What You Need to Be Truly Happy

THEY SAY A PERSON NEEDS THREE THINGS TO BE TRULY HAPPY IN THIS WORLD:
SOMEONE TO LOVE, SOMETHING TO DO,
AND SOMETHING TO HOPE FOR
(Thomas Edward Bodett).

I have found this to be true in my life.
I need three things to experience true joy in this world:
to love God,
to do the good works God has prepared for me to do,
and to have the hope of possessing a heart that is good, acceptable, and worthy.

I bless you to believe that you were created with the desire to love God; however, you need to understand HOW to love God.  Loving God is not just a feeling.  Loving God is not just a one-time decision.  Loving God is a moment-by-moment interchange of surrendering and receiving—surrendering everything you are, to God, to receive everything God is, to you.

I bless you to believe that you were created to do the good works GOD has prepared for you, since the beginning of time.  These works accommodate your personality, skills, and gifts.  They allow you to be you!  When you do the good works GOD has prepared specifically for you, you experience God’s Peace, God’s Power, and God’s Joy! How do you know what those good works are? Ask Him! Get to know Him. Then, He will show them to you.

I bless you to believe that you were created with the desire to have a good heart.  People always ask, “Have you given your heart to Jesus?”  But, I want to know, “After you have given your heart to Jesus, have you asked Jesus to give His heart to you?” This spiritual exchange is absolutely necessary if you want to be happy. When you receive the heart of Jesus, you do not have to strive to make your own heart good, work to make yourself acceptable, and toil to prove that you are worthy.  HIS HEART IS ALREADY GOOD. Bring your broken heart to him just the way it is, full of fear, animosity, jealousy, resentment, anger, anxiety, suffering, and disappointment, and ask Him to exchange all of that for His own Heart. Then, with Joy, proceed to draw water out of the wells of salvation.

THEREFORE WITH JOY SHALL YE DRAW WATER OUT OF THE WELLS OF SALVATION
(Isaiah 12:3).

Have you given your heart, with everything in it, to Jesus? 

Have you asked Jesus to give His heart, with everything in it, to you? 

PRAYER: Most High, how I love loving You, moment-by-moment, through an interchange of surrendering and receiving—SURRENDERING TO YOU EVERYTHING I AM AND DO, TO RECEIVE FROM YOU EVERYTHING YOU ARE AND DO.

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

How Do I Live by Faith?

NOW THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH: BUT IF ANY MAN DRAW BACK, MY SOUL SHALL HAVE NO PLEASURE IN HIM
(Hebrews 10:38).

What is faith? How do we live by faith, every day, moment-by-moment?

NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN
(Hebrews 11:1).

FAITH is the substance of things-HOPED-for, the evidence of things-not-seen. What are these things-not-seen that we are hoping for? How do we receive these things-HOPED-for that we cannot see? Why do we need to hope for things-not-seen?

CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU AND TELL YOU GREAT AND UNSEARCHABLE THINGS YOU DO NOT KNOW
(Jeremiah 33:3).

In my life, these things-not-seen that I have been hoping for are the personal promises God has given me before He supplies the things-not-seen. My faith becomes the evidence that I am hoping for those personal promises to be fulfilled, in God’s time, even when the FACTS and CONCLUSIONS of my current circumstances show me there is nothing to hope for, because there is no evidence.

But, in order to have received personal promises from God—things-not-seen—I needed to have a deep, personal relationship with God, first. I needed to make Him my eternal God, my Refuge—the One who holds me in His eternal arms, during difficult circumstances.

THE ETERNAL GOD IS THY REFUGE, AND UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS
(Deuteronomy 33:27).

God always tells us ahead of time what to expect, so we may have faith—so we may hope for things-not-seen. Do you live in a real relationship with God? Then, what are the personal promises for which you are hoping—the evidence of things-not-seen? Are your circumstances difficult, at the moment? Find out what God has already promised you in regards to your current circumstances. If you cannot find any promises to hope for, find God. Ask Him to show you something about your circumstances. Anything that God shows you about your circumstances will be a personal promise to you from God—a thing-not-seen that you can hope for. This is how you will live by FAITH, moment-by-moment, every day.

PRAYER: My Lord, I come to You during my difficult circumstances. I seek Your Presence and Your Participation. Show me the things-not-seen for which You want me to hope, today.

