Feb 12
21
Life Changing
Life Changing – The Complete Series
God puts in us and provides to us all we need to change our lives. It is not about our abilities or talents but about our surrendering and yielding, our faith and our trust in God. It is about Jesus becoming our Lord and being guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. A journey like you have never experienced.
Series One – Does God Change Lives?
Series Two – Tough Times
Series Three – The Trinity
Series Four – Sin
Series Five – Satan
Series Six – God the Father
Series Seven – God The Son
Series Eight – The Holy Spirit
Series Nine – Seven of God’s Greatest Gifts
Series Ten – Six Revelations
Series Eleven – God’s Glory
The first five series will allow you to begin your journey and set the table with an understanding that God does radically change lives, you do struggle in this life, it does come with pain and hurt, you do sin and Satan the enemy of your soul is very real and active in your life. If you deny your pain, your sin or even deny Satan and his influence, then you are not setting the table in-order-to partake of the feast God has provided for you.
Over series six through eleven you will learn how to surrender to God and how to walk intimately with Him. You will come to better understand the unbelievable relationship you can have with Jesus and the fact that He is pursuing you to give you not just His gifts, but Himself.
You will discover the truths that the Holy Spirit is waiting to reveal to you as you grow in your relationship with Jesus, get to know Him personally and read God’s Word with a new understanding. As all this begins to unfold for you, you will know what I mean by partaking in a feast unlike any you have ever known.
Discover the gifts God has provide so you can live a life of expectation and experience a life of freedom beyond your imagination. You’ll discover revelations of a life transformed. And you’ll discover the greatest pleasure you can have in life is by bringing glory to God.
Share your struggles with God, surrender them to Him and ask Him to display His power through your weaknesses. Learn how to use those weaknesses and struggles and the pain you have experienced for your good and His glory. You no longer have to carry the pain and disappointment they have caused you.
The Trinity is a doctrine of every Christian denomination and is commonly expressed as “One God three Persons.” There is one God, each is a distinct Person, each is God and They are interwoven into a beautiful “Divine Dance.” They are the foundation of our life.
How do you live a life pleasing to God, a life not full of sin? Learn how to forgive yourself no matter what sins you have committed and how to forgive others. God tells us to live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature, discover the power of the Holy Spirit in your life concerning sin.
Learn how the Holy Spirit will lead you in using the weapons God has given you to defeat Satan. He will give you victory as you use His weapons and rely upon His power. He promises to use our pain to accomplish good things in our life. God does not want you to fight your battles alone or live in despair or defeat!
Discover how to journey with God in amazing ways. If we are honest, we’ll admit that we are fallible human beings who need God in every area of our life if we are going to live a life of purpose. Learn what faith, trust and submitting really mean. Discover the power of God which is made perfect in our weakness.
I pray you are ready and willing to take seriously “Life Changing Complete Series” with the devotion each series deserves. The God of the universe is waiting on you.
Nov 11
13
Living Life to Its Fullest
Because of where you are today, does living a life of excitement and fulfillment seem unattainable? God’s plan is for you to live a life of abundance and one with great anticipation of what tomorrow will bring.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
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However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
1 Corinthians 2:9
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You can live your life with a glow that radiates from your inner most self; living life with excitement and missing nothing God has prepared for you.
Transformation
The transformation of an individual, through God, to a life of joy, peace and excitement, along with a sense of freedom is something I have had the privilege, both to witness in others, and experience myself. I praise God for allowing me to go on this journey with Him and to experience the tears, the pain and hurt of life, along with the laughter, the incredible joy, the miracles, and the reality of breaking through this life.
Living a Life of Freedom Begins With:
1. Loving Him More than Life Itself
Do you desire to have a relationship with someone who loves you intimately and unconditionally; someone who knows you completely, your good qualities and even those things you want hidden from everyone except for that one person in your life? He has brought me to a place where I love Him more than anything else in my life; to a place where I can share my innermost thoughts, even those hidden, and to a place where I lay in bed at night and no matter what has happened that day, I can whisper to Him, “I love you God.” He has brought me to a place in life where tears quickly come when I think of how much He loves me. In this journey, He has taught me about intimacy with Him and He has taught me tremendous lessons about surrendering my life to a loving God. I have known Him for years, yet I now walk with a closeness I have never known.
