See details about contacts when you hover over their name. Prioritize your tasks with Microsoft To Do.
Locate messages, people, and documents. Backed by enterprise-grade security Outlook works around the clock to help protect your privacy and keep your inbox free of clutter.
It releases them into God's hands so He can deal with them. Forgiveness is actually the best revenge because it not only sets us free from the person we forgive, but it frees us to move into all God has for us. Our forgiving someone doesn't depend on them admitting guilt or apologizing. If it did, most of us would never be able to do it. We can forgive no matter what the other person does. Sometimes incidents happen in our lives that are so devastating we can go for years without realizing the depth of the bitterness we have because of it.
Sometimes we don't forgive ourselves for things we've done, and so we give ourselves a lifetime of punishment for whatever we did or did not do. Sometimes we blame God for things that have happened. Ask God to show you if any of these things are true about you. Don't let unforgiveness limit what God wants to do in your life. Whatever It Takes Four hundred and ninety times!
That's how many times we have to forgive a person. Up to seven times? You may be able to think of someone you have to forgive times a day, but the point is that God wants you to forgive as many times as it takes. He wants you to be a forgiving person. Jesus told the story of a man who was released from a large debt by his master. But he turned right around and made his own poor servant go to prison for not paying him a small debt.
When the master heard about this he said, "I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? Jesus said, "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" Matthew This is very serious. We who have received Jesus have been forgiven a large debt. We have no right to be unforgiving of others. God says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you" Ephesians If we don't forgive, we will be imprisoned by our hatred and tortured by our bitterness.
Everything we do in life that has eternal value hinges on two things: loving God and loving others. It's far easier to love God than it is to love others, but God sees them as being the same. One of the most loving things we can do is forgive. It's hard to forgive those who have hurt, offended, or mistreated us.
But God wants us to love even our enemies. And in the process of doing so, He perfects us Matthew It's always going to be easy to find things to be unforgiving about. We have to stop looking.
God wants you to move into all He has for you. Forgiveness opens your heart and mind and allows the Holy Spirit to work freely in you. It releases you to love God more and feel His love in greater measure. Life is worth nothing without that.
Show me where I am not. Expose the recesses of my soul so I won't be locked up by unforgiveness and jeopardize my future. If I have any anger, bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness that I am not recognizing, reveal it to me and I will confess it to You as sin.
Specifically, I ask You to help me fully forgive name anyone you feel you need to forgive. Make me to understand the depth of Your forgiveness toward me so that I won't hold back forgiveness from others. I realize that my forgiving someone doesn't make them right; it makes me free. I also realize that You are the only one who knows the whole story, and You will see justice done.
Help me to forgive myself for the times I have failed. And if I have blamed You for things that have happened in my life, show me so I can confess it before You. Enable me to love my enemies as You have commanded in Your Word.
Teach me to bless those who curse me and persecute me Matthew Remind me to pray for those who hurt or offend me so that my heart will be soft toward them. I don't want to become hard and bitter because of unforgiveness. Make me a person who is quick to forgive. Lord, show me if I have any unforgiveness toward my mother or father for anything they did or did not do. I don't want to shorten my life by not honoring them and breaking this great commandment. And where there is distance between me and any other family member because of unforgiveness, I pray You would break down that wall.
Help me to forgive every time I need to do so. Where I can be an instrument of reconciliation between other family members who have broken or strained relationships, enable me to do that. I don't want anything to come between You and me, Lord, and I don't want my prayers to be hindered because I have entertained sin in my heart. I choose this day to forgive everyone and everything, and walk free from the death that unforgiveness brings.
If any person has unforgiveness toward me, I pray You would soften their heart to forgive me and show me what I can do to help resolve this issue between us. I know that I cannot be a light to others as long as I am walking in the darkness of unforgiveness. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. Proverbs Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matthew He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. I hated it because it was at every morning and my hair was ruined for the rest of the day. There weren't any portable hair dryers back then, if you can even imagine such primitive times. We had to swim daily, rain or shine, and it could get quite cold on those foggy California winter mornings.
The only way I could be excused from swimming was if I were dying, and even then I had to have a note from the doctor. In spite of the misery of that experience, I loved swimming and I became fairly good at it. I learned that if I was positioned correctly and did all the right moves, I could go forward quickly in the water.
It became a smooth maneuver that would get me speedily to the other side of the giant pool. And nothing would make me falter—not even turbulence from other swimmers on either side of me.
