A Good Marriage - Communication and Acceptance

We form our individuality from birth. Our reactions to life's developments cause us to make choices, and we collect "baggage" from unresolved conflicts in our soul. We develop a wall of protection, which becomes a hindrance to true intimacy in our marriage.

We usually marry a person that we really love, admire and feel a passion towards. However, sometimes they are lacking in certain areas, and we optimistically hope that they will change to be more of the person we need in our life. This is a time-bomb.

If we do not accept our future mate just the way he/she is, then we are asking for a troubled marriage. Marriage never changes anyone's core values, basic habits, personality and character.

We both put on a "good face" while dating, but after the wedding we relax. Also, over the years, we both adjust our perspective on life, our dreams and goals, our interests and our outlook, etc. and this often affects the way we relate to and feel about each other.

We have to realize that we both deserve to have our own values, individual life plans, and the right to make our own choices. This calls for us to choose to continue to love and serve the person we married, even when we do not agree with their choices.

Communication is difficult in any setting: in marriage, at work, with parent-child relationships, in our community, etc. Have you ever had a conversation with yourself? If we are honest, we will admit that, at times, we even argue with our self.

The key to success in this area is for both mates to walk in the Spirit. We consult God and communicate with one another before we make any plans or decisions about our day. God will lead us both on the path in which we should go.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to love one another as we love our self (Mark 12:30-31). Teach us to develop vulnerability in place of defensiveness, humility to replace pride, openness over resistance, apology instead of accusing, forgiveness rather than holding grudges, and living in Your will more preferably than relying on our human resources.

Help us to do all that we can to live in peace with everyone, especially our mate. Remind us that if we consult You before making any plans, we will live in more harmony with one another (Proverbs 3:5-6). Hold us when we feel misunderstood, lonely even though we are married, falsely accused, disappointed, etc. Teach us to compromise, rather than to insist on our own goals and desires, until we find common ground on which we can both stand.

Thought for the Day:

In marriage, remember not to neglect the important aspects of love that keep our souls connected: worshiping God and praying together, holding hands, giving focused attention, doing random acts of kindness, serving our community together, hugging when we pass in the house rather than walking by each other, having a date night, playing together, laughing together, etc.

A Living Sacrifice

God admonishes us in His Word to live as instruments for righteousness, a living sacrifice as one brought from spiritual death to life (Romans 6:13). He calls us to live as a witness to others as an unreproachable Believer (Titus 1:5-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13).

As new Believers, we think that taking care of others is more important than caring for our self. God's Word teaches us that we are to love others in the same manner that we love our self. If we do not care for our self, we will have no energy to care for others.

The more we neglect our self in order to care for others, the more drained we get in body, soul and spirit. We fight constant exhaustion and fatigue. We give our entire resources to others and leave none left over to care for our self.

This may even lead to depression caused by the anger that we feel toward our self for our neglect of our personal needs. It helps to get alone with God each day, to recharge our battery and to hear from His Spirit, so we can stop walking outside of His will for our life.

As we assess our motives for what we do, we can change our choices, habits and thought life to fit in with God's plans for as His living sacrifice (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 4:8). Some areas of our lifestyle are actually vitally important to prevent self-destruction.

We need 7-9 hours of sleep each night to allow our body to heal and to gain energy for the next day. If we have a sedentary job, we need to remember to keep moving. We also need to feel the sun on our skin and the grass under our feed.

Reading daily devotions from Biblical sources is paramount. If we are drowning in busyness, we can slow down, destress, and take frequent breaks to relax. Eating nutritious meals, drinks and snacks is also indispensably important in order to keep us healthy with strength to work as the Lord directs us.

When we care for our self, we get to know who we are, what we need, and what we want. This enables us to develop good habits that meet our daily needs. Self-care also allows us to daily deny our carnal nature and to submit to God's Spirit as He sanctifies us (Romans 8:5-14).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we are made in Your image, and we can follow the example to rest that You gave to us (Genesis 2:2-3). Jesus showed us that we need times without the interruption of crowds of people (Mark 6:31), as well as social media or ringing telephones. We can even prop up our feet and rest a while between chores and duties. Remind us to have compassion for our own foibles and failings, as well as for other people, forgiving our self and others quickly.

Help us to feel our feelings, and to talk or journal about them, rather than to bury them in our subconscious mind or to ignore them. Teach us to make frequent lists of the good qualities in our self, mate, children, family members, church family, co-workers, etc. and to learn to appreciate our self and others. We really appreciate You, and we want to serve You with our life, both now and throughout eternity.

