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Archive for the ‘From My Heart’ Category

God Will Deliver

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , on February 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

oppression

Exodus 14:13,14

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The oppression of individuals and people groups is nothing new. The Israelites lived with oppression for much of the Bible. Throughout history people have been oppressed by other people and society as a whole. Even today, there are people living with oppression. Many times the victim of oppression suffers in silence. They feel hopeless and alone. They wonder if anyone cares what they are going through. They wonder if God cares.

If you are being oppressed, let me assure you that God cares. God tells us in this verse how we can deal with oppression.

1. Do not be afraid. I understand that your situation may be terrifying, but God is telling you not to be afraid. God knows your situation and He IS in control! He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

2. Stand firm. Do not lose faith that God will deliver you. Keep the posture of integrity, ready for action, expecting further orders, joyfully and patiently awaiting God’s directions.

3. Be still. Pray consistently and wait on the Lord. Even when you don’t see anything happening, God’s word says that He IS fighting for you. He is working behind the scenes to deliver you from the oppression you are living under. God is fighting for you and will continue to do so until you are delivered.

I know that you may believe that your situation is hopeless. You may believe that God will never deliver you. He can and He will. Keep your head up! God is working on your behalf and will continue to do so until you are free.

Never give up hope! You WILL be free! Stay strong and keep your faith! God loves you and you will be free!

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A Royal Genealogy

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , on February 5, 2014| 2 Comments »

i am a child of God

 

I have always loved researching genealogy. I have always had this need to find out where I “came from”, What parts of my ancestors make me who I am. I know that I am not alone in this need to find out who I am. I believe we all have this need to know where we came from, to connect with some group or family, to belong. God has placed this yearning to belong in our hearts, so that we will seek Him and His family of believers. Unfortunately, most of us run around chasing our tails, trying to fill this empty hole in our hearts with gang memberships, in bars and taverns, in wrong relationships, in groups and with people who will be our “family” as long as it suits their purpose.  As soon as the winds shift and they realize that they aren’t getting what they want from the relationship they leave, leaving behind the rubble of a broken relationship and reinforcing that hole in our hearts. As humans, we can be a bit hard headed (believe me, I’m at the top of the list!) and we run ourselves ragged chasing that one relationship, that one group, that one family that will fill that hole, that will fill that empty place in our spirits. When we don’t find that “one thing” that will fill the empty place, we sink deeper into despair, depression, and loneliness. I’m here to tell you, as a loving friend, that the empty place will never be filled by a human relationship. There isn’t a group on the earth that can fill the void. There is only ONE THING that can fill the empty hollows of our hearts and His is name is Jesus!

God loves us and wants us to seek Him and Him alone. When we seek fulfillment in earthly relationships we will never find that joy that He longs to give us. God showed me today that my earthly genealogy doesn’t matter. My earthly genealogy doesn’t make me who I am. Who my ancestors were or weren’t doesn’t make one bit of difference in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it’s nice to know who are earthly ancestors were, but the most important thing to know is that we are Abraham’s seed! David, the giant killer is my ancestor! Ruth, the loyal daughter-in-law is my ancestor! Joseph, the dreamer is my ancestor! Esther, the Jewish queen is my ancestor! Deborah, the only woman judge in the Bible is my ancestor! The list goes on and on! This is exciting! This is the line of people I come from, that you come from!
God has adopted us into His family:
John 1: 12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Ephesians 1:5
He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-
He adopted us in accordance with His pleasure and will! He pleasures in us! We are heirs! We are part of God’s family! This is who I am…this is who you are…a member of God’s family. We are the members of a royal genealogy. This should encourage us all! This should give us ALL hope! We don’t have to seek earthly fulfillment through earthly relationships, we have already been adopted into a royal family by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Seek God! Dig into the word and find out who you truly are! God’s word is truth. It does not lie. It does not contradict itself. Before you seek another family tie that leaves you feeling worthless, SEEK GOD!

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Where Are You?

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , on December 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

adam and eve

Genesis 3:8-9

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

In Genesis 3, The serpent (Satan) deceived Eve into eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve knew that this is in disobedience to God, but believes the lie of Satan. She offers a piece of the fruit to Adam and he also eats the fruit. Adam and Eve immediately realized they were naked and sewed fig leaves to cover themselves.

When they heard the sound of God walking in the garden, they hid from Him. I can just imagine the shame they must have felt, for them to hide. The problem is, we can’t hide from God. It doesn’t matter how far we run, God sees ALL and knows ALL.

We can’t hide from God. We will feel a sense of shame and guilt until we come clean with God and repent from our sin. How can we make things right, when we have sinned against God?

1. Repent- Go to God and confess your sin. Open your heart and surrender it all, because He knows everything anyways.

2. Restore- If the sin involves other people, you need to go to that person or persons and make things right. Apologize and make restitution if necessary. God meant for us to live in community among others. Restoration of broken relationships is an important part of being who God wants us to be.

3. Renew- What can you do to keep from repeating the same sin? Make a plan and commit to renewing your life for God.

If you are hiding from God, I encourage you to run to Him and confess the sin. Our Abba Father is waiting patiently for you to open your heart to Him. He is waiting for you to make that first step in bringing restoration in your relationship with Him. He loves you and His compassions are new each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Do you hear Him calling? Where are you?

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The Great Commission: A Message To The Church

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , on September 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

the-church-has-left-the-building-logo

Mr. Good Intentions, so much I wanna do
My mouth just keeps on running, but I never follow through
I heard that true religion, is love with hands and feet
I wanna find my own way to reach a world in need
Yeah, I’ve been captured by the unimportant
Locked in, and now it’s time to break free

Chorus
There’s more to life
Open my eyes
Someone is needing You
So I gotta make a move
What good are words
When this world hurts
Real faith will come through
When I make a move

We don’t need permission, to go outside of these doors
And dream some crazy dream no one else has dreamed before
To show love and compassion
Whatever way it may be
To put faith into action, do more than just believe
We are hope to those who have been broken
We were made to make a difference

These are some of the Lyrics of “Make A Move” sung by Royal Tailor. This song is so much more than the catchy tune that makes you want to dance. God has used the message in this song to convict me. Am I acting as the hands and feet of Jesus? Am I putting faith into action? Am I making a difference?

Honestly, I don’t know if I am. I would like to think I am, but am I really? Am I any better than those “Sunday Christians” that show up to church on Sunday, making their weekly appearance and forgets God the rest of the week. I don’t want to be like that. I want to be so passionate about living my life for Jesus, that everything I do points to Jesus. I want to really SEE those who have been broken. Are my eyes open to those who have been hurt? Are my eyes open to those who are lost and need Jesus? Am I to busy trying to check off items on my to-do list to really be aware of those around me? Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone and “Make A Move”?

Matthew 28:19-20

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

As a member of the Church body, I have become concerned that we are not living up to our part of the Great Commission. Jesus said to, “go and make disciples of all nations” not “hide behind your church walls and wait for the broken and lost to come to you.” Jesus gave us a command to “go.”

According to http://www.thefreedictionary.com: Go means to move, travel or proceed. It is a verb, an action word. When Jesus tells us to “go,” it is a command that He expects us to obey.

We think it is good enough to sit behind our church walls and send a few missionaries out into the world. Don’t get me wrong, sending out missionaries is a good thing, but it can’t be all that we do. We are ALL to be missionaries in our own sphere’s of influence. We are ALL to GO and make disciples in our own communities, reaching the lost in our own families, neighborhoods, work places, and cities.

Some of us want so much to be missionaries, not realizing that we ARE missionaries. Every one of us that claims to be a follower of Christ is a missionary. It is our job to make disciples. Step out of your fear. Step out of your apathy. Step out of your busyness. Step out of your comfort zone. If we love Jesus, we will obey His command.

I don’t want to be locked in anymore. I want to break free!

Dearest Jesus,

Give me a heart for the broken. Give me a passion to reach the lost. I don’t want to be a “Sunday Christian.” I want to be able to step out of my comfort zone. I want to be a missionary in my own community. Give me that heart, that passion. Give me a heart that follows through. Give me a heart that only wants to obey the great commission. I love you, Jesus. I only want to do your will.

Amen

GO outside of the church walls and make disciples. Don’t hide. Follow Jesus. He never hid behind walls. He went out and He expects us to do the same.

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A Woman Called Anna

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , on July 25, 2013| 2 Comments »

inner courts

 

 

Luke 2:36-38

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[a] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

I was anything but forgiving when I realized that my husband of 7 years was leaving me for another woman. I raged against them both, hatred filling my soul. I was terrified of being left alone to raise 4 kids. I was fueled by anger, bitterness and resentment; my only thought on how to cause them as much pain as they had caused me.

I was not a pretty sight at that time, far away from God and as far away from being an Anna as I could possibly get. I continued to hold on and 6 months after our divorce baby #5 was conceived. Although, I was driven by the fear of being abandoned, this pregnancy was a complete shock to me. My heart felt like it would break into a million pieces. I couldn’t seem to find my way out of the storm and sometimes I felt that it would just be easier to go to sleep and never wake up. It was in this time of darkness that I found compassion and sympathy in a co-worker. Although, it never grew past an emotional affair, I knew it was wrong and God convicted me of my sin. Eventually, I quit my job and turned my heart to God. I began a journey of seeking God’s face and in turn, he healed my wounded spirit.

When I first read about Anna, I connected with her immediately. Here was a woman who knew grief, but in her grief, instead of remarrying, which was expected in her culture, she found comfort in God’s arms. She ran to the temple, where she spent the rest of her life in night and day prayer and worship. This is what I seek now. I have found my refuge and never want to leave the shelter of my heavenly father’s arms. It took me years to get here though, and I am here to encourage you to seek God first. If you are going through the storm of a broken relationship or dealing with the grief of a husbands’ death, I am encouraging you to run to God. Before you find yourself in another relationship, run to God and let his love and mercy heal you. We are so quick to jump into earthly relationships, seeking solace for our pain, when God is longing to shelter us from the storm. Run to God, get in the word, sit at his feet in worship and prayer.

We have an example in Anna in how to deal with the grief of a broken relationship or the loss of a husband. Become like Anna, run into the loving arms of our Father, he is waiting.

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Taming the Tongue

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , on July 10, 2013| 2 Comments »

think

 

 

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

If I am completely honest, I have to admit that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart have not always been acceptable in God’s sight. I have been guilty of yelling at my kids when I am frustrated and overwhelmed. I have been guilty of snapping at the cashier in my impatience and I have been guilty of complaining about co-workers when they aren’t doing things my way. I have also been guilty of thinking un-Christlike thoughts. I don’t like when I do these things and am immediately filled with remorse. My loving Father in heaven convicts my heart and brings me back to Him.

It is an ongoing battle though. Every day is filled with opportunities to lash out with unkind words and harbor unkind thoughts.

James 3:5-8

5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

I know how discouraging this verse sounds. How can we ever gain control over our tongue, if the Bible says that no human being can tame the tongue? And if the words of our mouths stem from the meditations of our hearts, then what hope is there to live like Christ? I am here to encourage you, my friend, it does take some discipline on our part, but if we make the effort to be the example of Christ in our own sphere of influence, God in His mercy and grace will show us the steps to take. Below are some ways to become that example of Christ that God calls us to be:

  1. Study God’s Word: Meditating on God’s word allows us to hide His word in our hearts so that we may not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). If you are struggling with an issue today, rest assured there is a scripture that addresses that issue. The Bible is definitely my go to book when dealing with a tough situation or simply to sing praises to my compassionate and loving Father.  There are many free Bible studies for women online and relatively inexpensive on Amazon.com. If you have a Christian book store near you, check there also.
  2. With today’s obsession with media and entertainment, it is easy to let things into our hearts that are evil. I have been astounded at the violence and sexual content in television shows lately. We have to make the decision to turn the T.V. channel/radio station or turn them off to keep our hearts pure before God.
  3. Think Before You Speak: this is one I have trouble with! When someone says unkind words to me or simply has a different opinion from mine, it is sometimes hard for me to keep my mouth shut. Especially, when my pride has been wounded and my ego bruised. I constantly feel like I have to defend myself or have the last word. I have gotten better at keeping my mouth shut, praying for wisdom in the situation and choosing my words more carefully, so I don’t add fuel to the fire. As in many other areas of my life, I am a work in progress. Sometimes we simply need to walk away from the situation when our evil tongues are itching to sting someone with it’s deadly poison. In those situations where we can’t walk away, pray for God’s wisdom in dealing with the situation. I promise He will give you the right words to use in every situation.
  4. Pray: I am constantly in prayer throughout my day. Now, before you think I am some super spiritual person, let me reassure you that some of those prayers are of a whiny child simply wanting an easier day at work. I know people who can sit in prayer for hours at a time and I am glad that there are those who feel called to that type of prayer life, but I am not one of them. With 5  kids, a job, and other responsibilities, I have found it necessary for me to pray on the go. God has called us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) anyway, so it makes sense that being in a continual conversation with God throughout our day is going to help us in deflecting the poison arrows of the enemy.  Asking for forgiveness immediately when we sin, asking for wisdom, patience, self-control etc. immediately as a difficult situation arises, saying a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude when given good news or when we have been the recipient of God’s favor. Being in that continual conversation puts us in the place where the meditations of our heart will be acceptable to Him.
  5. Get involved in a local church: getting together with other Christians provides us with a support system when we need one and accountability partners when we are facing the temptation to sin. Becoming active in the local body of Christ keeps us close to the Vine (Christ) and provides the strength we need to keep the enemy at bay.

I have addressed five important ways to stay close to God and be that example of Christ in our lives. It takes discipline. Being a Christian is not easy, but it is so worth the effort to have that peace in my life, even in the midst of chaos at times, that comes from knowing and living in Christ. Being attached to the Vine gives us power over Satan and allows us to live victorious lives no matter what circumstances we may be living with. I encourage you to incorporate these steps into your life and you will find yourself a living example of Christ. We cannot tame our tongues on our own, but with God’s help the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts will be acceptable to the One we seek to honor and glorify.

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Our Identity In Christ

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , on May 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

identity in Christ

 

I have spent a lifetime (42 years to be exact) believing the lies of Satan. I believed that I was a failure. I believed that I would never accomplish anything worthwhile. I believed that I was nothing. I believed that I could never be used by God. Satan does a great job of convincing us that we will never be good enough, but it is a lie. Satan is a liar! Do not believe anything that he says! I am here to tell you the truth. God’s truth, that comes straight from his word. God is not a liar. God will never contradict himself, so what he says about us, we can believe as the truth. I have listed a few of the truths about our true identity found in the Bible:

  • I Am A Joint Heir With Christ– Romans 8: 16-17
  • I Am Alive With Christ– Ephesians 2:5
  • I Am The Light Of The World– Matthew 5:14
  • God Delights In Our Well-Being– Psalm 35:27
  • I Am More Than A Conqueror Through Christ– Romans 8:37
  • I Belong To A Royal Priesthood– 1 Peter 2:9
  • I Am God’s Adopted Child– Ephesians 1:5
  • I Am An Ambassador For Christ– 2 Corinthians 5:20
  • I Am Forgiven Of All My Sins And Washed In The Blood– Ephesians 1:7
  • I Am Redeemed From The Curse Of sin, Sickness, and Poverty– Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13
  • I Am Greatly Loved By God– Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4
  • I Am Submitted To God, And The Devil Flees From Me Because I Resist Him In The Name Of Jesus– James 4:7
  • It Is Not I Who Live, But Christ Lives In Me– Galatians 2:20
  • For God Has Not Given Us A Spirit Of Fear; But Of Power, Love, And A Sound Mind-2 Timothy 1:7
  • I can do all things through Christ Jesus-Philippians 4:13

Take some time to meditate on these verses and let the truth of God’s love find it’s way into your heart. God wants nothing more than for you to believe how special you are to him.

Some of the above scriptures were found at http://www.joycemeyer.org.

 

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God’s Gift

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , on May 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Jesus on the Cross John 3-16

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We all remember memorizing this verse in Sunday school class as a child,  but have any of us really meditated on this verse and let the meaning of it sink into our spirits and our hearts. I have always known what the verse meant, but it wasn’t until recently, that I really started to meditate on it and really let the Holy Spirit use this verse to impact my life.

