
How To Release Faith And Let God Fight Your Battles
The Lord will fight for you while you only need to keep silent and remain calm.
I was on a journey for years to learn about the threats and attacks of satan. This wasn’t because I wanted to know how strong or how great he was, but because he did so much damage in my life. I know he’s affecting the lives of billions right now. What I have learned is it’s all smoke and mirrors; Satan has no real power.
It’s you and me that gives the devil his power. It’s not just the way it goes, or how it was meant to be, or just the hand you’ve been dealt. If the devil is messing in your life, it’s because you allow it and have given him dominion in your life. He has been invited into your life to destroy it.
When it comes to the spiritual realm, it’s important to understand the key players and what their powers are. In this battle there is good and it is evil. Jesus who is good, came to earth to take the power away from the enemy. He did this when he died and was raised back to life. At this time satan lost power over Jesus and anyone who would follow Jesus.
So, the power lies in who you give it to, plain and simple. If given the opportunity, the devil clusters our mind and puts thoughts of fear and doubts in our head to discourage us. To many people have given him the opportunity and now believe there is no way to find happiness, freedom, and joy. Do you feel like you are doomed to a life of Hell and misery on earth? With the media telling us, to have fear, anger, and greed, I’m not surprised if you feel this way. But, you don’t have to feel like you live in Hell and misery.
The entire purpose of our life is to bring Glory to God. While the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy your happiness God wants you to happily serve Him. The entire purpose of Satan is to bring glory to himself and away from God. Have you ever met someone who is filled with pride and self-love? That person is filled with the spirit of the devil.
A person who loves Jesus will be filled with love to follow Him and help grow the Kingdom of God. People who love God, care about where your soul goes. Their joy comes from things that Glorify God. This was Jesus’ way of living while on earth. He didn’t come to condemn or destroy or put a lot of rules on everyone. He came to show love and to heal. His goal was to help each of us find life through Him, and this brought glory to the Father.
God is the most powerful. His spirit has the power to do anything; even create the Heavens and the earth and all that’s in it. He has the power to cast the devil and the devil’s followers into Hell for eternity. But He also has power to give you eternal life in Heaven with Him.
So, when you listen to what’s on the news, know it is satan trying to mess with your life. Trust in God always.
Satan never was more powerful than God. He wanted to be, and for this, God cast him out of His presence forever. Not satan goes around like a big bully who is destroyed on their inside. His power is in casting fear over people and the power, authority, and dominion he has in peoples lives are only given to him by those who give in to his fearful thought, especially those who don’t understand the power of the Name of Jesus.
Feeling Sorry For Yourself Only Makes It Worse
People who feel sorry for themselves are miserable, and there’s no need to be miserable.
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:13)
We have all wallowed in self-pity or known someone that has. We think that of everyone we know, we are the most miserable. Our circumstances are bad. Everyone hates us. We can never do anything right.
Thinking and feeling like this makes us miserable. It’s selfish and wrong. What makes us think we are the only ones who have ever suffered? Deep down we know that not everyone is against us. Even if that were true, God is for us. Self-pity shown a lack of trust in God.
I had a counselor that once told me I was allowed to have a 10 minute pity party a week. And then to move on with my life. I thought what good is this going to do. But, after about a month of doing this. I realized how I was making myself miserable. And stopped having them all the together.
Before you start feeling sorry for yourself remember that the condition is common. There was a time when the prophet Elijah told a God that he was so bad off that he would rather die than live. (Kings: 19)
God responded by reminding Elijah that God was still with him and that things were not as bad as Elijah made them sound.
Sometimes our self-pity comes from jealousy. We see wicked people prospering and getting away with doing wrong. Remember God sees all and in the end they will not get away with anything.
In Psalms it says “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.” (Psalms 73:23-28)
When David in Psalms realized that the wicked would be punished eventually and that God was with him, he recovered from his self-pity.
Yes, I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand…it is good to be near God. (Psalm 73:23-28)
The Prophet Jonah feel sorry for himself when God showed mercy to sinners.
God responded, “Have you any right to be Angry?”
God had given Jonah chance after chance. But Johan god mad when his enemies received second chances.
The cure for self-pity is looking inward. It’s not all about you or me. Self-pity is, at it’s heart self-centered. Also quit looking around at others. Someone else always has it better and someone else always has it worse.
Psalm 37:1-2 says Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; like the grass, they will soon wither…
God will take care of everything eventually.
Rather than looking inward or outward, we should be looking upward. This is the only way to rid ourselves of self-pity and be truly happy.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4)
Moon in Price Utah

God Is A Promise Keeper
It is not unusual for casual promises to be made where a commitment is made by someone to do or not do something.
