Surviving Human Relationships

Human relationships are usually based on feelings, which draw us together. However, feelings may also sever the association, because of a lack of communication and personal issues of inadequacy. We mentally interject words and thoughts into a conversation, which are not there, and act accordingly. We feel unloved, rejected and misunderstood. Then, we just give up.

God wants to reprogram our thoughts, which are currently based on lies from the devil ( www.theophostic.com ), with His own words, which tell us the truth about our worth and our victory in Christ. God chose us before the foundation of the world, so we have no need to feel inadequate (Isaiah 43:10). There is not one issue in life, which can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:31-39).

God builds us up (Acts 20:32), when people put us down. His right hand supports us (Psalm 63:8), when others reject us. He provides for us (Philippians 4:19), when Satan tries to steal from us, and kill and destroy us (John 10:10). When we are afraid, He redeems us and calls us by our name, because we are His (Isaiah 43:1). He loves us and considers us as precious in His sight (Isaiah 43:4).

God engraves us on the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). He gives us sure footing regardless of the situation we are living through (Habakkuk 3:19). God chose us as a holy, royal priesthood. We are His special possession. We praise Him, because He called us out of darkness and brought us into the world of His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).

Authentic Christian relationships survive the plagues of the world, and the flesh and the devil, which attempt to drive a wedge between two people. There are no issues in a marriage, which justify divorce. A time of separation can free us from the circumstances of the moment and give God time to work out reconciliation between both parties.

Prayer:

Father God, we love you. You are our strength, our rock, our fortress and our deliverer. You are our source of salvation and our stronghold in times of trouble. We take refuge in You. We call on You, who are worthy of praise, and You save us from those who would bring us harm (Psalm 18:1-3). We give You all the praise that is worthy of Your name. Thank You for keeping us as the apple of Your eye (Psalm 17:8).

Thought for the Day:

We can rest secure in God, because He shields us all day long and carries us on His shoulders. - Deuteronomy 33:12

Drawing Near to God

 

The natural world in which we live, and everyone in it, is held captive by sin. However, through faith in Jesus Christ we are given God's promised salvation (Galatians 3:22-23). Now, with a sincere heart, we can draw near to God. Our mind, sprinkled by the blood of Christ, is cleansed from a guilty conscience and the pure water of God's Word washes us clean (Hebrews 10:22).

We can only abide in God after we first seek Him and His Kingdom, and live in the truth that He lives in and through us. He will never, ever, for any reason leave us (Hebrews 13:5). As we wait on Him day by day, He grants us the grace to abide in Him. We rejoice in His fellowship and we work in His power. We completely give up our self to Him and live by faith in His faithfulness.

God allows trials to test our faith, which increases our perseverance through them (James 1:3). Thankfully, Jesus is both the developer and the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Even the prophets of old knew that the righteous live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4: Romans 1:17). Since Jesus' faith and Spirit abide within us, we multiply the works of Christ on this earth (John 14:12).

The core truths of God's Word energize the authentic Christian and thrill our soul. First and foremost, we wait on the Lord, we live in His presence continually and we enter into His eternal rest on a daily basis. Once we completely surrender to Christ, God takes us up spiritually into His Holy Temple (2 Corinthians 5:1). We abide in His rest, and all of our work on earth is done only through Him.

Prayer:

Father God, even if other people refuse to believe in You, their unbelief does not make our faith in You worthless (Romans 3:3). Through the blood of Jesus, we become Your righteousness, and You wipe away our sins through Your love and forbearance (Romans 3:25). Help us not to grow weary or to lose faith in Your promises, but to remain strong in Christ's faith in us, as we give You all of the glory (Romans 4:20).

Thought for the Day:

We are justified and reconciled to God by faith, not by our own good deeds. - Romans 3:28, 4:14; Ephesians 2:8-9

Spiritual Healing - Part 3

Focusing on God

We often react to people and situations without thinking. We usually over-react because we do not have all of the facts. Then, because of our insecurities, we exaggerate the incident in our mind and end up falsely accusing others. At other times, the action from the other person pushes buttons from our past and we are instantly incensed   ( www.theophostic.com ).