2. A Surrendered Life
The joy of surrendering your life to God is something you have to experience yourself; no one can tell you about it in a way that comes close to experiencing for yourself what surrendering your life to God will mean to you. Think of where you are right now, the hurt, the pain, the emptiness in your life and then imagine I say to you, “Just surrender it to God and give Him control.” My wife of 27 years died when she was only 51 years old, and I would not have wanted to hear the words, “Just surrender it to God and give Him control.” Those words would have seemed cruel at that time in my life. However, as God graciously reminded me over time, that is what He wants and that is His desire for my life, to surrender to Him, to give Him complete control. And, He will do the same for you if you chose to surrender to Him.
Think about how you have taken on the hurt, the pain and the emptiness in your life. God does not want you to live with those burdens. He wants you to give Him every hurt, every pain, and every situation you are going through. There is nothing in this world more important or more exciting in your life than surrendering everything to God. Your surrendering to Him will lead to an abundant life, greater than you ever imagined possible.
3. Walking with Jesus
God, through the Holy Spirit and through His Word, has also taught me how to walk with Jesus in a closer way. He has truly shown me that Jesus is not only my Savior, He is also the Lord of my life, and He is my freedom. He is the one I want to become more like. He is whom I want my children and my spouse to see in me; His perfection, His love and His caring. Of course, I will never reach those goals to the degree that I would like, but I strive every day to be more like Him. Have you ever envied a pastor, priest, bishop or someone who had an incredible walk with God? You can have the same incredible walk they have. He is waiting with His arms open to give you that walk.
4. Living Under The Guidance of The Holy Spirit
I have come to a place of understanding, in a greater depth than I ever have, that God the Father and Jesus truly live in me through the Holy Spirit. This has been life changing. God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are my constant companions. Have you ever heard someone say God is only a prayer away? He is actually closer than that, He lives inside of every Christian. Imagine what that can mean to your life. It makes this walk, this life not only much easier but also incredible, even in the tough or empty times of life.
The Only One You Need
I pray as you journey with God through these pages you will experience the sweetness of God’s Word along with the power of God the Father and God the Son, all under the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life. I pray you will come to a true relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are the only One who can be all that you need in this life to live the abundant life you have dreamed of and God intended for you.
A Thirst to Know Them
Do you have a thirst to know God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a deeper way? In Philippians 3:10 Paul tells us he wants to know Him (Jesus) better. I thought about how much Paul had been through in life; imprisonments, shipwrecks, floggings, lashings, stoning, beatings, the ever-present danger of losing his life, and the constant thorn in his side. Yet Paul had a thirst to know Jesus at a deeper level.
This passage was a centerpiece of a message I was preparing for a pastor’s conference in Lahore, Pakistan. I remember reading prior to the conference that to know Jesus better, the Holy Spirit must illuminate Him in your life. Thus began the journey of “Set Free.” God was stirring in my heart a greater longing not only to know Jesus better but His Spirit as well. I did not yet understand the joy that would soon flow from the depth of my soul. With that joy, a peace and a freedom were to follow, even in such a trying time of life.
You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O’Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
Psalm 30:11-12
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Posted in God - Jesus - Holy Spirit Surrender by .
A question we may ask ourselves, “Am I Depressed?”
Depression has been explained in many different ways. It can be like wearing a dark pair of sunglasses that negatively affects our experiences. It creates a perception of the world as dark and sad,void of joy and happiness.
Depression can make us feel as if we are living in a box that has a foot of space to spare, making breathing and living life very difficult.
Nearly everyone has experienced some form of depression in their lives, and many individuals face depression on a regular or constant basis.For these, the consequences can be debilitating.
Each of us at some time will either experience the effects of depression or will be involved in a personal relationship with someone who is experiencing it.
What Is Depression?
Depression is more than just normal sadness that you may experience from time to time. It is a mental state that can also be manifested into physical symptoms.
It is defined as: A condition of mental disturbance, typically with lack of energy and difficulty in maintaining concentration or interest in life.
Depression can be even more severe and an adequate definition would be severe despondency and dejection, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. This second form is often called clinical depression that many feel is triggered by hormonal imbalance, brain dysfunction or other medical conditions. Individuals who suffer from clinical depression need the help of specially trained medical doctors and Christian counselors.
Signs of Depression
If you find yourself in an extended period of sadness or depression, you may recognize a few of these signs:
Difficulty making decisions
Sleeplessness or oversleeping
Worry
Feeling hopeless
Worthless
Guilt
Exhaustion
Pessimism
Lethargic
Lack of motivation
Resentment of others
Not eating or overeating
Complaining
Distrust of God
Suicidal
Not a great list to live life by, I encourage you to recognize the signs of depression early so you can take steps before you reach a place that you start considering suicide.
