Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
I love books. They allowed me to escape my reality as a child.
I remember by sister reading Dr Seuss books to me when I was really young. I love how they wrapped rhymes and imaginative worlds. Teaching lessons on perseverance encourage, like in Oh, the places you’ll go.But my favorite book was The Lorax.
God’s character and attributes are derived from the Bible, which is considered to be the authoritative Word of God. Based on the emphasis of scripture alone as the foundation.
We see attributes that are unique to God. God exists outside of time as we see it, without beginning or end. Scriptures like Psalm 90:2 and Revelation 1:8,
“Before the mountains were brought forth,or ever You had formed the earth and the world. Even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.”
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
We see Immutability as God’s natural character that do not change in Malachi 3:6 and James 1:17,
“For I am the Lord, I do not change, therefore you are not consumed…”
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
This ensures God’s reliability and faithfulness to His promises.
The Bible tells us that God is Omnipotent, He is all-powerful, capable of doing all that aligns with His nature.
We see this in Jeremiah 32:17 and Matthew 19:26,
“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, with Men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
However, God cannot act contrary to His character.
God is Omniscient, He knows all things, past, present, and future, and hypothetical.
We see this in Psalm 139:1-6 and Hebrews 4:13,
“Lord, you have searched me, and you know me. You know my sitting down and my riding up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me. This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.”
“There is no creature that is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
This includes foreknowledge of human choices.
God is Omnipresent, He is present everywhere simultaneously.
We see this in Psalm 139:7-10 and Jeremiah 23:24,
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
“Can anyone hide himself in secret places. So I shall not see him? Says the Lord, Do I not fill the earth? Says the Lord.”
He transcends spatial limits yet is intimately involved with creation.
Self-existence, God depends on nothing for His existence.
This is seen in John 5:26 and Exodus 3:14,
“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.”
“And God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am. And He said, thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I Am has sent me to you.”
He is the uncaused cause of all things.
God’s attributes are shared in Humanity:
“For we do not wrestle againest flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places” – Ephesians 6:12
We are beaten back by three main enemies: the world, satan, and our flesh. The visible enemy we face is the world and the cultural system that lies in rebellion against God. The world seeks to redefine what the Lord has called good and evil. We experience satan who is the supreme enemy of all people causing us to fall because of snares (traps) and temptations. The final enemy is our flesh which resides inside of us and has been there since birth. The flesh isn’t something you can kill. Instead, you deny and glee from it.
I’ve always been a person who seeks to understand things. If we don’t understand what we are dealing with we can’t change or fight the things that come against us whether it be illness, struggle, or evil.
We were born with an old nature that yields to the fleshly desires within us. When we commit our lives to follow Jesus and accept His salvation, we are given a new nature and new desires. Our old nature is to live in subjection to the new person we become. However, living as a new person with Jesus doesn’t mean that the old us will not try to resurface. Just because the old you may still be present, doesn’t mean the new you is not there also. The presence of temptation is not a sign we have not been transformed. The reason for temptation is that we have been made righteous and no longer practicing sin without conscience. The Holy Spirit within us resists the flesh. Becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus does not remove our flesh, but it creates a struggle against sin which helps us depend on God.
We should walk through every day recognizing some of the things that can keep us from complete intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Whenever we are met with any instance where we could react in the flesh and indulge in what it wants to do, stop and think about the consequences, and then flee from whatever tries to stunt our growth with God.
It’s important to know that dealing with our flesh requires a constant manual approach to see victory over it. We don’t ever reach a point where it is automatic to overcome temptation when we become born again, we will always have to, crucify, and commit our desires of the flesh to God.
Hebrews 2:14 tells us,
“For since the children share in flesh and blood, Hr himself partook of the same, that through death He might destroy the one who had power of death, that is, the devil.”
This is saying that when Jesus died the power of the flesh died with Him. We don’t start the war against the enemy fighting in victory, we fight from a victorious stance because that has already been claimed for us by Jesus. We overcome the flesh by coming to an agreement in our minds and hearts about what God says about us. Our identity is found in Him and not in what we are currently struggling with.
When we are born we identify with Adam’s sinful nature, but by being renewed and baptism, we can identify with Jesus. When we align with Jesus, the battle we fight is already won against the enemy, and from the point of His death and resurrection, it is just a matter of us daily killing the lust of our flesh.
When Jesus was crucified, the power of sin over us was also crucified once and for all. It is now our responsibility to take up our cross and follow Him.
God has not made religion to be made up of rules and regulations, instead, healthy boundaries are needed to protect us against falling into sin. Without controlling the flesh we will never be successful in God.
Walking in the Holy Spirit is the only way to become an overcomer. Our calling is not supposed to be stagnant and stationary. We are called to be constantly progressing in all areas of our life. The keys to our growth are communion, covenant, and commitment to the Holy Spirit. And to have steady growth we must learn to remove the things in life that hinder our full commitment. The presence of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee the victory of the flesh, but yielding to the Holy Spirit does.
We all had times in our lives when we felt unworthy and overwhelmed because of our past and that our failures made us feel unrighteous. Maybe even felt as though Jesus couldn’t possibly love you, or you don’t deserve forgiveness. But, regardless of how bad you feel, it contradicts the truth because God wants to strengthen and empower all of us to live a full and free life in Christ Jesus.
When we begin to renounce all doubt that God will and has forgiven our sins we can say, “I identify with Jesus my Savior, Lord Jesus. And thank Him because He had made it possible for us to crucify the cravings of our flesh because the Holy Spirit lives within us.
Every day ask God to give you strength and thank Him for the revelation of who you are in Jesus, and His Holy Spirit is in you.
“Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God” – Romans 12:2
The flesh in contrast to the spirit:
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
Three books that have had an impact on my life are or course the Holy Bible because it teaches me about how to have a blessed life. The Kingdom, Power, & Glory by Chuck and Nancy Missler, is an overcomer’s handbook. The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron that teaches about the deeper processing of information.
God Always Answers Prayer
He may not answer in a way we would like. Sometimes He answers with a “yes” or “yes and even better.” Sometimes, however, He answers will a “no or not yet.”
Sometimes God delays prayers for a few reasons:
2. To humble our pride. Like the Israelites of old, God may delay in answering to humble our pride and make us more dependent on Him (Duetermony 8:3).
3. To increase our desire. Like the persistent woman whose prayer grew stronger and stronger until the desired outcome was achieved. God may delay prayer so that we want it more eagerly and intensely seek Him for the answer (Luke 18:1-8).
4. To appreciate the answer. What comes quickly and easily is not always valued as something slow and hard. God may delay in answering prayer so that we appreciate the answer more deeply (Phillippians 4:6).
5. To Commune with God. At the end of the day, prayer may not be primarily about what we need, but about what we need. When we continually ask God for help we commune with Him. All He wants is to have a relationship with us (Psalm 72:28-29).
“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. And everyone asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” – Matthew 7:7-8
What fears have you overcome and how?
Because of what I’ve experienced in my childhood I have had to overcome fears of abandonment, inadequacy, rejection, and expressing my needs. Child neglect does some awful things to a person.
It’s definitely been a battle to overcome these things. I was a mess for many years.
I was in therapy for many years, until I found a therapist who understood what I was going through. Between this and God finding me I have been able to heal.
I’m not saying I don’t have bad days, but I have learned ways to cope with self-love, emotional regulation, and reframing.
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
Joy is something personal and shaped by what resonates with you.
The connection I have with friends and family brings me joy. -going hiking with them, laughing with them.
I believe delayed answers to prayer gain interest. A prayer answered after a long wait may bring greater blessings or rewards, much like money accruing interest over time.
Patience in waiting for God’s response is seen as a virtue that can yield deeper faith, wisdom, or unexpected outcomes.
Biblical accounts like Abraham and Sarah waiting for a child or Job enduring trials illustrate how delays in answered prayers can lead to greater spiritual growth or divine fulfillment.
