Everyone makes mistakes. But the greatest mistake you can make is to refuse to learn what they can teach you. When you are willing to learn from your mistakes, you no longer need to define them by what went wrong, but by the lessons they taught you so you could be better.
Mistakes are the construction zones of life that make you slam on brakes and ask yourself, "What's going on here?" They are the reminders that everyone, no matter how young or old, is a work in progress. Mistakes can lead to unexpected solutions. For God to complete His work in your heart, you have to be willing to risk making mistakes and learn from them, no matter where you are on life's journey.
Mistakes are part of the process. Each of us is an ever-growing, ever-changing individual. None of us is a finished product...He's not done with us yet! We are His work in progress.
Always remember that there is a heavenly reason for everything in life; may we always learn and grow from our experiences.
Have a blessed weekend!
Dalinda
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Are You Walking In Faith?
Abraham was walking by faith when God led him out of all that was familiar to him (his comfort zone) to a place he had never been. He knew God had called him from where he was, but didn't know where God was leading. And Abraham's is one of the greatest stories in the Bible in regard to walking in faith : " he went out, not knowing where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8). How often have we felt like that? We go out because God is leading us, but we don't really know where we're headed.
I don't always understand why God allows some things to happen and why He doesn't seem to intervene in situations the way I think He should. The truth is. He is God and owes no one an explanation.
Sometimes He allows circumstances in life to force us to give up control. While we may not have control over those circumstances, we do have control over our response to them. I could allow the disappointments in what I lack to dictate how I respond to what I have.
It all comes down to making the right and godly choice to trust God when everything in life seems to be going wrong. Perhaps He's trying to get your attention. I have had a couple of blinding experiences when it seemed God was getting right in my face and blocking out my surroundings so I'd get the message.
I'd much rather take my chances submitting to the control of a loving Savior than take my chances doing all this alone.
I can't do it without Him! I am laying my life down at His feet. Because the only thing I can control is my obedience to Him.
Blessings,
Dalinda
I don't always understand why God allows some things to happen and why He doesn't seem to intervene in situations the way I think He should. The truth is. He is God and owes no one an explanation.
Sometimes He allows circumstances in life to force us to give up control. While we may not have control over those circumstances, we do have control over our response to them. I could allow the disappointments in what I lack to dictate how I respond to what I have.
It all comes down to making the right and godly choice to trust God when everything in life seems to be going wrong. Perhaps He's trying to get your attention. I have had a couple of blinding experiences when it seemed God was getting right in my face and blocking out my surroundings so I'd get the message.
I'd much rather take my chances submitting to the control of a loving Savior than take my chances doing all this alone.
I can't do it without Him! I am laying my life down at His feet. Because the only thing I can control is my obedience to Him.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Have You "Gone Missing"?
During my 40 years of living, I have encountered countless people who have "gone missing". Some of them don't even know that they have "gone missing". They have lost all sense of self. I hear them say: "I run a million dollar company" or "I'm just a clerk at the company store" or "I'm Lisa's mother". They define themselves by external labels based upon associations or circumstances.
Others define themselves by neighborhoods in which they live, or the cars they drive, or the labels on their clothing and accessories. Still others define themselves by the church they attend or the club to which they belong or the ministry outreach in which they participate. Labels and more labels, all external.
In the process of adding labels to their lives, and then defining themselves by those labels, these people have lost, or possibly never discovered their own deep inner sense of self.
I live a transformed and empowered life because I have discovered my original design, fashioned by the Master Architect Himself. I have learned that God esteems us, not some worldly label. God values us. He loves us. He declares us to be worthy of His mercy, forgiveness, and presence. He helps us grow into the fullness of who He created us to be.
Anyone can choose to be a worldly princess, but you have been handpicked by the King to be His Princess. Now take your God-given appointed position. Let your life lived for your Lord be the legacy you leave behind.
When you truly know who you are and whose you are, all of life comes into focus.
In His Grip,
Dalinda
Others define themselves by neighborhoods in which they live, or the cars they drive, or the labels on their clothing and accessories. Still others define themselves by the church they attend or the club to which they belong or the ministry outreach in which they participate. Labels and more labels, all external.
In the process of adding labels to their lives, and then defining themselves by those labels, these people have lost, or possibly never discovered their own deep inner sense of self.
I live a transformed and empowered life because I have discovered my original design, fashioned by the Master Architect Himself. I have learned that God esteems us, not some worldly label. God values us. He loves us. He declares us to be worthy of His mercy, forgiveness, and presence. He helps us grow into the fullness of who He created us to be.
Anyone can choose to be a worldly princess, but you have been handpicked by the King to be His Princess. Now take your God-given appointed position. Let your life lived for your Lord be the legacy you leave behind.
When you truly know who you are and whose you are, all of life comes into focus.
In His Grip,
Dalinda
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Are You Willing To Move Out Of Your Comfort Zone To Shine For Jesus?
God created us to live in relationship with Him. Our identity is sealed as a result of that relationship. God created us to be His image bearers put on earth to influence everyone to whom we relate. We were not created to stay isolated in our comfort zone.
Jesus Christ has made a radical difference in our lives. He calls us to be shining lights in our dark and deceived world. In order for us to shine we need to abandon our comfort zones. If we stay stuck in a comfort zone controlled by fear and a desire to be comfortable at all costs, we are like a mighty lion living in a caged area at the zoo. We may be comfortable, but we are not really experiencing the fullness of life.
We fail to move out of our comfort zones because we are waiting for our anxiety to go away. If you wait until you're ready, you will never do it. The only way to be fully alive is to feel the fear, the anxiety, and do it anyway. Be scared to death and do what you have to do! I believe that when we stare fear in the face, our faith increases.
Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith involves facing your fears and moving out in God's power, despite those fears.
Women, who put their trust in God, know they accomplish things not because of their fabulous potential, but because they are willing to be vessels used by the Lord. They are willing to risk failure and criticism. They are also aware that failure and success are only temporary.
We are willing to risk because we are not trying to prove ourselves. Our significance and value has already been declared through Jesus Christ.
God delights in using human beings with their limitations and inadequacies who are willing to be used.
The self -confident woman knows who she is because she knows whose she is.
In Him,
Dalinda
Jesus Christ has made a radical difference in our lives. He calls us to be shining lights in our dark and deceived world. In order for us to shine we need to abandon our comfort zones. If we stay stuck in a comfort zone controlled by fear and a desire to be comfortable at all costs, we are like a mighty lion living in a caged area at the zoo. We may be comfortable, but we are not really experiencing the fullness of life.
We fail to move out of our comfort zones because we are waiting for our anxiety to go away. If you wait until you're ready, you will never do it. The only way to be fully alive is to feel the fear, the anxiety, and do it anyway. Be scared to death and do what you have to do! I believe that when we stare fear in the face, our faith increases.
Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith involves facing your fears and moving out in God's power, despite those fears.
Women, who put their trust in God, know they accomplish things not because of their fabulous potential, but because they are willing to be vessels used by the Lord. They are willing to risk failure and criticism. They are also aware that failure and success are only temporary.
We are willing to risk because we are not trying to prove ourselves. Our significance and value has already been declared through Jesus Christ.
God delights in using human beings with their limitations and inadequacies who are willing to be used.
The self -confident woman knows who she is because she knows whose she is.
In Him,
Dalinda
Monday, July 25, 2011
Real Faith Grows In the Dark
Can you think of anyone who wants to get to the Promised Land, but doesn't want to do what is necessary to make the trip? How about a person who desires to have everything he needs, but is not willing to give up anything to get it? Can you imagine someone who believes she should have already arrived without having to trust God for every step to get there? Can you think of anyone who would even consider trying to pass a test without having taken it? So can I. I think we all can.
One of the ways God makes us certain of His light is by allowing us to test it in the darkness. But this darkness is not to be dreaded. It is the darkness God has created for His purposes. God sometimes allows things to get very dark in our lives in order to grow us up and teach us about Himself. And some things that we accomplish in darkness cannot happen in any other setting.
We're in the darkness until we see His light in it. He wants us to reach out for Him so we can walk together in the same direction. He desires that we draw close so that we sense His presence at all times. This is not like the darkness of evil, which you can clearly sense. Or the darkness of our own disobedience, which we know in our hearts. This is a different kind of darkness, and God says there are treasures to be found there. The treasure we find in the darkness is Him. Isaiah 45:3 says, "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel"
I have gone through dark times in my life with my parents, my children, my marriage, my health, my work, and my relationships, and for many years I didn't realize that God was using these situations to increase my knowledge of Him. Now that I look back, I realize these were the very times that I had the greatest sense of His presence in my life. The more the difficulty, the more fervently I reached out to Him. As a result, my perception of who God is grew deeper and deeper. I discovered the amazing largeness of His love and grace toward those who walk closely with Him.
Some things we only learn in the dark.
Blessings,
Dalinda
One of the ways God makes us certain of His light is by allowing us to test it in the darkness. But this darkness is not to be dreaded. It is the darkness God has created for His purposes. God sometimes allows things to get very dark in our lives in order to grow us up and teach us about Himself. And some things that we accomplish in darkness cannot happen in any other setting.
We're in the darkness until we see His light in it. He wants us to reach out for Him so we can walk together in the same direction. He desires that we draw close so that we sense His presence at all times. This is not like the darkness of evil, which you can clearly sense. Or the darkness of our own disobedience, which we know in our hearts. This is a different kind of darkness, and God says there are treasures to be found there. The treasure we find in the darkness is Him. Isaiah 45:3 says, "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel"
I have gone through dark times in my life with my parents, my children, my marriage, my health, my work, and my relationships, and for many years I didn't realize that God was using these situations to increase my knowledge of Him. Now that I look back, I realize these were the very times that I had the greatest sense of His presence in my life. The more the difficulty, the more fervently I reached out to Him. As a result, my perception of who God is grew deeper and deeper. I discovered the amazing largeness of His love and grace toward those who walk closely with Him.
Some things we only learn in the dark.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Friday, July 22, 2011
Choices
When someone tells us that we cannot do something it just makes us want to do it all the more. And we someone tells us that we have to follow certain rules it makes us want to rebel. That is just our human nature.
When I was about 9 years old I loved to play in my Dad's Volkswagen. His "gold bug". I would sit in the front seat and pretend that I was driving. One day I noticed that my Dad had left his cigarettes in the Volkswagen. I had always wondered why my Dad liked smoking them so much so I decided that I would try one. I got out of the "gold bug" and took one cigarette out of the pack and lit it. I slowly put it up to my mouth and took a puff. I started to choke. I coughed and coughed. I felt like I was going to throw up!
I definitely did not want my Dad to know that I had tried them so I put everything back in the "gold bug" the way that I'd found it. I played for a while longer and then went inside the house. My Dad was watching a golf tournament and my Mom was folding clothes. I was in the kitchen getting something to drink and my Dad came in to ask me what I had been doing. I got a little scared. The first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "Dad, why do you like those cigarettes so much?" He replied, "You have been playing in my "Bug" and tried my cigarettes haven't you?" A huge knot came in my throat and I said, "Yes sir!" I just knew that he was going to yell at me and spank me good. But he didn't! He asked me in a normal toned voice, "Well, what did you think when you tried them?" I stood there for a second, stunned, and then replied, "They're gross!!!!" Dad didn't say anything else at all about it. To this day, I have NEVER put another cigarette in my mouth again.
