You May Be on the Wrong Road

Posted on February 4, 2025 by daaorg1214

Proverbs 22:4 (NLT)
“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.”

Many of us are walking around with wounded hearts and troubled minds. The world is changing, and these are challenging times. On top of this, some of us have issues in our relationships and finances that are causing us stress. We may be dealing with trouble on the job and at home, and this can rob us of the peace that God wants us to have. Searching for someone or something to help us escape feelings of despair, we sometimes turn to the wrong source for comfort. We go down the wrong road, and it can send us spiraling to further depths of confusion and disappointment. Romans 5:1 tells us that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. This is the rescue we desperately need, and we will do ourselves the greatest favor if we learn to tap into God’s tremendous peace and power.

A changed mind
Romans 12:2(NKJV) says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” This verse is packed with truth, the kind that will help us take our lives to new levels of peace and abundance. It first tells us that God doesn’t want our minds to be conformed by the world or to be shaped by what society believes and teaches. Society has views and opinions that are often against God’s Word, and they tell us to do, think, feel, and say things that are opposite of what God says. This can add to our problems instead of helping us to solve them.

When our minds are conformed to something, it means that we will follow it, and this can lead us down that wrong road we’ve pointed to above. God wants us to be blessed. He wants us to love others with the love of Christ and to be full of his joy, peace, authority, and power. Our minds are a huge part of living this reality. God commands us to renew our minds, which means to change the way we think. This is necessary because sometimes we think and believe in a way that sabotages our happiness. We can be stubborn about changing our thoughts and attitudes, and we resist it because sameness is comfortable, but we must understand that not renewing our minds as God tells us can cause us to miss some of the wonderful blessings that He wants us to have.

Proverbs 23:7(NKJV) says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Thoughts we think in our hearts are thoughts that have become pretty dug in. It means we’ve believed something to the point that it’s at the core of who we are. We get stuck in patterns of thinking and behaving, and we don’t confront those patterns or analyze them to see if they’re working for us. Our responsibility is to observe ourselves a little more closely and break the patterns that injure our relationship with God and hinder our faith.

Don’t worry
God tells us in Philippians 4:6(NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” All worry stems from a lack of faith, and this is one of the reasons that God tells us not to let our minds and hearts become bogged down by worry and anxiety. We’re to pray through situations with faith and right believing. Sure, our thoughts and feelings may tell us that things are falling apart, and that we need to be fearful, but we can’t succumb to wrong believing and let it win. God has empowered us through Christ to be more than conquerors in every situation. He wants the authority and truth of His Word to override our thoughts and feelings. He wants us to trust that He is greater than our problems, and He is willing and able to help us.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us that we shouldn’t lean on our own understanding, but instead, we must trust in the Lord with all our hearts. You and I don’t see the big picture. God does, and we must trust Him to handle things. Psalm 28:7 declares that the Lord is our strength and shield, and Romans 8:31-32(NLT) says, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” We must confess and believe that God is who He says He is, and that He will do what He has said He will do. He always keeps His promises. He’s our incomparable fortress, and our peace in times of trouble. If we’re not thinking and confessing these truths daily, then we might be on the wrong road. The Good News is that God has made a way for us through Christ to get on the right one when we change our thoughts, honor Him in our hearts, and claim God’s power and love over every aspect of our lives.■

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

Love Is Not Supposed to Hurt

Posted on January 28, 2025 by daaorg1214

1Corinthians 13:4-8(NLT)
“4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!”

I had just flown home from visiting my family in the south. My two-year-old daughter was with me, and my soon to be ex-husband was on his way to pick us up from the airport. I knew it was going to be a rough night because while I was away, I’d called and told my husband I wanted a divorce. He didn’t take it well at all. My stomach was in my throat the entire flight home, and I dreaded the thought of being in his company, but at the time, I had nowhere else to go and had no other choice but to go home with my husband.

I should have had a plan. I should have waited until details were in place before I declared that I wanted out, but I was young. I really didn’t care about a plan, I just wanted to breathe, and I felt like I hadn’t done that in a very long time. Whenever my ex was upset, it seemed to me that everything in the environment conspired with his rage. He yelled. He punched the walls or anything in his reach, and sometimes that ‘anything in his reach’ was me. I had been on the receiving end of his anger and punches for so long that I didn’t even feel that it was me living my life anymore. I was a shell of who I once was but managed to preserve a little piece of that woman for my daughter.

