Category Archives: personal growth

affirmation, appreciation, bible, change, faith, God, grace, Gratitude, Growing, journey, Lessons, life, personal growth, scripture, self improvement, Suffering

It’s All Good!

Many years ago, one of my best friends tuned his back on me, stabbed me in the back multiple times and began the unraveling of a life that I had spent all of my life trying to build and grow. The confusion, heartache and stress that it brought into my life, ultimately brought me to a place of just wanting to die. I asked him multiple times what was going on, what had I done in an attempt to find out how I might could fix what was obviously very broken. I never found out the answers to any of the thousands of questions that I had and eventually that became okay, because at the end of the day – that’s life.

As I sit here this morning, thinking about how grateful I am for the blessings that God has poured out upon my life, I can’t help but think back to those very dark times when I really didn’t care if I made it though another day or not. While I did not want to live, because the frustration, heartache and pain was just too much, God never left me. His presence was always with me, holding me and keeping me safe from myself. God used a lot of different things and people to help put the broken pieces of my life back together again. I am sure that to others I appeared broken, confused, lost and probably best just forgotten, but to God this “ole boy” was a different story.

Only a small handful of people really know the struggle between light and darkness that I was engaged in and of those that would say that they did, most of those people did nothing to help me, instead they looked down their noses in judgement and speculated in their gossip. It’s sometimes seems that others get their good feelings for themselves in the misery of others, which makes absolutely no sense to me, but I am sure that I have been guilty of the same.

At some point, the God, Who never left me, helped me to find my way out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. All of my life, I have witnessed God doing amazing and beautiful things through ordinary people. I now have a better understanding of how God uses the broken to bring blessing and it has changed the way I live by changing the way I see life, others, myself and God.

While I was lost in the darkness, wandering around trying to make sense out of the senseless and discover the purpose which I had lost somewhere along the way, God was preparing me to receive a gift, a new and improved outlook which reminds me that “God Gives Beauty For Ashes!”

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes,the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,that he might be glorified. -Isaiah 61:3

My point is this: Whatever is going on in your life at this particular time – EMBRACE IT! In my ole country boy way of putting things, I would just have to say: “It’s All Good!” It is true that God uses even the bad for our good as we love and trust Him. Life is probably not going to work out the way you think it should, no matter how good your thoughts and plan might be. Things will happen. Some days the sun will shine on you and some days the rain will fall, but remember this: There is a God, Who loves you and who has a plan to bless you. According to that plan, He will use even the bad for your good as you love and trust Him…

affirmation, bible, choices, Discipleship, enemies, Enlightenment, faith, God, Growing, Jesus, journey, Lessons, life, personal growth, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development

Chase The Devil Away!

You are a victorious warrior and you were created for victory and blessing. Never ever let the enemy convince of you of anything less than God’s very best. You have a Bible, God’s Word that is filled with promises from God to you. God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life and it to bless you, favor you and grow you into someone and something amazing for His glory and everyone’s blessings.

When we read in God’s Word, we discover that He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. God promises in His Word that He will cause our enemies who come against us to be defeated before our very own eyes. The key to victory is making sure that we stay connected to God as our source and strength.

If we are not careful, we can become our very own worst enemy and end up getting in the way of the blessing and victory God has for us. Do not give the enemy an inch, because if you do, he will take a mile. Here are seven things you can do to take your stand and protect your ground:

1. OBEY! God gives us instruction to help us, not to hurt us. Read His Word and obey His Word and you will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life. You can’t obey it, if you don’t know it and you will not know it if you don’t read it. Remember one minute in God’s Word is better than zero!

2. REPENT! To repent means to turn around, change directions. When the Spirit shows you that you are traveling in the wrong direction, repent, turn around and head back toward the good things of God!

3. BELIEVE! Believe that God is for you and not against you. God is not trying to keep you from enjoying life, God is trying to bless you and grow you in this life to get you ready for ETERNITY with HIM.

4. FIGHT! Fight the good fight by expecting that there are times that you are going to have to engage the enemy. It’s not all roses and there are tough day, but if you will fight, God will strengthen and victory will be yours.

5. PRAISE! Praise the Lord. Find some uplifting, encouraging and spiritually focused music and get your praise on. When the praise go up, the blessing come down and the enemy can’t stand the noise you God blessing His children…

6. ARMOR UP! The Scriptures teach us to put on the full armor of God. God gives you what you need, but you have to put it on and utilize it for it to be effective. Armor hanging in the closet does you no good. Get dressed up with the promises of God’s Word everyday and go out and claim your victory.

7. PRAY! Pray always and then pray some more. The Bible teaches us to pray without ceasing. Prayer is simply conversation with God. Talk to God, listen to God – enjoy the conversation.

It’s all boils down to a matter of choice. Make the choice to do your part and know that God will do His. Victory is yours, you just have to claim it!

affirmation, anger, change, forgiveness, Growing, life, love, mental challenge, mindfulness, Mystery, Life,, personal growth, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development, Values

The Bait Of Bitterness!

One of the enemies greatest tools is distraction and the enemy knows how to use a host of negative emotions to get your eye, heart, mind and soul off of what matters and onto the wrong thing, The longer the devil can keep us focused on the wrong thing, the farther he can cause us to drift from God and His blessings.

One of the devils favorite negative emotions to use is bitterness. You know that one, right? The one that leaves you stewing in your own negative stew pot of one negative leading to another and another and another and before you know it you are stuck in a prison of your own making.

The Bible puts it this way in Ephesians 4:30-32: “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.“

Bitterness if not dealt with will spread from our mind, to our heart, to our life and our living. It will impact in a negative way – who we are and what we do. Over time it will corrupt our spirit and dull our sensibility to the Holy Spirit of God, causing us to miss out on His gentle guidance into the sweet blessings that He created us for.

The thing about bitterness is not to ignore it and think it will go away, but to face it, confront it head on. Be honest with God about how you feel and what you are thinking, because He already knows anyway and then let His power do for you, what you can’t do for yourself. Let God set you free from the root of bitterness, by ripping that sucker out of your life, so that you will have room for the things that really matter.

Give God your negative and God will give you His positive and with God’s positive you can build the better life you were created for. Give God your bitterness and He will replace it with His peace and set you free for amazing blessings that words cannot describe…