Let them walk away! let it go!! Bishop TD Jakes ( 1 John 2:19)

‘IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE YOU WILL…ALWAYS BELIEVE IN HIM, ALWAYS EXPECT THE BEST OF HIM.’ 1 CORINTHIANS 13:7 TLB

We rarely discern others accurately. Almost every conclusion we have about them is flawed and based on limited knowledge. We give up too soon because we can’t see what God is looking at. Someone close to you right now has a great future – God has already determined it. In fact, if you knew their potential you would withhold your words of criticism and invest more time and energy into them. Remember Joseph? Don’t make the mistake his brothers made. The person who aggravates the living daylights out of you today, could be the one you turn to for help tomorrow. So keep that in mind and treat them graciously! Look beneath the surface. Appearances can be deceptive. Remember Ruth, the migrant laborer working in the fields for less than minimum wage? She’ll become the wife of Boaz – who owns the fields! In the future she might be signing your paycheck. So when you meet her be sure to leave ‘handfuls [on] purpose’ to bless her (See Ruth 2:16). Take another look at the situation you don’t understand. Remember Mary the mother of Jesus, looking for a place to spend the night and have her baby? Here’s the opportunity of a lifetime, don’t miss it! Why did Jesus say in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Love your enemies’ (Luke 6:27)? Because Saul of Tarsus (the one who’s giving you so much grief at the moment), may become Paul the Apostle, bringing multitudes into the kingdom and writing books that change lives – including yours! So ask God to help you see in others what He sees!

‘LOVE…IS NOT IRRITABLE OR TOUCHY…’ 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-5 TLB A ‘yes’ face!

Chuck Swindoll writes, ‘The most significant decision I make each day is my choice of an attitude. When my attitudes are right there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.’ If you believe that you will take charge of your emotions, begin to focus on what’s good, and reject anything that makes you a petty, bitter person. And your face will say ‘Yes.’ One day President Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were travelling across the country on horseback. They came to a river that had overflowed its banks because of a recent downpour. The river had washed away the bridge so each rider was forced to cross it on horseback, fighting for his life against the currents. This caused a traveller who was not part of the group to step aside and watch. After several riders had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked if President Jefferson would carry him across. The President agreed without hesitation. So the man climbed on and the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the horse onto dry ground, one of Jefferson’s companions asked, ‘Why did you select the President?’ The man was shocked and admitted he’d no idea that it was the President who’d helped him. ‘All I know,’ he said, ‘is that on some of your faces was written the answer “no,” and on some was written the answer “yes.” His was a “yes’ face.” A good attitude has a ‘yes’ face. Try to remember that today!

‘IF THEY HAD BEEN THINKING OF THE COUNTRY THEY HAD LEFT, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN.’ HEBREWS 11:15 NIV

Any pilot will tell you that there’s a point of no return. The runway has all been used up. It’s fly or die! In Hebrews 11 you discover a list of ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they never lost their vision; who in the worst of times refused to turn back: ‘If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country.’ But when you decide to follow God not everybody will be happy about it. Your vision could be their nightmare. Your success could prove their predictions wrong, or remind them of dreams they didn’t follow or abandoned. Often the first place you’ll feel this is at home. Joseph did. So did Jesus. That’s a price you must pay. If failure is not a possibility then success doesn’t mean much. When Abraham decided to leave home and follow God he had no idea where the journey would take him or what it would involve. Neither will you. Divine guidance usually begins with God ‘stirring up your nest’ (See Deuteronomy 32:11). Until your misery factor exceeds your fear factor you won’t move! If you’re too comfortable don’t expect God to give you more – you’re not ready for it. When you start taking risks you’ll pray like you’ve never prayed and stay in God’s Word until you get answers because your life depends on it. Bottom line: when you decide, ‘I’ve come too far to turn back,’ you’ll begin to see God’s hand at work in your life!

