A lot of us have been in quarantine for over a year until the last couple of months when restrictions have been lifted off more in certain parts of the country. Unfortunately with those restrictions being lifted off in some states; there have been more incidences of destruction, violence, and deaths which are all works of the devil and his demons. (See John 10:10) Sad to say, but it's true, that some people should have never been allowed out of quarantine at all.
I personally have been enjoying my time inside more, especially over the last few months. There's a lot less stress and more peace. Plus, I have had more time with my Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to learn and grow more spiritually and otherwise. I have learned to cook and bake more often using a couple of home delivery services which include the recipes for the meals. One of the services even sends all of the ingredients including the seasonings, spices, condiments. It's a great way to be more creative in the kitchen as well as eat more healthy at times.
Now, I am wondering... Is it really safe for people to resume some of their normal activities in this dark world? Some of the places have been in some everyday establishments, businesses, companies where people have experienced violence, destruction, and death.
Father God, help us! Help us to be salt and light whenever and wherever we go out in this world. Put a hedge of protection over and around us always. Help us to love as you love, forgive as you forgive, and heal as you heal... In Jesus' name. Amen!
I have often heard believers say that they do not know the way to
pray. It is usually new believers or relatively young believers in Jesus
Christ but not always.
I formerly did not know and understand the way to pray either.
However, it is not so much a particular format or structure that God is
concerned about for us. It is more of the heart cry from us to Him.
Prayer is simply a conversation with our Father God. Jesus
often prayed to His Father (SeeMark 1:35;Luke 5:16;John 17:1).
He also taught us the way to pray in God's word.
Therefore, take a look at the most well-known prayer---The Lord's
Prayer.
'Our Father in
heaven,hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us today our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' (Matthew
6:9-13, NIV)
Notice the way, Jesus
began this prayer to His Father. The Son first addressed God in a
respectful manner. He did not use poor language or a slang version.
He honored and respected His Father. Consequently, it showed in the
way Jesus addressed Him.
Next, the Son told His
Father the way He wanted His Kingdom to come and His will to be done. He
desired what God had for Him and wanted for Him. Therefore, Jesus
submitted Himself to His Father and His perfect will.
Jesus asked for daily
provision when He talked about 'daily bread.' He knew His Father would
meet His needs. However, the Son requested it in this model prayer to
make it truly known to God.
The fourth part
consisted of asking for any forgiveness and helping all of Jesus' disciples to
forgive others. There is a both a giving and receiving of forgiveness in
all relationships.
Lastly, Jesus
requested for all of His followers not to be allowed to fall into temptation as
well as to be delivered from the enemy's camp so to speak. He prayed this
one for His twelve disciples, but it includes all of us today.
Additionally, He modeled this prayer for all of us.
Copyright 2016 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
"Keep this Book of the Law
always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful
to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful." (Joshua 1:8, NIV) Meditating on God's word may not be
something that you are familiar with in your spiritual walk.
The word 'meditate' is defined as to
consider, think, ponder, contemplate, reflect.
Meditation on God's word is a
spiritual discipline. It is a recommended part of every believer's spiritual
development and growth.
Most importantly, it is commanded by
God our Father in His word.
Our Father God not only told us in
the book of Joshua to meditate on His word but to meditate on it all the time
so we can obey everything in it.
How do we meditate on it all the
time?
For one, we consider or think on a
particular scripture verse. For example, "And my God will meet all your
needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:19, NIV)
We keep thinking about the same
scripture verse for a period of time. "And my God will meet all your needs
according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:19, NIV)
We contemplate and reflect on it
until it truly sinks into our heart---until we get a revelation about that
specific verse. "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches
of His glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, NIV)
Perhaps, we even begin confessing
out loud. Make it personal. "And my God will meet all of my needs
according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." My God will meet all of my needs. All means all. He didn't say some. He said all. It's not according to my own
riches. It's according to His riches
in glory. I am in Christ. Therefore, I have His riches.
That's only one example from
scripture in order to get you started with meditating on God's word. Please
feel free to also use other scripture verses. Do it frequently throughout the
day.Every day.
In the next part of Joshua 1:8, God then tells
us that we will be prosperous and successful.
It's very important to observe this
command from God. We cannot be truly prosperous and successful in our lives.
The prosperity and success that is
spoken of in the book of Joshua isn't necessarily the kind that you may think
of at the moment. It certainly isn't the kind that the world talks about much
of the time. However, it is the kind that God wants for us.