Godly Perspective
Do you believe God created you? If you answered yes, you may then think if you are facing depression something must be dramatically wrong. First let me say, there are many Christians, people in the Bible and non Christians who deal with depression; it touches all walks-of-life. Faithful people are not immune from depression.
Being depressed does not mean God is mad at you, or it is due to a lack of faith, or from sin or Satan. It also does not mean that you are not saved, or do not love God, or the thousand other statements people will make. Please put all of that to rest. There is enough stigma on anyone who has depression, they do not need a greater burden, they need their burden lifted.
Don’t Be Surprised
We often think that painful trials, such as being depressed, should not be part of our life and if they are, there is something drastically wrong. Yet, this verse can be very freeing because God is telling us not to be surprised, nor is it unusual if we are experiencing suffering, or pain in our life.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
1 Peter 4:12 NIV
Posted in Depressed by .
The fear of intimacy is the fear of being emotionally and physically close to another individual. It causes them to feel vulnerable and to face the possibility of being hurt or even abandoned by the other. They face a fear of rejection, it may not be realistic but in their mind it is very true. The other partner (the one without the fear of intimacy) more than likely has never given their partner a reason to fear intimacy. Their emotional and physical fears often stem from a prior relationship or childhood.
When the fear of rejection becomes too great they will often abandon the relationship or cause it to dissolve. That may not make sense but from the one fearing intimacy reality is not of top concern. They are attempting to protect their fragile emotions and will often do so at any cost. They end up creating the very thing they wanted to protect against. Both sides get hurt but the one who fears intimacy feels if they had not abandoned the relationship their hurt would have been much deeper and they would have been more vulnerable. The other partner is left dazed and confused attempting to figure out what went wrong.
It has been reported that women face this issue more often and that many are facing some degree of depression. At a deeper emotional level there may also be some form of poor self-image and a lack of feeling attractive and desirable. Remember it is often times not based on reality but it is based on their emotions. To them it is real and it is there reality. The causes can be very deep.
Often times the fear of intimacy may develop from childhood trauma. It could be a father who fails to show love to his little girl. He himself may lack the ability to have an intimate relationship with his daughter thereby setting up a lifetime of hurt and vulnerability for her. It may be a dad who abandoned the family causing his daughter to not trust the men in her life and leading to emotional and even physical fear of intimacy. From that day forward it will affect every man that comes into her life. Furthermore, it will devoid her of what she wanted most, an intimate relationship. Because of the distrust, that intimacy can not and will not happen. Thereby setting up a life of disappointment, a life of blaming every man in her life for causing her to hurt and not trust them. It is sad, a little girl who only wants to be loved and guaranteed it will not hurt.
Is God The Answer?
We have a complimentary gift for you, “God’s Answer?” A twenty-nine page essay downloadable in minutes that will show you how to live life through a power that will radically transform you. First you will learn how to surrender and live a life of intimacy beyond your wildest expectations.
You have hurt long enough, it is time to let God do His transformation in your life. Your life surrendered to Him will lead to a lifetime of intimacy, no more false hopes no more impact of a dad who failed you. Your Heavenly Father is waiting.
Posted in Fear of Intimacy by .
Sep 11
15
How To Forgive Yourself
Some people think of forgiveness as hard work or difficult. Actually it is much easier than you may imagine. There is also a sweetness to forgiving that arrives once we have surrendered our life to God. The act of forgiveness releases the burdens of our heart to a greater power, freeing us to have a heart of joy and peace.
I read the other day that God does not forget our sins once we ask for forgiveness. That is contrary to what His word says.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Hebrews 8:12
For us, there is a difference between forgiving ourselves and forgetting the wrong we did. God is able to remove your sin from His mind; we do not have the same ability as our Heavenly Father. The sin we committed may linger in our mind and there may very well be consequences from our acts of disobedience. Yet God tells us we are forgiven and our sins are as far as east is from west.
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12
Does it have anything to do with the severity of our actions? No, God does not put some kid of qualifier such as, this sin or that sin requires something extra because of the severity of the sin.
Can you live the life God intended for you if you do not forgive yourself? How many times will you beat yourself up or let your heart be burdened with the sin in your life. When God’s word tells us to confess a
Is forgiving ourselves really easy? Yes, it is if you realize the difficult work was borne by Jesus at the cross. It would not be accurate to say forgiveness came at a small price. I get to forgive, and forgive freely, because Jesus died on the cross. He suffered a horrible death and for 6 hours He was completely separated from His Heavenly Father so I could have forgiveness of my sins. What would that say about the value of His sacrifice if I refused to forgive myself.
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