The Cure for Loneliness

Many of us have mental, emotional and spiritual issues from our past that keep us feeling fearful and insecure. We tend to drag these issues around with us until we resolve them. Unresolved conflicts within our soul may ruin our current and future relationships.

For instance, loneliness is a major plight in today's busy world. Even if we have children, or are married, we can experience loneliness. Close friends may move away, or we may move away from them.

We often use addictions to mask our loneliness, which causes more isolation as well as physical, mental and emotional issues. Health issues may cause our loneliness, because they isolate us from the world around us.

We may have a personality that promotes our feelings of loneliness. Or an experience, such as a divorce, a fire, or a natural disaster may rob us of treasures that we hold dear, and cause us to feel depression and loneliness.

Thankfully, loneliness is a choice, and we can change that choice. God's grace sufficiently supplies all of our needs, even opportunities to face our negative emotions and to seek His wisdom and guidance in resolving them.

Getting alone with God to give our self a chance to hear His voice and to listen to His wisdom and guidance is a wise habit. Without the distractions of other people making demands on us, we can focus - totally listening to God. His faithful presence abides within us.

We can view loneliness as a chance to increase our intimacy with God. Reading His Word, and spending dedicated time praising Him for who He is, and for His specific provision and blessings in our life, and walking in His Spirit will improve our unity with God.

We can also take part in group activities such as clubs that promote Bible studies, charitable activities, woodworking, biking or hiking, book reading together, craft classes, sporting events such as bowling or tennis, board games like checkers or chess, etc.

If we vegetate in front of the TV, play endless computerized games, or surf social media sites all day, this makes us feel even lonelier or more depressed and isolated. Listening to uplifting music, reading inspirational books and articles, teaching a class, asking God for wisdom on how to change negative thoughts and attitudes, etc. diminishes loneliness.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that Your Word is full of comfort for us, especially the Psalms, because King David lost his mentor - King Saul. He also lost his best friend - Saul's son Jonathan, as well as his home, and at times his country and his family; therefore His words bring comfort to our soul in lonely times. Help us not to dwell on our negative circumstances or on the fact that family and friends are too busy to include us in their life.

Remind us to follow Your Spirit's leading in how to spend our time and attention. You may have ministry for us to do in our church and community; so give us the courage to step out in faith and volunteer, or to take a job that helps other people. We can even start a support group for people who feel lonely, or even just befriend one other person that we see struggling with loneliness too.

Thought for the Day:

If we have preconceived expectations of how and when God should answer our prayers, and He does not do it our way, and this may increase our feelings of isolation; however, waiting on the Lord, and entering His rest, will give us joy and peace that will help us to see God's hand during our negative circumstances.

- Proverbs 5:21; Matthew 26:36-46

Outreach into Our Community

Finding a church home helps us to join together relationally with family, neighbors and friends. People connect people to any church, not the preaching or the programs. When we join a church, we can easily assist in any number of ways in order to reach our community for Christ. 

Most people crave being noticed. They want to know that another human being is interested in how they are, what they think, and how they feel (Leviticus 19:34; Matt 25:35-40). When we ignore a visitor or a stranger among us, we are ignoring the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

He sends people to us every week, and He expects us to show them that we care about them, and to allow Him to use us to minister to their needs. There are always several ministries, which are easy to be involved in after we join a church.

The First Impression Ministry: such as Door Greeters, Sanctuary Greeters, and Information-Table Greeters. Also valuable is Security, Parking lot attendants, and Altar Ministry to pray with people when they come forward at the Invitation at the end of the service.

Then we have follow-up ministries with our visitors, such as Telephone & Visitation Ministry that can fit right into your schedule. Also, we have Breakthrough Classes that help people to discover their gifts and calling. Of course, inviting people to join you in your Sunday School Class will give them Bible training and fellowship.

In the midst of all of this is the Outreach ministry. This Encourager ministry also involves home visitation, taking food during times of trauma, phone calls and sending cards to both visitors and members.

Many churches also have weekly Prayer Walks in our community that go out to chat with people they meet during their walks. This enables our neighbors to see our friendliness, as we encourage them to come sit with us during a service.

The Kitchen Ministry is another vital place of service. Any time that food is served at the church, people are needed to make iced tea and coffee, to set up tables with decorations and enough chairs, to fill the serving tables with donated food brought by our members, and then to clean up after each time of fellowship.

Prayer:

Father God, show us where we can best be a help and a blessing to the congregation which You encouraged us to join in order to serve. Help us to be a blessing, and to never spread discord or to gossip about other members or visitors (). Use us to help people to feel wanted, needed, cared about and special.

Give us ears to hear the needs that they hint about, but are afraid to actually admit. Provide us with extra finances in order to help people in our community that are in need. Lead us in the ministries in which You can best use our gifts and talents. Help us to live as Godly examples and committed children in Your family who truly care about those You send our way.

Thought for the Day:

There are so many ministries in the church, in which we can serve, in order to help our congregation to reach our neighbors with the love and nurture that God gives to us; this will further His Kingdom in the earth and give us the opportunity to spend eternity with them as well.

Those Whom Jesus Loves

I felt unlovable all through my childhood. I would wish on the first star every night that I could be a "good girl", so my mommy and daddy would love me. So, when I turned 18 and chose to believe in Jesus as my Savior, I thought I had to earn His love too.

