Are you in a crisis today? Congratulations! You're about to be changed. You don't have to stay the same. God is getting ready to make a change in your life.
On the night before you died, you called me friend, no longer a servant, because you'd taught me everything the Father taught you (John 15:15). On the night before you died, you came to me with bloody sweat dripping down your face and arms because you'd stared straight into the future with eyes wide open at the truth, while I hid behind the covers of my deep, denial sleep.
Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life as God helps you make healing choices.
For 38 years the man was paralyzed in a sickly cycle of passive dependency, coping to make it to the end of each day, longing for something else.
What is your normal reaction when people hurt you intentionally? Retaliate! Get even! We're often at our creative best when we're thinking up methods to get even.
If you're serious about restoring a relationship, you should begin with admitting your own mistakes or sin. Jesus said it's the way to see things more clearly: "First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye" (Matt. 7:5 NLT).
Use your ears more than your mouth. Before attempting to solve any disagreement you must first listen to the other's feelings. Paul advised, "Look out for one another's interests, not just for your own" (Philip. 2:4 TEV). The phrase "look out for" is the Greek word skopos, from which we form our words telescope and microscope. It means pay close attention! Focus on their feelings, not the facts. Begin with sympathy, not solutions.
The second biblical step toward restoring a relationship is to take the initiative.It doesn't matter whether you are the offender or the offended, God expects you to make the first move. Don't wait for the other party. Go to them first.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is when Joshua and the Israelites took over the city of Jericho . Jericho had a massive wall built around the city that no army could penetrate.
Discuss the problem with God. If you'll pray about the conflict first, instead of gossiping to a friend, you'll often discover that either God changes your heart or he changes the other person without your help.
Life is all about learning how to love, and God wants us to value relationships and make every effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict.
You've been under self condemnation, maybe because of some unresolved guilt, maybe because of some unrealistic expectations, maybe both. The Bible says, "All of us have sinned and we all fall short of God's ideal; yet, now God declares us not guilty if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness, freely takes away our sins."