Journaling 1189

Tag: Counseling

How to live the best life possible, being set free from different types of bondage, healing from hurts and trauma, pre-marital, marriage, career, financial, family, depression, anxiety, etc.

  • BIBLE: A MAIN PAGE (A TABLE OF CONTENTS AND INDEX OF SORTS)

    Note: I am going to use this page as a table of contents or index, which will help me find verses later, along with all of my journaling. (And I figure it might help you.

    This page will be constantly changing, so keep coming back here to see what has changed.

    Genesis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

    Exodus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

    Leviticus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

    Numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

    Deuteronomy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

    Joshua 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

    Judges 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

    Ruth 1 2 3 4

    1 Samuel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

    2 Samuel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

    1 Kings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

    2 Kings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

    1 Chronicles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

    2 Chronicles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

    Ezra 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Nehemiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

    Esther 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 3031 32 33 34 35 36 37 3839 40 41 42

    Psalms 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 6566 67 68 69 70 71 72 7374 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105106 107 108 109 110 111112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125126 127 128 129 130 131132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

    Proverbs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

    Ecclesiastes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

    Song Of Solomon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

    Isaiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 6566

    Jeremiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 3738 39 40 41 42 43 44 4546 47 48 49 50 51 52

    Lamentations 1 2 3 4 5

    Ezekiel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

    Daniel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

    Hosea 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

    Joel 1 2 3

    Amos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

    Obadiah 1

    Jonah 1 2 3 4

    Micah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

    Nahum 1 2 3

    Habakkuk 1 2 3

    Zephaniah 1 2 3

    Haggai 1 2

    Zechariah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

    Malachi 1 2 3 4

    Matthew 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

    Mark 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

    Luke 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

    John 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

    Acts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

    Romans 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

    1 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

    2 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

    Galatians 1 2 3 4 5 6

    EPHESIANS

    Ephesians 1 2 3 4 5 6

    Philippians 1 2 3 4

    Colossians 1 2 3 4

    1 Thessalonians 1 2 3 4 5

    2 Thessalonians 1 2 3

    1 Timothy 1 2 3 4 5 6

    2 Timothy 1 2 3 4

    Titus 1 2 3

    Philemon 1

    Hebrews 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

    James 1 2 3 4 5

    1 Peter 1 2 3 4 5

    2 Peter 1 2 3

    1 John 1 2 3 4 5

    2 John 1

    3 John 1

    Jude 1

    Revelation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

  • SIX MONTHS OF SIFTING AND REFINING

    The last six months have been a painful season for me, my husband, and our group of friends. (Friends that are in the faith and closer than a brother, where iron sharpens iron.)

    It has been painful because of people, circumstances, and ourselves. We have had to confess much and have been transformed by the Lord.

    Let me tell you something I am sure you know already: It is quite painful to be transformed by God, to be stretched, sifted, and grown.

    It is hard when this happens once. It has been week after week for six months for all of us, for our group.

    The Father loves us. We are His image bearers, so He will not leave us where we are. Nope. He sifts us like wheat and chaff, and refines us like dross and silver.

    And why does He sift and refine us?

    Stop and ponder that for a moment. Answer the question, please, before you read ahead in this journal entry.

    I have, at times, thought He did it to challenge me and/or punish me. But is this reality?

    This morning, I thank the Lord, He gave me a new perspective or point-of-view. I am giving Him praise, honor, and glory because of it.

    I just realized that since things have happened that caused great pain, and I have done wrong things and missed the mark, I have been quite hurt and beat-up. It has been very personal to me. I feel it every single day, and oftentimes throughout the day. My enemies have surrounded me and I have made mistakes. So this has been very personal.

    I wonder what all is wrong with me.

    I wonder why He has allowed it.

    I know without a doubt I deserve no grace whatsoever.

    I also believe I deserve punishment and discipline for what I have done and for how I have missed the mark.

    (I also have known the wrong thinking with all of those. But those admonishments and fears still come.)

    Adonai (God) just revealed something to me about all this that I just journaled this morning (and what a lesson to learn!):

    If we are in pain, and/or realize we have done something wrong, that is very personal. Of course. But when it is personal, we tend to act more off of emotion than off of thinking things through. And when we focus on emotion, and act on emotion, this leads to us not thinking clearly or rightly, and we tend to think and do foolish things. And this gets us in trouble. It compounds our pain and delays healing. This also means we do not turn to God like we could or should. Nor do we hear from Him like we could or should.

