God Knows the Hopes of the Helpless

Posted on August 20, 2025 by daaorg1214

Psalm 10:17-18 (NLT)
“17 LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. 18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.”

Abuse of any kind is never okay, and it never will be, but the reality is that it happens in many relationships and homes across this country and beyond. It has also happened to some of us and did so at a time in our lives when we were defenseless against it. Inexperienced and vulnerable, young people can be preyed upon. I grew up in a small town where domestic violence and abuse was often hushed and swept under the rug. There were students in my classes that were dealing with horrible situations at home, and lots of us knew about it but were powerless to help in any meaningful way.

While teaching the disciples, Mark 9:42(NKJV) tells us that Jesus Christ said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” The millstone that Jesus is referring to in this verse is very heavy, and if it is tied around an individual’s neck, death by drowning was most likely imminent. This would be a horrible death for sure, and our blessed Lord tells us that this horror would be less than the one that awaits the person who injures the vulnerable and causes their trust in him to be diminished.

Over two thousand years ago, when our Lord and Savior walked the face of the earth, abuse in its many evil forms existed. It was on the scene even before he came, and it is indeed one of the reasons why he came. There were predators, manipulators, and perpetrators who abused others as a matter of sport, and sadly, this is happening in our world today. We need to know and trust that Jesus Christ did not come in vain. He said in John 10:10(NLT), “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.” He came to earth to make a more than abundant life available to everyone that will have faith in him and accept the salvation that he offers.

Childhood does not hold fond memories for everyone, especially when domestic violence and abuse has a place in our younger years. We lacked the maturity to process what we were witnessing and experiencing, and many of us still carry the scars. Woe to the person that has caused us this level of pain, but our minds can’t be focused on the abuser. They must be focused on Jesus Christ. He understands what we’ve gone through better than any other human being. Hebrews 4:14-16(The Message) tells us, “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.”

Love never hurts. It’s the complete opposite of hurt; love is kind and generous. This is the love God gives to us, and it is the kind of love that we should give and receive from others. When we’ve witnessed or experienced abuse at a young age, sometimes our thoughts and feelings around how to give and receive love become entangled with things like fear, insecurity, and confusion. In this state, we can make the wrong people, feelings, behaviors, and relationships the focus of our lives. If this happens, we will not give our relationship with God the focus and attention it deserves, and therefore, our faith in His power, love, and strength isn’t what it could and should be.

God’s Word teaches us in Hebrews 11:6(NLT), “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Our Heavenly Father wants our faith in Him to be strong because faith is the path to all His blessings, and a lack of faith will hinder us in life. Our relationship with God can never be based on what we can do for Him. It is always based on what He can do for us, and our faith is what pleases Him most.

The pain of what we’ve gone through renders us helpless in ways that we can’t always identify, but we are not without refuge or help. Psalm 10:17 tells us that God knows the hopes of the helpless, and He will not disappoint us. So, as God’s beloved children that have been hurting a very long time because of abuse, He’s asking us to make a shift in the way we believe and think about Him. We must have total confidence that our Heavenly Father doesn’t want anyone to be abused. When we are committed to praying and talking to God often and to studying His Word, He will heal our hearts, and we will both give and receive His love with the joy and faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. ■

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

God Is the Glue that Holds Everything Together

Posted on August 13, 2025 by daaorg1214

Romans 8:28 (NLT)“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.”

2Corinthians 5:21(NKJV) tells us, “For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is an extraordinary truth, one we mut be grateful for every moment of each day. Through Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father has made us righteous and given us right standing in Him eternally! We are righteous in Christ this very moment, and God wants us to enjoy all the rights and privileges that come with being His children. He has placed His Holy Spirit in us, and Romans 8:15 makes it clear that we haven’t received a spirit that makes us fearful and afraid like slaves. No, no, no! We’ve have received God’s Spirit, and now we can cry out to Him as our beloved all-powerful Father!

