Be Ready to Overcome

King Solomon came to a conclusion about life in Ecclesiastes 3:13; he says that people eat, drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor because they are gifts from God. You may wonder, how can you enjoy the fruits of your labor if life has put a whooping on you. Many people that are in abusive or volatile relationships can't feel anything but hurt, anger and pain. But King Solomon's view that is talked about in Ecclesiastes 3:13, details his perspective of the emptiness of life.

King Solomon knew what he was talking about because he'd spent his entire life experiencing and analyzing everything the world had to offer. He'd witnessed so much in his lifetime and in his perspective, life was short and empty, so he believed that folks should enjoy as much pleasure that life could offer while they could. But then again, as you read further in scripture, he contrasted his views in Ecclesiastes 12:1-7; by saying that  in order to really enjoy life, you have to have God at the front and center of everything.

Without God, people merely exist. Interestingly enough, I've noticed men and women get old after spending their youth under the influence of the devil, only to decide in the later spent years to give their life to God. Some people will choose to give the adversary their youthful good years and save their older years and what's left over to God. That's not the way it should ever be. God always deserves the very best in life we can give Him. He's not a leftover kind of God.

If only people suffering under pain of scrutiny and tyranny in relationships knew about the love that God said we deserve, they would understand that when life throws enough tough blows your way, you don't stay down in the dirt waiting to get dirty. You get up and dust yourself off, and take hold to the truth that you are a Child of God. You are meant to enjoy every good thing that God has given us in the earth. Including fulfilling and loving relationships.

Hurtful relationships and experiencing can sometimes be as a result of bad choices. But that's ok too. That's what life is about - learning to grow in love through whatever we have to go through. After you make enough of the wrong choices, you should start to understand, it's time to make good choices so that the rest of your life can start to resemble that of victory.

1 John 4:4 declares, " Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." 

We are God's children, this means we should be able to handle any and all circumstances no matter what it may be. This is sometimes easier said than do, true enough. But in essence, it means the power that is on the inside of us, is powerful enough to get us through some of the toughest times this life can throw our way. Being prepared is the key. It's the inevitable life-saver that can make the difference between becoming lost in a world of pain or being equipped to handle it.  

"Be Ready to Overcome", written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

If You Search for God You Will Find Him

 Deuteronomy 4:29; NLT;

But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

Seeing up close the actions of a woman pursuing a man can be disheartening and frustrating all at the same time. Not because you don't want the woman to be happy, but you know in your heart, that the woman is looking in the wrong place for her happiness. Pain, disappointment and hurt feelings are all related to their cousin fear. And fear is exactly what triggers the woman to go pursuing her dreams in another human being. Because for the simple reason that our loving Heavenly Father never, ever set-up relationships to cause anyone devastating disappointment. 

I've witnessed up close the pursuits of a woman behind the man she desires to be her significant other. She will go out of her way to ensure he knows he's the object of her affection. She'll call him, text him and will even go to his home if he doesn't reciprocate the actions she believes she deserves. And what is the man doing in return you ask? Exactly what you may be thinking...he ignores her and will overlook her because he knows the woman isn't going anywhere.

This is not the behavior God favors. Nor is it the order that God set as a standard for women to follow. It simply wreaks of desperation from a place of insecurity and a lack of Godly love. But this is the kind of behavior when some women finally cross the path of the man they think is right for them but often they are not meant to be in the relationship for the long haul. 

Too many women lack the patience to wait and see if the person they are with fits with the plan and purpose God has ordained for their life. This means that the woman will not have to ask herself questions that you should already know the answer too. Questions like: How come he doesn't call me, how come I haven't met any of his friends or family and we've been together for months or he never talks about a future with me! 

To stop the frustration and disappointment from ever starting, look for what he does do in the very beginning of getting to know him. Is he consistent with contacting you - is he a man of his word - does he spend quality time with you? These are just little signs to let you know you have something and someone to work with. God can only work with what you give Him. If your expectations are less than adequate, guess what? Adequate is what you can expect.