Dad gave me a choice. He didn't make me choose not to ever try a cigarette again. I think if he had I would have probably tried one again, just because he said not to.
God is a lot like my Dad. God gives you a choice to love Him or not. He does not make you love him.
God created man in His own image. He placed in the soul of man a will. God permits every person to choose his own path. God Himself has authority to choose whether He will do something or not. Thus, God created man with the right and responsibility to make important choices for himself. God could have created man so that we would (automatically) do His will, and not have any choice in the matter. However, God gave to man a free will and the responsibility to choose for himself whether to obey God. God did not want to create a mere machine (robot).
Man is a special creation. God created us for Himself. God wants us to choose to love Him and worship Him. God has committed a great responsibility to man! Man must choose for himself whether to follow God or Satan, whether he will cherish the Word of God or despise it. People choose to allow Satan to influence them. God will not force anyone to believe His Word. He will NEVER force us to love and obey Him. Love is not love if it is coerced.
God allows each of us to choose for ourselves which path to follow. But, in the end, God will judge everyone who rejects His Kingdom, because God created man for Himself.
I choose Jesus: there is NO substitute!
Have a very blessed weekend everyone!
Dalinda
When I was about 9 years old I loved to play in my Dad's Volkswagen. His "gold bug". I would sit in the front seat and pretend that I was driving. One day I noticed that my Dad had left his cigarettes in the Volkswagen. I had always wondered why my Dad liked smoking them so much so I decided that I would try one. I got out of the "gold bug" and took one cigarette out of the pack and lit it. I slowly put it up to my mouth and took a puff. I started to choke. I coughed and coughed. I felt like I was going to throw up!
I definitely did not want my Dad to know that I had tried them so I put everything back in the "gold bug" the way that I'd found it. I played for a while longer and then went inside the house. My Dad was watching a golf tournament and my Mom was folding clothes. I was in the kitchen getting something to drink and my Dad came in to ask me what I had been doing. I got a little scared. The first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "Dad, why do you like those cigarettes so much?" He replied, "You have been playing in my "Bug" and tried my cigarettes haven't you?" A huge knot came in my throat and I said, "Yes sir!" I just knew that he was going to yell at me and spank me good. But he didn't! He asked me in a normal toned voice, "Well, what did you think when you tried them?" I stood there for a second, stunned, and then replied, "They're gross!!!!" Dad didn't say anything else at all about it. To this day, I have NEVER put another cigarette in my mouth again.
Dad gave me a choice. He didn't make me choose not to ever try a cigarette again. I think if he had I would have probably tried one again, just because he said not to.
God is a lot like my Dad. God gives you a choice to love Him or not. He does not make you love him.
God created man in His own image. He placed in the soul of man a will. God permits every person to choose his own path. God Himself has authority to choose whether He will do something or not. Thus, God created man with the right and responsibility to make important choices for himself. God could have created man so that we would (automatically) do His will, and not have any choice in the matter. However, God gave to man a free will and the responsibility to choose for himself whether to obey God. God did not want to create a mere machine (robot).
Man is a special creation. God created us for Himself. God wants us to choose to love Him and worship Him. God has committed a great responsibility to man! Man must choose for himself whether to follow God or Satan, whether he will cherish the Word of God or despise it. People choose to allow Satan to influence them. God will not force anyone to believe His Word. He will NEVER force us to love and obey Him. Love is not love if it is coerced.
God allows each of us to choose for ourselves which path to follow. But, in the end, God will judge everyone who rejects His Kingdom, because God created man for Himself.
I choose Jesus: there is NO substitute!
Have a very blessed weekend everyone!
Dalinda
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Bitterness vs Rejoicing Through Trials?
We harm no one through bitterness as much as we harm ourselves. "Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." In the face of evil and suffering, responding to God or others with bitterness, distrust, and accusations bears no good fruit. But responding in honest brokenness and turning to God in submission, faith, and trust yields untold riches of peace and comfort.
Adversity itself does not cause our joy. Our joy comes through the expectation of the development of godly character. God doesn't ask us to cheer because we lost our job, or a loved one contracts cancer, or a child has an incurable birth defect. He tells us to rejoice because He will produce in us something money can't buy and ease will never produce...the quality of perserverance.
Persevering is holding steady to a belief or course of action. It's steadfastness in completing a commitment.
God gives each of us a race to run. To finish well we must produce perseverance. A believer's life is not a hundred-meter dash, but a marathon. Those who lack patience, endurance, and discipline will drop out of the race.
We rejoice through trials, not because we find them easy, but because we know they will one day produce great reward.
In His love,
Dalinda
Adversity itself does not cause our joy. Our joy comes through the expectation of the development of godly character. God doesn't ask us to cheer because we lost our job, or a loved one contracts cancer, or a child has an incurable birth defect. He tells us to rejoice because He will produce in us something money can't buy and ease will never produce...the quality of perserverance.
Persevering is holding steady to a belief or course of action. It's steadfastness in completing a commitment.
God gives each of us a race to run. To finish well we must produce perseverance. A believer's life is not a hundred-meter dash, but a marathon. Those who lack patience, endurance, and discipline will drop out of the race.
We rejoice through trials, not because we find them easy, but because we know they will one day produce great reward.
In His love,
Dalinda
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Find Ways To Discover Advantages To Your Disadvantages
You and I constantly bump into people submerged in self-pity. They are hopelessly lost in the swamp of discontent. All they can tell you is how wrong this was, how unfair she was, how someone's promise was broken, and on and on.
