Hope Will Not Put Us to Shame

Posted on August 26, 2024 by daaorg1214

Romans 5:3-5(ESV)
“3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

“This is a tough one for me – I’ve never been alone and Kevin’s decision to leave me and the kids still doesn’t seem real to me.”

In my spirit, I felt that my friend Gwen was going through something. We’d usually talk at least twice a month, but it had been a while since we last spoke. I’d called her a few times and sent a couple of text messages, and it took a while for her to respond. When she did, her responses were brief, and that wasn’t like her. Gwen and Kevin had been married for twelve years, and the last two years had been tough. One of their kids has autism, and Gwen didn’t think Kevin was as supportive as he should have been. On a Saturday afternoon, my doorbell rang, and there stood Gwen. She stopped by on her way to her mother’s house and said she wanted to see me in person instead of telling me about her news over the phone. “He left me and the kids!” She belted out and fell into my arms as they seem to automatically move to embrace her.

Romans 5:3 says that we rejoice in our sufferings because they produce endurance. Endurance is a quality that is necessary to run this race of life that God has set before us, but when we’re going through something like Gwen, endurance may not be all that appealing. In fact, it’s probably the last thing any of us would want to think about. As a parent with mouths to feed, your mind is inundated with thoughts about how you’re going to support your kids and get from point A to point B. The thing we must recognize is that endurance is the ability that allows us to do that. It helps us to move ourselves out of heartbreak and into a place of resilience and strength. Endurance goes hand in hand with faith and hope, because even though things may look troubling, our faith in God sustains us and carries us through.

Psalm 95:6-7(NLT) says, “6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!” When our minds are racing with anxiety and worry, most of us don’t listen, but we should. We should listen to the truth that God tells us in His Word about His power, love, peace, and comfort. He is worthy to be praised and our gratitude for all He has done for us should prompt us to pay attention to His promise to help us. It is an extraordinary privilege to worship God and to do the things that please Him, but some of us have an accurate image of our Heavenly Father in our minds and hearts. Because of this, we can allow the difficulties of life to make us become emotionally detached from Him. Whether we know it or not, this is a deeper pain than any heartbreak or abandonment caused by a mere human being.

When we’re broken, and have others depending on us, we need the kind of comfort and assurance that only the Lord can give. God leads, guides, and directs us into the kind of life that pleases Him and fulfills us as well. He is our Shepherd, Refuge, and Maker. We’re His people and He has promised to take care of us. He allows us to rest in green pastures and leads us beside peaceful waters. He, and He alone, restores our souls and lead us in the paths of righteousness. We need to remember this when we’re faced with devastating loss.

No matter how damaged we are, God is forever and always our Shepherd. He said in Malachi 3:6(NKJV), “For I am the LORD, I do not change;” Titus 1:2 tells us that He cannot lie. He wants us to lean on Him because He has all power in His hands, and He is willing and able to help us. We must also be clear that we have a part to play as well. We must shift our false beliefs and thoughts away from defeat and self-punishment and allow God’s perfect love to cast out all our fear and anxiety. All the traumas and heartaches we endure will reveal some patterns of behavior that we need to release. They need to be removed from our lives, so God’s love has greater room to move and restore.

Psalm 146:5(NLT) says, “But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God.” Our hope in God will not bring us shame. It will bring us victory, restoration, and renewal! Our hope in God will give us the strength to learn from our past mistakes and take back our power to love better and make better choices. We do not have to be held captive by the pain we’ve endured. We must be committed to ask for God’s forgiveness for all our sins. We must pray for wisdom and understanding, and we must pray and apply the blood of Jesus Christ in those areas in our lives where we need healing and deliverance. Although our hard times are unexpected and painful, God has something much brighter and better for us if we remain hopeful, keep our faith in Him, and focus our eyes on His love and power.■

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.

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.

A Stronghold in Times of Trouble

Posted on August 19, 2024 by daaorg1214

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Why am I in this situation? How in the world did I get here? While I was married to my husband, I asked myself these questions almost every day, but when we began the relationship, things weren’t as bad as they had become. When we first started dating, he was kind, generous, and he always put me first. Our courtship lasted a year and then we got married. Of course, the first month was an adjustment period. We both had pretty established lives before we got married; our own places, good job security, and financial stability. I didn’t think the few disagreements after we moved in together were unusual, but after six months, small disagreements turned into days of not speaking to one another. I never believed I was the kind of woman to disrespect myself or my man, but his mental and emotional abuse was too much. It brought out things in me that I never knew existed, and I was at the lowest point of my life.

Every day, there are women going through the same things I did. Some are experiencing much more dangerous situations than disrespectful name calling and a hard shove here and there. The thing that becomes very clear to anyone in an abusive relationship is that once a certain level of respect is lost, things spiral down a dark hole very quickly. It seemed that my husband and I were almost near the bottom. It felt impossible that he would make a change and begin to honor me. Too many horrible things had been said and done. The treatment was indeed the bottom of the barrel, and I felt the only thing I could do was brace myself for more pain.

