Will You Lay Down Your Life of Anger and Rage?

THEN JESUS ANSWERED, ‘WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME’
(John 13:38).

I bless you to lay down your life of dealing with your pain through a defense mechanism of anger and rage.

GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS. ‘I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP’
(John 10:11).

Lay down your life of always becoming enraged at yourself and those around you.  Know that anger serves as a cover—an outer layer placed over a much deeper emotion, caused by the oppressing OLD MAN beliefs in your mind. If you peel it off, you might discover an Orphan ME filled with abandonment, a Bad ME filled with condemnation, a Victim ME filled with rejection, or a Lesser ME filled with unworthiness and shame.

THAT YE PUT OFF…THE OLD MAN, WHICH IS CORRUPT ACCORDING TO THE DECEITFUL LUSTS
(Ephesians 4:22).

Give up your exasperation.  Instead, dig a little deeper and find the little Orphan ME in you who feels so lonely and left-out. Search for the blamed Bad ME who feels so unaccepted and unacceptable. Discover the lowly Lesser ME who feels so abased and insignificant. Find the unloved Victim ME who is burdened with rejection. Then, offer these disabled personalities to God to be replaced with a Redeemed ME—someone who feels worthy, loved, and acceptable.

LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES, AND LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US
(Hebrews 12:1).

Let go of your bad temper.  Do not hold onto it as something praiseworthy.  If you sow to live in anger, you will reap destruction.  But if you sow to live from the Spirit, from the Spirit you will throw off the sin that so easily entangles to receive Belonging, Acceptance, and Worth.

Has your bad temper become your sinful defense pattern with which you handle life and its disappointments?

If you put your anger and rage aside, what or who would you find underneath? Did you know that you could surrender these underlying OLD MAN characters and their beliefs to the Lord Jesus, and ask Him to exchange these for a Redeemed ME?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I submit my anger to You. I know I cannot get rid of it by myself; therefore, I ask that You show me what is keeping it alive in me. Show me the beliefs from the father-of-lies that are causing me to feel hurt on the inside and angry on the outside, so I may throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

Maintain an Awareness

We do not understand what is going on within us and we are too afraid to find out. We are too afraid to live…and even more afraid to die.

The Two Counsels

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Will You Lay Down Your Life for Me?

I was having a discussion with someone the other day about the anti-Christ.  We were wondering who the anti-Christ was, and from where he would come.  Is it a person?  Is it a force?  Is it already here or is it still to come?

Then I thought to myself, I don’t know who the anti-Christ really is, but I know that I have an anti-Christ already living inside of me.  It is very powerful.  It is very selfish.  And it is very anti Christ.  Its name is Self.

BUT EVERY SPIRIT THAT DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS IS NOT FROM GOD. THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, WHICH YOU HAVE HEARD IS COMING AND EVEN NOW IS ALREADY IN THE WORLD
(1 John 4:3).

Self is its own entity that runs its own life in me.  Self has its own will, its own desires, its own ambitions, its own defense, its own esteem, and its own righteousness.  Self does not acknowledge or obey Jesus as Lord.  In fact, Self serves as an agent for the father-of-lies to rival Jesus Christ as Lord. Self is anti Christ.

THEN JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, ‘IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, HE MUST DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME. FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR ME WILL FIND IT’
(Matthew 16:24-25).

I bless you to understand that the Lord Jesus is the Anti-Self.  He has His own Righteousness He would like to establish in your life.  He has His own Will for your life.  He has His own Defense against the father-of-lies.

THEN JESUS ANSWERED, ‘WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME’
(John 13:38).

Are you satisfied with the way Self rules your life?

If you are not happy with what Self has done with your life, consider appointing the Lord Jesus as ruler of your life. Then, you will not need your Self-esteem, your Self-righteousness, and your Self defense mechanisms, because you will have Christ.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite You to reign in my heart, my thoughts, and the purpose of my life. Disable my Self-righteousness to plant YOUR Righteousness in me. Disqualify my Self-esteem to create YOUR Worthiness in my heart. Disengage my Self-defense to bring about Your Truth, Hope, and Love in my being. Bring me to the place where I will deny the anti-Christ in me, so Your Anti-Self might be formed in me.

Maintain an Awareness

Sin is not something mysterious…something unexplainable…something that happens to you. Sin does not stand alone. It does not happen by itself. Sinful solutions have a source—the source of the OLD MAN.

The Two Counsels

His Blessing of Truth

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).

Understand that the goal of the father-of-lies during your childhood was to produce in you a distorted mind and a disturbed heart: to promote the beliefs “You don’t belong…You are a failure…You are fatally flawed.”  The father-of-lies knew that if you would accept these accusatory beliefs as a child, you would become a slave to them for the rest of your life.

I WILL REPAY YOU FOR THE YEARS THE LOCUSTS HAVE EATEN
(Joel 2:25).

However, God has paid for the years the locusts have eaten: He sent His Son, Jesus, to reverse the lies from the father-of-lies in your heart…if you let Him.  You were bought with a price to become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, that you should proclaim Him who called you out of the dark beliefs of the father-of-lies, into His marvelous Light of Truth.

BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, GOD’S SPECIAL POSSESSION, THAT YOU MAY DECLARE THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT
(1 Peter 2:9).

Receive God’s blessings of Love, Truth, and Hope He is offering you in exchange for the hopelessness, fear, and deception of your childhood years.  Meet Him face to face.  Experience His Love.  Taste His Hope.  Feel His Power.  Encounter His Truth.  Discover His Comfort.  Absorb His Light, so you may be children of God, without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation that lives according to the lies of the father-of-lies.

SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME BLAMELESS AND PURE, ‘CHILDREN OF GOD WITHOUT FAULT IN A WARPED AND CROOKED GENERATION.’ THEN YOU WILL SHINE AMONG THEM LIKE STARS IN THE SKY
(Philippians 2:15).

 The Perfect Father sent you a Redeemer. Will you let Him redeem the years the locusts have eaten?

Are you willing to EMBRACE the pain, EXPOSE the lies, and let your Savior EXCHANGE these years for a whole new life?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as my Savior: the One who is able to redeem…the One who is able to win back the years that have been stolen from me…the One who is able to free me from childhood blame, debt, and the consequences of sin. I lay these years at Your feet, my Lord. Please repair, restore, and reform the years the locusts have eaten.

Maintain an Awareness

And after we have sucked others empty and they have nothing more to give, we turn to distraction and destruction to ease the excruciating pain that oozes from our hearts…because we still believe we do not matter.

The Two Counsels

The Light of Life

YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE PATH OF LIFE; YOU WILL FILL ME WITH JOY IN YOUR PRESENCE
(Psalm 16:11).

I often hear people say, “Pain is part of life…and needs to be accepted.”  But, the Perfect Father has made known to me His Path of Life: that pain is a part of life…and needs to be exchanged.

Precious One, pain is a result of the OLD MAN beliefs in your heart from the father-of-lies: that you are not needed here on earth…that you have no value…that you are not worthy to be celebrated.  If you react to your pain, you will walk in darkness. This will cause you to stumble and die.

FOR YOU HAVE DELIVERED ME FROM DEATH AND MY FEET FROM STUMBLING, THAT I MAY WALK BEFORE GOD IN THE LIGHT OF LIFE
(Psalm 56:13).

Beloved, I, the Perfect Father, sent the Light of the World to redeem the negative, destructive OLD MAN beliefs of the father-of-lies, and to exchange them for the Truth.

Your path of life is not only filled with pain, but with the Light of Life. But you have an obligation: to find the OLD MAN beliefs that are causing your pain and submit them to My Son, the Light of the World. He will fill you with joy in My Presence.

WHEN JESUS SPOKE AGAIN TO THE PEOPLE, HE SAID, ‘I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. WHOEVER FOLLOWS ME WILL NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE’
(John 8:12).

Child, walk in the Light of My Presence.  Do not accept your pain of abandonment. Do not comply with your pain of shame. Do not submit to your pain of condemnation. Instead, follow the Light of the World into the Light of Life.  He is My Answer to your hopelessness, helplessness, and powerlessness.  He will turn your heart’s belief “I am not worthy to be loved” into “I have value.” He will exchange “I am doomed in my darkness” for “I have the Light of Life.” He will deliver you from death and your feet from stumbling.

Do you want to enter a new path?

Realize that if you want to BE someone different, you need to DO something different. Otherwise, you will always end up on the very same path, as before, and be the very same person, as before. Therefore, be ready to try something new, every day, moment-by-moment: find the beliefs that cause your pain, expose them to the Lord Jesus, and let Him take you on a new journey.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am tired of stumbling along on my path of darkness. Please bring me onto Your Path of Life. Help me to follow You, daily, moment-by-moment, 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

Rule in the Fear of God

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

We do not understand what is going on within us and we are too afraid to find out. We are too afraid to live…and even more afraid to die.

The Two Counsels

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My Words Are Sharper Than Any Sword

FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND ACTIVE. SHARPER THAN ANY DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD, IT PENETRATES EVEN TO DIVIDING SOUL AND SPIRIT, JOINTS AND MARROW; IT JUDGES THE THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES OF THE HEART
(Hebrews 4:12).

Precious One, how I love to communicate with you through My written and spoken Words, when you invite My Counsel into your own mind. 

My Words are sharper than any sword. They have the ability to penetrate deeply into the many voices of your mind, dividing good from evil. My Words show, sort, and sever the words of the father-of-lies from your heart, before they kill, steal, and destroy.  But, you need to allow My active Words to enter into the negative, destructive thoughts of your mind…and cut them out. You need to invite My living Words to access the abandonment, shame, and rejection in your heart from the father-of-lies…and slice them out.  You need to let My powerful Words infiltrate the sorrow, despair, anger, and jealousy in your emotions…and carve them out.

BUT JESUS ANSWERED HIM, SAYING, ‘IT IS WRITTEN, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD’
(Luke 4:4).

Child, you need to become dependent on My daily Words to you.  Then, the Sword of the Spirit will slice the darkness from your mind, cut the hopelessness from your heart, and sever the brokenness from your life. 

TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD
(Ephesians 6:17).

Which place in your heart would you like God’s living and active Words to penetrate? What do you need severed by the Sword of the Spirit?

Know that the living and active Words of God will affect anything with which they come in contact.  They will determine and detect, estimate and evaluate, and sever. They are effective, sufficient, and practical. The Sword of the Spirit will cause a miracle in your heart.

PRAYER: Sword of the Spirit, come and penetrate my heart and my mind. Evaluate my emotions and search them for negative, destructive beliefs from the father-of-lies that leave me hopeless, helpless, and powerless. Then, do Your severing work in my heart, so I may be set free to worship You in Truth.

Maintain an Awareness

We run…and run…and run. We run towards bad distractions and destructions like alcohol, drugs, or even crime, or we run towards good distractions like entertainment, or our husbands, wives, friends, or counselors.

The Two Counsels

Be Still…Listen

BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD; I WILL BE EXALTED AMONG THE NATIONS,
I WILL BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH
(Psalm 46:10).

I bless you with absolute stillness before your Father…complete silence
Leave behind the noise of your circumstances
Cast aside all activity from the father-of-lies
Quiet all the voices in your mind.

Become still
Listen
Become acquainted with God’s voice
Be a detective
Perceive His Perspective
Become aware of His choice.

BE STILL BEFORE THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM
(Psalm 37:7).

Wait patiently…quietly
After presenting your imaginations to your Perfect Father
After offering Him your emotions
After laying before Him your interpretations
Remain in readiness and expectancy before your Creator.

THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU; YOU NEED ONLY TO BE STILL
(Exodus 14:14).

And your Perfect Father will fight for you!
His Truth will prevail
His Hope will bring Joy to you
His Love will never fail.

What do you do when all the voices in your head talk to you at the same time?

Sometimes, you need to quiet all the voices you hear. You need to clear your head. You need to start over. After you have done this, you can let them back in, one at a time…but only the ones that are in tune with God’s Perspective—the Voice of Truth.

PRAYER: Speak, Lord God, I am listening. Teach me Your Perspective. Tell me the Truth. Show me Your ways. My heart belongs to You.

Maintain an Awareness

God wants you to desire a purpose from Him, because He has a purpose that He has been saving just for you.

The Two Counsels

Faithful in the Lord

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT
(Proverbs 3:5).

I bless you to make “lean not on your own understanding” and “in all your ways acknowledge Him” a lifestyle—a way of living…a way of thinking.  I DID…AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE! 

Every action starts with a THOUGHT—an understanding.  Every emotion starts with a THOUGHT—an understanding. Every purpose starts with a THOUGHT—an understanding. And a THOUGHT—an understanding—comes either from God, or from the father-of-lies.  There is no middle ground.

I have discovered that if I follow the thought or understanding that comes from the father-of-lies, I end up in anger, hatred, jealousy, fear, and despair.  However, if I follow the thought or understanding that comes from God, I end up in Hope, Truth, and Love.  This is the moment-by-moment way of life in Christ Jesus.

FOR THIS REASON I AM SENDING TO YOU TIMOTHY, MY SON WHOM I LOVE, WHO IS FAITHFUL IN THE LORD. HE WILL REMIND YOU OF MY WAY OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHICH AGREES WITH WHAT I TEACH EVERYWHERE IN EVERY CHURCH
(1 Corinthians 4:17).

Do you know the thought that precedes your daily depression? Do you know the thought that triggers your frequent anger? Do you know the thought that often makes you jealous? Do you know the thought that sometimes causes you to want to give up?

Acknowledge the Lord Jesus in everything you think, everywhere you go, every moment of your life.  Present that thought to Him, just the way it is, and ask Him whether that thought is from Him—the Truth—or from the father-of-lies. Then listen to His Perspective. It will change your life, one thought at a time!

PRAYER: Most High, I live to honor You, every moment, in everything I do, in everything I think, and in every purpose I pursue. Thank you for Your Way of Life in Christ Jesus. Remind me, daily, of my obligation to trust You from the bottom of my heart, to follow Your Voice of Truth, and to stop trying to figure things out on my own. Lead me to make “lean not on your own understanding” and “in all your ways acknowledge Him” my daily lifestyle.

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

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Be Quick to Listen

MY DEAR BROTHERS, TAKE NOTE OF THIS: EVERYONE SHOULD BE QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK AND SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY
(James 1:19).

I encourage you to think of someone you know who is hurting deeply right now.  Know that you can be of great comfort to your friend by being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Be quick to listen. Listen carefully. Listen observantly. Listen with patience. Listen, so you may understand her problem. Be attentive to your friend’s heart.  Allow her to feel…to perceive…to experience.  Her emotions will help her to connect with her heart, her pain, and with God.

BUT THE COUNSELOR, THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS
(John 14:26).

Be slow to speak.  Know that it is not your advice that counts, your perception that is needed, your understanding that is important, but the advice of God, the Counselor.  Encourage your friend to talk to you, so she can hear what her own heart is trying to tell her. Then, lead her to God, the Counselor. He will tell her what she needs to know.

BE…SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY, FOR MAN’S ANGER DOES NOT BRING ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS LIFE THAT GOD DESIRES
(James 1:19, 20).

Be slow to become angry.  Be careful that your own pain does not get in the way and cause you to become angry when you listen to another’s pain.  It is not about your pain when you are helping someone else.  Surrender your own heart-ache to God, the Counselor, so you may be a better listener to your friend.

How do you respond to another’s pain? Are you reluctant to listen…to be still…to understand? Are you quick to react…to speak…to give advice?

Be quick to listen.  Be slow to speak.  Be slow to react to another’s pain and become angry.  Instead, help your friend connect with God and hear His Perspective, so she may be comforted.

PRAYER: Most High, remind me, daily, that You have sent the Counselor to teach us all things, at all times. Remind me to not get in the way when someone confides in me, but to listen and understand with the purpose of directing everyone to the Counselor.

Maintain an Awareness

The Lord Jesus has always lived His Life for God, the Father. When we invite Him to come live HIS LIFE in us, He will live it for God, the Father, in the same way He has always done.

The Two Counsels

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He Sets You High Upon a Rock

BE JOYFUL IN HOPE, PATIENT IN AFFLICTION, FAITHFUL IN PRAYER
(Romans 12:12).

Beloved, be patient in your affliction.  Do not turn to damaging ways, trying frantically to hide from your pain. Distraction does not bring lasting relief, and wearing a mask only makes matters worse.  Instead, come to Me. Let Me set you safely upon a high Rock. Remember, you have a choice. Choose to overcome

FOR IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE HE WILL KEEP ME SAFE IN HIS DWELLING; HE WILL HIDE ME IN THE SHELTER OF HIS TABERNACLE AND SET ME HIGH UPON A ROCK
(Psalm 27:5).

Beautiful One, be patient in your suffering: when someone accuses you…when someone leaves you…when someone fails you.  Do not run to destructive ways, trying to relieve your pain instantly.  Instead, run to Me. Let My Name be a strong Tower to you. Remember, you have a choice. Choose to overcome.

THE NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER; THE RIGHTEOUS RUN TO IT AND ARE SAFE
(Proverbs 18:10).

Precious Child, be patient during temptation—when someone displays his own weakness.  Do not turn to unwholesome ways, trying to still your pain by blaming it on the other person’s faults.  Instead, own your own pain and take responsibility for it. Let Me pull you to safety under My Wings. Remember, you have a choice. Choose to overcome.

HE WILL COVER YOU WITH HIS FEATHERS, AND UNDER HIS WINGS YOU WILL FIND REFUGE; HIS FAITHFULNESS WILL BE YOUR SHIELD AND RAMPART
(Psalm 91:4).

Are you patient during affliction, or do you turn to distraction and destruction to find relief?

Know that God expects us to overcome affliction, because “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3). Furthermore, “to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelations 3:21 NKJV). Remember, you have a choice. Instead of running from your pain, hiding from it, or blaming it on others, you can choose to overcome…today.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, teach me to be patient in affliction, so I may overcome.

Maintain an Awareness

The father-of-lies opposes God’s Counsel by telling us the exact opposite of what God says. His deception provides the pink slippery world in our minds that do not make sense.

The Two Counsels

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