He wants us to be prosperous and
successful because it honors and glorifies Him. Plus, He is a good God! A
loving father who wants to bless His children. What good, loving father would
ever want or do anything else? (Matthew 7:9-11) Do you want to be blessed? I know that I sure do.
Copyright
2014 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
I don't know about you, but I am really tired of the law. Looking back over the last few years, I have come to realize the numerous times that people have tried to put me 'under the law'. I have also realized some of the times that I have put myself 'under the law'.
Unfortunately, when we lack knowledge, it can be to the detriment of ourselves and others. "My people are destroyed forlack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6a, NKJV)
Thankfully, my Father God, has opened my spiritual eyes of understanding and enlightened me even more recently with more knowledge and revelation. (Ephesians 1:17-23)
Once you have accepted Jesus into your heart and made Him Lord of your life, you have the fullness of Him living on the inside of you. You don't need anyone giving you rules and regulations nor telling you what to do and not do. (Colossians 2:6-12, 20-23)
God has made us dead to sin and alive with Christ. (Romans 6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13) Baptism by water immersion is a great picture of us being buried with Christ and raised to new life---His life.
"Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian." (Galatians 3:23-25, NIV)
Too many times, members of the body of Christ are still living like they are 'under the law'. Perhaps, unbeknownst to them. However, they are in bondage.
Jesus freed us from the written code of the law. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36, NIV) We are redeemed from the law. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. (Matthew 5:17) We are under grace. The life we now live, we live by faith in the Son---Jesus. (Galatians 3:11-14)
Copyright 2014 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
You just listened to the song, My Way, originally made famous by the old crooner, Frank Sinatra. In the above song, the artist sings about doing things his way and having regrets but still doing it his way.
The world would have you believe that it is best to do it our own way. They would have you to think that you don't need anyone. You don't need anyone's help. You don't need anyone's advice or godly counsel. You will be fine just doing it your way.
However, our Father God says differently in His word known as the Bible. Our Father clearly says that when we do things His way we will have the abundant life. We will have a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10b) We will have blessings which overtake us. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
God says, "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess." (Deuteronomy 30:15-16, NIV)
Our Father loves us. He wants to help us. He wants us to choose His way. He encourages us to go His way.
He tells us what we can expect if we do not go His way. "But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess." (Deuteronomy 30:17-18, NIV)
When we obey Him and go His way though, we can expect so much more from Him. "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may liveand that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NIV)
Whose way are you going today? Are you going your own way? Or...are you going God's way? His way is the best. However, He leaves the decision up to you. If you want / need His help though, He is always willing and available. Just go to Him! Ask Him to help you to go His way! You will be blessed abundantly.
Copyright
2013 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
God is infinite. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is always present. He is limitless. However, people tend to limit God. They try to limit Him anyway. His character never changes, and He doesn't change His mind. (Numbers 23:19) Therefore, it is only people's perception that changes Him or their personal experience with Him.
I came to realize awhile back that I had previously been limiting my Father God and my experience with Him for a few years in my own life. I didn't intentionally set out or plan to do it either. It just happened because I had already made up my mind. I had pre-conceived thoughts and ideas of exactly how and when I would enter my "Promised Land", the land flowing with milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 27:3) I expected to enter it over three years ago. When it didn't happen then, I thought that it had just been delayed for the time being. Then, early last year, I expected to enter my "Promised Land" going a different way and another route. However, it didn't happen then either. I came to realize even more that I had been limiting my Father God and my personal experience of Him.
Therefore, I decided to take the limits off my Father God. I don't know exactly how and when I will enter my "Promised Land", but I know that I will enter it at just the right time and in just the right way with the help of my Father God. I may still have some thoughts or ideas of how I would like it to happen. However, I decided that I am not going to limit my Father God with those kind of thoughts or ideas.
I have moved on with my life as well as my relationship with my Father God. I am sure that He knows exactly how and when it will happen. He also knows when I am ready to enter my "Promised Land". Until then, I am taking the limits off Him and myself. I am trusting Him with His plans for me. I know that He is good, and His plans for me are good. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Copyright 2013 by
Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
Count Your Blessings is an old hymn that is sung in many churches around
the world. I grew up singing the song in church. I am sure that many
others who grew up in church also are familiar with the song. Have you
ever really listened to the words of the song? Just listen here and now...
"Count your blessings...Name them one by one...Count your blessings...See what God has done..."
