Hard To Forgive

Good Morning, My Friend!! We all know forgiving can be tough,...but when the person we are to forgive, is actively, willfully and intentionally doing things to hurt us, well, it can be nearly impossible. I mean really, how is it possible to forgive someone who has being so cruel?
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.—Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
If you have not forgiven someone who has hurt you, who is hurting you,...remember this; real healing cannot take place until you let go of all bitterness and unforgiveness. Forgiveness is a process that may require considerable time, and much prayer. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do it. Jesus forgave his attackers, even as he died on the cross. And He forgives us freely, when we turn to Him,...how can we do any less?

Forgiveness will allow us to experience God's peace, and all the good He has planned for our lives.

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Holy Spirit, teach us to forgive. We've been covered with God's grace and mercy. Forgive us for holding in so much bitterness toward the one who has or is hurting us,...help us to extend grace to this person. Help us to forgive. And help us to love, in spite of their actions. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

"The end of adolescence does not signal the end of peer influence,
...our friends, the people we work with, the people we choose to hang out with,
...all help to shape us throughout our lives."

Let Nothing Keep Us From The Love Of God

Good Morning!! If you have ever been fired from a job, bullied, cheated on, taken advantage of, misused or abused in any kind of way,...you no doubt felt totally out of control in the situation, whether it was as an adult or child. You never want to feel out of control again, so now you try to control every situation, and relationship, in your life. You probably don't even trust God to be in control. None of us can be free to become all we were meant to be,...until we recognize that God is the only one in control,...and that He loves us, and wants to care for us.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.—Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV)
 Jesus invites us to put our hands in His, and let Him guide us and help us through all circumstances of life. Stop trying to figure everything out on your own. Stop trying to forge through life depending on your own strength and understanding. Let Jesus love you. Let Him help you reach your full potential and accomplish all the good things that God has called you to do.

We're only fooling ourselves, when we think we can make it on our own, in this life. We need to lean on Jesus,...on His wisdom, His strength and his love.

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Father, forgive us for thinking we run anything,...that somehow we could make it through life on our own. We need Your help, and Your guidance in everything we do. Lord help us to stop trying to control everything,...help us to listen to Your voice,...and to obey You,...and to trust You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

" Whether you're a lighthouse on a hill, or a candle in the corner,...Let You're Light Shine!"

Love Helps Us To Let It Go

Good Morning!! Day in, and day out, the media reports violence and abuse, especially in the home,...some type of child neglect, sexual violence, abandonment,...and on and on. Victims of such abuse usually suffer pain long after the actual abuse has ended. Memories haunt them. They continue to feel the shame, fear, anger and grief brought about by painful events of the past. There is a very good chance that you, or someone you love, is a surviving victim of abuse.

 

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.—1 John 4:17,18 (NIV)

 

If so, you may be allowing fear to rule in your life. The fear you experienced when you were being abused has become a fear of everyday life. Fear of committing to a relationship. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of intimacy. These feelings of fear often cause victims to put up barriers to God,...and to relationships with other people. Fear is an extremely powerful emotion, that we don't know how to control. It attacks our ability to trust. It compromises our ability to relax in relationships. Fear of becoming vulnerable, of being betrayed by others,...or even by God. 

 

Perfect love drives out fear,...and God's love is perfect.

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Father God, forgive us for not trusting You as we should. Help us to believe, and except that You love us,..that Jesus died for us. We want to be Your children. Help us to trust You and Your perfect love,...and then to be able to overcome the fear that has ruled our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

" Whether you're a lighthouse on a hill, or a candle in the corner,...Let You're Light Shine!"

Walls

Good Morning!! When we hide behind self-built defenses, we may have a sense that we are in control. We tell ourselves that we are holding our feelings in check. But in reality we are not in control at all,...our problems are doing all the steering. We've pushed away the people who really care about us, the ones who could help us. And we've allowed our problem, our situation, to run the show .

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.—Romans 8:37 (NKJV)Only when we allow the defensive walls to crumble, and start living, and choosing, and acting on the basis of who we are in Christ, and on all the strength and guidance and wisdom God has promised to provide, can we begin to practice true self-control.

