July 2022 – Made Piece by Piece

Words hurt!

People will insult you.

People will belittle you.

They will tell lies about you.

They will try to break you.

They will try to push you down.

Their words will pierce your heart and they will pierce your soul.

They will make you think less of yourself.

But do not give up on life.

Do not believe their lies.

Do not believe their opinions.

You are not less than.

You do have a purpose.

There is hope.

God created each one of us from the very moment of conception with a God given, appointed purpose.

You are not what has happened to you.

Your circumstances do not define you.

God loves and cares for you.

When your heart aches cry out to him!

He will show up for you and pull you through.

No matter what they say or what it is you are battling, cry out Lord I need you!!

You must understand God has so much in store for you.

God has a plan and a future for you.

God is going to use your pain for your purpose!!

He is going to use you to help others who will walk through the very valley you’re in now.

Do not give up on yourself.

Your life is tied to saving the lives of others.

Pray to God and ask him to give you strength.

Your testimony is for others.

You will overcome.

You will be used for greater!

Father God, we give you thanks for you are worthy of all praise. We call upon your name and cry out to you. Lord, I need you. Lord, we need you. Lord, your people need you. Father, hear the cries of your people and show up for them. Show them Lord that they are never walking alone and that you are with them. Holy Spirit move in their lives and transform their spirits from within. Father God, comfort hearts and break strongholds. Lord Jesus, you are love. Remind your people that they have been set apart by you for a greater purpose. Renew their strength oh Lord so that they may fulfill their God-given purposes to help others. Align them with the right people who will help strengthen them. Father God, we know that our pain births our God given purpose. Renew your people Lord, reveal yourself to them and give them the strength to stand in the midst of the attacks, insults and pain. Father, comfort them in their pain. We come against the plans of the enemy Lord and declare that your will for their lives will come to pass. They will overcome and have a testimony to encourage and empower others. Father God we know that you will go before them so that they may intercede and go before others in the future. Strengthen us to walk in our God given purpose. We know that only you are able to provide for our needs. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Growing with you,

Sandy

There will come a time when we all will be hurt by someone. When this time comes, you must learn to forgive them. Some people just don’t know any better.

But how can they not know better? Well, they don’t realize that they’ve hurt you, because they are too consumed with themselves and what it is that they want. They are full of pride.

The Bible tells us that pride is the evil way.

The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.” - Proverbs 8:13 AMP

Forgiveness is hard, but it will release you from emotional ties to the person and to the situation. Forgiveness is your healing. It shifts the focus off of them and onto yourself.

Staying focused on them and what they did to hurt or offend will keep you in torture. Despising them will only keep you from your healing.

Keep them at a distance. Guard your heart. Set boundaries and pray for them. Is it hard to pray for those who hurt you? Yes!! But through God’s strength, you can, because his power is made perfect in our weakness!! (Read 2nd Corinthians 12:9).

When someone dismisses your value, disrespects you, or makes you feel invisible, Forgive them!! Pray for God to reveal his truth to them and open their eyes. Pray that he will cause them to realize their mistake and repent. Pray that they would accept salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and choose to follow him.

Don’t dwell on the way they left you feeling. Trust that God has gone before you. He knew this would happen and he is redirecting you in order to protect you. The desires of our own hearts are generally not his best for us.

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalm 37:4

Many people take this scripture (Psalm 37:4) out of context. I know that I have. There was a time when I read this and thought it meant, if I follow God he will give me the desires of my heart. But, as I grew in the Lord, I learned that my interpretation of this word was incorrect. It was not about what I wanted or desired. It was about God’s plans for me and what he wants for me.

When we “delight in the Lord” we have righteous desires. Delighting in the Lord means we are aligning ourselves with what God wants for us. And isn’t that far greater!? God is our protector and he knows what is best for us far more than we ever could imagine!

“Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.” He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases. He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend you.”Psalm 91:1-4 GNTD

Father God, Thank you for loving us and protecting us. You are our refuge and we thank you for keeping us safe from the dangers that we do not see. Father you created us to love and fellowship with others, you created us for relationship. Father God, when we are left hurt or confused by others who cause us to feel unworthy, disrespected or just not enough, remind us that your plans are far greater than anything we could ever desire or imagine for ourselves. Help us to trust in you Lord. Change our hearts and our desires so that they are one in the same with what you want for us. Remove anything that is not from you from our lives and our paths. Lord, give us the strength to pray for those who hurt us, because we know that many times they are not aware of what they are doing. And in the times that they are aware, we know that they are far too weak to do the right thing. We thank you that our strength comes from you Lord. We know that we can do all things through your strength alone. Strengthen us so that we may always do that which is right, and that which is your will. Father, we thank you for your protection and for your redirection. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Growing with you, Sandy