Giving our fears to Jesus seems so simple, but it is really so difficult. We all want to, but we need to know exactly how to.

One way to start is simply asking Jesus to take that fear from us. It seems somewhat simplistic, but is important. And Prayer is the First Step.

The next step is that we need to shift our Focus from our fear to Jesus! How do we do that? By getting busy doing the Lord’s work. We can smile at someone, listen to a person with problems of their own, get groceries for someone in need, drive someone to church, mow someone’s lawn, take out someone’s garbage or clean their car…there are so many acts of kindness that need to be done. So many ways we can “love our neighbor”.

The next step is practice. If we want to shift our Focus from our fears to Jesus, we need to practice. It takes a Holy discipline to make that shift. And if we practice on all of our fears, even the small ones, than we will be ready when the big ones come.

We can’t look up and down at the same time. If we are looking at Jesus, we can’t look at our fears. And if we are busy doing acts of kindness for Christ, we simply don’t have time to entertain them…

So we need to shift our focus today and give our fears to Jesus 🙂

Is it that we can’t forgive, or that we can’t heal? Sometimes we can forgive, but it still hurts. And that hurt can sometimes cause anger. Sometimes we have prayed for that person in everyway we can think of, we have done our very best to think of reasons that we might have compassion for that person. And we have tried to have real empathy for that person. But we just can’t seem to release those feelings of pain and anger.

That’s when we need to ask Jesus to change us. We can’t always make changes on our own, even if we want to. But God can change us. God can heal us.

We just need to ask Him to 🙂

So now we have decided to forgive. What’s next, because we are still stuck with all of those feelings of pain and anger?

We can ask Jesus to put compassion in our hearts for that person. We can ask Jesus to put empathy in our hearts. And they are different. Compassion is sympathy for that person. Empathy is truly walking in their shoes.

No matter the person, we can be sure they are facing their own set of hardships. Everyone does. We need to spend some time dwelling on them, so we can truly feel all that they are going through.

And then there are the seasons. We all go through them. Some seasons are filled with love. Some pain. In some seasons, we are so busy; we are completely insensitive to others. We need to ask Jesus to place us in a Season of Sensitivity and Compassion/Empathy. If we can’t do it ourselves, Jesus can and will.

Sometimes we want to be a better human being than we are, but Jesus can and will help us get there 🙂

Not forgiving just hurts us. It doesn’t hurt the other person. Let’s face it, they may not even care. It’s us that stays awake at night. It’s us that tries desparately to hold back the tears. And it’s us that may snap at someone we love, because the anger we are stuffing down rose up. And it’s us that remain trapped in the hurt and anger. So how can we be free once again?

We need to pray for the person that hurt us. And pray not just for them and their relationship with Jesus, but pray for their needs here here on earth too. Perhaps they are in need of a better job, better health, better circumstances… Perhaps they are shy, in need of friends or better family relationships… We can ask Jesus for all of that.

And if we do, we will also be forced to remember all of the challenges they face, along with any difficult circumstances they may walk in. And slowly, but surely, our empathy and compassion for that person will rise.

And before we know it, if we keep praying for them, our empathy and compassion will rise higher than the hurt.

And one day, we will once again be free!

We talk a lot about forgiveness. Jesus forgave us and we need to forgive others. We know that. And many times, it’s easy and sometimes it’s not.

But sometimes the hurt is deep, and so is the anger. There was once a story told about this kind of hurt. There was once a man who hammered a nail into a piece of wood. And the nail left a hole. That is so much like our hearts. Sometimes, someone hurts us so badly, a deep hole is left in our heart filled with pain. So how do we forgive the person who made that deep hole. Who ripped apart our heart.

The first step is make a decision to forgive that person. Sometimes even making that decision requires prayer.

Recognizing that if we allow our hearts to grow cold. If we allow our hearts to harden so as not to feel the pain. We will also not feel anything else. Not Joy, not peace, now the presence of Christ can help us to make that first step: Deciding to forgive.

“A fresh annointing is a Biblical concept (Psalm 92:10) referring to the daily renewal of the Holy Spirit’s power and prescence in your life. Just as ancient leather shields were oiled daily to stay pliable, believers seek a fresh anointing daily through prayer, repentance and scripture to stay empowered and spiritually refreshed”.-Richard Roberts

Ask the Holy Spirit for a “fresh anointing” while you still can!

“To anoint your home with annointing oil, simply prayerfully put a Cross on all of the outer walls, windows, floors, ceilings and door posts with oil. Ask God to fill you home with His Holy Spirit and that every single thing that happens in your home will be according to His Will. “

Annoint your home and live according to God’s Will 

“no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;” – Psalm 91:10-11

The times we live in today are dark; the times we will live in tomorrow will be even darker. But our homes do not need to be.

As a Mom, decorating the house has always kind of been left to me and I have enjoyed it. Filling our home with flowers, pictures of Christ, Crosses and pictures of our Blessed Mother Mary. Pictures of our children and our children’s handmade pictures, photos of our family trips…Has filled our home with light.

Reading Christian books and stories has brought us together and created even more light. Watching programs like Veggietales, Christian movies…has also filled our home with warmth. Playing Christian music has also brought light into our home. A lot of Light.

The smell of a roast in the oven, the sound of our children’s laugher, the sound of Dad coming home, cuddling under blankets or on the floor to watch a program together, playing scrabble…it all helps.

We don’t have to succumb to the darkness that surrounds us. We don’t have to give in. We can fill our homes with Christ’s Light and Warmth and simply refuse to let anything in but Jesus. We can make our homes a refuge for rest and refueling. And invite Jesus to make it our Safe Space.

And last, but not least, we can Annoint our homes and give our families the protection they deserve. The protection God Himself offers 🙂

Obedience is such an old fashioned word and such a “trigger” word for many in our current society. But Obedience is something that God does require.

God gave us an instruction manual for our life on earth. It’s the Bible. In it, it covers every current issue we face. And it tells us what our behavior needs to be.

Many look at God’s instruction manual as a book of rules to stop them from having what they think of as fun. Satan’s greatest lie.

God’s “instructions” are shared out of love. God made us and God loves us. And so God knows what will really make us happy. Happy all the way through.

Try God’s Instructions, not just because God requires them, but also because following them will us happy.

“And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” – John:3

We live in dark times and they will get darker. And what God said is true, those who cling to the darkness will not be able to “comprehend” God’s Word.

But there will be some in the darkness that will see our Light. And they will walk towards it, out into the Light 🙂

Be the Light!

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”- Joshua 1:9

The days we live in are difficult ones. Peer pressure tells us never to mention Jesus. That it is impolite to make others uncomfortable. But perhaps the Name of Jesus should make unbelievers uncomfortable. For without faith in Jesus, without accepting Jesus as their Savior, there is no entrance to Heaven.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.””Acts 11-12

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16

That there are so many who refuse to Accept Jesus as their Savior is heartbreaking. That there are so many who claim Jesus as their Savior but do not share Him and allow so many people to go to Hell, is also heartbreaking.

We, who Follow Christ, have the greatest privilege of earth, we can share Jesus with others 🙂