Grief Relief

The rancid taste of grief sours our personality at the same time that it bitters our soul. We drown in depression and we see no reason to continue with life. We grieve over the loss of our loved ones, as well as cherished pets and possessions. 

Grief plays havoc with our emotions by knocking them off center. We want to hide between the sheets and drift off into oblivion or take unprecedented risks. Our loss causes our favorite hobbies to lose their appeal. 

We question our sanity and our bewildering physical ailments, which come out of nowhere without any viable reason. Some even attempt to contact their dead loved one through satanic séances and spiritualists.

Experts advise against making major decisions while the fog of grief clouds our judgment. We stand the risk of rebounding and marrying the wrong person, or selling the home of our dreams for fear of not being able to care for it on our own. 

If we forget God in our recovery, we will perish as those without God (Job 8:13). Take a year or more to recuperate before making decisions and only after obtaining Godly advice. God is there for you...always. 

It takes time to recover, but God meets all of our needs, clears up our confusion and heals all of our pain (Jeremiah 29:11). Praising His name and seeking Him each moment of the day will bring us more fulfillment than we ever experienced before in our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are certain to the depths of our being that You are the Living Lord. Every negative aspect in our life right now will turn out for our good, as we trust in You. Even if we are truly alone in this world, we can place our hope in You and pray night and day, asking for Your help moment by moment (1 Timothy 5:5).  

The prayer that never fails is, "Lord, Your will be done." It is hard to give up control of our life, but we will experience so much more freedom once we totally surrender and live in Your joy as our peace and strength. Once we come to that place of total surrender to Your will, no matter what it is, then we set You free to bless us.

Thought for the Day:

When grief resurfaces with some trigger that reminds us of our loss, we can remember that even in the darkest nights of our life, our faith increases and our personal relationship with God deepens.

Our True Identity

 

 

We do not base our identity on the talents of our flesh or the state of our soul – our mind, choices and emotions; but on our relationship with Christ. Our authentic self is found in the person of Jesus Christ who dwells within us. We find our success by living, moving and having our existence in His divine presence (Acts 17:28). For instance, God took my insecure, introverted, melancholic personality and exchanged it for the fruit of His Spirit one aspect at a time. Thanks to the Holy Spirit’s regeneration, I am Christ secured and assured. I look at life through His outlook of faith and I never meet a stranger (Romans 12:2). That is true transformation!

God searches our hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for us according to God’s will (Romans 8:27). His life is manifested through us as we follow the leading of His Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:12; Galatians 5:25). Jesus pours out His life in us to others (John 12:24; 1 Peter 2:20-25). As we follow His direction, He prospers our way and gives us His success (Joshua 1:8). He matures and fortifies us, as He makes His home in us (1 Peter 5:10). He also meets the needs of others through us, so that we might win to Christ whoever is willing to believe (1 Corinthians 9:22).

The Lord does not remove us from temptation or tribulation. Since He lives in us, He walks through it with us. He gives us everything we need to resist trials and to withstand sin’s persuasion; we simply need to utilize his wisdom and strength. He gives us His mind about the movies we watch, the books we read, the television we view and the people we hang around with. If we choose to ignore Him, then we will certainly reap corruption in our body, soul and spirit. If we choose to follow the Spirit’s leading, we will shine like stars in the Heavens (Philippians 2:12-18).

We have the abiding love and peace of God residing within us (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 2:14). We desire to live Godly lives, and we have everything we need to accomplish this through Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:13; 2 Peter 1:3). We are controlled and guided by His Spirit, which fills us (Ephesians 5:18). This is accomplished by the particular gifts of the Spirit, which He gives to each one of us individually (Ephesians 4:8-16; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 27-31). Christ performs His work through us, which God prepared for us before the world ever began (Ephesians 2:10). 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we function in life as a lamp, a vessel or a branch. You are the Light, which shines through our lamp, the vine to which our branch is connected and the substance within our vessel. We bear Your life in us, and it flows through us out into the world (John 15:5; Romans 9:21). We have no goodness of our own, not even by keeping the mandates of Biblical law. Our human attempts at righteousness are simply filthy rags in Your sight (Isaiah 64:6). It is only by faith in You that we receive in our spirit Your imputed righteousness (Philippians 3:9).

Thought for the Day:

Once we are dead to this world, we no longer submit to its standards, practice its worldly religious rituals or partake in fleshly extravagances. - Colossian 2:20-23