I made a list of every Biblical mandate that I could find and attempted to obey that list to the letter of the law. It took me ten years to learn that I could not earn God's love. Jesus already loved me enough to take the penalty of my sins to Calvary's cross, and there is no greater love than that (John 15:13).

John, the apostle, was so confident that God loved him, that he often referred to himself in his gospels as, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23). We would do well to follow his example, and to remind our self that God feels the same way about us.

Have you ever looked into your eyes in the mirror? The eyes are the window of the soul. They reflect the thoughts in our mind, the intent of our heart, and the feelings of our soul (Matthew 6:22-23). When I first did this exercise, I could not look into my own eyes.

I had shame-based thinking, because I believed Satan's lies that I would never be good enough for God to love me. The wounds of my past, buried deep within my subconscious mind, tormented my soul. It took weeks of attempting to look into my own eyes before I could actually force myself to do it.

I felt so unlovable, so vulnerable, so damaged and so full of shame without any known reason for it. Slowly, God showed me the root of all of these negative emotions, and the reason that I believed these lies. After months of this healing process, I was able to look into my eyes and really mean it when I told myself, "God loves you, and so do I."

( https://www.transformationprayer.org/preparing-journey-introduction/ )

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for teaching us how to access Your healing Truth, and to put the devil to flight away from us (Matthew 10:28; James 4:7-10; Matthew 16:26). You created our soul - our thoughts, feelings and choices, and You restore our soul from the wounds of life (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 23:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Thank You for loving us so much. We love You with our whole heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37).

We find help for our soul in You (Psalm 3:2). We prosper and are in health on this earth in proportion to the prosperity of our soul (3 John 1:2). A troubled soul will cause physical illness in our body; but You will heal us, as we totally submit our body, soul and spirit to You. We live for Your glory, and we joyfully subject our will to Your plans for our life.

Thought for the Day:

The Lord loves His children with an everlasting love; we do not deserve it, we do not earn it, we simply receive it as the free gift that it is, from our God who abundantly loves us.

- John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8, 6:23; Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 John 4:9-11; Psalm 86:15

The Wonderful Love of God

There is a common malady in today’s society, which leads many into addictions and crime. It is called hopelessness. They have tried to make something of their life; yet, they failed at every turn.

Therefore, they turn to chemicals, deviant behavior, and theft to relieve their symptoms of hopelessness. Some have never heard of the hope, which Christ provides. Others have heard that Jesus makes a difference, but they do not believe it.

It is up to those of us, who have first-hand experience with the wonderful love of God, to share the hope we find in Christ in a gentle, informative fashion, and to entreat others to trust their life to Christ too.

If we will simply call out to Him, the Lord promises to be close to the brokenhearted, and He saves all those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 43:18; 147:3). Total surrender to Him is the key to getting out of our misery.

God holds us up when we fall, and He lifts up everyone who is discouraged. We surrender our family, our future, our worries, and our desires to the love and care of God Almighty (Mark 9:23). We leave them in His capable hands.

When our soul is disheartened, we put our hope in God alone (Psalm 43:5). Complete surrender to God’s will in our current circumstance is the only way to stay sane. Even through the loss of a job, spouse, child, home, parent, etc. God really does care for us.

The Lord calls us to walk in obedience to His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day, and to obey His Spirit’s direction. We trust in God and not in our bank account, friends, children, job, parents, etc.

Prayer:

Father God, You are my helper, so I will not be afraid (Isaiah 41:10,13-14). What can mere mortals do to me? In my distress, I cry out to You, and I pray to You for help. You always hear me from Your sanctuary, because my cries always reach Your ears (Psalm 18:8).

You give us grace for today and hope for tomorrow (Ecclesiastes 9:4). Once we put our trust totally in Your miraculous love, we always find a victorious way through every negative circumstance (2 Corinthians 4:8; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11). We trust in Your love, compassion and grace for us.

Thought for the Day:

When we take our eyes off our self and put them on God instead, He keeps us in His perfect peace; we do not look at tomorrow, because God leads us by His Spirit in each current moment; we find rest in Him alone, because our only true hope comes from Him.

- Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 62:5

A Good Marriage - Adding a Spark to Our Attitude and a Spring in Our Step

When we neglect our self, we have fewer resources to care for anyone else in our life. As codependents, we push through our circumstances in order to help others, but then we end up depriving our self of even more needed compassion and nurturing.

God's Word reminds us to provide for our self too (Mark 12:31). The more we neglect the aspects of caring for our self, the more susceptible we are to physical, mental, and emotional ill health. We also suffer in our relationships due to our frumpy appearance and our grumpy attitude.

When we put our needs last, this causes us to suffer from our choices in more ways than we can ever imagine. A negative spiral of body and soul often spins out of control, our relationships grow stale, and we are neglected by others as well as by our own self.

Having an honest conversation with our spouse and family will help us to better communicate areas were we need their help in order to stop neglecting our own needs. We can also plan times in our daily schedule to pamper our body, read a book, watch a movie, fix our favorite dessert too, etc.

We may need to receive professional help to heal from trauma from our past in order to change our attitude about our role in life, and to love our self as much as we love other people - after all, we are a person too. We also need the compassion and care from our self that we give to everyone else.

