In doing a bible study from Charles Stanley, I learned so much I thought I'd share it with you all today. With the world in such turmoil lately, it really hit me hard that we all need to be prepared to handle difficult times in a Christ-like manner to the best of our ability.
The apostle Paul understood how to handle tough circumstances. Even while he was confined in a prison cell, he kept his eyes on Christ and trusted firmly in the Savior. Therefore, despite being in chains, he was able to celebrate the Lord's work in his life. In fact, the Epistle he wrote from jail to the Philippians was filled with rejoicing (1:18; 2:18; 3:1).
Focusing on Christ is neither a natural reaction nor an easy one. Our instinct is to dwell on the situation at hand, searching for solutions or stewing over the pain and difficulty. As a result, troubles look scary and overwhelm us with a sense of defeat.
However, fear and defeat cannot live long in a heart that trusts in the Lord. I'm not saying you'll forget what you're going through, but you can choose to dwell on His provision and care instead. He is the Deliverer (2 Cor. 1:10). He is the Healer (Deut. 32:39). He is the Guide (Prov. 3:6). The believer who lays claim to divine promises discovers that God pushes back negative emotions. In their place, hope, confidence and contentment take up residence (Phil. 4:11). You aren't going to be happy about a difficult situation, but you can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble.
The Lord's principles and promises don't change, no matter how severe or painful the situation is. Focus on Christ instead of the circumstances - God will comfort your heart and bring you safely through the trial. Then you can answer Paul's call to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil. 4:4).
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Death Sentence for Murders...pondering my feelings
Watching all the hype and news coverage over the Troy Davis death sentence has been very emotional for me. I'm torn between the feelings of the family of the man that was murdered and what God would have done to Troy Davis.
Since Danielle was murdered I can speak first hand to this issue and watching it from the outside looking in, I can't help but wonder what the son of the man that was murdered is feeling right now. Troy Davis robbed him of his father for his entire life, as he was only 7 months old when his father was murdered. I only hope the child can forgive Troy Davis so that he doesn't suffer the fate of harboring ill will for his entire life. That wouldn't be justice at all.
If you believe in the New Testament of the Bible then you have to believe that Jesus died for all of our sins equally. Not just the little ones or the ones we believe to be forgivable sins. This would include any broken Commandment, right? Thou shalt not lie, Thou shalt not covet, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill...this puts the cheaters, liars, thieves, jealous people and killers in the same class. If you believe in Jesus then you have to believe we all can be forgiven of our sins if we ask. When Jesus died for our sins, it means He died for all of them not just the ones that are socially acceptable to the world we live in.
Arguments support that God said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, therefore we gave birth to if you kill someone we can kill you (the death sentence). I have to say that until I was a true Christian I did agree with the death sentence. However, now I believe God is the only one that can truly pass judgment on our sins. We will all be judged according to His word on the day of our passing.
This is when I think more and more of what we were asked to do by God, and that was to forgive others as we want to be forgiven and not to judge others as we will be judged as we judged others. Don't get me wrong, I believe that all of us that commit illegal behavior should be punished appropriately, however, I do also believe God never meant for us to take another life regardless of what they have done.
My husband once told me something very wise, he said "Honey, if you believe that God has a plan for your life and would forgive you of any sin you commit, don't you believe that God had the same intentions for the boy that took Danielle's life?" That made me really reconsider how I felt about Darryl (Danielle's Murderer). I felt pity for him, I prayed that he would be affected by prayer and his heart would be softened so that the word of God would be able to enter his life and he would be able to do good works in the life he will have behind bars. I did forgive him and if I can, everyone should be able to.
Back to Troy Davis, I believe that if he has asked God for forgiveness, then we should also forgive him as well. If he has been saved then I believe he will go to heaven and answer for his crimes and be shown how his errors affected so many lives. This will be punishment enough...I trust my God to be Just! How about you?
Since Danielle was murdered I can speak first hand to this issue and watching it from the outside looking in, I can't help but wonder what the son of the man that was murdered is feeling right now. Troy Davis robbed him of his father for his entire life, as he was only 7 months old when his father was murdered. I only hope the child can forgive Troy Davis so that he doesn't suffer the fate of harboring ill will for his entire life. That wouldn't be justice at all.
If you believe in the New Testament of the Bible then you have to believe that Jesus died for all of our sins equally. Not just the little ones or the ones we believe to be forgivable sins. This would include any broken Commandment, right? Thou shalt not lie, Thou shalt not covet, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill...this puts the cheaters, liars, thieves, jealous people and killers in the same class. If you believe in Jesus then you have to believe we all can be forgiven of our sins if we ask. When Jesus died for our sins, it means He died for all of them not just the ones that are socially acceptable to the world we live in.
Arguments support that God said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, therefore we gave birth to if you kill someone we can kill you (the death sentence). I have to say that until I was a true Christian I did agree with the death sentence. However, now I believe God is the only one that can truly pass judgment on our sins. We will all be judged according to His word on the day of our passing.
This is when I think more and more of what we were asked to do by God, and that was to forgive others as we want to be forgiven and not to judge others as we will be judged as we judged others. Don't get me wrong, I believe that all of us that commit illegal behavior should be punished appropriately, however, I do also believe God never meant for us to take another life regardless of what they have done.
My husband once told me something very wise, he said "Honey, if you believe that God has a plan for your life and would forgive you of any sin you commit, don't you believe that God had the same intentions for the boy that took Danielle's life?" That made me really reconsider how I felt about Darryl (Danielle's Murderer). I felt pity for him, I prayed that he would be affected by prayer and his heart would be softened so that the word of God would be able to enter his life and he would be able to do good works in the life he will have behind bars. I did forgive him and if I can, everyone should be able to.
Back to Troy Davis, I believe that if he has asked God for forgiveness, then we should also forgive him as well. If he has been saved then I believe he will go to heaven and answer for his crimes and be shown how his errors affected so many lives. This will be punishment enough...I trust my God to be Just! How about you?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Jealousy, "The Big Green Monster"
I have been studying jealousy lately and thought I'd share what I learned with you guys. It's been a blessing to me and I hope it will for you as well.
Have you ever noticed when you get what you thought you wanted, it's really not all that great. That means you made it happen (living in the flesh) and didn't wait to follow God's will for your life. When you pray and wait for God's will you will always be satisfied and content with how your prayers were answered. Believe it or not, He does know best!
Love is not touchy or jealous so therefore when you are those things you have no love in your heart. You can't be both at the same time. When you realize you are being jealous or coveting what someone else has then pray fervently to love the person you are jealous of, even bless them by doing something wonderful for them. This is how the jealousy will get under your feet and you will be able to freely love everyone!
One of the Ten Commandments that we are to keep is "Thou shalt not covet". Did you ever wonder what that really meant? Well, it means that you won't lust after or wish you had what someone else has or look like someone else or live the lives they live. You never know what is behind the front we see in public. There could be pain, deceit, lies or evil associated with what is shown outwardly. We need to be happy with who we are and love ourselves and pray for God to live and shine through us outwardly. This will make you happier than you could ever imagine.
Jealousy breeds strife and where there is strife, there is every evil work. Intentionally seek and pray for peace and content, then you will most definitely find inner strength to overcome jealousy and show all others what God is doing through you because of it!
Have you ever noticed when you get what you thought you wanted, it's really not all that great. That means you made it happen (living in the flesh) and didn't wait to follow God's will for your life. When you pray and wait for God's will you will always be satisfied and content with how your prayers were answered. Believe it or not, He does know best!
Love is not touchy or jealous so therefore when you are those things you have no love in your heart. You can't be both at the same time. When you realize you are being jealous or coveting what someone else has then pray fervently to love the person you are jealous of, even bless them by doing something wonderful for them. This is how the jealousy will get under your feet and you will be able to freely love everyone!
One of the Ten Commandments that we are to keep is "Thou shalt not covet". Did you ever wonder what that really meant? Well, it means that you won't lust after or wish you had what someone else has or look like someone else or live the lives they live. You never know what is behind the front we see in public. There could be pain, deceit, lies or evil associated with what is shown outwardly. We need to be happy with who we are and love ourselves and pray for God to live and shine through us outwardly. This will make you happier than you could ever imagine.
Jealousy breeds strife and where there is strife, there is every evil work. Intentionally seek and pray for peace and content, then you will most definitely find inner strength to overcome jealousy and show all others what God is doing through you because of it!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Forgive and Forget...only God is that great!
Recently, I posted something in Facebook that sparked a challenge to my thought process. I posted, "God commands us to forgive, he never said you had to forget the hurt. God is the only one that forgives and forgets wrongs." One of my friends that shall remain nameless to the blog argued that if we are truly living a Godly life then God lives through us and we should also forget the hurts, as well as, forgive. I understand where he was coming from in that we all should lead a Godly life as an example and I believe we do have the Holy Ghost living in us and Jesus said we would do things on earth greater than he did. However, we are only human, of the flesh and I believe that we as human beings we are not perfect, we are all flawed in some way. We can try to forget past hurts but I believe that remembering them helps us protect ourselves from future hurts as well.
When we forgive, we are releasing ourselves from bondage to the person that hurt us. We do it for us, not for them. When you reach the point where you have truly forgiven someone, when you think of the past hurts, it will no longer hurt you.
When you say the Lord's Prayer, as we all probably resighted from the time we could talk, as you read it, and it says "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Think about that verse, do you really want God to forgive us the same way we forgive others? If you can't say yes than you need to work on your forgiveness skills.
I challenge each of you to consider these words as you forgive others. If you can forgive and forget, you should! However, if you are flawed like most of the world, our main goal is to forgive and move on. Don't hold onto the past hurts and move forward into a glorious relationship of love with everyone and especially God!
When we forgive, we are releasing ourselves from bondage to the person that hurt us. We do it for us, not for them. When you reach the point where you have truly forgiven someone, when you think of the past hurts, it will no longer hurt you.
When you say the Lord's Prayer, as we all probably resighted from the time we could talk, as you read it, and it says "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Think about that verse, do you really want God to forgive us the same way we forgive others? If you can't say yes than you need to work on your forgiveness skills.
I challenge each of you to consider these words as you forgive others. If you can forgive and forget, you should! However, if you are flawed like most of the world, our main goal is to forgive and move on. Don't hold onto the past hurts and move forward into a glorious relationship of love with everyone and especially God!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
December 26, 2010
Sorry it has been so long since I blogged, I think I had a blogging block...well, this has been our second Christmas without Danielle and I can say it never gets any easier. I recently was afforded the opportunity to see Danielle's killer come to justice. He had requested a plea deal and the state offered him Life + 10 years after they discussed it with our family and then he decided to take it on December 17th and appeared before the sentencing Judge in his case on Monday, December 20th almost a year to the date that he confessed to her murder stating it was an accident. It appeared to us as the best option because we were insured he would serve 30 years without parole and then 10 years plus any time it would take for application of parole. It also prevented him from ever being able to appeal his case. We decided to keep this decision between close family and friends only due to the fact that he could have changed his mind before he went before the judge.
As I have been blogging and preaching on forgiveness over the past year, I really knew I had forgiven him as he walked into the room for sentencing and looked to see his family and noticed there was no one there for him at all. Not one sole and not one had been to any of his hearings since the original bond hearing that all of the evidence was presented to the judge and his mother saw what he had done to my child. I can say that I felt nothing towards him...no anger, not mercy, not feelings at all other than pity or maybe even a little sorry for him. He didn't know it but I was there to make sure my child had justice for her death, but the only person that will have to answer to God when he dies is him. He will have to answer for what he did to an innocent life. He not only took her life but his as well and now where were all the so called friends that defended him on facebook...no where. They all realized he had indeed had killed someone and they have now turned from him. I only hope that he finds his own forgiveness in prison and that he uses God's word in prison to make a difference in someone else's life.
A lot of people don't understand that I have no hatred for him, but I don't. I find that through God's strength that He has blessed me with during this difficult time has been front and center the entire time. When you forgive someone totally, you will know it. Because when you do, when you see them you will feel no anger towards the person that wronged you. I was able to witness this first hand in his sentencing hearing. Ultimately, God will seek revenge for Danielle and all of us that loved her, it is not for us to do, it is His position only to pass judgment, not us.
We loved Danielle and will love her forever. I wanted everyone to know from my perspective how this could turn out to be such a calm and easy walk for me. I give all the Glory to God! I am reminded constantly that the bible says an eye for an eye but that was the old testament, after Jesus died for our sins, it is not only the righteous that are saved it is everyone that asks...and that would include him if he asks God for forgiveness, he should be forgiven as well.
Love to all of you and I hope to be able to blog more often. Thank you so much for following.
As I have been blogging and preaching on forgiveness over the past year, I really knew I had forgiven him as he walked into the room for sentencing and looked to see his family and noticed there was no one there for him at all. Not one sole and not one had been to any of his hearings since the original bond hearing that all of the evidence was presented to the judge and his mother saw what he had done to my child. I can say that I felt nothing towards him...no anger, not mercy, not feelings at all other than pity or maybe even a little sorry for him. He didn't know it but I was there to make sure my child had justice for her death, but the only person that will have to answer to God when he dies is him. He will have to answer for what he did to an innocent life. He not only took her life but his as well and now where were all the so called friends that defended him on facebook...no where. They all realized he had indeed had killed someone and they have now turned from him. I only hope that he finds his own forgiveness in prison and that he uses God's word in prison to make a difference in someone else's life.
A lot of people don't understand that I have no hatred for him, but I don't. I find that through God's strength that He has blessed me with during this difficult time has been front and center the entire time. When you forgive someone totally, you will know it. Because when you do, when you see them you will feel no anger towards the person that wronged you. I was able to witness this first hand in his sentencing hearing. Ultimately, God will seek revenge for Danielle and all of us that loved her, it is not for us to do, it is His position only to pass judgment, not us.