Thought for the Day:

As we celebrate our gratitude for all of God's blessings, we can spend time playing with our pet, working on a craft, chatting with a friend, snuggling with our mate and children, fellowshipping with our church family, playing an instrument, attending Bible studies and doing our daily devotion times, tinkering with the car, reading, counting our blessings, watching a game or movie or listening to our music, etc.; this all will bring a smile to our face, put joy in our heart, and make us ready to abide as a living sacrifice for our God.

Having Faith in God's Faithfulness

When we verbally declare that "Jesus is Lord," and we believe in our heart that Our Father God raised Him from the dead, we are saved from the devastation of sin and the eternal flames of hell (Romans 1:16; 10:9-11; Matthew 13:50; Revelation 20:15).

Thankfully, God gives us salvation by grace, through our faith in Him. We do not need to earn redemption by our works, otherwise we could boast of our accomplishments and goodness (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 12:3; 1 Timothy 6:6).

When we are hindered by mountains of difficulties, we can use the wisdom of the Serenity Prayer, and trust God to help us to deal with them, enable us to climb over them, or to supernaturally remove them for us (Mark 11:23; 1 John 5:5; Matthew 21:21).

As authentic Believers, we live in this world by the faith of the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). No matter what we suffer in life, we can rest assured that God loves us and has a higher purpose for us in all things (Philippians 1:29; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

We hold fast to our faith in God's faithfulness, and we look forward to eternal life, to which we are guaranteed by our confession of faith in Christ's eternal work for us (1 Timothy 6:12; John 20:29). We walk in His Spirit in the center of His will.

The more we hear and read the Word of God, the stronger our faith in Christ becomes (Romans 10:17). We know for a fact that God plans for everyone who is in Christ to live with Him now and for all eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us the ability to add Godly character to our life through our faith in You (2 Peters 1:5-7). Your presence in us separates us from the control of sin and gives us hope in Your promises of eternal life with You (Galatians 3:22). Thank You also for giving us the righteousness of Christ through our faith and belief in Him (Romans 3:21-22).

We could never earn Your love, but through our faith in Jesus, You justify our spirit, You are sanctifying our soul, and You will glorify our body once we see Jesus (Romans 5:1). Thank You for giving us the privilege of living as Your children (John 1:12). Enable us to express our faith in You through our love for You and for everything You created (Galatians 5:6). We look forward to each new day to serve You in Your Kingdom now and for eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Everyone who believes in, trusts in, and totally relies on the Son of God has eternal life through His sacrifice on Calvary's cross; yet, everyone who reject the Son will reap God's wrath and never enjoy eternal life in Him. - John 3:36

God's Unfailing Love for Us

Consulting the Lord every moment of the day allows us to walk beside Him, to connect with Him in our spirit, and to rely on His strength, so that we are never shaken regardless of our circumstances (Psalm 16:8; Proverbs 3:5-6).

God's Word admonishes us to deny our self, to daily take up our cross, and to follow God's direction for our life (Matthew 16:24-26). God reminds us to deny our sinful thoughts and behavior, but to care for our legitimate needs (Mark 6:31-32; Matthew 15:32).

When we center our spirit and soul on God alone, everything falls into place for us (Jeremiah 17:7-8). He directs us in the path that we should follow (Proverbs 16:9), which includes caring for our own mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.

God actually advises us to take care of our self (1 Kings 19:1-8). If we care for our self, we often feel selfish. Yet, if we do not care for our own needs, the chances are that no one else will either. We eventually get run down and resentful, our energy is depleted, and we are drowning in negative emotions.

Believers often agree to help in every ministry in the church, and to give to everyone in need; however, this is not always God's will for our life. Instead, He calls us to specific events and opportunities, as we continually walk by His Spirit's direction in the middle of His will.

Our intimate relationship with God's Trinity is our most fulfilling bond. This association alone makes all of our other needs less demanding and important to us. We find refreshment for our body, soul and spirit as we walk according to God's plan for us (Mark 1:35).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your unfailing love for us. Help us to allow Your Spirit to incorporate all of Your fruit into our life (Galatians 5:22-23). We want to live as Your ambassadors with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, because this is of great worth to You. A Godly attitude promotes our witness to all of those around us (1 Peter 3:4). Remind us that if we do not care for our personal needs, then resentment, bitterness and anger will move in and destroy our testimony for You.

