God Is All That And More

throughout all the studies, church services, even the political debates i really feel that God is calling us to quit being what we are and start reaching out to Him so we can be the light we are supposed to be. i see that the church has slipped into being a hurt, rebellious, messy, and partial of what it was to be - a guiding light. we have stayed in our hurt places with our hands crossed over our chest and said "God, You have not done enough and i am still hurting, broken, abandoned, (whatever goes here....) and i will not move from this spot until the work is done."

God called us the be the forefront - to show how it is to live in freedom. to not be labored down with hurts, bitterness, illness, etc. we, as His representatives, are supposed to be the ones to show what is good and best. granting mercy to those that don't deserve it. taking care of the ones no one wants to care for. not pushing our morals on others, but living them - which shows a strength and peace that is incomprehensible until you experience it personally. when we live in peace and strength without saying or pushing anything, it causes people to want to know what lets us live that way. it is time to quit staying in a whining position of hurt and self-pity and let God finish the work He started.

i see (and have been myself) hurting people refusing to let the hurt go - actually denying the power of God's healing in their life. words coming out of their mouth lying about God's ability to work in their life. i am living proof that God can take a heart full of pain, bitterness, and hurt and turn it around.

and here is my little rampage - it is ridiculous for those of us that claim Jesus as our Lord, our Savior, to not walk in freedom from hurts, bitterness, whatever we are claiming God can not fix. God is in control. and it is a lie straight from the pit of hell to say that our pain and suffering is too great in ANY situation for God to deal with. it is foolish for us to make the claim that God, in essence, is a liar. we are actually agreeing with God's enemy when we say we are too.... (insert whatever here...) to let Him fix it, or for Him to fix it. NO SITUATION OR PERSON CAN BE SO BAD THAT GOD CANNOT WORK!!!!!! !!!!!!!! (and a few more..)!!!!!!!! there is no one that has done so much to you that you can not let the bad stuff go. there is no one that has been so bad or is so messed up that God can not change the outcome. and there is no situation so far gone that God can not step in and fix it. NOTHING. i am living proof. i have the proof of my life to show for it. no one and nothing can effect you or i so much that God can not change it. so get up and quit whining!!! (i also understand how difficult it is to let go of self pity and whatever other junk keeps us in that place of whining, but the outcome is so much better. and you will have character that you never thought you could have.)

my part was to acknowledge God did make provision for healing and freedom in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. He knew bad things would happen, people would hurt me, and i would have the choice to hold it or let it go. He gave me permission to make that choice. making the wrong choice led me to years of pain and suffering. but God is gracious and full of mercy.

He allowed me a change of heart. i forgave the people involved in hurting me (still have to recall that they are forgiven at times. satan loves to bring up old junk and hurt, but i have forgiven those people and have given them mercy for what they did. EVEN THO THEY DID NOT DESERVE MERCY.) i forgave myself (sometimes the hardest part), and asked for healing for those parts of my heart that wanted to keep hurting. (strange but when you live with junk it gets comfortable and a person likes living with it. like having a great big home and collecting stuff - you don't even know you have most of the stuff. when you go through it - or have to move - it is at times overwhelming to the point of wanting to keep it all. and it hurts to get rid of some of the things, but when they are let go there comes a peace. like a burden lifted off that you don't even know you are carrying...)

so i let go of that stuff - the hate, hurt, bitterness, pain, mistrust, etc (and believe me it was and is not easy. there is so much to still deal with. but i am so thankful that i am not who and what i was and never have to be there again. God is sooooooo good!!!)

each day i get up and ask for strength to face what is coming my way that day. and i boast that God is getting me through every moment. it is so nice to be free of those hindrances. i find that God can now take me into a place of learning what it is to love freely. not holding back my love from people. He commanded us to love one another, that people should know us by our love for one another. He will guard me and protect me from danger or hurt. see, He has taken hurt from me, and i now have the experience of being healed from that hurt, that when hurtful things are said i know i can run to my Papa and be healed. I DON'T HAVE TO HOLD ONTO THAT HURTFUL STUFF. He takes it and deals with the person.

God has told me this month He is going to show me what it is to love, to give it, receive it, know it, accept it, show it, to live it. He warned me that it is not going to be easy but He will guard me and protect me. to tell you something that was not easy to hear. i feel there has been so much hurt already and i really don't want to have anymore, but to know that He has already done so much for me and that He has ended things in my life, to know that He has my back and will take care of me. and i know that His character is to never leave me or forsake me, that He is for my good ALWAYS. well that all means i will be okay. i will come out on top. and i just may learn what love, true love really is. i definitely want that.

so it is time to pull ourselves up out of our defiant position, full of hurt and let God be our healer, redeemer, restoration, etc - what is it you need? He is all that and more.

time to cry out to Him. let Him know you can't do it and you know He and He alone can. it is better to live in freedom than those chains that keep you from living.