We all have faced a time when something upset us and our feelings took over. When anger and frustration set in and we immediately wanted to tell “that person” a thing or two and give them a piece of our mind.
Reacting based on emotion may lead to saying things you will later regret.
Sometimes you just have to sit with your feelings. This is important to allow your mind time to process what happened. Identify how the occurrence left you feeling as you sit and allow your emotions to calm.
When the other person resorts to cursing you, insulting you and being hostile. You don’t have to respond.
“Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” — Proverbs 29:11 NLT
Let go and allow God to fight.
Leave your troubles with the Lord, and he will defend you; he never lets honest people be defeated. — Psalm 55:22
Sit with your feelings and pray. Ask God to direct you.
“What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.” — Galatians 5:16 GNTD
Listen to worship music and praise God for all of your blessings. Shift the atmosphere from one of frustration into one of joy and praise. For God is good and he can turn your circumstances and situations around and use them for your personal growth.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” — James 1:2-5 NLT
The next time you feel a need to defend yourself and react, leave it all in God’s hands!! He will work it all out for your good! Respond (only if you must) when you’re calm and allow yourself to be lead by the Spirit of the Lord and not by emotions.
Father God, I thank you for your love and for always there being there for us, protecting us, and ready to fight our battles when we call upon your mighty name. Lord, I lift up my brothers and sisters today who are in circumstances or situations which have their emotions heightened and going in every direction. Jesus in your name we come against anger, fear, frustration, sadness, and every negative emotion that is taking over their minds right now. Father, give them peace that only you can give and remind them Lord to take time to calm & pray, leaving things at your feet. Lead them Oh Father to respond according to your will and not their own. We know that you go before us and that you are fighting for us. So Lord, give them strength to call upon your name and lead them to respond with words that will not cause harm or pierce the heart of another. We know that you work things out for the good of those who love you, so we give you thanks father God in advance because we know that you will make a way and that you work their situations out. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Today we honor father’s for all that they do for their family and their children.
A father should be the leader of the family. Their role is to provide, protect, guide, share wisdom, encourage and comfort.
As we celebrate father’s today, here are some Bible verses to encourage and bless you today:
• Genesis 18:19 – For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.
• Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
• Proverbs 14:26 – Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.
• Proverbs 4:1 – Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.
• Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
• Proverbs 23:22 – Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
• Proverbs 23:24 – The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
• Psalm 127:3 – Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
• Matthew 6:8 – Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
• Luke 15:20 – So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
• Joshua 24:15 – But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
• Psalm 103:13 – As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
• Colossians 3:21 – Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.
• Malachi 4:6 – He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.
• Psalm 103:13 – As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 – For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
• 1 Timothy 3:2-5 – Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
Wishing father’s a beautiful day full of blessings and love!
May you never forget that you are the first example to your children of a mans role. May you always seek to show them that men should be examples of love, integrity, protection and respect.
May you always seek to mirror the love of God to your families and children. May you submit to God and always allow him to guide and cover you in your role.
When we are trying to do right and live according to God’s will, the enemy will attack when you least expect it. When you are seeking the Lord, the enemy wants nothing more than to break you down and destroy you. Most times he will do this through people who are on a mission to break you, destroy your character, or desire to make you feel worthless. You must remember that we aren’t fighting against flesh but instead we are fighting against evil spirits.
“We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.” - Ephesians 6:12 CEV
The enemy doesn’t want you happy or getting ahead in life, so you must be aware of his tactics. Recently, I reached out to someone with good intentions that were met with disrespect and nastiness when we couldn’t come to an agreement that made them happy. I chose not to engage and left the conversation, because I knew nothing good would come of it. I have held conversations with this individual numerous times asking for them not to speak to me disrespectfully; however, the individual still chooses to use words that exude hatred, so I am learning not to engage.
God will fight our battles for us if we allow him to. When you are in a battle you must have faith and trust that God is going before you and will fight for you. His word says you need only be still.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”- Psalms 46:10
When you are frustrated and overwhelmed or feel as though anger is taking over, that is when you must trust God the most. God will never leave us or forsake us, his desire is to protect us. Whatever is coming against you, he has got it! So give it to God and let his peace fall upon you.
If you come up against conflict with someone whose goal is to break you down, do not engage, walk away and let God handle it.
Our Lord desires for you to be at peace, so you must allow him to remove the frustration and trust him to go up against anyone or anything which comes against you.
In Jesus name, you must remind yourself that you are a child of God. You must remind yourself that God has your best interest at heart and he desires to protect you. No matter how frustrated or angry you become, do not go low and fight evil with evil. That is not who God is calling you to be.
Ask God for the strength to turn your back and remove yourself from situations or conversations which seek to attack and break you down. Trust God and have faith that he has got it.
The battle is the lords, not yours!
