Category Archives: Restoration

What is Grieving You?

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 “For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain. I am grieved with those that rise up against thee”                                                         Psalm 139: 20-21

Does it grieve your spirit when someone speaks against the Lord, when they take His Name in vain? We use the Name of the Lord in vain when we use His Name to justify our bad behavior. When we say the “Lord told us” to do something, when really it is our own desire, we use His Name in vain.

If we honor the Name of the Lord, we will never use it in vain. We will call upon the Name of the Lord for our salvation, but not for our justification when in rebellion. We use His Name in vain when we say He said something that is totally against His character.

God never contradicts His Word. He will not condone our sin nor will He make us uncomfortable in it. When we call upon His Name, He will set us free; He will untangle us from the lies we have believed, and He will set our feet on a solid rock and establish our goings. If Jesus has set you free, praise His Holy Name right now and lift His Name up high.

Heavenly Father,
I realize that there are many ways in which I have used Your Name to justify my own bad behavior, and have used Your Name in vain. I confess this as sin and ask for Your forgiveness. Show me any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Come and Drink!

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“For He satisfies the longing (thirsty) soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:9

Come and Drink  

One of my favorite things about where I live is that I can see the deer out in the morning and evening as they are looking for fresh water.   They remind me of that Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are thirsty and I will give you a drink.”  Jesus is inviting us to come and drink and be restored.  He has living water that will satisfy the longing of your heart and soul.

When you spend time with Jesus and receive a drink of this living water first thing in the morning you will be full of life all day. Then when you get to the end of your day, you simply return to the fountain that never runs dry.

“As a deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul longs for you, O God” Psalm 42:1-2.

Come and DrinkNo matter where you are on the planet, this living water is available to you. Jesus says “come and drink.” The Word of God is the Living Water and as you drink, it will begin to flow into every area of your soul. Even into those dry desert areas where there has not been life in a long time. You will know when the water has reached the desert areas because all of a sudden, life will begin to appear; a new thing will begin to happen, and you will see it spring forth. Living Water produces new life!

 

God says, “Behold, (watch) I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth….I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Is 43:19

 

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Have you Been Offended?

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“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Connecting with people is sometimes very difficult. It is heartbreaking when, for whatever reason, we can’t connect even with those who are closest to us.  If you have been hurt in a relationship, you may be guarding your heart and fearful of being hurt again.

It is very hard, even impossible to connect when you can’t lay your guard down. If you find it hard to connect with others, you may have a wounded heart that needs to be healed from the past. When we have been wounded by someone’s actions, a stone is formed in our heart from the unforgiveness. A stony heart makes it almost impossible to connect because we are guarded and easily offended. Healing begins when we identify the hurt and ask God to heal our wounded heart. The prayer of faith shall heal the sick and the prayer of faith shall heal the heart.

Pray this simple prayer right now and by faith begin receiving your healing:

Father God, I have been hurt by ________________ and now I am guarded when I am around them. Lord, I ask You to heal my broken heart and bind up my wounds. I choose to forgive ___________ for ___________. Heal my heart so I can open my heart and trust again.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

What is my purpose in life?

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“I will cry to God Most High …who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them.”   Psalm 57:2  (AMP)

 

Do you desire to know what your purpose is in life?   Are you lacking fulfillment and joy in what you do each day?  Does it feel like you are just spinning you wheels and never gaining ground?

Finding those things which gives our life purpose and meaning is important.  God has given each of us our own unique blend of talents and skills that will enable us to fulfill our purpose in life.  We are beautifully created and are special in every way.

So, how do you find your purpose?  How do you seek God’s purpose for your life?  You may be wondering, “why am I here and what am I supposed to do with my life?”  So many times we run here and there pursuing this idea or that idea trying to discover God’s purpose for our life.

We read in Psalm 57:2 that God has established His purposes for each of us and He will bring them to pass.  All we do is continue pursuing Him.  We must stop imagining castles in the sky and pursuing our own foolish lofty plans, and big ideas, so our soul can find rest and peace in the Lord.  Our main purpose is to pursue God, to love Him, to worship Him and enjoy fellowship with Him. Then our purpose will be revealed out of an overflow of our relationship with Him.