This enables us to experience more joy and peace, as well as to secure better relations with our God, spouse, children, extended family, friends and community. We grow to rely on God to give us ideas on how to look and act our best. This puts an added spark in our attitude and a spring in our step.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to renounce the attitude that Satan plants in our soul that causes us to avoid our issues, to fluctuate between being sweet and angry, to please others, to neglect our self, to attempt to control life and others, or to just back down and to view our self as a helpless victim of our circumstances. Teach us to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, to own our responsibility to contribute to the relational success of our marriage, and to humbly and sincerely apologize when we are at fault.

Remind us that as Believers we have a secure love relationship with Your Trinity, who abides within us and richly gives us all good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). Daily, Your Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ who abides within us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). Thank You that Your Son gave us a living example of what it means to walk in Your will, and to reap the rewards that are inherent in our relationship with You.

Thought for the Day:

When we stop neglecting our self, we also stop teaching the significant people in our life to treat us in a subpar manner; as we calmly and honestly discuss our needs with them, they are more aware of how to relate to us, to treat us, and to have the opportunity to love us as Christ loves His church.

- Ephesians 5:25-28

Our Amazing God

Each new morning marks the beginning of the rest of our life. What we make of it is our choice. We can either live it according to: (1.) our own goals and plans, or (2.) in the will of God for us. The first choice causes many frustrating and sometimes devastating issues to arise during our day.

The second choice gives us God's peace and joy to help us rise above any circumstance that occurs. We plug into the resources that God always supplies for us, we advance beyond any normal human endeavors, and we enter into the supernatural realm.

Our life adopts a significance that only comes from the Trinity of God within us, because He gives us eternal life. Eternal life on this earth is knowing God personally, enjoying the power of Christ working in and through us, and living by the guidance and comfort of His Holy Spirit (John 17:3).

Living in this eternal flow through each moment of our life changes the process and the outcome of everything that we experience - those issues that we can change, and those over which we have no control. We perceive a shift in our paradigm, world view, and thought processes.

The issues of this life are no longer any concern for us. Yes, part of our soul and body may experience discomfort, fear, panic attacks, nausea, stress, trauma, etc. over the circumstances, because we are human; however, we can quickly change our focus by repeating the words, "Father, I believe, so help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

Changing our focus about our troubles will enable us to impact the difficulties that we can influence, and to put the rest in the heart of God to care for in His perfect timing and way. Godly serenity saturates our thoughts and emotions, and we live a productive life for God's Kingdom.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for constantly intervening in our life to work out everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:2), and for Your presence that is always working in and through us. Remind us that when we trust You with our life, people see a difference in us, when they compare us to those who depend on human wisdom and resources for their success. "God things" occur in our life, which have no natural explanation.

We want to please You by abiding in Your presence and living by faith in You. We depend on Your manifestation and power in our life for our very existence. Thank you for redirecting our focus, thoughts, and emotions toward the essence of what really matters in this life, so that we do not get side-tracked or bogged down in the mire of this earthly realm. We will look for the seeds for a miracle, which You plant within every trial.

Thought for the Day:

When we believe that God exists, and that He always rewards us when we seek Him for His plans for each moment of our day, we encounter miracles that cannot be explained in human terms; we find comfort in prayer - communicating our honest feelings to God, knowing that He really does care about us. 

- Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 62:8; 1 Peter 5:7

Unfurling in the Son

I love to watch new fern fronds uncurling in the nurturing sun and swaying in the breezes sweeping past them. They are so delicate, lacey, whimsical and hardy. They remind me of a new Believer, who unfurls under the steady gaze of God's Son, and sways in the constant mighty wind of God's Spirit rushing through our life (Acts 2:2).

I was there at one time - 50 years ago in 1969, and I am still there as I relish my continual time spent with the Trinity of God within me. There are a few essentials that enable us to mature spiritually, and to prosper over the years of our relationship with the Trinity.

Spending time each day alone with God is very nourishing to our spirit, body and soul - emotions, thoughts, and choices. We get away from the distractions of family, job, friends, activities, etc. - even if it is only for a few minutes - and we listen to God as He shares His wisdom, and His plans for our day.

Prayer is not formal, and there is no right or wrong way to pray. We are simply talking to God as we would to a friend. If we are not sure how to pray, we begin by thanking God for who he is, and for all the good things that He provides for us, then pray for others, and finally pray for our own needs.

This brings us J-O-Y … when we put:

J-esus first

O-thers next; but never neglecting or abusing

Y-ourself.

It is very important to also spend some quality time sitting quietly with our notebook (journal), waiting on the Lord to speak to our heart. We can write down our concerns, as well as what He tells us, and have it as a ready reference for the future.

We can also learn to pray "without ceasing" throughout the day: while driving in the car, waiting in line at a retail store, sitting in the doctor's office, or while doing some task which requires no real concentration (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We ask God to lead us and to help us with each mission He calls us to accomplish.

Prayer:

Father God, we love You so much, and we appreciate even the little things You do for us each day. Even the air we breathe is a gift from You, because without it we would cease to exist. Teach us to make a list each night in our journal of five things that we praise You for from our day - we grow from positive and negative events in our life (John 16:33).

Remind us to count our blessings at the end of the day, starting with the letter "A" and going to the letter "Z", even though we usually fall asleep at some point in the middle. I always start by thanking You for aardvarks, because this member of Your creation always makes me smile. You care about every big and little activity that occurs in our life; so as good things happen during the day, remind us to take time to praise and to thank You for them.

Thought for the Day:

Satan is not happy that we are no longer his slaves to sin, and he will try everything in his power to discourage us or confuse us, so that we will quit walking with God; therefore, fellowshipping with other Christians helps to prevent this from happening, because we can discuss our questions and fears and frustrations with someone we trust, and who can help shed light on what we are experiencing.

