Monthly Archives: June 2015

It is not always easy to believe that God wants to bestow His goodness on us, especially during long, hard, difficult, demanding, tough times. Often the wounds of our hearts give openings to our spiritual Enemy, and his relentless negativity fills us with fear and overwhelm. The Evil One says that things will never change for the better, that they will always be as they are. This is an attempt to challenge the truth of God’s love, purposes, and plans…..

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Fretting Pulls Us in the Wrong Direction Psalm 37: 1+ 8 Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious of those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God). Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself-it tends only to evildoing. There will be times in our lives when we come in contact with people who agitate us with something they say or do which we consider harmful, hurtful or lacking in…..

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Most of us desire to walk in harmony with others, but in this world conflict cannot totally be avoided! Even though anger is a normal human emotion, if held onto, it can easily turn into something that will make us fall short (sin) and keep us stuck in an undesirable place. To be emotionally and spiritually healthy we must learn to acknowledge (pray), work through (feel), and release (let go),of our hearts layered anger, giving it to our Lord. HE…..

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Many years ago a wise, older woman told me, “everyone will experience grief in this world, and it  won’t leave you the same person- you will get better or you will get bitter”. The experience of the pain of grief is associated with some sort of loss in our lives. Personal grief can be divided into two categories: godly grief and worldly grief.  With godly grief, our pain manifest as anger or hurt that compels us to turn toward God for help and relief……

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“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [snobbish, high-minded, exclusive], but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12: 16, 18). Most of us desire peace to dominate our associations with people, but time and again we discover the pathway to tranquility is beyond our grasp. Because…..

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“When Jesus saw Mary sobbing, and the Jews who came with her [also] sobbing, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. [He chafed in spirit and sighed and was disturbed.] Jesus wept” (John 11:33, 35). The Scripture states that the two sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus lived in Bethany. All three were dear, valued friends of Jesus, and He held them in loving esteem. One day while the Lord was away ministering in another town, Lazarus…..

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When teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus pointed out the importance of practicing forgiveness. Many times this text is misinterpreted as God’s refusal to forgive us unless we forgive others, which is not true. This statement was made before the redemptive act of Christ on the cross. Jesus’ sacrifice made the way for all of us to receive God’s forgiveness for our failings and shortcomings, even if we have not yet worked through the process of forgiving others in…..

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17 Rend Your Hearts During Bible times, when people experienced anger, grief, or despair, the custom of “tearing garments” as an outward sign of their inward state was a common ceremonial ritual. In light of this practice, the Lord instructs His children to “rend your hearts and not your garments.” To rend means “to tear open” our hearts and look honestly at our inner man. Looking takes courage and belief that God’s faithful love toward us is bigger than all…..

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“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows]” (Psalm147:3). We all have experienced circumstances in our lives that have broken our hearts. The weight of a broken heart hurts and is filled with the emotional wounds of fear, sadness, anger, and confusion. With our hearts carrying these heavy, negative emotions, our human nature has the tendency to fall into the abyss of self-pity, depression, or hopelessness. As we continue to experience all that…..

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“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice” (Isaiah 41:10). Many times when we encounter problems in our lives, we experience the familiar feelings of anxiety, fear, and distress. However,…..

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