That night was horrible. I thought I had braced myself for it, but there was really no way to do that. I was a punching bag the entire ride home, and it got worse. That night resulted in another domestic dispute. The police were called, and he was arrested.

I can’t say for sure how I ended up with a man who abuses, but I remember people telling me when we were dating that “He loves hard.” I wasn’t wise enough during that time to equate those words with other words like obsession, jealousy, anger, rage, and out of control, but I certainly learned the hard way. As individuals that have been abused and are being abused, we need to know that there are other ways to learn the lessons of life and love, and those ways do not involve things like pain, abuse, and suffering.

One of the first things that we learn about God’s love is the reality of His kindness and patience. He tells us in 1Corinthians 13:4-5 that love is not jealous, abusive, belligerent, vengeful, irritable, or hurtful. Love is patient and kind, and this is the way our Heavenly Father loves us. It’s the way He wants others to love us, and it’s the way He wants us to love others as well. We learn from God’s example that love isn’t supposed to hurt. Love should nurture us and make us better people. We often think of love as this romantic and emotional ooey-gooey-ness that makes our hearts flutter like butterflies. That stuff is fun of course, but it’s too vacillating and fleeting to match the quality, longevity, and stability of real love. 1John 4:8 tells us that God is love. He’s the definitive authority on the subject, so we don’t get to put our own spin on how love looks and operates. He’s told us what love is, and based on His truth, we can discern and understand when we’re not being treated with love, and when we, ourselves, are not operating in love.

Jesus Christ lived by God’s love. He left us a perfect and lasting example of how to do that. The twelve disciples that were taught by him also closely walked and talked with him during his ministry on earth, and he loved them very much. In John 13:34(NLT), he told them, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Our beautiful and beloved Lord and Savior set love in perpetual and continuous motion by commanded us to carry on loving just the way that he did. Because of the enduring and powerful love of God that our Master demonstrated, we have the distinct privilege and responsibility to let God’s love be our life’s goal and work.

Just because someone tells us that they love us, it doesn’t mean it’s true. Love doesn’t hurt or make us feel bad about ourselves, and this is a lesson that we don’t have to learn the hard way. It is not God’s Will for His children to live a life of suffering and despair. He gave the life of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our lives so that we can live abundantly! This is how much God loves us. He has made it overwhelmingly clear He has stamped us deserving of love. This is the way He sees us, and we must learn to see ourselves this way. We are worthy to be loved, because this is what God tells us. When we believe this in our hearts and begin to live by His love and Word, we will make wiser choices and decisions, and only accept the kind of love that doesn’t hurt. ■

Let Go of the Baggage

Posted on January 21, 2025 by daaorg1214

James 1:5(ESV)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Noemi is a girlfriend of mine, and we decided to go out to dinner together to catch up. We were just finishing up when her boyfriend, Jake, called to say that he would need to break their plans for the weekend. He’s a truck driver, so she’s used to him being on the road, but this time, she felt things were different. He’s been distant lately. At times, she says his attitude and words are hurtful and aggressive. She told me, “I think he may have found someone else! He’s just not the same, and I don’t know what I’m going to do! I really need him in my life!” When will we understand the only person that we truly really need in our lives is Jesus Christ? Without knowing him and his love, we can be easily deceived into thinking that another human being can give us what only God can.

We read it in romance novels and see it on just about every form of media out there. Through them all, women are taught to make the significant man in their lives their everything, and this is never a good move. When we believe our prayers are answered, and we find someone that appears to be compatible, some of take all our eggs and put them in his basket, so to speak. We immediately invest times, energy, and other resources into this man, without a green light from the Lord that this is the man God has sent.

As women, we should be confident that our eggs are well preserved and beautifully adorned. These eggs are representative of wonderful goodies like our spiritual well-being in Christ and our level of confidence and authority in our Blessed Redeemer. They also represent our womanhood, self-esteem, and our capacity to love, grow, and thrive in God’s peace. As you can see, our eggs are very valuable, and this is the way we ought to view them. Placing all our eggs in a man’s basket without investigating the condition of his basket or his capacity to handle one, is not wise, and it often leads to heartbreak.

