Word of Encouragement Devotional: Never Feeling Satisfied

When do you feel satisfied the most in your life? After eating a big slice of chocolate cake, buying a new outfit, or when you complete a goal? All of these can be good, but they can never truly satisfy long-term. Do indulgences that you partake in feel good? Yes, of course, but you will need to continually supply yourself with these indulgences to get the feeling of being satisfied. This is why you may know people who go into debt, or develop an addiction to food, alcohol or drugs.

When you run to temporary satisfactions more than you run to Jesus, you will never be able to find the deep satisfaction that can only be found in Him.

Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water that I give them will never thirst again” (John 4:13, NIV).  Jesus is all satisfying. When you give your life fully to Jesus and make Him in charge of your entire life, you will not “thirst” after temporary satisfaction like you once did.

Is it easy to fill your emptiness, heartache, or pain with temporary satisfaction? Absolutely! Most would say they want quick relief from pain. Next time you want to immediately run to a “quick fix” for your boredom, suffering, or distress try giving Jesus a chance first. There is no need to figure out what you need to do in your time with Jesus-just be and allow the Holy Spirit to speak.

Counselor's Corner: How to Experience the Peace of God in Your Most Difficult Circumstances

Do you tend to get anxious, worried or fearful when difficult situations arise? How do you handle circumstances that are challenging? Overeat or escape through movies, drugs or alcohol?

If your honest, would you say that maintaining peace during trails is tough? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Mix in raging hormones for women, demanding schedules, and family needs; peace can seem like a distant friend.

►When you get out of the peace of Jesus a host of problems can arise:

·         Anxiousness

·         Worry

·         Fear

·         Headaches

·         Fatigue

·         Upset stomach

·         Restlessness

·         Agitation/irritability

·         Anger

·         Lack of restful sleep

►How do you get out of the flow of the peace of Christ:

1.      Taking matters into your own hands. Not allowing God time to work in your situation.

2.      Not trusting God with the outcome of what you’re praying for.

3.      Believing what the enemy is saying about your situation.

4.      Speaking negatively about your circumstance.

5.      People-pleasing. Doing things out of your flesh not being led by the Holy Spirit.

6.      Taking on other people’s responsibilities. Help others when you can, but it should not be a burden or repetitive.

►How to experience the peace of God:

God’s peace is not like worldly peace. Many people try to find peace in a bottle, a drug, a pill, food, money or in relationships. These types of false peace are temporary and you will always run-out and be needing more and more of whatever you are trying to satisfy your flesh with. Lasting peace comes from a relationship with Jesus, where you are submitting to His leadership. You can know Jesus and not follow Him. Following Jesus brings peace.

Your words have power-life and death are in the power of the tongue. Speak the peace of Jesus Christ over your life, your family and your circumstances daily.

God’s peace is comforting, quiet, still and calm. If you are feeling anxious, unsettled or agitated step back and call for the peace of Jesus. When you are under the peace of Jesus you will have refreshment and rejuvenation. If you remain in Christ, that is securely attached to the life source you can have peace at all times.

How do you attach to the life source? Carving out daily time to commune with the Father through listening, praying, worshipping, being still, journaling, and/or reading the Word of God.

God is peace. If God dwells in you, then peace will be everywhere you are and everywhere you go. The peace of God never brings confusion, chaos, turmoil, unrest or uneasiness.

Word of Encouragement: Breaking Generational Strongholds

Have you noticed in your family the same or familiar patterns of behavior occurring over and over again with different family members? These are generational strongholds or sins that have been passed down from one generation to another.

Generational strongholds are repeated patterns of sins in a family such as with addiction, idol worship, divorce, lying, and sexual immorality.

The enemy does not want anyone in the family system to begin to recognize familiar patterns of sin. Why? Because if just one person in the family repents and begins to turn from generational inequities the power to touch future generations will be demolished. However, much resistance from the enemy will come to the one or the few in the family who turn from generational wickedness. There will be seasons and times for the ones that have chosen to break-free from generational strongholds, that strong opposition will occur. This opposition comes mainly for two reasons. One, to get you to go back to your old lifestyle, or to your former ways of living godless. Second, to torment you with that the others in your family that are still under the generational strongholds will not be set-free.

Generational strongholds can only be broken by turning away from your sin, and choosing to walk in a different direction than what may have been passed down generationally to you.

You must be aware of what strongholds are in your family, repent, turn from them, and choose to follow after the Spirit not your flesh. Will doing this be difficult? Yes! Without a doubt, breaking free from generational sins will not be an easy task. Will the enemy try and seduce you back to the familiar, or what you grew-up around? Yes! Be on guard for when you are around people in your family who are still under bondage to generational sins, and make sure to go to your quiet place afterwards and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Those pesky demons that are still attached to some of your family may try and speak to you, so you must get alone with the Father to be still and hear His voice.

→Reflect:

Do you know the generational strongholds in your family? Have you turned from these sins and began living a different way? Have you confessed these sins in your family?

If the enemy comes lurking to persuade you to go back into the familiar ways of what you were raised around, remind yourself that you are a new creation in Christ and your former self is no more.

The younger generation is looking to you, be an example to them how to follow Christ and overcome generational sin.

→Meditate:

So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I, the Lord…visits the inequity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5; Numbers 14:18).

Counselor's Corner: Accepting Yourself

Can you honestly say that you accept yourself fully, or do you reject some parts of yourself? Do you accept your personality, your weaknesses, your quirks, and the parts of you that are “still under construction?”

Many people have difficulty accepting all of themselves, they may like their strengths but despise their limitations. Personally, I am comfortable with my strong points, but I tend to want to cower down in the face of my imperfections. Let’s face it, we all have imperfections, but we don’t accept all of our “warts and blemishes.” There are sides to us that we do not want anyone to see, not even ourselves! We hide the parts of ourselves that if were exposed we could feel shame. So, then we become not true to our ourselves and “wear a mask” that cover our perceived messed-up selves. “Cause, what if someone knew the real me? They may not like all of me, just the good parts.”

When you don’t accept yourself unconditionally that means the good, the bad and the ugly sides, you will wind-up covering up who you really are.

If we want to be able to accept other people just as they are, then it must begin with accepting ourselves just as we are. It does not mean we don’t want to be better, or want our loved ones to be better, it just means we allow grace to cover areas that are still a work in progress. Grace implies to ourselves and to others that none of us are perfect, and all need the space and time to grow and learn. Start today by giving yourself grace for all the parts of yourself that make you uncomfortable, or that you are still finding trouble overcoming.

If you are making progress not perfection that is what you should focus on, not how much further you have to go.

►Reflection questions:

1)      What areas do you have trouble accepting in yourself? How would you feel if you accepted all parts of yourself?

2)      Can you give yourself grace today for all your weaknesses, faults, and mistakes?

→Say out loud, “I accept all of myself.”