Letting Go Of Offenses

“Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself.”
-Harriet Nelson

One of the major reasons so many Believers don’t live the lifestyle of victory that they should is because many of us are walking around inwardly offended. Yes we have become masters at putting on a “face” at Church when inwardly we are hurt, bitter, resentful and angry because we have been offended by someone or something. Offenses can begin with something as trivial as someone not speaking to you but when entertained the end results can be hazards to your walk with God.

Someone once said that “Anger is just a cowardly extension of sadness. It’s a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them you’re hurt.” Some of the definitions of an offense is to be angry, resentful, hurt or displeasured. Holding on to offenses can not only steal your joy, peace and energy but it continuously keeps you bond as a slave to the one who hurt you and allows them to have power over you. Power not only to hurt you once but to hurt you over and over again every time you think about it. When you choose to forgive you are actually setting yourself free from the prison of power that the person who offended you has you captive.

There are many reason why people walk in offenses. For some being offended is the only way that they know how to exist, they have been offended for so long that their identity is wrapped up in the offense. Typically their un-forgiveness is rooted in fear. Fear of if they actually let go of the offense they may be responsible for their own actions instead of letting what has happened to them in the past be the reason for their current behavior.

For others holding on to their offense is due to a “Victim Mentality” thinking that someone owes them something because they have been hurt in life. It is when you accept the fact that nobody owes you anything, not even God is when you will be completely liberated from this mentality. You will give and not expect something in return because you didn’t give it to receive something in return.

Forgiveness is a decision that we have to make daily, it’s a choice. Forgiving those who have hurt us the most has got to be one of the hardest things in the world to do but with God’s help all things are possible. God created everyone with a free will. As Christians we can take control over the negative thoughts and emotions that the enemy tries to flood our mind with by simply making God’s word the final authority in our lives.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When we recognized the greatness of what God did for us through Jesus even when our sins were great it’s a lot easier for us to have compassion and forgive those who hurt us. The more we focus on the cross the less power offenses have over us.

I once heard a story about two brothers who both grew up in the same home with an abusive alcoholic as a father. Years later one brother ended up in prison while the other one ended up being a very successful business man. When both brothers were ask the question “How did you end up the way that you did?” both responded in the same manner “Because my father was an abusive alcoholic.”

Disappointments hurts and pains are a part of life but you shouldn‘t let that have control over you. One brother decided that since his father was an abusive alcoholic that is what he was going to be. While the other brother decided that because his father was an abusive alcoholic he was going to be the total opposite. Both brothers had identical experiences but they both choose to channel it differently.

You can allow offenses to take you down a path of un-forgiveness, bitterness and resentment. Or you can take the bricks from that same path and build stepping stones. I encourage you to take a closer look at your life. Are you walking in offenses? It takes a strong person to forgive, Begin placing your trust in God that he will give you the strength needed for you to forgive and grow from your hurts and pains. That they will no longer hinder you but help you become the person that God designed you to be. The choice is up to you.

-Rita

Reaching Your Potential

If you have to identify in one word the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve it’s full potential that word would be “Laziness”
-Richard

Have you ever wondered why some people go off to do great things in life while others seem to be stuck sitting on the sidelines? So what separates those ordinary people from becoming the extraordinary people? If you look closely you will find the answer hidden inside of the word “Extraordinary”. Carefully looking you will notice that the word “Extraordinary” is actually made up of two words “Extra” and “Ordinary”. The difference between Extraordinary people and Ordinary people is simple. Extraordinary people are just ordinary people who do the extra that other ordinary people want do. Everyone in life is born with the same amount of potential. Physically some may have more hurdles to jump over in life than others but everyone’s potential is still the same.

The reason why so many people never reach that potential is because of laziness. If you want to reach any goal in your life, you must put that extra work into it to see it come to pass. What most people do is wish for things to change in their life but wishing is not the same thing as of obtaining. You must go from wishing to wanting, and from wanting to obtaining. You must devise a plan for the things that you want out of life, and then follow through with that plan (Habakkuk 2:2) People who achieve great things in life know how to sacrifice something now to obtain what they want later.