I started to struggle in my faith and doubt God’s love for me. I felt abandoned not only by my husband, but by God as well. “If God will allow this hurt and pain then what do I have left?” I asked myself. 2Corinthians 13:5(NIV) gives us the reality check that answers some of the most challenging questions of life, like the ones I had as I struggled to come to terms with my life. It tells us, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” When things are going well, most of us never question whether we are living by faith the way that God commands us to, but when life goes sideways, we choose the route that most do, which is to blame God for the conditions we’re facing.

Some will even think that God is punishing them and that they must endure the hardship and suffer. They erroneously think that this is what God wants. He doesn’t. In John 10:10(NKJV), Jesus Christ tells us what God wants for every person. He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” God wants us to have a more than abundant life, and He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to make this kind of life available to everyone.

God will help us during the most difficult times of our lives. Psalm 9:9 (ESV) tells us, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” When our faith is not where it should be and we are not putting all our trust in God, He still helps us, but we need to know that His Will is that we learn to walk by faith in a greater way. God doesn’t want to be at the same level of faith from year to year. Colossians 2:6-7 tells us that He desires us to be rooted and built up in Christ, and we are to be established and going higher in faith in Him. God wants us to follow His Word so that we avoid relationships that will not yield the kind of love and support He wants His daughters to receive from their spouses. Having faith in God means that we believe it is possible to love and be loved according to the example of Christ.

Ephesians 5:25-28 (NIV) says, “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” This is God’s standard. Of course, a wife must be equally as loving, kind, and respectful of her husband, but as women, we must know that God’s Will is for us to be loved and supported to this degree.

We must have faith that God is our stronghold in any condition and in every situation. Even when things seem impossible, Romans 8:28 tells us that He can turn them around and cause them to work together for our good, but we must be clear that He doesn’t want us to be mistreated just as He doesn’t want us to mistreat anyone either. It’s going to be necessary for us to hold up a mirror and examine ourselves. Self-reflection and being accountable to following the example of Christ is the best tool for anyone interested in living their best life.

Most of us spend our lives doing exactly what we want to do. Before we made consequential choices and decisions, we didn’t think to ask for God’s counsel or permission, and this method of approaching life will not yield the results we hope. Part of growing in faith is changing the way we think as we also pray for God’s guidance and direction. We also must develop a deeper well of love so that we are spiritually prepared to love others according to the example of Christ. Ephesians 4:32 teaches us that we are to be kind and forgive one another. This level of love for Jesus Christ and love and compassion for others is required to please God. It should be in our hearts way before we consider marriage. When it is, we will be better able to recognize and discern if a man does or doesn’t have the capacity to love us in the way that Christ does. ■

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.

Give God Room to Move

Posted on August 12, 2024 by daaorg1214

James 1:2-4(NLT)
“2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

I’ve been on this Christian journey for many years, and I’ve seen and heard many stories from women that have endured horrific and destructive relationships. Looking from the outside, you’d never suspect that some of them have a care in the world. From high-earning professionals and professors to stay-at-home moms and Sunday-school teachers, women from all walks of life and varied backgrounds have smiles on their faces, but deep wounds in their souls. They try desperately to keep their tragic and abusive home life a secret, and no one knows the level of abuse they’re enduring. God gave the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that no one would have to live a life of pain. Healing is introduced in our lives as soon as we choose to believe this.

Psalm 62:8(ESV) tells us, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Our Heavenly Father is our safe place. This is the truth, but when we’ve been battered by life, it is sometimes challenging to fit those healing Words into the places that have been blocked by our pain. We can’t imagine the journey from victim to overcomer, and that through Christ we can actually move ourselves to healing and wholeness. The healing process isn’t easy, but it isn’t nearly as gut wrenching as living in fear, and the rewards are far greater than anything we can imagine. We’re never alone. Jesus Christ is with us every step of the way, and if we lean on his strength, Philippians 4:13 tells that he will empower us to do all things.

There are many misconceptions about domestic violence, and what constitutes an abusive situation or relationship. This has caused some that are being abused to be in denial about it. We can be tricked by our need to understand and empathize with the abuser, and this can push us deeper into the cycle of abuse. It’s not just physical. Abuse comes in different forms. It can be psychological, emotional, sexual, financial, and stalking as well. So, it isn’t always physical, but it is always about control and trying to steal someone’s power through manipulation, coercion, or other threatening behaviors.

It is common for the person being abused to blame themselves, but they are not to blame, and releasing the shame is a pivotal step towards healing. For some, abuse was present in their homes growing up, and for others it was completely foreign. No matter how abuse came to be introduced into a person’s life, it can ravage the mind, heart, and soul. God’s healing is necessary for restoration and repair, but we have to give Him space to move. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us experiencing any type of abuse. He wants you to experience the beauty and depth of His love, power, and strength, but these beauties come by faith in Him. We simply must trust God and believe that He will come to our aid.