We usually can do very little to change our lot. We can only change our reaction to our lot. We cannot change our past, for example. I don't care how brilliant we are, our past stands in concrete. We cannot delete it. But we can learn to see our past from God's perspective, and use the disadvantages of yesterday in our life, today and forever.
I want to share a story with you about a man by the name of Tom Sullivan. He was addressing five thousand men and women in Dallas, as he spoke to the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table of the insurance companies around the world.
Sullivan has been on the "Good Morning America" show. He's also done guest television apperances on "M-A-S-H" and "Fame." He was in the film Airport '77. He's a world-class athlete, with two national championship records in wrestling. He was on the 1958 Olympic wrestling team. He earned a degree at Harvard in clinical psychology. He's a musician. He's an author. He runs six miles a day on the beach. He swims. He sky dives and has thirty-seven jumps to his credit. I should also tell you that Tom Sullivan is blind.
Five thousand successful insurance people were on the edge of their seats applauding, enjoying, laughing, and learning as they listened to a man who couldn't even see the podium in front of him, to say nothing of seeing the smiles on their faces.
He had one major point in his talk: "You've got a disadvantage? Take advantage of it! People don't buy similarity. They buy differences." The disadvantage is what makes you distinct and different. The similarities are no big deal.
What's your story? Everybody has a story. And sure, it's got some injustice in it. The message I want to leave with you is simply this: Disadvantages need not disqualify. Imagine the lives you could touch and strengthen simply by being all you can be.
God knows the end from the beginning, and He knows you and your needs far better than even you do. Don't ask, "Why is this happening to me?" Rather, ask the question, "How should I respond?'" Otherwise, you'll miss the beneficial role suffering plays in life.
Blessings,
Dalinda
We usually can do very little to change our lot. We can only change our reaction to our lot. We cannot change our past, for example. I don't care how brilliant we are, our past stands in concrete. We cannot delete it. But we can learn to see our past from God's perspective, and use the disadvantages of yesterday in our life, today and forever.
I want to share a story with you about a man by the name of Tom Sullivan. He was addressing five thousand men and women in Dallas, as he spoke to the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table of the insurance companies around the world.
Sullivan has been on the "Good Morning America" show. He's also done guest television apperances on "M-A-S-H" and "Fame." He was in the film Airport '77. He's a world-class athlete, with two national championship records in wrestling. He was on the 1958 Olympic wrestling team. He earned a degree at Harvard in clinical psychology. He's a musician. He's an author. He runs six miles a day on the beach. He swims. He sky dives and has thirty-seven jumps to his credit. I should also tell you that Tom Sullivan is blind.
Five thousand successful insurance people were on the edge of their seats applauding, enjoying, laughing, and learning as they listened to a man who couldn't even see the podium in front of him, to say nothing of seeing the smiles on their faces.
He had one major point in his talk: "You've got a disadvantage? Take advantage of it! People don't buy similarity. They buy differences." The disadvantage is what makes you distinct and different. The similarities are no big deal.
What's your story? Everybody has a story. And sure, it's got some injustice in it. The message I want to leave with you is simply this: Disadvantages need not disqualify. Imagine the lives you could touch and strengthen simply by being all you can be.
God knows the end from the beginning, and He knows you and your needs far better than even you do. Don't ask, "Why is this happening to me?" Rather, ask the question, "How should I respond?'" Otherwise, you'll miss the beneficial role suffering plays in life.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Since I Met Jesus EVERYTHING Is Different
Life is filled by many things, but do they fill us?
"I want to spend time with God, but I just can't seem to find the time." Sound familiar? You will always have interruptions. The enemy doesn't want you to spend time with God. But God will bless your efforts to spend time with him.
To grow in a relationship with God, we have to spend time with Him. It's the most important calendar item of the day!
If you consistently meet with Him, it becomes a holy habit, so that if you skip a day, you miss Him like a friend who has moved away.
True transformation takes place when the inner spirit and outer image become one in celebration with Christ. God wants use to embrace the whole package of who He created us to be. There is so much more to us physically, spiritually, and mentally than we can imagine. As we grow to know Christ more, we are able to see ourselves in the truth of God's light and in the truth of His healing and empowering Word.
Few of us take advantage of this incredible privilege the way we should. God has layed Himself out before us like an incredible spiritual buffet where we can taste His delights as He reveals each one to us, yet we settle for ordering a Happy Meal and ignore the lavish spread.
God allows us to find Him if we only look. But we think Happy Meals taste good enough, so we never stop to consider what might be on the buffet table.
Leave those Happy Meals behind and dive into the buffet. Will you join me?
In Him,
Dalinda
"I want to spend time with God, but I just can't seem to find the time." Sound familiar? You will always have interruptions. The enemy doesn't want you to spend time with God. But God will bless your efforts to spend time with him.
To grow in a relationship with God, we have to spend time with Him. It's the most important calendar item of the day!
If you consistently meet with Him, it becomes a holy habit, so that if you skip a day, you miss Him like a friend who has moved away.
True transformation takes place when the inner spirit and outer image become one in celebration with Christ. God wants use to embrace the whole package of who He created us to be. There is so much more to us physically, spiritually, and mentally than we can imagine. As we grow to know Christ more, we are able to see ourselves in the truth of God's light and in the truth of His healing and empowering Word.
Few of us take advantage of this incredible privilege the way we should. God has layed Himself out before us like an incredible spiritual buffet where we can taste His delights as He reveals each one to us, yet we settle for ordering a Happy Meal and ignore the lavish spread.
