Looking Behind!

We all will go through periods in our lives when the roads of life may bring us pain.  It’s a road where we’ll receive hurt, heartache, sadness and disappointments. It may have been during this time when you felt all alone and wondered to yourself why me? You may have even felt as if no one understood or no one has experienced what you were going through at that moment.  Also you may have felt that you could not or would not make it pass the situation because the hurt and pain was too deep to come out of. But, look at you now!  You’re making it! What took place in the past is in the past, you are here today and you are still standing. (As for me personally, I'll give my God praise for bringing me out!). (Psalm 34:18(NIV) ¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

So ask yourself this question.  How did you allow the experiences of the past to affect your present? Yes, that period of roughness did have a huge impact in your life, but what have you done with those experiences? Did you allow them to "hinder" you?  Did you "learn" from them? Did you "repeat" those mistakes again and again? When you have gone through a period in your life where it seems like you won't make it and you have no one to turn to, not sure which way to go or even how to get there, from my own experience I’ve come to know it's a period you will never forget. So back to my question, of what did you take from it? I ask this because I’ve seen many go through and come out with different results. No, I'm not talking about the results of the situation.  I'm speaking of how the results allowed the situation to affect your present life.

Learn~

When you have learned from your past experiences, you are able to recognize the lessons, mistakes and missed opportunities that were before you. When you have learned from past experiences, you come out of your situation, stronger, wiser, determined, self-confident, healthier, and with just a little bit more faith. You recognize several things from those experiences:

1.  It was a journey that you’ve overcome and not one that overcame you. 

2.  Past mistakes will not dictate and control your present or future.

3. You’ll take a bad situation and use it for your good; having enough wisdom and strength to press on and not be defeated by what you went through.

4. Looking back over your life, instead of being bitter, you are able to say, "I went through that to get where I am today, and I'm in a better place because of it.” 

Now I didn't say this erases the memory completely; however, instead of the memory having control over you, the Lord will give you control over the memory through Him. As for me, I always say, "Thank you Lord for having the final say, lessons learned, now time to move forward!”^. (Isaiah43:18-19(NIV) ¹⁸ “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old ¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Hindrance~

If you’ve allowed your past trials, mistakes, hurts, and disappointments to hinder you, then you are not in a good place and you need to come out of it! You are allowing your past to control your present and to dictate your future. I understand some are saying, “But I’m hurting;”, “he or she hurt me;”, “I can’t seem to get over it;” “I messed up and made a mistake.”  Well join the club of many, my sister or brother! Although you’ve made mistakes, missed some opportunities or someone did you wrong and hurt you, are you now going to let that situation or person have even more control over you? When you allow these things to hinder you from moving forward, you are basically surrendering complete control of your life over to it. You can’t move forward and see what greatness awaits you because you are too busy looking behind you. What happens when you try to walk forward while looking behind you? You run into mess, miss opportunities and get lost on your journey. Why would you want a situation or an individual to have that kind of control over your life, besides God, of course? Right now you could be missing out on deliverance, healing, blessings, opportunities, or a good man or woman because you are hindered by what you keep looking at behind you. If you want to be free from your past, you need to let it go. My saying is, “Let Go and Let God!”  Ask God what is the lesson He wants you to take from that experience and move forward with eyes fixated on what’s in front of you so you won’t miss your true destiny. (Matthew 16:23(ESV) ²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Forgiveness~

I was once asked how I could still be kind to people who have hurt and mistreated me. My answer was and still is, because I forgive them.  Some find that difficult to believe, but I’ve learned that in order for me to heal and move forward in my life I had to forgive them. I’m not saying this was always easy, but through Christ I am able.  Most importantly, I remember that I’m repenting daily and asking for forgiveness for myself, and if I were seeking forgiveness, I first had to forgive.  Not being able to forgive is like a disease.  It keeps growing and getting deadly.  This disease will affect every area of your life and not in a good way. While you are still festering in your inability to forgive, often looking and hoping for pay back, or trying to make people’s lives miserable, they may have already gone before the Lord, repented and moved on.  You do know that God is a forgiving God. (Psalm 32:1(ESV) ¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Healing~

The healing process is different for everyone, but the one common thing is that looking behind will not help.  So instead, allow God to turn your head and place the focus on Him.  Christ is the only one who can truly heal you completely and give you the kind of joy that you will not be able to receive anywhere else. Give it to Him and let Him heal you completely so you can stop looking in the rearview mirror. (Psalm 147:3(ESV) ³ He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds

Evangelist Steele

Be Encouraged!