Maintain an Awareness

Often times, we use the same defense mechanisms we saw our parents or other authority figures use, during our childhood lives. If they hid behind a smile to pretend that everything was OK, we learned to do the same.

The Two Counsels

But God Will Redeem My Soul

Once upon a time, humans lived according to spiritual principles—indwelled by God’s Spirit and covered by God’s Love, Hope, and Truth.  They thought God’s thoughts and lived in God’s Light, uninterrupted by negative thoughts, far-fetched imaginations, and senseless arguments.  There was no darkness in their minds and no pain in their hearts.  They had LIFE.

FOR WE KNOW THAT THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL: BUT I AM CARNAL, SOLD UNDER SIN
(Romans 7:14).

But then the unthinkable happened.  We decided to disobey God and listen to a different counsel—the oppressing thoughts of the FATHER-OF-LIES. Our obedience to this new counsel sold us into slavery under the control of the father-of-lies and turned off God’s LIFE inside of us. Thus, we became empty—void of God’s Love, Hope, and Truth.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
(John 3:16).

But, we received a second chance—JESUS!  He died to repurchase us from slavery to the father-of-lies and his counsel. Then He became alive to become our LIFE, from the inside-out. Through His Life, we were once again connected to God’s Love, Hope, and Truth.

BUT GOD WILL REDEEM MY SOUL FROM THE POWER OF THE GRAVE: FOR HE SHALL RECEIVE ME
(Psalm 49:15).

Are you perishing? Your Redeemer came to redeem your life from the pit into which you have fallen. Are you too messed up to be FIXED? He did not come to FIX you. He came to REPLACE your life…with His Life. Are you empty—void of Love, Hope, and Truth? God came to redeem your soul from the power of the grave. All He asks is that you believe in Him.

PRAISE THE LORD, MY SOUL, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS—
WHO FORGIVES ALL YOUR SINS
AND HEALS ALL YOUR DISEASES,
WHO REDEEMS YOUR LIFE FROM THE PIT
AND CROWNS YOU WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION,
WHO SATISFIES YOUR DESIRES WITH GOOD THINGS
SO THAT YOUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE’S”
(Psalm 103:2-5).

How would you like to take advantage of your Second Chance—Jesus?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I praise You for being my Second Chance. Come and redeem me from the counsel of the father-of-lies and clothe me with Your Life, from the inside-out.

Maintain an Awareness

If the desire to matter is not satisfied through the solid Framework of God’s Presence, from the inside-out, our hearts become a black hole that sucks everyone in, for the sole and soul purpose to receive accolades…praise…glory.

The Two Counsels

When I Fail

Oswald Chambers once said, “When a person fails in his personal Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything.”

JOHN ANSWERED AND SAID, A MAN CAN RECEIVE NOTHING, EXCEPT IT BE GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN
(John 3:27).

I bless you to sing a new song of joy, today.  Jesus came to give you what you need, so you do not have to fail anymore.

HITHERTO HAVE YE ASKED NOTHING IN MY NAME: ASK, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL
(John 16:24).

Do you need acceptance?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need goodness?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need kindness?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need joy?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need faith?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need hope?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need comfort?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need light?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need life?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need healing?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need forgiveness?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need belonging?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need affirmation?  Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need love? Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need strength? Receive it from Jesus!
Do you need a miracle? Receive it from Jesus!

PRAISE THE LORD, MY SOUL, AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS—
WHO FORGIVES ALL YOUR SINS AND HEALS ALL YOUR DISEASES,
WHO REDEEMS YOUR LIFE FROM THE PIT
AND CROWNS YOU WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION,
WHO SATISFIES YOUR DESIRES WITH GOOD THINGS
SO THAT YOUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE’S
(Psalm 103:2-5).

What do you need?  At what are you failing?

Come to the Lord Jesus, just the way you are, and ask Him for what you need, in faith. It is as simple as that.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that I may ask You for anything I need, no matter how small or large my request is, so I may receive, and my joy may be full.

Maintain an Awareness

Each time we hear from God, we are changed…or rather EXCHANGED, for the Words He speaks are Spirit and are Life.

The Two Counsels

Lean on God with Your Entire Personality

IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY NOT GROW DISINTERESTED AND BECOME [SPIRITUAL] SLUGGARDS, BUT IMITATORS, BEHAVING AS DO THOSE WHO THROUGH FAITH (BY THEIR LEANING OF THE ENTIRE PERSONALITY ON GOD IN CHRIST IN ABSOLUTE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN HIS POWER, WISDOM, AND GOODNESS) AND BY PRACTICE OF PATIENT ENDURANCE AND WAITING ARE [NOW] INHERITING THE PROMISES
(Hebrews 6:12 AMP).