God allows us to find Him if we only look. But we think Happy Meals taste good enough, so we never stop to consider what might be on the buffet table.
Leave those Happy Meals behind and dive into the buffet. Will you join me?
In Him,
Dalinda
Monday, July 18, 2011
Our Desires vs God's Desires
When we insist on trying to pursue our own desires even when they run contrary to God's desires, we put ourselves in a place we don't belong.
Why is it that we try so hard to belong in places we were never meant to be? Usually, it's because we want so badly to be there. But what we've all failed to realize at one time or another is that it's not being where we want that brings the fulfillment and satisfaction we seek; it's being where God wants us to be.
God has designed and equipped us to fulfill a particular role in this world. If we spend all our time trying to be somewhere else or do something else, not only will we probably experience dissatisfaction in the place we weren't meant to be, but we we'll also miss out on the rich blessings God has planned to give us in the place He planned for us to be.
Oh, sure, the other side of the fence might look greener, but it's an optical illusion. It's not really a field full of grass; it's a field planted with grass that Satan has planted to look green so he can deceive us into moving to his side of the fence. And when we get there, we'll find that in pursuing what we thought was the best, we've cheated ourselves out of what the best really was.
I'm certain that the best I can think of for myself pales in comparison to the best God has in mind for me. I'd rather trust His judgement on which grass is greener. After all, if He says that His side of the fence is greener than the other side, I'd rather believe Him than trust my own eyes.
My desires are God's desires!
Blessings,
Dalinda
Why is it that we try so hard to belong in places we were never meant to be? Usually, it's because we want so badly to be there. But what we've all failed to realize at one time or another is that it's not being where we want that brings the fulfillment and satisfaction we seek; it's being where God wants us to be.
God has designed and equipped us to fulfill a particular role in this world. If we spend all our time trying to be somewhere else or do something else, not only will we probably experience dissatisfaction in the place we weren't meant to be, but we we'll also miss out on the rich blessings God has planned to give us in the place He planned for us to be.
Oh, sure, the other side of the fence might look greener, but it's an optical illusion. It's not really a field full of grass; it's a field planted with grass that Satan has planted to look green so he can deceive us into moving to his side of the fence. And when we get there, we'll find that in pursuing what we thought was the best, we've cheated ourselves out of what the best really was.
I'm certain that the best I can think of for myself pales in comparison to the best God has in mind for me. I'd rather trust His judgement on which grass is greener. After all, if He says that His side of the fence is greener than the other side, I'd rather believe Him than trust my own eyes.
My desires are God's desires!
Blessings,
Dalinda
Friday, July 15, 2011
The “Give” In Forgiveness
Harboring unforgiveness is probably one of the most dangerous heart conditions we can have because the Bible tells us very plainly that if we will not forgive other people, then God cannot forgive us.
Forgiveness releases the accused from your custody and turns him over to God…the righteous Judge. The one and only One who is both able and responsible for carrying out justice.
We sometimes feel that if we forgive someone, justice will not be served. They’ll get off scot-free. We’ll be doing little more than giving them permission to do wrong again, seeing how easily we let them get away with it this time.
From a human perspective, this makes since. But according to God’s Word, wrongdoers will get their just due. But we’re not the ones responsible to carry out the penalty. Romans 12:19 says, “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay,’ says the Lord”
Jesus taught us that we are to forgive those who hurt us, pray for those who despitefully use us, and bless those who curse us. That is hard! But there is something harder…being full of hatred, bitterness, and resentment. In reality, you are keeping yourself imprisoned by your offender.
Set yourself free! Don’t try to get people back for what they have done to you. Leave it in God’s hands.
In Him,
Dalinda
Forgiveness releases the accused from your custody and turns him over to God…the righteous Judge. The one and only One who is both able and responsible for carrying out justice.
We sometimes feel that if we forgive someone, justice will not be served. They’ll get off scot-free. We’ll be doing little more than giving them permission to do wrong again, seeing how easily we let them get away with it this time.
From a human perspective, this makes since. But according to God’s Word, wrongdoers will get their just due. But we’re not the ones responsible to carry out the penalty. Romans 12:19 says, “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay,’ says the Lord”
Jesus taught us that we are to forgive those who hurt us, pray for those who despitefully use us, and bless those who curse us. That is hard! But there is something harder…being full of hatred, bitterness, and resentment. In reality, you are keeping yourself imprisoned by your offender.
Set yourself free! Don’t try to get people back for what they have done to you. Leave it in God’s hands.
In Him,
Dalinda
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Don't Be In Such A Big Hurry!
"I have so much to do today! I have three loads of laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put away. I have a doctor's appointment at 2 and have to have the boys at their ball game at 5:30 and go to the store sometime in between." Sound familiar???
Sometimes I get so busy that I feel like I am forgetting something. And sometimes I get so exhausted just thinking about what all I have to get done...You?
As I consider the things I do each day and how much importance I place on each little task, I realize it's nothing compared to what God did in one single day. God created the heavens and the earth in the time it took me to do laundry, go to my doctors appointment, get to the store and have my boys at their ball game. If I skipped doing the laundry, the worst thing that would happen is we'd have to wear clothes stuck in the back of the drawer.
Our souls matter to God. He prepared a place for us to live and learn about Him. He gave us the work we do, but the stress we feel is self-imposed. I can only imagine how I would freak out if I was assigned God's to-do list.
My advice to you and me is, "Don't be in such a big hurry!" We may be full of dreams for our lives, but we may also be trying to achieve our dreams out of season. We can make huge messes in our lives and sometimes get upset with God because things didn't work out the way we thought the Lord said they would. Things will happen as God said if we wait on His timing.
