DNA: NATURAL VS. SPIRITUAL (Part 1)

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Hello Women of Valour,

As I have been reading and studying this past week "Creation" keeps coming up and God as the Creator. I am seeing HIM more now as the Master Planner and just how POWERFUL and ALL KNOWING HE really is in my life. So I am speaking today from a place of understanding more that God created us. HE created each of us with HIS Master Plan in mind not just our little plans. However, HE has woven our plans into the tapestry or blanket of life.

It is my prayer that something you read or hear will help you walk even closer to our Father, God. It is my prayer that insecurity and inadequacy will loosen its grip more and more as we walk this road together.  

https://soundcloud.com/womenofvalour15/natural-vs-spiritual-dna

I spoke about nature and us working in unison. The trees need us to survive and the animals and us need the trees to survive. We work together for our very survival which is the Master Plan. Our spiritual lives and our natural lives are dependent on each other as well. There is a spiritual side and a natural side to us. We are a spirit which lives in a body. The spirit needs the body and the body needs the spirit. Again we work in unison meaning together. 

References I spoke about:
Revelation 4:3:
God on the throne looking like gems and the emerald rainbow.

Acts 4: 27 - 28: 
God had planned beforehand even the city that the people would meet to conspire to kill Jesus.

Omnipotent = ALL POWERFUL

Omnipresent = ALL KNOWING

Our Father created each one of us to be HIS. But the AMAZING part is that HE gives us a choice. HE loves each one of us in spite of our past, present, and future. HE has chosen us now HE wants us to choose HIM. We did not choose to be born into our families. We did not choose to be on this earth. We were sent by our Father. It was not just about the choices of our mothers and fathers. It was the choice of our POWERFUL and ALL KNOWING Father God. More to come on Natural vs. Spiritual DNA.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I want You to teach me more about my spiritual DNA. I want to change my words and beliefs to reflect who I really am in Christ. 

 QUESTIONS:

Do you identify more with your natural or 
spiritual DNA? 

Why one side and why not the other side?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or Email me

WORDS: LIFE OR DEATH

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

As you walk through moments, days, weeks, months, and years of your life? Are your words bringing life or death to you? Do you know you have a choice on which one you are doing? Life/living requires you to be an active participant; you are proactive. But death/existing means you are just waiting for things, situations, and circumstances to happen to you; you are reactive. I must admit I have spent the better part of my life just  speaking death or existing. It is AMAZING to me that now I can see. It is past time to speak life and start living!!! Make a choice today.

I found this quote and it sums it up:

 I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. 

Maya Angelou

Her words really blessed me because in my past I was just making a living but I was not making a life. Going through the motions of life is not "making a life". When there is insecurity and inadequacy in our lives in any area we are merely existing. I was existing in the military, I was existing in my first marriage. I was going through the motions. The only way I can truly describe it is: I was sleepwalking through my life with my eyes open. But, I was not really awake. It is past time to wake up, Women of Valour!!!

Two Scriptures, I am becoming familiar with again are:

Words and thoughts are BIG for each one of us. I remember I would sit alone and just rehearse words or my negative thoughts. Have  you ever had a conversation with someone and something they said or even you said during the conversation made you think. For even hours or days afterward that thought or words would not let go. Positive and negatives thoughts/words work the same way. They are planted in our minds by what we hear or see or speak. We have a choice to make. We can choose to believe the words or not believe the words.  

Life/Positive Words like: I am a child of God. I am loved. I am needed. I am wanted. I am beautiful. I am wonderful. I am amazing.  I am worth everything that Jesus sacrificed for me.

Death/Negative Words like: No one will ever love me. No one wants me here. No one will ever want me. I am ugly. I will never amount to anything. I will end up just like my mother. 

REMEMBER: Some words bring life. Some words kill. These are both sets of words. One set of words can bring a smile to our faces. While the other set of words can bring tears to our eyes. Both sets of words can cause us to act and react in certain ways. The question is which set of words will we choose to believe? If you believe any negative set of words you have to replace them with God's Words about You.