© Copyright 2016 Just A Diva Encouraging Ministries, All rights reserved

Distractions

*STRESS *DEATH *NEWS *SICKNESS *PROMOTIONS *STATUS *ACCEPTANCE *TRAVELING *INJUSTICE

The cares of this world can wear you down. They will cause you to be so focused on the turmoil that’s happening in the land that your emotions begin to take over.  And if that’s not enough, we have so many other things to distract us from spending time with God. Family, jobs that are demanding, electronics that are portable and we can’t seem to put them down, activities that we are involved in, and even some demanding positions in the Church. Many times we are unaware that we have stopped giving God our attention and time, or even that we are no longer hearing from Him, until trouble comes. We get so consumed with our daily routines that we are now squeezing God into our schedules instead of making Him our priority. You know, like saying that quick prayer as soon as we wake up or right before bed. That’s really not being sincere. It’s just a routine that we’ve become accustomed to doing. (Luke 10:38-40)

*Distraction from God is Dangerous*

Many will say that I pray all the time, or I give God thanks every day. Some may even say I go to Church on Sundays and bible study once a week.  These things can be mere routines that we are accustomed to doing.  The question is, while in Sunday service or bible studies are you distracted while there? Are you being completely honest with yourself? God’s desire is that we live in daily fellowship with Him, not when it’s convenient for us. (1 John 2:28(NLT)) ²⁸ And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

What becomes our priority is what’s most important in our lives.  You will make the necessary sacrifices to get what’s important to you. Quality time and making sure to stay connected to it, is often something we don’t want to lose or feel as though we can’t live without. This is true no matter what “it” may be in your life. If you are too busy for God, you are too busy because you are putting everything else before Him, essentially making that “it” your god. Let’s not forget that even giving so much of your time to the Church can be a distraction, especially if it’s not allowing you to spend time in your word and developing a closer walk with Christ.  Just because you are on several committees or singing in the choir is not spending quality time with the Lord. God didn’t create you to have a “To Do List.”  Many things will come up to distract you. Just when you are about to read His word, the phone will ring; just as you are about to go into prayer, the children act up; just as you are settling in to mediate on the Lord, someone wants to vent or tell you his/her problems.  Beware! These are mere tricks of the enemy!  God will not send things to distract you from getting closer and spending time with Him. (Proverbs 5:1 (NLT)) ¹My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. (2 Timothy 2:15 (KIV)) ¹⁵ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

*Allowing things to consume our lives causes us to drift away from God*

In order to hear from God and to walk in His true purpose for your life, you must first know Him. And how do you come to know Him? You have to spend time with Him. As you begin to make God your priority, you will begin to hear Him clearer as He speaks into your spirit. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NLT)) ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. When you begin to make the Lord your priority, you’ll begin to recognize that without Him your life is in disarray.

God did not create you to live a distracted life. Don’t let the noise of this world or the pulling of life cause you not to hear the voice of the Lord or to be distracted from God.

Evangelist Steele

Be Encouraged!

© Copyright 2016 Just A Diva Encouraging Ministries, All rights reserved

The Midnight Hour

According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, there are two definitions for the word Midnight:

·        the middle of the night; specifically, 12 o'clock at night, and

·        deep or extended darkness or gloom

Midnight is often the darkest hour.  It is around this time that you are normally safely in your homes or respective place of resting for the night.  You are resting with the understanding and often insurance that everything is settled.  Quietness and peacefulness are present, while all items are in their proper place and having the expectations of an uninterrupted night of rest.  You often are secure in knowing that your vehicle alarms are set, and your homes, equipped with the latest alarm systems, motion detectors, security lights, cameras, and much more are secure.  Taking every precaution necessary to protect yourselves and trusting that all of it will work together properly, when and if needed.  These items are something you often use daily and are immediately aware if something needs to be replaced, being sure to take care of the necessary repairs quickly.  You do this to be prepared, so if by chance an intruder comes to break in, steal, or to do some harm, every security function will jump into action.  The alarm will sound, spotlights will come on, and security cameras will start recording everything while the police have instantly been notified of your location. You may even get a call from the security system company wanting to know if everything is okay.

Can you imagine how our spiritual walk would be if we had all the right spiritual security devices in place before our midnight approached?

Just as you make the necessary preparations to protect your natural belongings and your families ahead of time, many wait until the midnight hour to make the necessary preparations spiritually.  Falling on your knees during the midnight hour when you are in trouble to finally call out to the Lord, is often at your darkest and weakest moment when you have nowhere else to turn. While everything is going great in your life, God slowly stops being your top priority. Actually, He often gets put far down the list of priorities. You quit praying every day, having that meaningful time alone, just you and the Lord. You even quit reading your Bible every day.  When you don’t take the time to store up on your spiritual security system, by reading the Word, having a prayer life, or spending time with God, it will leave your spiritual security system dysfunctional and even at times, broken.  Thus, leaving you vulnerable to the thief that comes in the midnight. 