This is why God requires us to be prepared in our heart and minds to receive someone new in our lives so that we don't become unbalanced by distractions. And this is bound to happen when a new special someone shows up in the picture. Our responsibility and standards is what can be the most attractive attribute about us. You can't slip up or be asleep to your faith in God because everything in our life depends on how firm we will be for God.

We all know that relationships of any kind takes a lot of work. It can be very challenging and very difficult at times, especially after you've put some time into it. We have to remember what takes priority. Will you look for God or will you look for the man to do everything to make you happy? The decision will always be yours to make. But rest assured, when you look for God, all the answers you need, have already been answered. Trust in His love for you enough to take the leap in His direction and He will make sure that your heart stays in tact and fully prepared for the kind of love that's fulfilling and long-lasting.

I Need Your Help

Psalm 86:1-5; Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help.  2; Protect me, for I am devoted to you.  Save me, for I serve you and trust you.  You are my God.  3; Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly.  4; Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you.  5; O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for our help.  6; Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry.  7; I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.

You and I can expect to go through trials and tribulations. Can be very difficult to face and so therefore we shouldn’t be upset. What are God’s purposes can God be in something that feels so painful and difficult.  Cleansing and purification. Always one of God’s ultimate purpose.  When these things come into our life what is our response. Will either drive us toward God or away from God. When we face trials we are driven to God. When we’re driven to Him, we began to see God’s perspective and we have a totally different concept or perception.

Often times the only times that gets junk to the service are the difficult times in our lives. We’re driven to God and we began to see ourselves.  He pushes us to the limit. We think we can’t take anymore. God knows what our limits are. This is as far as I can go. God this is all I can handle. Just when we think we’re going to fall off the cliff. God changes our circumstances. 

God loves to see us with improved faith. No matter what we go through we have to see that God is going to see us through. We are giving God the glory through sustaining us through tough times. We can’t give up or quit and if you do quit, you’ll end up losing the blessing. 

James 1:3; Knowing that the testing of your faith test endurance, endures under hardship and trials. The more we go through the stronger we become.  He’s building us up in the likeliness of His son. Our devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ will tested. Here comes some trial in our life that will stretch us. A lot of times we walk away from hurtful times, this is the way he determines if we love him or not. Trials reveal how strong my faith is. Trials reveal my love and devotion to Christ. AM I willing to trust him or am I willing to hang in there when things don’t look like they’re going to work out.  He tests our faith, and endurance, love and devotion to Him. Because He’s going to send test in our lives to test our faith.  

Whenever things around us says to quit, we have to stand strong on His word. He wants to demonstrate His power to sustain us.  When he blesses us, He’s glorifying himself.  When you see someone else going through heartache, but somehow they keep a smile on their face. 

Proverbs 23:7; For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…

We can’t focus on the negativity nor can we feed into what everyone else is talking about or feeding upon. We have to keep our focus on the good stuff.  Whatever it is that makes you feel good on the inside, whatever is pure and admirable to you is what you should focus your energies on as much as possible.  

We have to examine our heart because your thought life trickles right to your heart – and we all know that what emanates from the heart will most assuredly manifest itself in your life.  Pray to God to help create a reality that reflects the loveliness of God’s power within you.

Wherever There’s a Hole, He Fills It

 

Ephesians 1:23; And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Feeling like life has dealt you the wrong hand. Feeling tired and weary all the time. I get it! But don’t give in to the pressures of life – you’re not the sum total of your circumstances. This too shall pass.

Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, as a matter of fact, when you know more, you attract more circumstances that will cause you to lean on some faith muscle. And if you don’t have strong muscles, then life will build them for you through tribulations and hard times. But we are not to fall into despair whenever difficulty come knocking at our door.  The strength of Christ within you will push you through those dark times.

When you can’t put the Word of God on in your mind when the storms of life rage, it will become almost impossible to see victory in your circumstances.  This may all be truth that you’ve heard before, the question you ask yourself is when will the pain, and hopelessness go away? You just want to be happy and fill good again, but it’s hard to feel good and sense purpose on your life when you’re in pain.