‘HE WHO WALKS WITH WISE MEN WILL BE WISE.’ PROVERBS 13:20 NKJV

Certain people stoke the fires within you to be all you can be. When you find them, feed off them! When you have little or no water in your own well, be willing to draw it from theirs. Elisha spent many years living in Elijah’s shadow. But he saw it as a privilege, not a put-down. He was willing to set up tents, cook meals, wash clothes and run errands because it meant he would experience first-hand some of the greatest miracles in history. As a result Elisha said to Elijah, ‘I want a double portion of the spirit that’s at work in you’ (See 2 Kings 2:9). And before his life was over Elisha worked twice as many miracles as Elijah. Understand this: you must have a foundation – and you can’t build it without help! Seeing God bless someone else should challenge you to reach higher. This is not envy – just a strong desire to receive more. Look at Hannah, Elkanah’s wife. She wanted a child. In order to stir her up God used Peninnah, who was married to the same man but able to bear children. The more Hannah saw Peninnah have children the more she wanted her own. Peninnah challenged her. She also made Hannah pray. That’s the right response! It wasn’t that Hannah was jealous and didn’t want to see Peninnah have children, it was just that she wanted her own. If seeing others succeed makes you want to sabotage their success, you’ll never prosper. Learn how to rejoice over the blessings of others, and realise that the same God who blessed them can bless you too. Let their blessings challenge you to reach higher!

“I WILL GUIDE THEM…I WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM.” ISAIAH 42:16 NIV

One day when he was skiing in Colorado, Peter Lord said he saw some people wearing red vests with the words BLIND SKIER. He thought, ‘I have a hard enough time skiing with two good eyes, how can they ski successfully with none?’ The answer was – they had a guide whose instructions they totally trusted and followed! As the guide skied beside them, he’d tap his ski poles together and assure them he was there. Then he’d say, ‘Go right! Turn left! Stop! Slow! Skier coming up on your right!’ What a picture. Life is like skiing downhill blind. We can’t see even 5 seconds into the future. We can’t see the struggles to come or all the other skiers who might run into us, or over us. And those fears are heightened when we recall how often we’ve been blindsided by people we trusted and circumstances we didn’t see coming. Humanly speaking it leaves the strongest of us feeling vulnerable. And that’s when we must place our confidence in the God who never changes and never fails. Here’s what He has to say to you today: ‘I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths. I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them’ (Isaiah 42:16 NIV). What is it that gets you through the unfamiliar places, the dark places and the rough places in life? God’s rock-solid promise: ‘I will guide [you]…I will not forsake [you].’ And His assurance is all you need!

‘God bought you with a high price. So…honor God with your body.’ 1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT

Respect your temple (1) At the resurrection, ‘Our earthly bodies…will be raised to live forever’ (1Corinthians 15:42 NLT), but in the meantime you must ‘honour God with your body’ by observing a few basic principles like: 1) Exercising regularly: Half of us who start exercise programmes abandon them within six months. The secret is to start slowly. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park the car and walk, play ball with the kids instead of watching TV. God designed your body to move, and strolling from the car to your desk every morning doesn’t cut it! Exercising thirty minutes 3-4 times a week reduces blood pressure and stress, and boosts your sense of well-being. 2) Eating right: Many of us eat for the wrong reasons, like fatigue, anger, and low self-esteem. Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Insufficient fruit, vegetables and fibre and too much fast food can wreak havoc with your health. Practice self-control. Remember, ‘Those who belong to Christ…have given up their old selfish feelings and…things they wanted to do’ (Galatians 5:24 NCV). 3) Getting enough sleep: Pastor Tony Jenkins consulted his doctor about his wife’s snoring. ‘Does it really bother you that much?’ he asked. ‘It’s not just me,’ Jenkins replied, ‘It’s bothering the whole congregation!’ Seriously, we live in a sleep-deprived society but most of us require 7-9 hours shut-eye. You can probably get by on less, but do you just want to ‘get by?’ The Psalmist said, ‘It is no use…to get up early and stay up late…The Lord gives sleep to those he loves’ (Psalm 127:2 NCV). So turn off the TV and the computer and turn in at a reasonable hour!

Is Your Name In The Book of Life?