He created you with a unique design and purpose, and he will reveal that purpose in you as you seek Him.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I am very weary, I have tried so many things in search of my purpose.  Lord, I ask You to forgive me for imagining castles in the sky and pursuing my own lofty ideas.  Lord, help me to cease from my own plans and ideas and simply pursue a relationship with You.  Lord, I ask You to reveal Your purpose for my life and give me Your peace.                                                                                                                                                          

In Jesus’ Name,  

Amen  

Rise Up!

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“Fear Not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” 
Isaiah 41:10  NKJV

Many people have been hurt by rejection.  If you have ever experienced rejection, you can probably relate to that downward spiraling effect that rejection gives you.  It has a progressively negative effect; at first it affects your opinion of yourself, your emotional well-being, and if not dealt with rejection will continue to affect interpersonal relationships through-out your life.

Rejection is so painful and devastating that we can all agree it is one of Satan’s most successful tactics that he uses to separate and destroy homes, families, and relationships.  Once you are healed from rejection, you can breathe freely without the fear of rejection taking you down into that black hole of despair.

Rise up!  Receive your healing through the Truth of God’s unchangeable, unexplainable, and unconditional love and acceptance.

How to Overcome the Enemy

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For it was not an enemy who reproached and taunts me, then I might bear it… Psalm 55:12-13

Words are powerful, destructive, and so very painful.  And the enemy uses those who are closest to us to speak out hurtful words because he wants to get a “close up” shot, one that will do some damage.  He uses their knowledge of the past and words that are connected to that painful event.  So, every painful event that has not been healed is his target.  A profound truth on how to overcome the enemy is you must work through all the wounded areas of your heart and remove all access points by grieving the losses.

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.   Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.   The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.   Ecclesiastes 7:2-4

You can be very strong in the Lord until it comes to a place where you have experienced losses.  It is in these times of loss that we get hurt and even angry at God because we can’t understand why things happen the way they do. We can even begin to doubt His love and protection with questions like:  why did it have to happen to me?  Why didn’t God stop it?  Why was I the one that had to suffer this way?

All these questions must be wrestled with and resolved as you go through the process of grieving the losses and releasing the pain. Grieving Losses is necessary for your heart to heal through His Word and be restored by His Love.

Your Refreshing Comes Daily

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“And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.”   Matthew 24:10 Amp.

As you spend time daily, God washes your spirit from the trials and troubles of the previous day so you enter into the new day fresh.  Refreshing comes daily. When we take the troubles of the previous day into the next day, we have failed to cast our burden on the Lord.

Jesus said that in the last days many would become overwhelmed with the cares of the world.  When we become overwhelmed, it is so easy to become offended at others.  If you are looking at someone through their previous mistakes; after a week or so, it all adds up to a huge offense.  If you have been offended, you will find that all your thoughts are clouded and dictated by the offense.  The amplified Bible calls offenses, “snares and traps.”  So being offended is like stepping into a big trap that has been set up by the enemy.

Once you step into the trap of offense all your actions are dictated by the offense.  This is why Jesus warned His disciples in Mathew 24:10, “Many shall be offended and they shall betray one another and shall hate one another.”

I have stepped into this horrible trap before, and I know how hard it is to get out. But, Jesus made a way of escape out of the trap.  The way of escape is to forgive.

Today, forgive those who have offended or hurt you.  Begin fresh each new day.

The Lord Will Raise You Up

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“The Lord raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap and the dung hill, that He may seat them with princes, even the princes of His people.”  Psalm 113:7-8

God will Raise You UpThe plan of our Heavenly Father is to raise His children up to sit in heavenly places.  He wants to raise you up to a higher place than the place where you are sitting right now.  If you are poor and needy He wants you to shake off the dust of doubt and worry and trust in Him for your provision.

Even in the most horrible conditions, we can trust in God to lift us up.  He is a very present help in times of trouble. (Ps 62:1)  Even if, like the Prodigal son, you look around and wonder how you got yourself into such a mess.  At this very moment, you can come to your senses and realize as a child of God you are in the wrong place.  The low places are not the places where God’s children are to stay.

He wants to lift you up.  So, look up to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to take you up to the place where you belong as His child.

Learning to Trust Again

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“He heals the brokenhearted and bindeth up their wounds.”  Psalms 147:3

Learning to Trust AgainGod has made full provision for healing the pain of past so you can trust again.

