Letting Go of Offenses...Let It Go!

Isn't it funny how you "preach" things only to be slapped with what you preached about shortly after?  I had posted my blog post about being humble and, surely, the next day I exploded.  Talk about humbling....

It happens to all of us.  We try to help others and we end up feeling like we got the short end of the stick.  Or, we sacrifice something in some way and we feel as if it was clearly not appreciated.  We all have had these scenarios happen to us but, when they do, how do we stop from harboring bitterness?  Because we all know how UGLY bitterness really is.

In Joyce Meyer's Beauty for Ashes series she says:

“First, let me say that it is not possible to have good emotional health while harboring bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness.  Harboring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die!  Unforgiveness poisons anyone who holds it, causing him to become bitter.  And it is impossible to be bitter and get better at the same time!”

Let me tell you firsthand, those words are SO VERY TRUE! 

When you become bitter, everything changes you....the way you feel about all circumstances, the way you feel about others and, more damagingly, the way that you feel about yourself.  It is a downhill spiral and you HAVE to find a way to let it go and let it go quickly!

We have to understand that FORGIVING does not mean that you are condoning what has happened.  It just means that you are letting go of the strain that is slowly killing your heart and soul.  You have to forgive the action.  I mean, you REALLY have to forgive!  Forgiving does not mean that you are a doormat now that you have forgiven.  It just means that you are giving others the grace that God gives us on a daily basis.  Think about this Bible scripture:

Mark 11:25-26:  “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.”

And, don't forget about the verse that states:

Matthew 18:20-21:  "21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

That's forgiving someone 7 x 70 times, which means keep forgiving until you have found true forgiveness!

We have to keep in mind that the enemy (Satan) is after our happiness, after our hearts.  He wants us to be broken.  He wants our lives to be lived in chaos and distress.  He wants us to not enjoy one single minute of this glorious life that God has given us all.  He is out to kill, steal, and destroy.  When he is able to do this, this will put a huge wedge between ourselves and God and we surely do not want that!

Take a long look in the mirror.  Sincerely look at yourself and see if your heart has hardened, check to see if you have been living under an enormous amount of unneeded stress, see if you feel bitterness towards others.  If so, it's time to lay it all down at the altar, lay it down at the feet of Jesus.  He wants to forgive you but you need to forgive others.  We all do.

Love always wins!

~ Amy

Trials and Tribulations - Now is the Time for FAITH to Conquer All

A lot of trials seem to appear in many of our lives and sometimes it seems like they last forever.  I know mine has had it's fair share over the past year or so, most recently with major health issues.  But what do we know about trials and tribulations? 

1 Peter 1:7 - That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes when we are in the midst of trials we start to wonder — Lord, will it ever end? In case you haven't noticed, it doesn't. But the good news is that with each faith-testing experience, our ability to deal with these trials and tribulations becomes better and our faith grows stronger!

In this scripture, God compares our faith to a most precious and beautiful metal — gold. But when mined, this precious metal doesn't look very precious! It's dirty looking and black. How does gold become beautiful?  A refiner takes the gold and carefully melts it in a melting pot — slowly raising the temperature — but never to the point where it boils. As it melts, slowly the impurities rise to the surface and he will scoop away the dross leaving a beautiful pot of gold, ready to become your next ring or bracelet. Here's the amazing part. The refiner knows his job is done when he can look into the melting pot and see a reflection of himself.

The only way gold will become more precious is when it's placed on the fire! In the same way, the impurities of our lives must be exposed to the fire so that the Lord can scoop up the filth that shows itself when we get hot!! Notice, though, that He'll never allow us to boil! And then, when it's all said and done, He can look upon us and see the beauty of His reflection!

Let's not despise the trials we're facing today — on the contrary, let's embrace them! The Lord is using these things to prepare us to do great things for Him! Respond to the Lord today by saying what do you want me to learn from this today, Lord? And watch how the Lord blesses you through the fire!

In case this isn't enough, study on this: 

James 1:2-4 (KJV)

² My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
³ Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

So it is apparent that we are going to face many storms and trials of this life.  We must find ways to ENDURE those times.  I know for my own sake, my faith has pushed me through every single time.  Yes, I sometimes get weary and angry but then I just get myself together and know that better days are ahead and I just have to put my faith in God.  Don't get discouraged if you are going through something.  Build your faith and follow God's way and you will never be steered wrong.

~Amy

Thankful Thursday - What Does It Take To Truly Be Thankful?

Sometimes there comes a time in your life when you wished things were going differently.  Sometimes there comes a time in your life when you wished that your circumstances were completely different.  And, sometimes there comes a time in your life when EVERYTHING changes and it is then, at that very moment, that you realize that you had everything you had hoped for - you were just being ungrateful for it - unthankful.

Now you may have "thought" you were being thankful by "giving thanks" here and there, every so often, but suddenly.....you realized you weren't giving true thanks. 

Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Ouch - be careful for nothing....don't take things for granted.  But in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. 

Folks, the times that we are living in are scary.  You can see the unfolding of the Bible as we speak.  We are ALL fighting a battle against Satan.  With this one Bible verse, it can open up the doors to a whole new life.  I am working on my own battles and this verse just reached out to me, like it was God taking me into His oh so loving arms, gently wrapping them around me, with Him saying "You have asked what you need to do.  Here is the answer:  Don't take anything for granted in this life or this world.  You may feel that you are at a standstill but sometimes it is okay to be standing still.  Pray to me on a constant, consistent basis.  I want to hear from you.  I want a steady ongoing relationship with you, My daughter.  Even though I know what you need, I need to hear it from You.  I am always by your side.  I will always protect you.  But, My child, I need you to come to Me.  Be thankful for the love and life that you have.  I never promised it would be easy.  There are going to be trials that you have to endure but know if you keep believing in Me and keep pushing through with faith, I will take the pain that you suffered through the trial and double it in joy.  My child, you are precious in My sight.  Keep your faith and communication with Me at all times.  Don't worry, My child, you are going to get through this." 

