Author: Renee Faul

June 24

Turn and Live!

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I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSINGS AND CURSES. NOW CHOOSE LIFE, SO THAT YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE AND THAT YOU MAY LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD, LISTEN TO HIS VOICE, AND HOLD FAST TO HIM. FOR THE LORD IS YOUR LIFE
(Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Did you know that a big hard hailstone starts with a speck of dust?  Under the right circumstances, a layer of ice builds up around the dust speck.  Then, as the little ice pellet cycles through the thundercloud multiple times, more and more layers accumulate, until a huge stone the size of an egg forms that can do a lot of damage.

This is the way a stronghold is built in your life.  It starts innocently as a speck of a thought, “Why did he betray me?”  Then, as you dwell on these thoughts, layers of beliefs build, each one more potent than the one before, “He betrayed me, because I am not worthy. I am not loved. I am bad.”  Following that, these beliefs billow into the pernicious POWER of HOPELESSNESS. Thus, a stronghold is formed that will keep you captive for the rest of your life…unless you allow God to set you free.

‘FOR I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF ONE WHO DIES,’ SAYS THE LORD GOD. ‘THEREFORE TURN AND LIVE!’
(Ezekiel 18:32).

Grasp that if you want to get rid of the strongholds in your life, you need to reverse the action.  To break down the stronghold, you need to peel it back one layer at a time…one belief at a time…one lie at a time, until you can find the speck of dust that started it all.

FOR I WILL SURELY DELIVER YOU, AND YOU SHALL NOT FALL BY THE SWORD; BUT YOUR LIFE SHALL BE AS A PRIZE TO YOU, BECAUSE YOU HAVE PUT YOUR TRUST IN ME,” SAYS THE LORD
(Jeremiah 39:18).

What set of oppressing beliefs from the father-of-lies is causing the stronghold in your life? What are you going to do about this? What will you choose: life…or death, the blessings of God…or the curses of the father-of-lies?

I bless you to choose LIFE! Turn and live! Find these beliefs and expose them to the saving Power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will redeem you. He will deliver you from the stronghold.

PRAYER: Lord God, I choose Life. I choose to surrender my stronghold to You, for I cannot get rid of it by myself. Show me the various beliefs from the father-of-lies that comprise this stronghold, so I may hold these up to You for deliverance. Work Your Obedience and Love in me, Lord Jesus, so I may hold fast to You and listen to Your Voice as You lead me out of my stronghold, one belief at a time.

Maintain an Awareness

It is very important that you understand that it is not so much what happened to you during your childhood that affected you the most, BUT WHAT YOU CAME TO BELIEVE ABOUT YOUR SELF, OTHERS, AND GOD, IN RESPONSE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES (facts) of your childhood life.

The Two Counsels

Beliefs/Emotions associated with this blessing.
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Hopeless Worthless

June 23

YOU Must Follow ME

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WHEN PETER SAW HIM, HE ASKED, ‘LORD, WHAT ABOUT HIM?’  JESUS ANSWERED, ‘IF I WANT HIM TO REMAIN ALIVE UNTIL I RETURN, WHAT IS THAT TO YOU? YOU MUST FOLLOW ME’
(John 21:22).

I often get distracted by other people’s actions and character.  Once, I got distracted by the person in the fancy clothes in the fancy car who seemed to have it all together, and then I asked God, “Lord, what about him?  Why can’t I be like him?”  God answered me, “What is that to you?  Keep your eyes on Me, so I may establish the work of your hands. YOU must follow Me.”

I remember meeting this flawless couple who seemed to do everything perfectly.  Their marriage seemed flawless.  Their children seemed flawless, too.  I felt so much less of a good wife and a mother after I saw what THEY could do.  I asked God, “Lord, what about them?  I am not like them.”  And God answered, “What is that to you?  Your Righteousness comes from Me.  YOU must follow Me.”

I often look at ministers and other people involved in church ministry, and ask God, “What about them?”  God’s answer is always the same, “What are they to you? Some of those people work for Me, but do not even have a relationship with Me. They do not know Me and I do not know them. Do not let them distract you from your relationship with Me. YOU must follow Me.”