Someone might think, “Well that sounds good, but I don’t feel righteous. I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and my life is falling apart.” It’s a fact that life can sometimes feel this way. It can be heavy, with problems that seem insurmountable, but the reality is that the gifts and calling that God has placed on us isn’t dependent on how we feel. It’s dependent on our faith in Him. God has given us His righteousness because it was His good pleasure to do so. He’s clothed us with it, and every morning that we get up and every night that we go to sleep, our standing with God will always be right. We should be celebrating this every moment of each day.

God’s Word says in Colossians 2:10(NKJV), “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” The word “complete” in this verse means that we are completely, completely, complete in Christ, and in him, we lack nothing. God hasn’t held anything back. We’re packed to the full and running over with spiritual blessings. So, this word ‘complete’ describes who and what God has made us through Jesus Christ! This is a powerful truth, but many of us just don’t connect with it. We don’t think of ourselves as being empowered by God in this way, but we are, and it is our responsibility to change the way that we think so that our confessions, thoughts, conversations, behaviors, and attitudes mirror our completeness in Christ.

When we hear Good News like this, we might feel like we’re at the bottom of the ocean, and we can’t swim to the surface to breathe it in. Our problems and issues are blocking and preventing us from wading through. We want God to move everything out of our way so that we can see our way to the top. Our Heavenly Father is committed to helping us in every way possible. He will help us get to the top, but He requires us to open our eyes to see the way He’s made for us. In John 14:6(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is that way! He is the way to the Father. He is the way to every victory we can enjoy in life, and these victories must be won through our faith in him.

Our faith should overpower our tribulations and problems, but in order for this to happen, we must surrender to God. In 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), when the Apostle Paul asked for God’s help three times because someone was causing him serious grief, God told him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Paul then said, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” We are nothing without God, so when we try to be the glue that holds our lives together, they fall apart. The truth is that we were never meant to be the glue. Our Heavenly Father is, and we must open our eyes to the greatness of this truth and have total faith in Him.

Colossians 1:15-17(NLT) tells us, “15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”

Everything that exists belongs to God, including us. We were created by Him for Him, and if we refuse to acknowledge this, our lives will feel as if they are moving in reverse. This is not what he wants for us. From the very first hint of a difficulty or obstacle in life, God and the victory we have in Christ must be our first thought. The instinct of conquering adversity is one that is inside the heart of every born-again believer. We just have to release it by opening our eyes to faith in God and remain focused on Him because He is the glue that hold our lives together, and the greatest thing that any of us can do in life is to trust this with all our hearts.■

Be Strong in Your Faith

Posted on August 6, 2025 by daaorg1214

1 Peter 5:9 (NLT)
“Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

Divorce can be one of the most painful ordeals that any of us can experience. When children are involved, it’s even more challenging. Some of us are still in shock even after a year or so has passed. We find ourselves just going through the motions on life, responding to it on autopilot. Sometimes the reality of no longer being married hits us like a freight train. For others, it’s a slower process of coming to terms with the emotions. Even when abuse is involved, and we’re finally free, the readjustment emotionally and mentally may cause us to lose confidence in our identity, decisions, and ability to live a happy life.

The Word of God teaches us that we should pray for our brothers and sisters all over the world, and 1Peter 5:9 reminds us that they are going through some of the same difficulties many of us are experiencing. This encouragement is not meant to minimize the pain and heartbreak we might be enduring. Jesus Christ said in John 16:33(NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Our Heavenly Father knows that life can be difficult for us, and He wants to help us. He wants us to know that just as He has helped our other sisters and brothers in Christ as they have suffered tribulation and come through it, He will help us as well.

It is God’s Will for the gift of being and having a spouse to be a blessing. It’s a role that is meant to be unifying, and to provide support and love, but sometimes people do not value the gift of marriage as it should be. Colossians 3:12(NLT) says, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” The world would be a very different place if God’s commandment in this verse was obeyed by everyone, but many people do not obey it. They are not kind, humble, gentle, tenderhearted and patient. Often, they are just the opposite.