There are words that are triggers for us to smile or feel bad about ourselves. The trigger for me is that I am not living up to my potential. This can be said in many different ways but the way I process it is: "I am NOT good enough." What are your trigger words? You are _________. How do you process the words that are spoken to you? Are they coming from God, the devil, you, or others?

For the longest time, I did not understand that many of the negative thoughts I was having as a child of God was the devil reminding me of negative thoughts and feelings. The same thought and feelings that God wanted to heal and set me free from. You may be experiencing the same thing. Negative thoughts just seem to crowd your mind and you are like where did that come from. Especially if it seems to come out of no where. 

TESTIMONY: So in me dealing with my issue of feeling inadequate. Some days, I am sitting in My Daddy God's lap telling HIM about it. Some days, I have been trying to handle it on my own. So I will try and focus on something else like TV, Facebook, etc. I would be watching a comedy and laughing and all of a sudden the thought would hit me "You are not good enough." What? and I would hear it again and I would rehearse it for a little while. Then when I come back to myself I would say: "Lord, I take that thought captive to the obedience of Christ."  If I continue to rehearse the words, I will continue to feel down and out and mad at myself and those around me. Why? Because I am dealing with something internal to me and lashing out at others. But when I attack the thought using God's Words then I am much better and can go on with my day. Some days I have to keep saying that it over and over for my mind to catch up with my new thought. Then I will feel better and can enjoy the day.

As I stated, we are going to walk through this valley together to the mountaintop. So, today turned out to be a good day for me. It is my continued prayer that Our Father will use something you have read to walk closer to and with HIM today. As you see, hear, and speak God's Words over your life that HE will change your thoughts and speech about you. 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, change my words to reflect who I really am in Christ. I choose to take the negative thoughts that others have spoken over me and I have spoken over myself captive to the obedience of Christ. I praise You in advance for showing me to me from YOUR perspective.

 QUESTIONS:

How will you use God's words 
to allow HIM to change you? 

Are you ready for the changes HE will make in you?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or Email me

MIND VERSUS HEART BELIEFS

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Hello Women of Valour,

I said we are on this journey together. We are in the trenches together. I have been doing alot of soul searching, reading, and studying about inadequacy and insecurity. I am reading the Bible and other commentaries and articles. The more I read the closer and further away I am from a solution. So my heart tells me that Jesus is the answer. This is the TRUTH...but my finite mind tells me there has to more to it than that.  My heart and mind are not in agreement. Have you ever felt like you were being pulled in two different directions at the same time. 

Well, this is where I found myself this week. As I said, I am going to take you on this journey with me from prison to peace. As the Holy Spirit reveals to me; I am going to share and it is my prayer that as HE reveals to you that you will also share with us. So I have been reading over the verses of Scripture which I shared in my previous post: "Lies: Feelings of Inadequacy."  

I will say it again to myself just as much to you. Women of Valour, it is time (actually past time) to fight back and get out of the pit of insecurity and inadequacy. Let's start with the first verse

• God has NOT given me the spirit of fear: but of power, love and a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

So, let's break this verse down:

I Timothy 1:6-7
God has NOT given me the spirit of fear. So what has God GIVEN me? POWER, LOVE, and A SOUND MIND. My Father has given us HIS Daughters these three things. 

