I just completed a 10 part seminar series over the last four months that has truly transformed my life. Our final lesson was “Acknowledgment.” It is so important to express appreciation for the people in your life who help you accomplish your goals. The truth is that none of us make it through life successfully on our own, we have people holding us up at various times and assisting us along the way.

The year 2010 has come to represent a year of completion for me. I have successfully navigated through the testing phase, and matured to the point where I am being promoted to the next level in several areas. I completed my MBA studies, completed my Landmark Forum In Action Seminar and will complete my life as a single woman this summer. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way my life is going right now nor with the network that I have been plugged into.

I acknowledge many people for their input in all that is going right in my life. My loving family, my wonderful fiancee, my children – natural and spiritual, my amazing friends, awesome co-workers, inspiring people that I have shared classrooms and seminars with, my Pastors, teachers, mentors, the people who prayed for me and held me up during times in my life when things were not going well, all the new people I have met who offer encouragement and support, the people who think they have done me wrong but have actually given me valuable lessons.

This may be contrary to popular belief, but the world is full of beautiful people who have much love and support to share with others. I’m grateful to be on the receiving as well as the giving end!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (New King James Version)
¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It is amazing the lengths we go to as people to hide who we really are, what we really feel and what we really think. We do these things under the guise of protecting ourselves when all we are doing is creating more pain.

Hiding cuts us off from full relationship with God and the people in our lives. Think about how it feels when something you love is withheld from you, or when you really want to be with someone and it is just not possible. What if someone you love cut you short whenever you tried to get close to them? After awhile you may begin to feel rejected and wonder why you make yourself available.

Imagine that this is what you are doing to the people you love. Not only are you shutting them out, you are cutting yourself off from experiencing the fullness of being loved by others. You have rendered yourself unlovable and you reject the world before it can reject you.

When will you understand that you are whole and perfect, created in the image of God? You are fearfully and wonderfully made. There is no need to hide or withdraw. Your family needs you, your loved ones need you and God needs you to be salt and light in this earth.

Talk to the Lord about your fears. Stop running from destiny and live free.

Matthew 5:13-15 (New King James Version)

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

I have come to the conclusion that people in general are too easily offended. If someone looks at you a certain way, they must have an attitude. If they didn’t greet you a certain way, they have a problem with you. If they don’t do something exactly the way you expected them to, they must not care about you. Why do we put ourselves through this?

The energy we expend while being upset over what we think somebody meant by their actions is energy that could be better used to improve the quality of our relationships.

If you love someone, trust them. If you don’t “love” them, why do their actions affect you? Either way, let it go. Most of the time when you let these things go, you find out that you were worried about nothing. However, if you choose to get upset and make a big deal over what you feel is an offense, you may damage an otherwise healthy and loving relationship.

It is important to remember that the world does not revolve around us. We think the actions of others automatically have something to do with us, or that our friends and family should consult with us before they live their life. Not so. I am striving to be consistent with my love for the people in my life and simply trust and believe in their love for me. Not only am I freeing them from my expectations, I am freeing myself to simply be happy.

Proverbs 17:9 (New International Version)

He who covers over an offense promotes love,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

 

I recently had my eyes opened to some broken areas in my life through an awesome 3.5 half day forum discussion. I learned that I had been dragging past events into my relationships, resulting in destructive behavior and a lack of commitment on my part.

I thought I had forgiven people from my past but I realized that as long as I held them responsible in any way for the breakdown of the relationship, I had not truly forgiven them.

Without true forgiveness, how was it possible for me to walk in love? Learning this created a desire in me to want to make things right. The thought of doing it was difficult but once I got started it became easier.

I decided to take 100% responsibility for the breakdown of my relationships. Then I sought forgiveness from individuals which turned out to be an amazing and surprising experience. I felt such a release as I shared what was on my heart but what I didn’t expect was the graciousness and the compassion of those who were on the receiving end of my apology. I almost couldn’t believe my ears.

I am thankful for the opportunity to mend relationships and erase the pain of my past today, especially because tomorrow is not promised. The limitations of my past prevented me from being the loving person that I aspired to be.

How can I walk in love while holding ill feelings toward my brother? Now I am free to reflect the image of God, the embodiment of Love.

Can you think of any broken relationships in your life right now? Do you have a desire to break free of all the negativity associated with that? Do you miss your estranged loved ones? You have the power to erase the pain of the past concerning those relationships right now. You have the power to make it right with the people in your life. Will you free yourself today?

Take responsibility for your relationships and fix them today. You cannot control what other people do, you can only choose to love and accept them or leave them alone. To be loving and accepting is the choice that will bring joy to your life.

Ephesians 4:30-32 (New International Version)

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Have you ever missed out on something special because you failed to trust? Our willingness to trust God is essential if we want receive all of the things He has promised.

Two of my best friends who are soon-to-be married recently demonstrated this principle. The bride’s friends planned to surprise her with a party for her upcoming wedding. She thought she was just going to celebrate her birthday by having dinner with a few friends.

The evening of the birthday dinner, the bride-to-be called and said she was tired and didn’t know if she wanted to go out. Her fiancee, who knew of the pending surprise, calmly told his bride that even though she was tired, she should probably just go because her friends had plans for her and she would feel bad if she missed it.

The bride-to-be received these words of wisdom from her husband-to-be without argument. She trusted his judgment, got up, got dressed and ended up having a great evening as her friends surprised her and showered her with love.

If the groom hadn’t gently and lovingly urged his bride to go out and get her blessing, she might have missed out. If the bride had not trusted the heart and words of her groom, she might have missed out. Their love for each other is evident in the way he looked out for her best interest and the way she trusted that he was looking out for her best interest.

This is also a beautiful illustration of God’s love for us. The Bible says that husbands must love their wives as Christ loves the church and wives should submit to their husbands as they would to the Lord. We are the Bride of Christ. Because of our love and desire to please God, we submit to His Will. Because of His Love for us, He provides us with good things.

Listen to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, the Lover of Your Soul today. He will bless you beyond your imagination, if only you will trust Him.

Proverbs 31:10-12 (King James Version)

10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Ephesians 5:24-26 (The Message)

22-24Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

25-28Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.

As much as I love God and love people, there are certain things that I just find hard to forgive. I don’t like to think of myself as the type to hold grudges. I know I am not perfect so I don’t expect anyone else to be.

However, there are some people who I have to forgive every day. That doesn’t mean they do something to me every day. It means I have to renew my decision to forgive them every day because something inevitably triggers the thought of what they did and brings me right back to that place of anger.

I may have removed the person from my life, but I’m left with the residue of what they have already done. I’m left with my indignation, feelings of ‘how dare they do such a thing to Me!?’ I try to be understanding so that I can let it go and never again be moved to anger by the thought of it. I know that people do hurtful things because of their spiritual condition. They cannot help being a jerk if that’s who they really are on the inside (spiritually).

I can continue to be angry with them for being the jerk that they are, or I can remember that I was once a jerk myself. On bad days I can still transform into that jerk! All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None of us can be transformed except by the Blood of Jesus and the Word of the Living God. Looking at it this way, my refusal or inability to forgive feels more like judgment.

Who am I to condemn someone when I have not been condemned? If anyone wants to hold a grudge, my Father in Heaven could certainly have a case against me! But He chooses to shred those files whenever I come before Him and repent. Jesus died so that I do not have to live in condemnation and commissioned me to pass on that same forgiveness to others.

This is my prayer today: Lord, please help me to be more like You. Help me to Love the way that You do. Help me to see beyond the faces of individuals who treat me spitefully and help me to instead see their hurting hearts – the hearts that You desire to heal. Help me to completely forgive those deemed my enemies. When they fight against me help me to remember that it is not me they are fighting, it is Christ in me that they are rebelling against. I release them to You Lord. I pray that they would come to know You intimately and submit their lives to You. I cannot change the way people respond to me. So Lord, please change me so that I no longer focus on perceived hurt feelings.

Thank You for hearing my prayer. Thank You for all the love and beauty that You surround me with daily. I am truly blessed, thankful and complete in You. I love You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Galatians 6:1-3 (The Message)

^1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

Sometimes I think we need reminders that God is not limited in His Love and understanding like man is. There are times when I will

start picking myself apart over some character flaw or weakness and then when I try to pray, I picture the Father as if He has His back turned toward me because I have disappointed Him yet again. While my imagination runs with this scene, it gets harder and harder for me talk to Him or lift a praise. I begin to feel rejected, but the truth is, I condemned myself.

This is the trouble with our deceitful desires. The un-renewed mind focuses on thoughts that are not of God, or the accuser brings up your past and suddenly you begin to dwell on the thought of how dirty and shameful you are and think you are not worthy to stand before God and receive His Love.

We are not worthy of God’s Love in and of ourselves, yet He chooses to Love us always. The blood of Jesus Christ has guaranteed us a position in God’s heart. His blood makes us lawful recipients of God’s Love. It is so important to remember how He feels about us because this deceitful flesh tries to rise up and make us think that it is bigger than God’s love.

Those desires could have you thinking that it is too hard to give up a sinful lifestyle. The unstable nature of the flesh will have you thinking that it is normal to be angry all the time and always on the verge of cussing somebody out. The flesh will have you thinking that you can’t kick the habit, it’s just who you are. The un-renewed mind will have you thinking that you can never please God so you might as well give up on having a relationship with Him.

Sometimes we just have to tell the flesh to shut up. It can become so loud at times but that is when we must pray. Talk to the Lord about what you are feeling. He created you and He understands what you are going through. He is not angry with you because of what you did or because of what you want to do. He wants to help you. He wants to transform your life and give you peace.

Do not let the imaginations of your mind and the desires of your body deceive you into thinking that you cannot commune with God and worship Him. In reality, that is exactly what God wants. When you are tempted, do not run away from Him and hide as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Draw closer to Him and His Love and He will draw near to you.

Ephesians 4:21-24 (New King James Version)

²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Beautifully engraved and placed into your hand is a key. This key will unlock your potential for greatness. What are you going to do with it?

The key in your hand is love. Love will unlock the treasure chest within you. Without love, the Bible says your gifts are useless! Your talents were not placed inside you simply for your enjoyment or for the entertainment of others, but to carry the message of God’s Love in the world. You were made to love Him and to worship Him with your life.

Do you understand that God has a plan for your life and that plan is good (Jeremiah 29:11)? Have you embraced the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)? That means you are beautiful, exquisite, unique, fabulous!

Begin to see yourself the way God sees you and thank Him for what He has blessed you with. Determine to serve Him with your life and your talents. Give back to Him what He has given to you. Practice your gifts. If you are a writer, write. If you are a singer, sing, if you are an artist, create!

Even if you start out doing it for an audience of One, that is the greatest audience you will ever have. Express your love for Him with your gifts. Worship Him with your talents, serve His people with special skills that He has given you.

Love is the key to unlocking your potential today. Use it!

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (The Message)

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

This morning I awoke hearing these words, “You’re Beautiful”. God is just sweet like that. In the quiet of the morning, when the only other thing I hear is the breeze blowing in the trees, my Lord is whispering sweet somethings in my ear. Oh, how I love Him!

It is so good to know that we serve a God who Loves us, accepts us, celebrates us and makes us better. We could be in the midst of crying and focusing on our mistakes when He says, “don’t cry, you’re beautiful.” When we ask for His forgiveness He is so quick to forget all about it. We are still looking down ourselves while He is just looking at us, admiring His handiwork and saying, “Wow, I’m good!”

As you go throughout your day today, remember what He said about you. Don’t worry about what anyone else says, it’s only His opinion that matters.

I feel led to repost this here. This is from Him to you.

Be blessed!

You have accomplished much and there is so much yet for you to do. Do not look to the left or to the right. I did not create you to be like them. You are one of a kind, uniquely beautiful by My standards and nothing could ever take that away. Look at yourself. Those eyes, that nose, those lips, that hair – Beautiful. Look deeper. That mind, that heart, that soul, all thirsty for more of Me – Beautiful. I love you in every way. I cherish every part of you. All I want to do is be with you. Come with me into the garden, Beautiful. You are so precious, My Love.

Song of Solomon 7:6 (New International Version)

How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
O love, with your delights!

Let there be no confusion. When I speak of a Man who rescued me from the pit of hell and a life of misery, there is only One with the power to do such a thing. There is only One who freed my mind from the grips of insanity and emotional distress. There is only One who brought true peace and happiness. There is only One who saved my soul and forgave me of my sins. His Name is Jesus.

I fell in love with Him because He first Loved me. Without Him, there is no Love, for He is Love. If I never knew Him, I would never know how to Love. Without knowing His Love, it would be almost impossible for me to receive true Love.

Some people kick against the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God because they are afraid to relinquish control. Submitting to Him would mean departing from a dependence on man’s intellect and walking in faith. For some it’s fear of commitment – what if He’s not the One?

If that is you, I do not judge, for every man has to work out his own salvation. However, I do pray that you would come to know Jesus in an intimate way. You may have been introduced to Him before but never entered into full relationship with Him. If so, He is waiting for you to allow Him to come in and transform your life.

Those problems that you cannot seem to solve, He can fix. The love that you yearn for, He will bring. Your broken heart, He will mend. It does not matter how hard you have fought against Him. Nothing you have done in your past or ever will do can separate you from His Love – all you have to do is accept it.

If you want your life to change, if you need His Love to come in and make it right, pray this prayer today:

Lord Jesus, I believe that You died and rose again so that I can live. I need You and I no longer want my sin to separate me from Your Love. Please forgive me. Please come into my heart and rescue me today. Please show me how to live for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

John 3:16-17 (New International Version)

¹⁶For 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. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.