Life Can Be Really Hard Sometimes

I will exalt you, Lord, for You rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones. Praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:1-5

I know it’s hard to see past the pain, but PLEASE don’t hurt yourself. Talk to Jesus, a friend, a parent, a pastor, a teacher or call 1-800-273-TALK.

You ARE worth it. Regardless of how heavy life gets. Tomorrow just might be the day of your turnaround.

Father, help us to call out to You when we're in need. Divinely give us what we need or work through Your people to help us. Put people in our path who care. Give us hope to continue on. May we keep on keeping on. In Jesus' name, amen.


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Related blog entries of mine:

Has Today Been a Hard Day?
Don't Self Harm
Encourage Yourself in the Lord

Do You Know Jesus?

 Do you have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ?

Whether you are married, single, divorced, separated, or even engaged to be married, Jesus longs to be your Husband and best friend - the closest you will ever have or find that will never leave you or forsake you, no matter what.

Most important of all, He wants to be your Savior and Deliverer.

1 Thessalonians 5:9/AMP - For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His) salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

You see, Father God sent His Son Jesus so that we may have eternal life. He died on the cross and rose again. And He's coming back soon for His children.

Would you like to be considered His child, His bride, His friend? If so, pray this simple prayer:
 
Father, I come to you. I thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to take the punishment for my sins. Forgive me of them. I know that He died and rose again, just for me. Because He loves me. Come into my life, Jesus, and take control. Help me to renew my mind and refuse to believe the lies of the enemy any more. Let me be led by Your Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues. Thank you that You will never leave me or forsake me. Thank You for peace amidst the frustrations and stresses of this world. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Congratulations on your new life with Jesus!

Get into a good, Bible-based church. Get a Bible and read it as often as you can. Worship Him. Expect your Savior to speak to you, lead you, guide you, comfort you, provide for you, protect you, and be with you until the end of the world.
 
God bless you!

 


But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

 
 
 
 

Feeling Down and Out?

Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Don't be afraid of them ... today I have made you strong ... I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken. Jeremiah 1:17-19

So, in July of this year I got a real bad sunburn on both my legs from floating in the Frio River with sunscreen everywhere on me but my legs (duh). My legs blistered and my feet stayed incredibly swollen for 2 weeks. Then, I got a bad infection on both my legs (from knees to feet), probably from open skin from the sunburn. Those things started to heal and I realized I still could barely walk and was told by the doctor I had vein issues from inadequate blood flow ‘cause my feet were swollen for so long. With compression hose my circulation got better. But almost 2 months later, I’m still struggling to walk. Still severe, gut wrenching pain. Then comes the news from my doctor (all this has caused 9 doctor visits now and 1 emergency room trip) that I have torn ligaments in my ankles and that I need to wear splints on my legs/ankles to let my ligaments heal and give my ankles support. Great. Just what I needed.

You know how it is. I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point in our life. The times that you really have to struggle to find your hope and get out of bed and continue to live your life despite setbacks. I have to keep reminding myself that others have it so much worse than I and God’s been good to me through it all.

The Lord gave me the above verses this morning to help me to motivate to get up today. He wants me to GET UP, GET DRESSED, and GET GOING despite what’s coming against me and to trust Him, knowing He has me and my situation under control.

So … the point is to make sure you put suntan lotion on, everywhere. Ok, that’s not the real point I’m trying to make, but it’s a good one. The real point here is … despite your trials and how down and out you may feel - REJOICE, for He is worthy of your praise. Regardless of what happened yesterday it's going to be a great day today, because you have another day to glorify God. This is the day that the Lord's made ... REJOICE and be glad in it.

Father, I pray that you give us the strength to get up, get dressed, and get going. Above all else today, may Your name be glorified. In Jesus’ name, amen.

How's Your Walk?

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:1,6

WE'VE GOT TO LEARN TO DEPEND ON GOD.

Jesus never insisted that the disciples obey Him. Instead, He instructed them to trust Him and to have faith in God. He knew that trust would create obedience because the two naturally go together.