1. HE GAVE me POWER to do what? So, as I read verse 7 I also began to read around this verse of what was before it and after it. It was verse 6 that stuck out to me. "This is why I remind you to fan into a flame the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you." I had to remember that God gave me the gift of healing many many many years ago. But I have not been utilizing the gift. The Power HE gave me is to lay hands on the sick. The POWER HE GAVE me is to speak words of encouragement to those that are downtrodden. The POWER HE GAVE me is to open the blinded eyes and set the captives free with HIS WORDS. What POWER has GOD GIVEN to you to build up yourself and HIS KINGDOM? You have to remind yourself of the words that have been spoken over your life. Then get to fanning and speaking and acting upon the gifts.
2. HE GAVE me HIS LOVE to do what? To love God first, myself, and then others. I went to Matthew 22:37:38. So, how can we love on others if we do not love ourselves. I used to try and do this on my own but it never worked. As it turns out I was only loving others to try and get my own self-centered and selfish needs met. Which were based upon my feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. Thankful to MY Father for showing me HIS LOVE for me and showing HIS LOVE to others through me. Have you been showing love to others out of selfish or self centered motives? God wants to show us HIS true love for us. Please let HIM.
3. HE GAVE me a SOUND MIND (self discipline or self control) to do what? This is so that I can choose to walk out the things HE desires for me to do to build up HIS Kingdom. I can also say no to the things that do NOT build up HIS Kingdom. Sometimes it works and other times I do my own thing because I feel like the things HE asks of me to do are TOO hard. Maybe you can identify with that statement. The Holy Spirit wants to remind us of EVERYTHING that Jesus endured for us and then I get my act back together. He is reminding me now through this journey.

My heart is in agreement but my mind is saying: "Yeah, that ALL sounds good but what about your feelings of inadequacy and/or insecurity. What about when ________ hurt you? What about how ________ makes you feel? The thoughts may be valid but it goes back to whose voice am I going to listen to? Your heart may be saying yeah she is right but the thoughts in your mind may be saying "whatever that is just for her and not you." The Word of God is for each one of us IF we allow it to reveal the truth to us. By the way, IF is a GIGANTIC two-letter word. Especially, IF you add WHAT IF to it. 

So, let's break down FEAR. Where does the negative part of fear come from? It comes from our enemy the devil, our backgrounds, our thought processes about change. Any type of changes bring with them FEAR of the UNKNOWN and WHAT IF. Let's cancel this out right now.  FEAR is an acronym that has been around for years:

• F = False
• E = Evidence
• A = Appearing 
• R = Real

What if you choose to listen to God's Words about you? What if God fails me or has failed me in the past? What if God does not show up for me like HE did not in my past? I am asking you on God's behalf to give HIM another chance. Just like you would give a person in your life who has hurt you multiple times and you keep going back. But you chose to cut God off after one offense you believe HE committed. 

REMEMBER: We will continue this discussion in the coming weeks as God walks us through this process into complete freedom. I will share with you and prayerfully you will share your struggles and triumphs. It does not matter where you are: overcomer, in the trenches, or sitting on the sidelines. We can ALL benefit and encourage each other through the process. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned there is more to come.


GOD has done the work on the Cross through HIS Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father thought we were WORTH it. Now HE wants each of us to choose to BELIEVE that we are worth  it. As I thought about the words from the song Worth in my previous post. The thought hit me that God thinks we are worth it. This short poem came to me so I am sharing it with you:

WORTH IT

by Andrea Monroe

My Clothes or shoes do not make me worth it

My friends or family do not make me worth it

My car or house do not make me worth it

My bank account or lack thereof do not make me worth it

My negative thoughts processes do not take away my worth
My unbelieving heart do not take away my worth
My negative words do not take away my worth
Other people's negative words about me do not take away my worth

God made me worth it when He created the entire universe

God made me worth it when HE created my body

God made me worth it when HE created my heart and mind
God made me worth it when HE breathed HIS breath into me

God made me worth it through Jesus Christ 
God made me worth it with the Cross

God made me worth it when HE gave me HIS Holy Spirit

God made me worth it so tell me how can you or I disagree 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, Help me trust and believe my Father made me worth it. Bring my heart and mind on the same page. Help me to fight the lies and believe the truth about myself. Help me to speak and believe God's Words to and about me. Use the words that I speak and believe to set this captive free in these areas of my life.

 QUESTIONS:

Are y0u going to choose to listen to God's voice? 