THEREFORE, MY BELOVED, AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS OBEYED, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, BUT NOW MUCH MORE IN MY ABSENCE, WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING
(Philippians 2:12).

Know that every person is responsible to work out His own salvation, regardless of what other people are doing.  Every person is responsible to bring his own beliefs of shame, abandonment, rejection, and condemnation to God, regardless of what other people do with their heartache…because each person’s Truth, Hope, and Righteousness come from God.

AND LET THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD OUR GOD BE UPON US, AND ESTABLISH THE WORK OF OUR HANDS
(Psalm 90:17).

 What emotions are exposed in your own heart when you compare yourself to the other person(s) in your life who seem(s) so perfect?

I bless you to bring those emotions and their underlying beliefs to God. Let Him tell you who YOU are and how He wants YOU to follow Him.

PRAYER: Lord God, bring me to the place where I would only follow YOU…where I would only keep my eyes on YOU…where I would only obey YOU, and stop looking around to see what others are doing.

Maintain an Awareness

Since the beginning of our lives, the OLD MAN beliefs of abandonment, shame, condemnation, and rejection have been firmly planted in our minds and hearts by the father-of-lies.

The Two Counsels

Beliefs/Emotions associated with this blessing.
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Worthless

June 22

More of His Wholeness

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IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
(1 John 1:9).

Realize that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, but this is only the first part of what Jesus came to do for us.  There is MORE.

Capture that the Lord Jesus did not only come to forgive us our sins, but also to cleanse us…to decontaminate us…to purify us, so that we might stop sinning, in the first place.

 CHRIST, WHO FILLS ALL THINGS EVERYWHERE WITH HIMSELF
(Ephesians 1:23).

“But how does the Lord Jesus purify us?” you might ask.  “Is it even possible?” The answer: It IS possible, because the Lord Jesus did not come to IMPROVE us, but to EXCHANGE us for HIS SELF, who knew no sin.

BUT WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR THE GLORY OF THE LORD, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY TO GLORY, JUST AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD
(2 Corinthians 3:18).

Know that each time you yield a belief from your Self that has caused you to sin to the Lord Jesus, He exchanges it for a part of His Self.  Each time you surrender a belief of unworthiness or abandonment from your Self to Jesus, He exchanges it for a part of His Fullness.  Each time you offer a belief of condemnation or shame from your Self to Jesus, He exchanges it for more of His Wholeness.  Each time you yield your Self to Him counts toward Righteousness, until you are fully transformed into the Image of Him who knew no sin.

 FOR HE MADE HIM WHO KNEW NO SIN TO BE SIN FOR US, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM
(2 Corinthians 5:21).

From what do you need to be forgiven? And from which unrighteousness do you need to be cleansed?

Do you understand the difference between having your own Self improved by God, versus having your Self exchanged for the Image of the Lord Jesus Himself, through His Spirit?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how encouraged I am that my Righteousness is not a matter of being improved, but being exchanged—to be transformed into the Image of You, who knew no sin.

Maintain an Awareness

Thus, the OLD MAN became the origin of sin that causes the effect of sin in each of us. The OLD MAN is where it all started and where it all ends…unless we are delivered from it.

The Two Counsels
June 21

The Only Thing That Counts Is Faith

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MARK MY WORDS! I, PAUL, TELL YOU THAT IF YOU LET YOURSELVES BE CIRCUMCISED, CHRIST WILL BE OF NO VALUE TO YOU AT ALL. AGAIN I DECLARE TO EVERY MAN WHO LETS HIMSELF BE CIRCUMCISED THAT HE IS OBLIGATED TO OBEY THE WHOLE LAW. YOU WHO ARE TRYING TO BE JUSTIFIED BY LAW HAVE BEEN ALIENATED FROM CHRIST; YOU HAVE FALLEN AWAY FROM GRACE
(Galatians 5:2-4).