‘GRACE WHEREIN WE STAND, AND…TRIBULATION [THAT] WORKETH PATIENCE.’ ROMANS 5:2-3

 We’re too impatient! If God doesn’t speak to us in the first five minutes of our prayer time we get up, shrug it off and decide ‘He isn’t talking today.’ Where’s the tenacity of our spiritual forefathers who would take hold of God in prayer and refuse to let go until they received ‘a sure word’ from Him? (See 2 Peter 1:19). There are two things you can count on as you walk with God: trouble that works for you and grace to stand while you’re going through it. Have you been praying for patience? Get ready for trouble! There’s no other way to get it. Patience grows in the soil of adversity. How do you test the strength of an anchor? Expose it to the fury of a storm. Understand this: some of the people you can’t stand right now are the very ones who’ll mature you! Our problem is – we pray for things but don’t recognise the answer when it comes. God has a purpose in all things, He also has a process. As you get to know Him better you begin to recognise both. Here’s how it works: you ask God for strength and He allows you to go through times of testing. You ask for wisdom and you get to deal with problems that require solutions. You ask for success and He gives you the ability to work – not necessarily harder, but smarter. You ask for favor and He gives you responsibility. Salvation is a gift, but patience is a reward for overcoming. So stay where God has you today and learn the lessons He wants to teach you; tomorrow you’ll be glad you did!

‘YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.’ JOHN 3:7 NIV

                     BE BORN AGAIN.’ JOHN 3:7 NIV

The Bible says 130 years after Adam first sinned, he was still fathering children ‘in his own likeness’ (Genesis 5:3 NIV). And as Adam’s descendants we have all been born with the nature of fallen man. Sometimes people say, ‘He’s just like his old man.’ Or we say, ‘My dad was an angry man, now I’ve got his temper!’ ‘My dad couldn’t stay with my mom, now I’m going through a divorce.’ ‘My dad was an alcoholic, now look at my drinking and drugging!’ ‘My dad was a workaholic, now I put in14 hours a day.’ ‘My dad wasn’t affectionate with us, now I don’t know how to be loving toward my children.’ History repeats itself over and over through our fallen nature. Here’s a fascinating example: ‘Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her’ (Genesis 20:2 NIV). Abraham was willing to sacrifice Sarah to save his own neck. What would you have done? Before you answer, notice that Isaac wasn’t even born when his father did this. Yet years later he did exactly the same thing in the same place (See Genesis 26:7). It’s genetic! It’s in our DNA. But there’s good news. When you receive Christ as your Savior He breaks that cycle. When you’re “born of the Spirit” you get a new Father and a new nature (See John 3:3-6). You don’t have to walk in the likeness of your earthly father any more; you can walk in the likeness of your Heavenly Father and become more like Him every day. Fed up with your old nature and ways? Ready for a new birth? Turn to Christ!

   Three reasons why you need Jesus...
1. Because you have a past.
You can't go back, but He can. The Bible says,” Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and for ever"(Hebrew 13:8). He can walk into those places of sin and failure, wipe the slate clean and give you a new beginning.

2. Because you need a friend.
Jesus knows the worst about you, yet He believes the best. Why? Because He sees you not as you are, but as you will be when He gets through with you. What a friend!

3. Because He holds the future.
Who else are you going to trust? In His hands you are safe and secure today, tomorrow, and for eternity. His word says,” For I know the plans I have for  you...plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray I will listen"(Jeremiah 29 11-013TLB) If you'd like to begin a personal relationship with Jesus today, please pray this prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I invite you into my life. I believe you died for me and that your blood pays for my sins and provides me with the gift of eternal life. By faith I receive that gift and I acknowledge You as my Lord and Saviour. Amen".

Dear Lord Jesus, I give my life to you as my Lord and saviour so that my joy will be full. Lord Jesus, I dedicate my soul, spirit and body to you. I know you have delivered and saved me. Amen."

Did you pray this prayer? YES NO

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!
By praying to receive Christ as Savior, you have become a member of God’s family. He calls you His child! The Bible tells us the angels in heaven rejoice every single time someone accepts Christ and our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).

The Bible in Ephesians 2:5 says "We are saved by grace through faith and not by works," and it is the promise of a relationship that lasts forever. This relationship grows as we learn more about God’s character and nature. God shows Himself to us through the Bible and we can talk to Him through prayer.

We want to help you get started. Please click the link below to begin learning more about our heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, prayer and how to read the Bible.

www.LooktoJesus.com

Step: Be Sure
If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can be sure you are a Christian. You are not a Christian because you go to church, or because you do good things. The Bible says "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Christ came to die for our sins, so that "To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12 ).

