Category: Hurting

My Heart’s Desire

​  “Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” – Psalms 37:4 NLT

Oh, people, how often this verse is pulled out of context! There are many preachers who preach the gospel of prosperity based on just this one verse. “… He will give you your heart’s desires… ” God isn’t saying He will make us wealthy in man’s eyes and in man’s money. As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now, the REST of the story…”

  “Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.” – Psalms 37:3‭-‬8 NLT

Key words: TRUST, COMMIT, TRUST (must be important; it’s in here twice), BE STILL…. Don’t worry, stop being angry, hold your temper…. God never promised us financial wealth. He hasn’t promised perfect health in this world. His Promise is to walk with us and to carry us when we can no longer walk on our own through our struggles. To receive the full benefits of God’s blessings, we must first do what He commands: Trust HIM, Commit to HIM. I can dream of the benefits here on earth of financial wealth and stability, but the truth is that it is highly doubtful that I will ever have it in this world. I may struggle financially in this life, but I have heaven and spending time with my LORD to look forward to! I sincerely pray that you have that to look forward to, as well.

(All scriptures quoted from  http://bible.com)

Just Not Feelin’ It….

​  “For the LORD is good. His Unfailing Love continues forever, and His Faithfulness continues to each generation…. Praise the LORD; praise GOD our Savior! For each day He carries us in His arms.” – Psalms 100:5; Psalm 68:19 NLT 

This is true. The psalmist says it all: God IS Good. God IS Faithful. His Mercy extends to anyone who wants it. His LOVE never fails; it goes from parent to child, and so on through generations, from the first man and woman to the child being born at this very moment. He carries us when we are so tired we can’t walk or think or function. 

Does that mean that I am always grateful for Him, or that I always acknowledge Him? I’m sorry to say, no. Not only do I not praise Him and thank Him, I am ungrateful and spiteful and let anger rule my thoughts. I know – KNOW – that I am not alone in this. Sometimes I just don’t feel it. Maybe because I figured out a way to numb feelings through an addiction, or maybe because I am just tired. Scared. Scarred. Just not feelin’ it…. 

God knows we get this way. Sometimes there is something physiologically exacerbating the issues, and sometimes it is outside forces and influence that are creating the environment of despair. Sometimes, only God knows; other times, well, that’s why He has equipped doctors and counselors and psychologists and psychiatrists with the knowledge to help us. There is NO shame in seeking help!!! I know so many people who hold to their belief that they can do it on their own, and I know from personal experience that it is not possible… ON OUR OWN. We need each other, and more importantly, we NEED God. It’s that simple. 

Just because I may go through a period of not feeling His Presence doesn’t mean He isn’t with me. In Psalm 16:8-11, “King David said this about Him: ‘I see that the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts His praises! My body rests in Hope. For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow Your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of Life, and You will fill me with the Joy of Your Presence.’ ” – Acts of the Apostles 2:25‭-‬28 NLT

God never intended for us to walk alone. He created us to be companions and friends.

  “In His Kindness GOD called you to share in His Eternal Glory by means of CHRIST JESUS Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will Restore, Support, and Strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. All Power to Him FOREVER! Amen.” – 1 Peter 5:10‭-‬11 NLT

Even when we aren’t feeln’ it, God is with us. Amen.

Change the World….Me?

But I CAN’T change the world! It’s too much to ask me to, God!

  “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness {gentleness}, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15

Beautiful. If we would only follow these words, think how much better our lives would be! And not just ours, but our families, and our coworkers, and our classmates; our friends and our neighbors. We could change the WORLD!

I need to forgive ALL of the men who wronged me, not just the ones I find it easy to forgive. 

I should shun gossip – saying it OR speaking it.

To the people who are upset or angry or hurt by me…. I am the one who needs to mend the relationship. It isn’t up to them; it’s up to me.

I guess it really is up to me to change the world……

  “So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His Love and Compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.” Isaiah 30:18 And Jesus said: “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Isn’t the news amazing? The LORD, the Master of the Universe, waits on US to come to Him. Free will. When we choose Him, we receive His Love and His Mercy. He will NEVER leave us. He will never leave me. Hallelujah!