We never learn patience without something to be patient about.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Sometimes I get so busy that I feel like I am forgetting something. And sometimes I get so exhausted just thinking about what all I have to get done...You?
As I consider the things I do each day and how much importance I place on each little task, I realize it's nothing compared to what God did in one single day. God created the heavens and the earth in the time it took me to do laundry, go to my doctors appointment, get to the store and have my boys at their ball game. If I skipped doing the laundry, the worst thing that would happen is we'd have to wear clothes stuck in the back of the drawer.
Our souls matter to God. He prepared a place for us to live and learn about Him. He gave us the work we do, but the stress we feel is self-imposed. I can only imagine how I would freak out if I was assigned God's to-do list.
My advice to you and me is, "Don't be in such a big hurry!" We may be full of dreams for our lives, but we may also be trying to achieve our dreams out of season. We can make huge messes in our lives and sometimes get upset with God because things didn't work out the way we thought the Lord said they would. Things will happen as God said if we wait on His timing.
We never learn patience without something to be patient about.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Daily Adventures With God
There is nothing more exciting or more fulfilling than going on daily adventures with God!
Everyday God has an appointment for you to keep. You can, however, miss your divine appointments when you are too busy thinking about your own aganda.
As believers, our main purpose is to make a difference in this broken world. Divine appointments keep us focused on eternity and gives us something exciting to talk about....rather than complaining about the things that challenge and frustrate us during the day.
Everyone of us has the opportunity to be God's extended hand of love to someone in need. The key is to look for the divine appointment that God has scheduled for you each day and not be so consumed with your own agenda that you miss the opportunity to touch a life.
Always remember that His reflection in us is more beautiful than we could ever make ourselves.
Have a blessed Wednesday!
Dalinda
Everyday God has an appointment for you to keep. You can, however, miss your divine appointments when you are too busy thinking about your own aganda.
As believers, our main purpose is to make a difference in this broken world. Divine appointments keep us focused on eternity and gives us something exciting to talk about....rather than complaining about the things that challenge and frustrate us during the day.
Everyone of us has the opportunity to be God's extended hand of love to someone in need. The key is to look for the divine appointment that God has scheduled for you each day and not be so consumed with your own agenda that you miss the opportunity to touch a life.
Always remember that His reflection in us is more beautiful than we could ever make ourselves.
Have a blessed Wednesday!
Dalinda
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
We Are All Characters In God's Story
Since before we were born, God has had a unique plan for each of us. It is not a plan of failure, misery, poverty, sickness or disease. God's plan is a good plan, a plan for life and health, happiness, and fulfillment.
It would benefit every one of us if we would say to ourselves several times a day, "God has a good plan for my life." Each of us needs to be firmly convinced of that truth to keep us from being affected by our changing circumstances and emotions.
Just remember that we have an enemy who is out to destroy God's wonderful plan. Satan uses people and circumstances, but they are not our real enemy; Satan is. He finds things and people through whom he can work and delights in watching us fight and war without ever realizing he is the source. We need to know our enemy...not only who he is, but what his character is like.
The Bible encourages us to know the character of God so we can place faith in Him and what He says. Likewise, we should know Satan's character so we do not listen to nor believe his lies.
I too am a character in God's story. At times I'd like to take a break from the drama. Three months off without stress would feel nice. But honestly wouldn't want a permanent break, because the story gives meaning to my life. I'm part of something great, far bigger than myself. And I trust God not only to bring the whole story together, but to do with my part of it what He knows to be best.
Blessings,
Dalinda
It would benefit every one of us if we would say to ourselves several times a day, "God has a good plan for my life." Each of us needs to be firmly convinced of that truth to keep us from being affected by our changing circumstances and emotions.
Just remember that we have an enemy who is out to destroy God's wonderful plan. Satan uses people and circumstances, but they are not our real enemy; Satan is. He finds things and people through whom he can work and delights in watching us fight and war without ever realizing he is the source. We need to know our enemy...not only who he is, but what his character is like.
The Bible encourages us to know the character of God so we can place faith in Him and what He says. Likewise, we should know Satan's character so we do not listen to nor believe his lies.
I too am a character in God's story. At times I'd like to take a break from the drama. Three months off without stress would feel nice. But honestly wouldn't want a permanent break, because the story gives meaning to my life. I'm part of something great, far bigger than myself. And I trust God not only to bring the whole story together, but to do with my part of it what He knows to be best.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Monday, July 11, 2011
How We Can Enjoy Life's Wild Ride
Roller coasters are designed to take you on a wild ride. One minute you're elated at how high the coaster has climbed. The next your stomach feels as though it's dropping through the floorbaords as you hurtle toward the ground. You can enjoy the experience because you're safe...as long as you remain in your seat.
Remaining in God is what allows you to fully enjoy the roller coaster ride of life. When you try to make life work on your own, it's easy to get hooked on the highs and fall to pieces during the lows. Your happiness ends up being dependent on your present circumstances.
Joy doesn't ride an emotional roller coaster. It helps you delight in God and life, regardless of your circumstances. Choose joy today by remaining in God's seat of safety. God's constant love for us will never let us down, no matter how things appear.
Joy isn't found through favorable circumstances, joy is found by choosing to remain close to God and his love through obedience. When we have joy, we see goodness even in unexpected places, including in persecution and suffering.
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!" Psalm 30:11-12
In His love,
Dalinda
Remaining in God is what allows you to fully enjoy the roller coaster ride of life. When you try to make life work on your own, it's easy to get hooked on the highs and fall to pieces during the lows. Your happiness ends up being dependent on your present circumstances.
