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3/30/2020 Choose What You Think OnMonday Matters-March 30, 2020
Everyday Thought Life We live in some dark times and a lot of that darkness is in our own thought life. The best way to overcome the enemy and his dark lies is to think on truth and light. We choose what we think on. I chose to memorize Ephesians 3:16 which goes, “God grant me out of the rich treasury of Your glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power by the Holy Spirit Himself indwelling my innermost being and personality,” I think of that verse as a “sign-me-up” verse. Don’t you want that in your life too? God gives us His Holy Spirit to make His home in us by the relationship we have with Christ. When the Spirit is stirred in us then there is no place for dark and destructive thoughts. God is good, with good truth and promises. Let Him direct your thoughts. Choose what you think on…everyday.
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3/23/2020 TransparencyMonday Matters-March 23, 2020
Everyday Real Self I’m pretty sure we’ve all done this; “I’m good. I’ve got this under control,” and we perform like we have it all together. The pursuit of truth is not the moral resolution to avoid petty lying and to stop deceiving others; it’s the decision to stop deceiving ourselves. Rather than admit my own issues I find it easier to find fault with others and compare myself with them. To a certain degree we’ve all tried to cover, avoid, or perform as if there is nothing wrong and we’re certainly not as bad as that other person. Self-deception is the enemy of wholeness because it prevents us from seeing ourselves as we really are. Ask God to show you what you need to see about your real self. He will show you lovingly and give you His grace and strength to face your issues and walk in wholeness so you can love yourself. It’s that kind of self-acceptance and coming to terms with our real personalities which helps us to love others authentically too…everyday. 3/16/2020 Love ALLMonday Matters-March 16, 2020
Everyday Love Enemies God will never stop pursing you no matter how far we run and no matter what you do or don’t do. His heart breaks when we choose to do things that hurt ourselves or others. That is why He commands us in Matthew 5:44 to; “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” What? How does that make sense? Well, God created us in His image and we are His children whom He loves so just because someone is your enemy doesn’t mean they’re God’s. They’re His lost child, and He wants them back. Yes, there are circumstances where we’re called to face the bully, the tyrant and say; “No more,” and fight back. But not out of revenge. God is not willing that any be condemned, but that all come to repentance. His great love says; “Confess to me your sins, turn back to Me. Nothing can separate My love from you.” This earth is temporary and heaven is forever. Choose Love, receive love and follow Him…everyday. 3/9/2020 Faith is not a FeelingMonday Matters-March 9, 2020
Everyday Step In Trusting God over what I feel is always a challenge. “I feel afraid” is a real feeling but you can’t always trust your feelings. Joshua led the people of Israel to the Promised Land and even though it was flood season he told the priests to take the Ark of the Covenant and go right into the middle of the river. Because of their faith they trusted God and stepped in. Joshua 3:17 states; “All Israel passed through until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.” I would’ve first wanted to test the water with my big toe to see some evidence of God’s promise. I would’ve wanted to see the water go down before I stepped into the middle of the river. But often God provides no solution to our problems until we trust Him and move ahead with what we know we should do. Step forward into the unknown by God’s leading because it’s an opportunity for you to know Him better. Walk in faith and not your feelings...everyday. 3/2/2020 The Enemy is a LiarMonday Matters-March 2, 2020
Everyday Forever and Never The letter began, “Debbie I’m struggling. I’ve been unemployed since September, I have an aunt who is in the hospital and my husband is constantly reminding me that he’s the one who’s paying the bills. I feel frustrated and far away from God. Feeling far away from God and like He doesn’t care is what the devil wants you to feel and think. Satan is keen on feeding us lies and his two favorites are the “forever” lie and the “never” lie. He tells us the negative things in our lives will never change and will forever be the way they are. He says the way you are right now will stay that way “forever.” Lies. The truth is God is good and He has plans to bring you wholeness from your brokenness of pain and regret. Trust in God because bad things ultimately give way to better things. Ecclesiastes 3:1; TO EVERYTHING there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven…everyday! 2/24/2020 Let Go of BitternessMonday Matters-February 24, 2020