The “interest” could symbolize added blessings, such as strengthened character, renewed perspectives, or even a more profound appreciation for the eventual answer.
As a child, I often wondered why God wasn’t answering my cries for help. I did not understand that waiting for divine intervention or relief might lead to greater spiritual or tangible outcomes. Even though the things I went through were profoundly challenging. The interest I have gained has immensely blessed my life. I am a strong woman, I can stay calm in dire situations. The healing and unexpected blessings throughout my journey have given me the opportunity for growth by learning to trust and understand God’s plan for my life. It has given me a deeper compassion, resilience, and purpose in life.
God’s delay in answering prayers is beyond human comprehension. I don’t believe God is absent, but the resolution unfolds in ways not immediately visible. It could lead to spiritual growth and unforeseen blessings.
How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
The simple things that help me unplug are taking a long bath, listening to calming music, opening a good book yo forget about life for a while.
Praying also makes me feel grounded and a way to find peace and unplug.
Faith is described as “faith of things hoped for.” It’s to trust in something that is not seen or not fully realized. It is hoped for with assurance.
Faith is the conviction that is hoped and whether it is spiritual, future, or intangible believing it will come to pass, even without immediate proof.
These key aspects involve faith in God typically encompasses:
Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as “the assurance of things hoped for for the conviction of things not seen.” It involves trusting in God’s plan, even when evidence is lacking, and if seen as a gift from God that fosters a relationship with Him.
What quality do you value most in a friend?
I’ve always believed that quality is always better than quantity.
The three qualities I look for in a friend is honesty, I never been one to sugarcoat anything and I expect that in others. It’s always better to tell people what on their mind.
Friends that respect and value my boundaries, opinions, and individuality.
The last one is dependability. Someone who shows up when they say they will and follows through. Their words match their actions.
Honest friends that respect you. along with being dependable are hard to come by.
I value these things in a friend because that is what I bring to the table.
God promises us  that we can trust his heart even when we can’t see His hand.
“For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thought’s of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. You shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart” – Jeremiah 29:11-13
Life is full of difficult circumstances, and in the midst of disappointment and pain it can be hard to trust that God is good and loving. But God promises us that we can trust His heart, even when we can’t see His hand.
While having the opportunity to speak to many war veterans due to volunteer work. I found that many who went into war believing in God, after seeing atrocities that went on they lost their faith in Him.
Their questioning is only natural since believed that an all knowing, all loving, all powerful God was in control. in the end it because of these things that God knows about our problems. He loves us enough to help us with them, and He is powerful enough to do so.
We live in a fallen, broken world.
If you’re like me, God has not answered all your prayers in the way you wanted. yet in the midst of our suffering God promised that he had made plans for us that were not evil and to give us a future and the hope.
Today many of our problems result in our misused freedom, not God‘s intention. The Lord uses suffering to grow a spiritually.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says,
“For new we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I know fully, even as I was also fully known.”
This means we will understand more in the future that we can in the present.
God walks with us through our hardest days. Even on our most painful days when we are tempted to turn from Him, when we need his help He is still with us.
When Jesus was on earth, He didn’t spend time with the ones who were fine, He spent His time with those who were not.
I think that’s why it’s important for us to pray about our circumstances and then trust God. No matter our circumstances and challenges He wants an abundant, joy filled, life for us.
Here are a few ideas for praying for or hardships and challenges:
Identify a way you are a disappointed with God. Be specific and honest.
“Why, Lord do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” ( Psalm 10:1)
Ask him for the faith to trust him with your problems. When we last faith, we can pray for the faith to have faith.
“I believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
Trust your challenges and your day for God’s providential plan and love.
Psalm 37:4-6 tells us,
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
There is a popular concept by Henri Nouwen called the “wounded healer.” The person who helps others with the same struggles they have experienced will begin to heal.
As we trust God with our own difficult times in life, which can look for ways to serve others facing similar challenges. “God comforts us all in our affliction, so we may be able to comfort those who are in similar afflictions, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4).
From Pity to Praise