It is also the case that sometimes we don’t find out about the dark side of some individuals until after we’ve married them. While dating and getting to know one another, all of us try to present our best qualities, but when the things that lurk beneath the surface appear, sometimes the darkness is shocking. We didn’t see it coming, but God knows everything. He knew that this person had issues that would impede our lives. This is one of the reasons that we must seek God first on all things. Jesus Christ tells us this in Matthew 6:33(NLT), where he said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

In the aftermath of a difficult situation, we must never lose sight of God’s willingness and ability to come to our rescue. We can’t make decisions without God’s help. We need Him to lead, guide, and direct us, not just in the process of making the decisions, but also about living with those decisions. We need His guidance and help to maintain the blessings we’ve received.

Romans 8:29(NLT) says, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” We are God’s children and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. This is our identity, and it is a glorious one. The Christian life doesn’t exempt us from the hardships of life. Through our powerful Lord and Savior, we don’t remain in troubles and tribulations, we go through them and come out on the victorious side. We must stand firm and remain strong in our faith in this as we move from victory to victory through Jesus Christ.■

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.

Breathing Room for My Soul

Posted on August 6, 2025 by daaorg1214

Psalm 62:5-6 (MSG)
“God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I’m set for life.”

Significant relationships is an area where most of us have the greatest challenges. We yearn in our hearts to find someone that is compatible; someone that loves God and is committed to love us in the same way that we will love them. Our desire for security and validation pushes us to put our best foot forward when we’re dating someone new. We try hard not to allow them to see our baggage and they do the same, but the truth is that we all have it; some more than others. Eventually, the walls will come down and a person’s real self is revealed. If it’s uglier than we could have imagined, the reality that we’ve committed ourselves to this person can make us feel trapped.

If we’ve made an ample emotional investment in a dating relationship, most of us will overlook certain things and try to make it work, but sometimes this isn’t the answer. If we’ve left God out of the equation from the very beginning, and we’re not following His Word in our relationships, the reservoir for real and lasting love is depleted before the relationship begins. 1John 4:8(AMP) tells us, “The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]” The love of God has to be in a person’s heart and on that person’s mind in order for them to be a conduit of His love. Sometimes we date individuals that are simply not interested in pursuing and giving God’s love in a way that pleases Him and fulfills us.

God’s love working in us will cause us to govern our lives by things like patience, generosity, kindness, honesty, peace, and joy. If there isn’t gratitude for God and His love, and if this isn’t the motivation for all that we do, there will be no breathing room for our souls. We can’t expand and increase in a way that brings light into all the situations and relationships of our lives.

1Peter 1:13-16(MSG) says, “So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.””

Our heads are in the game when our hearts are ever expanding with love and honor for our Creator. We are required and equipped to demonstrate our gratitude for what He has accomplished for us through Jesus Christ. The way that we do this is to be obedient to His Word. We can’t slip back to those old ways of trying to leave God out of our relationships. Everything we hope for comes from Him, as Psalm 62:5-6 tells us.

Significant relationships can add to our lives and increase them in wonderful ways, but every person we date doesn’t have the capacity to partner in this. Rather than giving us room to grow, they can stifle us, and God doesn’t want this. He’s the One with the plan for our existences, and He knows the person that is a gift to our journey forward and upward through Christ. So, let’s not takes risks with something as important as joining our lives to another. God knows our flaws and strengths, and if we place our faith in Him, He will connect us with the person that will help us grow stronger in His love and grace. Surrender this area of your life to Him, because only He can give comfort to our aching hearts and breathing room for our souls.■

Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

God Gives Good Love All the Time

Posted on July 30, 2025 by daaorg1214

Romans 5:8-10 (NLT)
“8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.”

In John 14:1, Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled, but to trust God in all things. The heart is a part of our souls, and our soul is the innermost part of who we are. Our reflection in the mirror reveals the physical attributes of our bodies, and although our physical being allows others to identify us, our bodies cannot define who we are. God has done this. Romans 8:29(NLT) tells us, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

We are God’s sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. God tells us in Genesis 1:26-27 that He created us in His own likeness. We are indeed His spiritual children if we have His seed, the Holy Spirit, abiding within us. When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, and allow him to have lordship over them, we are no longer the lord of our own existences; he is, and because we make him Lord, we commit to God that we will have a heart and mind like Jesus Christ.

