Fellowship with the Trinity

 

Prior to salvation, we lived as slaves to sin and pawns in Satan’s plan (Romans 7). Even after salvation, our sins of omission and commission built a wall between us and our fellowship with the Trinity.

No matter how slowly or how high the wall goes up – we feel a separation and distance from our Lord and Savior (Romans 1:18). Our prayers hit the ceiling, our joy ebbs and our peace is overwhelmed by stress and negative emotions.

Without righteousness, there can be no lasting peace and joy. We are separated from God due to our rebellion and unbelief (Romans 14:17). We grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), and we are in danger of condemning our self to eternity in hell (John 3:18).

This severance of our union with Christ bitters our soul. Then, resentment becomes the adhesive, which we use to cement the stones of willful sin in place.

As the wall thickens and rises, fears riddle our soul. We gradually grow more anxious and hopeless. Eventually, some people even feel animosity toward God and rail against Him.

We hurl accusations at Him and slander His name to anyone who will listen. We end up punishing our self by removing our self from the protection and provision of our Heavenly Father.

This is so unnecessary.

If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of our eye, the lust of our flesh and our pride in our life (1 John 2:16). We will walk in perfect harmony with the Trinity and enjoy constant fellowship with the Trinity every moment of our day (Galatians 5:15-25; Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, Your eyes are always on Your children. You love us with an everlasting love, and You rejoice over us with singing. You are faithful, and we can put all of our hope and trust in You. You never change and You are with us now and even at the end of our life. You give us treasure in dark times and riches when we come to You in our time of need.

You are our Father, our God, and You give us Your mercy and grace in all of our trials and afflictions. We are comforted by Your presence in our life, even in times of trouble. You comfort the downcast when we keep our eyes focused on You. Thank you for being with us and revealing Your presence and peace to us as You give us Your joy.

Thought for the Day:

We make our refuge in God, because He will never leave us destitute; we have no need to fear, because He will help us and hold us in the palm of His hand. - Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 49:16

The Healing Journey - Our Priceless Inheritance

I was born into an Italian family, the oldest child of my parents and the first grandchild in the family. To say that I was loved, expected, wanted and spoiled is an understatement.

Then, three years later on the exact date of my birth, my baby brother was born. Of course, all the attention and acclaim went to the new baby and the first boy of our family.

I remember standing outside of the nursery door and wondering why my parents were giving this screaming bag of bones all of my attention. I was told to go outside to play; and from that day forward, outside became my happy place.

Yet, I experienced all of the deprivation, abandonment, rejection and loneliness that accompanies having a new baby in the family. 

My defense was to be a good little girl and mommy's helper with my baby brothers, as two more boys came into our family. I received less and less personal attention with each new birth. 

As the only girl and oldest child, I was given household chores. We fell into this routine until, during my adolescence, I started to assert my independence, which my parents termed as "stubbornness".

This earned me the increasing wrath of my bipolar father, who resorted to violent physical punishment. He even used brutal force and sexual abuse on one occasion in an attempt to force me into submission.

My resentment grew and I turned more inward, often hanging out in our tree house with a good book. I preferred to be alone than to put myself in situations that brought me further hurt.

My mom attempted to compensate for my dad's wrath by leading my Girl Scout troop while I was in junior and senior high school. She helped me to apply to national and international events, which allowed me to travel.

I appreciated her constancy in doing all the right things for me; but since her mother died when she was three, and she grew up with a stepmom who worked long hours every day, she never personally experienced nurturing and never learned to cherish us emotionally.

My mom was required to do household chores, serve her alcoholic father and four older brothers and to care for her two younger brothers. Her emotions were locked up tightly within her soul, just as mine were, and she found her fulfillment through service in her community.

I married when I turned 20 and parented my own three children with this same aloof attitude of my mom and easily angered response that I learned from my dad. I did not know what it felt like to experience or to give nurturing.

Over the ensuing years, the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit gradually healed my wounds and painstakingly replaced my negative learned behavior and personality characteristics with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

I also borrowed books from local libraries and learned how to nurture the wounded "child" within me; as well as my own children, my mom and the wounded members of the churches in which I served as a Pastor's wife.

The husband of my youth, wounded from his childhood, remained as aloof as my mom and as exacting as my father. Only our Father God cherished me as His little girl and gave me comfort and safety under the shadow of His wings (Matthew 6:6-9).

God's Spirit revealed to me the devil's lies which kept me in bondage to the wounds of my past ( www.theophostic.com ). He helped me to forgive my parents and husband, and to let go of Satan's deceptions and the resulting wounds.

I learned that my inheritance with Christ of God's Kingdom is priceless and that there is forgiveness for my own sins and healing for the results of the sins others perpetrated in my life. God is our good, good Father and we are loved by Him as the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8).

Prayer:

Father God, we could never thank You enough for adopting us into Your family, forgiving all of our sins, transforming our short-comings and healing our past. You care for us all the days of our life and even look forward to us joining You in eternity (Psalm 116:15). We anticipate that day when we gather around Your throne with all of Your Saints in order to praise Your goodness and mercy for eternity.

As we spend time in solitary prayer now, just as Jesus did, You energize our body, soul and spirit with Your continual presence within us. We find spontaneous tears of gratitude flowing down our cheeks as we dwell through each moment of our day in communion with You and by walking in Your Spirit.

Thought for the Day:

When we catch a glimpse of our priceless inheritance with Christ of all that is the Kingdom of God, we are filled with the wonder and humility that we feel at the magnitude of His presence in us and His provision for us both now and throughout eternity.

Go to God

In the midst of the worst trials we experience on this earth, authentic Believers can trust in the fact that God holds us in the palm of His hand (Psalm 18:35). We can cry out to our Lord, even in our distress, resentment and pain, and He will hear and answer our prayers (1 Samuel 1:10). As tears bathe our face, they are also cleansing our soul of the grief.

Tribulation often causes people to curse God, because they feel overwhelming disappointment in His lack of provision in the areas where they are grieving. We have certain unmet expectations, and we feel that God let us down. We allow Satan's lies to pull us away from the only Being who can ever really help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

When our heart aches, God cares; but He knows our desires are not His best plans for us. He invites us to draw near to His throne and unburden our heart to Him. Any anxiety that plagues our life is important to Him, because He earnestly cares about us (1 Peter 5:7). He is our only true refuge and help in any type of trouble, and He gives us His strength to endure (Psalm 46:1).

We can trust in worldly substitutions, but they never satisfy and they cause addictions. In spite of our negative experiences, we can focus on the eternal rewards, which God has in store for us. He gave us His Word, which is full of prophecy, which was literally fulfilled. This gives us assurance that those prophecies awaiting fulfillment will also unfold exactly like He said they would and we will be blessed.

Prayer:

Father God, as we reflect on Your glory, our looming trial will reduce to trivial concerns. You hear our prayers regardless of the lack of eloquence of our words. You know our heart and delight in our trust in You. We bring our struggles and trials to You and leave them in Your hands, knowing that You will always work out even the most horrific situation for our good, even though it does not feel like it at the time (Romans 8:28). We trust in You alone to meet our needs and to give us showers of blessings throughout the day. Thank you for Your faithfulness in every area of our life.

Thought for the Day:

The trouble with God's blessings is that we often take them for granted and do not even notice them, because we are too busy worrying.

Opposites Attract

God made men and women with differences. We compliment each other's weaknesses with our individual strengths. We serve in different functions in our union, which enhances our productivity. Men and women actually have the same basic needs, but we want them provided for in different ways. Sadly, these differences often drive a wedge between two people.

When a woman thinks of romance, she envisions sweet gestures, thoughtful gifts and romantic words. They want focused attention and help around the house. When a man thinks of romance, he pictures a trip together to the sporting goods store, or the fishing hole or the hockey game. Many men believe that "bringing home the bacon" is enough work for one person and they resent family expectations.

Women want their man to look nice; but whether he is in jeans or a fine suit, it does not really matter. Most men like their women to look like a supermodel. They do not want their wife walking around with uncombed hair and no make-up, or in a tattered t-shirt and jeans. Men appreciate it when women make an effort to look and smell their best.

There are exceptions, but women usually find it easier to express their feelings and to communicate what they need and want. Many men find it hard to communicate. It is easier for them to show their love than to say it. Some even bottle up their feelings and an avalanche of accumulated resentment finally buries their love. The couple ends up frustrated and growing apart.

As virtual strangers, the only hope we have is for both genders to honestly communicate with each other and to volunteer how we feel and what we need rather than to keep our partner guessing. We can ask our mate to stop doing something that offends us, to start doing something we are failing to receive or to change the way we both do things and to serve one another as Christ serves the church (Galatians 5:13).