Is the heartbreak worth it?
Proverbs 4:7(NLT) tells us, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Our Heavenly Father is a God of order, and He leaves nothing to chance. He’s set the priority that leads us to a fulfilling and meaningful existence, and this priority is wisdom. It’s the principal things, which means it must be the first step in acquiring all that God has for us. Proverbs 1:7(NLT) says, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” We should never want it to be said that we will not listen and despise wisdom and discipline. Wisdom is more than just acquiring knowledge. It’s the right and proper use of the knowledge we’ve acquired; and honoring and reverencing God is where it all starts.

We must be wise, especially in relationships, and we must seek understanding from God’s Word so that we can accurately use the wisdom we’ve acquired. Without wisdom we make mistakes, and this is where heartbreaks makes its grand entrance. Without wisdom, we invest our resources and energies into a man that was never meant for us. We allow his baggage to become our baggage, and we become so weighted down that we can’t see straight. Then, when things inevitably crumble, and he decides he no longer values what we have to give, some of us use this as an excuse to fall apart. It’s important for us to know that we’re the ones to decide how we’re going to respond to heartbreak. We have a choice. We can continue to spiral, or we can release the baggage and choose to trust wholeheartedly in God. We can choose to believe in the strength and power He’s given us through Jesus Christ.

There can be no question that we learn from our mistakes, but there can also be no doubt that it’s best not to make the mistake in the first place. Mistakes often cause us to lose time, momentum, and stamina. This is especially true with heartbreak. It’s not worth it to put ourselves through heartbreak when it can be avoided. James 1:5 gives us a strategy for choosing the right person for our lives. It tells us that if we don’t know or we’re unsure, ask God, and He will not be upset if we keep asking for His wisdom and help. Our Heavenly Father will let you know what you’re working with because He wants you to avoid heartbreak and to have a blessed and bountiful existence.

Jesus Christ told the disciples in Mark 11:22-23(NLT), “22 Have faith in God. 23 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.” God is our everything, and no human being deserves or can handle the heft of that distinction. A human being can’t make you, and if the man leaves you tomorrow, that’s not going to break you. God is your sufficiency and the Source of your blessings. Have faith in Him. He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from the destruction of sin. So, let go of the baggage. You might have thought it was a basket, but it was baggage you don’t need. Let it go, be more committed to grow in Christ, and always let God’s wisdom be your guide.■

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.

Begging Is Not the Answer

Posted on January 14, 2025 by daaorg1214

2Corinthians 12:7-9(NLT)
“ 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

In 2Corinthians 12:7-9, the Apostle Paul made a very interesting statement. He said that he was glad to boast about his weaknesses, so that the power of Christ could work through him. This points to all of us who believe our successes and triumphs in life are all about our own efforts. It also points to those of us who think that we can make ourselves perfect or righteous. We can do neither of those things. Whenever we depend on ourselves or others to do what only God can, we’re due for a refresher course in God’s grace. We must understand that His power works best in our weakness, and that we achieve and succeed according to His Will and only by His power.

God is our Provider
Philippians 4:19(ESV) says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This is God’s promise! He is our Provider and He takes care of us, His children. God’s provision isn’t dependent on our behavior or good deeds, and this is one of the reasons we can be glad to boast about our weaknesses, because we don’t always get it right, and He blesses us any way. God sent our Lord and Savior to the earth to save us, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Ephesians 2:8(NLT) says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Salvation through Jesus Christ is a free gift. Because of God’s amazing grace, He’s saved us, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We can’t boast about something we didn’t or couldn’t do ourselves. It was God’s good pleasure to save us, and He delights in providing for us. We should demonstrate our gratitude for all He’s done every day of our lives.