For God

Who is God? In order for this scripture to have an impact on our hearts, we need to know who God is:

El-Olam: The Everlasting God; Isaiah 40: 28-31

El-Shaddai: God Almighty; Genesis 17:1 Psalm 91:1

El-Roi: The One Who Sees; Genesis 16:13

El-Elyon: The Most High God; Genesis 14:17-20 Isaiah 14:13-14

Adonai: Lord; Malachi 1:6

I AM: Exodus 3:14 John 8:58

There are so many more! To many to list here. I encourage you to visit http://www.smilegodlovesyou.org for a full list of ALL the names of God and discover for yourself how Beyond Description God really is!

So Loved

We need to understand that God loves us! When God loves, he loves with every fiber of his being. He holds nothing back.

Adored

Cared For

Delighted In

Was Passionately Attached To

Had Affection For

Longed For

The World

God loves everyone in the entire world! Every person, of every nation, of every ethnic group, of every tongue, of every neighborhood, of every family. Not one person escapes the love of God! That is so AWESOME!

Earth

Nations

Continents

Countries

Ethnic Groups

Individuals

ALL PEOPLE

That He Gave

God gives us things because He loves us. He delights in us and and wants us to be full of joy.

Put Into The Hands Of

Relinquished

Transferred

Presented

Gave As A Gift

His One and Only Son

Could you give up, sacrifice your child if you knew it would save the life of another person? Honestly, I don’t know if I could. God did! He sacrificed his only child to save my life, to save your life. I don’t deserve that gift. Why would He allow His Son to go through so much pain for us, sinners who don’t deserve the gift of life? He loves us that much! Let it sink in…God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die a horrific death on a cross for you and me. God loves YOU!

God relinquished His only child into the hands of men to be tortured. His only child. His only son. For you and for me.

That Whoever Believes

All we have to do is BELIEVE that Jesus, the only son of God, died to forgive and forget our sins and we will have eternal life. Our good deeds will NOT save us! Our righteous lifestyle will NOT save us! We have to BELIEVE that Jesus died to save us from the pits of Hell!

Has Faith In

Accepts

Has Hope In

Is Certain Of

Has Confidence In

In Him

JESUS

Shall Not Perish

Be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity

But Have Eternal Life

We will live FOREVER in heaven with God, our ABBA Father and Jesus, his son. In heaven, where there is no pain, no sorrow, no tears, only JOY!

Remember always, that God loves you more than anything in this world. He does not wish us to suffer an eternity in the lake of fire. His deepest desire is for us to join him in heaven and he made a way for that to happen through Jesus. If you have never accepted Jesus into your heart, consider doing so now. You have to ask him into your heart. He will not force you to accept him. Jesus is a gift given to us by God, but it is up to us to receive that gift. God loves you and he is waiting for you.

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Intentional Acts of Love

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , , on April 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Gods love

 

I like the idea behind random acts of kindness, but I prefer to call them Intentional Acts of Love. The freedictionary.com defines random as having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective. On the other hand the same website defines intentional as something being done deliberately or on purpose. If the Holy Spirit dwells within us, then our acts of kindness will come from a heart of love. They will not be acts of kindness that have no specific pattern, purpose or objective. They will become acts of love done deliberately to glorify God and on purpose to bring the ministry of Jesus to a hurting world. Luke 10:27 says:

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Romans 13:8-10

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.  The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, then we will be filled with love for God and love for other people, regardless of their race, socio-economic background or denominational ties. We will weep when others weep, we will rejoice when others rejoice, our hearts will be burdened to bring the lost sheep of the world back into the fold where they can be loved by a compassionate God. What can we do to act with love and bring Jesus to a hurting world? Listed below are some suggestions:

  • Encourage someone who may be going through tough times.
  • Mentor an at risk teen or child.
  • Make blankets for the homeless.
  • adopt an elderly person in a nursing home or in your neighborhood.
  • clean the house of an elderly person or single mom.
  • Bless a single mom with some mom time by taking the kids for a couple of hours or an afternoon.
  • do errands for an elderly person or a person who has just had surgery.
  • Take baked goods as a token of appreciation to your local fire station.
  • Pick up trash in a park or a roadway.
  • adopt a soldier.
  • Buy a fast food gift card for a homeless person.
  • Put the shopping cart back in its’ place
  • put other shopping carts back in their places.
  • Leave a generous tip for a restaurant server.
  • Send a note of encouragement to a stranger.
  • Be kind to someone who is not always kind to you.
  • Give up the great parking space to someone else.
  • Visit someone in the hospital or nursing home who may not get many visitors.
  • Be a voice of encouragement to those working in hospice care.
  • Give your mail carrier bottles of water during the hot Summer months.
  • Leave a box of doughnuts and coffee for your garbage collectors.
  • Be that person who brings a sugar-free desert to the next gathering for any diabetics who may be attending.
  • Make a positive comment on a website or blog.
  • Mentor a teen mom.
  • Build a REAL community with those on your street, where neighbors do things for one another and love each other.

I have given you 25 ideas and the internet is filled with many, many more. If we have a heart of compassion for those we meet in our daily lives and intentionally look for ways to be Jesus to others, God will open the doors to opportunities to serve others on a daily basis. Live intentionally, with love, like Jesus lived.

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Letting Go of the Past

Posted in From My Heart on January 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

past-present-future

 

Philippians 3:13,14  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: 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.

As I step into this new season, I have felt the importance of letting go of the past. The past has a way of locking us into a prison of fear, worry, anger, confidence issues, addictions, and the list goes on. I don’t want to be trapped by the circumstances of the past. I want to be able to step into this new season washed clean, brand new. I have to completely surrender those issues that stem from the past. I need to give them to God for good. I need to let go of the fear I hold on to to protect myself from being hurt, it’s holding me back from realizing the call God has on my life. I need to let go of my lack of confidence in my abilities, and the not truly believing who I am in God. I need to embrace the fact that I am a beautiful woman of God, I am a princess, a daughter of the King of Kings, I have been adopted by the Lord of Lords (John 1:12), I am an heir with Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:6-7, Romans 8:15), I am a member of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)! What’s even better is that I am not the only one! God loves you too! You are special to Him and He wants you to claim that special place as heir with Jesus. It’s not easy, believe me I know! It’s a day-by-day process for me, but here is an exercise I used to help in the process:

1. List every issue that you hold onto.

2. For every issue, write out why you hold onto that issue (ex: I hold onto my fear so I don’t have to do anything that I may be rejected or ridiculed for. It keeps me “safe”.)

3. For every issue, write why holding onto that issue is not working for you anymore. (ex: holding onto my fear is keeping me from pushing myself out of my comfort zone and answering the call God has placed on my life.)

4. Picture a life of freedom from this issue and what that would look like. Dream BIG and write out your vision of what life would look like without this issue in your life. What would you be pursuing if it weren’t for this issue? (ex: My dream is to be an intercessory missionary and to encourage women and children.)

5. For every issue, write out steps that you can take to let go of that issue. These are bite sized action steps, but they need to be pushing you into a life of freedom. (ex: to let go of my fear, I continue to pray 10-15 second prayers on the microphone during intercession sets and I gave a 1-2 minute testimony of my experiences in the Fall internship.)

6. Write each issue on a little piece of paper. Now, I want you to tear up the pieces one by one. As you let go of each piece, say a simple prayer of surrender (ex: “God, I surrender my fear to you, I know that you are in control. in Jesus name, I let go of my fear. Help me to focus on you as I take these steps to freedom, Amen.) Flush the pieces down the toilet or burn them if you want, as long as you let go!

7. Remember that letting go is a process, a journey. Don’t panic if you have a setback, because you probably will. Pick yourself up and keep moving forward, keeping your focus on Jesus.

I know, that as I trust God and seek to do his will, there will be many, many times when I will feel and will have to face my fears. Will I falter? Possibly, but I will keep my focus on Jesus and keep moving forward into a grace-filled, blessed season of life.

*I wanted to add that this is just an exercise to help you release an issue. With some issues we may need help from someone with experience in counseling, healing or a freedom ministry. I am not that person. There is no shame in seeking help to deal with things. I actually did go through a Freedom ministry to deal with my fear. So, seek help if you need to and you can use this as an added exercise in letting go.

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