I have noticed that when I am engrossed in GRATITUDE, I complain less. That means, to complain, I first have to be UNGRATEFUL for the good things that have happened. And to be ungrateful, I must first be UNMINDFUL of all those beautiful things that God has done. If you ever catch yourself COMPLAINING, it is because you’re UNGRATEFUL. You’re ungrateful because you’re UNMINDFUL of the great things life has offered you. The truth is, INGRATITUDE hasn’t ever made anyone better!
Lots of times life does feel lonely. It feels like you’re walking it alone, that no one understands what you’re going through. And at worst, it feels like, “God, why have You abandoned me?” Have you been there before? I have, several times.
When we feel this way, it’s time to remind ourselves that challenges aren’t a sign of God’s absence, and that it seems so “quiet and scary” doesn’t mean He is not there. For were He not there, life would have consumed us.
One of my most comforting Scriptures at such times is Hebrews 13:5. The Amplified version throws so much light on it. It says:
“… for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” Hebrews 13:5
Oh, dear Jesus Christ. Thank You for not giving me up nor leaving me without support. Thank You for not leaving me helpless nor letting me down. I take solace and refuge in this truth. Amen
The world is replete with master pieces, both natural and man-made. Talk of magnificent mountains like the Everest, the Himalayas, the Kilimanjaro. Think about the Oceans with their amazing sea beds and floral life. A gaze at the starry night sky would leave you with awe and wonder.
The towering Bhurj Kalifa and other similar architectural masterpieces make the world a wonder. The sudden, head-spinning advancements in technology, neuroscience, psychiatry, and space travel are some of the wonders of this world.
Yet, at the end of our lives, all that really matters is not how much we knew, how much we had; not the edifices we have built, not even the accolades we have received from others. What really matters is how much we were able to show genuine love to those within our sphere of influence.
Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13:3 says, “No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, without love I am bankrupt.”
Loving others is what really counts in the sight of God. Therefore, I have decided to live my life pursuing love; to understand more deeply God’s love for me, and to allow this love find greater expressions through me to others.
Immanuel: the God Who inhabits your personal world
THE GOD WHO INHABITS YOUR PERSONAL WORLD.
When God lost His family back in the Garden of Eden,His heart was ripped apart. He missed His family. He missed the sweet intimacy. And His heart yearned for man. He so badly wanted to be with us, that He had to strip Himself of divine glory and ambiance, and became a Man just like us:
“But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.” (Philippians 2:7, AMP)
In times of insecurities, uncertainties and fast changes, we need something as unchanging and secure as the NAME of the LORD, to build our faith, dreams and hopes on.
What does the NAME of the Lord really mean?
The NAME of the Lord entails His CHARACTER or NATURE. A person’s character means their characteristics or distinguishing features. It is a combination of how a person thinks and acts.
God is GOOD, and NOT EVIL! He is altogether GOOD, there’s NO TRACE OF EVIL IN HIM!
God is superlative GOODNESS.
When Moses asked to see God’s Shekinah GLORY, His COVERING, hear what God told Him:
“And the Lord said, “I will cause all my GOODNESS to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have MERCY on whom I will have mercy, and I will have COMPASSION on whom I will have compassion.” ~Exodus 33:19
God’s design, strategy and great wisdom for overcoming offenses is LOVE. This divine wisdom is revealed in the Spirit’s prayer through apostle Paul for the Philippine church: “I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. This will enable you to choose the most excellent way of all—becoming pure and without offense until the unveiling of Christ.” (Philippians 1: 9-10, TPT)
LOVE isn’t just a divine imperative to be obeyed. No! It is THE VERY FORMULA FOR THE PROSPERITY OF YOUR HEART AND SOUL AND BODY! Love alone can protect the wellbeing or sanity of the heart and soul. This is because only love has what it takes to overcome offenses. LOVE FORGIVES! “Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them.” (Colossians 3:13, TPT)
Offenses hurt our vital human relationships, which in turn adversely affect the wellbeing of our heart and soul.
In order to understand fully what I am about to teach, we must first go back to look at how God shaped or configured us to function.
In Genesis 2:18 God said, ” It is NOT GOOD FOR MAN TO BE ALONE; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
So being ALONE, SEPARATED/DISCONNECTED from others, SOLITARY, SOLO, BY YOURSELF is an EVIL that works against your makeup!
So God’s SOLUTION for being alone, by yourself, disconnected was to give man a SUITABLE HELPER, to adapt to his need for CONNECTION, RELATIONSHIP, TOGETHERNESS. God made woman who had the same nature as man, so that she could connect with him physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And in order to draw or attract them to each other, God placed in them the desire to love and be loved, valued, accepted, wanted or needed, cherished and approved. And God also connected them in a relationship, a family. In this way, their spiritual, emotional, mental and physical makeup would be fulfilled.
That’s why we all crave affection and relationship. We desire to be known and accepted and loved for who we really are deep inside us. And we also long to know others, so that we connect with them, not just superficially, but deeply. BECAUSE THE SOUL PROSPERS OR IS AT ITS BEST ONLY IN A MEANINGFUL AND FULFILLING CONNECTION OR RELATIONSHIP.
The enemy understands this truth about your makeup. He knows that your soul’s efficiency is negatively impacted outside of loving, understanding and cherishing relationships. So he’s constantly working to pull you apart from others, disconnect you from loved ones. He does this wherever there are two or more people connected – family, church, business/work place, etc And not only at the individual level, but also among nations. He does that by introducing OFFENSES.