Some aspect of difficulties and painful circumstances are facts of life for everyone. We all have baggage to unload and issues to work through, but God didn’t create life to be a series of painful experiences. He gave us life to enjoy our relationship with Him. Jesus Christ said 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.” In this verse, Jesus makes us aware that we have an enemy, and this enemy is in the earth to steal, kill, and destroy. Our precious Lord and Savior came to the earth to deliver us from oppression and darkness, and to give us a more than abundant life. This is a life where we experience his wholeness and completeness every day that we are given.

An abusive relationship can seem like an emotional roller-coaster that never slows down long enough for you to get off. Our Heavenly Father is not unfeeling. He knows what we’re going through, and He wants to help us. To give Him room to move, we must meet God with a mind and heart that is hopeful towards Him and invested in the reality that He has all power in His hands. Colossians 3:10(NLT) tells us to “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” We must be willing to release some of the old things that keep us drenched in a painful existence, and we must make our minds new with hope and faith in God. This gives Him room to move in our situations so that we can get off the roller-coaster of pain and begin to enjoy the freedom of living the life that He wants us to have. ■

Don’t Let Anything Shake Your Faith

Posted on August 5, 2024 by daaorg1214

I’m sure you know believers that have witnessed incredible manifestations of their faith. Like me, there are others you might know that have been praying for their desires a very long time, and they are still waiting. Not only are they waiting, but they are wondering. They want to know why others seem to be blessed in phenomenal ways, but they’re not seeing this kind of movement in their own lives. It can be very disappointing, and some are offended to such a degree that they leave the faith altogether. God doesn’t want this to happen to anyone. 1Timothy 2:4(NLT) tells us that He “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” Our allegiance to trusting and understanding this verse is really where the rubber meets the road. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the truth, and sometimes our disappointment is a result of simply not hearing enough of the truth from God’s Word.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 138:2(NKJV), “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” This is more magnificent than our brains can compute. God, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, Jehovah Elohim, the One True Living God, and Creator of all that we survey has elevated His Word above His name. Every Word spoken from the mouth of God is true. Hebrews 6:18 tells us that it is impossible for God to lie. This is our 150 million percent guarantee that God is faithful to His Word. He will forever honor it and back His Word up with all that He is.

Hebrews 11:1(NLT) tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” God is a Spirit, and He gives to us what He is. Every good thing originates from Him, and everything that comes from Him is spiritual, because it can’t be anything else. Ephesians 1:11(NLT) declares, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and every blessing, without exception, is spiritual.

Faith is a gift from God, and it is spiritual. It’s the spiritual substance that He used to create the universe. There’s no one greater than God and there’ s no greater authority than the truth of every Word that He speaks. He created faith to come wherever the His truth is spoken. This is law!

When God said “Let there be light” in Genesis 1:3, light had no other choice but to obey the authority of God’s faith. He has given us this same faith through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, according to the Words spoken by God in Romans 10:17, you and I can know resolutely that faith obeys the authority of God’s truth. Faith comes wherever the truth is believed, and the result of believing the truth of God’s Word is the manifestation of His blessings in the natural realm.

Faith is God’s law in operation! Again, faith is a spiritual substance. We know that life is in every gift that comes from above; therefore, faith has life because it comes from God. Like everything that comes from the Father, faith is immutable, righteous, lovely, and perfect in every way. Our mission, then, should be to live on par with the life of faith, so that Christ is manifested in all that we do. Hebrews 12:28(NLT) tells us, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.” From this we should clearly see that God expects our faith in Him to be as unshakable as the Kingdom that we represent.

Even if you and I are not manifesting ‘all spiritual blessings’, God’s Word declares that we can, and that is His desire for us. He blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ from the very beginning. It is our standing, our sonship right. The reality of how bountifully He’s provided is true even if we do not walk in all He has provided. Our lack is never the authority in any situation. God’s Word is the authority, and our level of believing must rise to this awesome truth.

We must stand on the truth that produces faith in our hearts and minds. The truth must be an internal reality that you live in every moment of every day. God commands us in Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT), “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” You and I are required to seek God’s Will. Jesus Christ affirmed this in Matthew 6:33. He commands us to seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness first in everything that we attempt to do. This means that we must pursue the wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word, because He has magnified His Word above His name.

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.” More than anything, more than we want the desires of our hearts, we should want to please God. The way to accomplish this is to know Him through His Word. This is what means the most to Him, therefore it must mean the most to us. Don’t let anything shake your faith in God. He must see in you and in your heart that your relationship with Him will always come first. He loves you and wants you to grow in Christ. When knowing Him through His Word is what you truly desire, you’ll continually walk in the truth and witness the manifestation of His many blessings. ■

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.

