Pushing Through the Brokenness

Broken: reduced to fragments; fragmented, ruptured; torn; fractured, not functioning properly

Has there ever been a time in your life when you’ve felt like every day you had to push your way through it? You were so broken you didn't know if you were going to survive?  At times you felt like you were too tired to keep fighting?  You found yourself shutting down and secluding yourself from everyone because you didn't feel like answering the, “How are you?” or “What’s going on questions?” You didn’t feel like faking the smile or conversations because you were just too broken? For some, this may be your current place.

It's okay. You are not the only one.

Life can throw you some stuff that will almost knock the wind out of you.  Leaving you asking yourself, what happened, where did that come from, and why?  You are so confused because you know you did your best with what you had and gave all you had.  But, the brokenness and pain have made your decision-making cloudy and have left you feeling uncertain about a lot of things. It can also leave you feeling down, lonely, in despair, questioning your self-worth, and wondering if God sees what you are going through.  You even ask at times, for just a touch from Him to see if He is still there.  He is.

Hold your head up, take a deep breath, wipe your tears, and if needed, let out a war cry. Tell yourself that although you may feel broken, there is a potter that can put you back together again, brand new and better than before. “And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 NLT.

Although it may not look like it, God is still in control, so you have to push through, you have to fight. If not in your brokenness, the world will have you quoting:

• Stop whining and get even, and
• Never let anybody get that close to you.

But God has given us His Word to stand on doing those times of affliction. However, you have to surrender all the pain, disappointments, unforgiveness, betrayals, insecurities, and brokenness to Him so that you can be made whole again.  Yes, it looks and feels like the challenges you are dealing with have come to destroy you, but they are actually here to make you stronger.  It’s in these times that God exposes to us  the areas in our life that need deliverance,  and often we draw closer to Christ tending to seek Him more.  God freely offers us solace and help during times of difficulty, but He also uses our painful circumstances to shape us. When we submit to Him, we emerge from our struggles looking more Christ-like than ever before.  He has also equipped you with a weapon to speak not only to yourself but to your brokenness and circumstances during these times - His Word.

• “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalms 34:18 NLT
• “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalms 147:3 NLT
•  “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 44:10

Some things are broken beyond repair, putting them back together will not fix them. There are times when one must start over and rebuild, but building it better than before. Jesus is the only one that can make you better than before your brokenness.  Let the strength and the peace of God come in while you are being made whole and made new by the potter.

Push through the brokenness and be made whole and new.

“So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” 1 Peter 4:19 NLT

Be Encouraged!

Evangelist Steele



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

Trust God - He's Trustworthy

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“Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:21-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the LORD.” After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the LORD, blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant followed behind them. Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns. “Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So the Ark of the LORD was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp. Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the LORD. The seven priests with the rams’ horns marched in front of the Ark of the LORD, blowing their horns. Again the armed men marched both in front of the priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the LORD. All this time the priests were blowing their horns. On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days. On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the town!”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭6:4-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭6:20‬ ‭

Evangelist Steele

Be Encouraged!



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

Your Worth

I have seen so many people put up with mistreatment, selfishness, and disrespect, and settle for less than what they deserved and what God would have for them.  Not fully understanding their self-worth, a worth so valuable that only the blood of Jesus Christ was valuable enough to pay for it.  But the sad part is that we often make excuses for dealing with these things.  I, myself, have been there.  I’m not just talking about marital relationships, but I’m speaking of all relationships including dating, friendships, and family relationships as well.

We often tolerate mistreatment in these relationships for various reasons. It could be low self-esteem, fear of the relationship ending and being alone, starting over, or even in some cases, the loss of financial comfort. Whatever the reasons, know that you are worth so much more. Often times, people don’t even know what a healthy relation is and therefore, constantly subject themselves to unhealthy ones.

Friendships should be with those who you trust will have your best interest at heart, are supportive of you, and are willing to tell you the truth even if it hurts at that moment, knowing it is for your good. One who will not lead you to, nor put you in danger, or in an unhealthy compromising position.  True friends are those who will be there with you when you’re crying or laughing.  They can rejoice with you, as well as pray for you and with you.  They will stand by you through the rough patches in your life as well as the smooth ones, and not just come around when times are good. You see they will be truly happy for you when wonderful things happen in your life and not envious or jealous. A friend would never advise you to do anything that would cause you harm or disgrace and will never be disrespectful towards you or any of your other relationships (i.e. marriage).  This doesn’t mean that they will agree with all of your decisions, but the mutual respect you have for one another will allow you to agree to disagree.  (Proverbs 17:17 NIV) ¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Dating can be an exciting and nervous time in our lives, especially because this is during the time we are getting to know a person, finding out what we have in common, if we have the same values, similar goals, religious beliefs, and if we enjoy each other’s company. It’s not the time to see if you can deal with them treating you like crap, disrespecting you, and not treating you with the respect and dignity you deserve. It’s not the time to find out if you can handle the verbal and/or physical abuse they give! NO! If you are experiencing this, then this is the time “to hit the road” and hit it fast! Remember the saying, “run and don’t look back.”  Understanding that what you get during the dating period, most likely is what you will get as the relationship continues, possibly culminating in marriage.   Yes, I understand there are times that people tend to be one way dating and another way after marriage, but truth be told, there are always signs, no matter how subtle they are. Maybe we’ve just chosen to ignore them.  Simply stating, if a person cheats on you while you are dating, more than likely he/she will cheat again! If a person lies to you, more than likely he/she will lie again. If he/she hits you or are verbally abusive, more than likely he/she will do that again. Am I making it clearer now? Notice I stated, more than likely. I say this because change can come with help and through “Christ.” But that’s a chance you will have to take.  Don’t lower your standards, nor sacrifice your relation with Christ for anyone.  God will not send you anyone that will pull you away from Him or make you choose between the two. Keep in mind you are only dating. Life’s too short to be wasting your time! (1Corinthians 15:33 NIV) ³³ Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”^[e] 

Marriage truly is a blessing when both individuals are equally yoke, walking together in Christ yet having their own personal relationship with Him.  There’s joy in having that person as your best friend, confidant, lover, companion, motivator, accountability partner, spiritual partner, financial partner, parenting partner, travel partner, prayer partner, and more. There is comfort in knowing that you have each other’s back. This doesn’t mean that challenges won’t come and some are probably saying that you don’t have to have Christ in your life to have this.  Let me say this, it’s much easier when you do, for marriage mirrors God's covenant relationship with His people.  Marriage does not complete us, only Christ does; but, by applying biblical principles to marriage gives us a stronger foundation.  Marriage is honorable! Treat it as that!  (Mark 10:7-9 NIV) ⁷ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,^[b] 8 and the two will become one flesh.’^[c] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (2Corinthians 6:14-15 NIV) ¹⁴ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial^[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

The common threads between these relationships are love and respect.  Knowing your self-worth and not allowing yourself to be torn down as a human being which is not what God created us for.  We were created out of the love that Christ has for us.  So much love that He knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb, and He gave His life for us so that we may not perish but have everlasting life through Him.  It’s not His desire for any of us to be in unhealthy relationships. That’s why it is important that we have a relationship with Him so that we may seek Him in all thy ways, and receive His guidance for our lives.  Everything that looks good for you is not, and although no relationship is perfect there is one that is. (John 3:16-17 NIV) ¹⁶ For 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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Understand your worth and know that you are truly loved by God. (Psalms 139:14 NIV) ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Evangelist Steele

Be Encouraged! 



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