The pain goes away when you let the love of God in.  How do you let His love in – you surrender your way and let God direct your next steps. When you get tired enough nothing feels good, all excitement leaves your life because you tired of fighting and pushing but let go of all of the negativity is to infuse light into your situation.   Isaiah 40:31 NLT; But those who trust in the lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.

Light dispels darkness, and Jesus Christ is the light for anyone going through tumultuous situations. As you take your hands off of it all you have no other choice but to let the Lord do the steering.  Swallow your pride and let God take over, take your eyes off of that man and listen to the God speak to you through His word so that you can make good decisions. Stop allowing your feelings and emotions make decisions for you, find new strength in our Lord and Savior, and just like Isaiah says, you will soar high on wings like the eagles. 

He's our strength, when you feel like you can’t go on any longer.  His love will carry you through, and as you take one day at a time, your perspective takes a shift, what you thought was too difficult to overcome becomes more simple to handle. What you thought was over, has new meaning. All you need to feel renewed and invigorated again is a desire to be an over-comer.

Isaiah 57:10; You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up.  Desire gave you renewed strength and you did not grow weary.

Desire will light a fire under anyone – because within that one word is a multitude of possibilities behind it.  You have to feed your mind, soul and spirit the right stuff, because if you have folks that are depending on you to get it together, you have to be in the right frame of mind at all times.  You can’t afford to slip into despair, you can’t afford to let all those balls you’ve been keeping in the air fall to the ground.  If you are the champion God says you are, then fight the good fight through faith.  It doesn’t take the faith of a mountain to get you through a mole hill of situations.  

You are more than a conqueror in EVERY situation.  If God didn’t think you were, HE wouldn’t have declared it in His word.  God is not like human beings that He should lie, He’s our Heavenly Father that only wants exponentially the best for you.  It just takes you to believe it to be so and watch those dark days turn into sunny ones.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

“Wherever There's a Hole, He Fills It”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

 

From God’s Mouth to My Ears

Isaiah 55:6(NLT)
“6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.”

“Leave it to God, let Him fix-it!”

No one would argue that a broken heart is a very difficult kind of pain to overcome, and the only thing you can think about is trying to soothe it so that you don’t ever feel it again.  Even for me, after my last broken heart, I didn’t want to hear anything about meeting another man. Relationships were to me, just another hurdle in life that I didn’t need. Even though I knew I couldn’t remain in solitude forever, I was nervous about meeting someone new.  The thought of having to possibly take a chance with my heart being broken was too much for my mind to conceive.

I remember the very first time I felt heartache. I was fourteen years old. No one could tell me how to fix what was broken inside me – all I knew was that I couldn’t stop crying after I got off the phone with a guy that said he didn’t want me to be his girlfriend. Oh, how crushed I was. I can remember it just as if it were yesterday. My grandmother was a very wise and compassionate woman. Her husband abandoned her when all her children were still very young. Two of her children died tragically when they were in their early twenties, so she knew a thing or two about heartache. When she said to me, “Leave it to God, let Him fix it!”, the heft of her confidence in Him soothed my soul. I knew when my grandmother spoke those words, it was spoken from God’s mouth to my ears.

At fourteen, God healed my heart, and He has done so through my adult years as well. I now know that after praying to Him, and surrendering my heart to Him, the next thing to do is to go to His Word for comfort and solace, because His Word is the truth, and it nourishes us. Seeking God diligently means that we spend time getting to know Him through His Word. It is the best source to know God’s nature and love. There is real power in knowing what God has to say on any subject. He tells us in John 8:32 that His truth will make us free.

Isaiah 55:6 instructs God’s people to seek Heavenly Father while we can find Him. When I first read this, I was very bothered by it. Knowing firsthand of God’s healing and soothing power, I can’t imagine life without it. So, I thought how terribly bad off we would be if we tried to find God and He could not be found. But Isaiah 55:6 is really zeroing in on the condition of our hearts. God never separates Himself from us, but we can be so wrapped up in our emotions that we separate ourselves from Him. Some of us have a lot of doubt when it comes to His healing and restorative power, and our lack of faith separates us from Him. We might think, “I can’t see how reading His Word will change my situation or do anything for me, so I’m not going to read it.” This is unbelief, and it is the exact opposite of how believers are commanded to conduct themselves. God’s Word is a spiritual book, and we are spiritual beings. When we connect with God’s Word, our spirits are nourished and fed in an indescribable way. We desperately need this nourishment.

