, and magnificent! He can never, ever be in second place. Trying to put Him there is a strategy that will not work.

He tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that the way to please Him is to have faith. Every single person in the earth is a work in progress. We’re not perfect. We’re not going to get this thing right all the time, but God requires that we have a heart that is eager to please Him. Every day each of us has an opportunity to build our relationship with God and to grow closer to Him. He wants an intimate relationship with each of us. He gave His Son’s life for this to happen. If we’ll make a commitment to trust God more today than we did yesterday, we will be amazed at the difference it makes in our lives.

God tells us in Romans 6:16 (NLT), “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” Heavenly Father doesn’t want you to be a slave to oppression and suffering. That’s not who He created you to be. He wants you to be whole, and to make you whole He wants all of you; not a little piece here and a little piece there. His plan is to transform us through and through into the person that He has destined us to become. Our faith is strengthened the moment we believe in His power—the moment we believe in His ability and willingness to transform our lives, and the moment we stop believing that anyone is more loving and powerful than He is.

The greatest option before us—the greatest choice before us—is to choose to trust God through Jesus Christ with all our hearts. Let Him help you bring all parts of yourself together in the splendor of what He wants you to be. You can begin this process by doing something to build your faith in Him every day. Read and study His Word more, pray more, and have conversations with Him, so that you begin to recognize His voice. If you’ll do this, your faith in Him will be enriched. Before you know it, you’ll be walking with courage in the freedom of His power, confident that you’re all you need to be, and more. ■

When A Dark Cloud Looms

Posted on October 11, 2017 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 26:3(NKJV) tells us, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” This verse is packed full with luscious truth. Not only does our God offer us His perfect peace, but He will keep us anchored in it if we #1) stay our minds on Him, and #2) trust in His ability and willingness to bless us. It is important to also understand that perfect peace is peace that is perfect. Nothing in this world can keep God’s perfect peace from encompassing total and complete tranquility. It’s both inner and outward peace; it’s peace under any and every circumstance. It’s a peace that defies conditions, and through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, God offers His peace to us freely.

As we look at the condition of the world, with all its corruption and dishonesty, we meet people every day that are bewildered and disillusioned. Their state of mind is the exact opposite of peace. They are filled with anxiety and fear, and many of them are depressed. It’s as if they are living under a dark cloud that follows them everywhere. This is not the kind of life that God intended for His people. He wants us to be happy and blessed. In Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT), God 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.”

A dark cloud is an emotional state of being that causes a person to feel discouraged and hopeless. It makes you feel bad all the time. It weighs us down, and it can also cloud our judgement, and distort how we view ourselves and others. Many people feel that their conditions and circumstances are the driving force that keeps this cloud looming over their heads, but the Lord Jesus Christ gives us another way. His way will help us to dissipate this cloud into thin air.

In John 14:26-27, Jesus Christ tells us, “26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” We place a lot of pressure on ourselves to put on a happy face when deep down we feel like we’re drowning in sorrow. The reality is that you and I are sometimes unable to muster the courage to dissipate those dark clouds and stand strong amid all the strife and struggles of life. This is why Jesus Christ made the gift of Holy Spirit available to us.

Because of Christ, we have God’s Spirit dwelling on the inside of us. Galatians 5:16 tells us to walk by the Spirit, and then we won’t feed those things that pull us down. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us how to walk by the Spirit. It tells us to walk by faith, and not by sight. So, as spiritual children made in the image of our Heavenly Father, we must learn to walk in a way that isn’t dependent on what we can perceive with our emotions and five senses. God calls on us to walk by trusting Him, by believing what He says in His Word.

In Ephesians 4:23, God also tells us to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. To renew something is to make it new again. Our minds were not designed to be filled with darkness, but society bombards us with negative messages continually. You and I must combat this by flooding our thoughts and attitudes with the positives of God’s Word. To do this, we must read and study it as often as we can. This is what God created our minds for. He created them to hold the knowledge of Him and His Word. Our minds were created to be filled with light, this is what Ephesians 5:8 means when it tells us to “Walk as children of light”; this way our minds can match the reality of who and what we are in Christ!