Joy doesn't ride an emotional roller coaster. It helps you delight in God and life, regardless of your circumstances. Choose joy today by remaining in God's seat of safety. God's constant love for us will never let us down, no matter how things appear.
Joy isn't found through favorable circumstances, joy is found by choosing to remain close to God and his love through obedience. When we have joy, we see goodness even in unexpected places, including in persecution and suffering.
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!" Psalm 30:11-12
In His love,
Dalinda
Friday, July 8, 2011
In His Strength
I don't know a woman alive who is completely happy with her body!
I have always struggled with my weight. When I was a child my grandmother had to make my clothes for me. The children in my school would always make fun of me.
I didn't call them my friends, because if they were truly my friends, they wouldn't have made fun of me! I could have gone on a diet it I wanted to. I just wanted the other children to like me.
When I got to the 10th grade I made a decision to change my body. But I did it all for the wrong reasons. I did it so my peers would accept me. I had lost about 40 pounds by the time I was a senior in high school. I maintained my weight throughout college. I still had maintained my weight when I got married. But when I had my first baby, I put those 40 pounds back on.
I have tried many diets in my lifetime! But once I went off of those diets, my weight started creeping back on. It's easier to make excuses than changes! I couldn't eat like a athletic teenager and then complain about my extra layers of fluff.
This wasn't really about the scale or what clothing size I was; it was about this battle that raged in my heart. I turned to food for comfort instead of God.
When my mother was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in August 05' my eyes were opened to the fact that I needed to take better care of myself. In fact, my GYN told me that one of the top leading causes of cancer is being overweight. Being overweight leads to diabetes and both my parents were diabetic. Having diabetes was also one of the top conditions that lead to cancer.
I made my mind up that I was going to lose weight and keep it off so that I would be here to see my kids grow up and have kids, and see their kids have kids.
My mother passed away in December 06' and I was heartbroken! I struggled with losing weight, and not because I wasn't trying, because I truly was. I watched what I ate and I worked out on a regular basis.
About a year after mom's passing I became very depresssed...to the point where I had to take medication for it. I didn't know the person I had become. I missed my mother something awful, and I thought that was the sole reason for my depression. I was desperate! I cried out to God. I couldn't do this any longer in my own strength. I needed help!!!
After many medical tests, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an auto immune disease in which the thyroid gland is destroyed by a variety of cell and antibody mediated immune processes. In English, this means that my thyroid no longer produced the thyroid hormone that my body needed to function properly. It is the primary gland that keeps your metabolism working normally. So today, I am labeled as being hypothyroid.
Hypothyroidism has many symptoms: depression, trouble losing weight, being tired all the time, hair falling out, etc. There are to many to list them all.
I was depressed about losing my mother, but it was also because of my having hypothyroidism. I was put on Synthroid and was told that it would take a few months before my symptoms would subside.
After about 3 months I started to see a differnce in myself and in my weight. I still struggled some and rightly so, because my metabolism wasn't what it used to be.
I truly believe that God used my thyroid disorder to show me and others His power. I was always overweight and I could have changed that if I wanted to, but didn't. Then all of the sudden I truly tried to lose weight and couldn't. I wasn't doing it to please my peers...I was doing it for my health, for the right reason.
In His strength, I lost 56 pounds and am still maintaining it at 40. I feel and look better than I did when I was in my 20's. I really have to watch what I eat and workout at least 4 times a week to maintain my weight, but it is all worth it to stay healthy and to glorify God.
I'm not on a diet. I'm on a journey with Jesus!
In Him,
Dalinda
I have always struggled with my weight. When I was a child my grandmother had to make my clothes for me. The children in my school would always make fun of me.
I didn't call them my friends, because if they were truly my friends, they wouldn't have made fun of me! I could have gone on a diet it I wanted to. I just wanted the other children to like me.
When I got to the 10th grade I made a decision to change my body. But I did it all for the wrong reasons. I did it so my peers would accept me. I had lost about 40 pounds by the time I was a senior in high school. I maintained my weight throughout college. I still had maintained my weight when I got married. But when I had my first baby, I put those 40 pounds back on.
I have tried many diets in my lifetime! But once I went off of those diets, my weight started creeping back on. It's easier to make excuses than changes! I couldn't eat like a athletic teenager and then complain about my extra layers of fluff.
This wasn't really about the scale or what clothing size I was; it was about this battle that raged in my heart. I turned to food for comfort instead of God.
When my mother was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in August 05' my eyes were opened to the fact that I needed to take better care of myself. In fact, my GYN told me that one of the top leading causes of cancer is being overweight. Being overweight leads to diabetes and both my parents were diabetic. Having diabetes was also one of the top conditions that lead to cancer.
I made my mind up that I was going to lose weight and keep it off so that I would be here to see my kids grow up and have kids, and see their kids have kids.
My mother passed away in December 06' and I was heartbroken! I struggled with losing weight, and not because I wasn't trying, because I truly was. I watched what I ate and I worked out on a regular basis.
About a year after mom's passing I became very depresssed...to the point where I had to take medication for it. I didn't know the person I had become. I missed my mother something awful, and I thought that was the sole reason for my depression. I was desperate! I cried out to God. I couldn't do this any longer in my own strength. I needed help!!!
After many medical tests, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an auto immune disease in which the thyroid gland is destroyed by a variety of cell and antibody mediated immune processes. In English, this means that my thyroid no longer produced the thyroid hormone that my body needed to function properly. It is the primary gland that keeps your metabolism working normally. So today, I am labeled as being hypothyroid.
Hypothyroidism has many symptoms: depression, trouble losing weight, being tired all the time, hair falling out, etc. There are to many to list them all.