The same principle is true for us. If we want to successfully navigate the waters of our lives, we must position ourselves correctly and learn all the right moves.
If we don't, when we come to turbulent situations we will not be able to navigate through them. We will end up flailing around and exhausting ourselves just trying to stay afloat.
And we will never actually get anywhere. But when we position ourselves under the headship of Christ and learn to do what He requires of us, there is a flow of the Holy Spirit that will carry us wherever we need to go. We can't begin to make the right moves if we don't know what they are.
And we can study all we want in this holy manual of life and learn everything we are sup' posed to do, but at some point we still have to jump in the water. The proof of our sincerity is in the doing, not just the knowing.
It's one thing to make a list of do's and don'ts, but it's quite another to have a heart for God's ways and a soul that longs to live them out. It's one thing to read about life, it's another to live it. Obedience is something you do; having a heart to obey is something you pray about. We know a lot about what we're supposed to be doing, but we often have a hard time doing it.
We must pray that God will enable us to be disciplined enough to do what we need to do. I am a fairly disciplined person for the most part. But I wasn't always that way. There was a time in my life when I was the exact opposite. I was plagued with depression. And, as many of you who have been depressed know, you can't think clearly or organize your life well when you are struggling to find a reason to live. You are unable to do the things that are good for you because you don't know if you're worth it.
You don't move forward in your life because it takes all your energy just to survive each day. When I started learning to pray about every aspect of my life, I asked God to help me be disciplined enough to be daily in His Word, to pray faithfully, and to take the steps of obedience I needed to take.
I asked Him to deliver me from depression and anything else that kept me from all He had for me. I have become disciplined, organized, and obedient beyond what I believe are my natural capabilities.
I am still learning new levels of obedience, however, even after 32 years of walking with God. My body is getting older, but as a result of obeying God in new ways, my spirit is being renewed with each passing year. And with each new step of obedience I take, I experience new blessings and new freedoms I have not known before and never thought possible. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that once you are saved you don't have to put forth any effort.
That's like getting married and never taking a shower again. You might be able to get away with it for a while, but it's risky business and your quality of life will definitely suffer. Learning obedience is a lifelong process. There are always new dimensions of it to conquer. Even if you have walked with the Lord for 40 years, you still need to ask God to show you any area where you are not being obedient.
We get into trouble when we think we know what to do and we stop asking God if we're doing it. We can never get prideful about how perfectly we are obeying God because He is continually stretching us and asking us to move into new levels of growth. Nor can we go to the other extreme, saying, "This is just the kind of person I am— undisciplined and unreachable.
All we have to say is, "Lord, help me to be disciplined enough to obey You the way You want me to so I can become the person You created me to be. Personal Obedience In addition to the rules we all have to obey, there are specific things God asks each of us to do as individuals in order to move us into the purpose He has for our lives.
These are different for each person. For example, eight years ago God instructed my husband and me to move from California to Tennessee. This was not something I wanted to do nor did the thought of doing that ever enter my mind. I was happy where I was and didn't want to leave. But because it was a clear directive from God, we packed up and obeyed. The reasons why we moved have become increasingly evident over the years, and I am so grateful we heard God's directive and followed it.
But we probably wouldn't have heard if we hadn't actually said the words, "Lord, show us what we are supposed to be doing. If you don't ask, you won't know. It's that simple. For example, God may ask you to take a different job, stop a certain activity, join a certain church, or change the way you've always done something. Whatever He asks you to do, remember He does this for your greatest blessing. But you must understand that you may not hear Him speaking to you at all if you are not taking the other steps of obedience He expects all of us to take that are found in His word.
It doesn't hurt to ask. In even the most wonderful of jobs, there are still aspects of it that we don't enjoy. But part of being successful in life means doing things we would rather not. When we do things we don't like simply because we know we need to do them, it builds character in us. It forms us into a leader God can trust. And there is always a price to pay when we forsake the things we need to do in order to do only the things we feel like doing.
We must be willing to make sacrifices for the blessings we want. When you find it difficult to do what you know you need to, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Of course, you still have to take the first step, no matter how daunting, intimidating, dreadful, uncomfortable, or distasteful. But when you do, the Holy Spirit will assist you the rest of the way. If there were no other reason, that would certainly be enough.
However, there are many important benefits that you and I should be reminded of regularly, and below I've listed ten good ones. We get our prayers heard. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer" Psalm We enjoy a deeper sense of the Lord's presence. We gain wisdom. We have God's friendship. We can live safely. We are perfected. By this we know that we are in Him" 1 John We are blessed.
