Faith and Star Wars

My husband and I recently watched the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One. In the movie there was a man that constantly repeated a phrase over and over. It didn’t matter if he was just sitting still or doing something, he always repeated the same phrase. (By the way, I’m not giving anything away on the movie, so if you haven’t seen it, it’s okay to continue reading!)

The phrase he repeated over and over was, “The Force is with me. I am one with the Force.” Whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not, you know that “the Force” is what the Jedi use to fight against the Dark Side. So by this man repeating this phrase over and over, he was basically building faith within himself that no matter what he encountered, the Force would be with him and would help him accomplish his plans.

As I was driving to work this morning, I thought of this phrase and realized how easily I could change the wording to become, “God is with me. I am one with God.” No matter where I am, what I’m doing or what I might be facing, reminding myself that God is with me and I am one with God is something I should be repeating all the time. It’s an assurance, a faith booster and a reminder that God is ALWAYS with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. All we have to do is simply call on Him and He is there.

I am not inferior

Previously posted at https://cherishedministriesfcfc.com/blog-posts/

Last weekend, I completed a 5k race. I use the word “completed” because I’d be lying if I said I “ran a 5k”. I don’t like to run! Ever! I always used to say that the only way I would run would be if someone were chasing me. 🙂 But, I want to LIKE running. I’m more of a motivated walker and kind-of-sometime jogger…for limited…very limited amounts of time.

I have a friend that, while I did the 5k, she ran a 10k. Notice my choice of words…I “did the 5k” and she “ran the 10k”. Yep…she ran it…all of it! And beat her last time by over 4 minutes! I’m really proud of her…and truly impressed.

I could look at her and say, “Wow, she’s so much better than me.” But that’s not really true. I mean, she is in her own way, but not in a way that makes me inferior as a person. She trains. She runs as often as she can and she practices running. I don’t practice running…or really walking/jogging for that matter. I’m not as dedicated as she is. But that doesn’t make me any less of a person, just different.

I started a new work out a while back and I told myself that I was no longer going to engage in negative self-talk. In my previous workout class, we did a lot of running and I always found myself being the last runner…the slowest runner. I always equated that to being inferior to everyone else…that they tried harder than me or that they were just better than me. But that’s not true either. That’s just what my thoughts would tell me…that because I don’t work out like her or I don’t run like her, that I’m an inferior person.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” I’ve always liked that quote and it’s true. No one can. But, no one was…I was. I was making myself inferior to everyone around me. “She does that workout really well…I wish I could be like her.” Or, “Wow, she runs great…wish I could run like that.” It goes on and on and on!!

It’s not that anyone is making me feel inferior…I’m doing a pretty outstanding job of doing that on my own.

Want to know why she does that work out well? It’s because she goes to class every day and works really hard. She wants to be good at it, so she trains and she tries.

Want to know why she runs so well? It’s because she trains day in and day out; improving herself and working on her skills so she can be better.

I can do all of that, too. I just have to WANT to do that. If I don’t want to do that, then I’m not going to have the results that others do.

I have a choice. I can either keep looking at other people around me, comparing myself to them and think about what I don’t have or can’t do… OR…I can just be me. Am I perfect? Haha…no! Could I run more consistently or train in class regularly? Yes. Are there things I want to improve about myself? Yes.

But the sum total of all of that…I can be whoever I want to be and I can do whatever I want to do. The only person standing in my way…is ME!

So I made a deal with myself to stop feeling inferior to other people…to stop making myself feel inferior to other people. I am not inferior. I am exactly who God made me to be. I am created in His image (Genesis. 1:27). I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

If I’m in a group of people and I’m not very talkative, then it’s because I’m more of an introvert. There’s nothing wrong with being quiet; it’s just who I am. If I go to my workout class and only do 5 burpees in the same time it takes everyone else to do 10 or more, then that’s what I do. There’s nothing wrong with that either. Everyone starts somewhere and I can only do what I can do. If I walk and jog a 5k while someone runs the whole time; that’s okay, too! They’re a runner and I’m a walker-sometimes jogger. They’re being who they are and I’m being who I am.

I’m proud of what I did last weekend. I completed a 5k. I walked and sometimes jogged the 5k. I did exactly what I was capable of doing and I am proud of myself.

I am not inferior. I am…ME.

A Reflective Thought…

As I was reading in my quiet time this morning, I came across this scripture. I’ve had this particular scripture highlighted in my Bible for awhile. This has always stuck with me as a true representation of who we really are.