I bless you to lean with your entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His POWER. Know that He is ABLE to do what He promised you He would do. He has the required Strength to perform the impossible, the Authority to move mountains, the Control to make everything work out for your good.

SO THAT YOUR FAITH MIGHT NOT REST ON MEN’S WISDOM, BUT ON GOD’S POWER
(1 Corinthians 2:5).

I bless you to lean with your entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His WISDOM, as you wait on His Answers. Know that He will give you Words of Wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict, not even the roaring lion…the father-of-lies…the evil one with his negative, destructive beliefs of abandonment, shame, condemnation, and rejection.

FOR I WILL GIVE YOU WORDS AND WISDOM THAT NONE OF YOUR ADVERSARIES WILL BE ABLE TO RESIST OR CONTRADICT
(Luke 21:15).

I bless you to lean with your entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His GOODNESS, which He has stored up for those who revere Him—for those who acknowledge Him in all their ways. Know that God has not forgotten about you. He knows how you have been patiently enduring. The Lord is not slack concerning His Promises. After you have done what He has asked of you, He will give you what He has promised you.

HOW GREAT IS YOUR GOODNESS, WHICH YOU HAVE STORED UP FOR THOSE WHO FEAR YOU, WHICH YOU BESTOW IN THE SIGHT OF MEN ON THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN YOU
(Psalm 31:19).

What has God promised you He would do? Has He fulfilled His Promises, yet? If not, do not become discouraged. Do not rest your faith on what people tell you, but lean with your entire personality on God’s Power, Wisdom, and Goodness. In time, with patient endurance, you will inherit all His Promises.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, work Your Faith in me, so I may be able to trust in Your Power, Wisdom, and Goodness with my entire personality, as I wait for Your Promises.

Maintain an Awareness

Truth is not something logical we can produce from our own minds; instead, Truth is the supernatural reasoning of the Holy Spirit in our minds.

The Two Counsels

Receive Understanding

COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO ARE WEARY AND BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS
(Matthew 11:28-29).

The things in life that cause us to be weary and burdened are the accusatory beliefs of the father-of-lies in our minds and hearts.  They are relentless.  They kill, steal, and destroy. They cause us to argue about situations.

Two accusatory beliefs from the father-of-lies that cause us to be belligerent and argumentative are “You are not worthy” and “You are bad.”  Sometimes, we spend hours arguing about these beliefs, without even knowing it.  On the outside we argue about the situation; but on the inside we fight for our hearts.  Even though we argue about the circumstances, in reality, we are fighting to prove that we are worthy. We are fighting to keep our hearts from being labeled “bad.”

YOU, DEAR CHILDREN, ARE FROM GOD AND HAVE OVERCOME THEM, BECAUSE THE ONE WHO IS IN YOU IS GREATER THAN THE ONE WHO IS IN THE WORLD
(1 John 4:4).

Are you a belligerent, argumentative person? Why do you like to argue so much? What are you fighting FOR? Is there an accusatory belief from the father-of-lies stuck in your mind? Are you trying to prove that your heart is worthy…that you are not a bad person…that you are OK?

Know that THAT for which you are fighting is something only GOD can give you on the inside, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Arguing about a situation on the outside will not bring your heart rest on the inside. Therefore, stop arguing…and bring your accused heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has come to give you His Understanding, from the inside-out. He is the only one who can give you rest.

WE KNOW ALSO THAT THE SON OF GOD HAS COME AND HAS GIVEN US UNDERSTANDING
(1 John 5:20).

Next time you feel like arguing, look for the accusatory belief that is causing you to feel so belligerent and argumentative. Find it and bring it to the Lord Jesus. He will give you Understanding. He will give you rest for your soul.

PRAYER: Lord God, bring me to the place where I would stop arguing about situations in order to prove that my heart is worthy and good. During times like these, call me to You, so I may find understanding in my mind and rest for my soul.

Maintain an Awareness

Know that you cannot be a friend of the Light and be a friend of darkness, at the same time. Darkness and Light do not mix. They are incompatible. You are either in the dark, or in the light.