Having a heart and mind like Christ are a spiritual reality. We can’t touch the mind, heart, and soul, but we know that we have them, and for much of our lives, we have made deposits into them. Like checks in the bank, we signed our names on all the information and feelings that we deposited into our minds, hearts, and souls, but as Lord, only Jesus Christ should have this privilege. Our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors should have God’s endorsement, and they should be continually filtered through the example of Jesus Christ.

Through the work of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, God has made us brand new! 2Corinthians 5:17(NLT) tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Now, we can pull off all the old thoughts and feelings that kept us filled with anxiety and fear, and we can put on the joy and faith of Christ and live abundantly. Our problem is that we don’t do this as readily as we should. God commands us to renew our minds to His Word, but most of us do this very slowly. We take a long time to change our thoughts to the thoughts of Christ. Because of this, our hearts can be easily troubled.

This isn’t God’s Will for any of us. Our Heavenly Father has made it possible for us to be so totally immersed in His love that fear and all its cousins like worry, doubt, and anxiety are a thing of the past. We may not feel this way, but our feelings do not dictate the truth. God’s Word does. So, although a heart that isn’t troubled may not be our reality, we can have 100% confidence that God has made a way through Christ for us to live free.

There are no imperfections in God’s love. God gives good love all the time, and He 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.” A lack of faith in Him will leave us confused about how to manage our own lives, but if we learn more about God and His love for us all, we’ll see that we have nothing to fear. We must trust in Him with all our hearts and do so until our love for Him is filled to overflowing and leaves no more room for fear and doubt.

Our Faith in God Will Never Fail Us

Posted on July 23, 2025 by daaorg1214

Romans 8:37(NLT) tells us that despite our troubles and obstacles in life, “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Some of us are wondering how that can be, especially when our circumstances and situations don’t look like victory but look more like setbacks, confusion, and disappointments. Well, if we don’t believe God’s Word, we might always be convinced that life is a series of one troublesome thing after the other, but when we are born-again and have God’s Spirit living within, we can and should have a completely and totally different view. We can see over and above what is facing us and anchor our trust in God. He tells us in His Word that as His sons and daughters, we don’t live according to what our physical eyes can perceive; we walk according to our faith in Him, because our faith in Him will never fail us.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to spend our time on earth getting to know Him better with each passing day. He tells us in Ephesians 5:1-2(NLT), “1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” This is our target in life, to know God’s Word and to wear it like a second skin. He doesn’t want anything getting us down and has equipped us with everything we need to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. We are His ‘called out’ ones, and He has set us apart for His very special purpose.

Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, made it clear in God’s Word that on earth, we will encounter troubles. Through situations and people, the enemy will try to steal and destroy our peace, but 1John 4:4(NLT) declares, “…you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” We are God’s children of light! We live in this dark world, but we are not of it. We belong to God’s Kingdom! And we have the right to walk in His power and authority through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Many people try to separate themselves from the reality that we are spiritual beings having an earth experience. They will not acknowledge themselves as spiritual beings that are created by God, but the truth is that everything, from the minutest to the greatest detail, is spiritual. Our success in this life is dependent on how well we grasp this truth and use it to become grounded in our identity in Christ. God’s Word tells us in Ephesians 6:10-13(NLT), “10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” As spiritual beings, we have a spiritual enemy, and we can’t use physical weapons to defeat a spiritual enemy. We must use the spiritual weapons God has provided us. They are fail-proof, and we must learn to use them by studying God’s Word.

Romans 10:17(NKJV) tells us, “So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We cannot rise above the level of what we have been taught. We need to study God’s Word so that our faith in Him will increase. Our greatest issue is that we don’t do this. Some of us lack faith in God and often look for solutions that are outside of Christ. This is where we run into trouble. Even though it appears to our physical eyes that our enemy is a human being, this is not the truth. Our enemy is satan who works through people and situations to interrupt our relationship with God. We must see through his plots and tricks. We must understand that our authority and power comes from God, and through Christ, we can resist the enemy and stand firm in our faith in God.