God is not going to come inside our heads and empty out our bad thoughts and wipe the slate of our emotions clean. He has commanded us to trust Him, and to believe His Word regardless of what our conditions and circumstances look like. Faith wouldn’t be faith if it didn’t require us to trust in what we cannot see. The Spiritual realm is invisible to our physical eyes, yet, it is more real than what we can see. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT) tells us, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Faith requires that we shift our focus, so that our intention is on changing the negatives in our minds rather than allowing our emotions to dictate how we respond to life. God’s Word is powerful! Way more powerful than our emotions. Our belief in His promises and goodness should dictate how we feel and act. Our hearts and minds must line up with the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how we introduce his light! It’s not an arduous task, but a glorious one, because putting on the mind of Christ allows us to forever rest in God’s peace. In John 14:27, Jesus Christ tells us not to be afraid or troubled, because our God is all powerful, and He loves us. We are never defeated by our conditions and circumstances. When we truly trust our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, he will move those dark clouds, and his love will cover our lives with light. ■

Our Reality is VICTORY!

Posted on September 26, 2017 by daaorg1214

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, because when we come to Him we must believe that He exists. Faith begins our relationship with God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10 tells us that when we confess the Lord Jesus Christ with our mouths, and believe in our hearts that Heavenly Father raised Jesus from the dead, we are saved! It is believing with our hearts, and the confession of our belief, that transforms our lives from darkness to light. We receive salvation this way and become born-again. God brings us into His family because we believe the truth in our hearts! This gives us some indication of how important it is to keep our hearts and minds anchored in the Lord through faith.

Faith doesn’t end after we confess the Lord Jesus and believe on him in our hearts. This begins our spiritual journey. Our relationship with God through Christ will grow stronger and tighter as our faith in His ability and willingness to bless us increases as well. We should trust that God will honor His promises to take care of us, but sometimes this trust doesn’t develop as smoothly as we would like. We get discouraged from trying to navigate the rocky terrain of life. It can throw a curve ball in a hot minute, and we become wobbly in our conviction to stand strong in faith. Sometimes it’s not just one thing, but an avalanche of problems and issues that come our way, and we feel bombarded and overwhelmed.

One of the things that we have to remember is that we’re not alone, and God doesn’t abandon us to deal with problems on our own. In Matthew 11:29-30 (NLT), Jesus Christ extends an invitation. He tells us, “29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” A yoke is a farming instrument constructed from a bar of wood. It was used to unite two animals, like oxen, enabling them to be steered and directed for work in the fields. As one might imagine, this was a heavy instrument, and a human being would not be able to maneuver well with this kind of yoke around his or her neck. Jesus Christ makes it clear that the yoke he wants to give us is easy to bear.

There is no question that we desperately need the yoke of Christ. We need to be guided by him. Many people struggle tremendously because they refuse his guidance, but we were never meant to go through life without him and without his help and guidance. Our earth experience is an opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds by growing closer to God and becoming better as we learn more about His love. He wants to be close to us, and he wants to help us.

Jesus Christ doesn’t want to move us about like puppets, but he is Lord! He is the only one that deserves this distinction. He tells us in Matthew 11:29 that when we take his yoke and place it on our lives, he will lead us into the kind of life that will be pleasing to God and fulfilling to us as well. He does this by teaching us about himself, because when we learn to flow like Christ, we move in God’s perfect harmony, and have wonderful communion and fellowship with Him.