Those are just a few of the words to the old hymn, Count Your Blessings. Sometimes, it is easier said than done though. There may be times when you get down or discouraged about a situation in life. It is just easier to see the negative and natural circumstances sometimes. However, our Father God wants us to praise Him in all circumstances. David who went through a lot of difficulty in his life knew that he needed to praise His Lord at all times.
"I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." (Psalm 34:1, NIV)
The Psalmist in 119 also knew that he needed to praise God.
"Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws." (Psalm 119:164, NIV)
God our Father wants us to truly know Him. He wants us to see and know His goodness, His love, and His faithfulness in every circumstance in our lives. He definitely wants us to praise Him.
How do we do it? We get our eyes off of our natural circumstances and put our eyes on Him. (Hebrews 12:1-3) Then, we praise Him for what He has already done for us in our lives. We praise Him for what He is doing 'behind the scenes' in our lives. We praise Him for what He will do for us in our future.
Start praising Him right now where you are...I am sure that you can think of something to praise Him and thank Him for in your life. Begin with some of the basics like your home, your family, your food, your clothing, and whatever else. If you need to go back to the above song, there are some hints and reminders in it. All of your blessings come from God the Father! (James 1:17) Therefore, count your blessings! Then, see what God has done!
Copyright 2013 by
Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
When you do not know someone or know very little about someone, you usually make incorrect assumptions or draw incorrect conclusions about that person. The same is true of God the Father. When we do not take the time to get to know Him more fully, we may make incorrect assumptions or draw incorrect conclusions about Him.
If we have not had an earthly father available to us or we have had an earthly father who has been a poor example to us, we may see or know God the Father the same way. We may think or say, "Oh, he is never around" or "He is always leaving me." Or...we may say, "Oh, he does not love me" or "He is not a good father." We may think that God the Father is not available to us, or He has abandoned us, or He hates us, or He is a bad Father. However, none of that is true about our Father.
The way we see our Father affects the way we receive from Him. Therefore, it is very important that we correctly see Him and accurately know Him as God the Father. We will look at God's word now in order to learn more about the true nature of God.
First of all, God is love. (1 John 4:8) Therefore, if He is love, His primary character trait is loving. We can know Him more fully through His love for us as His children. Next, please look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. If "God is love" as we just learned in 1 John 4 and "Love is patient...kind..." as we just learned in 1 Corinthians 13, then God can also be seen and known by these characteristics. Therefore, God is patient. He is kind. He is...so on and so forth. We can come to know our Father as patient, kind, and so on.
David who wrote a lot of the book of Psalms had a good and close relationship with God. He was sincere or "real" with His Heavenly Father. It did not matter what David was going through at the time. He knew that he could cry out or call out to His Father whenever and wherever he wanted or needed Him. David knew that his Father God was available to him anytime and any place. He also came to know his Father more closely and dearly. Thus, because of David's intimate and deeply loving relationship with his Father God, he learned more about his Father's true nature through various situations in his life. He came to rely, depend, and trust his Father more fully because of everything they had experienced together in their relationship.
David came to know that his Father was worthy of much praise. Now, look at Psalm 145. In this particular Psalm, David is actually praising his Father and talks about His characteristics. In verse 8, David says that "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." "The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does." (Psalm 145:13b, NIV) "The Lord is righteous in all his ways..." (v17) "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth." (v18) "The Lord watches over all who love Him..." (v20)
Like David, we can also come to know Him more fully and accurately. We can come to know our Father's true nature by being in a close, deep, and intimate relationship with Him. We can also call out or cry out to our Father anytime or any place. He is always available to us. He is always with us! He never leaves us! He never forsakes us! (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8) He meets us exactly where we are at any given time or place. He always loves us! He is a good Father!
Copyright 2013 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
God our Father often talks to us, His children. However, we as His children are not always listening to Him. With all of the busyness in life, sometimes we cannot hear our Father God. Oftentimes, we are too distracted or caught up in the routine and busyness of everyday life. It does not mean that our Father is not talking to us though...or, at least, trying to talk to us throughout our days. We just may not hear Him when He is talking to us.
It takes an especially attentive ear for His children to hear Him. We, as His children, must be still and listen very well to hear our Father's voice. We must also train ourselves to correctly hear His voice. There may be other voices talking to us at times. It takes much wisdom and discernment on our part when it comes to the Spirit of God. (1 John 4:1-3) Then, we must not only have the knowledge of our Father but also the experience with Him to know Him and His voice.
Of course, it is like that with anyone who is in a relationship with someone. It takes that one-on-one time with each other. It takes time to get to know one another. It certainly takes time to learn each other's voice with the tone, the inflection, and the pitch. It also takes time to distinguish that person's voice from other voices. The same is true of our relationship with our Father and the knowledge of His voice.
