Gracefully Broken

Psalm 147:3 ” God heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.”

“Gracefully Broken” by Matt Rodman – I have heard this song thousands of time yet this time I heard it loud and clear. God is gracefully breaking away the hurt in my life.

We all carry around some type of hurt from our past, either things we have done to others (regret, guilt, shame) or things that have been done to us (abuse, name calling). When we hold on to these pains our wounds cannot heal. It is like a cut on our skin. First, it bleeds. The hurt is raw and new. Then a scab takes its place. This scab, wound, if small enough begins to disappear over time. If the wound is deep it leaves behind a scar. If we cover this wound up and it becomes infected we become ill. The same is true of our spirit and soul. When we are wounded and push those wounds “under the rug” we cannot heal and our souls becomes infected with bitterness, unforgiveness, and resentment.

We cannot be afraid of opening up to what God wants to do with the hurts, and wounds, from our past. We need to sit with God and listen as He directs our path because He wants us to be healed from the pain and heartache of this world. If we don’t look at our past and release the hurt, pain, and even traumas we continually reopen that wound. An open wound cannot not turn to a scar. The scar show that there was once a wound and through the grace and love of Christ that wound is no more. All that is left behind is the scar, or a memory of what was.

Father in Heaven, I am tired of trying to control my life and covering all the wounds that go with living in this sin soaked world. I come to You to be restored in You, to surrender my life and my will to Your care and control. Help me Father to look at one wound at a time and allow Your grace and mercy to cleanse me from all the bitterness, unforgiveness,and resentment of these wounds. I want my wounds to be scars of healing because of Your love and mercy. In Jesus Name, Amen

Change Direction

Psalm 107:13-14 “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved the from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.”

I often wonder why it seems so easy to see what is wrong in my life or what needs to be “fixed” instead of how blessed I am. Throughout scripture we see this play out. The people worship, rebel, and then cry out to God to fix the mess they made. I am glad I am have a redeeming Father who is able to not only speak to my heart, but forgive me even when the world, or the people in it, do not. I am learning that when I fall short of God’s glory and repent it is not about other people forgiving me it is about my relationship with Christ. I cannot control another’s response to my mistakes, I can only recognize I made a mistake, seek forgiveness, and leave it at the cross.

Heavenly Father, when will I learn. I seem to make the same mistakes over and over. Help me, Lord, because I cannot do it on my own. Father, I need Your guidance, healing, and wisdom to walk a different path. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

You Will Not Stay Down

Proverbs 24:16a “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.”

We all stumble and fall because of our choices. When we don’t choose our words carefully they can be used as a weapon on the ones we love. Things don’t get done because we choose to be idle and we become overwhelmed with our circumstances. Our choices can cause so much heartache for ourselves and the ones we love.

The amazing thing about being in a relationship with God, is that when our choices cause heartache or frustration He encourages us and guides us through His word. 365 times He tells us not to fear. He promises us that we are never alone, even in the pit we created for ourselves. He provides a strength in the hard times and tells us to never give up. We have hope in Him. Hope for a better tomorrow.

Father, thank you for always knowing what I need when I need it. You are never late, you are always right on time. Thank you for loving me and encouraging me through Your word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Don’t Be a Fool

Luke 12:21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth, but not have a rich relationship with God”

God has bless each of us with talents and gifts. These gifts usually line up with how we make our living because God knows what we need. When we choose to hide our gifts or not use them to glorify God it is as if we are storing earthly wealth. God does not measure our lives by how much we own, He sees our heart and how we use the gifts He has given us. Do not be a fool and squander the gifts or life God has given you. If you feel lost press into God, seek His wisdom, and trust His plan for your life because He promises to give you a good life and God, unlike humans, cannot break a promise.

Father, You have put a talent within me, help me to fulfill the plans you have for my life. Remove any fear that stands in the way of me using these gifts to glorify You. Help me, Father, see beyond my fears to Your promise of a beautiful life. Take my hand and walk me through the door to the next chapter of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

When Satan Attacks

Genesis 3:13 “Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ ‘The serpent deceived me,’ she replied. ‘that’s why I ate it.'”

Ever notice how when you are attacked by the evil one it is usually in one of 5 ways? He uses doubt, discouragement, diversion, defeat, and delay. When doubts comes in we question God’s word and his goodness. Discouragement allows the spirt of offense into our hearts and minds. Diversion draws our attention to our fleshly desires, causing us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Defeat plays our failures over and over in our minds causing us to believe the worst about ourselves. Finally, delay, aka procrastination, causes us to put things off until the last minuet which increases our anxiety, worry, fear, etc.

If we know how the evil one attacks why are we not more in tune to his game? Why do we continually allow him to steal our joy?

The answer is simple, we are weak on our own. When we choose to focus our attention on things of this world we will get caught up in this world but, if we take the time to meditate on God’s word and seek His wisdom we are better able to spot the devil’s schemes. We will not be perfect at this because we live in a fallen world. At the same time. God tells us to confess our sins and they are forgiven. So, when you catch yourself be tricked by the evil one or act in a way that is not pleasing to God, go to God seek forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, I am so sorry for all the times I have doubted your love for me. I know what your word says yet there are times when I focus on my flesh and my circumstances and do not look to you for guidance or peace. Father, help me as I continue to learn what it looks like to completely follow you and your plan for my life. Help me to recognize satan’s schemes and areas where I allow him to control my mind, heart, and life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Shame No More

Genesis 2:25 “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” Genesis 3:10 “He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'”

From the beginning of time God gave us free will and because of that free will shame and doubt entered the world. Shame and doubt are the trap that satan used from the beginning g and he still uses it today. He tells us that no one will understand our struggles. NO one can feel our pain. No will care about you if they know the truth. Shame keeps us isolated because we don’t what anyone to know the mistakes we have made. We hide behind masks and try to keep it together so the world will not see what a mess we really are. This way of thinking is a playground for the evil one. He loves for us to be isolated from other believers. If we do not surround ourselves with believers there is no one to breathe life into the dark places.

Every human struggles and has battles they face, but when you surround yourself with other believers you can take off your mask and be who God created you to be. You are free to share your struggles and your triumphs. You do not have to face anything alone. God puts people in your life because he loves you and wants you to be free of shame. Trust your Father and pray or thank him for Christ believers in your life. He is listening and wants to bless you this side of Heaven.

Father, thank you for groups such as Celebrate Recovery that breathe life into Your hurting people. We were never meant to do life alone. From the beginning you created Eve so Adam would not be alone. You love when Your family to comes together to support and encourage one another this side of Heaven. I pray that those reading who don’t have Godly followers in their lives will find them and be encouraged. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Balance

Psalm 21:7 “For the king (I) trust(s) in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he (I) will not be shaken.”

Just as a tower is built on a firm foundation, if we walk with God every moment of our day we can not only find balance we can find a peace. In this peace we will see God’s unfailing love. We will not be shaken when storms of life come our way because we can rest in God’s love and protection.

Father, setting boundaries can be hard. I have a hard time balancing the needs and love of my family and taking care of me. I seem to go from one extreme to another. I need your help Lord. I trust your unfailing love and I know that I will not be shaken when I stay connected to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Walk In His Light

Psalm 51:4 “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”

We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory because we live in a world filled with sin. Something that I thought about this morning is the fact that not only have I sinned against my friends, family, and even strangers, but I have sinned against God. When I hurt someone, intentionally or not, I have hurt Heavenly Father. So, when I seek forgiveness I need to be on my knees seeking forgiveness from my Father, for He is my one true judge.

Father, I come before you seeking Your wisdom as I learn to live a life loved by You. A life that has You as the center. For so long I have lived my life for others, their approval, to protect them, loving them, and caring for them with you in the background. Today I surrender all that I am and all that I have to You. I am learning what it looks like to put You first in everything I do or say. Draw me ever closer to you as I learn what it means to walk in Your light. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Wash Me

Psalms 51:1-3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”

We have all done things in our lives that we are not proud to admit. We have all said and done things that have caused others pain. We have all done or said things that have caused ourselves pain. None of this was what God in tended for our lives. He did not intend for us to live in a state of pain and heartache. The amazing thing about God is that He has the power to wash us clean and while He is washing us He strengthens us.

Father in Heaven, I come before you in all my humanity, all my sins are before You. You know what I struggle with and what transgressions I have committed. Father, I need your help to overcome. Cleanses me Lord and strengthen me as I learn to walk in freedom. I know I will stumble and fall, but I also know that You are there to catch me; for this I am ever so grateful. In Jesus’ Name

Thankful

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

We can spend our lifetime looking at all the wrong. Complaining about all our unmet expectations, the pain caused by others, the rejection, or simply what is not going our way. What if we instead focused on the ONE that gave us life. The One that gave us the opportunity to feel love, even if, it is not exactly as we pictured it.

We all have our “fires” that we have, will or are walking/ed through. What if instead of complaining about how life is going we took time to thank God for the fires that have brought us to our knees in front of Him who is the healer of everything. He can turn your brokenness into a beautiful love story with Him as the lover of your soul, mind, body, and spirit. Let’s be honest, if it were not for our struggles we would not have to be on our knees looking to Him who heals.

Abba Father, I come to you thankful for the scars in my life because each of them brought me to You. Every difficult circumstance was an opportunity for the evil one to wash me away, burn me up, or cover me, yet You in all your wisdom, grace, and mercy have used those times to bring me to my knees before You. You are the reason for my strength, peace, and my ability to love those around me. I am thankful for the scars. In Jesus Name, Amen