Sometimes, we allow another's behavior to continue until we cannot stand it anymore, and then we finally react in anger. Change will often affect us negatively; or if we get tired, we will get grouchy and easily angered. The cure for this is to focus on the will of God in the situation. This brings instant peace to the circumstances.

As we stay focused on God, we live in His perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). We also give God charge over our attitudes, behavior, desires and thoughts. Any time our attitude turns negative, we can be sure that we are either neglecting some legitimate need that we have, or we are harboring an inordinate need that is an idol in our life and that we need to surrender to God.

If we fail to consult the Lord about the issue, then we often end up inappropriately dealing with it our self. As a Believer, we can realize that nothing will occur in our life, which is not already part of God's plan for us. He works out even the most horrific issues for our good (Romans 8:28). This reminds us to look for the seed of a miracle in every trial. God is good all the time.

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word advises that sweet and bitter water cannot come out of the same well (James 3:11). Fill our mind with Your thoughts. Keep our thoughts focused on only that which is pure, true, noble, righteous, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Cleanse us from any wicked way in us and lead us in Your everlasting ways (Psalm 139:23-24).

Thought for the Day:

Love does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking or easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. - 1 Corinthians 13:5

Spiritual Healing - Part 2

God's Sweet, Living Water of Healing

Every individual has certain basic needs: Physical, Safety, Love, Belonging, Acceptance and Potential. If the fulfillment of any of these areas is thwarted, we will grow into adulthood with wounds from our childhood and early adult years. Satan plants a lie along with every disappointment we ever experience, and these lies influence our beliefs as adults. ( www.theophostic.com )

A lack of fulfillment in these areas of basic human needs can impact our ability to function normally as adults. In Part 1 of Spiritual Healing, I wrote about my anger and bitterness stemming from these needs not being met. In my case of experiencing abuse and deprivation, I grew up feeling fearful and insecure. This trauma caused a mental and emotional disorder due to the reoccurring stress (PTSD). 

Since I met the Lord Jesus Christ, however, I realized that the more intimate our union with Christ is, the more willing we are to totally surrender our life to God's will. This even allows us to look for the seeds of a miracle in every trial we experience. When we come to Christ, He gradually fulfills in us the unmet needs of our past and fills us with His sweet Living Water (John 4:14).

God also uses His process of sanctification to cleanse our thought life, because thoughts determine how we act. Our thoughts originate from three sources:

1. From our past, which is still alive in our subconscious mind

2. From our perception of life through our five senses

3. From satanic forces out to destroy us by distorting God's Truth     (1 Peter 5:8). (More in the next post.)

Prayer:

Father God, You warned us that Satan is our accuser (Revelations 12:10). Any negative thoughts sent to belittle and debilitate us come from him. If we surrender to Your will for each moment of our day, Your Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Then, we will filter every situation in our life through Your lens of Truth (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). Remind us that if we are seated with You in heavenly places, we have no need to worry about our life on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

Nothing will occur in our life that is not already part of God's plan for us. - Ephesians 2:6,10

Spiritual Healing - Part 1

Understanding Bitterness and Anger

Once we repent, our sins are always forgiven (1 John 1:9). However, some sins often continue to plague us relentlessly for two reasons. They are caused by a subconscious lie from the pit of hell, and this lie is still affecting us every day of our life. What is the sin, which so easily ensnares you? (Hebrews 12:1) What happened in your past that draws you to that sin over and over again? 

For instance, my besetting sin is anger. I use anger to protect myself from abuse and neglect. Why do I do that? I had incidences in my life of both abuse and neglect. My soul - my mind, will and emotions - do not want to experience either of these issues again. Therefore, I use anger to fight against anything that even remotely appears to resemble either exploitation or abandonment.

I fight the circumstance and I clash with the person whom I perceive is abusing or neglecting me. I do not even think about it before I react. I automatically over-react to any behavior that involves me, which even hints at being abusive or negligent. This over-reaction in anger is a sin, because it is telling God that I do not trust Him to care for me. I want to control the situation to keep myself safe.