Have you ever stopped to think that the very words that come out of your mouth represent what is in your heart? You may think, “No, the heart doesn’t really reveal who I am. I can control my thoughts and what comes out of my mouth.” And to an extent, yes you can.

But in the heat of the moment, when you’re really angry or upset or someone cut you off in traffic, the words that come out of your mouth at that moment…those words reflect what is in your heart.

It’s definitely a good indicator of what we may need to work on so that when we do speak in the heat of the moment, God-things can come out of our mouths.

Here’s another scripture that is similar to this one, “For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, NKJV)

Am I sharing this because I’m perfect? Heck no! Far, far from it. I’ve always loved this scripture and it struck a chord with me today when I read it and wanted to share it with you.

Be YOUnique

I was reading a devotional from Christine Caine this morning. In it, she talks about our destiny and it being a “common trap” to want the destiny that others have.

It’s the same as comparing ourselves to others based on their looks or physique; or thinking their marriage looks better than ours; or that their life looks easier than ours. Whatever “it” is for you, the game of comparison to others is a trap from the devil. That doesn’t come from God. Like Christine said, “YOU are a God-ordained puzzle piece that fits perfectly into His strategy for reaching the hurting and lost at this very moment in time.”

Don’t fall into the trap of comparison and wanting what others have. God has a specific purpose for each one of us. God has given each of us gifts and talents and visions and destinies that belong just to us. Be the unique puzzle piece God made you to be! 🙂

The Dream and the Wilderness

Lately, I’ve been drawn to the story of the Israelites. Mostly, their journey from Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. One of my favorite illustrations of this journey is from the book, “One in a Million” by Priscilla Shirer. I read the book for the first time a few years ago. I had heard Priscilla speak at a conference and was instantly engaged. A friend had been reading the book and recommended it so I immediately went out and bought it. Of course, then I got busy and didn’t read it for a few months. But when I finally picked it up to read, I couldn’t put it down.

In all my years of attending Sunday school, youth group and church, I never fully picked up on the facts of this story. Two million people left Egypt with Moses and out of the original two million, only two…T-W-O… actually entered into the Promised Land. Not even Moses got to cross that final river and stand in the Promised Land. Why? Lack of faith. All of the original two million people, with the exception of the two, died in the wilderness during the 40-year journey. The two million people that did cross into the Promised Land were the offspring of the original group.

It is such an amazing story…sad at times, frustrating at times and happy at times. And there’s so much we can learn from them. This has become one of my favorite bible stories!

So as I said earlier, I’ve been drawn to this story, so I decided to dig this book out and read it again. I’m currently reading it and this will be the third time (yes, 3^rd). I’ve also been doing some other reading during my quiet time and each and every reading I’ve done lately…they’ve all referenced this one story about the Israelites and their wilderness journey. It has just completely blown my mind how everything I’ve been reading or studying or scriptures I’ve found all lead back and tie into this story. God is simply amazing!! And obviously has something for me to learn! 🙂

When I read the story about the Israelites, my first instinct is to get frustrated with them for their lack of faith. I mean, God was with them day and night; He had a visual presence they could see with the cloud and the fire. He provided everything they needed, every time they needed something. And when they complained, He provided. They even got to be a part of and witness one of the greatest miracles in the history of mankind…the parting of the Red Sea! They got to see the water split down the middle and become a wall so they could walk on dry land right through it. They got to see all two million of their traveling buddies walk through completely unscathed. And then they got to watch Pharaoh’s army follow after them and get swept away as the walls of water came crashing down on them.

They saw it all! And then they forgot. And then they complained. And this is where my frustration with them begins. And then I remember that I am a flawed human just like they were. And I remember how quickly I can forget the miracles God does in my life when things start to get hard again or busy or I stop seeking after the One I need.

I’ve been on many wilderness journeys of my own. And I’m sure you have too…we all have! Sometimes God takes us on a wilderness journey to show us something new or to teach us something we’re too stubborn to learn the easy way. Sometimes He takes us there to guide us away from something harmful that we don’t see ourselves. And sometimes He takes us there to breathe new life into us and/or the dreams and visions He has for us. That’s what my current wilderness journey has been…the rebirth of a dream.

I have always loved reading books. When I was younger and still some now, good fiction books….you know, the feel-good story with the perfect people who say all the right things at the right time, with the always happy ending. I love to read mystery books and see if I can figure out where the author is taking me before I read it. And I love to read non-fiction books; books like “One in a Million” that teach me something I didn’t know before.