We do not want to follow the dictates of this sin-filled world, but to allow You to transform our mind until we live in the center of Your will for us (Romans 12:2). Keep our soul balanced by reminding us to focus our thoughts and behavior on whatever is pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Please keep us in good health in our body, soul and spirit as You conform us to the image of Your Son (Romans 8:29; 3 John 1:2).

Thought for the Day:

Our body was created as the Temple of God's Holy Spirit, and He dwells in our spirit continually; we are not our own, because Jesus bought us through His shed blood; therefore, we are called to honor God with and through our body, soul and spirit.

- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Freedom from Melancholy Moods

One source of sadness in this life is a melancholy personality. A melancholy person feels things very deeply. Without Jesus to transform us, we often have sadness for no reason at all. All the soul searching we do does not come up with a source for our sadness.

Serving others is one way that we can use to shed that deep internal sorrow that has no source other than a personality trait. It is said, that serving the Lord and others brings J-O-Y (Jesus-Others-Yourself = don't forget to bless yourself too (Mark 12:31).

Posting Bible verses about joy around the house - especially on the bathroom mirror, on our desk, and over the kitchen sink where we spend concentrated time - really helps to turn mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11).

Sometimes, we need medication, especially if we suffer grief from a loss, a betrayal or a disaster. There is no shame in using medication, or essential oils along with a clean food lifestyle. We use these aids to help with other medical deficiencies in our body, why not for the mind - another viable organ in our body.

A trained, licensed therapist, a group of trusted friends, or a nice thick notebook in which to journal, will also help us to express our true, deep negative emotions. All of this often enables us to find the source of our depression or melancholy mood and heal.

A key tool for shedding this ethereal sorrow is praising God from A to Z. I go through the alphabet and think of one thing that makes me happy that starts with each letter. I always begin with "I praise You, Lord, for creating Aardvarks", because just saying that word makes me giggle!!!

Prayer:

Father God, when we realize that walking in Your Spirit each moment of our day brings us a joyful heart (Ecclesiastes 9:7; Proverbs 10:28), we want to remain in Your presence forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Just knowing that Your presence abides within us fills us with indescribable and magnificent joy and pleasures (1 Peter 1:8-9). As we trust only in You, our God of hope, You fill us with Your joy and peace, and we overflow with the power of Your Spirit (Romans 15:13; Nehemiah 8:10).

As we submit to the test of our faith that produces perseverance in us, we find pure joy in our trials every time that we keep our focus on You (James 1:2-3). Sometimes, when our melancholy personality attempts to drown us in depression, just clapping our hands in praise to You, and shouting our thoughts and feelings to You, will remedy the situation and dispel our sad mood (Psalm 27:6, 47:1; Isaiah 12:6). Your love gives us great comfort and joy throughout our lifetime, and no one can take away our joy when we are focused only on You (John 16:22).

Thought for the Day:

Once we face our deep-seeded concerns, adjust to events, learn to use our voice to stop abuse or unpleasant situations, find our self-esteem along with our strength and fortress through the Trinity within us, as well as use the Serenity Prayer to cope with challenges, we can find freedom and true inner joy regardless of our circumstances. 

- Psalm 30:5; Romans 14:17

God is a Micromanager

I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father is a micromanager. He warns us not to rely on our human thoughts and understanding, but to trust Him with our whole heart. As we consult Him during each moment of our life, He will show us exactly what to do (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Most people abhor being micromanaged. It makes us feel inferior, demotivated, dispirited and unappreciated, as well as causing us to feel irritated and downright angry at times.

However, when God micromanages us, we feel safe, loved, secure, joyful, confident, courageous and blessed. He is not satisfied with our flesh and carnality, but He gave us His Spirit who trades these characteristics with the mind and divine nature of Christ, as well as His spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 2:16).

God has a specific way for us to accomplish His will for our day, and we set our self up for distress, if we walk outside of His plans for us. If we take a wrong turn, God faithfully corrects us, and lovingly redirects our steps.

Our Father keeps careful watch over all of His Saints. He knows where each of us is located, and what we are doing at all times. He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) and wants to bless us every step of the way (Jeremiah 29:11).

He requests that we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), so that we hear His Spirit's guidance throughout our day. He is a perfectionist, and wants us to be perfect also (Matthew 5:48). Not in an obsessive-compulsive way, but in a relaxed, obedient manner.

We let go, and let God's Spirit work in and through us, as we serve at the pleasure of our King Jesus. This way we do not burn out in our attempt to work "for" God; because instead, we allow the Trinity to work "through" us.