However, when the promise is broken, it can affect our trust in the person who broke the promise and vice versa which is important in a good relationship.
Scripture tells us in Ecclesiates 5:2 to be careful when we make promises to God about what we say to him and not let our feelings cause us to speak to soon.
Unlike the casual promises that are often made the promises of God are rock solid, they are clear commitments made by God Himself because God is faithful.
As recipients of the divine promises of God, we have full assurance that what God has pledged will indeed be realized, in other words what God has said in His word, He will do and what He has promised, He will fulfill (Numbers 23: 19).
We can fully trust in the promises of God. Scripture tells us that the pro of God are all yes and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).
In fact , none of Gods promises in the Bible will ever fail.
According to Joshua 23: 14, this is what it says “not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed.”
God’s promises are there for His children of the Most High God to take hold of and enforce in our lives based on the finished works of Jesus, on the Cross.
No matter what you face, the one thing you can be sure of are the promises of God in your life.
God cares and what we go through in our life matters to God.
Even the Holy Spirit is a promise from God to all believers.
Keep standing on the promises of God when it comes to anything that concerns you which includes your circumstances.
Cling to the promises of God, He is the one true Promise Keeper.
God is a promise keeper. Take him at his word. He’ll never leave you or forsake you. He’s always with you. He will do what he promised.
Releasing Bitter Root Judgements
In relation to forgiving others, two of the most important people who you can forgive are your mother and father. A bitter-root judgement is a judgement that a person makes at some times during their childhood against his or her mother or father, or caregiver. Many times it a subconscious judgement rather than a conscious one. It goes deep into his or heart, mind and spirit.
A root of bitterness comes from unforgiveness and can lead to resentment that defiles others, it comes from failing to secure God’s grace to forgive. Hebrews 12:15 says “See that no one comes short of the grace of God: that no root bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.
These judgements are roots in the past and can influence your present and future. Then, because of the law of judgement, the one who judges at some point in his life sentences himself to do the very thing that he judges in his parents.
Romans 2: 1-2 says There fore you are inexcusable O’man, whoever you are who judge, for when whatever you judge another you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgement of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
Remembering how I judged my mother. I have seen this come true. I didn’t know why or how she could do the things she did, and I judged her harshly. I Not only judged her, I blamed her for everything wrong in my life. I would say “If my mother hadn’t done these things I would be in this situation. Yes I was emotionally hurt and suffer from nerve injuries from what she did but, she definitely not the cause of all my trouble. I was being Judged by God for my refusal to forgive her.
The judgements that we make in bitterness actually start a cycle that will cause us to fall into the same set of situations over and over until we deal with our root issues in our lives. Our merciful, Heavenly Father does this because sin, when it is full grown brings death.
The principle of releasing bitter root judgements is one of the most powerful truths I have learned in my own Christian walk. Anytime there is an unreasonable situation surrounding me, I always check to see if I have a root of bitterness.
Bitter root judgements are much more powerful than what counselors call “psychological expectancy.” This occurs when people are hurt enough through authority figures and expect all other authority figures to treat them the same way. The leaders can be defiled and even against their will, start to treat the person just like all the other authority figures in their past.
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23

How To Speak Up For Yourself
Do you find it hard to speak up for yourself? Are you afraid of what might happen if you say how you really feel.
If you spent a lot of your life around unsafe people, at some point you probably decided that it’s better to stay silent about things that matter to you. In certain situations this is adaptive, but for most it isn’t
It is time to break your silence.
Practice identifying whether it’s wiser to speak up or stay silent.
If you, like me, tend to stuff your feelings and needs to avoid conflict or stay invisible. It’s a given that you need to speak up more.
Time, audience, tone of voice and truth.
When you identify that you need or want to say something, run it through these filters:
Is it a good time?
Will there be enough time to properly discuss it? Will you have the others person’s full attention? What kind of mood are they in?
Will this person listen?
Know your audience. I hope most people in your life will be willing to listen to you, and care about what you have to say. If not, you need to get some new people.
Sometimes difficult people are fixtures in our lives. This could be an insensitive boss, or a chronically unkind family member.
This type of person may have demonstrated repeatedly that they will not listen to you and don’t care. It’s generally unwise to express yourself to someone like this, unless the circumstances leave you no other option. Save your breath, you dignity and your emotional energy. A trained counselor can help you navigate this type of situation.
How can you speak, in order to be heard?
Tone of voice is key. If Your emotional, it’s best to wait for a better time. If you start getting upset during a difficult conversation, take time out and reengage when your calm. Work on speaking calmly and respectful, even if Your really angry and frustrated about something.