Uncertainty can cause mental and emotional pressure, but light will always dispel darkness, and we have the light of Christ in us if we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Make a commitment to God and to yourself to grow stronger in faith by studying His Word and praying to Him often. John 3:16(NLT) declares, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” This verse should increase our confidence in our Heavenly Father’s love for us, because it shows us that His Will is for us to flourish in this life and the next. He wants us to triumph over adversities, so never stop believing in His goodness. Your faith in Him will never fail as you renew your mind to His Word and trust wholeheartedly in His love, strength, and power. ■

Vengeance Is the Lord’s

Posted on July 16, 2025 by daaorg1214

Romans 12:19(ESV)
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”” Our Heavenly Father is a Righteous Judge, and His judgments are infallibly correct. No human being has this capacity.”

I walked out of the grocery store the other day and saw a woman getting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. The man behind the wheel began a shouting match with her as soon as she sat down. He was so loud that it could be heard by virtually everyone in the area. Expletives flying one right after the other, and then a slap to the back of her head. She didn’t seem bothered, as if it was common occurrence. “They’ll probably be all over each other before the end of the day.” Two seasoned ladies remarked after they had witnessed the encounter as well. I chuckled a bit at their candor but felt uneasy as I continued walking to my vehicle.

How common this has become, equating abuse to passionate love. It has subtly eked into how many of us view significant relationships. This can be damaging to the way that we see and treat ourselves, because ultimately viewing abuse as any form of love can filter into what we will and won’t accept as a potential healthy and loving partner. We are less likely to pick up on red flags that would signal danger to our wellbeing, but we can sharpen our discernment if we lean on the Holy Spirit. The goal we should hold for ourselves is to trust wholeheartedly in God’s desire for our happiness and partner with it. We need to guard our hearts from the vicious cycle of abusive relationships, because they chip away at the quality of our existences.

The addictive aspect of abuse often taps into a rush of adrenaline, and this can send the wrong message to our minds and hearts about how love should feel and behave. Some spouses get caught up in the grip of this mixture of emotions, passion, and abuse, and they continue to remain in the marriage even after years of being abused by their partners. It becomes a trap, but we need to know that there is a way out of it.

All of us make mistakes. They can be as simple as taking too long in the grocery store or forgetting to purchase our spouse’s favorite food. Maybe we’re not as tidy as we could be or it’s possible there are aspects of our personality that others find irritating. All of us miss the mark at times, but God still loves us. Even when our mistakes are doozies, He will forgive our shortcomings and our sin if we earnestly ask Him. Romans 8:35-37 (NLT) tells us, “35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

No one has the right to take their frustration out on us for any reason. Vengeance belongs to God, and He is the only one worthy to judge what is right, true, holy, and pure. Many of us have suffered things in life that have left us with a lot of shame. Because of this, we want to be loved deeply. We desperately want compassion, and even if it is only received in small, infrequent moments, we tell ourselves it’s enough. It’s not enough. It will not satisfy God’s standard for how we should be loved.

His Word teaches us in Romans 14:10-13(MSG) says, “10-12 So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says, “every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. 13 Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is.”

Don’t allow someone to get in the way of your peace and joy and make your life more difficult than it needs to be. Pray for discernment. Get into God’s Word and learn more about Jesus Christ so that you will grow stronger in him. You’ll find that when your mind is renewed to the truth, and your heart is full of love and loyalty to God, there will be a shift in the way that others perceive your strength. More importantly, God will transform you from the inside out as you cling to Him and learn to receive and give the love of Jesus Christ.■

Chasing Tears or Chasing God

Posted on July 9, 2025 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

With tears streaming down her face, Barbara Jane angrily slammed the door to her boyfriend’s car after she got out of it. He slowly pulled off, wondering if Barbara Jane was going to be as vengeful as she had been in the past when they argued. Often, she’d shut down for weeks and wouldn’t speak to him. Barbara Jane was unaware that her grandmother had watched the whole thing from her living room window. When her marriage fell apart after only a year, Barbara Jane moved in with her Grandma Ida. She also quickly moved on to another relationship. In her adult life, she had never been without a man in her life. Even in high school and college, she always had a boyfriend and had never spent time being on her own.