Inevitable Arguments

Some people hate confrontation, and will go to great lengths to avoid it. Others love a good skirmish and will actually pick a fight to instigate an argument. Regardless of our leaning between these two extremes, arguments are inevitable.

If we are honest, we will admit that we even argue with our self - our "me", "myself" and "I" have differences of opinion. Then, we also argue with God's will for some unfathomable reason - except that we often believe that we know better than God does about what is best for our life.

There are several ways to "argue."

1. We have an all-out, heated war and both insist that we are right.

2. We cave in to the other person's aggressiveness in order to "keep the peace".

3. We fear rejection, so we act amenably in order to "buy" their love.

4. We pray together, and find a third alternative that is agreeable with both of us.

The first option is destructive. We are tempted to use words that wound, we get side-tracked from the original issue and chase after lesser important matters. We also erect walls between us and our loved one that affect our intimacy, fulfillment, etc.

The second option causes us to abandon our self, as we fabricate our thoughts until the other person's desires take on more of an importance to us than our own. We forget that we are a person too, and our needs are as vitally important as theirs are.

The third option also puts us in a position to disregard our own needs. Resentment, frustration, and disappointment flood our soul and detrimentally influences future disagreements, because it compounds our feelings of neglect and abuse.

Of course, the fourth option is the optimal way to deal with disagreements. It takes more work, patience, compassion, and is often viewed as an inconvenience that compounds the original concerns. However, this option avoids the negative consequences inherent in the other three choices.

This fourth way also allows us to walk in the Spirit together, and to keep our unity under the covering of God's will for our relationship. Finding that third option is challenging, but it is also more satisfying. We nurture our love for one another, both of us find fulfillment in the final decision, and we increase our intimate union with one another.

Random Quote:

"We cannot change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails to take advantage of the wind to take us to where we really want to go."

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that it is foolish to count our worth according to our fame, fortune, number of people that we please, or our success in this life. These are fleeting and transitory and can change in an instant. Teach us that as followers of Christ, it is anti-climactic to pursue aspects pertaining to this earthly realm. You provide us with both the desire and the power to bring You pleasure, which insures our ultimate success (Philippians 2:12-13).

When we compare our thoughts with Your Word, it helps us to judge them according to Your precepts. Help us to live like a thermostat to regulate the temperature in the world around us, instead of as a thermometer, which just registers the status quo. Help us to focus our mind, affections and goals on Your purposes for us (Colossians 3:2). We are never more fulfilled than we are while walking closest to You through Christ in us. We worship and adore You all of the days of our life.

Thought for the Day:

Differences of opinion, needs, goals, worldview, etc. are inevitable; however, they are not predictable disruptions in the unity of our relationships with friends, relatives, associates and neighbors, because there is always a third option where both sides are content with the ultimate decision.

Friends with God

Jews and Gentiles are all capable of claiming friendship with God through the power of Jesus Christ abiding within us. We are fellow heirs of God's Kingdom, members of the same Body of Christ, and partakers together of the promise of Christ in us by believing the Gospel (Ephesians 3:4-6).

All Believers are His children, heirs of His glory, and adopted into His family. We are also subject to share in His suffering, which He endured throughout His lifetime (Romans 8:17). God calls us to willingly submit as bondservants to Jesus, and slaves to His righteousness.

We are not merely His servants, He considers us as His family. We are adopted into God’s family and co-equal heirs with Jesus to inherit everything that our Father owns (Romans 8:17). We are also regenerated disciples of Christ, ever-learning from His truth and walking in His Spirit.

Yet, the most amazing position we share is that of living as friends of God (John 15:13). This thought warms my soul and fills me with joy, peace and abundant love for both our Heavenly Father and our brother, Jesus.

Jesus is both the Lion of Judah and the sacrificial Lamb. He took on the sins of the world and is also the righteous Judge. He is the consuming Fire and the Light of the world, the Root of Jesse and the King of the Jews, as well as the future King of the whole world.

Jesus no longer calls us servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, He calls us His friends, because everything that Jesus learned from our Father He has made known to us.

Jesus is ultimately our Emanuel - God with us, and He dwells in our spirit and changes us from the inside out. Jesus is our loving Friend who is always here for us. As His friends, we always do what His Spirit leads us to do (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your Holy Spirit who dwells within us, and that the fullness of the godhead is in us as well (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). We rejoice at the sanctifying work of Your Spirit within us. We like who You make us, much better than living as a product of our genes and upbringing.

Although we did not choose You, You chose us and appointed us to go forth into the world, in order to bear fruit for Your Kingdom (John 15:13-16). Jesus is our very best friend, and we thank You for His finished work on Calvary’s Cross. This allows us to walk in His love, as well as in His acceptance as members of Your family, and as Your friend.

Thought for the Day:

We do not have to earn God's love or acceptance by good deeds or righteous acts; we simply surrender our will to His, and walk in obedience to His calling for our life; then, He gives us His Holy Spirit as our comforter and guide, and He promises never to leave us or forsake us.

- Deuteronomy 31:8; John 15:26; Hebrews 13:5

A Good Marriage - Cherish is the Word

In 1966, a song was written by Terry Kirkman and recorded by The Association. "Cherish" remained as number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. That means the words resonated in people's hearts.

