LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD

First off, Happy New Year family! I am so excited and expecting with open arms the blessings of God this new year! Upon pondering over my life regarding relationships, I’m so thankful for God’s faithfulness. I’ve been badly scarred and wounded by past relationships, as many of you. Albeit, God transforms the soul through a process of pain and suffering, purging and breaking. It is indeed painful, but at the same time liberating, spiritually renewing; and contrarily refreshing. Refreshing because though your soul wounds are deep and far reaching, God’s love is ever reaching down, laying His Sovereign hands on your soul, and healing each one seriatimly.


When I’m cut, I want to heal someone else.


Beloved, your hurts, wounds, fear, and pain are all hidden behind pride, ego, self-reliance, and self-preservation. We are all wounded animals. When we feel threatened, we viciously attack; whether the attack is physical, emotional, or silent. Silent attack is the worst because you shut down, cut others off and build a heart wall. The more hurt you experience, the higher you build a wall of protection. The problem with walls is that although you’re protecting your heart from pain, you’re also preventing the love you most desire to reach you. More, you’re preventing God’s love: Agape love from penetrating your soul.

You won’t know this is hidden in your soul until God divinely ordains situations and people to illuminate them. And that often occurs through channels of arguments, disagreements, disrespect, and rejection. Ahh… now the heart work can begin:says the Lord Almighty! But sadly, we often reject the work that’s required to heal our soul. We turn to others, run away, shut down emotionally or drown our sorrows in outward stimuli. All the while the soul is still bleeding. Most think conflict is a bad thing. Everything has its duality. In life we must always look for good in the bad. Conflict forces you to know more about the other person. It forces you to learn their love language, communication style, needs, wants, desires, values; and most importantly, it forces you to learn more about yourself: your strengths, weaknesses, resilience, and faith in God. And, if you value the relationship, conflict will recalibrate your inner man to compassionately, lovingly, and humbly make adjustments for the betterment of the other person. Ahh… that’s true love! The Bible says by doing so, you’re fulfilling the law of Christ, Galatians 6:2; and He commands us to love one another how He loves us, John 13:34-35. Sadly, 40% of marriages end in divorce. Even Christian ones. Beloved, we must put on our armor and fight for God’s divine love: Agape love in our relationships. And that is putting down our pride, ego, control, and stubborn will; washing others feet in humility-Like Jesus. We are all wounded soldiers, but by all means, we are to lift up our brethern on the battle field and carry them to safety. Suffering long with them. This is the epicenter of a Godly relationship. When you’re fighting for love, the devil is losing!

Continue reading “LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD”

Ever felt like God isn’t answering your prayers?

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Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech…This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. Isaiah 28:23, 29

There may be moments when you are on fire for God, anointed and filled with the spirit. A fasting master so disciplined, you make monks look fat! Then there are times when you are struggling to even pray, experiencing intense spiritual attacks, feeling like you aren’t hearing from God, and feeling isolated.

I’ve been a Christian long enough to know that this walk will be weathered with different seasons. Yes…there shall be peaks, valleys, mountian-tops, and let’s face it: the floor! There you will find yourself time and time again, mercilessly crying out to God–drowning in tears and wiping away mucous dripping down your face. Oh yeah! It gets ugly!

Praying, meditating, and communicating with God requires obedience, discipline, listening, and being open to where He is trying to lead you in your worship time.

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When you go to God in worship and prayer, you cannot have your mind so set on what you want to pray, write, or do for that matter, that you’re not sensitive to God’s voice. You must worship with an open heart and a willing mind to be lead wherever the spirit wants to take you!

For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26

I remember a time when I awoke bright-eyed and bushy tailed, eagerly anticipating my devotion time; pen, paper in hand, Bible open and ready to write! O.K! nothing’s coming… Umm…doodle, doodle do. Hello, God I’m here, ready to write!…urgh! Ten minutes later I’m staring at a blank piece of paper. Frustrated, I turned on praise/worship music, and song after song that played touched my spirit in a most intimate way! Each song’s message was to just worship God, just lift up His name! At that time, God just simply wanted me to worship Him! I began to weep like a baby!

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Other times during devotion, I would commence to pray about something that may have been heavy on my heart, and God would often lead me to pray in another direction. Whether it was for a country, a group, family, or an individual person. I remember one time saying, no I don’t want to pray for him, I don’t even like him! But, God gently kept leading me back to His will! Lol!

Beloved, there were also many times I have gone to the prayer closet, and simply could not pray! Empty, nothing, nada! When you can’t pray you go into panic mode! Lord, is there any sin in my life, have I been disobedient, have you taken your spirit away from me? No! Not at all! God may simply be nudging you in a different direction.

A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9.

Beloved, there was one time I was so burdened I could’t pray! Feeling abandoned and like God wasn’t answering me, I asked God if He even cared about what I was going though? I was so upset, I went running. Trying to juggle my phone while in motion, I tried to turn on music and instead hit the podcast button. There was a pastor preaching an exact word on what I was going through! The pastor was speaking scarily into my situation! I stopped running, and began to weep! How much God loves us so that He attends to our deepest needs!

Beloved, God has various ways to communicate with us! Let us not be so focused on our agenda when we go into the prayer closet that we miss what The Father is trying to relate to us!

Amen!

What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding…
I Corinthians 14:15