Forgive and Receive Forgiveness

Posted on July 29, 2024 by daaorg1214

The heart of every human being was designed by God to contain His love and then to release His love to others. This is wonderful indeed, but we must also realize that there are other things we’ve chosen to hold in our hearts, and they don’t resemble God’s love. These are remnants of our old nature and life that existed outside of Christ. This stuff keeps us from moving in God’s love in a way that pleases Him. For many of us, resentment and the choice to withhold forgiveness from others are the remnants still abiding in our hearts. These two are the blockers that impede our spiritual progression. They disconnect us from God’s blessings and keep us stuck in patterns that give oxygen to people and situations that should have been released long ago.

Forgiveness is the practice of releasing anger, grudges, and resentment toward a person that has wronged us. It is to replace those harmful feelings with those of God’s love. Forgiving others is something we must do as God’s children, but this doesn’t mean that we should compromise the preservation of our safety, mental health, and well-being. Wisdom teaches us to forgive a person’s trespass against us in our hearts, but we must also be ever so mindful that forgiving them doesn’t mean that this person will change. Sometimes they do not, and our responsibility is to continue to pray that they will come to know Jesus Christ in the pardon of their sins. We must pray that they will be transformed by the love of God in Christ just as it has transformed us. In many circumstances, we must do this from a distance, and be wise about the level of entrance into our lives that we allow this person. In other words, we forgive, pray, and move in God’s peace, without the interruption of that peace.

So, forgiveness doesn’t supersede wisdom and discernment; it partners with them. We must have a forgiving heart, because forgiveness releases the weight of sin from our own hearts and minds. In this way, forgiving others is the greatest gift that we can give to ourselves, because it releases us from bondage. It preserves our fellowship with God and takes back the power over our lives that we wrongfully gave to another individual.

Forgiveness is one of those pillars of human behavior that is defined by God’s nature, and the willingness and humility to forgive others is required for His forgiveness of our sins. Jesus Christ teaches in Mark 11:25(NLT), “25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” This practice of forgiving others is our response to understanding the Will of God. We must have faith that He sees our desire to live right before Him and He will reward our obedience to the example of Jesus Christ.

Our blessed Lord never held a grudge against those who tried to drag his name through the mud, neither did he resent those that tried to destroy him. He taught the disciples in Luke 6:27-31, 37(NLT), “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 37 Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus Christ practiced what he preached. After the brutality and suffering he endured on the cross at the hands of the very ones he came to save, he hung there, dying with his hands and feet nailed to the cross. As the soldiers below were gambling for his clothing, and among the mocking by others in the crowd, Jesus prayed in Luke 6:34(NLT), “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” This is the heart of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and as God’s children, it must be our heart as well. God commands us to be imitators of Christ, and He holds us responsible for forgiving those that have wronged us.

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.” Again, as sons and daughters of God, we must have the heart of Christ. Some of us have allowed the world to convince us that this isn’t necessary. Society tells us that we can hold grudges because that is how everyone else in the world behaves. This is not the truth. An unforgiving spirit is one of darkness, and it will short circuit our prayer lives and disconnect us from the blessings we desire most.

Unforgiveness, the refusal to forgive, takes up a tremendous amount of space in our hearts. It is a magnet for people, situations, and consequences in life that match it and keep us trapped in negativity. Our number one priority in this season should be to pray and seek the help and guidance of God to have the forgiving heart of Christ. As we do this daily, the indwelling Holy Spirit may remind us of situations and occurrences of the past where we were wronged but never forgave the person that wronged us. We need to take the time to reflect and confront those situations in our minds and hearts. We must surrender any darkness that is in our hearts because of them.

Pray, “Heavenly Father, I release this grudge in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. I no longer hold this person responsible for the wrong they committed against me, and I ask You to bless them according to Your divine Will and plan. I surrender everything to You, and I thank You for flooding my heart with Your love. I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over my life, and I thank You for cleansing me from all unrighteousness through Your precious Son. Please forgive me for not forgiving this person in the past and thank You for forgiving me for all my sins. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Remember, 1Peter 4:8(NLT) says, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” Choose God’s love every time. Embrace God’s forgiveness by forgiving others so that you get rid of all the things in your heart that have held you back, then cling to the love and forgiveness that propels you forward. When you have this kind of humility, faith, and obedience, you will prove your commitment to please God. You will go higher in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and be a conduit of God’s love, grace, and power. ■

The True Story About the Void and the Longing

Posted on July 22, 2024 by daaorg1214

One thing can be said of believers and unbelievers alike, and it is that we are all on a quest. Within each of us, God has woven an unexplainable urge to pursue the thing we believe will make us happiest. It’s true for every living individual. Even when we’re not old enough to walk and ask for what we want, we convey it with cries and noises to those who care for us. We were created to have needs and to seek God for the satisfaction of them. As we mature and understand life more, the unexplainable urge is greater. We want more riches, greater health, and fulfilling relationships. The longing leaves a void, and we are driven to distraction to try and fill it. We are especially dug in with the belief that the right person can span the width and breadth of what’s missing. The problem is that even after meeting the right person and acquiring all the things we think we want; the longing isn’t quenched.