Barbara Jane’s mother had gotten her addiction under control in recent years, but the relationship between them had been estranged since Barbara Jane was a teenager. Her father tried his best to be supportive, but her grandmother was the constant in her life. Ida had watched her granddaughter get her heart broken many times, but she was noticing an anger and bitterness in Barbara Jane that she hadn’t seen before. One evening, after she had prepared Barbara Jane’s favorite meal, she told her that she wanted them to have a talk.

Some form of education or training is required to get a diploma, a degree, a driver’s license, and a job. We recognize on a very basic level that in life, we need to educate ourselves to advance, but when it comes to our spiritual walk with Christ and relationships with others, many of us drop the ball. We think we know enough to navigate these areas alone. That isn’t true. We desperately need God’s wisdom in order to truly advance in life. Proverbs 4:7(KJV) says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” He tells us here that wisdom is primary in life, and God supplies the wisdom we need by giving us His Word.

God’s Word is an infallible road map for navigating life on earth, and it contains wisdom and guidance regarding every aspect of our existence. It is our guide to life. 2Timothy 3:16(NLT) tells us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” Without the useful teaching of what is true, we make errors and wrong choices, and these errors and wrong choices often result in heartbreak.

Jesus Christ commanded us, as God’s sons and daughters, to humble ourselves under God. This means that we must have the humility to acknowledge and accept that we can’t navigate successfully through life without knowing God and knowing the wisdom that comes from His Word. We desperately need His help.

He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11(NLT), “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.” God is the Leader and we’re the followers. He’s the One with the plan, and the greatest gift we can give to ourselves is to follow His plan. This is going to require us to read and study His Word so that we have an understanding of what God says is right or wrong for our lives. You might say, “I’ve tried reading the Bible, but I don’t understand it.” This is one of the many ways that the Holy Spirit helps us. Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(NLT), “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, lives inside every born-again believer. When we pray for understanding before we read God’s Word, the Spirit will help us comprehend the scriptures.

If we pay attention to the Spirit’s guidance and leadership, he will also let us know when our decisions and choices are in agreement with God’s plan for us. So, before we decide that a man is the one for our lives, we need to hear it from God. Without His greenlight, we shouldn’t move ahead. If we do, we could waste precious time and resources, and end up with a situation that causes us to go backward instead of forward. None of us should want to do this.

Barbara Jane anticipated that one of her grandmother’s serious talks was coming when she spotted her fav, a newly baked caramel cake, on the counter. At the end of grandmother’s sage advice, she asked her, “Which will make you happier, chasing tears or chasing God?” We chase tears when we neglect or refuse to seek the Lord first. Many women of God look for a man to make them complete, and when we do this, we will always be disappointed. Only God can make us complete, and He has done this through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must trust this with our whole hearts, and make God our first priority, not what we can or can’t receive from another human being.

Our blessed Redeemer commands us in Matthew 6:33(NKJV), “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Seeking God and the wisdom of His Word must be our first priority and practice. It can never be number two, but again, always number one. Don’t make relationships a project of trial and error. Trust God to help you live your best life. Humble yourself under His great power. Spend time in prayer and study His Word so that you will grow in your relationship with Him. Then you’ll learn to recognize His voice, hear His instructions, and remain on the path of His wisdom and blessings for your life. ■

Your Way Out

Posted on July 2, 2025 by daaorg1214

1 Peter 5:10 (NLT)
“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

Looking for a way out of your troubling circumstances? Fear, loneliness, and hopelessness creeping up on you? You’re not the first person to feel this way, and you won’t be the last. 1 Peter 5:9(NLT) tells us, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” No matter what we face in life, no matter how difficult or tough it may seem, God promises that we have the victory in Jesus Christ. If God says it, it must be so!

All of us have times in our relationships where we become weary. Sometimes, the issues of our partners are weightier than we expected, and this can make us feel boxed in. When those issues are domestic violence and abuse, the toll on our total well-being can be overwhelming, but can be comforted in the reality that we don’t have to go through it alone. There are many resources available for those of us that are being abused, and we should take full advantage of them. We must also know that the best gift we can give ourselves is to pray to God for help. When we do, He often answers our prayers through other people. He works through them to help us at just the right time. So, we should never hesitate to ask our Heavenly Father for help, nor should we hesitate to accept the help He sends.