Sometimes the truth will suddenly come our during an emotional conversation, and that can be a good thing. It’s still more ideal to speak the truth while calm. Cultivate a tone of voice that helps you to be heard, respected and well received.
Know the truth
Before you speak up, get clear about what it is you need to say and why.
Pat attention why. Get clear about what is bothering you and why you need to speak up. Plan how you might express this effectively. Then choose your timing well.
Identify when you need to say no
Are you someone who needs to learn to say no? In a situation where you feel pressure to yes, but want to say no, clarify your why. You don’t have to tell the other person why. If you know why you have to say no. It will help you find the strength and the words.
Honor your emotions, notice that habit. What is the emotion you are avoiding or hiding? Practice identifying the truth of your emotions, and the way you hide them form others. What are you missing out on, because of this? How are you and your relationships suffering! When you are ready, if the situation is safe, start telling key people how you really feel.
Get wise help and support
As a I mentioned a good counselor can be very helpful with all of this. Together you can uncover and explore your most important truths, and the people you need to say thing to. They can help to formulate how and when to share these truths in real life. A wise friend or mentor can do the same thing.
If you’ve spend a lifetime pretending and hiding, it can feel really awkward and messy when you start to speak your truth. It’s still worth it.
It takes to much energy to hold all that truth inside.
What a relief it is to be real, when you find the courage and wisdom to do it.
Castle Gate Utah

Old Photo with train coming through the Gate.
Joes Valley Reservior

Realize The Power Of Your Own Thoughts
If I was to become aware of only one mental dynamic, the most important one to know about would be the relationship between your thinking and the way you feel.
It’s important to realize that you are constantly thinking. ( Don’t be fooled into believing that you are already aware of the fact.) Think, for a minute, about your breathing. Unless this minute, when you are reading this sentence, you had certainly lost the fact that you were doing it. The truth is, unless you are out of breath, you simply forget that it’s occurring.
Thinking works the same way. Because you’re always doing it, it’s easy to forget that it’s happening, and it becomes invisible to you. Unlike breathing, however, forgetting that you are thinking can cause some serious problems in your life, such as unhappiness, anger, inner conflicts, and stress. The reason this is true is that your thinking will always come back to you as a feeling: there is a point-to-point relationship.
Trying getting angry without having angry thoughts. Okay, now try feeling stressed out with out having stressful thoughts- or sad without sad thoughts- or jealous without thoughts of jealousy. You can’t do it- it’s impossible. The truth is, in order to experience a feeling, you must first have a thought that produces that feeling.
Unhappiness doesn’t and can exist on its own. Unhappiness is the feeling that accompanies negative thinking about your life. In the absence of that thinking, the unhappiness, or stress, or jealousy, can’t exist. There is nothing to hold your negative feelings in place other than your own thinking. The next time you’re feeling upset, notice your thinking- it will be negative, not your life. This simple awareness will be the first step in putting you back on the path toward happiness. It takes practice, but you can get to the point where you treat your negative thoughts in much the same way you would treat flies at a picnic: You shoo them away and get on with your day.
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Why We Feel Good When We Do Wrong
Why do we feel good about ourselves even when we do wrong?
Unethical behavior is an action that falls outside of what is considered morally right or proper for a person. Individuals can behave unethically.
This can be:
Lying to your spouse about how much money you spent.
Lying to your parents about where you were for the evening.
Stealing money from the cash drawer at work.
Lying on your resume in order to get a job.
Talking about a friend behind their back.
Taking credit for work you did not do.
Cheating on paperwork by copying it off the internet.
Taking money out of your friend’s wallet when they are sleeping.
Selling a house and not disclosing known problems to the buyers
Using your position of power at worm sexually harass someone.
Selling a car and lying about the vehicles accident history.
Most of us want to believe that we are morally upright people who act according to a strong sense of right and wrong. But when faced with temptations to derive persona, benefit by violating moral principles, people do not always take the high road. Lying, cheating and other harmful acts are more common than we think.
Researchers call these self-serving justifications, they can take place making it easier to do it. Other times they help people or do kind things for people thinking it justifies their unethical ways.
Believing this behavior with benefits others. Such as stealing money from a cash drawer thinking you could help someone else that is suffering but taking half the cash for yourself. Framing it as a act of kindness. Instead of unethical.
The idea that a good deed outways the unethical deed. Good deeds don’t let you off the hook for the unethical one’s.
Admitting to unethical wrongdoings can be constructive but sometimes people admit only to one part of what happened, rather than fully owning up to the wrongdoing.
Demonizing those who have done worse.
Judging others harshly for the same offense you are doing.
