Tag: help

Alcohol, Drugs, Addictions & Demons

I don’t write or post for the “art of writing,” I write with one purpose: to inform, after reading you can decide what you do with the information. Recently, someone wisely said: “Knowledge is NOT power” – it’s what you do after you receive the knowledge that can be powerful!

Most of us are aware that using any drug or consuming alcohol usually starts out casual and for some it remains that way, but for others, it escalates to abuse, then to addiction. By the time addiction sets in, people believe they have lost the power to change, but they haven’t. The mind is powerful, because if we believe we can’t, we don’t fight it any longer. This picture of the elephant controlled by a rope is good image to remember. At a young age the elephant is tied by this rope and unable to break free, so by the time the elephant is large enough to break free, the elephant no longer believes the rope can be broken and the elephant can be set free.

Power comes from our belief and belief is a result of what we feed our mind.

There are many reasons people turn to drugs or alcohol, but unfortunately what starts out as a “helper” for something affecting our life turns into not helping any longer, so more is needed, then this can progress into full destruction of self, if we doesn’t break free. A feeling of helplessness and hopelessness can occur and anxiety, depression and even suicide can enter our mind. This is where the brakes need to be applied before the full accident and destruction occurs because this CAN be reversed, a good life CAN return!

I believe there is more to this and a significant reason why this downfall happens to people, I learned about it after reading the Bible. What affects us can be spiritual, of course we can’t blame everything on a spiritual force, and need to be accountable for taking that first step in the wrong direction- out of ignorance- more than likely. “People are destroyed from lack of knowledge” as the prophet Hosea said in scripture. If we don’t know about the spiritual realm and influence, we can be destroyed from this lack of knowledge. Scripture says:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12 (Paul wrote this)

I won’t get too much more into this because this topic is covered in depth in several articles and podcast episodes: Spiritual Warfare article and podcast , Suicide: the Biblical Response and podcast, Spiritual Warfare: How to Defeat it and podcast.

This demonic stronghold on us will take over our life, if we let it. But we can break it. The bible tells a story of Jesus encountering a man with many demons. He became isolated from people due to his condition but Jesus broke the stronghold and the man was fully restored. Strongholds can be broken in the name of Jesus today too! This encounter with Jesus was told by three different people in the Bible: Matthew (one of Jesus’ original disciples- Chapter 8), Mark (a friend of Peter who was one of Jesus’ original disciples- Chapter 5) and Luke (who was a doctor and investigated the stories to determine if they were valid).

Once the stronghold is broken, it is extremely important for us to remain “in Christ”- meaning surrendering our will to God’s will so that we remain protected: here’s an article on Surrendering and in podcast format because of this verse found in the Bible:

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus (Matthew 12:43-45)

Luke, who was a doctor, documented this in Luke 11:24-26 also.

It doesn’t take much effort today to find stories of people struggling with these battles. Matthew Perry was one of those who fought that battle:

When I heard about the October 7th 2023 massacre in Israel, there was no other way to comprehend what happened other than demonic influence. But did you hear what was discovered? The terrorists were under the influence of a drug. (see video below)

Drugs appear to be a “open gate” “invitation” to the demonic realm where they can then influence us and many of us are completely unaware of this sadly. Here’s another article about this: click link.

What to remember despite all of this: God loves us and wants us with Him in eternity; Satan (and his evil spiritual forces) come only to steal and kill and destroy; Jesus came that we may have life, and have it to the full. Jesus said this, documented in John 10:10

Paul tells us that it all starts in our mind, redirecting our mind, just like that elephant example in the beginning, belief causes something very significant in the physical reality of our life.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul (Romans 12:2)

Jesus told us this about the will of God:

For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Jesus (John 6:40)

If there are intrusive negative thoughts, we need to be reminded of God’s love for us: “Don’t give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table” by Louie Giglio is a good book to read, here’s a link to the book on Amazon.

God is waiting for each of us to turn to Him. He loves us more than anyone because He created us with a purpose in mind. Each of us has a purpose, has a reason why we are here, when we seek God, we realize our purpose.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God (written by Jeremiah the prophet, Jeremiah 29:11)
by Categories: bible study, Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, God, Healing, Improvement, Letting Go, Make It Count, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, spiritual warfare, suicide, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Rise Up after the Fall Down

Some will understand this, some won’t. Some will believe this, some won’t. Reading this is absolutely worth your time and understanding, because it is true, beneficial and doesn’t cost any money.

SOLUTIONS

We put so much effort in misguided ways, numbing the pain, bad advice, wasting time and money and often finding disappointment when a lasting solution isn’t achieved. But the lasting solution is here to be found 24/7 (right now). “seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9, Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29) I won’t make you wait until the end to hear the solution: “surrender your life to Jesus- once you seek and find him.” Before you dismiss this, give it a chance, this is not just “Christian talk”- it is the truth, based on my personal experience and many others. You don’t have anything to lose, but everything to gain.