    Therefore, I have foolishly and stupidly thought through this season of pain I deserve it and He is disciplining me. And that the enemy was doing His greatest work in and through the circumstances.

    Umm… not really.

    Rather, the Father is sifting and refining me and my life because He loves me. He does not want anything to hold me back from living freely and fully in Him. He is getting rid of the junk that prevents me from abundant and fruitful living, where He can work mightily. He wants all of me, not part of me.

    I cannot fully know Him or His will if I have junk that prevents me from being all in at all times.

    Sifting and refining is about relationship with Him. He loves us. He wants us to be set free (fully healed; not encumbered) and to live fully for Him. It is how He shows us His great love.

    So I need to quit taking things so personally.

    And I need to thank Him for removing the junk in my life so He can be my all and at all times. After all, every moment of this painful season has been a blessing. They have driven me to Him and have helped me trust Him even more. Glory!

  • THE GREATNESS OF GOD

    It never ceases to me, amaze me how the Father works. He usually surprises me, and because of it, I am quite humbled and grateful.

    This just happened to me again this morning. I met yesterday with a friend who shared some prayer requests and struggles with me, as iron sharpens iron she asked my thoughts regarding her struggle. She knows how my husband and I do coaching, mentoring, counseling, and whatever else you want to call it. Therefore, she came to me in that regard, but also as a sister in Jesus. 

    If there is one thing, I know it is that when we share our thoughts, our wisdom, our advice, it is absolutely imperative to pray. To make sure that we hear what God is telling us to say, and what he is telling us not to say. I did my best to do that, but I also realized I could have done a much greater job with that. Nonetheless, I had the sense that regardless of how things went when we spoke, that God would work and do a great thing in her life. Consequently, I could not wait to see how things would unfold in the next week or two. I could not wait to hear her story.

    Little did I know that the entire situation far exceeded what I could have imagined in a couple of weeks, let alone that night. My friend did the work that was necessary for things to turn around. She was willing to take the extra steps, regardless of how difficult they were. I won’t lie. What I asked was extremely difficult for her. However, this is another example of what happens when we do not avoid the hard, or the difficult, or the challenge. She went against everything in her body, in her mind, and her heart that was screaming at her that her situation was difficult, but she trusted God and moved forward anyway.

    I do not think I can stress this enough what she did. She did the impossible. It took everything in her to do what she did after we spoke.

    Talk about an inspiration. It never stops to absolutely astound me how when we trust God, and we do the hard, he honors that. And it is more than that. He does not just honor it. He shows up in a powerful way.

    Because my friend trusted in the Lord, and did the hard thing, she was blessed tremendously.

    What a reminder to me of how important it is to go against your nature that does not want to do something, but to do it anyway because you know that it will honor God, and it is the right thing to do. The easy way is rarely the right way the hard way is usually the best way.

    This is a reminder that the best life we can live is the hard path that is ripe with challenges. It is the path that we walk knowing we cannot do it on our own, that we have to trust God and we have to walk with God. Living the best life possible means doing things that are so hard that we can’t do them, that we had to step out in faith and trust and know that God will be with us, catch us, and carry us. 

    Doing the hard thing is necessary for living the best life because we step outside of ourselves, and we have to trust in God. And when we do this, it is obvious that God is real, and God exists,  because we could not have done it on our own. There is no way. We could not have planned it to happen that way. We do not have it in our ourselves to achieve the results of what ended up transpiring. Doing the hard is literally living the best life.

    How often do we even think in these terms?

    How often do we act with this knowledge?

    How often do we choose the easy way and we miss out on so much because of it?

    My friend did the impossible yesterday. And because she stepped out, and did the hard thing, God was able to work in her and through her and bring healing.

    I am amazed by what she did.

    God gave her his perfect and infinite strength. She didn’t just do one hard thing, she did three hard things. And each of them went against her heart and her mind. She did not want to do them, but she did them.

    Oh, how much I have to learn from this beautiful woman.

    A PRAYER

    God, you are amazing and are so good. We are grateful because of what you have done and because of what you have taught us. Thank You for always being with us.  Thank You for your healing. Thank You for the reminder of how important it is to trust you and do the hard thing. Help us remember that living the best life possible is doing the hard, it is not avoiding it, it is trusting You no matter what. To You alone be the glory, but honor, and the praise. 

  • WELCOME

    Welcome to a new blog journal, along with coaching, counseling, and mentoring to live the best life possible.

    Stay tuned and keep returning. This will be a journal constantly in progress.