I am thankful to God for sending a man into my life to speak a truth to me. Sometimes we say ouch, but if we allow God to do His work in us and understand that He disciplines those He loves, we can learn and grow from it.
Of course, this brought me into some repenting and God spoke to my heart. Thank you, Jim, for pointing out what should have been the obvious, there is no protection in a lie.
Assaults come from every direction. We try to do right, but in our own strength, we cannot. In reflection, we have to ask, what is the root cause.
So, here is what I heard this morning during my quiet time with Jesus.
John 11:39,40
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Do you see it? Jesus said roll that stone away. But, he will stink, they said. Roll that stone away!
When we do a spring clean in our house, we open the windows to let the light in and to let the fresh air in to get rid of that staleness. Is it time to do some house cleaning? I am not talking about our house, I am talking about us.
What have we hid in our tomb? What secrets do we have that we do not want to expose, because it brings shame? Do we think that if we pretend it does not exist that it will eventually be forgotten? Our sins are forgiven when confessed, not with time. You have heard that time heals all wounds? In this case it is not true. Denial does not mean it does not exist. Let us not ignore the elephant in the room.
There is no place for shame (which is really pride) if we want deliverance. There can be no secrets, what is hidden must be exposed.
Hidden secrets are lies. Satan is the father of lies. Hiding in shame (pride) is partnership with the devil. Whose child are you?
We must expose the darkness. Secrets are always kept in darkness. We must let the light in. We stumble in the dark, Jesus brings light so that we can see and not stumble. We must remove the stumbling block of sin. If we hide our sins, we hide from God.
If we refuse deliverance, we do not accept the healing only God can bring.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
Even sins committed against us can be used as a hindrance to deliverance. We must release the offender to Jesus so that we can be free of injuries against us, to be healed. We must trust that God is the judge.
We cannot hold onto insult, hatred, offense, or grudge. God is the defender of the offended. He will bring recompense We heap coals on our enemies heads when we choose to forgive and walk in love.
Sins that we have committed must be confessed. True repentance is acknowledging AND admitting a wrong (sin) and then turning away from it.
If we hide our sin, our foundation is built on a lie. What is built on a weak foundation will crumble. Confession brings healing, forgiveness brings strength and truth will set you free.
Be Free & Stay Free
It is not being good that will get you into Heaven. Try as hard as you may, but in your own strength and given to your own devices, this will not do it. Your goodness is not the ticket to Heaven.
Nor is:
- going to church
- singing in the choir
- taking a vow of poverty
- being wealthy
- giving all of your money to causes
- not drinking, smoking, or any other thing you view as wrong
- not stealing
- being kind
- volunteering
- working in ministry
- preaching to thousands
- being faithful to your spouse
The list can go on and on, but you get the point.
Our own righteousness is like a filthy rag Isaiah 64:6. When we hold ourselves to the law we will always fall short. There is no way we can fulfill the law. If we break one, we are guilty of breaking them all. There is a price for violating the law and the judge is a just judge and He can not let the guilty go free.
But there is a way!
Thanks be to God, our fine has been paid. Our debt has been paid. It is through this free gift that we can be sure of our salvation. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me."
Let everything you do be to the glory of God. Don't let your good works be for nothing.
For God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Be Free and Stay Free
Have you ever wanted something so much that you were willing to pay any price to get it? Make any sacrifice and give all you have for this one thing? Maybe it was a relationship, an object, or a position?
When we have obtained something at a great cost, we cherish it and protect it. It is valuable to us, even if others do not see it's value.
We display it and we guard it so that it will not be lost, broken or stolen. Because we know the price that we have paid for it, we will not be convinced by anyone, or anything, that it is not worth it.
Stop! Before you continue to read this, pause for a moment and think about this.
Then read Ephesians 1:3-14.
I have wanted many things. Some I have obtained and some I haven't. I was willing to sacrifice much to take hold of what I saw as valuable. But, I was never willing, nor did I consider, laying my own life down, or the lives of my children, to receive what I thought was valuable.
Yet, this is what God did for us. He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son, Jesus. We belonged to sin and the end results would lead us to death (or hell, if I can speak bluntly). But because of His redemption, His grace and His mercy, we belong to Him now. We are His treasures and He paid a great price for us.
Death no longer has a hold on us. Fear has been evicted. There is no more condemnation. We have only assurance that God loves us so much that He gave His only Son for us. Who the Son has set free is free indeed.
So...open your eyes and raise your hands and stand firm on this truth: I am blessed and highly favored and nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, can separate me from the love of God.
Be free and stay free!
If we have not experienced the unconditional love and affection of our fathers while growing up, we may find ourselves in toxic relationships; or unsatisfying, at the most.
As little girls we yearn to be loved and protected by our fathers. If that need was not met we become women who will accept anyone (or anything) who will offer to fill that need. Often, what they offer is a counterfeit and before we realize it we are sucked into another relationship that heaps coals onto our fire of doubt, insecurity, fear and self-hatred.
