It Hurts So Bad!

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

There was a song in the sixties whose lyrics said "And you know that it hurts so bad to see you again"  and it was referring to a young couple who had broken up.  If you can remember back to high school days it did hurt when you broke up. It also hurts for children to be left out. It hurts when a spouse leaves. It hurts when a spouse dies. It hurts to lose a child. It hurts when you are excluded from your extended family. It hurts when you are a grandma being kept from your grandchildren. It hurts to be abused and abandoned. It hurts to be fired or laid off.  It hurts to be shunned. It hurts to be rejected. It hurts when you feel like a failure. There are many scenarios where a person can suffer excruciating emotional pain which at times they feel they can never escape from.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different stories. The one thing to remain is that God's love for you will never go away. He is there. He loves you. When you are deep in  pain you feel like your world is just falling apart and you can't possibly go on. The good news is it takes time but you can heal and even grow from whatever it is you have suffered. Our enemy Satan would love to use your pain to cripple you and keep you away from God. This is when you need Him more than ever. Cry out to Him my friend! He is listening and cares! 

PRAYER: Lord I need you oh I need you. Every hour I need you. Oh bless me now my savior, I come to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link for wonderful song of praise and worship.

http://youtu.be/6_KXsMCJgBQ

What Do You Say?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Sometimes things happen in life to friends or family and there are not words to know how to respond or bring comfort. Recently a longtime friend of mine had the unspeakable happen which there's no need to elaborate on as God knows. In this time of her enormous grief and confusion what can you do to help? Flowers, cookie bouquet, note, phone call? Grief,tragedy,and pain are all part of life and can make us stronger. That makes some angry especially if they have lost a close friend in an accident or in war. Only time and prayer help the healing process.

Grief and trouble are all part of life. In the newly released Hollywood movie,"God's Not Dead" ,an atheist college professor has been hurt in the past and hates God and tries to get his students to do likewise. This movie is a must see in my humble opinion. I have seen it three times already.

What are you struggling to deal with in your own life?Run to God,not away from Him. 

PRAYER: Lord I love you. Forgive me if I have ever been mad or blamed you for my grief. In Jesus' name. Amen.

HIDDEN HURTS

As I sat in church one Sunday watching folks go to the altar for
prayer it struck me how so many people are walking around with hurts
and issues that we will never know about. The ache or wound is hidden
deep inside them. At times you can not tell this by looking at their
faces as some are rather good at concealing what they are going
through.

It may be easy to judge people who we think look or seem different

but then too we do not know their story and we are not to
be the judge. Many people outwardly react to things in different

ways. Judging someones appearance, heart, or actions is not right.

Who made us the judge anyway?

Pain sometimes is hidden deep inside and may even need a professional
Christian counselor to draw out.

I think of the street corner scenario or end of exit ramp where
typically, in most cities, there is someone with a sign that reads
'Will work for food' or something to that affect. Many feel these
people are all scamming us collecting tax free money and taking in
more than an ordinary person would make. If you feel led to give to
someone, that is their problem if they have lied and deceived you.They
will answer to God and your heart was right. Maybe some of them are
legitimate. Only God knows.

How about the young woman selling her body for prostitution. What
awful kind of life would lead a person to do this? We need to be in
prayer for these people and the business owners who misuse them. Maybe
the Hollywood celebrity that is in and out of court for drugs or DUI.
Instead of feeding your mind on it by indulging in gossip magazines,
have you ever considered praying for these people instead? When you
pray for someone you are much less likely to be judging and condemning
them.

Let me leave you with a couple verses from Matthew 22:26-40(NIV) which
says 'Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus
replied, love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the Second is like it, Love your neighbor as
yourself. All the Law and The Prophets hang on these two
commandments.'

PRAYER: Lord today I choose to pray instead of judge and condemn. All
people are deserving of love. Many wounded are wandering around
without hope. You Lord give that hope. Use me Lord to bring hope to a
hurting person. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link below for a worshipful song:
http://youtu.be/jM8RN8RbZhE

WHY BE OFFENDED?

Do you know Satan loves to get people offended? It ruins friendships. It starts fights in church meetings. Divides families. It separates us from God. This is one of Satan's specialties when people get mad and take offense and refuse to let things go. Obviously something has to give or the people involved will never speak again.

I know of two brothers that for over three years have not spoken even though living in the same town. Very sad indeed for the parents. And to think it was over something that could have been talked over, but unfortunately  these two men refuse to budge. Neither one wanted to humble himself and admit wrongdoing.

Being misunderstood causes offense. Politics often cause friends of opposite parties to be offended. I am sure you can think of many incidents of how people get offended or how you may  have even taken offense. Do you think Jesus likes this? Absolutely not. Misspoken words or something people do not often see eye to eye on, can cause a real breech in a relationship. To keep things peaceful,  talking is necessary as well as being willing to forgive and move on.

Several years ago I had a close friend who no longer wants to be my friend because of something I mistakenly did. She says she has forgiven me but apparently not enough to let me back into her circle of friends or to not be blocked on her Facebook page. I find this very sad. Two believers especially should be able to sit down and pray and resolve things. When self and pride get in the way it is a whole new ballgame so to speak. I had no choice but to let it go and move on.

Offense is really a tool the enemy can use to even have church members at odds with each other. When we forget Jesus and are so focused on ourselves it is a recipe for trouble. Stop an offense before it springs up.

Be willing to forgive, forget, and move on instead of getting your way. In Ecclesiastes 7:9 says "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit for anger resides in the bosom of fools." Proverbs 18:19 says " A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle."
Do you need to forgive someone today who has hurt you or offended you? Why not give it to the Lord and just let it go.

PRAYER: Lord God it is easy to be offended when we are hurt by someone. Help me learn to overlook things that could escalate into a bitter, revengeful spirit. You want us to be loving and kind and  not someone wanting to get back at people. Help me show love and learn to forgive. In Jesus Name. Amen.