“He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” - 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NIV
You are never alone, the Lord us fighting for us and he us with us in every moment so call upon his name.
For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. - Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV)
“They will fight against you, but will not overcome you for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:19 (NIV)
When someone constantly is at conflict with you, understand that it is not about you, the battle is within themselves. If someone constantly chooses conflict, it is because there is no peace living within.
The enemy seeks to use others to destroy us, and he would use anyone he can to do that, while also simultaneously using evil to destroy the individual from within. Have you heard the saying, “Kill two birds with one stone?” If allowed, the enemy will wreck havoc and destroy both of you at the same time.
Remember that we are fighting against that which is unseen and have been given God’s word as a sword against the enemy. His word says, when you resist the enemy he has to flee. So when you feel conflict attacking you through a person, rebuke the enemies plan and demand him to flee.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NIV)
When conflict arises walk away or discontinue conversation. We are not called to entertain insults or verbal abuse. Pray that they would come to know the Prince of Peace and do not allow them to take away your peace.
Father God, We know that you are love and we thank you Jesus for being the Prince of Peace. No matter how hard we try Lord, we know that there will be times that we cannot escape conflict and that there will be people who will resort to insults and nastiness in order to feel better about themselves and to try to win a battle they’ve created. Father, when these situations arise strengthen us so that we do not meet evil with evil. Give us your strength so that we may turn away and remove ourselves from situations and conversations that are not pleasing to you. Father, guard our hearts so that evil words will fall away without piercing our souls. Turn around all that the enemy means for evil. Remind us oh God that the battle is within themselves and that they need healing. Give us the strength Father to never take matters into our own hands and to trust that the battle is not ours but yours. In Jesus mighty name we pray, Amen
Some of my friends and family members are in a storm right now or are walking through a valley wondering how to get out. They’re feeling down, hurt, angry and confused, and tomorrow’s outcome is uncertain. It hurts me to see them hurting, but if I’m honest, I can certainly relate because I too have days when I feel as though I am in a valley.
When we are in dark places dealing with conflict and struggle, we just want resolution and clarity so that we can see through the mess and feel secure or safe again.
When we are in these low places, that is when we must seek God the most. Our dark days are for a season, they will not last forever if we seek the Lord. Through God’s strength we can overcome. It may be hard to see it now, but brighter days are ahead when you allow God in and let him lead.
God uses our dark places to prepare and grow us. Although we feel like we are alone in the dark, we are not. God’s love will always find us in our darkest places and in our deepest pain.
In the Bible, God used Esther to help free his people. She was an orphan who felt abandoned and unworthy, but God still had purpose for her. She was appointed the queen of Persia. As queen she was faced with a tough decision that could cost the lives of both her and her people, the Jews. But she chose to risk her own life to tell her husband the king, about his Persian official Harmon’s evil plan to destroy all Jews, which included her his wife and Mordecai, her uncle who once saved his life. She revealed to her husband the king for the very first time that she and her uncle were both Jewish. She took this risk knowing that it was against the law to come before the king uninvited, accepting that it could result in her own death.
Through the book of Esther in the Bible, We learn that although God does not always seem present, he is always there with his people in their darkness and will never abandon them. It shows us God’s commitment to redeem his people. It also shows us that God appointed Esther in her position, “for such a time as this”, meaning God accomplished his purpose through Esther during that appointed time.
God also used Paul through darkness. He made Paul blind for three days and allowed him to sit unable to see, wondering whether he had lost his sight forever. Sitting in that dark place changed him and he found breakthrough.
Paul needed to loose his sight in order to stop viewing things in his old ways, otherwise, he would have never seen God in a new light. When he changed the way he viewed Christ, his sight was restored. Paul went from being a man who chased wealth and power into a man of faith. Had he not been put through darkness he would have never become a follower of Christ nor one of the 12 Apostles, spreading the gospel of Christ.
Acts 9:18 — Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
When we are sitting in darkness it does not mean that we will stay there. God is at work behind the scenes. He uses darkness to get our attention, transform us and re-direct us.
So if you’re in a place feeling down, lonely, depressed, overwhelmed or struggling and are wondering why life is going the way it is for you, have faith and trust that God has a plan and brighter days are coming!
This song has been replay in my car for the past two weeks. It has kept me encouraged and uplifted and I pray that it will do the same for you!