HUMILITY

If you talk to people who have surrendered to Jesus, some of the strongest believers I’ve met overcame the worst imaginable circumstances. Unfortunately it seems that it often takes “hitting bottom” or some extreme tragedy before we truly seek Jesus. It also takes being in a humble mindset; the proud don’t need anyone. The proud can do it on their own- or so they think. However, pride comes before the fall. (Proverbs 16:5, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 18:12) God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. (James 4:6)

SURRENDER

I didn’t know what “Surrender your life to Jesus” meant when I first heard it, but it’s pretty simple: basically stop trying to handle it solo, seek God, ask for help from God, pray to the One who truly can make change happen in our lives. Ask God to guide your life, pray for guidance on every decision. With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

ASK FOR HELP

But there is something more to know, God is not like a “genie” or a “vending machine” where we just “ask and receive”- it takes a desire within us to want to change ourselves for the better, to want to be more godly in our actions, more Christlike – more like Jesus. It takes a willing attitude of “not my way, but Your’s” (God’s will). (To know about Jesus, we can study the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and/or John. There is similar content in each, but also different insights since they were written by different people. Matthew and John were each one of Jesus’ original 12 followers, Luke was a medical doctor and interviewed people who experienced Jesus in person and Mark was a friend of Peter who was one of the original 12 followers of Jesus also.)

SIN – REPENTANCE- HOLY SPIRIT

We can’t ignore the topic of “sin” though if we want to rise up (metaphorically and physically). Sin separates us from God. Sin hinders our prayer requests. (John 9:31). I think most of us know what sin is: going against the commands of God (Exodus 20– 10 Commandments), but Jesus tells people that the commands of God are even more extensive (Matthew 5) than what we see at “face value” in the 10 Commandments. But don’t be discouraged by that, God created us, He knows we are weak and stumble from sin, so He gives us a way out when we experience a temptation and He also is merciful and forgiving- if we truly are sorry and ask for forgiveness. He is quick to reconcile with us. And not only that but after we “repent” of our sin (which is ask for forgiveness and intend to change our ways), when we are honest and intend to change for the better, He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us change- this is how the impossible is possible- with God (the Holy Spirit). When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are “born again”– born of the Spirit, a new creation. We can let our past go because that no longer defines us, we have a new life, we become part of Jesus’ family, we become the son or daughter of God, we become a new creation!

BORN AGAIN- FREEDOM

When we are truly “born again,” we have God’s spirit residing within in us. We and others will know we have God’s Spirit because the evidence will show in our character. People will see the “fruit of the spirit” which is: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. No one who is born of God continues sinning. (1 John 3:9)

MADE POSSIBLE BY JESUS

When we have God’s spirit within us, we know we will be in God’s kingdom in the future. This takes away so much uncertainty about our future, knowing this. The only way this became possible, for us to have the opportunity to be in God’s kingdom, is because Jesus broke the curse of death that comes upon us when we sin, he did this when he died on the cross and raised from the dead. All our gratitude and thankfulness is to Jesus, without his resistance to sin, his obedience to the Father, this would not have been possible. Jesus is the way (to God’s kingdom), the truth (belief/faith) and the life (eternal life). No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus asks the Father for the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) and gives it to those who are sincere in their desires to be close in relationship with God. This is our adoption into God’s family, into His kingdom that will come.

It’s good to realize the freedom found being in Christ – having the Holy Spirit – brings us.

FREEDOM FROM:

  • a Broken Heart : there will be no more tears (Revelation 21:4) God is close to the broken hearted (Psalms 34:18)
  • Loss: those who put their faith in Jesus, who had the Holy Spirit indwelling when they passed away will come to life (Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 15:52)
  • Anxiety- Do not worry, God knows what we need and provides it (Matthew 6:25-34), Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) (John 14:27) When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy (Psalms 94:19)
  • Anger – anger is the foothold of the devil, when we have the protection of God, the Spirit of God residing we have strength and self-control (Ephesians 4:27) (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • Worthlessness– we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), for a specific kingdom purpose (Phillippians 2:13) (Ephesians 2:10), we are valuable or Jesus wouldn’t have suffered what he did so that we may be saved and live in eternity with God. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalms 139:13)
  • Temptation -God provides a “way out” for us, a way to avoid the temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
  • Depression – God refreshes us (Matthew 11:28), gives us peace and guards our minds (Phillipians 4:7)- Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Psalms 55:22)
  • Lust- So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)
  • Addiction – I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philipeans 4:13), Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)
  • Guilt – if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:21) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
  • Shame- those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalms 34:5)
  • Condemnation -Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)

FREEDOM BY:

  • Acceptance – though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me (Psalms 27:10)
  • Adoption – we become God’s son or daughter (Romans 8:16)
  • Mercy – he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our sins (Psalms 103:10), the Lord accepts our prayers (Psalms 6:9)
  • Forgiveness – For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14)
  • Love – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38) God is defined as love. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8) and Jesus also said the greatest commandment in the law to LOVE, love God and love others. (Matthew 22: 34-40). Love is everything.
  • Hope/The Promise of Eternity – “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) while this message was specific to Jeremiah, after reading the bible, we see this message is consistent throughout and specific for all those whom God loves.
  • Truth – Jesus said: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(John 8:32), Jesus also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). From these statements, it is through Jesus that we are freed! All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)
  • Value – So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
  • Peace – And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)- people who have the spirit indwelling feel peace in circumstances those without would not have peace.
  • New Creation – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17) All things will be made new (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21, Revelation 22)
  • a Defined Purpose – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

FILLED WITH JOY! God works all things for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28, Romans 15:13) But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2.10) That good news is Jesus, his mission and purpose on earth was to save mankind from the law of sin and death and give life to us so we can live in eternity with God as brothers and sisters. This is truth – Flourish with it!

by Categories: bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, Marriage, Parents, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, suicide, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

When the Obvious Isn’t.

How many times have we had this happen: something that puzzled us becomes known and then we think: “Wow, I should have seen that!”? Often it happens when we consider another person’s thoughts, another person’s perspective, someone who notices something we didn’t initially, until that person points it out. This is how each of us can help each other. So many people throughout my life have unknowingly influenced me; they unknowingly contributed to my direction in life: some were positive influences and others were negative influences, but both influenced change in me. This is also a reminder to “be thankful in all circumstances.” when that influence contributes to a positive change, and even if the circumstance is negative. But sometimes the change was negative: a great reminder to be intentional with friendships.

Those are examples of “small details” in life, the bigger picture in life is something that I gradually became aware of, through other people who pointed out very obvious details that I’ve passed over so many times throughout my entire life:

There is a literal Kingdom that has been and is forming right in front of us; it’s a “right in front of your face” “secret” formation (only because we are “blind” to it), so subtle that many don’t see it!

Thinking about a “Kingdom” in a literal sense is not something a US citizen would necessarily embrace, and many others may not either because of the mistrust and corruption we see every day. But this literally is happening right now, but not by force as many historical Kingdoms have formed in the past; with this one, each of us is allowed and encouraged to decide if we choose to live in this Kingdom which is currently forming.

Something finally connected with me this morning, many people might know the words to this prayer, but many of us may have simply memorized it, not thinking about each and every word. Here is the prayer, the prayer Jesus gave by example of how to pray to God:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

This is what I see now, some of which I didn’t see before:

  1. Where is God? “in heaven“- a spiritual realm we can’t fully comprehend because we haven’t seen it, (click the links for supporting documentation).
  2. Hallowed: “greatly revered and honored”- God, and only God, is to be worshipped, nothing should be more important than God in our lives (the first 3 Commandments given by God, summarized here)
  3. your kingdom come: This is literal, I didn’t comprehend this until now! God’s Kingdom will be coming to us, to earth, a NEW earth with a NEW ruler (Jesus) pay attention to how many times Kingdom is referenced, Kingdom – of heaven, not only that but the bible references “heavens”, plural, not a single place where people will permanently be! There is a new literal place that is offered to those who accept God’s Kingdom and God’s commands/God’s Kingdom’s rules will live, a place so beautiful, so challenging to describe, so peaceful, without sickness or evil.
  4. your will be done: God’s plan will happen, but along the way people’s choices are allowed by God, but eventually His plan will prevail, Jesus was part of God’s plan, part of God’s plan from the very beginning, prophesized by Isaiah approximately 700 years before Jesus was born!
  5. on earth as it is in heaven -the Kingdom of heaven will be brought here, to earth, under Jesus as ruler (see prior links)
  6. Give us today our daily bread – if we seek God first, all that we need will be provided to us, Jesus said this.
  7. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors – Jesus explained how important it is for us to forgive others, it affects us if we don’t forgive.
  8. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. This is where we see that those who are still controlled by the devil, do not recognize Jesus; it is our choice to break from and abandon that (be born again) and with the help and power of the Holy Spirit given to those who obey and ask God for help in Jesus’ name, we can overcome that slavery to sin.

It’s pretty amazing how much is within this simple prayer and referenced in other teachings Jesus gave us and throughout the Bible! There are a couple of videos I recommend on this subject, if you, or someone you know prefers to watch rather than read ?