Irony

Do you seek God?

 “I have tried hard to find You— don’t let me wander from Your commands.” – Psalms 119:10 NLT
Where’s the irony? Read this verse again. “I have tried hard to find You….” Do you see? The psalmist says he has tried hard to find God. I know the irony, because I’ve seen it. We don’t have to try hard. God is always within arms reach, or even closer. We do need to seek His Will for our lives, but to find Him? Just turn around; look up. He is right beside you.  

  “Teach me Your decrees, O LORD; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey Your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of Your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for Your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me Life through Your Word. Reassure me of Your Promise, made to those who fear You. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for Your regulations are good. I long to obey Your commandments! Renew my life with Your goodness. LORD, give me Your unfailing Love, the salvation that You promised me.” –Psalms 119:33‭-‬41 NLT

I love reading scriptures. I admit that I am spoiled, having my Bible accessible at my fingertips through my tablet and my phone. Every day, I receive encouragement through the verses sent to my inbox, and just opening the Bible app gives me a focus verse. Having this helps me to focus on the positive side of things instead of the huge amount of negative the world throws at me. We are so blessed to have this so easily accessed! Think of the millions and billions of people who don’t have this capability. So many can’t even pick up a printed Bible, or hear the Word. Yes, we are incredibly spoiled and blessed to have been born in America, and nation founded by followers of Christ Jesus. They were flawed, just as we are, but they knew then that they wanted to be able to worship as they pleased.

It is ironic that a Christian nation should have strayed so far from its roots, and can be so intolerant and ungrateful for its very existence. I am thankful for the Christian leader we now have…. and yes, he is flawed, too. There isn’t a human alive (or dead) that is perfect, except Jesus, and He gave His human body for the final sacrifice to save us from our flawed existence. 

  “For this is how GOD Loved the world: He gave His One and ONLY Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 NLT 

NO irony there, just an incredible Blessing!

(All scriptures quoted from  http://bible.com)

Perpetual Spring

As I sit outside in this pleasant morning, I am thinking of heaven and how I imagine it. All around, the most beautiful flowers and plants, bird and angel song sweetly filling the air, crystal clear creeks and bodies of water, with all of God’s creatures arrayed across the garden. No more predators; no more allergies. No sunburn or sore eyes, because instead of the sun as we know it, the all-inclusive Light of our LORD will brighten the skies! 

Perpetual spring – that’s how I see heaven.  

Do you ever think about what awaits you, as we all will eventually die? Is it a paradise without evil influence, or do you see yourself caught up in Dantes Inferno? All that keeps us, me and you, from the worst eternity we can imagine – no, much, much worse that anything our puny minds can contour up – is the pure Love of the Son of God. The One Who gave up everything to show us the extent of His Love; Jesus, Who exemplifies Love.

  “(4-7)Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (13) Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7‭,13 NLT

The question of the day is this: do you choose the Love of Jesus Christ, or do you choose the false love of our enemy Satan, the father of lies and deceitfulness? When we choose Jesus, we will live out eternity with Him in a paradise beyond our dreams. I don’t know what heaven is truly like; I just know that it will undoubtedly take my breath away when I get there (pun intended!) On the other side, for those who choose darkness over the Light, they will have an eternity to suffer with no hope of relief, only continual pain and torture. It’s an easy decision for me. I choose Life in Jesus. 

  “(25-26) For GOD presented Jesus as THE sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His Righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. (30) There is only ONE God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.” – Romans 3:25‭-‬26‭,30 NLT  (All scriptures quoted from http://bible.com)

Today, be thankful for the Gift of Life through our LORD Jesus Christ! Amen.

Thorns 

Even the Apostle Paul had “thorns” to deal with, and God saw fit to leave those thorns in place during Paul’s lifetime. He asked God 3 times to remove them.  ​

  “…. Each time He said, ‘My Grace is all you need. My Power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the Power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9‭-‬10 NLT

Do you have thorns in your life? Everyone has something to deal with. It can be a physical limitation or disease. For some, it can be an addiction. For others, it can be depression or anxiety, or a family member with issues. It can be abuse, and it can be the loss of a baby or child. We can look perfectly fine on the outside, and be a train wreck inside. Paul asked God to take away his “thorn.” We don’t know for certain what Paul was referring to, although many believe that it was something he struggled with physically. What I know is that it doesn’t really matter. Whatever it was, Paul shows us how to deal with our own personal thorns. It’s okay to ask God to remove it (remember, Paul asked three times), and then we move on. I believe that God honors our suffering. 

Only someone who has has miscarried or lost a child can understand the pain there. It is proper, and necessary, to mourn the loss. I know that pain. It is also necessary to mourn the loss of a loved one. I know that pain as well. As difficult as it may be, God intends for us to move on in our lives. The loss is a thorn we will always carry, and we will always miss that person, but it is wrong to publicly mourn them for the rest of our lives. God needs us to show the world that as followers of Christ Jesus, we have the confidence and hope to see our loved ones again. Someday, we will hold those babies and children in our arms again. For now, we who are left here are to LIVE.

The thorns in your life may have you stuck in a pit. Get help when it is needed. After all, God gave the doctors and professionals their knowledge for a reason…. to help others – to help US. Use them, and rely on Jesus, in order to gain the power to move past the thorns. I know that I am supposed to be thankful for the thorns in my life. Sometimes it’s a real struggle, but I know that I wouldn’t be WHO I am, or WHERE I am, without the things I have experienced. It’s not always the way I want, but I wouldn’t trade my life and my experiences for anything. I treasure the memories, including the painful ones, and I am content. It’s soooooo much better than wallowing in the pit with despair and depression as my companions. Jesus makes a MUCH better Friend!

Who is your companion; your friend, today? I pray it is our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Love reading from http://bible.com)

It’s That Time Again 

Ugh. I mowed the yard 5 days ago, and it already needs it again. There are actually three lengths of grass in our “back 40” (we have a very large backyard). Short around the house, longer behind the garden, and uncut up against the back fence. Why would anyone want their yard like this? Because there are baby rabbits, and birds fly in to feed in the grasses, and honey bees are busy in the wildflowers. A little bit of nature in the middle of an urban area. In the mornings when I sit outside, I listen to the birds singing and the breezes in the trees and the sound of running water from the Koirala pond next door. Okay,  so you might have to filter out the occasional barking dog, and use your imagination to change the sound of traffic to the sound of a river in your mind…. 
I adore the way fresh-cut grass smells, and the way a lush bed of grass feels against my bare feet. The beautiful green of a field in the spring is pure enjoyment for my eyes. If our yard could be filled with grasses and wildflowers that stopped growing at 4 or 5 inches tall…. wait. Why hasn’t this happened, anyway? No, I’m sure that someone has already genetically modified grass to grow the “perfect” length and then stop growing, but is it really what I want? No, it seems that man is so busy trying to perfect God’s creation, we don’t have the time to see how incredible and beautiful it is.

I wonder if God feels this way about me, about humans, sometimes. If we would just choose Him, and listen to Him, and LOVE Him….. we would be perfect, but then we wouldn’t be exercising our free will. It would be forced; coerced. I don’t like to see animals being forced to do something they don’t want to, but sometimes it has to happen both for their safety and for the people around them. I’m not crazy about genetically altered plants (and I’m not yet convinced they are safe for consumption by humans), but are they sometimes needed in order to feed people who might otherwise go hungry? I don’t have the answer to that question. 

  “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” – Matthew 6:26‭-‬30 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mat.6.26-30.NLT)

Sometimes, I just want to leave my yard as it would be if I never mowed it, but because of the poor decision of Adam and Eve to let sin into the world, it won’t necessarily grow into a thing of beauty. The introduction of sin into the world unleashed plenty of ugliness, and without the pruning and weed removal I do, my yard wouldn’t be a place of beauty for long. It would be full of weeds and stickers instead of soft grass, very much like we become when we refuse God’s loving discipline in our lives. You can’t grow beautiful roses or great fruit or even a beautiful lawn without pruning and cutting, and God prunes us through His discipline. It’s uncomfortable at best, excruciatingly painful at worst.