What ails us can’t be resolved by physical intimacy and romantic or sentimental emotions. We think that these will do the trick because others tell us they will. Society tries to convince us that acquiring relationships and material things are the closest to happiness we can attain. We buy into this and later find that nothing touches that place where we have longed all our lives. So, in some respects it is true that we are burdened with our longings for love and happiness, and it is terribly unfair to place this burden on anyone else, because they are unable to fill the gap.

Many of us are lonely beyond what we could ever have imagined. We don’t feel validation in the depth of our souls, and no matter the person we’ve sought to give us this validation, disappointment has always been the result. So many of us feel a stone’s throw away from the flatness King Solomon felt as he searched relentlessly for the purpose of life. The longing becomes a dry ache, and underneath the movement of our everyday routines is the sadness of “No matter what I do, I will never have what I really want.” Nothing seems to be that achievement, that fulfillment, that gulp of ooey gooey something that blankets every nook and cranny of our beings and sends us in perpetual delight.

This doesn’t sound like the abundant life that Jesus Christ made available. It sounds like the condition of the human soul because of the unbelievable void that Adam’s sin left. Romans 5:12(NLT) says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” We call this void in our souls a whole lot of other things, but in truth it’s the memory of losing our connection to God. It’s the absence of the bounty that God intended all His children to have. For good measure, we should call it what it is, and every time that we feel the void, we should remember that we’ve been rescued from it by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Because of Adam’s sin, we were born into a sinful world with sin in our members. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:23(NLT), “But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” The sin in us feeds the void, and in order to satisfy it, some of us have been seeking everywhere but the Lord. You can be confident that nothing can satisfy you like Jesus Christ. Paul said in Romans 7:24-25(NLT), “24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We must always remember that our privilege and duty is to cling to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. We will not live forever in our current form. We will not acquire all that we seek to obtain, and we will not see all our dreams come true. Should the Lord tarry, life in the current state of our humanness is finite, and there are reminders of this all around us. But praise God, Jesus Christ has given us a totally different vision and taken us to a whole other dimension in life. 1Corinthians 15:22(KJV) tells us, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Our hope in Christ is all we have, and it is more than enough for this life and eternity. 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.”

What we need to understand is that there is a deep and abiding longing in us, and it must be filled with our hope in Christ. There’s an inheritance that we’re destined to attain, and the fullness of it has not yet been made known. Indeed, we’re on a journey, trying to get to a place of unspeakable joy, peace, and bliss, but we need to remember that our race isn’t about earthly relationships and materialism. It’s about digesting as much of the example of Christ as we possible can, and then allowing his love to transform us. God didn’t make this an automatic occurrence. We didn’t and don’t receive all that He has in store in one big gulp. Life was created by God to be a walk. It’s an opportunity to walk with Him daily so that our relationship with Heavenly Father deepens through Christ, and we will be prepared for that glorious day when our Lord and Savior returns.■

Seek God, Because He’s Always Right

Posted on July 15, 2024 by daaorg1214

Being a child of God is a privilege incomparable to any other. It literally transforms us into people we couldn’t imagine becoming before we accepted Jesus Christ. It’s God’s love that does it. He’s made it possible for us to switch to a trajectory in life that will catapult us to a continuous journey in Christ. Nothing is better than this! It’s the life God purposed for us long ago. He handpicked you and did so way before you entered your mother’s womb. You didn’t just randomly decide to be God’s child. He’s the One that set your destiny and purposed your existence before the foundation of the world. This mind-blowing piece of revelation should inspire each of us. Our hearts should burn to be all that God created us to be and to attain all that He has in store for our lives.

Ephesians 1:5,10-11(NLT) says, “5 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. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ–everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

This passage is the container that holds all our hopes and dreams. Again, we’re not random individuals. We have a destiny! We’re on this earth for a reason, and it is to carry out all that God has purposed. Understanding this is crucial to our faith. Many individuals think of faith as the means to get whatever they want. This causes them to pray for things that are not according to God’s plan for their individual lives. God has given us faith to fulfill His Will. This is the greatest fulfillment that any of us could ever hope to achieve. If we step outside of this, the thing we’re praying to receive will ultimately cause more harm to our relationship with God than good. We should always bear this in mind.

As believers, we sometimes want things that are not right for us, and there is no willingness in our minds and hearts to be led and corrected. When believers take on this way of approaching our Heavenly Father, and don’t have a mindset of “Thy Will be done”, they will keep hoping and praying, but it will seem that nothing is materializing. Rather seeking God in humility, they become discouraged and stop hoping altogether. This isn’t a spiritually mature posture. God shows us a better way, and it is to renew our minds to His Word so that we can obtain guidance and direction from the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:28(NLT) 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 not redundant or wasteful. He knows the plans He has for us, and He will employ every single encounter and experience to increase us and steer us in the direction of His love and purpose. 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.” This verse informs us that God has a goal for us, and it is to become like our Big Brother, Jesus Christ. This is our purpose for being in the earth, and it is what life is all about.