Do you know who you are?,...because the Bible makes it clear.
Because of Christ;
We are redeemed,...paid for at a great price. (Ephesians 1:7)
We are forgiven,...clean … our sin has been forgotten. (Psalm 103:12)
We are strong and capable and can do everything through Christ. (Philippians 4:13)
We are conquerors,...an overcomers. (Romans 8:37)

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Holy Spirit of God, help us to stop hiding behind our self-built defenses. Help us to see ourselves as You do, because of Christ,...redeemed, forgiven, strong, capable, and overcomers. Help us always to remember what a great price was paid at the cross so that we could have this new identity. In Jesus' name. Amen.

" Whether you're a lighthouse on a hill, or a candle in the corner,...Let You're Light Shine!"

Don't Hide

Good Morning!! Have you ever tried to hold something filled with air, under water? The deeper you go, the harder it becomes. And yet, we often work just as hard to keep our true feelings hidden . We build walls around our real selves, and around any problems we may be struggling with. The self-constructed walls cause us to isolate ourselves from other people, and even from God. They cause us to hide from the truth about a problem that has a hold on us. These walls we build are called defenses. Defenses can take many forms: rationalization, humor, blaming, or denying. We might say things like "What I did isn't so bad" or "You don't understand the pressure I'm under." Sound familiar? We have all used defenses like these to cover a harsher truth.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."—John 8:32 (NIV)
 When we are hiding behind the defenses, we are attempting to hide the truth about ourselves and our situation,...from God, from other people, and even from ourselves. We are also blinding ourselves from the truth of God's Word. And yet our only answer is in the truth,...because the truth will set us free. Building them was a process, and so is tearing them down. It is done by being honest with God, with yourself and with others. It is done by learning to trust the truth of the Bible more than your feelings.
 

The very walls we build in reality are blocking our road to freedom.

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Father God,  we've rationalized. We've pointed the finger at others. We've denied. But the truth is that we want and need help. Help us to be honest with You, with others,...and most of all, with ourselves. Help us to depend on the truth of Your Word more than on our feelings. Help us to tear down the walls. In Jesus' name. Amen.

" Whether you're a lighthouse on a hill, or a candle in the corner,...Let You're Light Shine!"

Know Him Better

Good Morning!! Often we are ruled by our feelings, rather than the truth of God's Word. Instead of letting our actions be determined by our feelings (which often mislead us), we need to base our actions on what is certain,...and true. We need to grow in our knowledge of God and of Jesus. We need to understand what Jesus did for us on the cross, and the way God sees us. It is only as we do this, that we open the door to receive more and more grace, and peace from God.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.—2 Peter 1:2 (NIV)
How do we grow in our knowledge? The answers are really very simple. We need to prayerfully study the Bible. We need to spend time in prayer, and learn to listen for God. Only then can we begin to live based on our knowledge of who we are through faith in Jesus Christ. We also need to realize that no one just does it,...this is a lifetime process.

Every day we have choices to make, another chance to choose whether to act based our feelings of fear, insecurity, hopelessness, grief, etc. ,...or to believe God, and move on faith.

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Father God,  help us to grow every day in our knowledge of You. Help us today to make choices based on Your truth, rather than our feelings. Lord we thank You, that Jesus died for our sins, that we are forgiven,...and that we are valuable to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

" Whether you're a lighthouse on a hill, or a candle in the corner,...Let You're Light Shine!"

Greater Is He, That we Trust

Good Morning!! If you were having surgery today, who would you want to be in control of the surgery: a doctor,...or a gourmet chef? If you were flying on an airplane, who would you want in control of flying the plane: a trained pilot,...or the nice lady that rents cars? If you need help for your life, who would you want to be in control: Almighty God who created all things,...and is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loves you unconditionally,...or you, the created? Does this kind of help putting things into perspective?
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,—Nahum 1:7 (NIV)
Our world is in turmoil today. Wars, terrorists attacks, famines, and natural disasters. Traditional values being turned upside down. Horrific crimes. Financial ups and downs. Profit over people, becoming the norm,...but amid the turmoil is a place of security, one of indescribable peace. That place of refuge, is in God.  

 

The turmoil around us will continue, and is likely to grow,...but know this; our God will always be Greater.

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Father God,  thank You for providing a place of safety and peace, in the middle of chaos. We want to trust You as Lord of our lives, and experience the peace that only You can give. Amen.

" Live the Christian Life in the same way you began it,...believing and trusting in Christ Jesus."