Something that many people don't understand is that God is not the author of pain and suffering, chaos, confusion and death. He is loving, kind, tender, full of compassion, and full of mercy. His character is shown in that when there was no hope for us, He sent His Son to take our punishment of...
All of us have been hurt, many of us several times. Rather than let ourselves be destroyed, we have a choice: we can forgive.
There are at least seven reasons why we need to forgive others when we are hurt:
1) Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior forgave us, Colossians 3:13.
2) Jesus Christ...
Testimony_______________________________________
It was one of those dreary Saturday mornings when the sun just wouldn't come out. I had been up early, and I was feeling kind of down. I'd say one thing to my husband, and then another. Sometimes he'd respond. He was trying to read the paper, and...
Graciousness helps tremendously.
I was afraid of someone in my family who always tore me down. She was coming to visit me, and I was petrified. I cleaned my home meticulously, but I knew even this would not help. I dropped into bed in exhaustion, but prayed first, asking for help. As I...
When I was very ill with PTSD I had thoughts about wanting to die every day for months. I am so glad I didn't. It would have been the stupidest thing I had ever done. I would have devastated my husband and children, and for what? They needed me, I would have hurt them deeply, I wonder if they...
It is discouraging when you see someone who is evil get away with it--and even seem to do well. But God sees all.
There are answers in Scripture which I think help tremendously. 2 Cor. 10:3-6 talks about taking every thought captive, then ends with a promise. It says that when our obedience is...
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). This is part of Israel's daily prayer, found in Deuteronomy 6:5.
What then should our greatest priority be? Shouldn't it be to love God and out of that love to...
Every Christian has the power to overcome Satan. Yes, we are attacked. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.“ In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill...
Have you ever been deeply hurt? Have you wondered if you would ever be able to forgive? It is not easy, but it is possible. Basically it involves forgiving all the people involved and giving the whole situation to the Lord. In the end, God will act--and your own heart will heal.
Anger is...
In the book of Acts, God gave direction to His disciples, and not just through Scripture. He also spoke directly into their hearts. For example, Ananias was told to go to the street called Straight and pray for Saul, Acts 9:11. Paul was told to go to Macedonia, Acts 16:9. I believe that God...
I have had this struggle so many times--wanting to help somebody, even crying on the inside when they would not listen, just did what they wanted. I often wonder how much the Father hurts when we are like that...
The Holy Spirit spoke to me once--yes, to pray, yes to lift it to our Father--but...
Here is something I have struggled with. When I am hurt I just want to hurt back. My inclination is to pray prayers like, "ZAP THEM LORD!" And kindness? Forget that, they don't deserve that!
But--how can I slam my brother or sister when God has been so merciful to me? What do I deserve...
Sometimes my walk has been very hard. There was a time when Christians who should have known better were making fun of me. I was just coming out of a terrible illness, I was still very ill, maybe they didn't realize that was why I was so different, why I was hanging onto God. They said horrible...
Remember that God loves you. He loves you with a tender, caring love that loves you just the way you are, messes and all. He doesn't stand there and say, "no you didn't do that right", or "there you go messing up again." He simply loves you.
The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins...
..today you blew it. Some days are like that, but that doesn't mean every day will be bad.
And then you cry out to God and tell Him, "I messed up."
He answers so tenderly, "You are forgiven."
And you think, I'm just going to sit here, why even try. And He offers you His hand...and He...
The need for Jesus to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us started right at the beginning. The bible says that God created a perfect place. He created living things, then man and woman. Then He gave man free will. He gave them instructions not to eat of a certain tree, or they would surely die...
It doesn't come with signs posted in 17 different colors, money spent or even time given. It doesn't parade itself around. It doesn't mime with a clown. It's not on the comedy channel or in a comic strip. It is deeper than that...
It comes quietly, like a fragrance. It lands softly, like a...