Sometimes, we become discouraged when we’ve been praying for better health, new relationships, or greater financial blessings, and it seems as if those things are moving as slow as molasses to get to us. We’re not seeing progress, and we might be thinking that these blessings are just not going to manifest. “Why doesn’t God just tell me what’s going on? If He’s not going to bless me or I’m not praying right, why doesn’t He simply say this to me?” Well God is a God of order, and He will never overstep His order. Jesus Christ makes it clear to us that it’s our responsibility to seek God’s Will. He tells us in Matthew 6:33 to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first. This is key! You and I are not the authority on righteousness, God is, and Christ tells us that seeking God’s righteousness is the way to go.

Seeking God’s righteousness means yielding to it with the understanding that nothing can ever go wrong when His ‘rightness’ is the motivation for all we attempt to do. We must seek Him first because God is always right. It’s His Will to bless us, and He knows how to do it best. Jesus Christ said 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.” God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings because of our union with Christ, and this is a more than abundant life! It’s not a life where we have all that we want. An abundant life in Christ is one where we have all that we need to fulfill the Plan and Will of God for our individual lives.

Sometimes we ask for the blessing without inviting God to do a work in our hearts and minds to prepare us for what is to come. The landing strip we have created in our lives isn’t strong or wide enough to hold what we’re asking God to receive. In other words, we have more to do in order to demonstrate our desire to know God better and to build our relationship with Him. We have more to do to make sure our faith in Him is greater than our desire for the blessing. Our minds must be renewed to God’s Word and our hearts must expand in our love for Him. This must be done on a greater level than before, so that we fulfill God’s requirement for our spiritual growth in Christ and obtain more understanding regarding the perfection and righteousness of His Will. ■

Strength in Times of Uncertainty

Posted on July 8, 2024 by daaorg1214

Psalm 23:4-5(NLT)
“4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.”

God tells us in His Word to be wise and have spiritual discernment, and to achieve these by reading and studying His Word. In Hebrews 4:12, He tells us that His Word is alive! It’s sharper than a surgeon’s scalpel, or any two-edged sword. It’s so sharp, exact, and precise that it pierces through, dividing the soul and spirit, and joints and morrow. This verse goes on to tell us that God’s living Word judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. It lays us wide open before God, so that at any and all times, we are completely bare before Him. This is the piercing level of wisdom and knowledge that God has placed at our fingertips through His Word. He’s done this so that we will know Him in all His magnificent glory, power, and love. He’s also done this so we will comprehend and expect that He will use His power to achieve His purpose and do so profoundly in our individual lives.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that our Heavenly Father made us in His very own image. We are intelligent beings with a mind and heart that cannot be touched with human hands or seen with human eyes. We are His created spiritual beings, specifically tailored to experience an abundant life on earth. We are blessed beyond measure, because at one point in human history, people thought it was impossible to know God or to understand His thoughts. Even with all their philosophies, they missed out on Him because they had no way to know Him. All praise to our glorious Heavenly Father that this isn’t the case with those of us living today. We have His Word, and because we do, we have the keys to His Kingdom!

Our issue is that life can throw some serious curve balls our way, and sometimes it does this when we’re at our most vulnerable. God tells us in Hosea 4:6(ESV), “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge.” Because we haven’t sharpened our discernment and wisdom by reading and studying God’s Word, the enemy uses tricks and plots to deceive us. Many of us have chosen the wrong partner because of this. We connect with a person that is responding to our fears rather than choosing a person that responds to our faith. Although it may not seem like it, through Christ, we can turn our worst decision into a steppingstone for our success. We can do this through the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we give our lives to Jesus Christ and became born-again, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. He is a part of the Godhead. He is the Spirit of God, and God has given him to each of us as a gift. Philippians 2:13 tells us that the Spirit is working on the inside of us, giving us the desire and the effort for God’s good pleasure. However, we must know that the Holy Spirit never forces or pushes. He works only to the degree that we allow him. Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ through his sacrifice and resurrection, the Holy Spirit is here with us, and if we allow him, he will work in, with, and through us. So, the greatest thing that we can do for ourselves is to let him be at work.

Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(ESV), “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” The Spirit guides us into the truth, where liberty in Christ is found. Jesus Christ told us in John 8:32(NLT), “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We cannot be free by believing a lie. We must know the truth of God’s Word to be free.

If we don’t know God’s Word, and we are not allowing God’s Spirit to guide us, we might walk into a trap. When this happens, our lives can send us into a dark valley very quickly. We begin to feel as though nothing can help us, but this is not the truth. Rather, it is the lie that the enemy wants us to believe so that he can continue tricking us. We have a choice. We can continue in fear and doubt, or we can trust that God is with us, that He has not left us alone, nor will He.