But the one thing I have always wanted to do is to write books. I’ve had this dream of being a published author for as long as I can remember. At first, it was to write fiction stories like the ones I get lost in and love. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself drawn to non-fiction…to write something that can help someone else.

I have a friend who is a published author and I have asked her countless times how she does it, how she knows what to write or how to start. She tells me the same thing over and over, “You just sit down and start typing. God will bring the words to you.” And that is exactly what He has done!

As I said earlier, all the reading I have done lately has culminated to this story—the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. It was deep in the wilderness that I remembered my love for writing. I realized my friend was right….I just need to sit down and start typing, so I did. I have. I started keeping a journal a few weeks ago. Is it profound and professional? Of course not! It’s just a way of making a habit to sit down and write something.

But I also felt there was something bigger stirring in me; a story to write; a story to share. And that brings me to this blog. Although this is about this specific journey of discovery and rebirthing of a dream, I know there will be many more to share. And as God brings those stories to my mind, I want to share them with you.

Maybe you already follow my blog or found it by happenstance. Maybe you found this on my Facebook page as it came across your News Feed. However you came across it, I’m happy you did! I’ve always loved being an encourager to people around me…seeing the blue sky on a cloudy day. And I want to continue to be an encourager through my writings and postings as the Lord leads.

Through the vision the Lord recently gave me, I have made some adjustments to my website where I blog and have also created a Facebook page to link future blogs and encouraging posts.

If you’re interested in seeing where God takes me on this writing journey, I ask you to come along with me on this ride. And if you’re not, that’s okay…we’ll still be friends in the blogosphere! J You can find my blogging website at http://kmhlivingbyfaith.com or find me on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/livingbyfaith.kmh.

Thanks for reading and hope to “see” you soon!! 🙂

Sweet Daisy

Last week we experienced the loss of our family pet, our sweet Daisy. We had Daisy more than 10 years and she was as much a member of our family as any human. I know some people don’t think of their pet as family, but we did!! When we went on trips, she usually went with us. When checking hotels, we always checked for pet-friendly.

There are so many things about Daisy that I’ll always remember. She hated cats with a passion! She always barked & tried to chase our neighbor’s cat when she saw him. Once, my husband found her after she had “found” the cat…she had the cat pinned to the ground underneath her paw. She wouldn’t hurt any animal, but she would bark at them like she meant business. When we first got Daisy, she would run like crazy around the house. She could go from 0 to 90 in a matter of seconds. She’d zoom around the living room, out the doggy door, run the fence while barking at the neighbor dog, zoom back into the house and soar over the side of the couch like it was six inches off the ground!

She also had a love of chocolate! Yes, we know dogs aren’t supposed to have chocolate, but this dog had a stomach of steel! She was known to get chocolate out of jackets (I have a hole in a pocket to prove that), off the kitchen table, from the bar behind the couch and then anywhere else you left it without remembering to place it up high. This one Christmas we had given my mother-in-law a coffee basket with chocolate truffles. These weren’t just any truffles, they were the kind you got from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory…they were huge and there were six of them. We had opened the gifts at my mother-in-law’s house that morning and then went to another family member’s house for the rest of the day. When we got back that evening, the basket was on the floor, some of the coffee ripped open and the white sack with the truffles…ripped to shreds…and EMPTY!! We checked on Daisy and her stomach was so full. She looked miserable and she didn’t eat anything else for a while, but she was just fine. That was several years ago and we still laugh about that every Christmas.

Another food item she loved was ice cream. Any time any of us had ice cream, she had to have some. We got to where we just fixed a bowl for her when we had it. There was a time I was scooping ice cream for the two of us. The ice cream was still pretty solid, so when I scooped it out, it popped off of my scoop and was headed to the floor…except that it never hit the floor. I looked down and Daisy had caught the very generously-sized scoop of ice cream in her mouth! 🙂

There are so many great memories of our sweet Daisy. I like to believe that she’s not alone in heaven…that she has a special little boy to play with. I like to believe that she and this little boy chase each other around and play all day and the he rubs her belly at night, just like my husband did every night before he went to sleep. I like to believe that these two will keep each other company until we see them both again one day.