If we listen to the wrong voices, we can be led in the wrong direction and eventually down the wrong path. Therefore, it it very important to know our Father's voice. In addition, it is important that we really listen intently to Him. Sometimes, He may only say something once. Other times, He may try to tell us something more than once for our benefit. Either way, it is beneficial for us to listen for His still small voice. We, as His children, must be very attentive and not allow other voices to drown out His still small voice.
Your Father is talking to you. Are you listening?
Copyright 2013 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
Do you need prayer? I know that I need prayer. Everyone needs prayer at one time or another whether they realize it or admit it. We all need prayer for various reasons either before, during, or after various situations in our lives.
Prayer is one spiritual discipline which draws us closer to God the Father and keeps us in a closer relationship with Him on a daily basis. It is a time of fellowshipping and communing with God our Father as His children. It is normally one-on-one time with Him as we communicate with Him about our thankfulness, our needs, our cares, our concerns, our confessions, our repentance, our requests, and our petitions. It is also a time of listening to Him through the help of the Holy Spirit. There are other times when we go to Him on behalf of others whether they ask us, or He puts them on our hearts and/or minds. Often, we are called to not only pray for others but pray with others whether it is only one other person or more than one other person in a group setting. No matter what, it is important to be obedient to the Lord and pray for ourselves as well as others.
Our Father God gives us instructions on how to pray and what to do when we pray for ourselves and others. (Matthew 6:5-8) He also gives us more information on prayer through asking, searching, and knocking. (Matthew 7:7-11) In addition, we need to "fertilize" our prayers with scripture. To "fertilize" means to use God's word throughout our prayers. Not only does it build up our faith, but God's word does not return void. His word goes out and accomplishes God's purpose. (Isaiah 55:11) Before we pray, we need to make sure there is not any unforgiveness in us. (Matthew 6:14-15) We also need to have faith in God and believe in our hearts that He will hear and answer our prayers according to His will for us. (Mark 11:22-24; 1 John 5:14-15) Even when we do not know God's will for us, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is praying for us with groans which are too deep for words. (Romans 8:26-27)
Prayer is a discipline which builds up people's faith. It is a way to support people. It strengthens people. It encourages people. When people of faith pray, it is powerful. It works very well. A couple of examples where God showed up mightily include the cases of Jesus' disciple, Peter, and the Apostle Paul. (Acts 12:1-19; Acts 16:16-40) Remember, the prayers of the righteous avails much. (James 5:16b) It is powerful, and it works very well for God's people...His children...those who are of the household of faith...those who are in God's family. Elijah is an example of a righteous person where prayer was very powerful and worked very well. (James 5:17-18) The Persistent Widow is another example. (Luke 18:1-8) Her persistence paid off. We can learn a lesson from her. Always pray to our Father God. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Do not stop praying to Him, because He is a good Father.
Continue praying for yourself and others. If you are not in the good habit of praying, there is not a better time to begin praying than now. God is a good God! He is a loving Father who provides for all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) He blesses us abundantly more than we can ever ask or think according to His power within us. (Ephesians 3:20) Therefore, go boldly before His throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16) He is available anytime anywhere. Pray believing that you have whatever you have asked of Him. (Mark 11:24)
Prayer: May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Copyright 2012 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
How are you feeling? What are you feeling? Be honest with yourself. Most of all, be truthful with God. Yes! We all have feelings. We need to acknowledge our feelings. We need to "own" our feelings. We need to share our feelings. However, we do not need to be ruled by our feelings. We do not to be controlled by our feelings.
We need to know that our feelings are not always accurate when it comes to our natural circumstances, other people, or even ourselves. Most importantly, we need to know that our feelings do not always agree or line up with the word of God. Therefore, we do not need to let our feelings get in the way of our obedience to our Father God or His word to us. We do not need to allow our feelings to rule us, guide us, lead us, or direct us into disobedience to God. We only need to be led by the Holy Spirit and allow God's word to be our "Instruction Book" or "Life Manual".
King David poured out his heart and feelings in a lot of the Book of Psalms. He wrote most of that particular book in the Bible. In Psalm 22, for instance, David shared his feelings with God very openly and honestly about his situation. We can see David as a good example for us when it comes to feelings. The Book of Psalms is also a good primary part of Scripture to use and read when it comes to our feelings.
