Category Archives: Healed Heart

He Drew Me Out of Many Waters

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“He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.”  Psalm 18:16

“Send thine hand from above; rid me, and delivered me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children.”  Psalm 144:7

“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.”   Psalms 69:1-3

He drew me out of many watersIn these passages the Psalmist David is calling on the Lord to deliver him out of deep water.  In Psalm 18:16-17 the deep waters are referring to someone who hated him and have spoken words against him.

When I think of great waters I think of an ocean with huge waves crashing in one after the other.  When you have received too many critical words they can have this same effect.

If you are engulfed in these great waters you may feel like you are sinking.  You become overwhelmed like being in an ocean with one wave after the other hitting you and pulling you under.  If you take these critical words into your soul, it is like taking water into your lungs and after a period of time you can drown.

The Lord is reaching His hand down from above to lift you up.  His love is a life raft that He is throwing out to you, so reach out and let Him pull you up.  He will reach down and lift you up in many different ways.  It may be through a loving friend’s call or an act of kindness. Just when you are so overwhelmed the call will come in and you will be lifted up out of those critical words where you have been drowning.   Once you have been lifted up and encouraged in the love and kindness, don’t go back out into dangerous waters without a boat to hold you up.

Find security in knowing who you are in Christ so that the words of criticism cannot touch you.  Let the words that God says about you soak into your spirit. Then, you will be able to float on the top of the water, not allowing critical words to come into your soul.  Don’t let the words of men define who you are. Know who God says you are.

God loves you and will never leave you or forsake you. He is for you and not against you (Psalm 56:9). Spend more time listening to what God says about you and re-arrange your schedule so you are spending plenty of time with family or friends who also speak words of encouragement.

The Path: Find ways to encourage others daily and you will be encouraged.

In Troubled Times, He Sends Help!

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May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high and defend you. Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh and strengthen you from Zion.   Psalm 20:1-2

There are times that we need supernatural support and strength to make it through the challenge of the day.  When we call on the Lord He will dispatch help from His throne.  In Psalm 20:2 we read, He sends help from the sanctuary. He will send help, angelic assistance.

Scripture tells us that the angels of the Lord excel in strength at His command.  They are like an emergency back up support system that is on call twenty four-seven waiting for the next assignment.  When we call out to the Lord for help, He sends them forth in strength.

In the 2 Kings: 6:16, Elisha prayed and asked that his servant’s eyes would be opened to see what He saw.  God had sent thousands of angels.  The prophet looked and could see a literal army surrounding him.

Scripture tells us the angels of the Lord are encamped round about us.  A house cannot stand without a strong support system. You cannot see the support beams but you know they are there.  It would seem foolish to sit in your living room fearful the house will cave in.

When you put your trust in the Lord you can be assured the house will stand, the support system is in place and you shall not be moved. The Lord is our support He will give you the strength to stand even when the strong winds of adversity come.  We cannot see with our natural eyes but we know the support is there when the winds blow.

Turn Your Eyes

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Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
–Matthew 11:28

“Yeah, right.”

That’s surely the response some people have when they hear those words of Jesus. Sure, just show up in front of God and your burdens—your financial problems, your difficult coworkers, your longest-held prejudices—will be lifted away.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” the old Protestant hymn says, and— as I remember it—the “things of earth will grow strangle dim”.

But a lot of people have known about God all their lives and have always chosen Jesus as their path to God, but they somehow still seem heavily burdened.  How can that be?

You see, many people seem to look at God as somewhat of a “Cosmic Santa Claus” to be called upon whenever you want something.  They like the idea of having a supernatural hero to sweep in and save the day when things are a bit frustrating.

Here’s what I think people don’t always understand:  God doesn’t promise to take away our problems.  I mean, take a look at Job and you will realize that he wasn’t immune to problems.

God doesn’t promise to take us to such a high spiritual place that the things of this planet are no longer important.  The early disciples walked close with Jesus, but they weren’t exactly given a free pass void of difficulties.

God doesn’t even promise to protect us from pain or an empty feeling of hopelessness.  Many of the early hero’s of the Faith were persecuted, stoned, and even killed.  David shares often in the Psalms about feeling abandoned and hopeless.

God has reasons for allowing us to sometimes endure some difficulties.  I suspect we occasionally need an “adjustment” in our character, or perhaps a nudge for us to seek God.  Whatever the reason at the moment, God is always Faithful.

Giving us rest and peace — as well as hope, joy and a sense of Who He is – is perhaps more in line with what God does for us during difficulties.  And I believe, God is doing a pretty good job :).

You know, I wish I had more money.  And I wish I had a little more energy so I could cram even more into each day.  But when I pray, I’ve stopped asking God for money, time and abilities.  I ask God to quiet my sometimes-troubled soul.  I ask for God’s spirit of gentleness to blow through the wilderness of life and make it calmer and more sane. I n other words, I ask God for some much-needed rest from my heavy burdens.