God’s love is a magnet that will pull us closer and closer to Him, but we know that we have an enemy, the devil, and he wants to pull us away from God. One of the ways he does this is to bombard us with problems. If you feel as though you’re fighting alone, it can be exhausting, but the Lord Jesus Christ has already won the victory for us. 1Corinthians 15:57(NKJV) tells us, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In every situation, obstacle, or problem that we will come against in life, Christ has already won the battle. You might think to yourself, “Well, it doesn’t feel like I have the victory. I’m still dealing with the same situation, and I feel overwhelmed by it.” Feelings and reality are two different things. God tells us in His Word to renew our minds to what He says. This means we’ve got to change our thoughts. As Christians, we don’t let our feelings dictate our reality. We believe God’s Word. He’s our Creator, and what He says goes. He has told us the reality of what and who we are in Christ, and our reality is victory!

We have a choice. We can either have faith in what God says about our victory, or we can be fearful and not believe Him; but we can’t be both. We can’t have faith and fear at the same time. The devil’s goal is to damage our faith in God, so that we do not trust in His love for us. When this happens, we sink low in our emotions and heart, and we stop doing things to uplift God’s Kingdom like giving and being a blessing to others. This is why the enemy tests our strengths, and comes at us with the things that get under our skin the most. We must recognize these tactics for the tricks that they are.

The peace and joy of the Lord is a reality! We don’t have to walk around disappointed, disgusted, and demoralized. Heavenly Father will turn our situations around so that He can receive the glory. Yes, what the devil meant for bad, God will turn it around for our good. But we have a part to play. God will not come into our minds and change things up. This is a responsibility that He has given to us. He tells us to change the way we think—to think on His goodness, strength, love, and mercy. If we will pray to Him with this kind of humility and faith, we will see the victory in our lives in every situation. ■

Stuck, with No Way Out? Not So!

Posted on September 20, 2017 by daaorg1214

A few years back, a very sophisticated looking 37-year-old woman, Phyllis, asked if I would pray with her in confidence. She was adamant that I promise not to divulge her secret before she told me why she was so troubled and seeking prayer. After I had given her my assurance, she confided that she was being severely mistreated by her husband, and had been for the last few years. Although he had not harmed her physically, the emotional and mental abuse had left her barely able to take care of herself, let alone her two children from a previous marriage. Phyllis’s husband, Joe, is a very successful person. He’s not bad on the eyes, extremely sociable, and known to be well-versed about a number of topics. When she first met him, she swore he was her knight in shining armor—the man she had been praying to meet for six years.

Phyllis owned a small professional cleaning franchise, and although it was successful, the insurance she needed to carry on her business and employees was eating into the profit, and she hadn’t been able to keep up with the demands of an expanding clientele. With no time left for herself between her kids and the business, she felt as if she was being swallowed whole. Soon after she and Joe began dating, he introduced her to a friend of his who was an insurance broker, and that connection proved to be extremely beneficial to her business. It didn’t stop there. Joe’s resources were plenteous, and he seemed to love lavishing them on Phyllis.

After a while, she noticed that Joe became increasingly critical of the way she was conducting her business, and when she didn’t take his advice, he’d become angry. It was nothing for him to make an embarrassing comment about her during a social outing with friends, or to ignore her input in conversations all together. His resentment was so out of control that he’d belittle her in front of her children, and he totally withdrew any display of affection towards her. They were both social people, but Joe’s vengeance and jealousy was so unpredictable that Phyllis was too afraid of what he might do in public. She didn’t go out unless it was absolutely necessary.

Joe flipped the script to such a degree that Phyllis was left questioning her own ability to make sound decisions. She wondered how she could have been so wrong about someone that seemed so right in the beginning of their relationship. She was angry with herself for having married this man, and found it incredibly difficult to forgive herself for what she was putting her sons through. She said that she couldn’t remember what happiness felt like, and was so disappointed that her children saw her this way every day. Joe’s connections and money was entangled with her business, and her sons were dependent on his involvement and gifts. She felt stuck, with no way out.

Phyllis kept all of this from her family and friends, but she finally took one of the most important steps that we can take when we’re hurting, and it is to let someone in. When it comes to pain, many of us turn into keepers of a secret. We’re too embarrassed to let others see that we’re hurting, because we don’t want them to think less of us. We don’t want anyone to know that we’ve made a mistake that has caused suffering. In a nutshell, this is shame, and it is the most deceitful weapon in the devil’s bag of tricks.

Shame is a feeling that isolates us, and one of the first steps in its demise is to recognize that its grip is not strong enough to stop God from rescuing us. He’s our Savior and Refuge. Rescuing is what He does. Heavenly Father is never far away from us, and when we make even the smallest move to open ourselves to Him, He will take the ball and run with it. James 5:6 (NLT) tells us to “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” God wants us to know that prayer is effectual, and when a person who loves and honors God prays with and for us, it produces wonderful results. We need to know that it is available to pray and ask Heavenly Father to send someone across our paths that we can pray with; a confidant that will listen and pray without judging us. God is delighted to help us in this way.

Suffering, shame, and guilt will block our view of the Cross of Christ. It will keep us from seeing how much Heavenly Father loves us. We can’t see past the pain because it is a web that seems tangled and endless. It makes us feel as though there is no way out, but this isn’t the truth. It’s a lie that the devil wants us to believe. Jesus Christ tells us in John 14:6 that he is the way, and indeed he is. When we can’t see a door or a window, God will make a way out. He’s God, and He doesn’t need our help to be who He is. If we believe that His love isn’t enough to save us, we’re fearful. He tells us in 1John 4:18 that His love is perfect, and it will cast out fear every time. We just have to trust Him.

We’re so busy doctoring on our mistakes and missteps, trying to make ourselves perfect that we forget He loves us with all our imperfections. He knows the mistakes that we make, and He loves us in spite of them. In 2Corinthians 12:9, He tells us that His power works best in our weakness. So God has our backs, no matter the circumstances.

In John 10:10 (NKJV), our precious Lord and Savior said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus Christ didn’t give his body to be broken, and his blood to be shed so that we would have a life more miserable than it was before we knew him. He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. He wants us to expand and increase, not shut down and isolate ourselves. He knows that when we’re operating from a good place, others will see our light and glorify God.

We spend a lot of time believing the worst about ourselves and our circumstances. 2Corinthians 3:5 tells us that God is our sufficiency. He is the only One who deserves this spot, but sometimes we begin to think that another human being can fill those shoes. No man can. God in Christ will forever be our rescue. We need to take a leap of faith and let God take over the reins. It’s easy to trust Him when everything is going well, but when we feel like we’re in the belly of the beast, that’s when we should give Him the chance to prove what a loving Father He is. It might feel as though we’re stuck with no way out, but He will prove that it isn’t so.■

Transformed by God!

Posted on September 13, 2017 by daaorg1214

In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people were often disobedient to His Word. Sometimes they would get so off track that they would worship idol Gods. This was something that goes totally against the grain of God’s love. Our Heavenly Father has laws, statutes, and commandments that govern creation. He’s a Great Big Wonderful God, and He holds everything together with the glue of His love. In Exodus 20:3, He commanded His people that they shouldn’t worship other gods, or have any other gods before Him. He is the Creator, and He is also the Source and Supplier of our needs. Our trust in this truth builds our relationship with Him.

Much like today, when it came to their relationship with God, His chosen people in the Old Testament ran hot one day and cold the next. The thing that we have to remember is that even though they didn’t always stick by God, He still loved them and wanted a relationship with them. In Jeremiah 17:4, He warned that the wonderful possession He had for them would slip through their hands if they didn’t get it together and recognize not only who He is, but who they were through Him. This is what Heavenly Father desires so much from us, that we will see Him as a loving Father that wants to take care of us, and that we will also see the greatest vision of ourselves through the eyes of His love.

Why was this so hard to understand for people living in Old Testament times, and why is it hard for those of us living today? In Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT), God gives us incredible insight about the human heart. He said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” The heart that God is talking about in this verse isn’t referring to the organ that pumps blood throughout our bodies. He’s talking about the heart of our souls. It pumps life or death into every aspect of our lives. This is why God warns us in Proverbs 4:23 (NLT), to “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” God tells us to guard our hearts because in them contains the potential to bring about good or evil.

