Stay the Course

It has been a while since my last posting as G-d is doing some amazing things these past few months.  The struggles and seasons of pain has accompanied the healing of past hurts.  I have found that G-d is in the midst of all of those seasons in our lives.  When looking at the 23rd Psalm and the first four verses we find some powerful promises when we face different seasons of life.  In the midst of these seasons it is imperative that we hold on to the truths in this verse and embrace them as you would a life preserver being used to save your life.  This verse has the power to impart strength and encouragement when you feel discouraged.  Let's take a look at Psalm 23:1-4 . . .

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

He is my shepherd, He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides quiet waters, He refreshes my soul, He guides me along the right paths, I will fear no evil, He is with me, He will comfort me....all of these are truths that G-d himself shared with us that when we face life's difficulties we know what He thinks, we know what He is going to do, and we know what is required of us.  We must accept our circumstances and not deny them.  We must trust that G-d has a plan and he will take care of us even when we feel He is so far off.  G-d will never leave us he is right there in the midst of the discouragement, discomfort, or drama in life.  He understands the pain of rejection.  He understands the feeling of being abandoned and realizing no one really cares.  He understands that you just want to give up or questioning if there is another way.  When will the darkness fade, when will the hope and season of joy return.  The answer: When G-d says you have learned all that you need to learn in the situation you are in. Once you have righted the ship, changed direction based on the imparting of the Holy Spirit in your life speaking to you about certain things that need to be corrected.  Forgive, release those people in your life that have caused you pain.  Be free.  G-d bore your pain on the cross.  Vengence was already levied out on those that have hurt you.  Be free.  Let it go.  Trust in G-d. 

Reinvention

     It has been a while since the last post as God is working in a mighty way.  As an up and coming Christian Counselor, God is doing some deep work in my own life.  Shaping my character, removing, renewing, restoring, and reconciling my life to His.  It is an amazing thing to go through deep personal struggles and taking the lessons learned from those struggles and seeing how God is using them to accomplish His purpose.  The relationships that I have around me are enjoying the fruit of my labor with the Lord.  With this being said, I want to share some important principles that have helped me make those changes in my life. 

The word that has come to my mind is REINVENTING.  What does this truly mean? 

To reienvent:  invent something again: to invent something again, or bring something back into existence, use, or popularity after a period of neglect or obscurity  or to create new version of something: to change radically the appearance, form, or presentation of something or somebody.

     God is bringing me 'back into existence' he is changing radically the appearance of what my life stood for.  I feel, think, act, and behave in much healthier ways because of His reinvention of my heart.   Make a decision today to respond to your wife, children, co-workers differently. We need to be set free from those past dysfunctional behaviors and learn to see how God wants reinventing us.  This reinvention can be called sanctification.  To 'set apart."  God has a plan for each of our lives and in order for us to experience fully the reason for our existance is to grow and mature in every area of your life.  Leave nothing off the table.  Be open to criticism as often times we ignore the very things that are going to help us become healthy.  A consistent pattern of functional behavior is the goal here.

     Someone once told me that its not easy to reinvent ourselves.  Most of us are so committed to being who we are that we can't imagine being someone else.  Isn't this the great mystery of our salvation?  The great sanctifying work that God is doing in our lives or wants to do in our lives.  We are the only ones keeping ourselves from truly being happy, healthy, and whole.  There is liberty in our lives with God.  If we feel we are in bondage or in a prison in this life is because we probably are.  God holds the key to setting us free.  We are free.  The prison door has been open.  We just need to walk out.  It's risky.  It's scary.  But the joy and peace you feel is so worth the effort.  It will be hard.  It will be so easy to revert back to our old ways but keep focused and committed to the process and one day you will look in the mirror and like what you see.

    Isn't this why we seek counseling?  To discover those area's that are not in line with the righteousness of God and learn to live a holy, pure, separate life with God.  The key to this reievention starts with brokenness.  To be broken before God is to lay everything at the feet of the Lord.  We must sit before a Holy God and allow him to show us those areas that he wants to work and change or reinevent and allow him to do his work.  We must be willing to co-labor with God to make those difficult changes.  It's dealing with those core issues such as rejection, abandonment, unforgivenness, etc...God wants to make us whole.  He waits to be wanted by his creation.  The bible speaks of rocks crying out to God...we need to cry out before God and ask him to reienvent us...make us the kind of person that is functioning in life in a healthy way.  If you do not know what healthy is...ask.  Ask God, a counselor, a friend seek out a different way to deal with things.  In this process God will show you.  He has shown me and the fruit of my labor is peace.  If you say, "I cannot change!" It is a lie...you can change. 

Father,
Thank you for caring about us enough to help us change.  Thank you for the suffering we encounter as you use this to show us areas we need to change.  Allow the Holy Spirit to show us and help us make those changes in our lives that will set us free.  Amen.