How will you choose to fight 
the lies of inadequacy and insecurity?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or womenofvalour15@gmail.com

LIE: FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY





Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Believing a lie as the truth. This is what I have been dealing with lately. There have been thoughts and feelings of inadequacy hitting me more frequently. I am speaking the truth of God's Words but I guess I am not fully believing the words that are coming out of my own mouth. It feels like I am fighting an uphill battle but gaining very little traction. You may be able to identify with these feelings. But let me tell you THE TRUTH as I am in the trenches. They are lies from the pit of hell. As I dig myself out of this pit, I am taking you all along with me Women of Valour.

TESTIMONY: During my morning Bible Study this week, I was hit with a question: What is the difference between inadequacy and insecurity? It seemed to come out of no where. It was further explored at Wednesday Night Bible study. I know I am not insecure but I do feel like I am not good enough sometimes which is inadequacy. I am not living up to my "full" potential. I am walking in freedom in a lot of areas in my life. I can only say THANK YOU JESUS!!! But in some areas I am still sitting in a well decorated prison cell called inadequacy. I know that God wants me to walk in my freedom in Christ in this area as well. Therefore, as I take this journey I will be taking you along with me. This means through my triumphs and tests. 

As I was trying to have my pity party. God directed me to read my own posts: "Seeds: Positive or Negative and Whose Voice are You Listening To Part 1 and 2." I have found that writing is therapeutic for me. God will answer me in the midst of my writing or I will reread something that I have previously written. Then, God will use it to minster to me in a brand new way.

From my "Seeds: Positive or Negative" post:
TESTIMONY: I am still dealing with inadequacy and procrastination because I have not watched over the seeds that God’s Words has said to me in these areas. I have in other areas but not in these. So I am still letting the negative seeds/thoughts and feeling hinder what God has for me. It is up to me to plant and water but my God will truly make it grow. (I Corinthians 3:7) When I start planting and watering the seeds, it is a picture of me coming closer to God who promised HE will come closer to me. (James 4:8a) In researching, I found out that inadequacy is rooted in fear. So I have to water the seeds of faith instead of fear.

God was showing me that HE had already given me the answer/key to this problem. I have to study God's Words on faith to walk out of the fearful state of inadequacy. I also have to listen and obey HIS voice because mine can and will lie to me. Satan's voice will and does lie to me. Other people's voices can and will lie to me. God is the ONLY one that tells me the truth and nothing but the truth. HE will and wants to do this for each one of us. We have to choose to believe the truth. Just like we are choosing to believe the lies as the truth.

As I was looking up the word inadequate these are the words that I saw staring back at me.
Other names for inadequate are: insufficient, deficient, poor, scarce, limited, incompetent, incapable, unsatisfactory, unfit, unacceptable, ineffective, unskillful, unsuitable. The more I saw these words the worse off I felt. Talk about digging a pit; I started to set up camped and stay awhile.

You may be feeling inadequate or insecure about an issue, situation, or thought process in your life. You may be dealing with one, some, or all of the above names. These names are lies about you if you are a child of God. They are blatant and outright lies. The ONLY way to combat them is with the truth of God's Words. This is where my post: "Whose Voice are You Listening to" blessed my socks off. Like Jesus, I have to fight with the only weapon I have HIS Words coming from my heart and mouth. It is not enough just to say God's Words. We must begin to believe what HE says about each one of us. It is easier it seems to NOT fight back and just go along with the status quo of that area of defeat in your life. BUT YOUR FATHER, GOD wants more than that for each one of us.

Women of Valour, it is time (actually past time) to fight back and get out of the pit of insecurity and inadequacy. I started to remember the basics:

• God has NOT given me the spirit of fear: but of power, love and a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)
• For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)
• Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:11 - 12 )

We will continue this discussion in the coming weeks as God walks us through this process into complete freedom. I will share with you and prayerfully you will share your struggles and triumphs. It does not matter where you are: overcomer, in the trenches, or sitting on the sidelines. We can ALL benefit and encourage each other through the process. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned there is more to come.