Prayer:

Father God, we never want to be the bottleneck that slows down or hinders Your efforts to reach people for Your Kingdom. We want to develop, not thwart the spiritual growth of others. Adding to another's productivity is our desire, so help us to encourage rather than to discourage them. We want to promote creativity and initiative in our brothers and sisters, so that You can use all of us for Your purposes.

You never want us to doubt Your care for us, even during negative circumstances, because You are with us and in us through it all. You empower us to do all things, because Christ is in us (Colossians 1:27; Philippians 4:13). You give our marching orders to all of us, each moment of our day; in order to keep us in step with Your plans. We have no fear of our future, because we give You complete control of every aspect of it.

Thought for the Day:

As we focus on listening to God's voice each moment of our day, we walk in the center of His will, while He directs us to be in the right place, at the right time to follow His plans according to His purpose and not our own.

We Already Have the Mind of Christ

I was so confused when I read that we are to put on the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2) in one verse, and then that we already have the mind of Christ in a second verse (1 Corinthians 2:16). They seemed to contradict one another.

The truth about the mind of Christ is that Christ lives within us. Therefore, His mind is already in us. Yet, if we ignore His presence in our life, and use our carnal, human reasoning instead, we are not putting on the mind of Christ.

No one can understand the mind of the Lord (Isaiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 2:16). To our human thinking, God's guidance in our life often seems to be useless, redundant or not helpful at all (1 Corinthians 2:14). However, we soon see why He gave us this advice in the first place.

If we ignore the important information He gives to us, we eventually realize how much we needed His words. If we obey the thoughts He puts into our mind, we succeed because we are filled with His values and directed by His desires rather than our own (1 Corinthians 2:5-6).

With His Spirit abiding within us (1 Corinthians 2:14), His character gradually replaces our carnal nature (Galatians 5:22-23). His meekness, empathy (Matthew 9:36), wisdom, and His strict reliance on our Father God, is our model for our life (1 Corinthians 2:7; Philippians 2:5-8).

Making sure that we discern life through our spirit rather than through our flesh, we access the mind of Christ within us all day long - living in His will and ignoring our human understanding (1 Corinthians 2:15). We work toward God's plan for us in the world.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that Jesus lived as an example for us in surviving in this world. His whole life was centered on a desire to bring You glory, and to seek and to save the lost (John 17:5; Luke 19:10). His constant communion with You, and His strict obedience to Your precepts is a blessing for us to follow. Remind us to come away with You to a quiet and lonely place to seek Your face and plans for our day, just like Jesus did (Luke 5:16).

As we commune each moment with You, You reveal to us the deep concepts of Your Word and Your desires for our day. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit to replace the spirit of the world that we used to follow (Romans 8:9), and for enlightening us to the blessings You reserve just for Your children (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). We love You and give You all of our praise and glory.

Thought for the Day:

As we stop allowing our self to be conformed by the spirit of this world, we can change or focus to the fact that we already have the mind of Christ, and we can allow the Spirit within us to teach us "what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God".

- Romans 12:2

When We are Afraid

                                                                

Life is a scary place, but I have learned to put my trust only in God (Psalm 56:3). People will fail us, because they are human; but God is supernatural, and He will always be in us and with us to protect and to provide for us (Hebrews 13:5).

We have no need to fear the future, because God will face it with us from inside of us, giving us chances to do His will, and opening doors for spiritual prospects that we shall never experience unless we walk in His will.

The quickest way to diffuse our anxiety over the unknown possibilities of tomorrow is to continually put our trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6). Each time fear finds its way back into our conscious mind, we replace it with faith in God's faithfulness.

We experience pure joy as we come through a trial victoriously, seeing the hand of God carrying us through the entire ordeal. He is the same in nature, character and unconditional love from one day to the next (Hebrews 13:8).

God walks through life with us and in us, regardless of the nature of our trials: relational, illness, financial difficulty, a major loss, vocational challenges, an unexpected divorce, death of a loved one, etc.

He enables us to totally trust in Him rather than in our human resources (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our faith is strengthened by reading Biblical accounts of our ancestors in the faith. Their testimony helps us to persevere in prayer throughout our tribulation (Hebrews 12:1).

We trust in God, and He is in control; so we do not need to be afraid of the current or future events in our life (Psalm 56:4). When we focus on our circumstances, we worry and feel insufficient and unprepared to face the issues.

However, when we keep our mind focused on God, He gives us His continual, abundant and perfect peace to weather any storm (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7). His peace and stability belong to all those who love His instruction (Psalm 119:165).

