Devotions - Prayer
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13a).
At times the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I can feel lost. Uncertain. Afraid. Sometimes I’m not sure I have the strength for the journey.
It’s in those times that God wants me to remember I’m not traveling alone. He is my ever-present guide. He knows where the road leads. He can see what lies ahead. And that’s not all.
God also knows my concerns. He knows what I feel. The pain I cannot explain to someone else … God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows. And He offers me Himself.
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that God has called you to a difficult path. “Surely,” you think, “God has an easier road for me to travel.”
The truth is, we aren’t wise enough to assume another path would be best for us.
*Maybe the easier road won’t make us into the person God intends us to be.
*Perhaps the difficult road is a path of grace—protecting us from the worst.
*Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves.
*Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater purpose or a greater faith in God?
Out of all the possible paths, God knows the best path.
Our key verse reminds us, “His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”
**Because of this, we can take the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust, and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God will never lead us down the wrong road.
Do not be troubled by these times of perplexity. They are normal experiences coming to all in the life of faith.
Lord, because You will never lead me down the wrong road, I can trust You when I need to make decisions about my family, my career, and my health. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
John 14:26 The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.
In Paul’s time, some believers didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit.
“He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2).
*These people were saved, but it is clear they were not filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not send His disciples into the world until they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
*The disciples had pure hearts and faith to heal the sick and they were witnesses to His resurrection.
*They were even willing to die for Jesus, so what more could there be?
Clearly there was more! “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”(Acts 1:8).
Do you really want the Holy Spirit to be alive in you? You have to be convinced this is for you.
*You must come to the place where you know you are nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing without the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is yours for the asking: “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).
1 Corinthians 2:10 But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes. 11 It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
*Prayer is the master key to having the Holy Spirit.
1. Repent/give up self
2. We must be born again(Turn to God)
3. We must have a thirst for Him.
4. Baptized in the Name of Jesus
5. Open up your heart to the word of God.
6. Ask in faith. (Hebrews 11:6)
Acts 2:38 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 6:63 What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.
Even though spiritual and natural storms rage, find the place of peace where your faith and trust are unshaken. Jesus is with you and for you even in the most difficult circumstances. Amen
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“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God”.(Matthew 5:23-24).
*”Christians are to be reconciled, whatever it takes…
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
*Wise speech needs to be careful, humble, gentle, timely and truthful (get rid of half truths)
* A pure heart overflows into pure truthful speech.
Avoiding Conflict!!!
We are called to speak the truth in love.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Eph 4:15-16).
*Failure to confront in love allows the enemy to sow greater seeds of conflict.
*That lack of forgiveness plants the seeds that later led to disaster.
*It’s a lesson for all of us as we can easily fall into temptation to the same pride that ignores our own sinfulness and pushes us to pass judgment on those who sin against us. As James so eloquently reminds us, we have no business passing judgment on others when we ourselves can barely get through a day without sinning.
Is there someone in your life that you need to confront in love?
*Most people: Remember the things that ought to be forgotten and forget the things that ought to be remembered.
*Jesus died to set you free. Accept it.
*Let us pray for a pure heart, let us be Spirit directed toward Holiness as He is Holy.
Jesus You are the Way, The Truth and the Life, help me to Love as You Love have loved me for Your Glory. Amen
Biblical Ways to Love in Truth:
*Listen without interrupting. Proverbs 18
*Speak without accusing. James 1:19
*Give without sparing. Proverbs 21:26
*Pray without ceasing. Colossians 1:9
*Answer without arguing. Proverbs 17:1
*Share without pretending. Eph. 4:15
*Enjoy without complaint. Philip. 2:14
*Trust without wavering. Corin. 13:7
*Forgive without punishing. Col. 3:13
*Promise without forgetting. Prov. 13:13
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a
We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
*Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.
Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
*Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
*Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.
This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang?
As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.
Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.
“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.
It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
**It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
**Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.
The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways.
*Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
*However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will choose to follow Him with an upright heart.
*Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.
