Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

Why Walk in The Valley?

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“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me ”  Psalm  23:4

Life in the ValleyDuring difficult times, I have often asked the Lord “Why do I have to walk in this valley“?  There have been times in my life that I have struggled with the weight of some difficult situations, and felt weakened by the load.

During those times, the Lord always reminded me of His presence.

Right now, life is difficult for a lot of people.  There is a lot of fear and turmoil around us, and people are hurting.  It’s comforting to know we have a Loving God who is with us during these difficult times.

I’m reminded of what a close friend used to share with me when I was struggling … If you didn’t have a valley, there wouldn’t be a mountain.

Right now, I live on the top of a small mountain.   I love looking at the mountains that surround us, and am always reminded of God’s Glory.

A couple of times I have climbed the mountain that is behind my home.   It’s tough climbing that mountain, but when you get to the top the view is absolutely amazing.  It certainly makes the climb worthwhile.

It would be hard for me to climb that mountain every day – and really, I don’t know that God would want that anyway.  I mean, wouldn’t that somewhat take-away the special moment if I traveled it more frequently?  I’m afraid I would probably take it for granted if I sat on the mountain too often.

I think we’re probably supposed to spend a little more time in the valley – so we always appreciate the beautiful view from atop the mountain.  From my experiences, the valley has helped prepare me for the mountain.  In the valley is where life is grown.

One of my neighbors is a wonderful farmer.  He actually owns the beautiful mountain across from us.  At the foot of the mountain is a beautiful stream that helps to irrigate his large garden.  He owns a farm where he grows corn and other crops, and raises livestock.  It’s the most fertile land I’ve ever seen.

So what am I saying?

While the mountain is incredibly beautiful, we obviously get life from the valley.  And, of course, without the valley there would be no mountain.

When difficulties come, we need to realize it is likely a valley.  Even though it may be tough, it’s important that we experience the fertile ground of the valley.

Also, while we’re in the valley we need to be careful with what we plant because we need a good crop to harvest.  Life is in the valley, so we should sow life.  If we sow discord, we’ll likely reap discord.

Pray that God will grant you wisdom and peace as you grow in the Valley.

A Sure Sign of Maturity

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“…When he (Moses) had grown to maturity…” Hebrews 11:24

spiritual maturityThere is a day in all of our lives when we come to a crossroad.  We make a choice that signifies we have come into maturity.

The day that Moses embraced his true identity – who God said he was, is the day he reached full maturity.  Something changed and he would never go back again because after that day, he refused to be called “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”  That was his earthly identity, and even though it had many benefits, he refused to have the enjoyment of the sinful life as “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”

When Moses left the lifestyle of Egypt, he didn’t look back or even flinch.  He held on to the purpose that God had for his life and moved forward.  A sure sign of spiritual maturity is laying aside any pleasures of your earthly life that will hinder you from moving towards God’s calling.  Like Moses, we must set our face towards our own promised land, and move towards it with a steadfast, unmovable, unshakable determination.

I remember when my husband and I left our home, family and friends to go back to school to complete our education and prepare for ministry.  It was so hard to leave family and friends.  I still remember hearing the still small voice of the Lord, “Don’t look back, no, don’t look back at that either.”

This was my daily admonishing from the Lord.   It really took me a long time to grow up and show signs of maturity.   Once I settled into the truth that I was no longer a daughter of my earthly father, but that I had become a daughter of my Heavenly Father, the struggle was soon over and I didn’t look back anymore.  Settle in your heart your true identity; then, God’s purpose for your life will soon be revealed.

You Have a Choice

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“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”   Psalm 1:1

Godly CounselEvery day of our life we make hundreds of choices and each of those choices will produce an outcome.  For instance: we make a choice what foods we eat in the morning for breakfast; nutritious or unhealthy, we choose whether we will go to work or stay home and watch TV all day, and we choose whether we will ride a bike or a car on the highway to the mall.   In each of these situations we have a choice.  If we make the wrong choice; the outcome will be obvious in a short amount of time that we made the wrong choice.

The outcome can look like this: You will run out of energy if you eat an unhealthy breakfast, you will soon loose your job if you don’t go to work, and you may find yourself in the hospital if you choose to ride your bike on the highway.  The outcome tells you quickly if you made the wrong choice.