Prayer:

Father God, You called us out of the world in order to serve You with our life. Emotions come from thoughts; and our thoughts come from our human insecurities, as well as Satan's lies. As long as we do not attempt to control our life, we can surrender to Your will in every area, regardless of the outcome. Our negative emotions shrink when held under the microscope of Your love (1 John 4:18).

Thank You for choosing us, living in us, and walking with us through every experience we have in our lifetime. You are our good, good Father, and we are loved by You, more than by any human being that we know. We grow in our trust in You with each passing day, and we look forward to eternity in order to serve You in immortality.

Thought for the Day:

The great "I AM" sends us out into the world to walk in His will through every circumstance that comes our way; as we live by the faith of the son of God, who loves us and gave Himself for us, we experience freedom from fear and the peace and joy of God's love. -  Galatians 2:20

God Cares for Us

 

As authentic Believers, we get so much loving attention from the Trinity. We are connected to the Vine, which is Christ, and our Father is our caretaker. He prunes off our carnality, so that we can bear more spiritual fruit for His Kingdom (John 15:2).

This lightens our load in life, narrows our desires that cause us distractions from our purpose, and diminishes the number of trials that we experience from our own making.

Our Father gave us to Jesus for safe keeping (John 17:12). Jesus is our ever watchful Savior, Lord and King (1 Timothy 6:15). He is also our Brother and co-heir with us of all that belongs to our Father God (John 15:15; Romans 8:17).

In every issue that we experience, the Trinity is there working out everything for our eventual good (Romans 8:28). God allows trials in our life to perfect us, to draw us closer in an intimate relationship with Him, and to give us wisdom for our future.

Our faith in the Trinity is never wasted. We may get disappointed, because we did not get what we wanted, but we always get what God wants us to have, which is better than what we wanted. Even a jail cell is a sanctuary in which to worship our Lord.

In this world, we have two choices: either to serve Satan and our flesh or to serve our Living Lord. When we serve our self/Satan, we put our life under a horrible bondage; however, in serving the Trinity, we find true freedom, which we never before experienced.

There is no need for us to worry about anything in this life. God is working out the issues in our life to bless us and to further His Kingdom (Jeremiah 29:11). He uses our faith in His faithfulness as a testimony to those around us.

Prayer:

Father God, Jesus constantly stated that who He was and what He did was a direct manifestation of Your work in and through Him. We can enjoy this same relationship with You, because of Christ's sacrifice for us on Calvary's cross. We are so thrilled to enjoy this life of a union and unity with Your Trinity (John 14:10).

You fill us with Your presence, and we enjoy the peace, love and joy that You pour over us, in us and through us every moment of every day. We detest a life apart from You, and we can never praise You enough for giving us Your new life for now, as well as throughout eternity (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Thought for the Day:

A light bulb without electricity is useless; in this same way, our life without Christ in us is no more than an empty shell, useless and without a source of power.

God's Rest is the Best - Part Two

I had one of these butterflies in my flower garden today...
God's special hug from Himself to me....kat

In times of trial and stress it is very helpful to consult God's Word as we imagine our self snuggled in the feathers under His Wing, or sitting in His lap as a little child - totally trusting in His goodness, grace, mercy and love (Psalm 107:29; Mark 4:35-41).

Our Lord God is always with us - in us and surrounding us. He cares about our experiences. He is mighty to save, and He rejoices over all of His children with gladness. He calms us with His love as He delights in us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

People often hurt our feelings, let us down, abuse us, break their promises to us, discount our feelings, falsely accuse us, etc. We also encounter unexpected trials, overwhelming stress and physical issues during our lifetime. All of this disturbs our place in God's rest.

We can acknowledge our feelings of being forlorn, cast aside, depressed or even angry; and then comfort our self with thoughts of God's love for us. We calm our soul and body, and pray through this troubling event, listening for God's reassurance and inspiration.

Until we learn to hear God's voice, we can practice short moments of being still and paying attention, but listening eventually becomes a constant habit all throughout our day. We are no longer blindsided by life's eruptions, because we trust that God has every single event under His control.

When we sit silently before the Lord, He calms our nerves, makes sense out of our inner clutter, and reminds us that His peace helps us to be still and to rest in His wisdom and provision (2 Thessalonians 1:2; Proverbs 2:6).