God’s desire is that our cup, our lives, overflow with blessings, and He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live abundantly, but we have a part to play as well. The situations and circumstances of life can leave us feeling uncertain and afraid, but we have a friend who has all the wisdom, power, and strength we will ever need. Jesus Christ told the disciples in Acts 1:8(ESV), “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Holy Spirit is our friend, and he lives within us. He will help, comfort, teach, and guide us, but we must partner with him by reading and studying God’s Word.

We are not weak, as some would have us to believe. In Exodus 15:2(ESV), Moses and the children of Israel sang, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation;” Romans 8:31(ESV) reassures us of God’s great love and declares, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Jesus Christ because he gives us strength. So, lets get on board with God’s Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Let him guide you out of the valley and into the truth where you can walk in God’s wisdom and have strength and confidence in times of uncertainty. ■

Rejoice in Your Inheritance!

Posted on July 1, 2024 by daaorg1214

James 2:5(NLT)
“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?”

As His people, the Lord calls us to always keep our eyes on the greatness of His glory, love, power, and majesty. He is a sovereign God, and no other in all of eternity can compare to Him. He requires us to keep our minds on His goodness, and this prompts us to stay in the present, and not get ahead of His guidance. God knows the end at the beginning, and the events of life and history unfold the way they do because every Word that proceeds from His mouth is true. It’s a done deal. If God says something is going to happen, it is going to happen. He is not moving us about like robots, but His prophecy will unfold exactly as He has spoken, and every drop of what He has spoken in His Word has either already come to pass, or it will do so in the future. He knows everything there is to know about everything, so we can place our total trust in His protection, provision, and care, because our future is in Him, and indeed our future belongs to Him.

God said in Jeremiah 29:11(NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” You and I don’t know our futures, but God does. We can’t predict what is going to happen, but even before the foundation of the world, God knew every detail of our existences. Nothing we do is a surprise to Him. What is important to God is that we are with Him and have faith in His love, strength, and power.

In Jeremiah 29:11, He tells us that He wants us with Him for a very, very, very long time. He is the only One that can give us a future, and He reveals His plan to us. His plan will not harm us, but instead give us hope and a future with Him. He secured that future for us when He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to give his life as a sacrifice for our sins, and then He resurrected Christ from the dead. Through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God made good on His promise to give us a future and a hope. He’s given us an inheritance in Christ, so He has even more treasures to share with us? His giving and goodness never ends!

God’s Will and desire for us is to have a wonderful present and future, enjoying our relationship with Him. In the past, before we gave our lives to God through Jesus Christ, we were in rough shape. Ephesians 5:8(NIV) tells us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” We were in the dark before we knew the light of Christ, and for some of us, that darkness was one struggle after another.

A while back, I read the testimony of a woman in an abusive marriage. After an adulterous affair, her husband left her and their three children, but refused to give her a divorce because he didn’t want to pay support. Afraid of what he might do to her, she felt imprisoned in a home she couldn’t afford on her own. She was afraid that he could come in at any time and reap havoc on their lives and abuse her even more. She was desperate, and for the first time in her life, she prayed and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into her heart. After that, things were very challenging for a while, but she discovered that through Christ, she was much stronger than she thought, and many doors began to open for her and her kids. They escaped that terrible situation, and now they no longer live in fear, but in the light of Christ.

We must believe and trust God that we can come out of the darkness and into the light where His love and strength abides. He doesn’t want us to struggle and live a painful existence; that’s not His Will. Jesus Christ said in John 14:6(NIV), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus Christ is the way, and if we will allow him, he will lead us out of darkness so that we can see the blessings that God has for us. In the dark, we can’t see, but when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and as our personal Lord and Savior, the light gets turned on. We leave the old in the past and welcome the new!

God is showing us what it means to be wrapped in His love. It means that He gives us the bounty of His spiritual goodies now, and He still has an inheritance waiting for us to receive even more. 1Peter 1:3-5(NLT) says, “3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance–an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”

In our relationship with Heavenly Father, He wants us to enjoy the communion and fellowship we share with Him. We can’t do that if we’re worried, anxious, and afraid about our futures. If we’re panicked with uncertainty, we wouldn’t delight in Him in the way He deserves. In Peter 1:3-5, He lets us know that He’s taken care of all our worries about the future. He guarantees a wonderful inheritance for all those who love Him and have accepted Christ, and to give us assurance of this, He’s placed His Holy Spirit inside us. Ephesians 1:13-14(NLT) says, “13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

Romans 8:17 says that we are children of God and fellow heir with Jesus Chris, our Lord. We are in Christ because we accepted the salvation God offered us through him, and Christ is in us because his Spirit lives on the inside of us. God is showing all the treasure that is in Christ because through Christ, He is dwelling in us. Our Heavenly Father wants us to know that when we look in the mirror, we are seeing His best because we are seeing Christ. God is not hiding away. He’s in us! And there’s so much more on the way. So, let’s never give up hope. Learn about all that God has given you and rejoice in your inheritance. Your completeness is in Christ, and as you awaken your mind and heart to your reality in him, his brilliant and everlasting victory on the cross will transform your life! ■

Everything You Lost, Returned!