Matthew 5:4 (MSG), “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”

Here are a few of our favorite pictures of Daisy…

We love you so much Daisy and we miss you like crazy!!! ❤

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Picture this: you’re focused, you’re driven, you’ve set your sights on a dream you’ve had for a very long time and you can see this dream finally coming true after years and years of prayer and wishing and hoping…you’re like a racecar driver on the final lap of the big race and you’re in first place…you can see the finish line and in a few more feet, you’ll not only have touched it, but crossed over. In your peripheral view, you see the flag guy, but instead of the checkered flag in his hand, you see a yellow caution flag. You think to yourself, “What is that? There’s no one in front of me…I can see the finish line and I’m the only one.” But he’s waving the flag anyway and telling you to slow down. So you make a split second decision and decide to push through anyway because you know that nothing can stop you now…you’re so close and then….BAM!!!!

That was my 2014!!!!

Oh how happy I am to see 2014 in my rear view mirror!! I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to see one year end and another fresh, New Year begin!

Now that you have a great picture in your brain, let me explain what it all means.

My husband and I have long desired to have children and grow our family. We were given that dream a few years ago, only for it to be snatched away a few short weeks later through a miscarriage. As we are both not the spring chickens we once were, my doctor suggested I visit a fertility doctor. My husband didn’t really see a need for this as we were able to get pregnant once before. But, I thought it best to go and see what the doctor had to say and get things checked out…you know, just in case.

The initial appointments went good. There were a few minor things I needed to adjust, like my diet and exercise. After getting all of this adjusted, I was set to go in for an outpatient procedure as one final check to make sure everything was working properly and nothing was out of whack, so that we could proceed to the next step.

I had taken the morning off work this one Friday in late June to have all of my pre-op work completed. I had mentioned to my doctor during this visit that I had been experiencing some extreme shortness of breath that week so she added another test to the schedule to check it out.

I got home later that evening and all of a sudden started experiencing some major leg pain. My right leg was cramping and aching unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Imagine when you get a calf cramp…when it comes on, if you can stretch it out or stand up and stretch it, the cramp will go away. This felt like a calf cramp to the 100th degree that, no matter what I tried, I could not stretch it out. It hurt to sit; it hurt to walk; it hurt to stand…no matter what I did, it hurt! The pain was so severe that I got very light-headed and thought I was going to pass out!

Since the last time I felt lightheaded I was actually dehydrated, my husband thought it best to purchase copious amounts of Gatorade and have me drink them all night long. Did I mention how uncomfortable it was to get up and walk around? Imagine drinking bottle after bottle of water and Gatorade for about five hours straight…get the picture!?!

The next morning, I was still in a lot of pain and my leg was actually starting to swell. I decided to go to a clinic to see if they could give me something for the pain. When the doctor saw my leg, she measured it and said I should go to the ER and have them look at my leg; she said she’d feel better if they helped me first. So I left the clinic and went straight to the ER. The ER nurses put me in a room and ran some tests. They drew some blood and had a tech come in and do an x-ray on my right leg. About five minutes after the tests were done, the ER doctor came in and told me I had a blood clot in my leg and was being admitted to the hospital. About four hours later, I was in a private room in the hospital, where I stayed for the next three days. Now how’s that for a summer vacation!?! 😦

It all boiled down to some medication I was on, that mixed with my age, had a high probability of developing a blood clot…well, they were right. For once, I was the one in a million, billion, whatever the number was…just not the “one” I wanted to be! And with the blood clot, I was told that anything having to do with baby-making, fertility, whatever, was on hold for the next SIX months!

After all of it settled down and I was out of the hospital and getting back to regular stuff, I finally realized that I had blinders on my eyes. I was so focused and so driven to see my baby dreams come true, that I had completely tuned out God and His plan for this part of my life. I had basically told Him, “Hey, I found a way to make this happen faster instead of waiting on Your timing, so I’m going this way, instead of Your Way.” See what doing it “my way” got me!?! Six months of waiting…more freakin’ waiting!!!

HELLO 2015!!!

December 31st was the last day that I had to take my blood thinners. I used some of that six-month time to focus on God and His plan for our lives. I learned that I need to be content with my current place in life; to enjoy the time my husband and I have left in our “coupleness” before kids come along; and to enjoy that we can pick up and go out or grab a bite to eat without having to find a babysitter. And I also learned that no matter what the future holds, two things will never change: (1) God’s love for me is constant, unwavering and forever, and (2) so is my husband’s love.

I recently went back to the fertility doctor and visited with her on our next step. She gave us some options and said to let her know how we decide to proceed. This year, I’ve removed the blinders. I’m still focused and driven and my sights are still set on the baby dream, but this time, I’m doing it God’s way! I’m going to let Him tell me which option to choose and trust in His timing and His plan. 🙂
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV), “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Renewed and Restored

March is known as the month where spring emerges; where grass starts to turn green, where flowers are in bloom and the leaves of trees begin to appear. March is kind of like the renewing season, a restoring of what once was but went away and is new again.