The Two Counsels

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God’s Perspective

THE WOMAN SAID TO THE SERPENT, ‘WE MAY EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREES IN THE GARDEN, BUT GOD DID SAY, ‘YOU MUST NOT EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREE THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GARDEN, AND YOU MUST NOT TOUCH IT, OR YOU WILL DIE’

‘YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE,’ THE SERPENT SAID TO THE WOMAN
(Genesis 3:2-4).

Notice that there are two sources of counsel available to you: God’s Counsel and Satan’s counsel.

Listen to God’s Counsel:

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.
DO NOT BE WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES;
FEAR THE LORD AND SHUN EVIL
(Proverbs 3:5-7).

Notice that Satan’s counsel opposes God’s Counsel…resists God’s instruction…attacks God’s Word:

Do not trust God,
Instead, rely on your own perceptions,
Trust your own interpretations and believe everything you think.
Try and figure everything out for yourself,
for your mind is sufficient to supply all the explanations you need.
Have faith in your own common sense.
Then, everything will turn out OK.

THE MIND OF SINFUL MAN IS DEATH, BUT THE MIND CONTROLLED BY THE SPIRIT IS LIFE AND PEACE
(Romans 8:6).

Do you have Life and Peace? If not, whose counsel do you heed, daily? Who controls your mind, moment-by-moment?

Are you willing to follow a different Counsel? I challenge you to stop trying to figure things out for yourself. Instead, ask God for His Perspective…and see what happens.

PRAYER: Lord God, may I trust YOU with all my heart and refrain from being wise in my own eyes, but acknowledge Your Perspective in everything I do and think.

Maintain an Awareness

Our relationship with God is not just one-sided—us praying to God. When we pray, God also needs to talk to us…and He WANTS to.

The Two Counsels

I AM Serving You

There was a time in my life that I focused heavily on how my husband did NOT serve me.  I focused on how he did NOT listen when I spoke.  I focused on how he did NOT understand me.  I focused on how he did NOT satisfy my emotional needs.

FOR WE ARE GOD’S WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO DO
(Ephesians 2:10).

I have discovered that God created my husband for a set of good works that He, the Most High, had prepared for him since the beginning of time…and it was with these same good works that my husband was serving me.  Although he was not necessarily serving me with the good works I had chosen for him, he was being the person GOD wanted him to be.  This changed my focus.  I started focusing on how he DID serve me…instead of how he DID NOT.

THE WORLD AND ITS DESIRES PASS AWAY, BUT THE MAN WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD LIVES FOREVER
(1 John 2:17).

I bless you to focus on how those around you are serving you.  Do not focus on how your parent, spouse, or friend is NOT satisfying your emotional needs.  Appreciate the personality and skills God has given her.  Enjoy the gifts with which God has furnished him.  He is God’s workmanship, created to do the good works GOD prepared for him in advance.  Remember, every good gift is from above, coming from the Father in Heaven.  If you look closely, you will see that your spouse, parent, or friend is serving you with the gifts with which he or she has been endowed.

EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, COMING DOWN FROM THE FATHER OF THE HEAVENLY LIGHTS, WHO DOES NOT CHANGE LIKE SHIFTING SHADOWS
(James 1:17).

Appreciate your spouse, relative, or friend for how she or he IS serving you…AND RECEIVE THE REST FROM GOD. Ask God to provide for the emotional needs for which those around you are not able to provide. He will supply you with the Love, Worth, Acceptance, and Belonging you need for the abandonment, shame, condemnation, and rejection in your heart.

How is your spouse, your parent, or your friend serving you, daily?

How is your spouse, your parent, or your friend NOT serving you, daily? Are you willing to ask God to meet these needs for you?

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord God, for how my loved ones are serving me through the good works You have chosen for them. Help me to experience Your Presence through their daily deeds. And those needs in my heart that are not met by them, O Lord, I surrender to You, for You are my Perfect Father and You know what I need, even before I ask You.

Maintain an Awareness

Temptations are all about WORDS…and what we DO with these WORDS.

The Two Counsels

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Good Works for Your Personality

FOR WE ARE GOD’S WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO DO
(Ephesians 2:10).

People always complain about their personalities.  Introverts regret not being extroverts.  Extroverts regret not being introverts.  Some people believe they are not interesting enough.  Others feel they are too superficial.  Regardless of the personality, people do not seem to be satisfied with who they are.

At some point, I too wished I were different.  However, after I discovered the set of good works that GOD had prepared for me in advance, I discovered that my personality was perfect for these works, almost as if Someone had designed my personality specifically for my purpose.  Interestingly, my personality was NOT suited for the good works I HAD CHOSEN FOR MYSELF.

NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT ONLY HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN
(Matthew 7:21).

I bless you to know that God’s Will for you is the highest Purpose for your life.  It is the best thing that has ever happened to you.  Why?  Because it is based on a plan that was created before you were even born.  It is not something that just happens haphazardly, on the spur of the moment.  It is not a hit or miss situation. This Spiritual Plan is steadfast and true and nobody can add to it or take away from it, no matter what they say or do to you.

Precious Child, be encouraged that My Eternal Plan for your life is a Master Plan that is very specific to your personality and gifts.

Therefore, do not try and change who you are. Rather, become the person I created you to be. I, the Lord God, have created your personality for My before-ordained Master Plan.  I have something very specific in mind for you, and I need your specific personality traits for that.  Instead of trying to change your personality, ask Me to show you who you really are, and to show you the specific set of good works that requires your specific personality with your specific gifts.  Then, forsake all other good works that you have chosen for yourself in this life…and cling to the good works that I have prepared for your personality, beforehand.

Do you know your God-given personality? Do you know which good works were created in advance for you to do? If you do not know, I know Someone who DOES know. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Ask Him. He will tell you.

PRAYER: Most High, whether I am an introvert or an extrovert, thank you for my specific personality. Show me who You made me to be. Show me the good works that You have chosen to match my specific personality, so I may be satisfied with who I am and what I do. Keep me from believing that I need to be someone else, in order to be accepted and worthy; instead, work Your Worth and Acceptance in my heart, Lord God, so Your Will may be done in my life, through my specific personality.

Maintain an Awareness

When your heart hurts, both the Lord Jesus and the father-of-lies stand ready to lead you out of that pain to a solution.

The Two Counsels

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The Will of the Perfect Father

YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
(Matthew 6:10).

The Will of the Perfect Father is the highest Power in Heaven and on earth.  Nothing can withstand it…except our own will.

ARE NOT TWO SPARROWS SOLD FOR A PENNY?  YET NOT ONE OF THEM WILL FALL TO THE GROUND APART FROM THE WILL OF YOUR FATHER
(Matthew 10:29).

On the other hand, the father-of-lies is always ready to persuade us to do HIS will: to follow his negative, destructive thoughts “God does not love you. God only wants to harm you. God only wants to punish you, because He is a villain—someone without principles.” The father-of-lies constantly promotes his own will through your will, because he knows if we chose HIS rebellious will, he would be able to manifest his own sinful nature in us, along with his own deceitful desires, his own accusatory beliefs with their painful feelings, his own evil deeds, and his own destructive purpose.

YOU ARE WORTHY, OUR LORD AND GOD, TO RECEIVE GLORY AND HONOR AND POWER, FOR YOU CREATED ALL THINGS, AND BY YOUR WILL THEY WERE CREATED AND HAVE THEIR BEING
(Revelation 4:11).

The father-of-lies will always try to persuade you that HIS rebellious will is good for your life, and that the Perfect Father’s Will is bad for you.  However, whenever you believe the father-of-lies’ negative, destructive thoughts, you will be filled with suspicion, hatred, sadness, confusion, guilt, jealousy, and anger. His beliefs of rejection, shame, condemnation, and abandonment will reign in your heart. His unworthiness will cover your soul. His hopelessness will abuse your heart. On the other hand, the more you submit to God’s Perfect Will, the more you are filled with His Hope, Truth, and Love, for by His Will you were created and have your being. Know that what the father-of-lies has been telling you about Him is not true. The father-of-lies is the real villain. He is the one without the principles. He is the one who does not love you and wants to harm and punish you. Know that when you allow the Father’s Will to reign in your life, the father-of-lies’ will has no hold on your life.  However, this all depends on YOUR will.

Whom do you serve with YOUR will: the Perfect Father…or the father-of-lies?

PRAYER: Perfect Father, with my will I choose Your Will to reign in my life: in my thoughts, in my actions, in my nature, in my desires, in my emotions, and in my purpose.

Maintain an Awareness

We have all eaten from the fruit of deception—believing and accepting negative, destructive beliefs about ourselves, God, and others that are not true.

The Two Counsels