In Psalm 22, David felt that God had left him. He felt God had abandoned him. He felt God had forsaken him. Have you ever felt that way before? You may feel that way now. However, it is not true. It is not accurate. How do I know? My Father God tells me otherwise in His word. He says that He will not leave me nor forsake me. (Deut 31:6, 8) Therefore, do not allow your feelings to rule you. That example is only one instance where someone's feelings did not line up with the word of God.
Our feelings can deceive us. They can be used against us. The devil can use our feelings against us to keep us from doing what God wants us to do, knowing what God wants us to know, having what God wants us to have, and being who God created us to be for Him, His purpose, and His plan for us. (Jeremiah 29:11)
David is a prime example. What if he had been ruled by his feelings? What if he had said, "Oh, Lord...I feel like you have abandoned me. Therefore, I am just going to stay here in the field and keep herding these sheep." What if he had wallowed in self-pity...feeling like he was not worthy of doing what God had called him to do? Then, David never would have come out of that field in order to kill the Philistine giant, Goliath. (1 Samuel 17) He made the choice not to allow his feelings to control him. He decided that he would obey God. He chose to surrender to God, His ways, and His will for him. David chose to be the person God had created him to be...the person God had called him to be...the person God had chosen him to be for His purpose and plan. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Now, I am not saying that David always made good and wise choices. Nor am I saying that he always obeyed God or always surrendered to God and His will. He did give in to his flesh and his feelings on occasion. However, David eventually became known as a man after God's own heart.
Looking back in Psalm 22....After David talked to God about his feelings openly and honestly, notice what he did...look at what he said...throughout much of this particular one. In the beginning of this Psalm, David talks about his feelings but then he talks about God. If you notice, much of this Psalm is like that with David going back and forth between his feelings and God. It is good that he shared his feelings. It is also good that he acknowledged his feelings. However, he always went back to God. In the same way, we can and should do that ourselves.
We should not always give in to our feelings. We definitely should not be led or ruled by our feelings. When our feelings do not line up to the word of God, we need to submit ourselves to God. As I mentioned earlier, the devil can deceive us and use our feelings to get us outside of God's will for us. Therefore, resist those feelings which do not accurately line up with the word of God. (James 4:7) We must do our part by submitting to Him, surrendering to Him, listening to Him, and obeying Him.
Copyright 2012 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
The previous scene that you just saw is from 1984's Karate Kid. In this particular part of the movie, the main character named Daniel (played by Ralph Macchio) visits a Karate Do Jo. The Karate instructor tells his students to strike first, strike hard, and show no mercy to their opponents. It is much like the world. The world tells people to not show mercy to people. After all, they do not deserve it...whoever they may be in the world's eyes.
In this scene, there is a group of guys chasing Daniel who is the Karate Kid. The leader of the group, named Johnny, tells the group that, "An enemy deserves no mercy." He has been taught that by his Karate instructor in the scene above. It is human nature not to show someone mercy. It is the flesh or the old sinful nature that does not want to show mercy to people. It is also the world's way to do the human thing and kick someone when he is down or turn your back on someone when he is in need.
Did you notice though...later in this same scene that Daniel's friend, Mr. Miyagi, comes to his rescue? Mr. Miyagi had compassion on Daniel. He showed him mercy whether Daniel deserved it. Mr. Miyagi came and picked up Daniel. Then, he carried Daniel away from all of the trouble and the trouble makers.
That is a great picture of our Father God. He is compassionate. He shows mercy whether we deserve it. He comes and picks us up out of the messes. He carries us away from all of the problems and the people who cause problems for us.
The Psalmist writes, "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." (Psalm 86:15, NIV)
He also says that, "The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion." (Psalm 116:5, NIV)
Later, the Psalmist says that, "The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." (Psalm 145:9, NIV)
Therefore, shouldn't we as God's Children want to be like our Father God? His way is the right way. Throughout His word, our Father tells us to show mercy and have compassion on people. He does not say to only do it if we feel like it. He does not say to only do it if we think they deserve it. No! He commands us to have compassion and show mercy to people. There are no if's, and's, or but's about it. He loves us. He wants the best for us. He also wants us to be just like Him. Luke tells us to, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36, NIV)
It really is not our place to judge or withhold mercy from someone...anyone. If it had not been for us initially receiving mercy when Jesus died on the cross for us, we would not have been saved by grace through faith in Him. (Ephesians 2:8) We would not be Children of the Almighty God at this time. We also would not be the people God had created us to be right now.
Matthew says that, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7, NIV)
God's ways are just the opposite of the world's ways. God will bless people who show mercy to others. He will have compassion on people who also have compassion on other people.