GOD has done the work on the Cross through HIS Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father thought we were WORTH it. Now HE wants each of us to choose to BELIEVE that we are worth  it. Let the words of the song wash over and through you.

https://youtu.be/tiYGKbSQlGo

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for using the words of this blog and ministry to encourage me and other Women of Valour to fight. Help me to speak and believe God's Words to and about me. Use the words that I speak and believe to set this captive free in the areas of my life.

 QUESTIONS:

Have y0u chosen to listen, speak, and believe what God says about you in this new year? 

Why or why not?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or Email me

  

PERSPECTIVE AND FOCUS

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Hey Hey Hey Women of Valour, 

How are you doing?

What do you choose to focus on today? Do you choose to focus on the weather? Which is always CHANGING. Do you choose to focus on the problems in your life? Which will always come up. Do you choose to focus on the football playoffs? Which will have you up and down physically and emotionally. Do you choose to focus on Your Creator and Father? Who does not change. It is a choice only you can make for yourself. No one can do it for us. I am choosing to refocus!

Focus: 

1. center of interest or activity 
2. central point of attention 

Perspective: 

1. The way you see something
2. A way of thinking about something

Focus is what you choose to give your attention to. Where is your attention today, this week, this month, and this year? I would love to say mine was on God this week but I found myself focusing on my purpose and work. My focus can either lift me up or bring me down. As I am writing this post, I am choosing to refocus on my God who has the answers to the questions that I am trying to figure out. Whatever you are facing right now child of God HE has the answer to your questions as well. The longer you and I focus on our problems the BIGGER they become. Also the smaller God can seem in relationship to the problem. You and I have to make a choice to refocus our attention.

Perspective is your way of thinking about something. My perspective was that my purpose was too BIG for me to fulfill and am I making a difference on my job? I am asking God to reveal what my next step should be but I am also worrying about the next step. This is insanity. Why? Because I am supposed to cast my cares upon the Lord since HE cares for me. (I Peter 3:7) This is easier said than done sometimes. More like MANY times this is harder than it seems.

TESTIMONY: God reminded me of a real example of focus and perspective. As I flew to Georgia in August of last year, I was totally calm getting on the plane and it taking off. I knew that no matter what happened my trust was in Him. My focus was on Him not the plane or the pilot. My perspective or thought process was: "God has me in the palm of HIM hand right now in this moment." God shared with me that when we pray and praise HIM we are lifted above our problems/issues. Just like the plane taking off and soaring above the clouds/problems. We soar above our problems when we pray and praise HIM. When I landed in Georgia I was in a different place. When we come out of prayer and praise with our God we are in a different place. Our problems should not be gigantic anymore because we should have a different focus and perspective. We should be looking at it from God's perspective and with a godly focus. The problem should no longer be seen from our limited perspective.

As I look now at my purpose and job, I understand that my God will lead me and direct me to the people and places I need be. I just have to do my part of preparation. I must also continue to pray and praise HIM for HIS WILL to be done. This applies to each one of us. What is your perspective and focus on today? It could be a wayward child, death of a loved one, sick parent/child, job, marital issues, your purpose, etc. Woman of Valour, choose to refocus on Your Creator today. HE has EXACTLY what you need in this very moment.

This song helped me refocus. I pray it does the same for you. Listen to the words.

Link to Video:  https://youtu.be/6GGFb6LcX3U

Prayer: Holy Spirit, Help me to see things from Your perspective instead of my own limited viewpoint. Help me to refocus on You instead of myself or my problems. Open my eyes to see You and open my ears to hear You in the midst of my problem.

 QUESTIONS:

What are you going to focus on
as you walk though this new year? 

What is your perspective going to be as you walk through this new year?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or Email me

WHO ARE YOU?

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

What is the first words that come to your mind when you are asked the question: Who are you? Is it your status or position? Is it your marital status? Is it your parental status? When I used to hear this question I would ramble off an answer. But if I was truthful with myself; I REALLY did not know who I was or why I was here? I would think about the question even a few days later but then I would just shrug it off and forget it. I did this because with all of my searching I still did not have an answer. This may be where you find yourself today. I have GREAT NEWS for you!! If you have accepted Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior. The answer to this question is: I am a Child of God!!! This answer and these 6 words will bring comfort to you. They will work in the most turbulent of times and also the most triumphant of times in your life.

