Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

For those of us who have seen only the "good" side of others' families on social media, take heart.  It has left its unholy mark on us because the whole picture is not fully revealed.  We are only shown the family photo op, not the whole truth.  The whole truth may not be so pretty. For those struggling with family relationships, here are some good words for you that came up when I Googled "When family fails."  (see below) When people are damaged emotionally, dysfunction reigns.  There are deep-rooted lies that may never be fully healed this side of heaven.  How to live with that pain?  Pray.  Give it to God.  Trust Him to make it as He wills, whether or not it is the way we want.  But remember that people have wills of their own!  And if they are not living the good life - the obedient to Christ life - messes will remain.   This is not to discourage you, but to encourage you to seek your Heavenly Father.  For He is ...

 

You win some, you lose some, so the saying goes. But when you belong to God, through Christ, He tells us otherwise. He promises to always lead us in triumph; in life, in spiritual battles, in all the ways we need to in order to glorify Him. Question is, are we following Him?  The promise is not a given, as if it magically happen.  We have our part to play, too. He leads us into victory, but we have to follow His lead. If we trust in our own wits, we lose.  Why?  Because the battle belongs to the Lord, not us.   I read somewhere (I wish I made note of the reference, but I didn't) that we have abiding victory in Christ.  That means that it is always with us. But we must be tapped into it.  How to we disconnect from this Source? Acting from the flesh instead of the Spirit, that's how! Once we "cross over" into flesh territory (reasoning, our own strength, depending on self instead of Christ), we are no longer following Christ.  Ergo, we lose the...

 

 

 

God ordains good for us even in the midst of great suffering. When Jesus hung on the cross , it seemed like it was over.  His apostles were bewildered and discouraged.  They may have felt that all was lost. However, God ordained Jesus' sacrifice since before all time.  God knew how it was going to go down in the Garden with Adam and Eve .  But He is always working out, ordaining, good plans for us, for the world. I have been in a very difficult situation, some would say near impossible, for around 11 years now.  If I believed everything I read about leaving "toxic" relationships, I would have disobeyed God and taken matters into my own hands with a seeming "fix." Our culture has become so self-obsessed that enduring even the least bit of suffering, even for Christians, is to be banned, to be unacceptable.  We've bought the bill of goods that this life is to be about nothing more than our pleasure and comfort. But when God allows all kinds of suffering in...