Father God, We thank you that you are a God of redemption and that you give second chances to us. Father, tonight there are many people that are hurting, and in need of solutions to the struggles and issues that life has brought them. Lord, you are our savior and our deliverer. I pray tonight that you would reveal yourself to all who are hurting and in a dark place. Father God, meet them right there in their darkness and show them love in the mist of their pain. Transform their hearts oh God, and set a fire in their soul so that they would thirst and hunger to know you and draw closer to you on a daily basis. Father, we know that we were all created with a plan and a purpose and that you turn around what the enemy has meant for evil. You turn all evil and all bad things around for the good of those who love you. Father God, show up for your people and hear their cries Lord Jesus. I pray for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to fall upon them and that they would repent and seek to live a life chasing after your love only. This world is a dark place Father, change hearts, Lord Jesus brake chains, and cause your people to surrender to the life they were meant to live. You are a God of love, I pray that all those hurting will see the light that you are shining into their darkness and reach out for your unfailing love. In Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen
One afternoon I was cleaning up my living room with my daughter who was two at the time. Her toys were everywhere and as we were cleaning I came across a broken toy. I told her that the toy had to get thrown out because it was broken. Hearing that really upset her and she began to cry.
As I tried explaining to my toddler that this particular toy could not be fixed, she repeatedly said to me, “Nooo, it’s still good”. She was so upset and I said to her, “But Mama, it is broken, it will no longer work.” She looked up at me with her eyes full of tears and said, “Yes! It can be fixed, it’s still good.” She wanted to keep this broken toy and did not want to accept that Mommy couldn’t fix it for her.
I tried to explain to her, some things can be fixed and some just can’t. But her little heart was broken and she couldn’t understand what I was trying to explain to her. She was frustrated and kept insisting to me that we could fix it and continuously asked me over and over to please try to fix it.
Once she calmed down I redirected her to all her other toys and played with her to remind her of all her other blessings. That time together restored her joy & she was reminded of all her other fun toys.
Sometimes we are so caught up on the one thing we no longer have, that we loose sight of all the other good things we do have and all the good that is to come.
Isn’t that the case in life? We hold onto things not realizing that they are actually broken and they can never be fixed. We treasure things that are of value to us, so even when they are falling apart we hold tightly onto them, and continue trying over and over to repair them. But sometimes, no matter how much or how hard you try, they remain broken.
After I got my daughter to sleep later that night, I laid next to her and began to imagine how God, our father, felt when we cry and plead to him asking him to fix our broken relationships, restore our broken families, or fix situations that cannot be fixed. Surely it must hurt him to hear his children crying out for something they don’t know isn’t his best for them.
God is all powerful and is a miracle worker, but imagine how hurt he must feel knowing that we want him to fix something that he simply cannot give back to us? As our Father, he does not want to see us in pain, just as we don’t want to see our babies hurting. But, he knows we must accept that he alone knows what is best, even when we can’t understand why.
Have you been in this place? Are you there now? Are you struggling to let go of something that is broken because you can’t understand why it can’t be fixed or restored even when you’ve done all you can? I was there too.
If you’re struggling in this place today, I pray that you would pray and ask the Lord to heal your heart. I pray you’d ask him to give you the strength to find acceptance and to trust that you can move forward without what is now broken.
To move forward and heal you must place your situation into God’s hands. Ask him for the strength to accept his will, even if it is not the outcome you are hoping for. Pray and ask for God to heal your heart and give you the obedience and patience to be able to wait for his plans to come to pass in your life.
God prepares us for our future blessings and he equips us to be ready for them.
Sometimes our hearts desires do not line up with his will or timing for our lives. God has seasons for everything, ask that he help you discern and accept the season he has you in. Rather than desperately trying to hold onto a season that is past and already gone, move forward with hope for the blessings to come.
May we seek to learn the lesson and trust God even when we do not get what we think we need.
God allows painful situations in order to teach us valuable life lessons and to change our hearts. He let me experience loss so that I could rely soley on him to experience what love was.
God Heals Our Pain, Jeremiah 33:6. Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.
God Comforts Us, 2 Corinthians 1:3–4. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
God has Purpose in all Things, Romans 8:28-29. We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the first among many believers.
God is Our Strength in Every Situation, Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Father God, We thank you because we know that you are a loving God and that you desire to protect us from anything that would cause harm to us. Father, many of us have things in our lives that have broken and are irreparable, but we are hanging onto them hoping for restoration and hoping that things will be fixed. Father, humble those in this struggle so that they may turn to you and seek to be strengthened so that they may move forward. Father, your word says that there is a season for everything, help your children to accept when a season has ended and place that which is broken into your hands so that their hearts can be healed and restored. Situations and circumstances may be shattered beyond repair, but our hearts are not. Father, heal like only you can. Bring acceptance, strength and renew your children’s spirits. Father we know that you make all things new, reveal to your children that you have greater in store for their future and remind them of your unfailing love for them. Although what they have lost hurts deeply, remind them of your promises Oh God. Your plans are to give us peace not suffering and a hope and a future. We thank you oh Lord for your love & protection. And we trust you father. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Growing with you,
Sandy
Letting Go is Hard, but there is a Blessing in the Lesson
Made Piece by Piece 