If you have made this commitment and would like to make contact with us or if you do not feel ready to make this decision and would like further help from a local christian,please call

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If you need serious prayers
deliveranceministriesllc@gmail.com

‘I GAVE HER TIME TO REPENT, BUT SHE WOULD NOT.’ REVELATION 2:21 NLT

God’s patience is amazing! In one of the most extraordinary examples of it, He gave Jezebel time to repent. When Ahab her wicked husband humbled himself, God healed and restored him. Humbling yourself before God will turn things around in your life when nothing else will work. James writes: ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up’ (James 4:10). Humble yourself – don’t wait for God to do it! The Bible says: ‘Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a son’ (Hebrews 12:5-6 NIV). Notice two important statements in this Scripture: (1) ‘Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline.’ A “nobody’s going to tell me what to do” attitude cost Jezebel dearly, and it will cost you too! (2) “Do not lose heart when He rebukes you.’ Don’t see God’s correction as rejection, see it as proof you’re His child and that He has great plans for you. Paul considered himself a bondservant to Christ. To be bonded means to be bound by certain obligations. In the Old Testament God marked His priests by putting blood on the lobe of their right ear, the thumb of their right hand, and the big toe of their right foot. So the word for you today is – your hearing, your talents, and your walk must honor God! As a bondservant to Christ you can’t ‘do your own thing;’ you’re called to walk according to His instructions. If you’re not – repent and get right with God!

‘I THANK MY GOD EVERY TIME I REMEMBER YOU.’ PHILIPPIANS 1:3 NIV

There’s a true story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained she had the same disease that he’d recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance of recovery was a transfusion from someone who’d conquered it, so the boy was an ideal donor. ‘Would you give your blood to Mary?’ the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated, his lower lip trembled, and then he smiled and said, ‘Sure, for my sister.’ Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room – Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met Johnny grinned. But as the nurse inserted the needle into his arm Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over Johnny’s voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. ‘Doctor, when do I die?’ Only then did the doctor realise why little Johnny had hesitated, why his lips trembled when he agreed to donate his blood. He thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment he had made his great decision. Who would give their life for you? Those are the people you want to invest your life in. Those are the ones you need to show your appreciation for – now, while you still can. They are irreplaceable! When they’re gone you’ll realise that. Some of the things you’re striving for now will seem empty then. Some of the things you’re upset over now will seem insignificant then. So squeeze the most out of every moment. Create memories you’ll treasure. Be wise; build your life around those who matter!

‘THE VISION IS…FOR AN APPOINTED TIME…THOUGH IT TARRY, WAIT FOR IT; BECAUSE IT WILL SURELY COME.’ HABAKKUK 2:3

God is a God of order; everything He does is by appointment. An appointment is simply a meeting or event that has already been set up. God has a scheduled time for bringing to pass two things in your life: His promises and His purpose. You can count on that! Whatever you’re going through today, there’s peace in knowing that nothing the enemy does will preempt these two things. The problem arises when we try to rush God’s timing. When the Lord gives you a promise it’s like a seed; it needs time to take root and bear fruit. Every mother knows the order – first the seed, then the pregnancy, then the development within the womb, and finally the day of delivery. And what does she do during this time? Prepare! She gets ready for the joys and responsibilities of parenthood for when her due date arrives that little one announces, ‘Ready or not, here I come!’ The Psalmist writes: ‘Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing’ (Psalm 37:34 TLB). You must learn the difference between what you can do and what God can do. Fools rush in. If you don’t want to risk delaying the fulfillment of God’s plan for your life, learn to wait. The prophet said, ‘The vision is…for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.’ Each time you get anxious and impatient remind yourself, ‘My life cannot end without certain things happening. God said it and He will bring it to pass!’

‘TROUBLE WILL NOT COME A SECOND TIME.’ NAHUM 1:9 NIV

Are you afraid your old problems are going to come back again? You told others how God answered your prayer, now the enemy’s trying to get back at you through the ‘spirit of fear’ (2 Timothy 1:7). Satan will try to bring back old issues hoping you’ll rehearse them, begin to worry about them, and end up being ‘trapped by what you said’ (Proverbs 6:2 NIV). Anyone who has been delivered by God has gone through it. Satan has no new tricks. When he counterattacks it often comes through your imagination. Before you know it, what you imagined yesterday you begin to believe today, and become fully convinced of tomorrow. That’s why the Bible instructs us to, ‘Cast down imaginations and take every thought captive’ (See 2 Corinthians 10:5). Take control of your thoughts before they take control of you! Jesus said, ‘According to your faith be it unto you’ (Matthew 9:29). That works negatively as well as positively! You defeat the devil by taking your sword (which is the Word of God) and cutting his head off with it! The Psalmist understood fear: ‘In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done’ (Psalm 118:5-6, 17 NIV). The prophet Habakkuk experienced it too: ‘I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength’ (Habakkuk 3:16, 18-19 NIV). Rejoice, God says, ‘It’s over.’ ‘Trouble will not come a second time.’