We should also be aware that our internal healing is also very necessary. It’s possible that the person we’re in a relationship with had red flags from the very beginning, but we either ignored or didn’t recognize them. Maybe we thought these things would get better, or that the person’s love for us would overshadow any deficiencies. Whatever the case, it is very likely that we need increased wisdom, so that we make better choices in the future, and we learn how to discern the Will of God for our lives. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t ever want anyone to be abused in any way, and when we learn more about His love, we will gain greater confidence in life.

So, it isn’t uncommon that we need to be strengthened internally to feel better and stronger about seeking help. God tells us in Isaiah 41:10 (NLT), “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” God is our strength, and it is important that we feed our minds and souls with the promises of His Word so that we can be empowered by His truth.

Some of us look at the current state of our lives, and we think, “How did I get here?” It can be pretty shocking, but we must not blame ourselves or sink into self-condemnation. We must remember that we have the strength of God within us because the Holy Spirit lives within. God’s Word teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NLT), “19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” Our Heavenly Father has trouble covered in grace on all sides, and His Spirit is in us helping us beyond what we can imagine.

It’s a great strategy if we can decrease the amount of focus that we place on our circumstances and situations and increase the focus we place on God. He never disappoints us, and He will never leave or forsake us. Romans 8:28 tells us that He will cause all things to work together for our good if we will give Him our trust and honor. He can heal us way down deep, where we need it most, because His Spirit is in us, and the Spirit will always be our way out of any trouble or problem we face.■

Rivers of Difficulty

Posted on June 25, 2025 by daaorg1214

Isaiah 43:2-3(NLT)
“2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

A good friend recently went through a tumultuous situation in her relationship. “I feel broken, afraid, and alone! How could he hurt me this way!” Sometimes the people we love the most are the ones that will hurt us the most, and this is a very difficult reality to accept. When it happens, some of us go into repair mode, and that can look different for each person. It’s not uncommon to blame and punish ourselves for the pain we’re experiencing, and this means that we might continue to give up our power to the one that is hurting us. We might also neglect to remember that real and genuine love doesn’t hurt. This is the kind of love we should desire for ourselves because it is the kind of love God wants us to both give and receive.

Many people have been misinformed about what it takes to have a healthy significant relationship. Some of us don’t possess this knowledge and wisdom because we’ve never been taught. This is one of the many reasons why it is so extremely important to read God’s Word. We need to learn about the example of Jesus Christ, because his example is one of true and genuine love. Through his life, ministry, and sacrifice, he teaches us how to love God, ourselves, and others. He also teaches us how to recognize when a counterfeit is in our midst.

In John 15:13(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” In this verse, he is teaching us how real, true, and genuine love behaves. When someone loves us truly, they are willing to make sacrifices for our well-being. They want to see us be our best selves, and they will always do whatever they can to help us be at our best. This is what real, true, and genuine looks like. It’s the way Jesus Christ loves each of us.

He said in John 13:34-35(NLT), “34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” It is not complicated to love people through the love of Jesus Christ. It’s a privilege and honor, and it’s in no way a burden. If what we’re receiving doesn’t look like the love of Christ, it’s a counterfeit, and it would be in our very best interest not to entertain it.

John 3:16(ESV) says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, and He sent him into the world to save us from the darkness and torment of eternal hell. This overwhelming, unconditional, and powerful love was in Christ as he carried out his ministry on earth, and because of his sacrifice, when we accept Christ into our hearts, this incredible love is in us through the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5(NLT) says, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

How incredible are the promises of God in Isaiah 43:2-3? They are beyond comforting. He tells us that when we go through rivers of difficulties and walk through the fire of oppression in our relationships and in life, He will not allow us to drown or be consumed. He is with us. He’s our Rescue, and He has saved us through Jesus Christ. God’s love is the love of Jesus Christ, and we will always have it. This is where our power and strength must be anchored, and when it is, we’ll understand that through Christ, we are worthy of God love. We will be confident in the knowledge of how precious we are to our Heavenly Father, and we will not fall for anyone that doesn’t know and treat us that way too.

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