As humans, when something upsets us, it triggers the wounds from our past. We react from the anguish of our soul and complain bitterly about the current issue, because of these ancient wounds (Job 7:11). This bitterness, rooted in the hurtful experiences of our past, will spring up and cause us all sorts of trouble. It will even spoil our current relationships and hinder our walk with the Lord (Hebrews 12:15).

Prayer:

Father God, bitterness and anger reside in our heart over past wounds. Show us the root of Satan's lies, which stand against Your truth (James 3:14; www.theophostic.com ). We need Your forgiveness for sin, as well as Your healing and cleansing from the root of the sin, which allows that sinful behavior to perpetually manifest in our life. Remind us that when Your Son sets us free, we are free indeed (John 8:36).

Thought for the Day:

God wants to cleanse our soul from bitterness and anger and allow His sweet, living water to flow from our soul instead of putrid, bitter water from the painful experiences in our past. - James 3:11

A Roller Coaster Life

A life immersed in and dependent upon this world, often produces intense fear, anger and depression, which plague our days. When our peace is dependent on our circumstances, we live a roller coaster life filled with anxiety, insecurity and stress. However, when we depend on God, and walk in His will, He fills us with His peace, joy and love, regardless of our circumstances (Romans 8:31-39).

As we depend upon God's grace through our difficult circumstances, people see God's faithfulness in our life. We show them that He is trustworthy, and this gives them the opportunity to respond to His grace in their life. When we rely on God through our trials and the pressures of our daily life, we are an example of an authentic Believer to new Believers, as well as to the unsaved.

When we seek God's Kingdom first, He supplies us with everything we need: from employment to retirement, for singleness and a fulfilling career or for a marriage partner and a home in which to raise our family (Matthew 6:33). Even through rejection, dejection, opposition and persecution, the Lord delivers us from all of our troubles (Psalm 34:19). 

God's love never fails to prevent us from drowning in our daily concerns. Every morning His mercy comes to us in a fresh, new way. His faithfulness to those who hope in Him brings us only good. We wait patiently for Him and His salvation as we hope in His eternal promises (Lamentations 3:22-26). God is good all the time.

Prayer:

Father God, we often take Your goodness for granted. We overlook the myriad of blessings You provide for us all throughout our day. However, if we do pay attention, we can find the thread of Your provision and loving kindness woven throughout every aspect of our life. The only time You answer our prayers with a "No" is when our request will harm us. You always work out everything for our good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:

We can trust God with our circumstances rather than trying to work them out in our human effort.

Our True Identity

In order to test our faith in Him, God often withholds the answers to our prayers until the last minute. We fret and pace and wring our hands, wondering if we missed God by making this particular decision. We have no recourse except to pray in faith, knowing that He led us and He will supply. He always comes through for us, even if it is at 11:59, the moment before the deadline!

When we actually come to understand the reality of the Kingdom of God, and the fact that God will bring His Kingdom to the earth in the near future, it puts everything else in our life into proper perspective. Earthly concerns no longer mean what they used to and we have a more heavenly-minded attitude about our life on this earth.

Comprehending our place in God's Kingdom will change the way we look at our self, as well as at our future. Believers belong to the upper echelons of the cream of the crop, and there is no one and nothing that can separate us from God's love and family (Romans 8:31-39). This realization will settle in our hearts, increase our faith and allow God His rightful place in our life.

We find our true identity in the Kingdom of God. We are co-heirs with Jesus of an inheritance, which will never perish, spoil or fade (1 Peter 1:4). We are also joint heirs with Jesus of a hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7). We are children of the Almighty God (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7). Angels come and serve us in our time of need (Hebrews 1:14). We will reign with Christ forever (2 Timothy 2:12).

Prayer:

Father, You are our great God, who is waiting to bless us abundantly in answer to our prayers. Thank You for making us heirs of Your Kingdom with Your blessed Son, Jesus. We revel in Your glory and in Your presence in our life. Remind us that You are on Your throne and all is well in our life. Come to us in an abiding and unbroken fellowship in a deeper union than we have ever experienced before.

Thought for the Day:
Remain quiet and trusting, as you wait on God's provision and direction.