When trouble comes...

‘IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE HE SHALL HIDE ME IN HIS PAVILION.’ PSALM 27:5

When trouble comes, do these three things: (1) Get alone with God! The Psalmist writes, ‘In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion.’ The secret place in a king’s palace was called a ‘pavilion.’ There you were protected from the enemy. All hell could break loose around you but it didn’t matter, in the secret place there was peace. Are you allowing things to overwhelm you that really don’t make a difference? Are you upset over things that should be dismissed as trivialities? Get alone with God! (2) Refuse to live beyond help because you have an image to uphold. The Bible says those of us who are strong ought to bear the burdens of the weak. There are times when we need to do the lifting; and times when we ourselves need to be lifted. Jesus healed a woman who had been bowed down for 18 years and ‘Could in no way raise herself up’ (Luke 13:11 NKJV). Sometimes you need help because you can’t help yourself. David understood this so he turned to the men of Issachar because they ‘had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do’ (1 Chronicles 12:32 NKJV). God has provided help, reach for it! (3) Be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit for He will constantly remind you of God’s plan and show you how to carry it out. Jesus said, ‘The Holy Spirit…will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you’ (John 14:26 NKJV). What has the Lord said to you? Have you done it? Obedience is your doorway out of trouble. (See Psalm 143:10).

Jesus understands

‘…[JESUS] HAS BEEN TEMPTED IN ALL THINGS AS WE ARE…’ HEBREWS 4:15 NAS
Well-intentioned friends sometimes say, ‘I know how you feel.’ But deep down we think, ‘No, you really don’t.’ But Jesus does! He was ‘…tempted in all things as we are…’ so He can interpret and present our feelings to God. And He does. When you pray in Jesus’ name, pouring out your heart to God, Jesus acts as your attorney and says, ‘Father, I know what this person is feeling. I know what it’s like to be under pressure to sin. I stand with this child of Yours who needs Your help.’ You say, ‘But Jesus was without sin, so can He really feel my sin the way I feel it?’ Yes, He can. In fact, because of His purity He actually feels the pain of sin even more. Perhaps an illustration will help. In our everyday world we live with germs all around us, and even on us. Because we aren’t in a sterile environment we don’t notice these germs and we learn to live with them. But it’s an entirely different story in a hospital operating room. There, any contamination from germs is a real threat that demands the attention of the entire staff. So they sterilise everything because bacteria can kill the patient. The purity of the room demands close attention to the presence of even the slightest impurity that could lead to a life-threatening infection. So Jesus’ separateness from, and sensitivity to sin, actually increases His ability to sympathise with us. Bottom line: Jesus understands what you’re struggling with!

When you lose what you love

WHEN THEY WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF WEEPING…THEY WILL CONTINUE TO GROW STRONGER. PSALM 84:6-7 NLT

When you lose what you love you go through 5 stages: (1) Denial – ‘No, it can’t be happening.’ (2) Anger – ‘God, why are You permitting this?’ (3) Bargaining – ‘Please make it go away.’ (4) Depression – Silence and withdrawal. (5) Acceptance – ‘Not my will but Thine be done.’ Whether it’s the loss of a child, a marriage, a job, your health, etc. when you turn to God He’ll give you the grace to embrace it, grieve it, express it, release it, and go on to become stronger. Sometimes we seek quick relief by releasing it before we’ve gone through these stages. That’s because we fear the process. We’ve been taught that any show of emotion is a show of weakness, so we stuff it. But we only stuff it into our emotional garbage can, then spend all our time and energy sitting on the lid, trying to keep the contents from spilling out. ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32 NKJV). It’s knowing and embracing the truth, including its painful aspects, that sets you free. You must be willing to forgive. But until you come to grips with the enormity of your loss, including any injustice of what was done to you, you are not ready to forgive. When you rush to forgive, you forgive only in part and you’re released only in part. Are you running from pain today? Are you trading it in prematurely for some other feeling? That’s not God’s way. Jesus said, ‘You will weep and mourn…but [eventually] your grief will turn to joy…and no one will take [it] away’ (John 16:20-22 NIV).