These are the revelations that have helped me to change:  First, I realized that the father-of-lies has formed in me an OLD MAN—a corrupted being shaped by beliefs of condemnation, shame, and abandonment: “I am bad. I do not count. I have been left.”  Second, I noticed that these negative, destructive OLD MAN beliefs in my mind produced pain, shame, and distress in my heart.  Third, I understood the meaning of sin: TO REACT TO THE OLD MAN beliefs by trying in vain to make myself good, acceptable, and worthy.

BUT BY FAITH WE EAGERLY AWAIT THROUGH THE SPIRIT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR WHICH WE HOPE. FOR IN CHRIST JESUS NEITHER CIRCUMCISION NOR UNCIRCUMCISION HAS ANY VALUE.  THE ONLY THING THAT COUNTS IS FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE
(Galatians 5:5-6).

Receive the GOOD NEWS. The Lord Jesus Christ knows about the painful beliefs of abandonment, shame, and condemnation that are causing you to sin—that are causing you to look for your own righteousness, acceptability, and worth. He nailed the OLD MAN to the cross, to give you His Acceptability, Righteousness, and Worth, through FAITH.

KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM
(Romans 6:6).

How have you been reacting to the painful OLD MAN beliefs the father-of-lies has formed in you, since childhood? What have you been trying to do, in vain, to deem yourself righteous, acceptable, and worthy? 

Do you want to change? Then, let Him nail YOUR OLD MAN to the cross. Let Him circumcise your heart.  Let Him give you HIS Acceptability, Worth, and Righteousness, for nothing YOU do will get rid of your OLD MAN. The only thing that counts is…FAITH!

PRAYER: Lord God, help me to understand that I cannot achieve Your Righteousness, Worth, and Acceptance through my own laws. Help me to accept that You are the only one who are Worthy, Righteous, and Acceptable to come and live these attributes in my heart, in FAITH.

Maintain an Awareness

Woe to us, the rebellious children, when we take counsel from the father-of-lies, and when we cover ourselves with coverings that are not from God. We will add sin to sin.

The Two Counsels

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Worthless

June 20

Rule in the Fear of God

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Are you a ruler—a person in authority or control?  Are you a parent…a teacher…an employer?  Are you a babysitter…a caregiver…an overseer?

THE GOD OF ISRAEL SAID, THE ROCK OF ISRAEL SPOKE TO ME: ‘HE WHO RULES OVER MEN MUST BE JUST, RULING IN THE FEAR OF GOD’
(2 Samuel 23:3).

Whenever you rule over someone, God wants you to be just…fair…honorable.  When my children were small, I always explained to them why I required a certain behavior of them.  I always tried to be just to my children and treat them with respect and fairness.  Today, they have become honorable adults, who treat other people with respect and fairness.

NO TEMPTATION HAS SEIZED YOU EXCEPT WHAT IS COMMON TO MAN. AND GOD IS FAITHFUL; HE WILL NOT LET YOU BE TEMPTED BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN BEAR. BUT WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED, HE WILL ALSO PROVIDE A WAY OUT SO THAT YOU CAN STAND UP UNDER IT
(1 Corinthians 10:13).

Did you grow up with unfairness and disrespect, marked by injustice, partiality, or deceit? How did you react to this injustice? How did your heart deal with the partiality? How did you handle the disrespect?

Be reminded that the anger and pain in your heart are not a result of what happened to you, but a result of what you came to believe about yourself under the unfair ruler: “I am a disgrace…I am abandoned…I am condemned.” Know that no temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. But God is faithful.

IT IS A JOY FOR THE JUST TO DO JUSTICE, BUT DESTRUCTION WILL COME TO THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY
(Proverbs 21:15).

If you are a ruler…an overseer…a leader, I bless you to be just, ruling over men in the fear of God, not out of self-centeredness.  Do not be proud.  Do not instigate rebellion.  Do not generate animosity.

Have you rebelled against man and against God, because of the unfairness and disrespect with which you grew up?

Although you were tempted through unfairness and disrespect, God wants to show you His way out of the abandonment, shame, and condemnation that still live in your heart. What will it take for you to lay down your rebellion and allow God to show you HIS WAY OUT?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help me to understand that the pain of shame, abandonment, and condemnation in my heart is not a result of the unfair treatment of the past, but a result of what I came to believe about myself. But today, I come to You. Show me Your Way out of this pain.