So how do I go from being Ordinary to becoming Extraordinary? First you must recognize that if one person can accomplish a dream in their life you can too. Everyone of us no matter how great still put our pants on the same way, one leg at a time. Acts 10:34 says “And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons”. Here the word of God clearly states that God is no respecter of persons. If you have seen God do wonderful things in someone else’s life, he can do those same things in your life. This demolishes any thinking that God loves or wants to do more in other peoples lives than in yours.

Secondly you must go towards that dream on purpose. The things that you want out of life are not going to come to you by accident. You must set your mind to achieve them on purpose. Set your heart on accomplishing the goals and dreams that you wish to possess. In other words get your wishing in line with your doing. Lastly, get rid of anything that is not brining you closer to obtaining your dreams.

If your goal is to be the Next Best Salesman/woman in your company, then don’t sit at home trying to find who the Next American Idol is going to be. More than likely this is what your competition is doing. To become great you are going to have to make some sacrifices and do what others aren’t willing to do (the extra). If something is not propelling you towards obtaining your goal get rid of it or cut back on it. Recognize that you are great and there are certain things in this life that only you can do. Certain people only you will be able touch. No matter what your life has been like in the past make the decision today to go from wishing to obtaining. The choice is in your hands, let’s go out and make our lives count.
-Richard

Applying God’s Word

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

As followers of Jesus reading the word of God is vital in our everyday lives. I am thoroughly convinced that we can conquer anything in this life through reading, actively knowing and applying God’s word. Yet many Believers are walking through this life frustrated, defeated, busted and disgusted because they are simply ignorant towards this truth. They approach reading their bible as a chore or duty to be scratched off of their checklist instead of approaching it from a standpoint of life change.

Most people think that the Bible ministers only to their Spirit man but today I would like to challenge your thinking. Just as God created us in his image Spirit, Soul and Body he created a book that would assist us with all three of these areas. God wants us to have victory and walk in everything he has for us. But we can not do this unless we are whole mind, soul and body. God knew this and this is why he doesn’t just address spiritual things in his word.

What we tend to do is focus more on the Spiritual aspect of the Bible. Often viewing it as something that’s far off and “deep” like God. But the Bible is very practical and can be applied to your everyday life. For example, when I was getting out of debt I used the word of God as my guideline. I constantly repeated scripture to myself from God’s word while going through this process. “I will owe no man nothing but to love him” the word of God says “If you owe someone something you should allow no sleep to your eyes until you have paid your debt in full”. While repeating these scriptures my mind was being renewed to the mindset of Christ. This is where the word of God ministered to my Spirit as well s my Soul/Mind.

Even though I had allowed God to change my mindset and minister to my Spirit in this area it still didn’t change the fact that I was in debt. Using those same scriptures I physically went out and got an extra job to put my money where my faith was. I worked long hours, got on a budget and put all of my extra money towards the debt until it was completely paid off. Had I just quoted scripture and didn’t apply what I knew it would have had no affect in my life. Reading the word of God only transforms you when you put it into action. No matter how much you read it, quote it or even believe it.

God’s word can help us in our ordinary everyday life. We should never read God’s word just to read it or to fulfill some sort of spiritual duty. When reading it we should allow the Holy Spirit to transform our lives Spirit, Soul and Body.

-Richard

Judging Others

They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said,
"All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!"
John 8:7

At one point in my life a major distraction for me was what everyone else was doing. I was so focused on judging the sin in everyone else’s life I couldn’t hear what God was trying to say to me about me. It’s easier to judge others and forget about our own shortcomings because we are not responsible for changing other’s but we are responsible for changing ourselves. We can easily belittle and talk about others because we have no obligation to change them. But when it comes to taking responsibility and owning up to our own faults then we are completely obligated. So it’s easier to ignore your obligation to change “You” and focus on what everyone else needs to change about themselves.

In John Chapter 8 while Jesus was teaching a crowd the religious leaders brought to him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They humiliatingly forced her to stand in the middle of the crowd and demanded that she be stoned to death. They begin to quote scripture to Jesus and asked him what they should do with her in hopes of finding fault in him. Then Jesus said to them "All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!" Little by little the men who had so viciously accused her begin to leave because they knew that their sins were great. Then Jesus told her that he didn’t condemn her and to go and sin no more.