The Bible contains the Words from God’s mouth, and its truth is the only remedy for the rawness of pain that many of us experience.  God says in Isaiah 55:6 that we should seek Him while we can find Him. This lets us know that it is indeed possible to miss Him. If we miss Him, it means our situations can get worse instead of getting better, and it also means that we might miss the opportunity to be changed internally for the better. God makes its very easy to find Him, all we need to do is to read His Word and pray. He never disappoints, and if we come to Him with faith and humility, He will meet us at that place. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we will find the strength to overcome feelings of heartache and pain. God will infuse us with His love, so that we have the courage to move forward with joy, peace, love, and faith. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“From God’s Mouth to My Ears”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Go and Celebrate

 

Nehemiah 8:10(NLT)
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

What do you do when circumstances don’t go your way? Do you flake out and get angry or do you trust God and remain at peace?

Being completely transparent when it comes to my emotions hasn’t always been a strength of mine, and to be honest, I’m still working on it. Being emotionally transparent is when you allow yourself to be open and vulnerable to folks. The uncomfortable part about this is that it can open you up for the opinions and rebuke of others. This can sting, and if you’ve encountered it repeatedly, you can go from being emotionally transparent and outgoing, to preferring to remain out of the spotlight and closed off, so to speak. This probably isn’t what any of us had in mind when we were carefree children, playing and celebrating life. As we get older, though, the cruelty and negativity of others can choke some of this cheerfulness out of us and leave us with the task of trying to somehow get it back.

It would be wonderful if every child were brought up in a supportive environment and was taught the Word of God from the very beginning. This would instill an impenetrable confidence in them as well as a happiness that isn’t based on external circumstances but comes from the love of Jesus Christ deep within them. This is God’s desire for us, that we will trust Him to take care of us, and that we will not look to others and material things for the love that can only come from Him. But sadly, many of us do not grow into our adult years understanding God’s love or having confidence in it, therefore, some of our choices and decisions are based on insecurity, doubt, and fear.

Our insecurities, doubts, and fears are not always apparent to us, and they can show up in unexpected ways. Sometimes we react to situations and circumstances, and don’t understand why we’ve gotten so upset or why we shutdown. When I was a young woman in my twenties, I allowed my feelings and emotions to run the show, and I let my feelings and emotions control how I responded to life. If a relationship with someone I really liked wasn’t going well, I’d get up in the morning sad and carry that sadness throughout my day. If someone upset me, I’d carry the anger and upset with me. I didn’t know that I was supposed to take authority through the Lord Jesus Christ and respond to situations in life the way that he did.

In John 8:29(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” This is our example. It is the attitude and mindset that we are supposed to follow. Jesus Christ always did the Will of God. He was called names, talked about negatively behind his back, and people wanted to destroy him, but he always responded by doing only the things that God would do. Jesus Christ was not weak or timid. He was the most powerful person that ever walked the face of this earth. He could have wiped out all the evil people that existed, but he didn’t do this. He was humble and kind, and he always responded to people and situations with great strength, but also with great love and compassion.

He did this because he had full confidence that God backed his steps. He said in John 8:29 that the Father had not left him alone. Jesus Christ understood that God was always and forever with him, and he was also extremely confident that he had nothing to fear; each of us should have this same confidence. The sting of hurt and heartbreak can make us fearful of experiencing this pain again. And some of us allow ourselves to develop a habit of lashing out or bringing ourselves equal to the angry or confrontational tone that is being presented by the other person. We are commanded by Christ to choose differently. Back and forth negativity begins a cycle that continues, but if we meet situations with the strength of the love of Christ, we put a stop to pain and fear.