Everyday Letting the Offense Go Cindy was a gal I mentored and even though she said she’d forgiven her father she continued negatively talking about him and avoided him. “I did forgive him,” said Cindy, “but you don’t know how much he’s hurt me.” She had become bitter. I sat with her as she cried and said, “I get it and no matter how great the offense is, we serve a God Who is greater and He promises to handle the offense in His perfect way. He will give us the grace we need while we wait for His justice. In Isaiah 61:7 we are told that, “Instead of our former shame we’ll have a twofold recompense.” How great is that because recompense is a reward, it’s payback for past hurts. So think of it like worker’s compensation. You work for God and if you get hurt on the job, HE WILL PAY YOU BACK! With God’s grace and time Cindy finally let go and forgave her dad, and with boundaries in place they’ve reconciled. God wants restoration for you too…everyday. 2/17/2020 SuccessMonday Matters-February 17, 2020
Everyday Key to Success “A key to success is playing the hand you were dealt like it was the hand you wanted.” I had to really think if there was truth to that. Yes, I may not have wanted what was dealt but “here it is” so what am I gonna do with it? My choices; scream, cry, complain and hide or I make the best of the situation and find the lesson, and blessing in it. We can let experiences change us for the better or ruin us. Character more often is developed in crisis when we stop focusing on the hurt and search for the good where success may be hidden. During my recovery of scoliosis back surgery, 15 years ago, I was miserable yet I don’t regret what I went through. God taught me things I couldn’t have learned another way. In brokenness we can find beauty and success…everyday. 2/10/2020 God is SpeakingMonday Matters-February 10, 2020
Everyday Gossip I saw a cartoon once where three women were round a table praying and the caption said, “It’s not gossip if you’re eyes are closed.” I laughed but it also made me think about how I use my mouth. It’s important that what we share in prayer is either done with permission or an understanding that if the person we’re praying for was sitting next to us we’d still feel comfortable. But sometimes we may have concerns that we share about someone because we need advice and prayer. Nevertheless it’s important that what we share is done in a general sort of way with no specific details. Regrettably, there have been times where I’ve talked too much. Go to God and sometimes we need to go to the person we’ve gossiped about. Ask forgiveness and be willing to let the Holy Spirit guide from Psalm 141; “Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth.” Cover others in love with your words; words which build up and not tear down…everyday. 2/3/2020 Alzheimer'sMonday Matters-February 3, 2020
Everyday Memory Five years ago Susan’s mom was in a car accident that resulted in her losing all of her long-term memory. When Susan was little, her mom and she used to quote from ‘Winnie the Pooh’ where one of them would ask, “Have you ever seen a dragon fly?” And the other would reply, “I have, I have seen a dragon fly!” The other evening the daughter was sitting with her mom while they were watching TV and the daughter randomly asked, “Have you ever seen a dragon fly?” And her mom responded, “I have, I have seen a dragon fly!” They stared at each other, and then Mom jumped up and shouted, “Oh my goodness, I remember!” We go back to our own mom memories and sometimes we want to be the little child sitting on our mom’s lap but that season is gone so we grieve and then try and be the child our mom needs now. You wanna scream; “I’m not ready,” and I get it. But let’s ask God to help us see and remember what’s good right now in this season…everyday. 1/27/2020 Religious LeadersMonday Matters-January 27, 2020
Everyday When the Answer is NO Hearing our children’s first words are memorable such as, “Dada,” “Nana,” “Puppy” or “Ball,” as was the first word of our third son but the word “NO” is also among those first words coming in strong. “Joey look at Mama’s belly. There’s a baby inside,” I told our two year old when I was nine months pregnant. “Ah NO, Mama that’s a ball,” stated Joey and he stood by his logical word choice. “No,” isn’t always a fun word to hear from our children but “no” is an important word in being an adult. Maybe there’s ugly gossip about you but you know it’s not true so you need to remember, “NO, that’s not who God says I am,” or “No, I cannot take on another volunteer position at school.” Jesus mostly used the word “no” when speaking to the religious leaders who were trying to boss everyone around. He came to fulfill the law by His grace, not by giving us more rules. We’re all God’s children and “no” is a useful word when used appropriately…everyday. |
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