For me, March has always been a great month of celebration. When I was in high school, March was the month that my now-husband asked me to be his girlfriend. Mind you, it took him 45 minutes, standing in my parents’ driveway, to ask me to be his girlfriend. And the fact that I was in the shower when he arrived (I had a banquet to attend that evening) and I stood in that driveway with him with wet hair, no makeup and mismatched clothes, and he still asked me anyway…yep he’s a keeper!! 🙂

Two years after we had been dating, another great thing happened in March. His little sister was born on our exact anniversary (bet you thought I was going to say we got married…haha…keep reading).

Looking many years into the future, another great day in March arrived…our wedding day! We got married 4 days before the date of our dating anniversary. And last weekend, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. I’ll let you do the math on that one to see how long we’ve really been together!! 🙂

So for us, March has always been a great time of year, with many things to celebrate. But last year, March took on a whole new meaning for us. Added to our month of great memories and celebration came sadness and disappointment. Last March was when we found out we were pregnant and then three short weeks later, found out we were no longer pregnant. What was once a great month had been shattered and our hearts broken into thousands of little pieces.

A year has now passed and the healing continues. I look back on this past week with excitement for our anniversary and all that we’ve accomplished in our 11 years of marriage. But I also look at this past week with a sadness that still resonates in my spirit; a longing for a hole to be filled and for something to take away the void that remains. The time is ripe for God to renew and restore us and for our broken hearts to be mended in a way that only God can.

As this blog was percolating in my brain this morning, the scripture I kept hearing in my spirit is found in Malachi 3:10. This scripture is mostly known for the references to tithing, but this morning I kept hearing over and over this one specific part, “…and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.” POUR OUT BLESSINGS. This is going to be my scripture of renewing, of restoration…God is going to pour out his blessings on me and my husband and the family that He is going to give us and it will be BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS!

The loss will always remain and the memory will always be there, but I stand at the ready for God to pour out His blessings on us that will be beyond our wildest dreams.

The Best Version of Me

Quick Note: Because I’ve been so busy and haven’t had time to sit down and think of something original (okay, original for this blog!), I’m going to share with you a blog I wrote for our church’s women’s ministry blog. I really liked it and got some great compliments on it, so thought it best to share again. And, if you’d like to check out our women’s ministry blog, you can find it at http://www.cherishedministriesfcfc.com (shameless plug, yes I know!).

At the beginning of this year, I decided I needed to make a few changes for a healthier me. I didn’t refer to these as “resolutions” as those tend to be broken by mid-January. I chose to refer to my changes as a lifestyle change. The two areas I decided to focus on were my eating habits (health) and my weight (fitness).

I’ll say that I completed the month of January by being very consistent in my exercise and eating. But what I soon realized is that to see the major changes I want to see, it’s going to take me a lot longer to accomplish them than just four weeks.

I’ve been attending a bible-based fitness program for the last several years, so all the encouraging words of my trainers have started to really click in my brain. Their words have helped me to remember that I need to take this one day at a time. It took years for my body to look the way it does, so it will take a while for me to get it back to where I want it to be. There’s no magic pill or overnight drug that will get me there; only determination and consistency on my part to do it day after day, week after week, month after month.

My weight has been a struggle for me for too many years to count. Even when I was in junior high and high school, I wasn’t happy with my weight. In junior high, I was tall, but I wore a size 12-14. Although I never looked fat because of my height, I never felt skinny either. Then, in high school, thanks to the fact I didn’t have a good, healthy body image, I lost a bunch of weight and then I was too skinny.

The weight has always been my biggest foe when it comes to being happy with me, but it also stems from not being confident in whom God created me to be. I’d like to share a few scriptures with you that have helped me find the best version of me.

Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” And Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them…”

I have paired these two scriptures together and have taped them to the mirror in my bathroom. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made and created in the image of My Heavenly Father.” It helps for me to see this every day; and several times a day.

The scripture helps me to remember that God doesn’t make mistakes and He didn’t make one when He created me. I have to remind myself that God created me just the way He wanted me to be. He. Created. Me. Me. Single, solitary Kara Michelle Justice Hyden. He created me…to look like Him! Have you ever sat long enough to think about that? And how amazing that is!?!