Jesus didn’t say this because he condoned or agreed with her sin. He said this because he doesn’t judge man the way we do. God was not looking at her outward sin he was looking at her heart. In John Chapter 8:15 Jesus says “You set yourselves up to judge according to the flesh by what you see. You condemn by external, human standards. I do not set myself up to judge or condemn or sentence anyone.” Even though God is completely righteous and fully capable of condemning us he still does not. He waits lovingly with open arm for us to repent and come to him. But human nature is quick to judge, condemn and find fault in others. Sometimes we will even seek out the sin in other peoples lives so that we can have the “dirt on them” so to speak.

We are not fully qualified to completely judge others because we only see their situation from one angle. But God’s sees every angle of their life. He knows their thoughts, their weakness, their motives and intentions. God even sees their childhood and what lead up to them behaving the way that they do. God knows them inside and out! As mere men we only see the surface and automatically assume that this qualifies us to write them off as a lost case doomed to hell for all eternity. Instead we need to realize that if God saved us he can save anybody. You may physically see someone commit a unspeakable act of sin but you don‘t fully understand why they did it. Just like the woman in John chapter 8 they can be completely guilty but only God fully understands why she was doing what she did.

This does not give anyone permission to sin or to say that we don’t need to pay attention to sin. But we don’t need to be so sin conscious that we are more focused on the sin that a person is committing instead of how much God loves them and wants to see them delivered and set free. In life it’s important that we remain balanced and sober in our thinking. We are to hate the sin not the sinner. We are to Judge the sin not the person. So the next time you are faced with the opportunity to harshly judge others, gossip, backbite or criticize them I urge you to put on the characteristic of Christ which is love. Love that doesn’t see where a person is but sees the potential of where they could be through Christ.

If you heed to this advise it will save you a lot of heartache and disappointments in life. If more people knew this we wouldn’t see so many fall away from their faith in God because their Pastor wasn’t perfect or someone they really looked up to disappointed them. You need to be responsible for You and let God change everyone else. The only obligation you have to others is to love and pray for them. When you make up your mind to change it’s not going to be easy. It’s human nature to want to gossip or talk about others. We tend to lean more towards negative things rather than positive things. But I assure you that you can walk in victory over your flesh and love people with the love of God even when it‘s hard (most of the time it will be). God’s word makes it clear that we can have victory in this area through love.

1:Peter 4:8 tells us that above all things we are to have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins forgives and disregards the offenses of others. By loving your brothers and sisters you cover them. You actually allow God to move in their hearts instead of giving them a reason to despise your or even God. Start loving, covering and living your OWN life again today.
-Rita

Delayed Does Not Always Mean Denied

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Some time ago I found myself utterly disappointed because there were so many things that I had been believing God for but I still hadn’t seen them come to pass. Because what I had been believing God for didn’t come in my timing I figured it wasn’t going to come at all. I found my mind flooded with negative thoughts. Thinking well “Maybe I just don’t have enough faith?” or “Maybe God isn‘t listening?” I even blamed the devil for my prayers being hindered. Thankfully, I learned that just because what I was believing God for was delayed, that did not mean that it was denied. Just because I didn’t receive an answer when I thought I should, did not mean that I wouldn’t receive any answer at all. Often what we want and what God wants are two totally different things, and there is nothing but time that will allow our hearts to become one with the Father.

Sometimes without even realizing it we place God on the level of mere men. We self-righteously think that when God speaks a thing it may or may not happen. Because sometimes men lie, sometimes men hurt us or cheat us. But God is not even in the same ranking as man. What he does is divine and if God said it, it certainly will come to pass. Often when we experience a delayed prayer it is only God preparing us to receive the answer. Because if he gave us an answer right away many times we would not even be able to handle the blessing.