We find happiness. We have peace. We have a long life. A Stepping-Stone to Destiny God has great plans for you. He has important things He wants you to do. And He is preparing you for your destiny right now. But you have to take steps of obedience in order to get there.
And you have to trust that He knows the way and won't hurt you in the process. God's rules are for our benefit, not to make us miserable. When we live by them, life works. When we don't, life falls apart. When we obey, we have clarity. When we don't, we have confusion. And there is a definite connection between obedience and the love of God. Even though God loves us, we won't sense His love if we are walking in disobedience to His ways.
If you have been frustrated because you don't see answers to your prayers, ask God if it is because of disobedience. Say, "Lord, is there any area of my life where I am not obeying You? You never know when you will step into the moment for which God has been preparing you.
And it is not just one moment; it's many successive ones. It doesn't matter whether you are a single career woman or a married lady with nine children under the age of ten, it doesn't matter whether you are nineteen or ninety, God is preparing you daily for something great. He wants you to be willing to let Him purify you, fortify you, and grow you up in Him. But you have to play by the rules. You can't swim into the mainstream of those moments successfully if you are not doing all the right moves now.
I love Your law because I know it is good and it is there for my benefit. Enable me to live in obedience to each part of it so that I will not stumble and fall. Help me to obey You so that I can dwell in the confidence and peace of knowing I am living Your way. My heart wants to obey You in all things, Lord. Show me where I am not doing that. If there are steps of obedience I need to take that I don't understand, I pray You would open my eyes to see the truth and help me to take those steps.
I know I can't do all things right without Your help, so I ask that You would enable me to live in obedience to Your ways. Your Word says that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" 1 John I don't want to deceive myself by not asking You where I am missing the mark You have set for my life.
Reveal to me when I am not doing things I should be doing. Show me if I'm doing things I should not. Help me to hear Your specific instructions to me. Speak to me clearly through Your Word so I will know what's right and what's wrong. I don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit in anything I do Ephesians Help me to be ever learning about Your ways so I can live in the fullness of Your presence and move into all You have for me. Psalm He who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.
And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. Luke He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. There are many answers to that question, but the main one is this: We have an enemy. I don't mean just we the people of New York or we the people of the United States. I mean we the people who stand for the things of God.
There is an enemy who opposes all that God is and everything He does and anyone who believes in Him or tries to live His way. We all have an enemy who is like a terrorist to our soul. If we don't realize this, it will be easy for him to manipulate us. Of course, he is not omniscient nor omnipresent—he can't be everywhere and know our every thought—but if we don't fully realize that he is a limited and defeated foe, then we will be harassed by him continually.
One of the things Jesus accomplished when He died and rose again was to break the power of the enemy. When He defeated the enemy on the cross, He gave us authority over him.
He said, "I give you the authority We are all involved in a spiritual battle with an enemy who will never let up. Even though it is people who do evil things to us, we have to keep in mind that it is our ultimate enemy, the devil, who is behind it. Just as God has a plan for you, so does Satan. Satan's plan is to steal from you and destroy your life. He disguises himself so that he doesn't look threatening, and he lulls you into thinking that you are not in any danger 2 Corinthians But he never takes a day off.
He is constantly trying to see his plan for your life fulfilled. That's why you have to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter For the most part, we are able to recognize obvious attacks of the enemy.
But the more subtle ones, when we are being seduced into accepting something into our lives that will ultimately get us offtrack or destroy us, are harder to recognize.
For example, he will attempt to make you believe you deserve every bad thing that happens to you. But deserving is not the issue with God. We didn't deserve to have Jesus die for us. Yet He did. The point is not whether we deserve the things the devil throws our way. The point is Jesus died so we don't have to experience them.
Ask God to help you discern the enemy's work in your life. Then "resist the devil and he will flee from you" James Five Good Weapons Against Mass Destruction God has given us many weapons to use against the enemy's plan for our destruction. Here are the top five: 1.
A powerful weapon against the enemy is God's Word. This is the most powerful weapon. Jesus Himself used it against the devil when He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and Satan came to tempt Him Matthew One would think that if you were the Son of God you wouldn't have to go into the wilderness at all, let alone to be tempted by the devil. He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" Matthew When the devil tries to destroy your life, refute him with God's Word.