The same is true in our spiritual life.  David says in the Psalm, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly”. When you take counsel from an ungodly person, you will soon see by the outcome that something is wrong with their counsel.  It will be just as obvious as when you keep riding down the highway on a bike.  You are in danger when you take counsel from an ungodly person because if they do not know God they do not know His ways.

David said, don’t walk in ungodly counsel.  From the moment you hear ungodly counsel you have a choice; will you act upon it and walk down the wrong path, or choose the right path.  It boils down to a simple choice, and the choice is yours.  Wrong counsel can feel good at the moment, but if the counsel does not line up with the ways of God, the outcome will not be a blessing in the end.

Ask the Lord to show you where you are making wrong choices and listening to the wrong counsel; then pray this simple prayer and you will soon see the blessings of the Lord: Teach me thy way O Lord; I will walk in thy truth… Psalm 86:11

 

Your Refreshing Comes Daily

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“And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.”   Matthew 24:10 Amp.

As you spend time daily, God washes your spirit from the trials and troubles of the previous day so you enter into the new day fresh.  Refreshing comes daily. When we take the troubles of the previous day into the next day, we have failed to cast our burden on the Lord.

Jesus said that in the last days many would become overwhelmed with the cares of the world.  When we become overwhelmed, it is so easy to become offended at others.  If you are looking at someone through their previous mistakes; after a week or so, it all adds up to a huge offense.  If you have been offended, you will find that all your thoughts are clouded and dictated by the offense.  The amplified Bible calls offenses, “snares and traps.”  So being offended is like stepping into a big trap that has been set up by the enemy.

Once you step into the trap of offense all your actions are dictated by the offense.  This is why Jesus warned His disciples in Mathew 24:10, “Many shall be offended and they shall betray one another and shall hate one another.”

I have stepped into this horrible trap before, and I know how hard it is to get out. But, Jesus made a way of escape out of the trap.  The way of escape is to forgive.

Today, forgive those who have offended or hurt you.  Begin fresh each new day.

The Lord Will Raise You Up

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“The Lord raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap and the dung hill, that He may seat them with princes, even the princes of His people.”  Psalm 113:7-8

God will Raise You UpThe plan of our Heavenly Father is to raise His children up to sit in heavenly places.  He wants to raise you up to a higher place than the place where you are sitting right now.  If you are poor and needy He wants you to shake off the dust of doubt and worry and trust in Him for your provision.

Even in the most horrible conditions, we can trust in God to lift us up.  He is a very present help in times of trouble. (Ps 62:1)  Even if, like the Prodigal son, you look around and wonder how you got yourself into such a mess.  At this very moment, you can come to your senses and realize as a child of God you are in the wrong place.  The low places are not the places where God’s children are to stay.

He wants to lift you up.  So, look up to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to take you up to the place where you belong as His child.

Learning to Trust Again

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

Learning to Trust AgainGod 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.

The following steps can be taken to work through healing. These steps will need to be repeated out loud or written down several times during the healing process. You will experience the peace of the Lord as you go through this process. Now is the time for healing!

1. Step one for healing is to face it.

Who hurt you? _________

Who left you? __________

Who did not receive you? __________

Who refused to love you? ___________

 

2. Step two for healing is to face what you lost.

Did you loose a good friend?

Did you loose a husband?

Did you loose a wife?

Fill in the blank, I lost _________.

 

3. Step three for healing is to accept that the thing you lost is gone.

Make a list and write down all that you have lost.

I accept the fact that ____________is gone.

 

4. Step four for healing is to acknowledge to the Lord that you have been hurt and angry.

Lord, I have been angry at __________ for ___________.

I ask you to forgive me, and cleanse my heart of this anger.

 

5. Step five for healing is to release what you have lost.

Lord, I ask for your help to be set free from this pain. Lord by myself I can not accept the losses. I ask for your help to accept what I have lost. I accept the reality that _________ is gone; and I release (person or thing).

6. Step six for healing is to forgive the person.

Lord, I choose to forgive __________ for hurting me. They owe me nothing.