Lord, I’m so glad I don’t have to say that right thing to get Your attention. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and leads me—in my daily activities and even in my prayers. Please show me verses You want me to pray so I can see Your Word come alive in my circumstances and become active in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Read MoreWe are not responsible to change our negative feelings. Our responsibility is to put “in charge” the only Person who can change them, and that Person is God.
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”Psalm 37:5
Psalm 19:12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden(some trans say secret) faults. 13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
*Do you suffer with the sin of secret faults?
*Is there something in your life that is hidden from the eyes of man that is sin?
Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
*Are you living a life of falsehood?
*Do others think that you are something that you are not behind closed doors?
If so—it’s time for a “session of confession” and repentance, it’s time to seek the Lord and ask Him to cleanse you from your secret faults.
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
You see your “secret faults” are not so secret. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Father.
Nothing is secret to the Father.
Confess any secret faults/sins you have to the Lord and turn away from them, ask Him to take the desire for them away from you and tell Him you don’t want to do anything that does not please Him (and mean it).
Ask Him to cleanse you from those secret faults and He most assuredly will.
Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Father today I bring all of my faults before you, I confess each and every one of them. I bring my secrets faults before you Lord and I ask that you would cleanse me from these secret faults Lord. Amen
Sometimes in life when we pray we wonder if God is even there. But the more we learn about Gods character and heart we will realize that he is always there no matter how we may feel.
“Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” – Psalm 10:1
One of the great mysteries of God is His ways.
Some of His ways almost appear to bring us into the most difficult places, as if He were indifferent to our circumstances.
It would appear that He is turning His head from our sorrows.
These events in our lives have a particular objective to perform for us.
That objective is to bring us to the end of ourselves that we might discover the treasure of darkness.
“Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness” (Job 30:26).
*When we are taken into these dark periods, we begin to see light that we never knew existed.
*Our sensitivities become heightened and our ability to see through spiritual eyes is illuminated.
Unless we are taken into these times, our souls never develop any depth of character.
We do not gain Wisdom, only knowledge.
*Knowledge is gained through understanding.
*Wisdom is gained through the experience of darkness.
After we go through these periods, we discover that God was, in fact, with us throughout the entire time.
It does not feel or appear that He is there when we are in the midst of the dark periods.
However, He is there walking with us. He has told us countless times that He will never leave us.
However, when we are in those dark periods, it does not feel like He is there because He does not rescue us from the circumstances.
***He does this for our benefit in order that we might become more like Jesus.
Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). What does that say about how you and I will learn obedience?
Embrace the dark times and gain the wisdom that God intends for you from these times.
Thank You Lord for Your word— “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8) Amen
Read MoreLoving God with “all our heart” doesn’t just mean inviting Him into our hearts. It also means allowing Him to be the motivation for all our choices.
“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” Psalm 73:23-24
How to stay free from bondage and captivity.
*How can we stay in victory?
*How can we walk in a constant flow of not having to return to the things that once plagued us?
Sometimes the emotional baggage that we grew up with can cause us to have certain patterns of living.
For instance, some might have experienced a series of disappointments that must be fought against.
*Is there a way not only to break free but to stay free?
*Is there a way not only to gain the victory but to keep the victory?
*Is there a way for us to find glorious, overcoming, sustained, powerful, lifelong victory in Jesus Christ?
You might think it will take ten years of counseling to attain victory, or twenty years for the maturation process to take place in your life, but Jesus can come in and instantly set you free.
Jesus will not only set you free but He will keep you walking in that freedom.
We need to have the kind of mindset that says,
***“It’s not about me, it’s all about Jesus.
*** It’s not about my purposes, plans and ambitions, it’s all about Him.”
Set your eyes on Jesus and He will cause you to be raised up and set free and He will enable you to stay free in the things of God.
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Amen
Read MoreSome of the things God brings up from our hidden chambers have been lifelong strongholds of the enemy.
They may appear as “giants” when we seek to break free of them, but God is already the Victor! You will see His salvation if you faint not.
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.'” Exodus 14:13
Remember:*EACH person is given something to do that SHOWS who God is! This gifting God has given each one of us is an OUTLET for the OVERFLOW of GOD’S LOVE in our lives for others.
A stronghold is a fortress of thoughts that controls and influences our attitudes.
*Strongholds color how we view certain situations, circumstances, or people. When these thoughts and activities become habitual, we allow a spiritual fortress to be built around us.
Coming Out of the Stronghold
“Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah“… – 1 Samuel 22:
When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction.
God does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of “praise.” Judah means “praise.”
God is preparing each of us to be the vessel He wants to use in the life of another person, but we will never be that vessel if we give up and hide in our cave of discouragement.
God has no favorites-–we are all equal and have Gifts that need to be used for the Kingdom of God.
Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise.
*It is when we move past discouragement to praise that we begin living above our problems.
God help me to put my trust in You today. To trust in my relationship with You and my knowledge of Your love, justice and righteousness. Amen
Read MoreHow can we lay down our lives for God if we’re not really sure He loves us?
* “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ…” Ephesians 2:4-5
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14
Our PAST can be a hindrance or a help in moving forward toward God’s purposes for each of us.
*For some, the past has meant pain and heartache, and grace is required so that we do not let our past dictate our responses to the future.
*If we allow our past to make us a victim, then we have not entered into the grace that God has for us.
*If we live on memories of past successes and fail to raise our vision for new things, we again are victims of our past.
Our past should only be viewed for what we can learn from it.
We must move forward and avoid viewing the negative or the positive for more than what we can learn.
Many have allowed their past to dictate their future.
God is always about doing new things in our lives. He gives fresh revelation of His purposes in our lives.
*Do not live in the past.
*Do not hold onto bitterness that may hinder God from doing new and exciting things in your life.
Put aside such thoughts and allow God to do a new thing in your life. Ask Him to help you see the new things He wants to do in and through you today.
“When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you’re headed for the grave” [Author unknown]
You can do nothing about the past, but you can be strengthened and encouraged in the present with the Lord.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
God, regardless of what’s happened in the past, help me to look up from where I am now. I thank You for Your new beginning for me. I will boldly step into it and walk out Your calling for Your Glory and my Joy. Amen
Read MoreSo now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life union with Jesus the anointed. Romans 8:1
We each have moments when we start feeling overwhelmed by condemnation. Thoughts run through our heads like, “I wish I hadn’t done that,” or, “I could have done that better.”
You know, sometimes, after you’ve gone through the process of prayer, repentance, forgiveness, release, and so on, you have to choose to just shake it off.
If satan can’t keep you from repenting, he’ll try to trap you with a worldly sorrow that is non-productive; it paralyzes you with feeling terrible about yourself and a sense that you’ll never be anything significant.
But this is not God’s desire for you. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, and repentance leads to redemption.
When something like this happens, there are steps we can and should take – we forgive ourselves, we forgive others, we make things right if we need to. But then there comes a point where we simply have to shake it off. We can’t walk around dragging garbage and baggage.
We have one Justifier; we have a Redeemer. If we wallow in the mess we were caught in or a past situation, then we hinder the Redeemer’s anointing from activating in our lives. When we release it, God silences the accusing voice of condemnation, just as our opening verse says. “There remains no accusing voice”.
A little further in the Romans 8 passage, we read these amazing words: “You have received the spirit of full acceptance, enfolding you into the family of God, and you will never feel orphaned; for as He rises up within us, our spirits join in saying the words of tender affection, ‘Beloved Father.’ For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our inner most being.”
God wants to root out the orphan spirit in you and in the entire Body of Christ. He wants you to recognize that you are not a victim and that you don’t need to get caught in the trap of victimizing yourself. You are called to be whole, and you are unconditionally loved.
Father, I thank You that today we will feel totally accepted. Help us to reach a place where we feel accepted by You and by others. Thank You for uprooting the orphan spirit from our hearts. I thank You for this movement of the Holy Spirit bringing renewed passion for God as we recognize that we can feel close to Him, that we are 100% accepted. Help us remember that we are never alone and that God has never left us. We decree that we are not orphans; we belong to our heavenly Father. Amen.
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Always be on the lookout for anything that takes your “peace” away, and then ask God to reveal what’s going on inside the hidden chambers of your soul.
* “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.” Psalm 42:5
*You must have peace with God– to have peace of God.
The more sensitive we become to the Holy Spirit’s leading, the better we are able to walk in the world with peace and assurance as true sons of God.
JOHN 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
The dictionary states that to reconcile means to re-establish friendship between; to settle or resolve, as a dispute.
The key to reconciliation is to effectively deal with the enmity, ill will, hatred, or hostility that caused the dispute, etc.
2 Corinthians 5:18 -19
*May we be quick to forgive and reconcile with those we are at odds with.
The enmity between man and God was SIN.
*God took the initiative to remove this barrier through the means and agency of Jesus Christ, thus leaving man and God as friends once again.
We have received the ministry of reconciliation.
*That means we are in the ministry of reconciling people to God.
Imputing people’s sins unto them was not the way God used Jesus to reconcile the world unto Himself.
**We should not focus on the problem of sin, but on the answer of God’s grace (Rom. 5:20).
Our real job as ministers of reconciliation is to announce the good NEWS, which is an accomplished fact – that sin has already been dealt with through the person of Christ.
No matter how far you have wandered, as long as you still draw breathe, it is never too late to go back to God.
*Come, put down your pride and accept the gift of grace and love He has poured out for you and me.
Ephesians 2:16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
Lord, help me see each day that-Peace comes from the relationship I have with You! Lord, help me to stop worrying about others and start worrying about me and my relationship with You. Amen
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“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 ESV).
The Bible tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Have you noticed that the second part of that sentence is easy, but the first part can be really tough?
When somebody’s having a tough time, it’s easy to be sympathetic. It’s easy to encourage people when they’re down. But sometimes what we can’t stand is when they get a promotion. We’re not very good at handling the success of other people. Rather than rejoicing in it, we resent it. In fact, we wish bad things would happen to people, because somehow we think that if we can blow out somebody else’s candle, ours will shine brighter.
There’s plenty of God’s grace to go around. If God wants to pay other people the same amount, so what? I shouldn’t even worry about what he wants to give other people. I should worry about what I’m doing with what I’ve been given.
Let me explain something about envy to you. Envy happens close to you. It happens in your relationship to your peers. You don’t typically envy people who aren’t your peers. You can have some kind of idol worship that says, “I wish I were like that superstar.” But really it’s not as grating as the people closest to you. Those are the people you have the hardest time seeing success in — your family and friends.
Envy is insidious. It devalues others, it destroys relationships, and it makes you miserable. It’s hidden, but it’s destructive. And it causes you to miss out on so much joy.
You’ll enjoy life a whole lot more if you will learn to be happy over the successes of other people. Speak Blessings over them—Not Curses!
If you’re only happy when things go well for you, you’re going to be miserable most of your life, because things won’t always go well for you or anybody else. But if you learn to be happy at other people’s successes and enjoy other people’s celebrations, you can be happy all the time.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love does not envy.” Envy is the most unloving thing you can do to somebody else. Love is not envious.
Love celebrates God’s goodness to others. Read 1 Thess. 5:16-19 for God’s will for you. Amen
Read MoreBitterness causes even the most intelligent and rational person to lose control and drown in negativity.
Until we uproot our bitterness, we will never overcome any of our other flaws.
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15
When a root of bitterness is allowed to be planted and grown, it not only affects that person, but it also affects all others who are involved. It is like a cancer.
Breaking satan’s foothold requires at least one person to press into God’s grace.
It cannot happen when either party “feels” like it, for none of us will ever feel like forgiving.
None of us feel like talking when we have been hurt.
Our natural response is to withdraw or lash out at the offending party.
It is only obedience that allows God’s grace to cover the wrongs incurred.
This grace prevents the parties from becoming victims who will seek compensation for their pain.
The next time you are hurt by someone, realize the gravity of the crossroads where you find yourself.
Choose GRACE instead of bitterness. Then you will be free to move past the hurt, and a root of bitterness will not be given opportunity to grow.
Controlling Anger
1. Recognize the root of your anger (Heb. 12:15)
2. Confess it to God (Prov. 16:7)
3. Make an effort to make things right with the offended (Matt. 5:23-24)
4. Choose to forgive others (Mark 11:25-26)
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty (Proverbs 16:32)
*Forgiveness doesn’t make THEM right, but it makes YOU free!
*Harboring unforgiveness blocks out the goodness of God in our lives. We poisoned ourselves and finally choked on that poison.
5 reasons bitterness is called a root:
1) Bitterness is hidden. unseen.
2) Bitterness prefers darkness to SONlight.
3) Bitterness loves dirt.
4) Bitterness gets deeper and stronger the longer its allowed to live.
5) Bitterness produces its fruit and poisons many others as it continues to spread.
How do I forgive those who hurt me?
1) Pray for those who hurt you. Matthew 5:44.
2) Forgive as you have been forgiven. Colossians 3:13
Father, reveal to me where I may be harboring anything against anyone. Convict my heart and give me the strength to forgive. All things are possible through you. Amen
(Read Ephesians 4:21- 5:2( verse 32–Replace the Old with New–31″get rid of ALL Bitterness…be kind to each other tenderhearted, forgiving on another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you”
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Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19 NIV).
- Who has a better arsenal to repay, you or God?
- Who can settle the score better, you or God?
- I think God! If I have to choose whether
- I’m going to get back at someone or let God be the God of justice, I’m going to let God be the God of justice.
- I’m going to choose to leave it to God.
Forgiveness does not mean the instant restoration of trust.
- Forgiveness is instant.
- Trust must be rebuilt over time.
- Forgiveness is based on grace.
- Trust is built on works.
- You earn trust. You don’t earn forgiveness.
A lot of people don’t want to forgive, because they think if they forgive people, then they’ve got to trust them again. No. That’s a whole different issue!
Let me say it again: Forgiving someone does not mean you have to trust that person. It means that person has to earn the trust.
If people are in a relationship and one person is dealing with drugs or alcohol or abuse or whatever, they may ask, “Will you forgive me?” Yes, you will forgive them. “Can we go back to the way it was?” No. That’s not at all what we do. If we did it would be called enabling.
Forgiveness and a restoration of a relationship are two different things.
- Forgiveness is only your part, whether they respond or not, whether they ask for it or not, whether they even recognize they need it or not. You forgive for your sake.
- Restoration of a relationship takes far more than forgiveness.
- It takes repentance.
- It takes restitution and a rebuilding of trust.
- And it often takes much more time.
Many people think they can’t forgive because that would mean going back to the same old way. Not at all. But you do have to leave it to God.
Lord, help us all in this area of relationships. Help us do what You would do. Help us search Scripture to find the answer. Amen
Read More“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8
We all struggle with negative thinking at times; it’s a common battle.
And that’s why it’s important to recognize negative thought patterns and learn how to re-route them.
** The good news is we can have control over what we think.
*When we’re down, sad or hopeless, let’s take inventory of our thoughts.
*When we find ourselves jumping to conclusions, doling out guilt trips on others or replaying arguments in our mind, let’s consciously change our thinking.
*When I get in a self-pity party, often it’s because I’ve focused too much on what’s bad.
The apostle Paul advises us in our key verse, Philippians 4:8, to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”
The next time you’re fighting negative thoughts, “rattle your cage” by remembering you have the mind of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
*Take each negative thought captive and replace it with what Paul describes in our key verse.
Scripture promises that when we align our thoughts with God’s, His peace, which passes all understanding, will keep our hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.
Lord, give me Your ability to bring every thought captive. Help me to refute negative thoughts with Your truth from Your word. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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