A woman of God said to me, “feeling good is everything!” Four simple words, but it packs a big wallop of truth behind it. Feeling good is a choice. It’s a choice to totally trust and lean on God, and this is what He desires us to do. When you wake up in the morning without a zestful feeling of assurance in your heart and mind, you might be tempted to let misery overtake your day. You might then choose to feel down and discouraged, but if you will pray and ask for God’s help, He will do a work on the inside of you through His powerful Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside every born-again believer, and he comforts, teaches, strengthens, and guides us to God’s truth!

The truth is that the love of God can move any mountain out of your way. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 11:29(NLT), “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We need to rest peacefully, and Jesus Christ invites us to do this in him, where peace, rest, and comfort abide. We must remind ourselves of our identity in Christ each morning and give our days over to God. He cannot fail, and He is faithful to keep us according to His promises. We don’t have to let our emotions and feelings govern our lives. Instead, we must bring them under the leadership of Christ. When we obey his example in faith, every day will be the celebration God means for it to be. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Go and Celebrate”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Instead of Doing That, Do This

Isaiah 57:10(NLT)
“You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength, and you did not grow weary.”

How many Christians do you know today that are tired of life and are constantly feeling like there’s no good left in the world?  Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, and life has a way of moving at a pace some of us don’t like. We either wish it would speed up a bit faster or slow down to meet us at our comfort level. There are so many people that are saved by the blood of the lamb, but we’re not as overjoyed about it as we should be. The toils of life seem very heavy on our shoulders, and some of us might be tempted to think that nothing will make us feel better about our lives.

A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ told me that he just doesn’t feel the need to get out of bed anymore, and that it takes so much mental energy just to do the simple things in life. Anyone that knows anything about tribulations knows that the devil tries to really do a number on you. The mental and emotional exhaustion from both internal and external pressures can leave you weary and depleted. This isn’t what God wants for us. It’s bondage, and we must have confidence that there is a better way for us to live. Jesus Christ said in John 8:32(NLT) that when we know the truth, the truth will make us free. Many of us will not stretch our minds to believe this. We’re seeking everything else but the truth.

Fear keeps so many of us in bondage. You might be thinking, “What does fear have to do with feeling exhausted from the pressures of life?” Fear is the thing that tricks our minds into believing that exhaustion is our only option. When we’ve suffered abuse, even if it was years ago, the trauma can become locked in our bodies, and it is corrosive. It can turn into chronic illness and pain if unaddressed. We don’t want to hurt anymore, so we develop walls around ourselves—around our hearts—and they keep us locked in, and if we’re not careful, they can also keep love locked out. Fear and pain try to convince us that God will not shine His light in our lives, but He will. We must give Him a chance. He will change our dark nights to sunny days if we will allow Him to do it. Fear manifests itself in many ways, but the good news is that we don’t have to know all the details of our pain to be healed from it. We simply must be willing to give it over to Christ. 

We have to feed our minds, souls, and spirits the right stuff.  Pain, weariness, fear, loneliness, and emotional exhaustion, these show us that we are works in progress. We’re not perfect, but we are being perfected in Christ each day. We need to let God’s Word mold and shape us into the person He has called us to be, and this means we have to seek God and pursue Him with faith. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) tells us, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Trusting God is our life, and when we run low on trust, life will reflect our depleted state. The answer isn’t to concede to this pattern and continue expecting the worse. The answer is to make a greater commitment to feed our minds and hearts the Word of God. 

God is our strength! When you feel like you can’t go on any longer, his love will carry you through. Jesus Christ said in Luke 18:1 that we need to pray at all times and not lose heart. In Galatians 6:9, God tells us not to grow weary in well-doing, because in due time, we’re going to reap a harvest if we don’t give up. Instead of being comfortable with feeling low, make even the smallest change to surrender your burdens to God with a heart that believes in His power and love. Pray and ask Him to renew a right spirit within you, and ask Him to give you a new heart. Be committed to never look back, and let the Lord show you how He heals, restores, and makes everything better.■ 

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

“Instead of Doing That, Do This”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.