I can remember a time years ago when there was a great prosperity movement going on in the body of Christ. It seemed like everywhere you looked somebody was preaching on prosperity. I’d watch as Millions of Christians would shout “Money Cometh to Me Now!” in hopes of becoming multi-millionaires my husband and I included. Needless to say it didn’t happen for most of us. This wasn’t because God doesn’t want us to prosper, it’s because he knew that we were not ready. Truth be told receiving a million dollars back then would have destroyed many of us. We wouldn’t have been able to stand the blessing. God is more interested in us developing qualities like Character, Integrity and our hearts being right towards him than us being millionaires believe it or not.

Some of us should be grateful that God didn’t respond to our prayers the moment we thought we should receive an answer. Sometimes it may appear as if God has abandoned you and left you alone to die but I want to encourage you not to grow weary. Numbers 23:19 says “God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” It may be hard to detect when God will show up but when he does there is no doubt that he has been there. So I strongly urge you to learn to love the process. Go through it maintaining an attitude of joy. Without complaining have confidence that God loves you and he knows what’s best for you. Remember that even the most exquisite diamonds are formed only through pressure.

-Rita

Enter By The Narrow Gate

Matthew 7:13-14 tells us to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” If I were to ask you what Jesus meant by this scripture your response would probably be that of most people. Those who are following Jesus are entering through the narrow gate and those who are following the world are entering through the broad gate.

I would like to give you another interpretation of that scripture. Most of us have dreams and goals in our life that we would like to see accomplished. Whether it’s becoming debt free, owning your own home, fulfilling your God-given destiny or just being the best Father/Mother that you can be. All of these are great goals but where most people go wrong is that they think only about the end result. Never taking into consideration that there is a process in between reaching their goals.

When Jesus tells us to walk through the narrow gate he knew that reaching our dreams wasn't always going to be easy. He also knew that human nature loves instant gratification. We typically want the end result now, aborting the process and going straight for the prize. For example, lets just say that someone wants to get out of debt. If they were to enter by the narrow gate they would get on a budget, take any extra money that they had and put it towards their debt. Even getting an extra job if necessary. While entering through the broad gate only encourages you to do what everyone else does.

Taking out a second mortgage to pay off your debts, transferring all your credit card debt onto another credit card or just ignoring the debt altogether. Entering by the broad gate may solve your problem for the moment but in reality you are still in debt. However, entering by the narrow gate may take longer but it’s best in the long run. Not only will you completely eliminate the debt but it also builds character and instills a sense of accomplishment that you wouldn’t have got by following the crowd.

When you’ve worked hard getting out of debt you develop a new found respect for money and are less likely to get back into debt. While those who took the short cut almost always end up back in the same position. It also shows you that if you work hard you can achieve anything that you want out of life. The broad way tends to follow the masses doing what is comfortable and pleasing to the flesh for the moment. Only problem is it leaves your life in chaos full of broken dreams and shattered goals. Jesus strongly urged us to choose the narrow way to life. As painful as it may appear this road is always the best one to take.

-Richard

Knowing Your Self-Worth
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalm 139:14

Do you know how valuable you are to God? God envisioned you in his heart even before the foundations of the earth. He had a purpose in mind when he created you. Like a thumbprint you are unique. You don’t have to strive to impress anyone or be different you just are. Just like no two thumbprints are the same there never has or never will be another you.

Every man and woman alive today has God-given gifts. There are things that only you will be able to do on this earth because God specifically designed you to do them. Yet so many people really don’t realize their self-worth. They let the amount of money that they make, how much “stuff” they own, their education level, their social status or even their circumstances and situations determine how valuable they are.

You don’t have to struggle to make yourself valuable you already are. Psalm 8:4 say’s “what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?” In comparison to the greatness of the universe we all may appear to be insignificant. But what makes us significant is that God who created everything chose to make us the center of his attention. Out of every living creature that God has ever created we are the only ones made in his image. Yes, you are God’s masterpiece, wonderfully and fearfully made by the hand of a loving creator.

Our Deepest Fear
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~ Marianne Williamson

When you allow accomplishments, people or things determine your self-worth you are only setting yourself up for failure. You are valuable because God made you that way. It came with the package when he designed you.

-Rita