We are three-part beings; spirit, soul, and body. The heart and mind are parts of the soul. They are gateways, allowing the soul to receive and give out. The soul hungers. Therefore, you and I must also understand that it needs food. This is a fact of life. We determine the kind of diet it will be fed. Either we will feed it the good food of God’s Word, or we will feed it the stuff that comes from the world. The stuff that comes from the world is mostly toxic. God warns us in Romans 12:2 (NLT), “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

In this one verse in Romans 12:2, God gives us several juicy nuggets on which to feast. One of which is the reality that He will transform us as we change the way we think. God is not going to come inside our brains and begin throwing the bad stuff out and putting the good stuff in. No! He has told us to do this. And when He tells us to do something, He is not going to do it for us. In Colossians 3:10(NLT), through the Apostle Paul, God tells us, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

God wants to change our hearts so that we love each other, love ourselves, and love Him from a good place in our hearts; but we must desire this for ourselves. When we learn to love with the love of God, we can abide in His peace. Many of us like the sound of this, but in our hearts, we’re kinda hungering for the opposite of it. We have so much fear, and we tell ourselves that we’re not good enough to receive what Heavenly Father has for us. And some of us even tell ourselves that what God has for us isn’t going to meet our expectations. A lot of women secretly feel this way about their relationships. They hang on to the man when they’re not being treated well, because they convince themselves that they won’t find someone that is going to be truly loving towards them. Some of us just don’t like the idea of change. We want to continue as we have been.

Well life just doesn’t work that way. God designed it to be dynamic and ever changing. Life doesn’t flex and bend to us, we have to flex and bend to it. We must have the spiritual flexibility and strength to stand in the midst of life with the authority of Christ. This is when it becomes the thing of beauty that God intended it to be. But we’re stubborn, and we’ve got all kinds of excuses and reasons to remain that way. So, when life throws a monkey wrench at us, or more to the point, when the devil comes to steal our joy and reap havoc in our lives, we must have confidence that God’s given us a way to stand in victory, and it is to allow Him to transform us through Jesus Christ by changing the way we think.

Our minds and heart must come along for the ride, and go hand and hand with our desire to see the possibilities God has designed life to offer, but we must deal with the reality that we’ve got some baggage, and a lot of it is weighing us down. Sometimes we blame God for the things that happen to us, when we have blocked Him out. We need to change our appetites so that we hunger for the love that Jesus Christ offers. Heavenly Father knows the person we were meant to be, and He promises that He will transform us into this person—a person that will have unlimited capacity for good. Heavenly Father wants to show you what He can do for your life. He’s always wanted to show His people this, and when our faith in Him meets our desire to be transformed, we will be amazed by what He does.■

Behind the Veil

Posted on September 6, 2017 by daaorg1214

If you’ve never known what it’s like to be so afraid that you hide underneath an abandoned car for safety, or to run for your life seeking help from anyone that would aid you; if you’ve never had to survive off ketch-up sandwiches because that’s the only thing in your frig, or you’ve never had to leave behind everything you own to start over again, then experiencing what it’s like to walk in the glorious light of Christ might not seem like such a big deal to you. But if you know what living in bondage feels like, when every day you awaken with an ache in your heart that seems to resonate through everything else in your life, freedom becomes the greatest dream of your existence.

In John 8:36(NIV), Jesus Christ said “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” As a little girl in Sunday School, I remember hearing this verse all the time. I didn’t understand it then, and even when I approached an age where I might have comprehended it on some level, I was too focused on the cares of life to digest it. Like most of us, as the years went by, my responsibilities increased. I was more consumed with keeping all the balls in the air than I had ever imagined. But instead of being occupied with things that made my life more meaningful and fulfilling, I was busy putting out fire after fire. I’d take one step forward and two steps backwards.