None of us are perfect. Romans 3:23(NLT) tells us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” All of us have sinned and done things wrong. Of course, our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to do this. He wants us to live by the example of Jesus Christ and to do, speak, feel, and behave the way that Jesus did when he carried forth his ministry on earth. Sometimes we get it right, but a lot of the times, we get it wrong. God’s remedy for our getting it wrong is repentance. He wants us to repent from our wrong actions. These means, He wants us to change our minds and hearts about doing wrong, so that we make different and better choices according to the example of Christ.

God wants us to come to Him with this heart of repentance and humility and seek His forgiveness. 1John 1:9(ESV) says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Ephesians 1:7(NLT) also says, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” So, the Good News is that God forgives us when we get it wrong, and He expects us to renew our minds, which means to change our thoughts, so that we line up with who God has created us to be.

Romans 3:25-26(NLT) says, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Because of what God has accomplished for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have right standing with Him. We don’t have to beg for what He has already provided; we simply have to trust in what He’s provided.

Life can be tough sometimes. It has triumphant highs and devastating lows. In the face of all this, we’re often emotional when we come to God in prayer, but begging doesn’t move Him, our faith does. All of us have our own struggles, but God tells us in Philippians 4:6(NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” So, when it comes to drawing near to God and pleasing Him, begging is not the answer. He loves us and wants us to have confidence that He is greater than any problem we will ever face, and He’s willing and able to help us. We simply need to open our mouths and tell Him what we need, and do so with hearts that are filled with gratitude and faith in Him and His love for us all.■

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.

Get up and Pray

Posted on January 7, 2025 by daaorg1214

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus Christ Is the Door

Posted on December 26, 2024 by daaorg1214

When family, friends, and those you once trusted turn on you, it’s easy to feel utterly abandoned. Lately, a friend of mine has been facing this harsh reality, feeling as if the world is caving in around her. “I can’t trust anyone anymore!” she says. Sadly, this sense of uncertainty is not unique to her. For many born-again believers today, the very foundation we once relied on—our relationships, jobs, and self-confidence—feels increasingly shaky. Some of these things are beginning to crumble, and we’re tempted to let them affect our faith. Christians who once declared their love for the Lord are now questioning His love for them. They’re losing focus and not as committed to God as they once were, but this is a mistake. We should never allow anything in this world to deter us from trusting God wholeheartedly and fulfilling His purpose.

Our Lord and Savior warned us of how difficult things would become in the last days. In Matthew 10:21-22 (NLT), he said, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father will betray his own child. Children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” This is happening everywhere, just as he foretold.

Even so, we must not lose hope. Our Lord took every obstacle we could ever face and overcame it on the cross. Jesus Christ knows all that’s happening to us. He said in Revelation 3:7-8(NLT) “This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open. “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close.”” He has clearly explained in this passage that only he holds our tomorrows. Only he opens and closes doors for us. He said in John 10:9 (NKJV), “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is the only way to find safety and fulfillment, and through him, we can experience a life of freedom, security, and peace, despite any condition or circumstance we face.

We cannot allow our behavior to suggest that following the world is the answer. The world’s foundation is weak, and it can never yield the fulfillment, purpose, and peace that comes from aligning our lives with the example of Christ. He’s the Door! Through him, we can walk into the breakthrough and opportunities we’re praying to receive. When we place our trust in him, we tap into the Source of our strength and confidence. The world has nothing that compares to this—nothing that brings lasting peace, true purpose, or the security of knowing we are firmly rooted in His love.

Feeling alone and rejected, many of us listen to the adversary when he whispers that we’re nothing, and that we are unworthy of God’s blessings. In those moments, we can spiral into deeper despair, thinking that we don’t have an escape and that God has abandoned us. But our Heavenly Father will never do this. He promises in Hebrews 13:5 (NLT), “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” His love is constant and unfailing, and He is always near, even when we cannot feel His presence.

There are no words to describe how difficult life can be at times, especially when we feel that no one understands our pain. It’s challenging to rise above it all when we really don’t feel like it, but we can’t allow our emotions to dictate our actions and behaviors during these times. If we do, we might do something that isn’t wise, loving, or advantageous to our lives. The best possible strategy is to lean on God’s grace. Through the Apostle Paul, He tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God’s grace is sufficient, and in our weakest moments, His power is made perfect.