Jesus understands

‘…[JESUS] HAS BEEN TEMPTED IN ALL THINGS AS WE ARE…’ HEBREWS 4:15 NAS 
Well-intentioned friends sometimes say, ‘I know how you feel.’ But deep down we think, ‘No, you really don’t.’ But Jesus does! He was ‘…tempted in all things as we are…’ so He can interpret and present our feelings to God. And He does. When you pray in Jesus’ name, pouring out your heart to God, Jesus acts as your attorney and says, ‘Father, I know what this person is feeling. I know what it’s like to be under pressure to sin. I stand with this child of Yours who needs Your help.’ You say, ‘But Jesus was without sin, so can He really feel my sin the way I feel it?’ Yes, He can. In fact, because of His purity He actually feels the pain of sin even more. Perhaps an illustration will help. In our everyday world we live with germs all around us, and even on us. Because we aren’t in a sterile environment we don’t notice these germs and we learn to live with them. But it’s an entirely different story in a hospital operating room. There, any contamination from germs is a real threat that demands the attention of the entire staff. So they sterilise everything because bacteria can kill the patient. The purity of the room demands close attention to the presence of even the slightest impurity that could lead to a life-threatening infection. So Jesus’ separateness from, and sensitivity to sin, actually increases His ability to sympathise with us. Bottom line: Jesus understands what you’re struggling with!

Roots of rejection

ROOTED DEEP…AND FOUNDED SECURELY ON [GOD’S] LOVE. EPHESIANS 3:17 AMP 
Are you struggling with rejection? When your roots spring from the soil of rejection it’s like living in a house with a faulty foundation; every storm brings new problems. You can employ all kinds of tricks from people-pleasing to workaholism to make yourself feel better, but without a healthy root system nothing works. Flawed roots always produce flawed fruit. And your roots were diseased long before you started producing such fruit. What’s the answer? Being ‘Rooted deep…and founded securely on [God’s] love.’ God wants to pick you up, shake off the old soil and replant you securely in His love and acceptance. And He doesn’t just replant you, He ‘re-parents’ you. That means you no longer draw your self-worth from your family of origin. ‘Now are we the sons of God’ (1John 3:2). But remember, it’s a process. Strong roots require three things: (1) Time to develop. Becoming confident in your identity as God’s child is like breaking in new shoes. You must walk in them till they become comfortable. (2) Protection from predators and harsh elements that can kill. You need to surround yourself with people who ‘have obtained like precious faith’ (2 Peter 1:1). Christian fellowship is your protective shield! (3) Being fed and watered regularly. Once-a-week in church won’t cut it, you must learn to feed yourself regularly on God’s Word! The cure for rejection is – being able to see yourself as God sees you. It means announcing, ‘I am what God says I am, I have what God says I have, therefore I can do what God says I can do.’ So even if you didn’t get off to a great start, you can still have a great finish!

NO MORE WORRIES: TALITHACUMI!

 One of the most destructive tools of the devil is worry. He uses it subtly to weaken you gradually. Worry never adds anything good to anyone. Rather, it takes away every good thing that God has blessed you with. Philippians 4:4-7 vs 6 says: "Be anxious(be careful) for nothing..." The Amplified Bible puts it thus: "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything..." That is a divine command! It's not a suggestion! It's a commandment and it's time for you to begin to obey it day by day. "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything...because no matter how bad the case may be, IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO GOD and no matter how dead (HOPELESS) that situation seems, IT WOULD HEAR THE VOICE OF HE THAT Ordered: " Talitha cumi" (see MK 5:40-41) and it MUST LIVE AGAIN! Any closed door will hear "TALITH CUMI" and OPEN! Any closed womb will hear " TALITHACUMI" and open! And that is why WORRY IS A SIN! Instead of worrying yourself about that situation, you can go to the Word of God and find out what God has to say about that situation and begin to meditate on it. America artist and illustrator, Howard Christy Chandler, has a simple antidote to worry. "EVERY MORNING I SPEND FIFTEEN MINUTES FILLING MY MIND FULL OF GOD, AND SO THERE'S NO ROOM LEFT FOR WORRY THOUGHTS." Keep worry out of your life today daily! Every time the  thoughts of fear/anxiety come knocking on the door of your heart, do not answer. Always remember: "Be anxious (careful) for nothing"