Maintain an Awareness

God wants you to desire to be good, because He wants to fill YOU with His fruits of Righteousness.

The Two Counsels

Beliefs/Emotions associated with this blessing.
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Angry Bitter

June 19

May Christ Make You Complete

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Have you ever run into a situation where you felt controlled by someone…overpowered by another person…violated by a friend’s lack of respect?  I have!  God showed me there was a reason for this—the gap in my heart.  I was incomplete…deficient…unfinished, and that left my heart susceptible to feelings of control and manipulation, whenever someone exercised directing or restraining influence over me.

CHRIST, WHO FILLS ALL THINGS EVERYWHERE WITH HIMSELF
(Ephesians 1:23).

Capture that Christ wants to fill you with His Self, so you may become complete…whole…Christ-contained.  He wants to fill the gap in your heart with His Presence to make you complete in every good work to do His Will. When this fulfillment happens in your heart, you will stop feeling overpowered and domineered by others.

NOW MAY THE GOD OF PEACE WHO BROUGHT UP OUR LORD JESUS FROM THE DEAD, THAT GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT, MAKE YOU COMPLETE IN EVERY GOOD WORK TO DO HIS WILL, WORKING IN YOU WHAT IS WELL PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, TO WHOM BE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER
(Hebrews 13:20-21).

You need to understand that if someone is trying to control you, it is the controller’s problem.  However, if you FEEL controlled and violated by the controller, it is YOUR problem.  The God of Peace wants to make you complete through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, so you may be entirely fulfilled, lacking nothing.

BUT LET PATIENCE HAVE ITS PERFECT WORK, THAT YOU MAY BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, LACKING NOTHING
(James 1:4).

Do you have a gap in your heart, making you susceptible to feelings of control and manipulation? There might be a part of your heart that is not yet filled with Christ?

Bring your incompetence to God, so He may do His perfect work in you.  You will become complete—filled with Christ—so the next time someone tries to control you, she will not encounter a gap…but Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Self, until I am perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Then, there will be no gap in my heart that renders me susceptible to feelings of control and manipulation. Instead, I will be complete in every good work to practice what is well pleasing in Your sight.

Maintain an Awareness

Many of these untrue childhood conclusions grouped together to raise a spirit of defilement in us—the OLD MAN mentality that duped us into thinking we were doomed and damned, for life.

The Two Counsels

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Accused

June 18

The Many Voices of Accusation

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IF I AM GUILTY—WOE TO ME!  EVEN IF I AM INNOCENT, I CANNOT LIFT MY HEAD, FOR I AM FULL OF SHAME AND DROWNED IN MY AFFLICTION
(Job 10:15).

Be reminded that when someone accuses you, you are not only being charged by a human, but also by the father-of-lies.  When someone accuses you of wrongdoing, on the outside, the father-of-lies uses the opportunity to bring his own charge against you, on the inside.  A person charges you with an offense: “You DID something bad.”  The father-of-lies charges you with a character flaw: “You ARE bad.”  Many divorces start this way and many friendships end this way, because the father-of-lies fills us with shame…even if we are innocent.

NO WEAPON FORGED AGAINST YOU WILL PREVAIL, AND YOU WILL REFUTE EVERY TONGUE THAT ACCUSES YOU. THIS IS THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD, AND THIS IS THEIR VINDICATION FROM ME,’ DECLARES THE LORD
(Isaiah 54:17).

Beautiful Child, take into account that the father-of-lies does not have the power to incriminate you.  He does not have the power to make you into an evildoer by simply laying his charge on you.  He does not have the power to make you into a bad person by accusing you.  He can only suggest it, but you can believe it…or refute it. If you believe it, you have accepted his charge, even though you are innocent. But, I have come to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach. Come to Me, Your Savior.

HE MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED…TO PRESENT YOU HOLY, AND BLAMELESS, AND ABOVE REPROACH IN HIS SIGHT
(Ephesians 1:6) and (Colossians 1:22).