Our Heavenly Father’s plans for us are filled with hope, and His timing is perfect. With absolute certainty, we can trust that we are cherished, worthy, and deeply loved by Him. God tells us in His Word that Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son and our beloved Savior, is the door to all that He has in store for us. Jesus declared in John 14:6 (NLT), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Don’t allow despair to cause you to look for comfort and restoration anywhere else. Only Jesus Christ can lead us to victory, and he will lift us higher as we lean totally on his guidance and trust that he is the way through every trial, and the path to our healing and breakthrough. ■

Get Unstuck!

Posted on December 23, 2024 by daaorg1214

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

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

Examine your heart

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

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

Be diligent in prayer

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

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

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

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

Don’t Renew Your Expired Subscription

Posted on December 16, 2024 by daaorg1214

Proverbs 15:24 (NLT)
“The path of life leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind.”

The Old Testament teaches us that God chose the children of Israel to be His own people for a special purpose. Our Heavenly Father chose Moses to be His servant, and to lead the children of Israel out of the tyranny of Egyptian slavery. Moses told them in Deuteronomy 4:20(NLT), “Remember that the LORD rescued you from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.” We learn in the Old Testament that the Promised Land that God promised them was a land of milk and honey because it was bountiful and flourishing, but there were also inhabitants in that land. They were numerous and large in stature. God’s people saw this as a huge obstacle, and rather than pushing forward with faith and confidence in God, many of them refused to trust Him and chose to cower in fear.

Fear is an enemy of our faith in God, and it keeps us from fulfilling His purpose for our lives. Through His Word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Father gives us directives and clears the path for us to carry them out, but because the circumstances don’t look optimal and the situation is uncomfortable, we shrink. We regress to old habit patterns that make us comfortable in spiritual infancy. We attempt to renew our subscription to these when life has revealed to us that they are way beyond their expiration date. God’s Word has a remedy for this kind of thinking and behaving. He commands us in Ephesians 4:22-24(ESV), “22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they complained incessantly. Numbers 14:1-3(NLT) tells us, “1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”” They were blatantly ungrateful for all that God had done for them. He delivered them from slavery, parted the Red Sea for them to walk through to freedom, fed them manna from heaven, and caused them to be healthy and whole, but they refused to rally their faith. Even after witnessing God’s insurmountable power on their behalves, they would not place their wholehearted trust in Him.

This should never be said of us. Galatians 3:13(NLT) says, “13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”” We must trust God and be deeply thankful for all that He has done for us through Jesus Christ. We must move out of our comfort zones because He’s empowered us through our Lord and Savior to do great things. He has designed life to cooperate with us when we make a move to go higher in our level of spiritual growth. It is the Will of God that we do so, and we should also know that this is not always comfortable. In truth, it is almost always uncomfortable. People and relationships will come into our lives to help us stretch in our faith and love of Christ, but often we don’t see this. We adopt a habit of rejecting anything that doesn’t preserve our comfort zones. If higher blessings are our goal, this is a habit we must release.

To renew our minds is to change the way we think. Our subscription to new blessings never expires, but the time for our old way of operating is over. It’s time to line up our thoughts and feelings with God’s Word so that His love is our great motivation for all things. Proverbs 15:24 reminds us that the path of life leads upward. We don’t have the time or luxury to continually reach back for our comfort zones. Genesis 19:26 tells us that Lot’s wife tried to do this, and she turned into a pillar of salt. Our powerful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, reminds us in Luke 17 not to follow her example. He tells us in Luke 17:33(NLT), “If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.” We must have unwavering faith in God and not be afraid to leap when He says leap.

He told His people in Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Our Heavenly Father never changes but He is always allowing our eyes to see wonderful dimensions of His grace and power that we haven’t seen before. He always wants to do something new in our lives, but if we’re not changing, our circumstances will remain the same. We must develop the endurance, patience, and faith that spiritual maturity in Christ requires. When we do, we’ll be prepared to embrace the newness that God has in store for us. ■

God’s Laws and Order

Posted on December 9, 2024 by daaorg1214

1 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)
“For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.”