As we patiently wait on the Lord, and listen for His instructions in His nurturing calm (Psalm 37:37), He always hears our prayers and turns to us in both the good times and bad (Psalm 40:1). He knows our heart better than anyone, and even more than we know our own self.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that we are precious in Your sight, cared for by You, and that You love us unconditionally (Isaiah 43:4; John 3:16-18). Remind us to consult You when we first open our eyes in the morning, before we ever get out of bed (Proverb 3:5-6). You have a plan for every moment of our day, and living in Your will provides us with Your miraculous intervention throughout our day.

We want to learn to continually walk in Your rest all day long (Hebrews 3-4). Teach us to pray for requests immediately, either in our mind or out loud for our self or with the person making the request (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We no longer want to wander in this wilderness called "life", but we want to live with, in and through You every single moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

Like a baby gazing into its mother's eyes, we live in confidence in God's faithfulness; as we snuggle in the quietness of His rest, we are saved, and as we trust in and rely on God alone, He will give us His guidance and strength. - Isaiah 30:15

The God Who Brings Us Comfort

For most of us, this world is full of trouble and sorrow. We have times of happiness and constructive building, but other times we suffer from fear, stress, sickness, loss and destruction.

Many people blame God for these negative circumstances, and take all the credit for the good times they experience (Lamentations 3:1-21). Without Christ in us, however, we will experience the blunt of the results of living on this sin-cursed earth.

As authentic Believers, we can traverse these same trials with the joy and peace of Christ within us. We simply change our focus from our troubles to God's constant comfort and multitude of blessings in our life (Isaiah 26:3; Lamentations 3:22-41).

As we concentrate on the amazing amount of times that God encouraged us, gave us hope, and worked out all things for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28), we realize that every trial is a gift from God. He plants a seed for a miracle in every one of them.

The Lord is good to all those who wait on, rely on and trust only in Him (Lamentations 3:25). We realize that life's afflictions do not totally consume us, only because of His compassion and His mercy - which never fails and is new every single morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

God may allow Satan to buffet us as He did Job (Job 1:13-19), because He uses our circumstances to mold us. He works out our negative character traits and draws us more intimately into His presence within us, but He never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5).

All the while, God is right there in us, walking through the tribulation with us. He is comforting us, teaching us wisdom, allowing us to learn as we reap what we sow, and revealing His eternal presence within our spirit.

Once we face our self during the misery, and praise God in spite of the horrid circumstances, we see God's mighty hand pouring out His blessings in our life more than ever before (Job 42:10).

Prayer:

Father God, when we face our utter failure and wretchedness that comes from trusting in our human resources, we soon learn to appreciate Your truth and grace in our life. We are no longer consumed with darkness, but revel in Your glorious light (John 8:12).

We submit to the trials in our life, allowing them to mold us and make us according to Your will for us (Lamentations 3:32-33). Once we start to think about our choices, rather than complaining about our "lot" in life, and we turn back to Your perfect plan for us, we free You to pour out Your multitude of blessings on our life, regardless of our situation (Lamentations 3:39:40).

Thought for the Day:

The more we listen to God's Spirit within us and walk in the center of His perfect plan for our life, the fewer trials, discomfort and negative issues we experience; although life in this sin-cursed world does bring us sickness, death and sorrow, we are victorious in Christ through it all. - Ephesians 2:10

Unpacking our Emotional Baggage

Emotional baggage is a term freely used in our modern society to explain why we react to situations the way that we do. This dysfunction is seeded in our past traumatic experiences, and it bears fruit in our current circumstances. It causes grief that must be resolved.

We may have experienced abandonment, devastation, loss, rejection, failings, shaming situations, sexual violation, demeaning relationships, etc. We fear a repetition of this trauma, and we use various methods to protect our self, including anger, aloofness, fear of commitment, obsessive/compulsive behavior, etc.

Growing up with physical, emotional and/or verbal abuse weakens our immune system, causes mental issues and physical illnesses that can last a lifetime.

Some of us are currently very needy individuals due to so much deprivation in our past. Others are used to being in the center of attention, and need that same homage now.

Burying our memories in our subconscious mind takes more resources from us than facing the trials head-on. Ignoring incidents, running from the memory, or acting as if they did not happen depletes our physical and emotional energy.

As wounded individuals, we use a great deal of emotional and physical vitality in an attempt to avoid pain. We fear the future, resent the past and try to run from or fight against possible current trauma. This drains us of energy that we could use in other ways.

Doctors have discovered that negative emotions and unresolved issues drain our vitality, escalate adrenalin production, impair digestion, suppress our immune system, drain our vitamin and mineral storehouse, cause inflammation and too much acid, etc. which can all cause pain, stiffness, sensitivity, and poor health.