 Are you carrying the heavy charge “I am bad” in your heart? Would you like to be set free from this indictment?

Bring the accusation “I am bad” to the Lord Jesus. Take it to the cross. Simply ask Him, in faith, to remove this charge from your heart, the way someone would remove a splinter from your finger. Then, turn to your heart and feel the difference. You will be vindicated by God’s Truth, for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.

PRAYER: You are worthy, Most High, to receive glory and honor and power; for You have made us accepted in the Beloved to present us holy, and blameless, and above reproach in Your sight.

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as my Savior and my Redeemer, for I cannot save myself. I need You. I invite You to remove the charge “I am bad” from my heart. Show me where and when the father-of-lies laid this charge on my heart for the first time, so I may submit all the facts and accompanying emotions to You, as well. Vindicate me, Lord Jesus, so no weapon forged against me will prevail.

Maintain an Awareness

Discipline, the training to enter God’s Holiness, cannot be exercised AFTER we have already entered a route of escape to resort to a sinful solution.

The Two Counsels

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Accused

June 17

A Parent Could Reason like a Child

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WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I TALKED LIKE A CHILD, I THOUGHT LIKE A CHILD, I REASONED LIKE A CHILD. WHEN I BECAME A MAN, I PUT CHILDISH WAYS BEHIND ME
(1 Corinthians 13:11).

 Know that sometimes a parent still thinks like a child, reasons like a child, and feels like a child.  Sometimes it is hard for a parent to put childish ways behind her.

HE WAS A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING. HE HAS ALWAYS HATED THE TRUTH, BECAUSE THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM. WHEN HE LIES, IT IS CONSISTENT WITH HIS CHARACTER; FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES
(John 8:44).

Understand that your parents were not exempt from the father-of-lies’ deception.  During a parent’s childhood, the father-of-lies attacked with the fierceness of a lion, instilling lies into their minds: “You don’t belong. You are a mistake. You are different and defective.” The accuser’s goal was for your parents to become slaves to these negative, destructive childhood beliefs, so these would carry over into their adulthood…and then to you and your children.

Be released from the belief that everything that went wrong during your childhood was your fault: that you were the bad one…that you were responsible…that you were guilty.  Understand that when your parent condemned you, he could have been reacting from his own wrong interpretations of non-acceptance.  When your parent rejected you, she could have been responding from her own rejected heart.  When your parent overly controlled, she could have been retaliating from a place of fear. Know that when your parent abused you, he was under the control of the father-of-lies.

THEREFORE KNOW THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD, HE IS GOD, THE FAITHFUL GOD WHO KEEPS COVENANT AND MERCY FOR A THOUSAND GENERATIONS WITH THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS
(Deuteronomy 7:9).

What are you holding against your parent: the shame in your heart, the abandonment in your soul, the condemnation in your spirit, and the rejection in your mind?

I bless you to forgive your parents for living under the management of the father-of-lies, and to surrender them to the Perfect Father, so He could call them to His Truth. Only under His management will they be able to think like an adult, reason like and adult, and talk like an adult. And you will receive healing for your own heart, as well.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, my Savior, help me to believe that it will not do me any good to keep a grudge against my parents for the way they treated me as a child. Help me to understand how the father-of-lies invaded their lives with his lies, so Your Compassion may grow in my heart. Help me to see that it was not what they said or did to me that broke my heart, but the accusatory beliefs of the father-of-lies that were passed down to me. Lord, bless my parents with Your Truth, so they may put childish ways behind them. Then, bless me with Your Truth, so I may grow up, too.

Maintain an Awareness

And here lies the root to all our problems: not the FACTS we experienced during our childhood circumstances…but the CONCLUSIONS we made in response to these facts.

The Two Counsels

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Accused Guilty

June 16

Forgetting the Past

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NO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I HAVE NOT ACHIEVED IT, BUT I FOCUS ON THIS ONE THING: FORGETTING THE PAST AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD
(Philippians 3:13).

I had a wonderful childhood.  I grew up on the shores of the Indian Ocean, South Africa, with good parents.  I had everything I needed.  Yet, regardless of my good circumstances, I noticed, at some point, that my heart had retained a lot of pain from my childhood.  As an adult, I often felt rejected, condemned, abandoned, and ashamed.

Maybe you also had a very good childhood with favorable circumstances.  Maybe you had a horrible past.  Maybe you had a good childhood with only one horrible experience.  Maybe some people have told you to put the past behind you…that it is time to move on.  Maybe you would like to let go of your past, BUT YOUR PAST DOES NOT WANT TO LET GO OF YOU.

HE WAS A MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING. HE HAS ALWAYS HATED THE TRUTH, BECAUSE THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM. WHEN HE LIES, IT IS CONSISTENT WITH HIS CHARACTER; FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES
(John 8:44).

Grasp that it is not the PAST that is holding on to you, but the painful BELIEFS of the past.  The father-of-lies handed these negative, destructive beliefs out whenever he found an opportunity, regardless whether your childhood circumstances were good or bad.  The circumstances were ALWAYS favorable to him. Always remember that it was not the circumstances during your childhood that caused your pain, but the LIES that came from the father-of-lies during that time: “You are not good enough. You are not loved. You do not have a voice. You are bad. Nobody wants you. Nobody delights in you. Nobody cares about you.”

Therefore, I bless you to know that if you want to forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead, you need to ask the Lord Jesus to exchange the lies of the past for His Truth.

TEACH ME YOUR WAYS, O LORD, THAT I MAY LIVE ACCORDING TO YOUR TRUTH!  GRANT ME PURITY OF HEART, SO THAT I MAY HONOR YOU
(Psalm 86:11).

Which negative, destructive beliefs of the past are holding on to you?

Embrace the pain in your heart. Expose these negative beliefs to the Lord Jesus. And let HIM exchange them for HIS TRUTH. Then, the past will lose its grip on you.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite you into my past and into the negative, destructive BELIEFS of my past. As I embrace the pain in my heart and expose these beliefs to You, I ask for You to come and exchange these beliefs for Your Truth, so the past may lose its grip on me and I may live my life in the present.

Maintain an Awareness

Discipline yourself to get Understanding.

The Two Counsels
June 15

Lord Jesus, I Can’t

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APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING
(John 15:5).

I usually do not know that I have been trying to do something in my own strength, until I discover I was not able to carry it out.  Then, I know it is time for me to stop dead in my tracks and look to someone else to take over.  It actually feels good to surrender to someone else’s Power to get the job done, on one condition—that Person is Jesus.

Lord Jesus, I can’t;
You never said I could.
Lord Jesus, You can;
And always said You would!
(Major Ian Thomas)

If you have been trying to go forward, but have been going backwards instead, you have probably been trying to accomplish things in your own strength.  I bless you to give up trying.  Throw in the towel.  Call it quits.  Apart from Jesus, you can do nothing.

NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US, TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH BY CHRIST JESUS TO ALL GENERATIONS, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN
(Ephesians 3:20-21).

 Know that He who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that you ask or think, wants to do it in you, for you, and through you. How? He will use your body…but His Power!

Have you been trying lately to live a holy life?  Have you been trying to think all the right thoughts?  Have you been trying to live a life filled with hope, joy, and trust?  I have only one more question.  Have you been failing?

Confess to the Lord Jesus that you are not able to trust, nor able to be joyful, nor able to be holy.  Declare to your Savior that you are not able to keep the negative thoughts at bay, nor able to overcome your jealousy, nor able to forgive.  Admit to your Redeemer that you are not able to keep your emotions positive, nor able to stop hating your enemy, nor able to stop worrying. Then, ask Him to do it IN you, FOR you, and THROUGH you. He will.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, come and do in me that which I cannot do myself. Be my God. Be my Savior. Be my Deliverer.

Maintain an Awareness

Thus, the OLD MAN became the origin of sin that causes the effect of sin in each of us. The OLD MAN is where it all started and where it all ends…unless we are delivered from it.

The Two Counsels

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Hopeless Worthless