A thief can come in many forms and often steal various things from you, i.e. your joy, peace, fire, praise, worship, children, marriage, and even life.  (John 10:10 NLT) ¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life.  Imagine one day you wake up and realize your life is a mess.  Instead of just having a plan in place for your natural things, you need to remember not to neglect protecting those things which are spiritual. For it’s the spiritual things that anchor you in the Lord, giving you a closeness and intimacy with Him, and will immediately go into action when the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But, when you forget to repair or tune up the spiritual things in your life, they become dysfunctional or at times non-operational, meaning there is NO POWER!!!!. 

The Word tells us to call on the Lord in our time of trouble. (Psalms 120:1 (NLT) ¹I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. But, we should be calling Him always!!! We simply can’t put the Lord aside until a spiritual break-in happens before we go and try to set the security system. What if we can’t set it in time?  In this life, we will always have trials, no one will be exempt.  However, when we stay close to God each day, we are keeping our spiritual security system functioning.  So when the storms and trails come upon us, our spiritual security system will go into action. (Isaiah 41:10, 53:5; 54:17, Ephesians 6:11)    

Remember… Don’t Wait Until The Midnight Hour!!!!

(1Peter:8-9(NLT) ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Evangelist Steele

Be Encouraged!



© Copyright 2016 Just A Diva Encouraging Ministries, All rights reserved

Having Peace in the Middle

Praise the Lord!!! When I think about the GOODNESS of Jesus and ALL that He has done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah!

I greet you in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I pray all is well with you on this day.  Today I want to uplift and encourage those that are going through their storms, especially those that are right in the middle of their storm and feel like throwing in the towel.

When I would hear the meteorologist say prepare for a storm coming our way, then begin to tell us what type of storm we should be expecting, which could be anything from high winds and heavy rain to thundering, lightening, hail, and at times, even tornado warnings.  I would immediately begin the necessary preparations needed to go through the storm.  From making sure outside furniture is secure, unplugging certain things, to making sure our electronics (phones, etc.) are fully charged; thus, giving me a peace that everything would survive whatever storm we got.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we got a news flash right before the storm(s) in our life came? 

Our storms can manifest themselves in many forms, just like the different storms the meteorologist would warn us about.  But instead of us looking for our storms to be flashed crossed a screen to warn us of their coming, as saints of God our news flash has already come from the word of God.  (2 Corinthians 4:8-10(NLT) ⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.  We may not know ahead of time which type of storm is coming mental, physical, emotional, financial or spiritual but one thing we do know is that God has also given us the necessary things for preparation. (Ephesians 6:1-18).

I began to understand that preparation was very important.  I learned that in order to be prepared for the storms that will come in my life, I had to stay prayed up.  In God’s Face, Will, and Word while putting on the whole armor of God.  See, I understood that there were times in the deepest part of my storm which was often in the middle of it, that I would get weary.  But the prayers that I had stored up and the Word that I had hidden in my heart would take over.  The enemy desires nothing more than to have us focusing on everything that’s going wrong while going through our storms.   But God desires us to have peace while going through.  You won’t be able to find this kind of peace anywhere.  Not in an alcohol bottle, drugs, another person, nor the preacher. It’s the kind of peace you can only find in Christ.  I remember people looking at me like I was crazy and wanted to know why I was praising and worshiping God when everything around me was going wrong and I should be crying, or be filled with despair.  The only answer I could give them was “God has given me peace.”  (Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus).

No matter what you are going through right now and I know at times it may even look like the enemy is winning, you must trust and believe that the Lord has not left you, He is right there.  Sometimes Jesus will calm the storms in your life.  Other times He will act like an anchor that you can tie yourself to.  Still other times, Jesus will offer Himself as shelter so that you can weather the storm in His protection and under His wings.  But rest assured, as the scriptures say, He will never leave you nor forsake you and because of this, we can have peace in the middle of our storm (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Remember God will give you the kind of peace that will wipe every tear from your eyes.  It’s a peace that will give you courage, it’s a peace that will give you unspeakable joy, it’s a peace that holds you together, it’s a peace that will lift you up when you are down, it’s a peace that will strengthen you when you feel like throwing in the towel, and it’s a peace that will keep your heart and mind. It is a keeping peace.  It’s a peace that the world can’t understand. (John 12:27 (NLT) ²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.)

Now go and rest in the peace of God!!!

Evangelist Steele

Be Encouraged!!!



© Copyright 2016 Just A Diva Encouraging Ministries, All rights reserved