Living as a Victim steals our Future

Living in a state of constant self-victimization, constantly rehearsing our pain due to someone or something in our lives will inevitably steal our hope and our future if we remain there. God has so much more for us. He has promised us that even the worst events of our lives will not even compare to the riches in store for us. “No eye has seen no eye has heard…” Though this is definitely nearly impossible to do without great willpower, but better healing may be manifested when seeking thorough healing in partnership with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We must seek the Lord with all our hearts and minds to be set free from this endless cycle of word-cursing. We oftentimes don’t know that we are even in this cycle. Thus, living in a posture of repentance is so necessary as a follower of Jesus.

We all have times in our lives where we inevitably end up playing the role of the villain in someone’s lives whether unknowingly or knowingly, whether or not it was our fault or someone’s else’s.

Jackie Dorman says it well with, “Hurt people Hurt people,” and as Henry Cloud would say through His book, there are sometimes necessary endings to certain relationships in our lives. Accepting these things means that we must understand no one is always the victim. We all must take responsibility for our own fragility, error and brokenness to situations that turn out different from our intention and beyond our control. the Bible says in Proverbs, the heart is above all else deceitful, and it is God who searches the hearts of man (Jeremiah 17:9-10). We need the Spirit of God to search out and reveal to us what is inside. We cannot even trust that we know fully what is inside of our own hearts. King David knew this and asked the Lord to search Him and we frequently see in the psalms a prayer of God to cleanse the heart and to reveal areas of wickedness. This is how we live in a posture of repentance always kneeling before the cross of Christ, and yet always open to receiving His grace, mercy and forgiveness.

This is why humility towards one another, but first and foremost Loving God and one another is of utmost important. We cannot underestimate the importance of unity in the Body of Christ. For if we cannot maintain or at least strive for living in a constant state of repentance and we cannot receive the grace we so desperately need if we are not willing to give out that same measure of grace to one another. No matter the harm, no matter the gravity of pain inflicted we must always pursue forgiveness and God’s love. For this is the very reason why Christ died for us, that all fall short of the glory of God.

To God be the glory. If we live for earthly rewards, we will miss out the rewards of Heaven that are not temporary but everlasting. For whatever we have on earth we cannot take with us in our Heavenly home.

The Encouragement of the Father

I show you things secret things because I want for you to ask. I want for you to dream again. for you to believe that you can have the good things, the best things the things in life that you really want. You are allowed to have the things truly want. Because I don’t ever want you to accept anything less than the best that I have saved for you. Never again accept the substitute. You need to first see and receive how much I love you. How much my heart longs to give You the best fruit, How much my heart longs to give You the longings of your heart, because it is only then that You can trust me with Your heart. It is only then that You can see me for who I really am. That I am trustworthy with Your heart. You see, my dear, you are safe to dream and imagine with me. In the same way I imagined the creation of this universe, your earth, your clouds, your animals in your world, all of those things were imaginations in my mind before I gave them life, with a faith and a word of decreeing it’s existence. And now I want you to do the same thing. Do the same thing now for your own life. Copy me. By deciding what is holy and what is not holy to you according to the way you understand me. A proper response of worship requires a correct view of me. You were taught to fear me in the wrong way because the voice of My accuser roared around you in the world, spreading rumors, spreading lies about me, but I will show you just how kind I really am. Not the false examples that you have seen.

    My daughter, I hold you in the palm of my hand and I treasure you.i have kept you safe and protected all of this time. The space had a limit around you of how small it could get. And I placed a limit on the temperature around you to how hot or cold it could get. Despite everything, I placed a fence of protection around you, like the class jar around the beauty and the beast rose, no matter where you were in your life I have kept you safe. So do not deny my voice when you hear it just because you find the words hard to believe. Receive every one of my words. Do not have partial hearing my dear for it will lead you to harden parts of your heart, and eventually all of your heart. A little leaven, leavens the dough. It may seem like a small tiny mistake, but later it will become a big one, an Achilles heel to your spiritual growth. And once that foundation has a crack the entire foundation has to be removed and remade….

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 7  ”. Jerusalem, your people fought against God. They hurt other people, and you have been stained with sin. They didn’t listen to me or accept my teachings. Jerusalem didn’t trust the Lord, Jerusalem didn’t go to her God…..I tell you this so that you will learn a lesson. I want you to fear and respect me. If you do this, your home will not be destroyed, and I will not have to punish you the way I planned.’ But those evil people only wanted to do more of the same evil things they had already done!’ ” 

Good God, Good Father

Matthew 7:7-11

It’s so funny because even before reading this scripture passage, the lyrics to this song has been floating in the back of my head…

As children we come we arms open wide

So desperate for you, so in need of your life.

You say, if we ask for bread, you will give us no stone

(“As children” by Jeremy Riddle)

You say if we ask for bread, you will give us no stone. 

This week you revealed to me the condition of my heart in its ability or lack of ability to receive good. The Father gives immeasurably. His love that flows like a river endlessly propels those who are motivated by His pure love for us to bless us as well. 

It’s taken nearly twenty years to get me back to the place where You first started to speak to me so clearly to tell me what I would be doing, according to You. When I started to and then I gave up. What started as a little fire of desire to write music that glorified You in a new tune and in a new way, a little ember of a flame that quickly stifled itself. Then fifteen years ago, You confirmed it Yourself when You spoke to me so clearly, but I could hardly believe it and so I could hardly receive it But I saved it inside my heart. You said, “you will write songs and sing for me and record an album.” 

All of my disappointments, I thought God just took good things away from me. But in the mix of experiences growing up You showed me who You really were. 

“Jerusalem’s leaders are like roaring lions. Her judges are like hungry wolves that come in the evening to attack the sheep and in the morning nothing is left. Her prophets are always making secret plans to get more and more. Her priests have treated holy things as if they were not holy. They have done bad things to God’s teachings. But God is still in that city, and he continues to be good. He does not do anything wrong. He continues to help his people. Morning after morning he makes good decisions for them. Not a day passes without his justice. He never gives a decision that is crooked or is something to be ashamed of.” Zephaniah 3:3-5 (ERV)

You love me. You love to give me good gifts. But you are particular about what gifts I receive. You are very selective about what You give me. The same way I am selective about what gifts I give my children. You only want me to receive the things that will edify my growth and development. That is why somethings are no, but then some things are also yes. They are yes if I just ask.

The motivations of the Father’s heart are so purely good, like an essential oil carefully extracted from a plant, He is the very definition of good. The purity of his goodness oozes out of everything He does and even all of His thoughts towards us.