Our Heavenly Father is a God of order. He is the Righteous Judge, a title that belongs only to Him. He enjoys and loves all that is Holy because He is Holy. The prophet, Samuel, said in 1Samuel 2:2(NLT), “No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” In the brilliance of His love and perfection, God created us to be His children, but before He did, He first created the earth and fashioned it for our habitation. He didn’t miss one detail in the way that He has blessed us. He’s created everything according to His laws and order. Living according to the laws and order He has revealed in His Word is the way that we access all that He has in store for our lives.

1Peter 1:15-19 (NLT) says “15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

Jesus Christ is what the scriptures are all about. His life is vibrant, loving, pure, true, and powerful, and when we look at ourselves, this is what God wants us to see, because we have Christ in us! Our Heavenly Father isn’t in heaven waiting to give us the fullness of Christ, He’s already done it! So, thriving in Christ isn’t something we have to wait for in the future. It’s a right now expectation because of all that God accomplished for us through His only begotten Son. Holiness and righteousness were given to us by God through Christ, and because of this we can walk in His holiness every moment of each day.

Following the richness and righteousness of God’s laws and order maintain our fellowship with Him. His grace abounds because of Christ, but His grace cannot be used as an excuse to step outside the statues, commandments, and standards He has set. God’s Word is life to us, and it is His Will that we live by it continually. 1John 3:10(NLT) tells us, “So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.” Living righteously is a mark of those who love God and are obedient to Him.

Our Heavenly Father has designed us to be lights in this dark world, and our light shines brightest through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who lived God’s Word totally and completely. There are some who think it’s difficult to live by the example of Christ. They say there are too many rules to follow, but most people follow the rules of this world every day of their lives, even though they are very burdensome. 1John 5:3(NLT) teaches us, “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”

God has placed His Holy Spirit in us to lead, guide, and direct us through this life. So, we must not slip back into our old ways just to satisfy worldly urges and desires. We must follow the Spirit’s lead and study God’s Word. It tells us about His laws and order so that we can remain on His path of righteousness. God’s Word is true, and when we hold it in its perfect place of honor and follow it, we will have access to all the blessings God has given us through Jesus Christ. ■

Behind the Scenes

Posted on December 2, 2024 by daaorg1214

When most of us take a flight on a plane, we rarely think about all the technology and skill it takes to keep that machine up in the air. We just sit and enjoy the flight without concerning ourselves with all those details. We trust the education and skill of the pilot as well as the navigational tools and all the communication that is transpiring behind the closed doors of the cockpit. It would never even occur to us to ask the pilot to show proof that he’s capable of flying the plane. We’re only concerned about getting to our destination, and we have every confidence that we will.

A plane flight is a very sophisticated form of travel, and there are many machinations and calculations going on behind the scenes that ensure our safe travel in the skies. This scenario can help us understand the faith that God wants us to have in Him. In Romans 11:28(NLT), His Word tells us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Our Heavenly Father is the One who keeps the earth rotating on its axis. He causes a billion things to happen all at once just so that we can take our next breath. God is working behind the scenes in every moment of time, and He’s doing miraculously incredible things. He is causing them to cooperate, coagulate, and come together in such a way that we are living this very moment.

Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) tells us, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Nothing about our lives is random. We were formed in our mother’s wombs and birthed into our respective families at the exact time and space that God ordained and appointed. Nothing about us was left to chance, and God has been with us every moment of our journeys on earth. We’re alive today because He was working behind the scenes in His infinite wisdom and power, so that we would one day come to our senses and acknowledge Him as our Heavenly Father, the Great I Am, and Yahweh, the Creator of all that we survey.

Acts 17:24-28(NLT) tells us, “24 He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs–for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him–though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

Our Heavenly Father owns everything. He owns the entire universe, as well as the millions of planets and galaxies that human eyes have never discovered or seen. Yet He is so loving and kind towards us that He’s given us this protective bubble called earth. He takes such great care of us that we never think about all the things He is orchestrating in His control room. Through the finished work that He completed in Jesus Christ for us, He’s left no “t” uncrossed and no “i” undotted. We’re His precious cargo and in Him, our destination is guaranteed. He will take care of us an eternity, and every day we are alive, our hearts should swell with gratitude for what He does behind the scenes, as well as all the other ways He blesses our lives. ■

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