Posted on June 24, 2024 by daaorg1214

Zechariah 9:11-13(NLT)
“And you, because of my blood covenant with you, I’ll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells. Come home, hope-filled prisoners! This very day I’m declaring a double bonus – everything you lost returned twice-over!”

If something precious to you is lost, or worse, it’s taken or stolen from you, you’ll probably try to get it back. It’s not a stretch to say that in the future, you will also take a few measures to ensure this doesn’t happen to you again. It’s no secret that in life, we lose things that are very important to us. Whether it’s material treasures, a job, house, car, or a relationship, these losses can be devastating. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it can appear as though we’re not going to get these treasures back and that is a challenging thing to accept. God reminds us in Zechariah 9:11-13 that when we lose a treasure, we are not without hope. He is our hope! When our trust is firmly placed in God, He restores, replenishes, and gives us back everything we’ve lost twice-over.

Trust bigger
Ephesians 3:20(NKJV) says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” This verse tells us that God’s power and willingness to help us is exceedingly abundantly above anything that you and I can think or imagine. Therefore, we should never measure a problem by our own ability to deal with it. Our losses, troubles, and obstacles should be measured according to who will be handling them. Our all-powerful, brilliant and perfect God is the One that handles everything that seeks to hold us back or keep us down, and our faith should be firmly planted in Him.

2Corinthians 9:8(NKJV) says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” The job, house, car, money or relationship is not the source of our happiness. If we think that, we’re sadly mistaken. God is the Source of all good things. He’s our sufficiency and Provider, and we need to fully grasp this truth so that our faith is increased. Again, our Heavenly Father is all-powerful and all-knowing, and His love for us is unconditional and unlimited. He is always on our side, and no problem is too big for Him to solve. God can do anything, and He doesn’t want us to make the mistake of going to other sources. He wants us to lean totally and completely on Him.

Our trust in God should be bigger than our fear and doubt. Our faith in Him should be bigger than any other reality in our lives. This is an important lesson to learn. In the past, instead of relying on God, we have relied on ourselves and that is not a successful strategy. God’s Holy Spirit is in us, and he is working on the inside, supplying us with the strength to do God’s Will. So, we must decrease in the flesh, and allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to increase so that we are cooperating with the Will of God for our lives.

Be thankful for what you have
God does not take away our blessings or cause us to lose them. Our blessings are stolen or hindered because we have an enemy, the devil, and Jesus Christ tells us in John 10:10 that the devil’s game is to steal, kill, and destroy. When the enemy plays his tricks on us, our response must be a strategic one. Ephesians 6:12(NLT) teaches us, “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.” This war that we’re fighting is spiritual warfare, and we can’t use weapons of the flesh to fight a spiritual enemy. We must put on God’s spiritual weaponry, so that we are fully equipped.

The Word of God is the Spirit’s sword, and we must put it on in our minds and hearts to remain spiritually strong. 1Thessalonians 5:18(NLT) tells us, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Rather than being worried, upset, or angry about what you’ve lost, thank God for what you have. Thankfulness is an attitude that pleases God. It conveys our trust in Him, and in the reality that no matter what has gone wrong, He alone will make it right.

Confess and affirm God’s Goodness
One thing that I learned many years ago was to speak life over my circumstances by confessing and affirming the promises of God. I taught myself to focus my mind on the victory I would receive in my situation. Even though things looked like that weren’t going to work out, I make the choice to place my faith in God and to trust Him no matter how things looked. This is always the choice before us when we’re dealing with problems, loss, and other issues. We can sink low in our minds and hearts and give up, or we can have faith in God, which is what Jesus Christ has commanded us to do.

God tells us in Proverbs 18:21(KJV) that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We are made in the image of our Heavenly Father. Genesis 1:3(KJV) tells us, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” God spoke light into existence by the power and authority of His Word. He has given us this same ability. When it comes to the tricks and plots of the devil against us, we must make a habit of saying the same thing that God says. We must come into agreement with God through the power of His Word. He tells us in the passage of Zechariah 9:11-13 that He will return what we have lost when our faith is in Him. Therefore, our continual confession should be, “Thank You, Heavenly Father, for blessing me beyond my expectations. You are good and glorious in every way, and according to Your promise, I declare that nothing I have lost will compare to what You will restore and return to me. You are the God of the exceedingly abundantly, and I will increase my faith to expect Your portion of unlimited supply. I receive it all according to Your promises, in the wonderful and powerful name of Jesus Christ!”

God is so good that even those in cells, imprisoned by their circumstances or wrongdoing, are prisoners of hope, because their hope and faith in God will always be rewarded. Romans 5:5(NKJV) tells us, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Our hope in God through the Lord Jesus Christ will not fail. If we are committed to put God first and understand that He is a God of the exceedingly abundantly, our hope in Him will yield the manifestation of His promises and power in our lives.■

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