healing Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Daily Thoughts about God

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27

A friend was going through a difficult circumstance and I was always very careful about how I approached the sensitive subject with her. She still had a lot of anger and I was giving her space and room to work through it.

After many months had gone by I asked her if she was experiencing God’s nearness, His presence, His comfort helping her through the process of coping with what had happened.

She quickly said, “No, not at all.”

I was silent. I was silent because I was surprised.

That didn’t sound like how God is.

He is our God of comfort.
He is near.
He is with us.
He understands what we are going through.
He is our helper.

I realize there are extreme circumstances when anger is where we live for a while and we can hardly even deal with God at that point. But this was not that kind of circumstance.

In her answer I still heard the anger. The kind of anger that is unhealthy. My friend already knew that and so I didn’t spend much time trying to remind her. I knew I risked offending her at this point and backed off and decided to approach her about it again at a later date.

Prolonged anger is completely different than initially experiencing anger and then finding a healthy way to deal with it. When we are hurt and angry we are extremely vulnerable to veering off in a direction that takes us away from God and not closer to Him for the help we so desperately need.

Anger is certain to hinder the nearness of God and the healing work He desires to do.

When we lay our hurt and anger at His feet and let it go, then something amazing happens. He moves us out of the place of anger and into a place of healing. The weight that anger was pressing on us is lifted and we will experience the nearness of God again. He never moved. Anger moves us away from Him.

The only way to manage anger is to let it go.

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission
www.kathycheek.com

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“By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

The ring was special! It signified she belonged to a group of professionals. As she wore it she was aware of all it represented and of who it said she was.

As a follower of Jesus you wear a distinguishing mark as well. You wear His love.
Is it visible?

When Jesus came to this earth He brought a special kind of love. This love is unselfish, compassionate, unconditional. He loves us just as we are. Our condition is irrelevant to His love. It is a love that picks us up just where we are in life and carries us further than we could ever go on our own.

Jesus gives us His love so we can give it away in the same unselfish, compassionate, unconditional way He gave it to us. He tells us this kind of love will be our trade mark. It will distinguish us as followers of Jesus.

Even in the Church, the Family of God, or as it’s sometimes called, the Body of Christ, we can feel left out of this kind of love. We are often hurt, wounded and worn. This distinguishing mark as His followers sometimes seems missing. Hurting people hurt people. When we are living with hurt we in turn limit this love in our own outpouring.

As we invite Jesus to pour His love into our own wounded souls, we in turn are able to give His love away to others with a generous heart.

Father God, Thank you for Your generous love to me. Thank you that You see the abundance in me rather than all the shortfalls I have. You fill me up. Help me to offer that same gracious love to those I mingle with today. Pour Your love into my heart so I can give it away. May my distinguishing mark be Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Thought: If you carry wounds within your soul that keep love at bay in your life, talk to a mentor who will pray with you. Jesus can bring healing, hope and a fresh display of His love through you.

Further Reading
“The Hurting Church” Why we get hurt and hurt others in the family of God
http://www.gailrodgers.ca/index.php/site/articleItem/01_the_hurting_church/

By Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission