Monthly Archives: August 2009

Worship Me and Watch Me Work

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H02C0095This morning as I sat with the Lord in a quite time, He showed me the key that will solve every problem and conquer every fear.

As I was praying for strength, wisdom, guidance and direction for the day, the sun began to rise. When the first ray of sunlight hit my face I heard the Lord’s voice, “just worship Me.” At that moment all the concerns I had for myself and others were gone as the Lord said, “Worship Me and Watch Me Work.”

My prayer for wisdom ceased.

My prayer for strength was fulfilled.

My prayer for guidance and direction was answered.

I realized the troubles of our life take all our attention; they even take our attention away from worshiping the Lord during our quiet time.

Lift your heart to the Lord, worship Him and watch Him work.  He has promised He will work all things out for your good, so trust Him.

“…Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will show to you today.” Exodus 14:13 KJV.

Learning to Trust Again

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“He heals the brokenhearted and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalms 147:3

God has made full provision for healing the pain of past so you can trust again.

Have you ever trusted someone to love you that did not know how to love?  Or have you ever loved someone that did not know how to receive your love?

In both cases you will experience rejection. This type of rejection is very painful especially when it comes from someone whom you really trust. The pain from being hurt by someone you trust is much greater than being hurt by a casual friend.  It takes years to build trust, but it only takes a moment of rejection to tear down trust. This is because when you trust someone, you open your heart up to them.  When they reject you, the natural tendency is to close your heart to them in order to avoid being hurt again. The pain that comes from rejection creates a big wound that must be healed in order to be able to trust that person again.

Jesus made complete provision for our physical and emotional healing.  But many people are stuck, “locked in time” desperately needing to be set free from the pain of the past. One way many people try to get rid of pain is to just forget what happened and forget about the person who hurt them.  You can tear that person out of your address book and for a while you will be able to forget what happened but if healing did not occur the pain is still there.

The pain that lingers from the past keeps you tied to the past.  Isaiah, the prophet, said in Isaiah 1:4-6 that those people who have not been healed will go backwards. Like taking one step forward and then two steps backward, you aren’t getting anywhere.

Another way many people deal with pain is to run from it or pretend it really isn’t there.  Pain is like a shadow you look around and it is still there no matter how fast you run.  That is why so many people are walking around with the shadow of the past still on them.  Pain must be faced and dealt with in order for it to be put away.   Instead of running from pain, stop, turn around and face it.  Pain must be faced to be healed.

You may be one who has received some healing, but the pain still remains. Jeremiah 6:14 also says that when a person has only been healed slightly, they say peace, peace, but when there is no peace. The amount of peace you are having can be a good indicator of how much healing you have received. Once you are healed and the pain is gone you will be ale to hold your heart open again and trust. Healing produces trust in you. If the person that hurt you has proven over and over to not be trustworthy, suggest they also receive healing. Healing produces trustworthiness in them.

Then wait on the Lord to give you peace.

Written by Denise Boggs.

Discouraged and Defeated?

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My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.  Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.  I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.  I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah.   I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:4-8

Discouragement is a real problem.  Discouraged people would rather sleep then face one more discouragement.  Why would a person get so discouraged that they would choose to just lie down and sleep?  They are tired.  Those who have graced others mistakes and sins without seeing any change, get tired.  Then discouragement, which is the opposite of encouragement, sets in.  We can not afford to go a day without encouragement.  It is water to the thirsty soul. (Ps. 107:9)

Discouragement is much like taking a nap; it seems ok, and even justified because you are tired.  But, in this day and time it is a trap of the enemy.  Don’t give in.  People who are weary many times do not recognize the enemy’s trap until they have stumbled and fallen into it.

If you have been discouraged and slumbering, wake up to the goodness of God.  You don’t want to miss out on seeing His mighty hand as He intervenes in your situation.  We are in the time in history that we must stay awake, watch, and pray. God’s hand is not too short; He will come and He will save you no matter what situation you are facing.

Instead of giving into discouragement, begin speaking the truth into the situation. Then stand back and see the salvation of the Lord.  Remember, don’t’ give in to discouragement; it is not your friend.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.  But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days.  But as for me, I trust in you. Psalm 55: 22-23.

Written by Denise Boggs

The Path of Life

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“Show me the path of life…” Psalm 16:11

God knows exactly what is going on in your world. He has provided everything you need to live during these times; and actually He has provided a way for you to live in peace even during times of trouble.   Find the path of life, the peace of God.

Once you find the path of life, stay there, don’t let your heart be troubled.  Stop allowing yourself stray off the path, lost and fearful.  You have a choice; you simple stay on the path.  You have a choice daily;  so don’t allow your circumstances to be in charge.

You have been given the choice and you can choose peace over fear, anxiety, and stress.  You can choose faith over fear; it is that simple.  When you choose faith over fear you just choose life instead of death.  When you choose peace over anxiety and stress you have again chosen life.  The enemy wants to convince you that everything is hopeless, but the God of all peace wants you to know that you have a choice, He says in Deut. 30:15-16, (paraphrased) “Choose life and you shall live.”

It is a choice of life over death, it is that important of a choice. Think about your last doctor’s visit.  If you have a heart condition he made it very clear how harmful certain things like too much sugar and salt are to your health.  It is hard to keep yourself from eating these things, but, for your health’s sake you can do it.  Everyday that you overcome the temptation not to eat those things that are harming your body you feel a difference.  You feel stronger and have more energy.  Did you know that worry and fear are more harmful to our body than too much sugar and salt?  That is why Jesus said, “Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated, cowardly and unsettled.”