Visit our training on Burden Bearing at:   www.burdenbearing.com

A New Beginning

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“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, I will hold thine hand, and I will keep thee. …Behold the former things are come to pass and the new things do I declare before they spring forth I tell you of them.”  Isaiah 42:6-9

 

Place of peaceI knew the Lord had told me that He would allow me to experience days of Heaven upon the earth, that I would be able to say that I have seen a glimpse of Heaven and it is glorious.

As the former things all passed away I soon realized that I was being prepared for the new thing God had prepared for me and my family.  The new thing that sprang forth was the fulfillment of a desire for a retreat ministry, a place where people could come and experience for themselves an earthly example of what it is like to live in the Father’s House, a special place that God has set apart where people can come and experience healing though His love.   In our Father’s House, love never fails and every person who receives His love will be changed.

Thank you for allowing me to share my journey of healing, and this wonderful discovery, with you.  I pray you will have a new beginning into a new way of life.

A new way of life, the abundant life of God’s love is possible for every believer. When we open our hearts and ask God to cleanse every area, we can love others with a pure heart as He loves us.

It’s a new way of life, loving others as God loves you.  A person who has been healed of the pain of the past can now live this abundant life.  It is the higher way.

If you have experienced healing, this is a new beginning for you.  It is a new way of thinking, feeling and acting, living in a higher place, a place of peace, trusting totally in Him.

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

You have said, in Revelations 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.” I want to behold, and see the Lord.  So, I ask you to open my eyes as You make all things in my life new. Help me to continue trusting in You and expecting to see Your goodness. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Sink into God

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As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.
—  Isaiah 66:13

Some people and churches shy away from talking about God as a mother or a father—even though both are perfectly Biblical, if that matters to you—because so many people don’t have very good relationships with their parents.  Some people were so happy to escape the clutches of an abusive mother or abrasive father that they can’t face the God so many people think of as a father.  Others simply can’t relate to these parental images because they never had a parent.

For some reason, I’ve never really thought of God as a father. I’ve actually never thought of God as a mother either.  Amazingly, I was taught from an early age that the Bible refers to God in a variety of ways—and that God is much larger and grander than any one term onto which some people have latched in reference to the One who created this universe.

But I like this scripture from Isaiah.  To me, it simply says that God comforts us.

If your mother isn’t or wasn’t a comforting influence on your life, this scripture offers you the joy of knowing that like a mother should comfort you, God does.

If you were fortunate enough to have a mother to comfort you in times when little else could, this verse, I believe, asks you to recall that unrestricted love and remember that God offers it, too.  Or if your mother is no longer around, God offers it instead.

It is also important to me what this simple scripture doesn’t say.  It doesn’t say that God will keep us from hurting. When we are hurt, though, God comforts us.

Do you need comfort today? Maybe your mother caused the pain in your life that now needs comforting.  Whatever is hurting you today, God is offering you comfort.

All you have to do is spend some time doing whatever it is you do to bring yourself more into the presence of God—perhaps praying. Or if your pain is keeping you from feeling God today, remember that God is trying to break through.  If you try, too, maybe God can meet you halfway.

Just like a mother should, God is trying to comfort you.  Sink today into the calm, soothing, reconciling arms of the God who has been waiting for you.

Something Needs to Change?

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“Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts and see if there is any wicked way within me…” Psalms 139:23-24

When we pray this prayer it is usually when we know something needs to change at the heart level.  No real change occurs outside of trust and relationship, for these are two of the most important functions of the heart.  In a relationship with another, you must be willing to change and trust that God will work in the other person by showing them what needs to change.

The rules that govern the heart are established early in life. Like hinges and locks on a door need to be changed because they get rusty and affect how the door opens and closes, the rules that open and close the doors of the heart need to be looked at and changed so the door of the heart can open freely again.

Is there someone who you have shut out by closing the door of your heart?  Is the Lord pressing upon you to change your attitude by opening the door and fellowshipping with them again?  Or, is there someone in your life who you will crack the door open just enough to say, “What do you want?” It may be the time to open the door and say, “I am sorry I was wrong for locking you out of my life, please come over and let’s talk things out.” Change is possible when your turn to God and ask Him to create within you a pure and clean heart, removing all the rust of resentment so the door of your heart will open to those you love.

“Search me Lord, and know my heart,”

You Can Begin Again

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I’ve been thinking a lot recently about a dear pastor of a Church I visited several times.  He made an impression on me.

His story is filled with up, downs, crashes and triumphs.  He built a small church of a few dozen members into one of the nation’s mega-churches.  He’s always found himself at odds with his Baptist denomination.  He left Austin’s most liberal Baptist church and formed a church that mostly stays out of politics and social issues and focuses on serving singles, divorced people and other people who have often been bruised and battered by churches.

But it’s not really the Pastor that I want to talk about.  I’ve never even met him, although I’ve heard him preach and speak in person and on tape many times.  It’s his core message that’s at the core of today’s devotion: “No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, with God’s help, you can begin again.”

You can begin again.  It’s a really simple statement.  You can’t come through the womb again (at least not physically – although those who teach some brands of psychology and spirituality believe you can come close!), and you can’t quickly undo the financial and legal issues you’ve created or been caught in, but with God’s help, your life—your essence—can begin again.