For a while, I managed to keep it going, but eventually some really bad choices caught up with me. I spiraled down to such a degree that I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I had so much shame about the condition I was living in, and I just couldn’t see my way out of it. There are so many people in this situation, and when everything you see looks dark, you can’t imagine what life will be when light shines through even the smallest crack. This is life behind the veil, and it’s not God’s best; not by a long shot.

In Romans 12:1, God warns us not to be conformed to the world, but to allow Him to transform us from the inside out as we read and study His Word. The world consists of those who do not yet know Jesus Christ as Lord! They haven’t accepted him as the Savior of the world, and because they don’t know him, they are blind to the life and wholeness that he gives. The Apostle Paul said in 2Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLT), “3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

One of the greatest manifestations of spiritual acumen that we can receive from God is discernment, the ability to recognize the difference between the truth and a lie. This is golden! It is priceless, and it will ultimately yield a life lived well. Jesus Christ said in John 8:32(NKJV), “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” We cannot be free by living a lie. That is impossible. Only the truth can make us free, and this is why the enemy blinds the hearts and minds of people; because he does not want them to walk in the liberty that Christ has made available.

Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) tells us, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” This verse scared me when I first read it. I was concerned that it was possible for a person to be on the wrong path and not know it. I was afraid because deep down, I knew that I wasn’t living my destiny. I was anxious and nervous all the time. Things had slipped so easily out of my hands. I had lost out big time more than once. So, if it happened to me before, I thought to myself, “what would stop it from happening to me again?” Nothing felt sure and solid. Everything was like a vapor that could evaporate before my next breath. I had lived like this for so long, that it had become my normal.

God tells us in 1John 4:18 (NLT), “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” I was fearful of being punished, and indeed I felt as though I had been. I was not living love. I was not living liberty. I was not living in the light. Jesus Christ is the truth! He is love, liberty, and light! But I was behind the veil, and you can’t walk in the destiny that God has preordained for your life if you can’t see the right path. Most of us think we’re seeing it. We think we’ve got it all figured out, even though we’re suffering inside.

One of the things that the devil doesn’t want us to know is that the moment light is introduced, darkness diminishes. In John 14:6, Jesus Christ told us that he is the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father unless they come through him. Jesus Christ is the Way-Maker! When we give room to the idea that we might NOT know what we NEED to know in order to see clearer, the veil is torn. And when we surrender in even the smallest way to the idea that Christ will lead us into the light, and teach us the truth, the veil is ripped apart.

Christ extended his hand of mercy to me many times before I reached out and took it. When I did, things became immediately clearer. There were still battles that I endured, but I was victorious through them all because of him. I didn’t lean on my own strength; it had failed me in the past. I decided not to expect a man to fill my cup, because I started to get it through my head that it wasn’t possible for another human being to do that. I leaned totally on God through the Lord Jesus Christ. I did it then, and I do it now. It is our prayer that you will do the same. You will discover, as I have, that He is all you need to rip the veil from your life and walk in the brilliance of the light of Christ. ■

Your Christ Identity

Posted on August 29, 2017 by daaorg1214

In Matthew 16:13 (NLT), Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” This question that Jesus posed to the disciples was not to inquire about opinions of folks like the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were always unsuccessfully trying to find loopholes in his truth. He wanted to know the opinions of the common people, those who were not considered by high society to be upper-crust, but just hard-working people who cared for their families and those they loved. These were the people that spoke freely about their opinions to the disciples, and it is not too farfetched to say that the opinions and thoughts of these folks might have rubbed off on them.

The disciples replied to the question Jesus asked them in verse 14. They said, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then, in verse 15 of this same chapter, Jesus Christ asked the disciples, “But who do you say I am?” The disciples had been with Jesus throughout his ministry. They had witnessed him heal the sick, restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf; they watched as he cast out demonic spirits from those oppressed by them. They saw some pretty miraculous stuff from the Master, yet when it came to his true identity, some of them were a little stumped.