God is never surprised about our troubles or the trials that we face.  He is an all-knowing God.  But we HAVE to invite Him into our circumstances before He can start to work.  We have to thank Him for all that He has done and for all that He is.  And we have to ask for help with our situation by praying.  He is there - always. 

So if you are reading this and you feel like you wished things were going different in your life - take a step back because in an instant they can change...and sometimes they do not change for the good - sometimes they have the potential to change for the bad.  Be thankful where you are.  Give thanks to God for He is so good! 

What are you thankful for today?

~ Amy

Marriage Monday - When Problems Arise, How Do You Handle Them?

We ALL have those days - where you wake up and it seems your whole world has fallen apart.  Or, you wake up - and one thing after another goes wrong.  PROBLEMS ARISE!  It is inevitable that any kind of problem pops up in your day-to-day life.  Some are small, some are big, and some are life-changing!  I guess the problem isn't "What IF a problem occurs?"  More like "When a problem occurs, how am I/we going to handle it?"  <--- The answer to that question (and you will have many throughout life) will be one of the most important things that you figure out because ultimately, your reactions and actions will determine the outcome.

I have a friend that is a counselor and he posted one day with the question that was something like "When faced with a problem, how do you handle it?  Put these in the order that you deal with problems.  a) act, t) think, and f) feel."  He had worded differently and my order gave me FAT...lol.  My order was bad.  My order was wrong.  My order was:  I feel, act, and then I think.  Whoa!  We better sit down for a minute.  That order is SOOOO wrong that it became clear at that very moment that I needed to change the way that I react to problems. 

We should really try to think things through first.  Then react.  Then feel.  Otherwise, you are going to create a world of a mess for you and your family.  For example, you and your spouse get into an argument.  Your spouse says something that isn't very nice.  Of course then we are feeling the hurt and anger so, most of the time, we want to lash out and hurt them back....so we act with something negative and hurtful.  Then after it is all said and done, we sit down and think about the horrible things that we said.  Yes, I hang my head down in shame because that is the way that I used to do things and, every now and then, I fall in the same trap.  I am a work in progress. 

Now, let's take a look if we do things differently:  You and your spouse get into an argument.  Your spouse say something that isn't very nice.  You think about the situation and realize that your spouse is angry and is probably just saying hurtful things out of spite.  So you thought about the situation briefly and you are not going to hurt your spouse in return.  Instead, you are going to act with a calm manner and try to diffuse the situation in finding a reasonable solution without hurting anyone in the process.  Then you are going to feel GOOD.  Why?  Because, more chances than not, your spouse will cool down, you will have acted humbly and NOT prideful, and your spouse will be apologizing to YOU for their actions and most likely, you both will be calm enough to figure out the right solution to your problem. 

Don't worry if you mess up.  Just keep pushing through and keep trying to think before you do anything else.  We all get our buttons pushed from time to time, but just putting forth the effort will make a big difference. 

Remember, you and your spouse ARE on the same team.  When one of you "wins" the argument, you both really lose!

Now the question is, how do you react when problems arise?

~Amy

Hang on! You ARE Going To Make It!

Do you ever feel like you are fighting a battle that you just cannot win?  Do you ever struggle with something and feel that you have it all under control and just out of the blue you realize you don't  have it under control?  Those moments are tough, aren't they?  I have been there for the past several days and it has been hard but I understand every single one of us is fighting some kind of battle....every single one of us.  Our battles may be different but what they bring remains the same - pain, hurt, torture.  Sometimes it leads us to anger and sometimes it leads us to depression and sometimes it leads us to just plain self-pity. 

Let me encourage you that if you are having a setback know that God has almost led you to your victory.  It is always the hardest just before the dawn of the trial.  Satan knows that you are so close in winning your battle that he is fighting you the hardest.  DO NOT QUIT!  DO NOT GIVE UP!  And, more importantly, DO NOT GIVE IN to Satan's lies and deceit! 

God never promised our lives would be easy.  He just promised us that if we followed Him and His ways that it would all be worth it!  He knew we would have battles and trials along the way.  Here are some verses to prove this:

1 Peter 4:12-13:  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

2 Timothy 3:12:  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

God knows all - the beginning to the end and this trial that you are going through right now is no surprise to Him.  What matters is how we handle the trial.  When you go through a trial, it is your time to prove your faith in God.  He is always there, through every situation that we encounter, but He will not come in to our situation until we invite Him.  He is there, by your side at this very moment......waiting for you to invite Him in to your situation so He can come in and make all things new again.  But you have to take the first step. 

We may not see the purpose of the trial but God is molding our lives into what it should be.  When He does the molding it is ALWAYS painful but He promises us joy afterwards.  We all need to be molded from time to time and through the fiery trials we must go but always remember - look how coal has to be heated in such a fiery way before it is ever produced into a diamond.  If the coal would have cracked during the intense fire it would have just shattered and became nothing, pieces would be lost...but the coal continues to endure the fire and, in the end, it turns out to be a beautiful shining diamond! 

So, will today be your day that you say "It's okay.  I AM going to make it"?

~ Amy