My Thoughts - My Journey

Dealing with Difficult People……We need God to help us overcome the crazy people!  smile emoticon “Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape fr om the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. “ ~ 2 Timothy 2:23-26 Realize you cannot please everyone. “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” ~ John 5:30 Refuse to play the game. “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people.” ~ John 2:24 Rise above it. “ But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.

Forgive people......If we don't forgive, we will stay locked in judgment of that person. There is more pain if you refuse to forgive. However, forgiveness is NOT restoration of trust. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." ~ Matthew 6:14-15 We learn in Proverbs 4:23 that we are to "guard our heart."  We are expected...and commanded...to forgive; however, we are not expected to continue  allow ourselves to be hurt over and over.  I am sure that most of us have some people in our lives that we must love from a distance.   FORGIVENESS SETS YOU FREE!

Your view of God will determine your relationship with Him. Galatians 1:6-7 reads: "I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ." Here it speaks of "two Gospels"....One is "Rule Based" and the other is "Relationship Based." There really is only ONE Good News and that is what Paul is talking about. Experience the Bible - Find Jesus in the Scriptures - Life is Freedom - Everyday! Which "Gospel" do you follow? One focuses on what YOU do. One focuses on what Jesus has done. One focuses on getting God's approval. One focuses on receiving God's love. One focuses on external duty. One focuses on internal desire. Are you "performance based" or "love b

Everything we do and say tells a story of whom we serve. If we act out of anger and spite, we give in to the ways of the enemy, spreading his darkness. If we honor the Lord with our actions, we serve to further the Name of Jesus and spread His light. At the end of the day, honoring God leads to good things. Anything else leads to confusion, emotional exhaustion and a lack of good things.  If someone hurts us, our job is to obey God by offering an extension of the forgiveness w e’ve been given. But we can also stay healthy in this situation by remembering forgiveness doesn’t mean giving this person access in our life that sets us up for destructive patterns. "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." ~ Colossians 2:6-7

Jesus made a deliberate effort to spend time with God. He spent regular time with God, praying and listening. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  Luke tells us in Luke 5:16, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Since Jesus, the Son of God, the sinless Savior of humankind, thought it worthwhile to set aside quite time to pray, wouldn’t we all be wise to do the same?  We need to be intentional in our prayer life.

I was just thinking about how blessed we are....We have the ability to talk to our creator...Through His Son who gave His life for us - for You and Me - No matter what is going on with us, all we have to do is speak it and He listens - our CREATOR - LISTENS to US!!  When we aren't speaking, we have the Holy Spirit making groanings to our Father....yes, on Your and My behalf. WOW ~ What an Amazing Father we serve who loves US so much! †

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 God's promise through Isaiah in the verse above was that when we are weary, we'll soar like eagles. How is that even possible? The underlying promise is that our wings will be lifted and the wind will catch underneath. It's not our strength that causes us to soar, but He lifts you and me up and out of our weary places....in His might. Are you exhausted today? Do you feel faint? You aren't alone. You can trust Him to lift your wings, to give you new strength and power, as you depend on Him each day.

    India’s caste system is based on a very rigid social stratification system. The system is used by society to rank categories of people in a hierarchy from birth. Although there are four main castes, there are hundreds of subcaste groups. The stratification system only benefits the wealthy Hindus as the lower caste are forced to do menial jobs and be enslaved to the upper caste. Every Hindu is ranked from high to low depending on the work performed.  India's segregation is cemented in 3,000 years of religion, not law. In India everyone knows his/her cast and there is no escape. No matter how well one does in life, they are still considered an untouchable, unclean, and less human. It is a life of humiliation. One man said that he believed that the caste system was God’s will. He went on to say that he felt the untouchables were the result of karma and the result of their unspeakable acts in their previous life. Furthermore, it was stated that Brahmin caste was the creator

The beauty of this day is breath-taking! So gorgeous with a gentle breeze blowing, sun shinning, the clearest blue BLUE sky, trees are green, flowers blooming, birds singing, squirrels scampering while in the background is the sounds of life as His children go about actively living-out our lives.  As beautiful as this Saturday is, there are some who are in a very dark place in their lives. Sickness, loss of loved ones, mistakes in life, financial despair....whatever the burden....the weight has overshadowed their joy. Please lift the hurting souls before our Father pleading for a renewed beginning for all who have lost their way, those who have never known Him, and those who are trapped by the sorrows that come with life. "Throw all your worry on him, because he cares for you." ~ 1 Peter 5:7

God has formed many diamonds, but He made only one you and me. We are unique. We are unlike anyone else who has ever lived or ever will live. He made us because He wants someone exactly like you and me. He has plans for each of us. If you've ever doubted your own worth, or don’t know where to go from where you are, or you’re losing heart … then listen to Father God saying to you, "You are important enough to Me to justify the death of My Son. I want to have a close and intimate relationship with you." "… you are precious in my eyes ... and I love you." Isaiah 43:4

As Jesus was hanging on that cruel and rugged cross, a criminal known to us as a thief, acknowledges that Jesus is the Christ and cries out to Him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  The thief asked to be "remembered" because he felt his brokenness and knew that only Jesus could....not just "remember" him....but "re-member" him by healing his broken, sinful life and by putting him back together....making him whole.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...." Psalm 23:4a There is so much hope in this one sentence given to us by our Holy Father. We, His saved children, do not have to fear death as we will never have to experience it. We will merely walk through the "shadow of death." For His saved, we will pass from this earthly life into eternal life. What a blessing!

Make a difference! "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:10-11

A Christ follower's life should never appear dull, stagnate, or lifeless. We should exude the hope and promise that is ours though an infectious, vibrant, and joyous life that we all share in Him. Our testimony and the story of His loving, saving grace and mercy should be evident to all. Spread His exciting Truth in everything you do....Let His Light Shine Bright! “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16