Prayer:

Father God, You are preparing us as the Bride of Christ. We are learning Jesus' character and how to communicate with Him on an intimate basis. Our love for Him grows with each passing day and we honestly share with Him what we think and how we feel. Help us to do this same thing with one another. This will improve our relationship and prevent many divorces. Remind us to pray, praise and worship together.

Thought for the Day:

One way to create a mutually edifying relationship is to learn how to communicate your feelings and needs effectively.

Negative Emotions Unleashed

Our normal daily order in life is often disturbed by unexpected incidents, which may touch a sore spot deep within our subconscious mind. The unanticipated moment triggers negative emotions from our past, which are stored in our subconscious mind. They cause us to either over-react or to withdraw to nurse our wounds.

These dormant, negative emotions boil like a pot on the back burner of the stove. Sometimes, they will boil over the edge, often when we least expect it. People think we are crazy for getting upset over such a simple issue, but our reaction is actually stirred by years of pent up sentiments and fueled by a similar painful experience.

These feelings may continue to boil over until our soul is empty. Then we burn up from the inside out. False accusations, or being ignored or some misunderstanding may cause us to feel bitter, especially if this issue is never resolved. Bitterness is spiritual poison and defiles our whole life, which affects everything we do and everyone to whom we relate (Hebrews 12:15).

Bitterness sets us up for a snowball of negative emotions, which may eventually freeze out the people whom we love the most. We are usually kind, gentle and loving people; but the painful experiences of our past are whittling away at our inner strength and peace. Due to these subterranean emotions, we over-react negatively toward all further hurt.

The only cure for this vicious cycle is to go to God and to sit quietly in His presence as He reveals to us the root and origin of our negative emotions. He will reveal and heal the wounds in our soul and give us His peace and mercy (Lamentations 3:23). He will give us His joy and strength to face the adversity of life.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to rely on You and to stop attempting to meet life's challenges alone. Thank You for being our strong tower and for allowing us to run to You in times of adversity. You always keep us safe (Proverbs 18:10). Help us to forgive those who sin against us, just as You forgave us for sinning against You (Luke 11:4). Thank You for speaking Your truth to us about the underlying causes of our resentment and anger.

Thought for the Day:

A lifelong accumulation of emotional pain, humiliation, fear and false shame affects us every day of our life, until we allow God to speak His truth and to dispel the lies, which Satan planted in those memories.

To find freedom from your past read these three free chapters: http://theophostic.com/page13051343.aspx

I will be glad to pray with you for healing of past wounds.

The Truth About Anger

Anger is a God-given response to protect us when we feel threatened or insecure. Some people in our life arouse anger in our soul more than others. God advises us to go ahead and be angry, but not to sin in our anger (Ephesians 4:26). Resentment at not being given a choice about what happened in my life turned to anger and bitterness.

Those in authority over me would not listen when I expressed what I wanted and needed, and I felt like I did not matter. I usually kept quiet, rolling with the punches, internalizing my feelings for as long as I could. However, some small slight eventually unleashed all of that pent up emotion.

When I exploded in anger to express my displeasure at what I was being forced to experience, the unsuspecting victim of my outburst looked at me like I had two heads and wondered about my sanity. The eruption was quick. However, my volcanic anger left emotional scars in others, which were as destructive as volcanic lava.

I eventually learned that my pent up anger from unresolved issues in my childhood was added to those current feelings of anger. This caused my emotional outbursts to devastate those around me. My anger over the events of my past increased the expression of my anger over the issues occurring at the moment.

God eventually set me free from the pain of my past by revealing its source. He exposed Satan’s lies, spoken to me during negative experiences, which held me in bondage to fear and insecurity my whole life. Then He revealed His truth to replace those lies. (www.theophostic.com)

Negative emotions are actually red flags. When I first start feeling them, I examine my beliefs and the actions, which cause them. I look for an idol, which God is exposing, or I separate my self-worth from the opinion of others. Now, rather than to allow my negative feelings to pile up inside of me, I quickly repent of my idol or firmly appeal to my authority to consider my feelings.

Prayer:

Father God, You advise us not to allow the issues of this life to trouble our soul. We can bring everything to You and make our requests in prayer. You help us to live in quiet expectation of Your purpose for the trials we experience. Your peace, which transcends all human reasoning, will guard our feelings and thoughts. We lift up our soul to Your safe keeping (Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 25:1).

Thought for the Day:

Attentiveness to our troubled soul can allow us to find peace in our heart by expressing our feelings before they escalate into anger.