This is not an issue of intelligence, but a matter of the heart.
A wounded heart that is unable to self love will struggle with boundaries. Our mind may know that a person is not right for us, but our emotional need to fill a void will tolerate almost anything.
Do you find history repeating itself? Are you giving more to a relationship than you are receiving? Is your fear of being alone greater than your courage to walk away?
I have heard women say "love has eluded me." Honestly, I admit, that I too have echoed these words. I have wondered if would ever experience love and I have found myself settling. It is not a good feeling, is it? What I have learned, and am still learning, is there is no man out there that can fill this void.
When we have not experienced the love of our fathers, we have no standard to measure the love of a man. Without this, we set our standards low, and because we do not value ourselves, we find ourselves with men who devalue us. We fall in love too easy and we are crushed when it is not reciprocated. We, unfairly, demand that a man love and value us, when we can't even love or value ourselves.
We mask our insecurities with false independence. We brush off assaults and "act" strong. We cry, we become bitter, untrusting, and then we hop into another relationship. With each new relationship we have hopes and illusion that 'this time he is the one'. We ignore red flags, we stifle our fears, we act on impulse and we become foolish women.
Do not awaken love until the time is right - Song of Solomon 2:7
When is the time right? You will know you are ready for love when you have first fallen in love with yourself. To love yourself you must first meet the true love of your Father. I am not talking about your earthly, biological father. I am talking about your Heavenly Father. Your real Father who you can cry out to as 'Abba, Father' (Galatians 4:6) He is not a man sitting in the clouds somewhere and unapproachable. He is with you right now and He cares for you.
We must first know who He is and who He created us to be. We must accept His unconditional love and receive His affections toward us.
Dear woman, you are His creation, His daughter. He does not love as man does, His love is flawless. He is faithful. He is strong. He is patient. He is kind and He sees you as beautiful and worthy.
Cultivate your relationship with Jesus before you attempt a relationship with a man. Until you fully understand how much He adores you, and trust Him, you will continue in one empty relationship after another.
You are so worth it! You are beautiful! You are the precious daughter of the King, take your position.
Be Free & Stay Free!
Sleight of hand is the set of techniques used by magicians to manipulate objects secretly. It is most employed in close up magic, but can also be used on stage.
Sleight means dexterity or deceptiveness (cunning, sly, clever).
The guiding principle of sleight of hand is to be natural. It also depends on the use of psychology, timing, misdirection, and natural choreography to accomplish the magical effect. Misdirection is perhaps the most important component.
Street magicians use this technique to get you to guess which shell the ball is under, or to pull coins out of your ear.
I knew a magician. He was constantly practicing on me. At first, I was amazed. I would always guess wrong. But, after watching him for so long, I began to figure out his tricks and it was not so easy for him to fool me.
The Bible says that we are not to be ignorant of the devils devices. Just like the magician, that ol' devil tries to misdirect our focus. He is very cunning and sly. He entices us with what we think he holds in his hands.
I have been guilty of distractions. I have been focused on the immediate and was not able to look past that distraction to see the big picture. You have heard the saying, "can't see the forest because of the trees"? That was me. I was blinded, I fell for the illusion. Is this where you are now?
Like a game show, we try to guess what is behind curtain number two. We gamble away all that we have for the perceived prize; only to learn that we have been tricked.
We buy that cheap ring only to find that it leaves a black mark on our fingers. Why? Because we focus on the immediate, we hesitate to pay the price for the future. The sad part is that we do this over and over again. Why do we keep doing the same thing and expect different results?
We have been created with a purpose and a calling. Unfortunately, some of us will not fulfill our call because we are distracted with what the sly magician has waved before us.
Some of us have bought the lie that a relationship with a man will complete us. We have fallen prey to one toxic relationship after another. At first we are enamored by the attention, distracted by the high, we ignore the red flags because we try to catch what was never released.
As little girls we are taught that our prince charming will come. We look for the charming, instead of the prince. We expect a man to come along and valiantly slay the dragons, jump through fires, climb towers, find our glass slipper and kiss us back to life. Dear girl, this is make believe.
There is only One who can give us the kiss of life. There is only One who can turn a frog into a prince. And that One is Jesus.
Do not be distracted by clever illusions. Do not settle for cheap imitations that will leave a black mark on your soul.
Set yourself apart for Jesus. Let Him do His work in you. Stay in Him so you will not be deceived. When the time is right He will bring your prince to you. He will do this when you are ready and when he is ready. When this man comes, you will hear His Spirit whisper...this, My beloved, is what I want for you.
Be Free & Stay Free
Do we not know that we must give account to every idle word we speak? We will be justified or condemned by our words (Matthew 12:36,37). We all make mistakes, but if we control our tongues, then we can control ourselves in every other way (James 3:2). We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God; so that we can show the goodness of God to others, because He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
We must not be distracted! We must not be controlled by our emotions. If we say that we love God, then we must behave like we do. Take inventory. What are we saying and what are we doing? Are we participating in conversations that we should not? Are we in relationships that we should not be in?