On the other hand, positive emotions and resolved issues give us joy from deep within our soul. The allow us to walk in the Spirit and to accomplish God's will for each moment of our day.

Negative emotions are meant to be red flags to alert us about an issue in our body or soul that needs attention, not a place to camp out or to spend the night. They prompt us into action so that we will meet our needs.

We do not have to wait on someone else to meet our needs; we simply meet them, or ask God to supply our needs from His glorious riches. God cares about every aspect of our life.

Prayer:

Father God,

If we interact with life from our human resources, we soon burn out and lose interest in the details of our day. We get stuck and feel hindered from changing the situations that are holding us back or causing us stress. Sometime we give up, and just snuggle under our covers and pretend that we could sleep forever.

You know that we live in fear and feel insecurity as we face undesirable changes that come our way. They make us feel out of control and miserable, without hope, peace and joy. Turn our life around and give us Your indescribable joy that controls or negative fears regardless of our circumstances. 

Thought for the Day:

Our fulfilled desires and goals, as well as our compassion, devotion, joy and peace, come only from our intimate relationship with the God of the universe and the coming King over all of the earth.

Filled with the Fullness of God

The Day that I discovered Ephesians 3:16-19, I thought I would stop breathing. The beauty of these verses in the Amplified Bible overwhelmed my soul with joy. From that moment on, I stopped working "for" God, and I began allowing the Trinity to work "in" and "through" me instead.

Like many Christians, I vaguely understood the impact that Christ in us has on our life. I knew that at salvation, Jesus moved into our spirit by His Spirit (John 14:16-23); however, I did not comprehend the fullness of the Trinity abiding within me. I thought He just visited me when I prayed.

God taught me that as we read His Word, we realize the plans, which God has for our life (Ephesians 2:10; Jeremiah 29:11). Out of God's glorious riches, He strengthens us in our inner soul and spirit with His power through His Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). He does this so that His Word may richly dwell in our heart through faith (Colossians 3:16).

God also roots, grounds and establishes us in His love. He provides all of His Saints with His power, so that we can grasp the immense capacity of Christ's love for us: its width, length, height, and depth - so vast that we can barely comprehend it fully (Romans 8:25-35).

Our Heavenly Father actually wants us to experience this love, as well as to understand it, because this sacrificial love is more than an emotion, and it surpasses what our finite minds can understand or what we find in human relationships.

One of the major aspect in our life that blocks the fullness of God in us is when we insist on controlling our own life rather than having faith in God's faithfulness, and submitting to His control over every single aspect and moment of our day.

God's Spirit fills us throughout our entire being with all of the fullness of the divine presence of His Trinity, until we experience His incredible intimacy and love filling us through every moment of every day (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Prayer:

Father God, any activity that we are involved in is of utmost importance to You. Due to our finite minds, it is so hard for some of us to fully realize the greatness of Your love for us. Yet, as we trust You to help us with everything, including small things like opening a jar or big issues like selling a home or a major illness, we learn to turn over more and more matters into Your safe keeping, for You to work out in Your way and timing.

As we consult You during each moment of our time in Your service (Proverbs 3:5-6), we gradually learn and grasp the fact that You want to work out every issue in our life for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). It is often that breaking point which we come to, when everything is impossible and no good can come from it, that we finally take the time to pay attention to the revelation of Your abundant love for us, as well as Your hand intimately involved in every single one of our circumstances.

Thought for the Day:

God's love is a life-force that changes us forever, and His presence in us fortifies us as He gives us His favor and encouragement and strength to face each new tomorrow, while His Spirit gives us the mind and divine nature of Christ, as He also exchanges our human character with all the fruit of His Spirit.

 - Galatians 5:22-23

Recovering from Abuse - Part 3

In today's society we all experience pain, which causes negative residual effects on our life. This is due to the fact that our subconscious stores every thought, word or deed that ever occurs.

Harmful images and memories fill our subliminal mind and haunt us, especially in our dreams. Our soul uses dreams to exorcise unwanted memories or unresolved issues in our past. The people, places and things in our dreams are symbols and clues to what our soul is attempting to communicate.

To heal from these issues, we simply need to bring them to God in persevering prayer. So, set aside an hour or more of time and get in a quiet place with a notebook and pen.

Take an inventory of any negative emotions plaguing your soul at this time and write them down with several lines in between. Then think about each emotion one at a time. What words or phrases accompany these emotions? Write them down in the lines next to that emotion.