When we don't trust God, we aren't depending on Him. As a result, we begin to feel that we are able to handle things on our own, and we begin to pull away from Him and head in the wrong direction.

WE'VE GOT TO LEARN TO WAIT ON GOD, TRUSTING HIS TIMING.

The Bible clearly states that God acts in behalf of those who wait on Him (Isaiah 64:4). The only way we can learn to do this is to trust in God and believe that He is always working in our best interests.

When we wait, we acknowledge His lordship in our lives, and our trusting faith itself becomes an act of genuine worship.

WE'VE GOT TO WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT OR BY FEAR.

When we learn to walk by faith in God, resting our steps on His every Word, then we will go places we never dreamed of going and accomplish what no one can ever do alone.

JUST DO IT.

There is NO WAY that we can lose when we trust God.

Keep the FAITH - (F)orsaking (A)ll (I) (T)rust (H)im.

Father, this trust thing is hard. Help us to honor You by placing our trust in You. May we believe with child-like faith. In Jesus' name, amen.

While I'm Waiting

Those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. Isaiah 40:31

I told the Lord earlier today when we were talking, 'I would SO like things to be easier ... but I will serve and trust You regardless. I am walking strictly by faith. I am NOT gonna go by what I see or feel.'  

The Lord responded back to me, 'The fire may feel like its getting turned hotter and hotter, but you WON'T get burnt ... you won't even smell like smoke. Refuse to submit to the thought that the devil has power over you. I said in My Word, I give YOU power over the enemy. It's in the waiting that your strength will be renewed. Wait on Me, hope in Me, and I WILL come through for you. I take GOOD CARE of My children.'

I have given you AUTHORITY to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome ALL the power of the enemy; NOTHING will harm you. Luke 10:19

I've made a decision that I WILL worship while I’m waiting.

Father, I'm grateful for You for SO MANY reasons, I love you so. Anything here on this earth that I go through is WORTH IT for the hope that I have to see and spend the rest of my days in Heaven with You … YOU are WORTH IT. Strengthen us as we wait on You. Give us grace to go through and equip us with hope to endure to the end. In Jesus’ name, amen.


see also: (While I’m Waiting) I Will Worship by John Waller
 

Don't Be Afraid

 

God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. Isaiah 12:2

Frightening circumstances are less troublesome if we trust the hands that control them. If our world and our lives were governed by a thoughtless and indifferent force, we would have good reason to fear.

BUT the hands that control the universe - God’s hands - are wise and compassionate. We can trust them in spite of our circumstances and not be afraid.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’ Isaiah 41:10-13

FEAR NOT … Jesus is holding YOUR hand.

We give so much of our strength and energy to being fearful and worrying about things ... when we should be resting in God's peace knowing that He WILL come through for us. Your current condition does not define God's ultimate intention. Through fire and flood, He is with you and will bring you through. So QUIT fearing and worrying, He has ALREADY taken care of it.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Isaiah 32:18

God is the One in control … so we have NOTHING to fear.

Father, thank You that no harm will come near us or our dwelling. Guard, protect, lead and guide us. Take care of all our needs and all our loved ones as we lay down our worries and fears. I pray for peace in our mind/thoughts/spirit. Quieten the voice of the enemy. Comfort us with the presence of Your supportive hand. I curse worries and fears that try to rob us of our sleep. I pray perfect peace over us when we lay our heads down at night. Bless us, favor us and move on our behalf even as we sleep. I plead the Blood of Jesus over us. In Jesus’ name, amen.



see also: Christ is My Victory (Psalm 91 to pray)

Bad Bad Boy, Whatcha Gonna Do

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in bondage again to fear; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:14-17

Why do beautiful and precious women think they have to settle for rough, ugly and/or controlling guys that treat them bad? And if they're good looking but treat you bad, that makes them ugly, too. Choosing a bad boy usually comes with a lifetime of regrets. A bad boy and his actions ARE NOT attractive nor exciting. They are destructive. Don't be seduced into the web of the enemy, thinking you have to settle for less than what you want from a partner. Ladies, you're worth SO MUCH MORE than that. RESPECT yourself.

And oh my, PLEASE don't be with a creep just to get out of the house or to punish your parents/family. It’s not worth it to get sucked into a life of hell on earth with the wrong person just to fit in, or get out, or to have a ride, or get back at people. Trust me, you WILL NOT have it easier once you get out. As a matter of fact, it will be harder because you not only have been separated from your family and support system, but are now responsible for running a house, getting and holding a job, and catering to every whim of a man who probably never loved you in the first place and who will treat you horribly despite you doing everything in your power the right way.

There are many men who are on the prowl, looking for a nice, vulnerable woman to take advantage of. They can tell when you are insecure with who you are and who will probably put up with their actions ... one who will do anything for them, despite how they are treated. Someone with low self-esteem is very attractive to them. These guys are usually sweet talkers in the beginning to lure you in and once you’ve formed an attachment to them, usually by sharing intimate things in your life (see more about soul ties here Step Away ... from that Stale Cracker) then they start abusing you, telling you who you can and cannot see and possibly hitting you. They'll flirt with others but tell you that you can't, not call before coming over, lie, hit on your friends in front of you, etc. These are UNACCEPTABLE actions ladies.

You ARE NOT responsible for babysitting men, for being their mother, for being their slave and/or sex slave, or to rescue them from life or themselves. These 'boys' need to grow up and be a man. Learn how to treat a woman right. Learn how to take care of themselves. Learn how to live within the letter of the laws of God and of man. Instead of rebelling against God and running from Him and anything else that's good and right. Bad boys DO NOT really have confidence, and ARE NOT exciting, they are really insecure and that's why they hurry to attach to those who are vulnerable, ones that they hope will fill the void and make them stop being afraid, i.e. another mommy. They only get more angry though, because it doesn't work. Deep down they are broken little boys who need to control and bed women to try to feel better about themselves. That broken boy CAN NOT be rescued or fixed by you. HE WON'T change as long as he's clinging on to you. Only Jesus and hard work on the part of the boy/man can fix them. You ARE NOT anyone's savior. Let them change their own diapers and hold his own pacifier. Try working on yourself instead. A better you will automatically attract a better him.

The better you feel about yourself, the less you will allow people in your life that treat you wrong. Low self-esteem will cause us to settle with far less than God's best. If a woman feels good about herself, she chooses a mate who communicates both verbally and non-verbally to her that she is valued and respected. She won't allow this other person to undermine her positive self-worth. She believes in her ability to participate in a healthy, reciprocal relationship. If she doesn't feel good about herself, she chooses someone who reinforces her negative self-beliefs.

These men are just distractions sent by the enemy to try to keep God’s will from coming to pass in your life. You're not a doormat, punching bag, a dog or a trophy ... if you belong to Jesus, you are a child of God. There's NEVER a good reason to put up with abuse. HIT THE DOOR running if you're not treated with love and respect. REGARDLESS of how good looking or hot he may be in your eyes. Your dreamboat is dangerous. Do it NOW before it goes any further.

God has called us to live in peace. 1 Corinthians 7:15

Hold your head high, guard your heart and wait for GOD'S best for you.

Father, I pray that You place a hedge of protection around us and our hearts, that we not get caught up in the traps of the enemy. Choose a partner for us IF You have one and help us to wait on You. If we are to be single to serve You wholeheartedly, help us to be and stay devoted to You. If there are any that have already been trapped by the enemy's lies and webs, release them from that bondage. Give them boldness to get away and help them to stay away. In the name of Jesus, amen.

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If you are being abused GET HELP NOW call

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE

http://www.thehotline.org
or
National Dating Abuse Hotline
1-866-331-9474
http://www.loveisrespect.org
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see also:  Keep it Zipped            Do You Hate Yourself?            Don't Look Back (my story)