Video 1: The Kingdom of God -AOC Network

Video 2: Walking in the Spirit – AOC Network

Video 2: The Millennial Reign of Christ – Pastor Daniel Batarseh

This is something I certainly look forward to! I love to travel, so I think about the beautiful places I’ve experienced (like driving the Na Pali Highway in Oahu, HI), or other places I’ve only seen through photos….and God created all that, but He has plans for something even better than that, something new- now THAT is VERY exciting to think about!!

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, TRAVEL, USATags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

2019 – Making God the Priority

2 am this morning and I wake up like it’s time to get prepared for the day, except it’s not! But a clear thought was in my head:

“All action eventually leads to a result – based on the priority we give it.”

If you review the titles of my prior blogs, you will see they are a journal of life events over the past four years (since 2016), searching for happiness and life purpose, leading to change along the way. In hindsight, the past four years went by so quickly but I’m not yet where I want to be in life. I hesitated in writing anything reflecting on 2019 because I can only describe it as one of the most challenging years of my life in almost every aspect (everything I prioritized in life was in turmoil); the positive highlights are the only things I posted on social media.

Having my priorities in life in turmoil, led me to the darkest time of my life, so dark that I was truly ready for my life to be over which further complicated my life by paralyzing my ability to accomplish anything that was a priority to me. Before I scare anyone I know reading this, I do not believe in suicide and that was never an option for me: I believe only God holds that authority to end a life; not us. A few who are closest to me suggested seeing a counselor to get through this, which I did, but was ineffective for me unfortunately. I wanted help getting through this time in my life, but it didn’t happen from the outside, so I stopped. But I knew that I needed help. It was finally at this point when I truly gave up on everything and tried one more way for help: I thought: if God created everything, He can do the impossible; then He is the only way I will get through this.

My first realization: While I was partially focused on changing my way of living, I wasn’t completely. Looking back to something I wrote years ago (2017) about Trust and Obey shows my resistance to obedience. As I’ve heard before: we keep experiencing the same results until we learn the lesson. And 2019 was living proof that it’s not enjoyable continuing the lessons, it’s easier to be obedient to God’s commands.

My second realization: I was still putting other things/sources before God; I wasn’t completely trusting God to make the significant changes in my life.

I started reading the bible, obsessed with trying to gain wisdom and understanding from the bible to get through this time because it was my only hope. While reading it, I realized I never truly “Surrendered to God” like I thought I did a couple years ago. I believed I surrendered, when I asked God to guide me, but I was still living how I wanted to live and doing everything based on my own feelings. After reading the bible, it became clear: I needed to change the way I was living. I read about peace, joy, contentment, no anxiety, no worries in all times of life, but I wasn’t experiencing that and didn’t understand why it wasn’t happening for me, when so many wrote about that experience in the bible? I needed that.

It was when I paid attention to a certain detail in the bible that I found the answer. There were people who were baptized by someone, but didn’t receive the Spirit of God. I know this is an “out there” kind of statement for many people, but it’s in the bible and I have faith. Here are the supporting verses from the bible:

“because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” Acts 8:16 NIV

“For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:5 NIV

“Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.‘ Acts 11:16 NIV

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28;19 NLT

John the Baptist baptized people in preparation for Jesus, this baptism was for repentance (deep sorrow for a past sin, wrongdoing, regret for past action), but the Holy Spirit is what people need for guidance, strength and true life change.

“I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ John 1:33 NLT

“As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.” Mark 1:10 NLT

“I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am- so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Matthew 3:11 NLT

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” Galatians 5:22 NLT

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NLT

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT

“So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 1:16 NLT

“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true- it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” 1 John 2:27 NLT

“So how does a person become filled with the Holy Spirit?” was my next question.

“He is the Holy Spirit, who leads to all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” John 14:17 NLT

“Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 NLT

When we live our lives as Jesus showed by his actions and advice (turning away from sin), we are able to receive the Holy Spirit.

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 NLT

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)” Romans 8:9 NLT

“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 NLT

Changing the way we live:

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ‘And don’t sin by letting anger control you.’ Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them…Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4: 17 -32

My third realization: Even though 2019 was one of my worst years ever, it brought me closer to God.

My fourth realization: This is something else that I found throughout the bible: God uses hardships to draw people closer to Him – that must be what has been happening in my life. There are numerous examples and stories in the bible about this.

My fifth realization (this morning):

“All action eventually leads to a result – based on the priority we give it.”

Seeking God daily by listening to encouraging, motivational bible derived messages that apply to every day living (click for a resource I access) (website) or reading something from the bible that’s relevant to a feeling I’m experiencing through this app (click here) appears to be making a difference for me: I truly am much more at peace with life even when it’s not easy, I have more patience, calmness, almost no anxiety, even though I should based on circumstances, I don’t have it, I trust that God will take care of it, if I do what is right. And after I started changing my ways, truly unexpected numerous good things began happening in my life.

This experience made me realize that God needs to remain THE priority in my life. This is wisdom from the bible: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments