The Hurt - Why Do I Continue To Be Hurt By Others?

Hurt can be a powerful weapon that distracts us. Many times we are hurt by someone and it draws up soooo many emotions: anger, sadness, depression, sometimes even hate. (John 14:15 -- If you love me, you will keep my commandments.) <----- If we focus on the scripture, we realize that in that state of mind it’s a hard thing to do. 2 of GODS commandments are love (2John 1:6) and forgiveness (Matthew 6:14.) If we are realistic these are difficult when the person requiring love and forgiveness hurts us, especially on a continued basis. But what good is righteousness that is never tested. How powerful will you realize you are unless your strength is tested? How will you know what areas to improve if they are not exposed? We tend to lose the main lesson that GOD tries to teach us because our flesh blocks HIS will from manifesting in our hearts. When someone does you wrong, it exposes YOUR WILLingness to keep GOD’s commandments because of your love for HIM. GOD says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So every hurt is an opportunity to show GOD how much you love HIM. Don’t allow someone’s actions force you to fall out of love with GOD by disobeying HIS commandments. We focus all of our attention, or most of it rather, on questions asking why someone will hurt us. The flesh needs no explanation. It is designed to disappoint and confuse you, and if you allow it, it will always be successful. Your ability to keep GOD’s commandments in the face of the adversary will strengthen and prove your love for GOD. So, if you are being hurt, the revelation is not in your understanding of THEIR actions nor in revenge, but it’s in YOUR ability to maintain obedience in spite of an attack. KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS. The best form of revenge is IMMEDIATE forgiveness. Realize that Victory was never presented to you as an option. IT ALREADY BELONGS TO YOU. Live it out!!!!

How Good Do You Look?

How Good Do You Look?

As we examine ourselves daily, we have to look at who we are and how we appear to GOD. Are we spiritually and physically attractive to HIM?  Do we please HIM?  Often times the world places MUCH emphasis on physical attraction and we cater to this specific mindset.  The first thing we see in the opposite gender is the attractiveness if we are in pursuit of that, but someone’s face is not an accurate representation of their heart.  What if we all physically looked like the righteousness or evilness that we carry? What if our physical beauty can change many times depending upon how many bad things we have in our heart?  Would we be beautiful every second of the day? Would you only be beautiful on Sunday morning at church but ugly every other day of the week?  Would your beauty die while the sun goes down or during the weekends? Will you lose your attractiveness as soon as something doesn’t go your way?  Ask yourself now……..HOW GOOD DO I REALLY LOOK? 

Contrary to popular belief, GOD identifies your attractiveness by the fruits you carry: Love, joy, peace, forbearance, KINDNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL.  All of these traits cannot be identified by what we see on the outside.  Just because someone is smiling doesn’t mean that they have peace or joy.  Just because you SEE someone act calm and peaceful doesn’t mean that they have self-control.  These things have to be in your heart, not your face.  What does your heart say to GOD about the fruits that you carry?   Matthew 5:8 says “Blessed are those who are pure in HEART, for they shall see GOD.” It does not say Blessed are those that look good, for they shall see GOD.”   It’s great to have confidence in your external and internal beauty because GOD made you wonderfully, but the extent of your beauty is the extent of the goodness in your heart.  GOD did not bless you with physical attraction to give you a free pass to be rude or arrogant.  Internal darkness cannot hide behind physical beauty.  Let’s change our mindset and focus on the heart of the people and watch the change start to happen! 

Scriptures to focus on:

Galatians 5: 22-23

1Peter 3:4

John 13:35

Prayer:

LORD, thank You for your mercy and grace in spite of the many ways that I am not like You.  Help me see beauty as You do. Renew my mind and my heart and create a steadfast spirit in me.  Help me become more like You daily inside and outside.  Destroy the yokes of worldly thoughts on my life and let Your righteousness be my vision as I choose to seek You more every day.  I pray for everyone around me and may I be a vessel that helps them see You better.  In JESUS’ name…..AMEN!

The Power of FORGIVENESS

Many times in life, people will hurt you intentionally and unintentionally. It’s a guaranteed byproduct of living. We often think that forgiveness is a complete erase of what someone has done to you and that it should not hurt anymore. This cannot be farther from the truth. However, forgiveness is a choice that you make to become more like GOD rather than give in to what the world may deem a valid reason to get even. It’s a decision to love unconditionally in spite of the fact that you have been treated directly opposite. Pride is the direct enemy of forgiveness. It puts certain things in your heart that should not be there because it’s a sense of pride and dignity that makes you superior in your eyes. None of us are exempt from a NORMAL life. There has not been a person that ever lived that has not been hurt or chastised. But, growth out of a hurtful situation cannot come if pride has inhabited your mind. Pride will make itself very familiar to you….here’s a recollection of what pride sounds like: “Do they know who I am? Who do they think they are? They must not know where I’m from?” Sound familiar?

One of the best examples of forgiveness in the Bible is the story of Joseph. He had undeniable favor from his father and his brothers hated him because of it. They despised him so much that they planned to kill him. But, this plan did not come about until Joseph told them about a vision GOD gave him. He was to be given dominion over his family in the future. This is when the brothers hate for him turned from a feeling into an actual plan to destroy. Some people hate you and they internalize it, but when they hear about what GOD is doing for you they will try and plot to hurt you the best way they can. GOD is not in the business of blessing you secretly, he wants EVERYONE to know of His goodness and how He can cater to those who serve Him. So hate from the world is a byproduct of the FAVOR OF GOD. None of us are exempt from hate. GOD made good on His promise and put Joseph in a position of power. This is not the most important part of his story. The fact that the vision was manifested was inevitable, but his brothers that planned to kill him but sold him into slavery were now struggling and their blessing was in the hands of the one that they tried to destroy. Joseph had a heart to forgive because the love He had for GOD would not allow revenge to consume his heart. This made him READY to receive what GOD had for him. Don’t let anyone’s actions against you destroy the preparation stages that are necessary for you to grow. GOD wants to take you to higher places and he wants people to see you blessed. HE wants to FLOW through you but cannot do so if you have BLOCKAGE in your heart. Stop holding yourself back! Forgiveness is not only critical for your growth, but it’s absolutely necessary for the growth of those around you. Is the hurt that you feel more important than the place that GOD wants to take you? Is the choice to hold on to things that people have done to you worth letting go of the things that GOD has stored up for you? Your past will always stay in your present until you decide to let it go!

Recommended/Related Readings:

Genesis 37

Psalms 51:10-12

Proverbs 17:9

Matthews 6:14