Have you ever trusted someone to love you that did not know how to love? Or have you ever loved someone that did not know how to receive your love? In both cases you will experience rejection. This type of rejection is very painful especially when it comes from someone whom you really trust. The pain from being hurt by someone you trust is much greater than being hurt by a casual friend. It takes years to build trust, but it only takes a moment of rejection to tear down trust. This is because when you trust someone, you open your heart up to them. When they reject you, the natural tendency is to close your heart to them in order to avoid being hurt again. The pain that comes from rejection creates a big wound that must be healed in order to be able to trust that person again.

Jesus made complete provision for our physical and emotional healing. But many people are stuck, “locked in time” desperately needing to be set free from the pain of the past. One way many people try to get rid of pain is to just forget what happened and forget about the person who hurt them. You can tear that person out of your address book and for a while you will be able to forget what happened but if healing did not occur the pain is still there. The pain that lingers from the past keeps you tied to the past. Isaiah, the prophet, said in Isaiah 1:4-6 that those people who have not been healed will go backwards. Like taking one step forward and then two steps backward, you aren’t getting anywhere.

Another way many people deal with pain is to run from it or pretend it really isn’t there. Pain is like a shadow you look around and it is still there no matter how fast you run. That is why so many people are walking around with the shadow of the past still on them. Pain must be faced and dealt with in order for it to be put away. Instead of running from pain, stop, turn around and face it. Pain must be faced to be healed. You may be one who has received some healing, but the pain still remains. Jeremiah 6:14 also says that when a person has only been healed slightly, they say peace, peace, but when there is no peace. The amount of peace you are having can be a good indicator of how much healing you have received. Once you are healed and the pain is gone you will be ale to hold your heart open again and trust. Healing produces trust in you. If the person that hurt you has proven over and over to not be trustworthy, suggest they also receive healing. Healing produces trustworthiness in them. Then wait on the Lord to give you peace.

The following steps can be taken to work through healing. These steps will need to be repeated out loud or written down several times during the healing process. You will experience the peace of the Lord as you go through this process. Now is the time for healing!

1. Step one for healing is to face it.

Who hurt you? _________

Who left you? __________

Who did not receive you? __________

Who refused to love you? ___________

 

2. Step two for healing is to face what you lost.

Did you loose a good friend?

Did you loose a husband?

Did you loose a wife?

Fill in the blank, I lost _________.

 

3. Step three for healing is to accept that the thing you lost is gone.

Make a list and write down all that you have lost.

I accept the fact that ____________is gone.

 

4. Step four for healing is to acknowledge to the Lord that you have been hurt and angry.

Lord, I have been angry at __________ for ___________.

I ask you to forgive me, and cleanse my heart of this anger.

 

5. Step five for healing is to release what you have lost.

Lord, I ask for your help to be set free from this pain. Lord by myself I can not accept the losses. I ask for your help to accept what I have lost. I accept the reality that _________ is gone; and I release (person or thing).

6. Step six for healing is to forgive the person.

Lord, I choose to forgive __________ for hurting me. They owe me nothing.

 

7. Step seven for healing.

My hope is in You, Lord. I know You are the one that gives life. Not the person or the things I have lost.

 

8. Step eight for healing is to choose life.

Lord, I choose Life; help me to continue looking forward towards the life you have given me.

 

Search My Heart

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 “Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

All through Scripture we are encouraged by the Lord to examine our heart. In Psalms 139, David prays and asks the Lord to Search his heart.

David said, “any wicked way,” this would be any wicked way of thinking, feeling or acting.  The thoughts of our heart are sometimes hidden from view, but can be clearly seen by our actions and our responses. Psalm 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” You can have the right intentions and want to respond correctly, but find it very difficult if you have been hurt or offended.  That is why the prayer that David prayed in Psalm 139 is so important for us to pray today.

The thoughts of our heart determine our decisions, actions and how we respond to others. We need to examine the condition of our heart, especially after we have been hurt or wounded by someone and know we are offended.  I believe that taking up offenses is one of the greatest traps of the enemy today.

When you ask, the Holy Spirit will reveal the condition of your heart. Ask Him to reveal every area that is not at peace. Therefore, when you ask the Lord to search your heart, don’t be surprised when the Holy Spirit brings to your attention a relationship conflict that still needs to be resolved. The level of peace clearly indicates how much we have resolved heart issues so that, we are no longer controlled our circumstances. Peace is the inward witness of the presence God, as He leads us through every situation we face.