So the next time an offense is coming in, know who is at work and what he wants to achieve.
YOUR PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING ARE CONNECTED
Your spiritual (soul and heart) wellbeing is intricately connected to your physical wellbeing. You can only be as healthy or prosperous as your heart and soul are. The Bible tells us: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.” (3John 2).
One VIRUS that shatters your spiritual (heart and soul) and physical health or wellbeing is called OFFENSES! OFFENSES kill. OFFENSES target the very relationships, connections that God has designed for the prosperity of your heart and soul…
OFFENSES come to stop the soul from flourishing by causing separations, dis-unity, disconnection. The end game is always to plunge the soul into the darkness of LONELINESS, GRIEF from loss of vital relationships, DEPRESSION, BROKENHEART from hurts. Offenses really hurt, not only your vital relationships, but also your heart and soul.
In the next post, we shall be looking at God’s wisdom and design for the protection of our spiritual and physical wellbeing from the attack of offenses.
It’s my prayer that God’s Spirit would prosper you – spirit, soul and body. In Jesus’ Name.
The Bible portrays God as a healer, not just of the body, but also of the innerman – heart and soul. He is a God Who heals and mends broken hearts. He heals our hurting emotions, and pained memories.
Jesus declared that He had come to heal and mend the brokenhearted. This is Great News!
God heals us by comforting our hearts. Isn’t it amazing that of all the names there are, Jesus chose to call the Holy Spirit “the Comforter”? Observe that Jesus didn’t say “a comforter”. He is the Comforter. That means there ain’t any other comforter in the earth. He took the place of Jesus Christ. He is the One Who comforts us in our brokenness.
The word “comfort” is a compound word from the words “com-” and “fortis.” Com is a word forming element usually meaning “with, together, together with, in combination.” Fortis is a Latin, which means “strong, brave.” Our word fortitude also came from the same root. Putting the two together, the word comfort gives a picture of a union or relationship, which brings strength, solace, help, bravery. So the Comforter is One Who comes alongside or walks together with us, to help, aid, assist, solace and strengthen us, especially in our down moments.
The beautiful thing about this picture is the relationship aspect. True and lasting comfort comes only from the vital relationship we have with the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t offer us help from a distance. No! He’s already come to live within us. He has made Himself one with us. In this way, He feels what we feel. In our pain and affliction, He is also pained and afflicted. He understands perfectly our hard-to-describe struggles. He knows our thoughts before we think them, and our words before we utter them. He is never disconnected from our realities.
Not only does the Comforter share in our own pains and sufferings, He helps us to also share in His strength, comfort, joy, peace and healing. He binds up the brokenhearted; strengthens the weak with much strength in their inner man. To the despairing, He imparts hope for a brighter future. He helps us conquer our shame and disappointment. He gives the ability to rise above our hurt, to forgive and to let go of the painful past.
The dear Holy Spirit comforts hearts that are grieving and mourning the loss of loved ones. How He does it amazes me. Gradually but surely He brings in His peace and restores joy. I have been privileged to experience this myself. When I lost my wife, I couldn’t imagine I would be whole again. I was devastated beyond words. I felt torn apart. My pain was indescribable. It’s been a little over a year now, and looking back, I am so grateful for His healing and inner strength, even though He still has alot of mending to do on my heart.
In the midst of the hurt, the fear, the loneliness, the so many unanswered questions and emotions I couldn’t identify, one thing stood tall for me – the ever-abiding Presence of the Helper deep within me. I was not left alone. He was right there with me in it all. That was so reassuring and took care of my fears. And knowing that He was hurting as much as I was, gave me strength beyond measure. I felt loved and valued. And there were times I could even feel His soothing embrace. His voice is both life and healing to me.
I also found out that, not only does the Comforter relieve our pains and gives us the strength to pull through them, He also changes us in the process. He makes us into comforters. He makes our hearts tender and sensitive to the pains of others. We become more compassionate towards those hurting, especially those who are going through the same thing we have come through.
Apostle Paul aptly captures this amazing transformation when he said this about the Comforter:
“He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4, TPT)
Receive the healing comfort of the Divine Comforter today. In Jesus Name
He died to prove that He loves you beyond His life. And that even death would not come between Him and you.
God had a choice. He could have decided to give us up to destruction. He could have chosen to preserve His Life. But He chose not to. He took the path that would cost Him everything.
God chose LOVE over LIFE.
And was crushed beyond recognition, that you might be made whole and beautiful.
He had put upon Himself your weaknesses, wounds and sores and, carried away your diseases, that you might be well.
Jesus wore a crown of thorns, pierced His head with briars, that you might be made whole in your emotions and mind.
Though He was infinitely rich, He impoverished Himself, that you might become rich beyond measure.
He laid down His life for you, that you might be forgiven. And was raised from the dead, to justify, prove that you were “Not guilty.”
Now, “Who could separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One?
Absolutely no one!
For nothing in the universe has the the power to diminish His love for us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats?
No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love.”
We triumph over all these things. For the One Who loves us enough to go to hell for us has made us partners of His endless triumph. We are more than conquerors. We are larger than life. His reckless and passionate love is our sure victory over everything!