We loved Danielle and will love her forever. I wanted everyone to know from my perspective how this could turn out to be such a calm and easy walk for me. I give all the Glory to God! I am reminded constantly that the bible says an eye for an eye but that was the old testament, after Jesus died for our sins, it is not only the righteous that are saved it is everyone that asks...and that would include him if he asks God for forgiveness, he should be forgiven as well.
Love to all of you and I hope to be able to blog more often. Thank you so much for following.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Love and Ladybugs...Mothers Day Message
In reflecting on this, my first Mother's Day without Danielle, I have had time to reflect upon my life and Danielle's as well.
I received my mom's Amplified Bible to use as a reference yesterday and I saw a note in it that said Danielle's favorite verse in the bible was II Chronicles 5:13-14 "And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud. So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the House of God."
This verse has special meaning to me because she lived, loved and laughed the same way when she was a child. She would sing praises to the Lord all the time, just dance and sing His praises. Then as a teenager she departed from that but was always still filled with the spirit of love for everyone and protection of everyone whether she showed it or not. She loved the people she loved, deeper than anyone else I know.
As mothers, we should always have love in our homes and show children how to always love and show love and kindness to everyone no matter their situation or stature in their peer groups. Love never fails, it's not touchy, it's forgiving and everlasting. "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8 NIV
Danielle was almost always smiling and happy and I truly believe that she had God's love in her heart! There is no way to bask in the love of God and be unhappy at the same time! You can also choose to be happy, just as you could choose to be miserable. Danielle made a conscious effort to be happy all the time. I think she would want us all to rejoice the same way and live a happy, satisfied and fulfilling life!
I received my mom's Amplified Bible to use as a reference yesterday and I saw a note in it that said Danielle's favorite verse in the bible was II Chronicles 5:13-14 "And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud. So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the House of God."
This verse has special meaning to me because she lived, loved and laughed the same way when she was a child. She would sing praises to the Lord all the time, just dance and sing His praises. Then as a teenager she departed from that but was always still filled with the spirit of love for everyone and protection of everyone whether she showed it or not. She loved the people she loved, deeper than anyone else I know.
As mothers, we should always have love in our homes and show children how to always love and show love and kindness to everyone no matter their situation or stature in their peer groups. Love never fails, it's not touchy, it's forgiving and everlasting. "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8 NIV
Danielle was almost always smiling and happy and I truly believe that she had God's love in her heart! There is no way to bask in the love of God and be unhappy at the same time! You can also choose to be happy, just as you could choose to be miserable. Danielle made a conscious effort to be happy all the time. I think she would want us all to rejoice the same way and live a happy, satisfied and fulfilling life!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The timing of God...why are we in a hurry?
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalms 27:14
When we wait for the Lord, He will give us clear direction, guide us, encourage us, protect us, heal us, comfort us, empower us, answer prayers and reveal his will for our lives! The way to achieve this is through rejoicing through worship and praise to our Lord and Savior!
If we learn to wait for God's timing and direction from God, we learn to grow as believers. We all have self will. We need to will ourselves to wait for him. If he answered every prayer before we asked and waited, then what need would we have to seek Him! Give God his perfect timing in all that we do, remember, he never forgets anything except our sins.
There is great courage in someone to face temptations without giving in to immediate gratification and waiting for God's perfect timing for us. Great character is built in those that wait for the Lord!
People always want to know why do I have to wait? God is having us wait because He is readying the circumstances (there is never a coincidence), He's purifying our motives (making sure we're not being lustful, greedy or in self-will), He's teaching us to trust him, He's protecting us from something we haven't seen in the natural and what an awesome testimony we have when we are patient and wait for the answers to our prayers! He wants to be praised for these and this is His way of making sure everyone knows He is really there and listening!
When we wait for the Lord, He will give us clear direction, guide us, encourage us, protect us, heal us, comfort us, empower us, answer prayers and reveal his will for our lives! The way to achieve this is through rejoicing through worship and praise to our Lord and Savior!
If we learn to wait for God's timing and direction from God, we learn to grow as believers. We all have self will. We need to will ourselves to wait for him. If he answered every prayer before we asked and waited, then what need would we have to seek Him! Give God his perfect timing in all that we do, remember, he never forgets anything except our sins.
There is great courage in someone to face temptations without giving in to immediate gratification and waiting for God's perfect timing for us. Great character is built in those that wait for the Lord!
People always want to know why do I have to wait? God is having us wait because He is readying the circumstances (there is never a coincidence), He's purifying our motives (making sure we're not being lustful, greedy or in self-will), He's teaching us to trust him, He's protecting us from something we haven't seen in the natural and what an awesome testimony we have when we are patient and wait for the answers to our prayers! He wants to be praised for these and this is His way of making sure everyone knows He is really there and listening!
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