Tag: truth

How To Break the Power of the Past

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The best way to break the power of the past is to forgive.

Forgiveness is not a feeling it is a choice. A choice to let God have it, hold it, and be responsible for it- whatever it is. 

Forgiveness is taking the power away from them and giving it back to God. 

You don’t have to trust them to forgive them. Forgiveness is not about restoring trust in them, it is about trusting God with them. 

They don’t have to be sorry in order for you to forgive them. They don’t even have to know that you have released them to God.

What you do have to do is make the choice.

And every day after, continue to make the choice until the feeling lines up with the decision.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  

Colossians 3:13 NIV

Forgiveness is not about trust, it is about freedom.

What is keeping you from forgiving them?

What are you afraid of?

What does Jesus say about it?

All That I Am

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“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him”.

Psalm 62:5 NLT

Let all that I am…

Daughter, wife, mother, friend, dreamer, detailer, realist, writer, speaker, cook, cleaner, pastor, inspirer, frail, my own worst critic, stubborn, strong, passionate, fearful, faithful, wonderful, beautiful, worry-full, redeemed, restored.

Rest…

Stop and don’t take another step forward. Hush anxious thoughts. Put down the to-do list. Quiet fearful eyes. Close the door. Rest with abandon. Embrace moments of peace. Breathe silence. Cease to think, worry, wonder and simply be.

Before God…

Not before the damage from the storm. Not before your bills. Not before your responsibilities. Not before your failures and faults nor your achievements or success. Wait quietly before God. The Creator, Provider, Peace Maker, Redeemer, Savior, Lord. He is sovereign and merciful, strong and gentle. Powerful and purposeful.

For my hope…

The tender expectations of possibility. Easily bruised. Unrealistic. Fantastic. Wonderful. Amazing hope.

Hope is the vehicle of momentum filled with a gas tank of faith and moves you forward. Without hope, the tank is empty, you feel as if you are going nowhere with no indication of possible change. With hope, nothing is impossible because with God all things are possible.

Is in Him…

My hope is wrapped up in the arms of grace surrounding my soul. My hope is not in temporal things, temporal circumstances, fleeting happiness but in a Person. My hope is held securely in nail-scarred hands. My hope is in Jesus, Precious Jesus. Faithful Jesus. Powerful Jesus. Loving Jesus.

Where is your hope?

Insurmountable Problems

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“Have faith in God,”
 Mark 11:22 NIV
Jesus had a teaching moment with his disciples smack dab in the middle of this history-making week. It was right after the Triumphal Entry and before He went to the garden of Gethsemane.
It is easy to miss and easy to misunderstand.
The disciples heard Jesus curse a fig tree on the way to cleanse the Temple.
The tree was advertising fruit with its full leaves but in reality, had none. Jesus is not a fan of false advertising.  On their way back, they saw that it had withered to its roots and was utterly dead.  It wasn’t a winter frost or harsh storm that killed the plant- it was the words Jesus spoke to it.
He told them to “have faith in God”, then gave them an example they would understand:
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”
Mark 11:23 NIV
A “mountain” was used in that day to mean any insurmountable problem.  
God can overcome any obstacle, no matter how big or immovable it seems.
Jesus reveals the secret of His strength: “Have faith in God”.  
Not faith in faith (simply believing whatever you want) or conjuring up a feeling in your heart but faith in God, trusting God. 
Today, my friend, speak to your insurmountable obstacle with words of faith and confidence knowing that God can move the immovable.
He has given you words to speak, to pray, and to proclaim.
Speak them out, lift them up and proclaim that with God nothing is impossible.
Then put the outcome in God’s hands.

#knowing #goals

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At the end of your life, you may or may not have human praise and awards but if you have gone after a real relationship with Jesus, you will have so much more than that.

You will have rich relationships, miraculous moments, great faith adventures as well as the single most important thing you can have with you as you step into eternity – Jesus Himself.

Don’t waste your life by pursuing goals to make yourself more comfortable, more secure or safer.

Following Jesus is not comfortable or easy but it is unique, unexpected and adventurous.

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” ‭‭

Philippians‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NIV

Knowing Jesus is the goal.

He is the prize, the purpose, the goal.

Not just to work for Him but to work with Him.

Not just to know about Him but to know Him in every area of your life.

Keep this goal as the top priority and all the other goals will quickly fall into their proper perspective.

Go after it.
Go after Him.

Gracefully

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“It was God giving me the work to do and God giving me the energy to do it.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:10-11‬ ‭MSG

It is a sweet moment, a defining moment even: The moment you realize that the work of God doesn’t depend on you but that you get to join in the work of God by depending on Him more and more.

“So whether you heard it from me or from those others, it’s all the same: We spoke God’s truth and you entrusted your lives.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:10-11‬ ‭MSG‬‬

What only God can do: set people free, love them relentlessly, deliver them consistently, fill them with His Spirit and His Love.

What only you can do: point people to Jesus.

Love people grace-full-y, speak God’s truth and then let Him do the heavy lifting of changing people’s lives.

Suffering

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“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God does not cause suffering, the broken world we live in does. The broken people who live in it ( including ourselves) do. God doesn’t cause suffering but He will use it to do a divine work of growth in you.

He will use it to grow the strength of your character, the perspective of perseverance and your capacity for hope.

Suffering can produce hope.

How? 

Because Jesus will use the suffering others cause to challenge every false belief,  reveal every lie that trips you up and shows you how to persevere when you want to quit. He will uncover the misconceptions you have about Him and open your eyes to see how even in the hardest of times, hope will hold on to you.

“The typical view fo the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different.”

– Oswald Chamber, My Upmost for His Hightest

 

Don’t give up.

Anchor yourself to His Word and hold on.

The Grace that Grows you

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The same grace that saves you, grows you.

The same gift of grace through faith in Jesus that lifted you out of the depths of the lost wilderness will guide through the narrow mountain pass before you.

Your faith journey in Jesus begins with grace, continues by grace and will end in grace.

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!” Ephesians 2:8-9 MSG

The best way to grow to where you want to go is to get in God’s presence and let Him love you. Let Him shower you with amazing grace and uncontainable kindness. This will do more to heal your heart and life than you trying to be better.

Jesus loved you at your worst, loves you where you are at today and will love you where you are tomorrow. This relentless love will give you the courage to do whatever Jesus is asking you to do.

Grace will take you where works never can and do more than your best efforts ever will.

May the God of uncontainable love drench you in His presence.  May His awe-inspiring grace recharge your hope and fill your faith with the courage to trust Him. He has you in the palm of His hand.