I never knew how it felt to be cherished until I married my husband, Kevin. Like the song says, his love for me is deep within his heart, and this makes him delight in spending time with me, holding me, and enjoying the fact that I relish spending time with him as well.

We are also best friends, and we love our shared adventures; but most of all, we cherish one another and our life together. As a couple, we share our love for the Lord, and we work together in His Kingdom, which is the foundation of our relationship.

Many marriages have all the elements of survival: serving and sacrificing for one another, feeling empathetic toward each other's illnesses and victories and defeats, cheering each other along toward our successes, and enjoying an intimate affection that fulfills the soul and spirit, as well as the body.

We also delight in one another, enjoy each other, and make plans to spend regular time together every day - even if it is only for a few moments, we make it memorable quality time. Making an ongoing commitment to cherish one another adds to the intimacy of this time together.

Even if business, illnesses, family issues, etc. get in the way of romance or "doing life as usual", we never lose the glow of the cherishing intimacy that we built together during several decades of loving and serving one another.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that loving someone can switch to hating that same person simply by tossing the coin of circumstances. However, when our love is based on cherishing our mate, we are more invested in one another. We look beyond disappointments, broken promises, signs of aging, debilitating illness, mental imbalance, emotional issues, etc., and we continue to love and cherish our mate.

Teach us to base our affections on serving, rather than on being served; on preferring one another, rather than on expecting our mate to make us happy; on enjoying our maturing relationship, rather than expecting the sparks that initially drew us together to continue. Make our relationship an example for younger couples to emulate; so they can build strong marriages for future generations as well.

Thought for the Day:

Marriage is full of many choices, and they can come from our heart and increase our intimacy, or they can develop into a downward spiral that detracts from our feelings of love and cherishing one another; when our mate is our greatest treasure in life, the most intimate days of our marriage are always ahead of us.

Healing Lingering Grief

When we lose a parent, mate, friend or child - either mentally, emotionally or physically; through estrangement, death or divorce - we are filled with several layers of grief, some of which is never mentioned publically or given the attention it needs so that we can recover from this residual grief.

I am referring to the consequential losses caused by our principal loss. For instance, besides the physical loss of this loved one, we may also lose our best friend, financial security, emotional support, the fulfillment of our future plans, our home and/or earthly treasures, and maybe even our feelings of safety, self-confidence, personal identity, and faith and trust in God.

We often experience regret over time lost with this person, words left unspoken, hasty heedless words we did not really mean when we said them, etc. We feel unprepared to move into this new chapter of our life without them, because of this compounded loss.

We are forced to change, and to start a new path on which we are unprepared to embark. Many people bury their grief in their subconscious mind in hopes of ridding themselves of the pain and distraction caused by these untimely and often ill-fated occurrences in our life. They are still there, however, haunting us from within.

Some of us experience grief over the loss of our innocence due to sexual abuse, fear because we experienced deprivation of our needs being met, feelings of not being ”good enough" due to neglect that was either intentional or a by-product of our circumstances.

God's original plan for humanity did not include death. Paradise was and still is His intention for us. It was due to their pride and rebellion that Adam and Eve lost this place of Utopia, and brought the curse of sin on the whole creation, as well as to everyone on the earth from that time forward.

Jesus paid the price to restore creation and all who are humble and brave enough to receive His sacrifice as their own (John 3:16-18). He is our ever-present Savior, Brother, Counselor, Provider and Friend, as we trust Him to lead us in the way that we should go.

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word shows us that the key principle for surviving grief is to recognize that we are never alone when we experience it. Our friends may lose interest, but Your Trinity eternally abides within us (John 14:15-20; Hebrews 13:5). This terrible time in our life is absolutely within Your sphere of control; and as we trust in You alone, the outcome is guaranteed to turn out for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Teach us to trust that You are our loving Father and that You hear us in our distress (Psalm 13,22,42,73, and 34:15).

Remind us that Jesus is well-acquainted with what we are experiencing, because He too had sorrow in His existence on this earth (Isaiah 53:3; Hebrews 5:7-9). He is our soon and coming King, and He will defeat death, sorrow, and suffering once and for all of us (Revelation 21:1-4). Help us to change our focus from negative feelings and attitudes to positive ones, and to support others who are grieving too (Philippians 4:8; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). We thank You for Your love, care and provision for us all the days of our life.

Thought for the Day:

When we experience any type of loss, we can write in our journal to document each secondary issue that we feel that we lost in addition to our primary bereavement; then we can grieve each area until we feel our self-care and nurture coming from within us, as well as the compassion and hope given to us by Almighty God.

God's Goals for Us

Worldly wisdom advises us to make goals for our life: a one-year, five-year and ten-year plan that will direct our decisions and influence our activities. The problem with this concept is two-fold:

1. Life never, ever goes according to our plans for it.

2. Setting goals does not take into account that God already set up the perfect plan for our life before we were ever born, and He designed it in order to protect and prosper us (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah 29:11).

Therefore, rather than reaping needless frustration and spinning our wheels with our own goals, we can seek God's face, enter His rest, and walk in His Spirit each moment of every day. As we follow His will for us, we grow spiritually, and come into a more intimate union with God with every step we take.

Not by human wisdom, but by the grace of God, we live in this world with sincerity, confidence, a clear conscience, and pure motives (2 Corinthians 1:12). We reap an abundant and fulfilled life, content in our ever-growing, deeper and affectionate relationship with God (John 17:3).