The moment you identify evil working in your midst, hide yourself in the Word of God. A powerful weapon against the enemy is praise. The devil hates it every time we worship God. That's because he can't tolerate people worshiping anyone else but him.
He detests it so much he can't even be around it. When we praise and worship God, His presence dwells powerfully in our midst and the devil has to leave. A powerful weapon against the enemy is obedience. If we are living in sin or walking in disobedience in any way, this leaves the door open in our lives for the devil to gain a point of entry and ultimately a foothold. Bad things happen to us that might be the enemy's work, but it could also be because our own sin has given him a place to erect a stronghold in our life.
Satan does not have jurisdiction over you, but disobedience to the laws of God opens the door and puts out a welcome mat for him. Confession and repentance will shut the door in his face. A powerful weapon against the enemy is faith. Keep in mind that the enemy is always planting land mines out ahead of you. You have no idea where they are because they are not visible to the human eye. The way to avoid them is to walk closely with God and let Him guide your steps.
That takes faith. Walking in faith is a powerful way to avoid the enemy's trap. A powerful weapon against the enemy is prayer and fasting. Prayer is a strong weapon against the enemy. Fasting makes it even more so. Often the hold of the enemy upon our lives can only be broken by prayer and fasting. It doesn't seem as though such a simple thing could do so much, but it does.
And it might not seem as though anything is happening while you fast, but there are powerful things being broken in the spirit realm. Often just a simple hour fast is enough to break the hold of the enemy upon our lives. Regular fasts will keep evil at bay and strongholds broken down. It's a way of saying, "I deny myself what I want most and put God first in my life. Many people have asked this question, but the question answers itself.
The enemy attacks you because you are a good person. Marriage Psychology Relationships. More Details. Ro Elori Cutno 1 book 11 followers. Search review text. Tanner Parkinson. Serwah Appiah-aboagye.
Well, well well where do I start?! I only knew about this book when someone mentioned it on her FB page. I downloaded it for free thank goodness and got through it within a few hours. How did she certify this? And why restrict your sample so? The book is also missing references that would have shown that she has actually read up on similar work that others have done. The book does not reveal anything common sense would not tell you or what previous books on the matter have not done already.
I feel the book is a good start because it is time women are taught to be wives and men husbands. This is what is missing in society and is leading to a huge breakdown. I super agree on the emasculation of men in modern society. Smile all day every day and never complain to your husband: my husband said if I did that he would have me sectioned lol.
Marriage is like a friendship and all marriages thrive on communication and honesty. Pretending everything is rosy all the time is not going to help anyone. My husband wants me to be able to let him know anything that is bothering me so he can fix it! And what if it is the man who moans and whinges all the time? She does not propose a way around that. But first, a little history about this renowned writer. Edgar Allan Poe Boston, United States, January 19, — Baltimore, United States, October 7, was an American writer, poet, critic, and romantic journalist, generally recognized as one of the universal masters of the short story, of which he was one of the first practitioners in his country.
Orphaned of both parents, Poe went through an irregular education, from the United States to Scotland and England, until his brief stay at the University of Virginia, where he published his first book anonymously, and by the army, publishing his second book. Poe began working for various newspapers and magazines, which he barely earned a living from. He traveled around several cities in California along with his wife, Virginia Clemm, who was his young cousin.
In he published what would become his most celebrated poem, The Raven. Poe practiced several genres throughout his literary career, dealing in an almost obsessive way with subjects such as death, burial in life or mourning. In , Poe appeared disoriented, dressed in clothes that were not his own and wandering the streets of Baltimore.
He was taken to a hospital, but could not recover coherent speech to explain what had happened to him. The cause of his death was not clarified and there has been speculation ever since about drug problems, meningitis, syphilis or even rabies. The Raven is a narrative poem written by Edgar Allan Poe and his most famous poetic composition. It was first published in January Its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere are remarkable.
It tells of the mysterious visit of a talking raven to the house of a grieving lover and the slow descent into madness of the latter.
It is one of his best known poems and its iconography has been copied and paid homage to on numerous occasions, both in other books and poems and in television programs or films. A young gentleman is invited to the old house of a childhood friend, Roderick Usher, a sickly and eccentric artist who lives completely secluded in the company of his sister, Lady Madeline, also in poor health.
Usher lives in the grip of an indefinable illness, which makes everyone fear for his life. The one who ends up dying is his sister. Her mortal remains are placed in a crypt, but soon terrible events occur that will lead to a tragic end.
0コメント