Whatever you are going through God is trying to remind you that You are HIS. HE wants you to KNOW and BELIEVE that you are HIS. If you find that many things are going well in your life right now. God is showing you that you are HIS as well. I have found in my own life that my own voice and the voice of others including my enemy can deter me from moving forward. I cannot be stagnant and just stand still. I am either moving toward something or further away from something. In this case SOMEONE. This is the same with you, What is keeping you from moving forward with your ideas and plans this year? (Read "Whose Voice Are You Listening To" or "Cleaning Up From Inside To Outside" post)

As I was studying, I came across these verses that blessed my socks off. It was Isaiah 43:10, 13:

"But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the Lord.

"You are my servant.

You (Andrea) have been chosen to know ME, believe in ME,

and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God -

There never has been and there never will be."

"From eternity to eternity I am God.

No one can snatch anyone (Andrea) out of my hand.

No one can undo what I have done.

So when I read these verses, I started thinking about ALL the times I have felt down on myself and other people coming down on me. I thought about the people of Israel who were God's chosen people (HIS CHILDREN). But now, since I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, I am NOW today, this very moment in time, HIS CHILD too. I am a child of the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS! I do not have to stay in darkness. I do not have to hold my head down. I do not have to be ashamed of my past. I don't have to lock myself away anymore. I AM FREE!!! 

Start believing something new today about YOU!

!

You may have heard and are now hearing many negatives thoughts about yourself. Well, God sent me tell or remind you of HIS truths about you. This is the TRUTH of who you are WOMAN OF VALOUR:

• I am a child of God today. (John 1:12)
• I am an heir. (Galatians 4:6 - 7)
• I am complete today. (Colossians 2: 9-10)
• I am wonderfully and fearfully made today. (Psalm 139: 18)
• I am loved today. (Romans 5:5)
• I am accepted today. (Ephesians 1: 5-6)
• I am significant today. (Jeremiah 29:11)
• I am never alone or lonely today. (Hebrews 13:5)
• I am forgiven today. (Colossians 1: 13-14)

To find more TRUTH statements about who you truly are today as a child of God. Click here

Let me tell you that you will have to keep speaking these truths to yourself over and over again. It is not a one time fix. These are continuous medicine statements like multi-vitamins for your soul. You must speak them even when you hear the opposite of what you are speaking. As you speak them God will begin to change your mindset because you are speaking HIS Words.

If you cannot believe any of them about yourself pick one or two of them and ask God to make them real to you. If you believe most of them about yourself but are struggling with one or two ask God to make them real to you. 

Please listen to more encouraging truth: 

https://soundcloud.com/womenofvalour15/who-are-you-blog-1

  

QUESTIONS:

Do you believe who you are a child of God? 

Have you accepted the fact that God created you and you are AMAZING to HIM? BELIEVE IT!

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or Email me

FORGIVE GOD

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

 

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH OF YOU!!! I am soooooo blessed that God has allowed you to visit this blog. In December, we talked about being loved, accepted, and significant. We also talked about forgiving ourselves and others. God brought back to my remembrance how I had to forgive HIM. So this post is about letting go of the mistake or offense you believe God has committed against you. Don't act like I am the only one who has ever held a grudge against My Creator. Be honest with yourself because HE ALREADY KNOWS! LET IT GO! HE LOVES YOU!!! It is now the start of a brand new year. What will you choose to do with it? What will you choose to change moving forward?

 

TESTIMONY: On Thanksgiving 2011, I had a knock down drag out argument with God, My Father. I was going through a separation in preparation for divorce. I told God it was HIS fault that HE placed me in a family that did not love me. This is the way that I felt and what I believed with my whole heart. God is soooooo My Father because HE let me rant, rave, and cry until I got tired. Then HE told me that HE had put me in the family because HE was going to use me to minister to other women who felt like they were not loved by their families. Who felt like their mothers did not care. I was humbled to say the least and saw that God REALLY did have a plan for my life. I saw GOD as GOD and had to repent and ask for forgiveness. I was also smiling because HE brought back to my remembrance how HE had already been allowing me to speak to other women. Also, men for that matter who had little to no real relationships with their families.