When we hear and obey the precepts of the Lord, we receive great rewards in this life and throughout eternity (Luke 11:28). We live each day in delightful wonder that the Creator of the details of the entire universe also has a detailed plan for our life.

Even when satanic forces attempt to defeat us (Psalm 32, 51), God restores our soul as we spend time in fellowship with Him (Psalm 23:3). We pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), and break into spontaneous times of prayer as we face life's issues, or praise for His continual blessings through them all.

Prayer:

Father God, King David's psalms mirror the state of our soul on any given day or time or circumstance. He eloquently expressed exactly the way we feel much of the time - from plunging into the depths of despair to finding restoration, renewal, renovation, and recovery. You convert, revive, mend and transform our soul from a fleshly, carnal entity to a spirit-filled state of existence. Thank You for refreshing us in spirit, body and soul - our thoughts, emotions and choices.

You desire to lead us into a plentiful lifestyle of green pastures, quiet waters, paths of righteousness, anointing, mercy, goodness, comfort from Your rod and staff, and a table full of plenty (Psalm 23). Your refreshing sprinkles us like the mist of a waterfall on a hot summer's day, or like wading in a brook, or walking into an air conditioned room, or drinking a cold glass of refreshing tea or lemonade. Thank You for bringing us back to the age of innocence that Adam and Eve experienced before their fall.

Thought for the Day:

When we submit our soul to the unction of the Holy Spirit, we accomplish all that God ordains for us to do each day, because His Spirit illuminates His Word to bring healing to our soul: uncovering and healing childhood wounds, ridding our soul of any turbulent thoughts fueled by negative emotions, and restoring our thoughts to equanimity and order as we follow His goals for our life.

More than Conquerors

God has our best interest in His heart and mind, and He supplies all of our needs according to His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). He prepares a feast for us in the presence of our enemies, and He causes our cup of blessings to run over, in order to show the world that He is our Provider (Psalm 23:5).

Although our lifetime may be battered by daily stress and fears, many of our trials and troubles are prolonged because we forget to pray with thanksgiving in our heart and positive thoughts of faith in our mind (Philippians 4:6-8).

God uses our conflicts in life to perfect us through the patience we embrace during every trial (James 1:4-8). We are victors only when we realize that each battle belongs to the Lord. I read that the Hebrews often threw victory feasts and celebrations even before any battle began.

We too can rise up to the level of conquerors, as we stand firm on the Word of God, which contains the truth about the undisputable reality of His faithfulness. We celebrate not only His provision, but also His presence in our life (Colossians 3:3-4).

Authentic Believers are equipped as victors over every circumstance. We may receive wounds and scars from the battle, but God provided the salve for each one through Christ's shed blood on Calvary's cross (Psalm 23:3-5).

Prayer:

Father God, we seek You, not because of what You do for us, but because of who You are to us. You are: our everlasting Father, our great I AM; Creator; all that personifies love; our rewarder when we diligently seek You; our heavenly light; a Spirit-being who is everywhere at all times; the most High over all of the earth; You never lie and You are merciful and a Keeper of Your promises; the provider of the way and truth and endless possibilities, as well as of eternal life for us, etc. (Exodus 3:14, 34:6-7; 1 Timothy 1:17; Genesis 1:1; John 4:24, 14:6; 1 John 3:1-24, 4:16, 14:6-8; Psalm 83:18; Deuteronomy 4:31, 7:9, 32:4; Titus 1:2; Numbers 23:19; Luke 18:27; Hebrews 11:6; Revelation 21:23).

We praise You continually with the fruit of our lips, and we call upon You each moment of our day to guide, protect, provide, and sanctify us until that glorious moment when You call us home to abide with You in Your glory forever and ever.

Thought for the Day:

At the moment of Jesus' death, the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom; this fact signifies that we are now able to enter God's presence every moment of every single day, and it is our choice to carry our own burdens alone, or to seek His face through them all.

- Matthew 27:51

Hope in the Lord

Depression can be a debilitating illness for many people. Their days are like a vapor and disappear without any productive achievements, their bones ache, their heart withers like grass, they have no appetite and lose weight, they groan and moan, they lose sleep, they feel lonely and abandoned, and tears are a constant companion for them (Psalm 102:3-9).

However, there is always hope for us in God. Although He sits on His throne in Heaven, our Father God is not oblivious to our concerns. He blesses us with favors, His compassion never fails us, He strengthens us and builds us up, He hears our prayers, and He takes our issues seriously (Psalm 102:12-17).

Even in the midst of debilitating trials, we can turn the tide of our feelings by praising and worshipping the Lord. Our Father God laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are full of His glorious works. We simply take time during the day to enjoy them.

Although the earth will eventually perish and wear out, God never changes and He always remains the same. We and our descendants, who trust Him with their life, will enjoy His presence forever (Psalm 102:25-28). He is our ageless God of eternity.

At times, God allows us to suffer problems too heavy for us to carry, but He always hears our prayers, and He yokes up with us and helps us to bear these issues so that we are never alone (Psalm 102:18-24). His presence within us is tangible and intimate.

When we consider His ways and enjoy all of His benefits, our soul, in our inmost being, cannot help but to erupt in praises to Him throughout our day and night. He forgives our sins, heals our illnesses, redeems us from the pit of hell, and satisfies us with all good things (Psalm 103:1-4).

Our Daddy God showers us with His love and compassions, and renews our strength like the eagle's. He works to restore innocence and justice for the oppressed. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, because He is slow to anger and abounds in love and mercy (Psalm 103:5-11).

Our Heavenly Father remembers that He made us from dust, as mortals who whither like the grass; therefore, because of His great love for us, He tosses the thought of our sins as far away as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12-16).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for loving all those who fear You, who remain faithful to our covenant with You, and who obey Your precepts - even our children and future generations of our descendants if they will trust in You. We live in praise to You (Psalm 103:17-22). Our thoughts, emotions and choices reflect our love for You. You are great, clothed in splendor and majesty, and wrapped in light (Psalm 104:1-2).

The clouds are Your chariots, and You ride on the wings of the wind. You stretch out the earth like a tent, with the beams of Your chambers on the upper atmosphere of the earth. You use nature and natural disasters as Your servants to allow patience to do her perfect work in us. You send us messages to protect us, to redirect us, and to teach what is truly valuable in this life (Psalm 104:2-4). We praise You with our whole heart.

Thought for the Day:

All of nature is created by the Lord, and serves as His tools to speak to His people; He sets boundaries for creation, and it cannot walk contrary to His will, and even the animals look to God for their provision.

- Psalm 104:5-22

Creator God

When we observe creation, we see dozens of different versions of the different species of trees; the animal species; clouds of every size and shape and form; flowers in a million different colors, scents, sizes and shapes; and people with very little similarities in dozens of different countries and cultures.

This leads me to believe that we serve a creative God. There is never a sunset or snowflake alike, or a day where nature is an exact replica of any other day. Our God is a creative Being. As His followers, we also have a creative bent in us that stems from the creativity of our Heavenly Father.

We are an extension of Him in the earth. Some of us have more creative abilities than others, but we all have a flare for something. As we do God’s will, He perfects our talents and abilities to accomplish everything that He calls us to do.

Maybe you enjoy public speaking, writing, designing, drawing, sports, reading, cooking, sewing, sculpting, flower arranging, furniture making, driving, flying, auto mechanics, mathematics, reading, chemistry, legal processes, or the medical arts to name just a few creative talents God gives us.

Are you using your talent? Do you feel that you have to explain yourself or make excuses for the time you spend being creative? Some creative people also feel guilty for the praise they receive for what they create.

In walking in God’s will moment by moment throughout the day, we find a sense of who we are, why God created us, and what His purpose is for our life. He wants us to brighten our world by being creative with the talents He gave us.

God gives us twenty-four hours in a day, and a lifetime of years to utilize to make our world a better place. He enables us to use our creativity to spread color and imagination in our community and around the world.

Each day is God's, and He shares them with us to use for His purpose (Proverbs 22:2; Psalm 74:16-17). Creativity can be taught and learned; therefore, we can take classes to develop a talent that stimulates our imagination.

Sometimes, God gives us a talent in order to teach it to others. Our creativity is a gift to use to bless other people. Creativity can influence everything and everyone everywhere, even as a way to share the Gospel of Christ.

Imaginative people find it easier to accept challenging ideas, to work together with more cooperation, and to expand the way we normally think. We enlarge our perspective on things, and learn to value other ideas and viewpoints that differ from our own.

As a child, we used toys to communicate our creativity and to increase our imagination. Toys enabled us to develop a love of exploring our world. Psychiatrists use creativity through toys to help troubled children.

Through play, young people can learn constructive, creative solutions rather than responding to issues with negative behavior. Playtime is also used to help adults to heal from trauma and loss. Creativity is a wonderful tool, which God gave us to affect life positively.

Prayer:

Father God, You give each of us talents to use for Your glory (Hebrews 3:3-5). We can use our creativity not only to support our self in this life, but also to be a blessing to all who come our way. You are worthy to receive all of the glory and honor and power for what we accomplish in our lifetime.

You created everything, and by Your will everything exists (Revelation 4:11). Therefore, since You created us and the world in which we live, we can follow Your example and use the creative urges that You plant within our soul to bless others. We give You all of the glory and praise that we receive.

Thought for the Day:

As humans, we function best when we use creativity to enrich our family, our vocation, and the lives around us; especially when we are given an environment to freely use our imagination, and to follow the direction of God's Spirit.

Positive Attention for Our Children/ Grandchildren

Often, children will "act out" negatively in order to get our attention. In place of a lack of positive attention from us, they will push our buttons until we pay attention to them. We can stop this negative spiral by giving them regularly scheduled focused attention to which they can look forward to enjoying.

We often choose to focus on the negative aspects of having children, when we have a gold mine of blessings in our little charges. So often, we create opportunities to get away from them, or to use the TV or electronic devices to distract their attention.

Instead, we can choose to create fun times with them so they can fill up our emotional tank, and we can develop a lasting relationship with them. Here are some ideas we can use as parents and grandparents to allow our blessings from the Lord (Psalm 127:3) to feel loved, respected and enjoyed:

1. Listen to them. This is easier said than done when we work all day, cook dinner when we get home, and have chores that pile up each week and demand our attention. Doing chores and cooking together with our children provide us with time to listen to their chatter about what is important to them.

2. Go to the beach and collect shells (and wear shorts and a t-shirt if you don't want to wear a bathing suit).

3. Watch one favorite TV show with them every day/week. We can snuggle with them on the couch, or make a tent from a sheet draped over the table in order to watch the TV from inside, or pop popcorn and eat it while we watch the show from anywhere in the room at which each child feels comfortable.