Does your life seem out of control? Is everything coming at you from all directions? Have you lost your peace?
I plead with you, give your bodies to God as a living sacrifice - the kind He will accept. After what He has done for us, is this too much to ask? Don't act like everyone else, quit trying to fit in. Let God transform you, you are now a new person, by changing the way you think, then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will is for you (Romans 12:1-2).
We can not rationalize or offer excuse. Your freedom has been bought with a high price. You are no longer your own, you belong to God.
Let God have His way in you. Be filled with His Holy Spirit. Turn away from your old way of life, old habits and toxic relationships. Do you not remember what He has delivered you from?
You must take captive every thought and arrest every imagination. Whatever you set your thoughts to, that is the direction that you will go. If you have not let go of your past, you will relive your past. Only this time it will be much worse (Matthew 12:43-45).
How do you know you may be slipping? Listen to the words that come out of your mouth. Feel that sting of conviction when you are with certain people and/or participating in things you ought not to be participating in. You no longer seek God, instead you try to hide from Him.
You are not to be a bystander to that which seeks to destroy you. You must be an active participant in working out your own salvation. Live a clean and innocent life as a child of God (Philippians 2:14-16).
He never said it was going to be easy (John 16:33), but He did promise to never leave you (Matthew 28:20).
Be Free & Stay Free!
There was once a little girl who wanted to be good enough.
Everything she did, she tried her best. Her hope was to hear her father say that he was proud of her. She tried very hard to please him. She was the fastest runner and she delighted in hearing him say that. She tried to be mothers helper, watching after her younger sister and brother. She tried her best in school to get good grades to earn the approval of her father; to stay in his good graces. But, it seemed, no matter how hard she tried, she was never good enough. Her father was an angry man and very scary. So, this little girl began to learn how to protect herself. This is when that shell started to form around her heart and this is when her foundation began to crack.
The little girl became an adolescent Realizing that she would never be good enough, she gave up trying to please him. Rebellion entered the house and she welcomed it. If she could not be good enough for her father, she would be good enough with her friends. Her choice in friends were not always good. Even though she was a small girl in size, her outward appearance was strong. But, inside, deep inside... she was scared. She would sometimes look at other girls and imagine if they were happy. Did they have parents who loved them? Did they feel safe at home? She wondered what it would be like to have their life. She longed to be good enough.
As a young woman she made herself good enough; well, kind of, in a distorted way. She felt good enough when a man paid attention to her. When he told her she was beautiful. When he showed kindness to her. She found herself in relationships that she should have never been in. In her search of being good enough, she gave away her most precious gift. She entered each new relationship with hope, only to walk away feeling empty and used. Soon she became distrusting, skeptical, cynical and fed up. She decided she could not be good enough and realized that men were not good enough anyway.
Yet, there was still that longing, that need to hear the words "you are good enough."
We all have that need. The need to love and be loved. To be noticed and to know that we matter. To not be invisible. We try to fill that need, that void, through relationships, food, addictions, medications, career; anything to numb that pain of loneliness and rejection. If we can stay busy enough we can convince ourselves that we are OK, even if we are not.
Dear sister, did you see yourself in the little girl, the adolescent or the young woman? Were you victim to the very people who were suppose to care for and protect you? What you missed, did you try to find and each time come up lacking? It is a sad place to be in.
You can not change your past, but you can make a choice for your future. You do not need to be a victim, you can be a conqueror. Some of what happened was not your fault. Some of it was. We have all made choices, and sadly, there are consequences to our choices and sometimes others suffer the consequences.
It is not too late. The burdens that you have, they were not meant for you to carry. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light" Matthew 11:28-30
When we try to be "good enough" on our own, we will always fall short. When we look to others to validate us, we will be let down. We can not be "good enough" on our own and there is a spot in us that was never meant to be filled by others. There is only One who is enough and through Him we are good enough. In Him we find acceptance and love. In Him we find our strength and freedom to be vulnerable enough to be that beautiful woman He has created to us to be. In Him we find completeness and an intimate love that no one else can give.
I encourage you, my sweet sister, stop running, avoiding, denying, masking, hiding, manipulating and fighting. Cry out to Jesus, for He cares for you. He gave His life for you and in His resurrection you can find redemption. Let Him wash you and trust Him to finish the work that He has begun. You are precious in His eyes.
Even though a wrong has been committed against you, you still have to acknowledge your own wrongs. These wrongs are called sin. No matter what you have done, no matter how bad, He says that if you confess your sins to Him, He will forgive you. He will remember your sins no more and you become a new person. He will call you daughter and He is a Father that you can always trust to provide for you, care for you and protect you. He is the Father who will rejoice over you and will comfort you. In Him you will find no rejection. He will never leave you.
Be free and stay free.
I am thankful to God for sending a man into my life to speak a truth to me. Sometimes we say ouch, but if we allow God to do His work in us and understand that He disciplines those He loves, we can learn and grow from it. 