I repeat, just stop allowing it; you do have a choice, choose the path of life and walk on it.  Choose the peace of Jesus daily and you shall live.

Written by Denise Boggs..

Lay Aside Every Weight

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“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run (active persistence the appointed course) the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 Amp

The definition for weight in this verse is heaviness or a burden that you carry around. It is always with you and influences every action you take.

People who have grown up in dysfunctional or alcoholic homes may be weighted down by this unexplained heaviness. The difficult situations they have faced growing up were much greater than those of someone who grew up in a healthy home. When faced with difficult situations, a person’s natural response is to blame and judge. You can judge by simply criticizing or looking down on someone for their mistakes.

If you grew up in a dysfunctional home you had many opportunities to criticize, so you may have left home with many judgments. Years later, you may still be carrying around a lot of unexplained weight from judgments that were made and forgotten. But this weight is still there, and it will keep you bogged down and hindered from running the race that is set before you. The weight from judgments actually gets heavier as the years go by.

Judgments also bind you up, and you are bound to do the very same thing you judged someone else for doing. The judgment actually keeps you from doing what you want to do. You are bound up and weighted down by the sin of the judgment.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Mathew 7:1-5

What are the specific judgments that you realize you have made? Once you recognize a judgment, you must first repent to God; then with His help, you can lay aside that weight and sin that has easily beset you for so many years.

Written by Denise Boggs.

Holding On to Hope

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“We who have fled to Him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope that has been appointed for us” (Hebrew 6:18).

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What are you hoping for?

A new job, a husband, a wife, or healing of a loved one?  Whatever you are hoping for let me encourage you to tighten your grip.  It is time to securely grab hold of whatever the Lord has promised you, don’t let it slip out of your hands and don’t give in to even the slightest disappointment.  Spend time with the Lord and this is what happens:

“We who have fled to Him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope that has been appointed for us” (Hebrew 6:18).

There is something God has appointed for you and when you give-in to disappointment you are in essence saying, “I no longer believe what God has appointed for me will take place.” Disappointments will cause you to let go of the hope. It is like you have been swinging on a rope across a huge cannon, and you let go of a rope right before you get to the other side. When you give in to disappointment you can feel yourself sliding down the rope and if you give in, your strength grows weary and you completely let go.

I know this is how it works I have burn marks on my hands right now from letting the rope slip through my hands. Disappointments were coming from every side. I have been so bombarded by disappointments that I gave in to them. When a friend pointed out that I was disappointed I said, “You better believe I am disappointed” and I began to give her the mile long list. Then I was troubled because I wanted her to understand all the things that disappointed me.

But, the Lord would not allow me that privilege. He lovingly said, “That is what you get when you are in kindergarten.”  Then I remembered, in kindergarten my teacher would give us a sucker when we were disappointed if it was raining outside and we couldn’t go out to play. The Lord reminded me, “You are not in kindergarten and you can not give into disappointments.” I must adjust my grip and hold on or as Paul said it in Hebrews 6:18, “hold fast to the hope that is appointed for us.” The word appointed means it has been prearranged and set before me so all I do is grab it and hold on tight for Hope is the anchor of my soul.

Written by Denise Boggs.

Love Never Fails

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“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God…” (John 4:7)

Letting someone know how much you love and appreciate them is the key to a meaningful relationship.  Everyone needs to know they are loved; love is the motivating force behind most of our feelings and actions. When you do not think you are loved you shut down, but when you know you are loved, you feel encouraged and motivated and your spirit is awakened.

The need for love is as essential as the need for water. You can not live very long without water and you cannot live without love. When water is being poured out it flows. Love is much the same way when it is poured out there is a flow, and you will notice a distinct flow in a relationship where love is present.

In a marriage there has to be a connection or bond for the love to flow.  If either the husband or the wife does not know how to bond then it will be hard to have a flow in the relationship. A bond is like a pipeline that connects the two people together.  In your home you know you have a leak in the pipes if you turn on the shower and only a few drops come out. The same is true in a marriage if you start a conversation and only get a few drops are heard, you have a problem.

Other signs that love is not flowing:

  • Every conversation ends in a misunderstanding
  • Every conversation ends with someone hurt
  • Every conversation requires one to be defensive
  • Every conversation end up with only one doing all the talking

Because love is as essential for life as water, many marriages are drying up like a dessert waste land. The main plant that can live in a desert is a cactus. If you have ever tried to get close to a cactus you will know they are unlovable and are not very huggable. A marriage can get to this point without the flow of love on a daily basis. If you realize your marriage has become a desert, and your relationship is not growing, it is time to water it.  Begin showing love again, love never fails.

Written by Denise Boggs.

Examine My Heart

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“Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

All through Scripture we are encouraged by the Lord to examine our heart.  David said in Psalm 139, “any wicked way;”  this would be any wicked way of thinking, feeling or acting.  The thoughts of our heart are sometimes hidden from view, but can be clearly seen by our actions and our responses.  Psalm 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.”

You can have the right intentions and want to respond correctly, but find it very difficult if you have been hurt or offended.  That is why the prayer that David prayed in Psalm 139 is so important for us to pray today.

The thoughts of our heart determine our decisions, actions, and how we respond to others. We need to examine the condition of our heart, especially after we have been hurt or wounded by someone and know we are offended.  I believe that taking up offenses is one of the greatest traps of the enemy today.

Pray this simple prayer daily and watch what happens: “Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Written by Denise Boggs