The Apostle Paul instructs us to, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32, NIV)
Therefore, when you see or know of someone in need, help that person. Have compassion! Show mercy! You will be blessed in more than one way by God the Father.
Who knows?!?! You may be that person who is in need some day. You may need someone to have compassion and show mercy to you one day. So, be aware. Be compassionate. Show mercy. Be the great caring person God created you to be for His purpose.
Copyright 2012 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
This video clip you just viewed was part of the famous scene from 1992's movie "A Few Good Men" where the character, Colonel Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson stated to Tom Cruise's character, "You can't handle the truth!"
I believe that a lot of people can't handle the truth. In this movie, they were talking about the truth of a particular situation. However, I am talking about the truth of God’s word.
There was a significant time in my life when I couldn't handle the truth. In fact, a few years ago, I had received so much truth from God’s word that it was too much for me to handle at the time.
I had gotten a lot of revelation knowledge from my Father during this particular season of my life. All of this truth was too overwhelming for me. It was too much at once for me to take in then. I didn't know how to handle all of the knowledge of this specific truth that had been revealed to me from my Father.
You see, the truth that my Father revealed to me was concerning part of His purposes and plans for me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) He showed me bits and pieces of it through visions and dreams that He had given me. He had also spoken to me about part of His plans for me.
At the time, I compared it in my mind to the story of Mary, Jesus’ mother. God had a purpose and plan for Mary. [*Side Note: I am not saying that His purpose and plan for me is that huge. However, it was way more than I could comprehend at the time.] An angel of the Lord came to Mary and told her about God’s purpose and plan for her. I am sure that it was too much information for Mary to handle at the time. Can you imagine being told that you, a virgin, were going to give birth to a Son and His name would be Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world? For anyone, I think that would be so overwhelming to receive that kind of knowledge of the truth. (Luke 1:26-38) The same was true for me. I received so much revelation knowledge that I could not take it all in at once.
Perhaps, there has been a time in your life when you couldn't handle the truth. What was it? When was it?
There have also been a few different times in my life so far where I have tried to speak the truth to people regarding a particular situation or a person in their life at the time. However, they couldn't take the truth! Or...perhaps, they weren't ready to receive the truth yet!
Nevertheless, our Father God wants us to speak the truth to people in order to help them. He uses the spoken truth to mature people. (Ephesians 4:15) That way, they become the people He created them to be for His purposes and plans. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Therefore, continue to speak the truth to people. There may be some growing pains along the way for you and for them. There may be times when you can’t handle the truth or others can’t handle the truth. Still, God will use it for everyone’s benefit as well as for His purposes and plans. (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11-13)
*More on my Faith Journey and Testimony will be shared at a later time and a different place or venue.
Copyright 2011 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
Martha was busy getting ready and doing many preparations for Jesus' visit. Even when He got there, she was still busy. She was too busy to sit down and visit with Jesus.
On the other hand, Mary was just the opposite. She did not care to be involved in all of the preparations. She wanted to sit down at Jesus' feet and spend time with Him. She just wanted to be in His presence.
Which of these two women are you most like?Are you like Martha?Are you busy being busy?Are you like Mary?Do you take the time for others?Most importantly, do you take the time for Jesus?
You may think or say...Oh, of course, I am like Mary! I spend time with Jesus! I want to be with Him!
How much of that is true though? Do you make the time to spend it with Him? Do you set time aside each day just for Him? Do you spend time in His presence? Do you read the Bible…God’s word? Do you spend time in prayer?
Our Father God knows our heart! In fact, He looks at our heart while man looks at our outward appearance. (1 Samuel 16:7)
In addition, according to God's word, our mouths speak from the overflow of our hearts! (Luke 6:45) Our actions follow our hearts’ desire!
When you love another person, you want to spend time with that person. You specifically set aside time for that special person. You look forward to the time when you can get together. You make it a priority, because it is important to you and the other person.
The same is true of Jesus. When we love Him, we want to spend time with Him. We make it a priority to be in His presence. The special time alone with Jesus is precious.
Jesus told Martha, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42)
Our Father God does not want us to compare ourselves to other people. However, by just looking at these two women in the Bible, it does show some of the characteristics He desires of His daughters. Therefore, do not try to be like someone else, but do strive to take on the traits of Godly women...women who are spending more time with Him and becoming who He desires for us. Afterall, He only wants the best for us! We should also want the best for ourselves! By spending more time in His presence, we will become the best for Him and for us!
Copyright 2010 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.