 

7. Step seven for healing.

My hope is in You, Lord. I know You are the one that gives life. Not the person or the things I have lost.

 

8. Step eight for healing is to choose life.

Lord, I choose Life; help me to continue looking forward towards the life you have given me.

 

Where Can I Go to Find Safety?

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“It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”  Psalm 118:8

In the days we are living, there is troubling news on every side.  There are wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes in various places. Everywhere you turn, you hear of devastation. Many are like the man who called our office today from another country asking: Where do I go where it is safe? I couldn’t tell him whether or not he should leave his country, but I could tell him to take refuge in the Lord and He would lead him to safety.

In Ps 91:2, the psalmist David says the “Place of Refuge” or safety is the secret place where you go to spend time with God.  In the secret place, your quite time, all voices are silenced and you can focus on hearing the voice of God.

God is your refuge. He is the only one who knows the answer to your present problems.  Take refuge in Him and the answer will quickly come. In the refuge of the Lord, the enemy cannot touch you, taunt you, or discourage you.  You are safe under the shadow of His wings.  Find the secret place every day.  There you can find rest for your soul and strength to overcome the trials of these difficult days.

Psalm 112:7, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is firmly fixed.”

God Calls for A Time of Rest

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“Come unto me all who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”   Matthew 11:28

God Calls for A Time of RestAre you tired and weak from the busyness of life?  Are you tired from the heavy burdens you are carrying?  The Lord is calling you to come to Him and rest awhile.

The only way you can truly rest is by laying your burdens down.  Lay them down and let Him tell you what He wants you to pick back up.

God set forth times of rest from the beginning.  Even when everything He created was good, He didn’t just keep going.  He stopped on the seventh day and rested.  Even when everything we are doing is good, we still need to draw away from what we are doing to rest awhile.

Do you hear Him calling, “Enter into rest”? If so, pray the following prayer:

Lord, I hear Your calling to enter into a time of rest, to cease all busyness and draw closer to You.  In obedience to Your calling, I choose to enter into a time of rest.  Lord, I see this as a higher calling and I will gladly lay down those things You show me are hindering my time with You, which are _________________.

Lord, I know I need a time of rest because I am very tired and my burdens are heavy.  I need a quiet place to lay my burdens down until you tell me what to pick back up again.

I need a place, where I am not drawn to the expectations or demands of others, a place where I rest in You and hear Your voice.  Lord, I ask You to lead me to that quiet and peaceful resting place.

Lord, my desire is to cease all busyness and activities that are based on striving and performing.

Lord, every area of my life that is not at peace, I surrender to You.  I ask You to do a work of righteousness within me. (Isaiah 32:17) You have said the work of righteousness shall be peace.  I want every area of my life to be in alignment with Your will, Your plan and purpose for my life.

Search me O Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways, and show me every way within me that is not Your way.

Show me the heavy burdens I have picked up that You did not give me to carry.

Show me responsibilities that are not mine that need to be laid aside.

Show me all the projects I have started for the wrong reasons and even the futile serving I have done out of my own need to be needed.

Lord, I want to lay down everything that it hinders my relationship with You.

So, as I cease from my labors for the next 21 days, I ask You to reveal Your will for my life, Your plan and Your purpose. Have Your way in me Lord.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Cleanse Your Spirit With the Word of God

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” The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”  Psalm 12:6

purifying fire“You have to drink plenty of water,” my mom would say to me whenever I was sick as a child.  Drinking fluids helps flush out the harmful bacteria in your body that causes you to be ill.

Guilt, shame, and condemnation are like harmful bacteria in your spirit.  Unless they are flushed out by the Word of God, these things will reside within you and cause spiritual damage.  They can hinder your personal relationship with the Lord. The very words of the Lord refine us and cleanse us deep within our spirit. Without them we become vulnerable to all of the impurities in this world.  It is imperative for you to allow the words of the Lord to settle deep down in your heart.  His words will drive out all the things that are unclean and replace them with His truth.

Pray this prayer with me: “Lord, I thank you that I have access to your Word at all times. I ask that as I read Your Word, you would cleanse and purify my heart. Make me whiter than snow. In Your name I pray. Amen.”

This is the way, so now walk in it

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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.”