4. Go to the park and swing, slide and climb monkey bars with them; or go to the pool and have some fun "splash" time. 

5. Find some community service we can do together as a family.  

6. Rent an age-appropriate (Christian, if possible) movie each weekend and watch it all together as a family.

7. Read them a series of Christian children books that we check out at the library one at a time. Or read Bible stories from a Children's Bible and tell them real live stories about how God blessed us during our lifetime. Read every night before they have to go to bed. This helps them to unwind in a positive way and gives them special bonding time together with us.

8. Play their favorite games with them, even simple ones like "go fish" or charades, or the old standard games like Marbles, Connect Four, Checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe, Battleship, etc.

9. Take a nature walk and collect leaves; then, glue them into a homemade book of stapled sheets of scrap paper from work.

10. Get a library book on clouds and then go outside and identify the different clouds in the sky. Do this with star formations too. A fun future game is to recognize the clouds and stars with them all through their lifetime.

11. Go to the thrift store and give each child $3-$10 to pick out a toy, book, etc. that tickles their fancy. We can play with the items with them when we get home.  We can give our teenagers more money, and let them pick out their own clothes - this teaches them the value of money.

12. Have each child make a drawing about saving our water, or saving our whales, or some other social issue that they are interested in, and hang them on our refrigerator or enter them in area contests.

13. Make age-appropriate craft kits together. We can purchase kits from Walmart, Amazon, etc.

14. Buy a set of dominoes with directions, and teach them how to play.

15. Buy flash cards from Walmart and play "school" and teach them their numbers, shapes, colors, addition and multiplication facts, etc.

16. Teach them how to lace and tie their shoes. They will brag to everyone about their sense of accomplishment over learning this skill.

17. Take a free tour of a local factory, (we went to see them make and process milk, ice cream, rice, coal, bologna, chocolate, etc.)  Many factories love people to take tours.

18. Have "play dates" and get together with church families with kids the same age as our children, so we can get a bit of adult fellowship in, while we supervise the children's games.

19. Have a craft shelf where they can get crayons, water-proof markers, child-safe scissors, glue, glitter pens, water color paint sets, construction paper, plain typing/copier paper, stencils, ruler, etc. to use whenever the mood strikes them.

20. You get the idea...now start generating ideas of your own.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for stirring our imagination to give us ways to improve our quality time focusing on our children during family times. Help us to "catch our child being good" and compliment them, or give them a special treat, or just snuggle a few moments on the couch to tell them how much you appreciate their appropriate behavior. Give us ideas on how to turn chore-time into play-time in order to enjoy each other's company.

Remind us to take couple time too, after procuring the help of reliable, safe childcare. We can even tag-team with each other in order to give one another time to closet our self in the bedroom to play a video game, to take a long soaking bath, to watch a sporting event on TV, or a Hallmark movie we want to see, etc. Help us to be creative in these areas too.

Thought for the Day:

Every moment of positive, quality time we spend with our child will pay dividends of a peaceful home together, and will also build special memories for all of us that will last a lifetime.

A Good Marriage - Surviving the Long Haul

In any relationship, trust is even more important than love. Love and hate are two sides on the same coin. We can switch from one side to the other in a matter of minutes. Betrayal, abuse, disenchantment, broken promises, fading care for one another, etc. will flip this coin.

Years of neglect and taking each other for granted will also slowly toss the coin. Small disappointments build giant houses of disillusionment, unless we forgive them right when they happen. Sharing a faith in God, and even a ministry that we do together, will improve our intimacy in every area of our life.

Taking life too seriously, having impossible expectations of our self and others, and nursing a grudge will all build walls in our relationships. Learning to laugh at our self, and to appreciate others just the way they are, will keep us more balanced and stress-free.

This allows us to like, as well as to love, each other. Our best friend makes the best spouse. Getting to know and appreciate one another before marriage will cut down on the friction in the marriage. Relying on Godly wisdom, as well as passion, to choose a mate is always the best option.

Before and after marriage, chatting on weekly dates about current events, concerns on our individual heart, our aspirations, financial philosophy, religious preferences, parenting styles, etc. are great topics for conversation. The challenge is to really listen to one another, even if the subject of our mate's discussion is boring to us.

Communicating admiration, respect, appreciation, humor, cherishing, nurturing, generosity, etc. to one another is another vital key in forming a close-knit marriage. We form a bond in spirit, thoughts, emotions, choices and caring for our spouse, as well as increasing our love for each other.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to see that criticism, complaints, negative comments about our spouse in private and in public; as well as bitterness, disrespect, etc. destroy our bond of unity. Building up one another in love is Your recipe for delightful relationships (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Show us how to rejoice with each other's triumphs, and to show concern and affirmation in our disappointments.

Remind us to work together, and to realize that our partner is our helper, not the enemy. Teach us never to insist on our own way, but to find a mutually satisfying alternative whenever we disagree. Remind us that our spouse comes first in our plans, and we can gather with shared friends or individual buddies at other times in our schedule.

Thought for the Day:

Areas that bring us closer as a couple include mutual support, affirmation, cooperation, goals, ideals, interests, prayer concerns, Bible studies, church participation, decision making, choices, empathizing, listening attentively, focusing our attention on our spouse, etc.; whereas always taking an opposite view, insisting on our own way, making minor issues fighting points, refusing to discover a third alternative in decision-making, etc. will erode the unity of any marriage.