These are lies from the devil that you believe as truth, and the keys to your healing. Now, pray about one emotion at a time. Ask God to speak His truth about each negative phrase. Write down what He tells you.

This may take time and some phrases may take longer than others to find the root source - sometimes several days/months of times of prayer may be necessary to do the spiritual warfare connected to these negative emotions and phrases.

Have patience, but You can skip the ones that seem deep rooted, or that cause a blank in your mind. Some other phrase may reveal the root of this one eventually. Just moving on to the next phrase may heal a previous one.

Having a prayer partner may facilitate your healing. Pick a spiritual person whom you trust to keep your confidences. One person praying can chase a thousand demons, but two put ten thousand to flight, because the Lord promises to be in their midst (Deuteronomy 32:30; Matthew 18:20).

God may reveal a hurtful image from your childhood or adult life. Angry, violent, fearful, emotional, abusive, intrusive and invasive images, thoughts, words or deeds may come to mind, but not necessarily.

All you really need for healing are the phrases connected to your negative emotions. As you read and concentrate on those phrases, what else comes to your mind? Other emotions? Other phrases? Write them down and take those to the Lord too.

Ask Jesus to reveal His truth to you about each one. He may show you a picture of Himself ministering to you in some way, or He may give you a Bible verse or just tell you some truth pertaining to this issue.

He is giving you the opportunity to believe His truth rather than Satan's lie, and to heal you from the residual effects of Satan's lies. Read the phrases connected to the negative emotions again. Do they still seem true?

Do you still feel the negative emotions, which plagued you when you started praying? If so, remain in prayer and allow God's Spirit to give you freedom from them, until they all diminish in intensity, and your soul is free from these negative emotions.

Now, allow negative emotions in the future to be red flags to warn you that there is a wound needing healing or an idol, over which you can repent and leave at Jesus feet. He will change your focus about that issue.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for freeing us from the tyranny of sin and Satan's lies. Thank You for the liberty in which we walk, when all that occupies our mind is Your truth and Your living words from Your scripture.

We can never thank You enough for the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, which set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). We give You all the praise and glory for putting a smile on our lips and a song in our heart.

Thought for the Day:

Take moral, mental, physical, spiritual and emotional surveys each day to follow the steps outlined in this post, and gain freedom from tormenting negative emotions until all that remains are thoughts and emotions which are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy.

- Philippians 4:8

Jesus Loves Us, This I Know

I know that Jesus loves us, because I experience that love every moment of my life, including when I walk through all of the adverse issues and trials that Satan and life throw at me.

Jesus is the Vine, and authentic Believers are the branches. All of the spiritual power and blessings passing through the Vine come to us in a smooth flow throughout our life (John 15:1).

A branch cannot bear fruit if it is severed from the Vine, and we cannot be fruitful unless we are growing from the Vine of Christ. If we remain in Christ, and His life flows in and through us, we are His true disciples and we bear much fruit (John 15:4-8).

We all know that our Father God is the One who dresses the vine. He cuts off every branch on the Vine that does not bear fruit, and He prunes those who do bear fruit, so that we can produce even more fruit and bring more glory to Him (John 15:2).

Jesus experienced the love of our Father God, and He loves us with this same unconditional intensity. Jesus gave us the example of how to live a life in the center of God's will. When we obey God's commandments, we receive the fullness of His love (John 15:9-10).

God challenges us to love one another with the same equitable and nonjudgmental way that the Trinity loves us. We may not like a person's personality or their treatment of us, but we are not commanded to like everyone. We simply allow Christ to love them through us (John 15:12).

Jesus loves us enough to lay down His life for us, because He considers us His friends, especially if we do what He expects of us (John 15:13-17). He chose us before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and He has plans to bless us and to bring us to Himself for eternity (Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Father God, even though the world hates us, because we use Your Word for our source of faith and our lifelong practice, we remember that the people of Jesus' day hated Him as well. We consider our self blessed to share in His persecution and false accusations. People did not listen to Him, and they do not listen to us either.

It grieves me that so many people would enjoy the fullness of life, peace and joy that You provide, if they would only humble themselves before Your mighty hand and repent of their sinful lifestyle in Jesus' name (John 15:18-27). We pray for those in our family, circle of friends and community, who do not enjoy Your unconditional love, to come to You, so that they too can experience Your power and blessings in their life.

Thought for the Day:

In His magnanimous love, God sent Jesus to pay our sin-debt and to provide us with resurrection life both now and for eternity; He also sent His Spirit to abide in us, and to protect and provide for us as He proves over and over that Jesus loves us.