In terms of a person’s identity, we like to label them with adjectives. Maybe they’re a nice, compassionate person like Jesus is, and this might be one way that we identify them. The truth is that a person will always be more than the adjectives we use to define them, and Jesus was and is more extraordinary than any words in our human vocabulary.

It is interesting to note that until this particular dialogue with them, Jesus had not said outright to the disciples who he was. He allowed His works to speak to his identity. What a wonderful concept. Of course, Jesus Christ knew what the people thought of him more than they knew it themselves. He didn’t need the disciples to tell him what the people were thinking, but he was on a mission. The truth was in the flesh before the disciples’ very eyes, and it was important to the Master that they confess the reality of it.

In verse 16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus Christ was well pleased in Peter’s declaration, and he blessed him greatly. Peter had opened his heart to Heavenly Father and received a download that brought amazing truth and clarity to the moment. Praise God that this record is in His Word! Our Master Jesus teaches us here that it is important to #1 know our identity, and #2 have those we love know and respect it too.

When we don’t know who we are or why we’re here on this earth, life can be incredibly challenging. Things like confidence, self-love, and happiness are clothed in self-identity, and these attributes make life a thing of beauty. Some of us look to receive these goodies from another person. We look outside ourselves for something that can only be found within.

Jesus Christ gave his life so that we could be connected to God for an eternity. He wanted us to know that he pleased God and did so many wonderful things on earth because he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish those things. Jesus Christ made it possible for us to have the gift of the Holy Spirit as well. Ephesians 2:18(NLT) tells us that because of Christ, “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”

1John 2:27 tells us that we have received the Holy Spirit and he, the Spirit, lives inside of us. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. This verse also tells us that we don’t belong to ourselves, we belong to God. We gave ourselves to Him when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and asked him to live inside our hearts.

When the disciples understood that Christ was the Messiah, they understood that the Savior of the world was among them; that the purest and most powerful love in the universe was actually in a flesh and blood vessel, walking and talking with them daily. It’s a wonder they were able to contain themselves. In effect, Jesus told them, “Guess what guys, I’m here to do the work my Father sent me to do, so that you can have what I have and you can do the things that I do! I’m doing this for you because I love you so much, and I want you to love each other the way that I love you.”

The Holy Spirit isn’t in some abstract location saying to us, “Hey, you, I’m over here. I’ll be busy doing some other things, and when you need me come find me.” God sent His Son to give his life so that we could have the gift of the Holy Spirit operating inside of us. The Word declares that he’s our Friend, Comforter, Teacher, Advocate, and Guide. He helps us in all the right and best ways because he has a ringside seat of exactly what we need, when we need it. He pours on the power, strength, and love; all we need to do is ask him, TRUST him, and move out of his way.

Knowing what an extraordinary gift from God the Holy Spirit is, you can see how strange it is to look outside of our temples when all the help, love, strength, comfort, and power we need is on the inside of our beings. As followers of Christ and lovers of Heavenly Father, we show our gratitude to God by acknowledging our faith and trust in His provision. The absolute best way to help ourselves is to trust in God in Christ, and trust in the power and gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is our example, and our identity can only be known through him. His life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection teaches us who God desires us to be. It also teaches us that it is possible to be a light in this dark world and to live fully, with the love of Christ in our hearts. God spared not His only begotten Son to come to earth and to show us what being human is all about. We had no clue, but because of Christ, we know the heart of God’s intention for us; we know God’s Will.

It is a beautiful thing to realize that our identity is in Christ. Galatians 2:20 (NLT) declares, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Our prayer for you is that you will begin to get excited about discovering your destiny in Christ. It is so much more than you imagined. The more you learn about Jesus Christ, the more you will learn about the real you. You will grow in confidence as you realize that his power truly is at work in your life, and he is willing to give you all the power, strength, and love that you need. ■

Domestic Abuse Awareness.Org

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

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