 

I believed for a long, long time that God had made a HUGE mistake by placing me in my family. I was basing this belief on the other families that I saw around me. Have you ever based your beliefs on people or things you saw around you. I kept focusing on the things that I did not have instead of ALL that I did have. I grew up with a mother and father in the same household. I grew up in church. I grew up with three amazing overprotective brothers. I grew up with a stepfather that adored me. I grew up to walk in the destiny that God had always planned for me. Out of my dysfunctional family came functional me with a purpose. It is to walk in freedom from my past and help others walk in their freedom as well.

I had to learn that ALL families have some dysfunctional in them; some more than others. God had to show me in HIS Word that the families were dysfunctional as well. These examples are found the first Book of the Bible.

• Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1 - 16)
• Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers due to jealousy (Genesis 37:18 - 36)
• Joseph walking in forgiveness of his brothers (Genesis 45: 1 - 15)

This actually brought me comfort to know that families are filled with broken people and mine is no exception. Neither is yours. When God showed me this I had to really let HIM off the hook. It is the good, bad, and the sometimes ugly things in our lives that God will use to bring us to HIMSELF. He has and is using them to bring us to the places we are supposed to be. All of these people had reasons to hold a grudge. Some family members took matters into their own hands but they ultimately walked in their purposes.

There is usually a part we play in these things. For me, I had cut my family off because I was miserable in my own right. I lived in seclusion and separation from them because I believed they did not love me. It was a lie. It took my separation for me to reconnect with my brothers and let them back into my life. I unpacked and released a whole lot of hurt, pain, and lies going through my year separation and divorce. God healed the wounds and I emerged a new person literally. I was no longer the hurt and scared little girl. A woman now stood in the same place.

 

Over the years,  I have talked to people who are mad at God because a spouse, parent, sibling, or child has died. It may have been unexpected or it may have been a long drawn out process due to a disease. It may be a job loss your fault or the company's. It may be a job that you believed you were supposed to get but did not. It can be the loss of a marriage whether your fault or someone else. It may a sickness in your body right now and you are mad. ALL of these can produce grief and unforgiveness. I know now that grief and unforgiving are two different things:

 

Grief:

1. Keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss;  sharp sorrow; painful regret
2. a cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow

Unforgiving:

• not disposed to forgive or show mercy; unrelenting

Forgive:

1. To stop feeling anger toward; To stop blaming
2. To stop feeling anger about; To forgive someone for
3. To stop requiring payment of

As I was looking up this word forgive it is a verb. This means it is something that requires action on our part. It requires action to forgive yourself, others, and God. It will not and cannot happen on it's own. There is a part for each of us to play. I was mad at God because I actually believed HE had made a mistake in reference to me. (Read my "Lies I believed about God" post.) I blamed HIM for my family which contributed to a lot of the pain, hurt, confusion, misconceptions, etc. about who HE was to me and who I was as a person. You may be dealing with some or the exact same things. I challenge you to ask God this year to reveal to you any areas you are walking in unforgiveness against HIM. If you ask HE will show you and then the action on your part begins.

Today, I can truly say I am thankful for my family. Every trial and triumph has led me to this point in my life. I am VERY thankful and grateful for the path because I KNOW that God has and will continue to lead and guide me the rest of the way. There are scars but no pain associated with them anymore. THANK YOU, JESUS FOR LOVING ME!!! HE can and wants to do the same for you!!! BUT you have to choose to let HIM!!!

Prayer: In the (Insert person's name) put God or YOU.

 

 

 QUESTIONS:

Are you going to choose to forgive God
as you walk though this new year? 

Are you going to allow God to change you as you walk through this new year?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

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