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you…” Before I was ever a thought or a twinkle in my mother’s mind, God already knew me. He knew what I would look like. He knew how tall I was going to be. He knew what specific gifts and talents and abilities He was going to give me. He knew what special qualities I was going to have that make me unique and like no other person on the planet. And He knew that I would often struggle with my weight and outward appearance. But He created me anyway. God did this. For me! Because He loves me!!

A few years ago I read an article about liking myself for the person God created me to be. In the article, the author challenged the readers to make a list of 10 things they like about themselves that have nothing to do with their outward appearance. I was intrigued by the article and decided to take her up on the challenge. I thought the list would be hard to make, but it turned out to be a pretty easy challenge. And I have my list taped to my bathroom mirror so I see it every single day. And to make it even better, I attached the scriptures I mentioned above to it, so I can fully soak in God’s unconditional love and the good things about myself. For the sake of space and droning on and on, I’ve only listed 5 of the 10 things on my list. Here’s what I have:

My husband loves me and calls me the love of his life
I’m great at organizing and planning
My friends like my sense of humor
Everyone can depend on me
God created me in His image

This helps me to remember that even though I may not always like the way I look on the outside or how my clothes fit; there are good things about me that I do like. And it’s nice to have a visual reminder in the one place I see myself every day…my mirror.

While I will be continuing on with the lifestyle changes that I set out to accomplish in January, no matter what happens, God loves me always; He created me in His image; and this will always be the best version of me.

Freedom from Offense

This past week, the women’s bible study that I’m a part of at my church started our new bible study for the spring semester. This semester, we are studying “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. I’ve read this book before and I’m looking forward to reading it again, but studying it deeper now than I did the first time.

I don’t know about you, but books like this are ones that I like to have the physical book so that I can mark up, underline, highlight and earmark all the pages and passages that speak to me while I’m reading them. We’ve only discussed the first two chapters in the book. But as I was reading through the next section in preparation for our class, several of the passages and statements, along with scriptures jumped right off of the page.

Some of these passages spoke so personally to me, that I wanted to share them with you. Most of these come from the first three chapters in the book and some of the scriptures from the first two chapters of the workbook. If any of you are dealing with offense in any way, I pray these speak to you as boldly as they did to me.

Luke 17:1

“…It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”

Just because you were mistreated, you do not have permission to hold on to an offense.

Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

If we do not deal with an offense, it will produce more fruit of sin, such as bitterness, anger and resentment.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Jesus said our ability to see correctly is another key to being freed from deception. Often when we are offended we see ourselves as victims and blame those who have hurt us. You will only repent when you stop blaming other people.

There are two Greek words for love: phileo and agape.

Phileo is a love among friends; it’s affectionate and conditional.

Agape is the love of God and is unconditional; it is a love that gives even when rejected.

Galatians 6:8-9

“Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

When you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God.

We walk in a selfish love that is easily disappointed when our expectations are not met. If I have no expectations about someone, anything given is a blessing and not something owed. We set ourselves up for offense when we require certain behaviors from those with whom we have relationships. The more we expect, the greater the potential offense.

If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.

To not be offended, we must freely receive and freely give.

Complaining is rebellion and a lack of fear of the Lord.

Philippians 2:14-15

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,…”

If it is not dealt with, offense will eventually lead to death. But when you resist the temptation to be offended, God brings great victory.

James 4:7

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Authority is given to serve, not to set you apart.

Often, we focus on the impossibility of our circumstances instead of the greatness of God.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Absolutely no man, woman, child or devil can ever get you out of the will of God! No one but God holds your destiny! No mortal man or devil can supersede the plan of God for your life. But there is only one person who can get you out of the will of God and that is you!

If you stay free from offense you will stay in God’s will.

Remember that Satan fights you the hardest and brings his greatest attach again your harvest (God’s inheritance for you) just before your harvest manifests and becomes a reality.

Numbers 23:19

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

God has already seen every adverse circumstance we will encounter—no matter how great or small—and He has the way planned for escaping it. Often the thing that looks like an abortion of God’s plan actually ends up being the road to its fulfillment if we stay in obedience and free from offense.

Stay submitted to God by not becoming offended; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We resist the devil by not becoming offended.

God’s Word, His promise, will always come to pass as long as you don’t get offended.

1 Peter 5:10

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Please feel free to comment and share with me any of the passages, statements and/or scriptures that spoke to you or share with me some of your own…

living by faith

Living out the life God gave me day by day

Tag: scripture