Category Archives: Joy

Help for the Brokenhearted

Posted on by

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

God has made full provision for healing the pain of the past so you can trust again.  Have you ever trusted someone to love you that did not know how to love or 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 trusted.  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 trust down.  This is because when you trust someone, you open your heart up to him or her.  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 a 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 you may even be able to forget what happened, but if healing did not occur, the pain is still there though tucked away inside.  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 for good.  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 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 able to hold your heart open again and trust.  Healing produces trust in you.  Then wait on the Lord to give you peace.  However, if the person that hurt you proves over and over not to be trustworthy, he or she also needs to receive healing.

God Prepares You for Your Blessing

Posted on by

“For You make him to be blessed and a blessing for life …” Psalm 21:6

rest in HimDavid said in Psalms 21:6, that God in fact makes you to be blessed. He makes you or simply puts, He prepares you ‘to get’ His blessings so that you can be a blessing to others. Think about it, today He is preparing you for His true blessings!

You resemble a storehouse that He should prepare to pour His true blessings into.   If you are a little 4 room residence He may require you to expand to get a blessing.  You cannot have the “us 4 and no even more” mindset and anticipate God to bless you beyond where you currently are. It could be that where you are right now in your thinking is not huge enough to hold all the blessings God has actually planned for you.

They had to comply with God in order to be prepared for the true blessings. Their storehouse had to be prepared so they would appropriately manage true blessings as God released them.

We are always blessed by God so we can keep the true blessings flowing and be a true blessing to God’s individuals. If you are blessed by God, as Joseph was blessed, it indicates you need to find out the best ways to regulate the true blessing and launch it to God’s individuals at the selected time. True blessings from God suggest He has actually left you with something, and all He asks of you is to be a great steward and correctly keep the blessing.

When God abundantly blesses someone, they are not to be storehouses that accumulate the blessings and state, “take a look at me.” He blesses us so He can use us to pour out true blessings out and share with others. This is completion of the verse from Psalm 21:6, You make him exceedingly delighted with the joy of Your Presence. As we bless others the flow of God’s true blessing continues to stream to us and this is how we become a blessing forever. “Give and it should be offered to you.” Be a blessing to others with the true blessings God has actually entrusted you with.

God prepares you ‘to get’ His blessings so that you can be a blessing to others. We are constantly blessed by God so we can keep the true blessings flowing and be a blessing to God’s individuals. Blessings from God suggest He has entrusted you with something, and all He asks of you is to be an excellent steward and properly keep and share the blessing.

As we bless others the flow of God’s true blessing continues to stream to us and this is how we become a blessing forever. Be a blessing to others with the true blessings God has actually delegated you with.

Pray this prayer…
Dear Lord, It is really my heart’s desire to be a true blessing to others. Help me to prepare myself ahead of time to receive Your blessings. I desire my life to be a storehouse that You fill out so I have plenty to offer to others who require. Show me today what I have to do to prepare myself for Your blessings.

In Jesus’ Name,.

Living Life to the Fullest

Posted on by

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37

fearfully and wonderfully madeI have a class assignment due in the morning. I found it extremely interesting and it got me mulling over some things at a depth I haven’t had “time” to do for a while. I think I’m moving too fast these days… I miss the times when I can just slow down and breathe. I miss abiding in Him, in His presence… resting with Him, being gentle and not SO intense about everything.

The assignment was to get each student to personally think and to then express what this specific statement meant to them. The statement was basically talking about living life to the fullest, having a good quality life, etc.

I’m in the healthcare field, but in a more specific type of field that approaches things more holistically (where every part of a person’s life is interconnected and certain ailments or impairments should not just be viewed as a singular separate issue). I like this approach because, to me, it’s valid.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37 

We are complex creatures. Fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. So it’s no wonder we have to consider all of the complex areas of our lives and how they play into our health. I think the command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind shows this. It makes me wonder…

Could we just love God with our mind? With just our hearts? With just our soul? Is that a possibility? Or is there something deeper going on that Jesus and God are trying to say?

I have no idea, nor do I want to let my mind try to fathom that at the moment.

I just think that what the point MAY be is simpler than where my complex brain likes to travel, simply… ALL of you. Yes, every element, every ounce, every aspect of your character, every part of you… God wants us to love Him with ALL of us. We have interconnected pieces of who we are. Mind, heart, body, and soul.

I want all of that to be captivated and caught up in who He is, loving Him and being loved back. A good quality of life and living life to the fullest only comes from knowing Jesus and letting Him teach me how to TRULY live, with every part of my little human life.

This is the way, so now walk in it

Posted on by

Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk ye in it”  Isaiah 30:21 

Path of GodWhen we have decisions to make and doubts are flooding our soul and others suggest courses of action that are conflicting, when caution dictates one approach but faith the other, it is the time to stop and be still.  The scripture says, “Be still and know, I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  This gives us the permission that it is “ok” to quiet the intruding opinion of others around us and then calm ourselves into the stillness of God’s presence and wait to hear His gentile voice.

It sometimes takes courage to wait in silence trusting that He will not be silent. It takes courage to bypass all the words of well meaning friends.  It takes courage to not be pulled by those who are insisting on an immediate decision or action.  It takes courage to wait on, trust in, and rely on the Lord to direct you in those difficult decisions.

God is ever present in times of trouble.  When important decisions need to be made, you will hear His voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Once you hear clearly and the decision is made, a friend may then be used by the Lord to give confirmation and support. So be still and wait on the Lord, He is not silent.

“Unto you do I cry, O Lord my rock, be not deaf and silent to me…”  Psalm 28:1

The Right Path: Lord, as I still myself before You, help me to block out all intruding thoughts and opinions. I pray as David did that You will not be silent, I ask You to speak to me and give me direction in each decision I am making today. I desire to hear You say: “This is the way, walk in it.”

A New Beginning

Posted on by

“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. 

In His Presence, There is Fullness of Joy

Posted on by

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; prayer, that goeth not out for feigned lips.”

(Psalms 16:11)

“Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.”

(Psalms 17:5)

As we travel down the path of life, the Lord will make the path very clear.  The right path of life leads you to do what is right.  You know you are on the right path by the peace that comes as you choose to do what is right. Sin draws you away from God’s presence and the right path.  When you continue in sin, you travel down a path farther and farther away from God. You feel lost and alone, far away from home.  The steps to get back home can be found in His Word.

The Psalmist declares  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”   (Psalms 119:105)

Just like Adam, we still run and hide from God when we feel guilt or shame. When we have sinned, we need to run toward Him for forgiveness. We need to say, as David did, “I said, Lord, be merciful to me: heal my soul; for I have sinned” (Psalm 41:4).  We are all, at times, like a prodigal son that needs to run back home. As we repent, we begin walking on the right path to our Heavenly Father, who is always waiting at the door for us with His arms open wide to receive us.

Pray and ask God to help you to get back on the right path that will lead you home.

It is Blessed To Be A Blessing

Posted on by

For You make him to be blessed and a blessing forever; You make him exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence. Psalm 21:6  Amp.

BlessingsIt is God that makes us to be blessed!  David said in Psalm 21:6, that God actually makes you to be blessed.  He makes or rather He prepares you to receive His blessings.  Think about it, right now He is preparing you for His blessings.

You are like a storehouse that He must prepare to pour his blessings into.  If you are a little four room house, He may require you expand to receive a blessing.  You can’t have the “us four and no more” mentality and expect God to bless you beyond where you presently are.  It could be that where you are right now in your thinking is not large enough to hold all the blessings God has planned for you.

Think of all the men of old who were blessed by God such as: David, Joseph, and Abraham.  They had to expand.  Each of these great men was blessed by God, but each one was blessed in a different way.  They had to obey God in order to be prepared for the blessings. Their storehouse had to be prepared so they would properly manage blessings when they were poured out.

We are always blessed by God so we can keep the blessings flowing and be a blessing to God’s people. If you are blessed by God, as Joseph was blessed, it means you must learn how to govern the blessing and release it to God’s people at the appointed time.  Blessings from God indicate He has entrusted you with something, and all He asks of you is to be a good steward and properly maintain the blessing.

When God abundantly blesses someone, they are a storehouse on earth where God places His blessings.  He doesn’t bless us just so we will pile up the blessings and say, “look at me.”  He blesses us so He can use us to pour out blessings to others.  In Psalm 21:6, as we bless others the flow of God’s blessing continue to flow to us and we are a blessing forever.  “Give and it shall be given to you.”

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (New International Version)

Be a blessing to others with the blessings God has entrusted you with.

Living Life to the Fullness

Posted on by

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 (New King James Version)

We can have joy and live life to the fullest when we live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Every Word from God is God breathed and is life. God is the only one who has the plan for your life and knows how it will unfold before you. He has the plan and the path that you need to take to get there.

So, every morning, spend time with God. Listen for the still small voice of His Spirit. Then, during the rest of the day, watch and wait patiently for the confirmation of what you heard Him say. He will confirm His Word to you. His Word to you each morning is your daily bread. Meditate on it all day and you will begin to live life to the fullest.