  “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT (http://bible.com/116/2co.7.10.NLT)

Joyful, Joyful  

Joyful, Joyful  

Addendum: Let me apologize before you start reading today. My dog Jack decided to “HELP” write….. so any typos or weird, random letters are, of course mine. 😉

Life today is not easy. As Christians, we are bombarded on every side with temptation; beautifully and seductively presented through every way possible. Our humanity causes us to stumble and to often, we succumb to the temptations. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them as new believers. As I continually rediscover scriptures, not only were they written to the early church, but they seem to be increasingly relevant 2000 years later. I guess truth remains truth, no matter how much time passes.

  “ALWAYS be joyful. NEVER stop praying. Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 

Is Paul kidding? “ALWAYS be Joyful…?” In the middle of tragedy, when death hits home, when we deal with financial disasters? Personally, I haven’t quite figured that out, but I’m working on it – with God’s help. There’s a certain peace that is evident when a Christian who is secure in their faith deals with tragedy. Oh, we can be overcome by grief, even anger, for the moment, but that strength from God shines through. When we know without a doubt – without a doubt! – that this is all temporary and we know what a glorious future we have, it becomes a little easier to let the Joy of Jesus glow in us. I’m a work in progress….

The second verse shows us how to attain that spirit of joy Paul is talking about. If we skip verse 17, and instead focus on 16 and 18, it would be, it IS, impossible to achieve that joy and thankfulness he is speaking of. It is only through prayer; constant, unrelenting prayer, that we can be joyful and thankful through the junk the world throws at us. When you see people that you know are Christians going through hell on earth, and you see unbelievers living life unscathed, there is a distinct reason. The enemy, Satan, wants us to blame God for the pain and suffering so that we will turn away from God. 

Satan hates God and everything He created, because he is jealous and wants to have it all for himself. Take heart, SATAN WILL BE DEFEATED. I know this because I have read the back of the book! As a Christian, I can read the Revelation of John without any qualms or trepidation. I know that I have target on my back placed there by the enemy. He may overwhelm me with problems in this world (physically, emotionally, financially…) but he will lose in the end. Hallelujah!

  “…. Then the devil*, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great White Throne and the One sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His Presence, but they found no place to hide. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:10-11‭, ‬14‭-‬15 

* …. the devil: aka Lucifer, angel of light; Satan, the enemy, father of lies, and so on. The most beautiful angel, who became and remains the most hideous of all creation. How incredibly sad.

These verses are so encouraging to me! Are you secure in the knowledge that your name is written in the Book of Life? Now is the PERFECT time to make sure…

  “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved ….. ” – Acts 16:31a

  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His ONE and ONLY Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have Eternal Life.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to SAVE the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s One and Only Son.” – John 3:16‭-‬18 

Joyful, Joyful, we Adore Him!


(All scriptures quoted from  http://bible.com/NLT)

Oh God, How I Need You

“Lord, I need You, Every hour I need You; O God, how I need You…. “

These words were penned originally by Annie Sherrod Hawks (1836-1918), and the chorus by Robert Lowry (1826-1899) as part of the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and recently by Matt Maher in his poignant hymn to the Lord. However you sing, whichever chorus you use, the words will move you if you let them.

“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. …. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:18‭, ‬27 NLT

Because God created us the way He did, we need Him to complete us. Without God in our lives, there is a hole, one that we often try to fill with anything other than God. Without Him, we are nothing. God also created within us a desire to connect with others, and especially with others who share our beliefs and desires. He didn’t want us to be alone. Just as He longs for our love and fellowship, we long for His. We also long for the company of others. Our relationships complete us…. and our relationships can destroy us.

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s Law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” – Matthew 5:17‭-‬18 NLT

Just because we CAN, doesn’t mean we SHOULD. We are free to pursue our relationships with whomever we please. God gave us that choice. Sadly, there are many who don’t understand what a healthy relationship looks like.God first, then spouse, then children, and THEN the church. BTW, the Church is not a building; the Church is a BODY of believers, the BODY of Christ. When we make poor choices, we separate from the Body, and that separates us from the Lord. Everything works together….

“…. Every hour I need You, O God, how I need You.”

(All scriptures quoted from http://bible.com)