My Pastor friend spent much of the last few decades explaining the Biblical basis for his message and trying to convince thousands of congregants that it’s really possible to start over.

His life is his example.  When his high-stakes financial deals crashed, he started over.  When his church couldn’t afford to build on the valuable land they’d essentially been given, he sold it for a profit, moved up the hill and built a campus that now includes a sanctuary called the Home for Hope.  When his wife of decades upon decades died, he took a break from church and from life.  Then he found a new love.

Now, Parkinson’s disease has weakened his voice and slowed his body, but his work lives on in his archive of recordings and his books, both new and old.  In a situation where some people would end their ministry, this Pastor has begun again.

Would you like to begin again—again?  Do you need to start over?  You see, when the things of life come tumbling down, you can start over.  And if they crumble and tumble again, you can start over again.

God wants what’s best for you.  If you’re not getting the very best that life has to offer from this day and everyday, begin again.  You can either start from scratch or just scratch today’s plans in favor of something that brings you closer to God. No matter when you start or whether you start over, it’s the destination that matters.

Today, either start over in a new direction or stay on the course you’ve carved out for yourself, but be sure your path is wide enough to include God’s presence, too.

Guaranteed to Change Your Life

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Twenty or so years ago I was introduced to a prayer that was guaranteed to change your life and your marriage.

WOW! Did I ever need a guarantee like that. I immediately began to pray this prayer for my husband and me.  Our life was such a mess at that time, like a cluttered closet.  I didn’t know where to start and he wasn’t interested at all in cleaning closets. I had heard the old saying that prayer changes things, so I began to pray and trust God to clean out our cluttered closets.

Today, 20 years later, as I read the Amplified version of this prayer, I am amazed at how this prayer had been answered in our lives.

God’s Word contains God’s plan and it will accomplish His purpose. I have realized I can have a good idea of what I think needs to change in my life or my husband’s life.  It may be a good idea, but if it didn’t originate in the heart of God, it doesn’t have the power of God behind it. God’s Word has His power behind it, and His power changes things.

Pray this prayer and insert your name first and then your spouse and watch God do the work:

“Since the day I heard it, I have not ceased to pray for ____________that (I, he, she) will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That ____________will walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of Christ.”

Colossians 1:9-11

Joy Comes in the Morning

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“Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

awaken my faithIn Psalm 6:6-8 the psalmist says, “I am weary with my groaning.” Some people weep outwardly, but most weep silently, choosing to walk through dark valleys all alone. Silent weeping will cause a night of sorrow to turn into months or even years of sadness, like a dark, sleepless night that you think will never end.  But just as the morning sun comes up to announce that the night is over, and a new day has begun.  When the first feeling of joy returns to your soul, you know the night of sorrow has come to an end.  Joy comes every morning; be careful not to miss it.

A major part of healing is grieving the losses. When we have experienced losses, they must be properly grieved in order to be released.  This is why we don’t have peace; we are trying to cope with buried pain from the losses in our life.

For years of my life, instead of releasing a person, or relationships that ended, I was holding on to the sadness trying to figure out a way to cope with the painful emptiness.  I had so much pain and I was running hard, trying to keep it from catching up with me.

In Jeremiah 6:14, the prophet gives us understanding of why many people are inwardly weeping.  They have been hurt by the actions of others and have not received complete healing.  They are saying “peace, peace” when there is no peace.  Look at every area of your life where you are not experiencing peace.  The amount of peace in your life is directly related to the amount of healing you have received.  The painful events like separation and divorce create many losses that must be grieved.

Ask the Lord to walk with you through the pain and give you the ability to release all you have lost.

Where Do I Turn When Trouble Hits?

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“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me…” Psalm 27:5

Place of peaceAre you going through a time of trouble?  There is a place where you can find safety and rest.  It is the Secret place of Psalm 91:1.

The Secret place is the set apart place where you personally meet with God.  If you follow the Lord as He calls you to the Secret place when life is going well, then you will know where to run to when troubles come.  The Secret place is a hiding place, a shelter from the storm when it is raging. When you are safely hidden in the Secret place it is like being in the eye of the storm, where it is calm even though the storm is raging all around you.

Noah knew the shelter of the Secret place.  He must have been in the Secret place many times, because he was able to build a safe shelter on earth to take his whole family into when the flood came.  Since Noah had been with the Lord for many years before the flood, he knew exactly where to go for safety.

Many years ago I discovered the Secret place where I meet with God daily.  In times of trouble I know ahead of time where to go.  I run to safety into the Secret place of the Most High.  When my son was in a coma, although I sat by his bed and I was present in the situation on planet earth, my spirit was dwelling with the Lord.  It was during the darkest nights here on earth that I experienced the greatest comfort from the Lord.  Had I not known where the Secret place was ahead of time, I might not have known where to run to.

It is the Lord himself that takes you there; He lifts you up and sets you on high. Safe under the shelter of His wing, resting in His presence hid away and comforted in His arms. Ask the Lord to take you to the Secret place.  Then you can easily find your way back in time of trouble.