I was depressed about losing my mother, but it was also because of my having hypothyroidism. I was put on Synthroid and was told that it would take a few months before my symptoms would subside.
After about 3 months I started to see a differnce in myself and in my weight. I still struggled some and rightly so, because my metabolism wasn't what it used to be.
I truly believe that God used my thyroid disorder to show me and others His power. I was always overweight and I could have changed that if I wanted to, but didn't. Then all of the sudden I truly tried to lose weight and couldn't. I wasn't doing it to please my peers...I was doing it for my health, for the right reason.
In His strength, I lost 56 pounds and am still maintaining it at 40. I feel and look better than I did when I was in my 20's. I really have to watch what I eat and workout at least 4 times a week to maintain my weight, but it is all worth it to stay healthy and to glorify God.
I'm not on a diet. I'm on a journey with Jesus!
In Him,
Dalinda
Thursday, July 7, 2011
God Is Good...All The Time
Sometimes God's acts of goodness may appear harsh or even cruel. Sometimes He may be hard to understand.
In our world today, God's children need a reminder to trust Him when we don't undersatnd and nothing seems to make sence. God is bigger than our suffering. We can have hope as we place out trust in Him...in His faithfulness and His ability to work out in our lives His purposes that will be for our ultimate good and His eternal glory.
I want to share an analogy with you about a three-year-old boy who swallows poison. The father calls poison control, and they say, "You have to get him to the hospital. And whatever you do, don't let him fall asleep. If he falls asleep, he'll die."
It was a cold winter night. His father rushes the boy to the car, sits beside him in the front seat, and rolls all the windows down. The boy's head starts to drop. His father slaps him in the face. The boy cries. His head starts to nod again. The father slaps him again and again, all the way to the hospital.
Can the child understand why his father is slapping him in the face? Of course not. He's only three years old. His father, through his tears, says, "I love you, son." But if this is love, the boy doesn't want any more of it.
Even though the child does not understand, the father is acting in his son's best interests. The father is doing good. What the child considers cruelty is actually kindness. Is it possible that God shows his love for us in the midst of human suffering and like that three-year-old, we sometimes don't understand?
God can be good in the midst of chaos; He can be loving without bowing to our every wish or desire.
To say that God is good is not to say God will always appear to be good, or that when He is good we will always like Him for it. We just have to TRUST and BELIEVE that GOD IS GOOD...ALL THE TIME.
Blessings,
Dalinda
In our world today, God's children need a reminder to trust Him when we don't undersatnd and nothing seems to make sence. God is bigger than our suffering. We can have hope as we place out trust in Him...in His faithfulness and His ability to work out in our lives His purposes that will be for our ultimate good and His eternal glory.
I want to share an analogy with you about a three-year-old boy who swallows poison. The father calls poison control, and they say, "You have to get him to the hospital. And whatever you do, don't let him fall asleep. If he falls asleep, he'll die."
It was a cold winter night. His father rushes the boy to the car, sits beside him in the front seat, and rolls all the windows down. The boy's head starts to drop. His father slaps him in the face. The boy cries. His head starts to nod again. The father slaps him again and again, all the way to the hospital.
Can the child understand why his father is slapping him in the face? Of course not. He's only three years old. His father, through his tears, says, "I love you, son." But if this is love, the boy doesn't want any more of it.
Even though the child does not understand, the father is acting in his son's best interests. The father is doing good. What the child considers cruelty is actually kindness. Is it possible that God shows his love for us in the midst of human suffering and like that three-year-old, we sometimes don't understand?
God can be good in the midst of chaos; He can be loving without bowing to our every wish or desire.
To say that God is good is not to say God will always appear to be good, or that when He is good we will always like Him for it. We just have to TRUST and BELIEVE that GOD IS GOOD...ALL THE TIME.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
You Were Made To Be A Blessing
We were created by God to be a blessing.
Every time you think anything good about anyone, verbalize it. People cannot read your mind. Your words can really lift them up and encourage them. All people need affirmation, especially those who are discouraged or hurting. We have more power than we realize we do! We can help people! Right words spoken at the right time have the power to heal. Proverbs 15:23 says, "A man has joy in making an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment--how good it is!"
Encouragement is a POWERFUL thing!
We experience joy in building others up. We are blessed in being a blessing!
In Him,
Dalinda
Every time you think anything good about anyone, verbalize it. People cannot read your mind. Your words can really lift them up and encourage them. All people need affirmation, especially those who are discouraged or hurting. We have more power than we realize we do! We can help people! Right words spoken at the right time have the power to heal. Proverbs 15:23 says, "A man has joy in making an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment--how good it is!"
Encouragement is a POWERFUL thing!
We experience joy in building others up. We are blessed in being a blessing!
In Him,
Dalinda
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Hope
Our suffering can be a source of hope to others.
By no means are we a substitute for God, but we do serve as his ambassadors. A Christian counselor David Powlison once said, " Although God alone is the blazing sun, we can be a 3-watt night light." In darkness even a tiny light can bring hope.
The fact that we've come through suffering may comfort those who don't even know us; indeed, it may help someone long after we've died. Who is being, and will be, touched by your suffering that you won't know about until eternity?
People hear the gospel best when it comes from those who have known difficulty. In 1 Corinthians 9:22, Paul says, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak" Our suffering makes Jesus visible to the world. Our faithful suffering gives others courage to speak up for Jesus.
Suffering creates a sphere of influence for Christ that we couldn't otherwise have. E. Stanley Jones wrote, "Don't bear trouble, use it. Take whatever happens--justice and injustice, pleasure and pain, compliment and criticism...take it up into purpose of your life and make something out of it. Turn it into testimony."
Suffering gives us a way to credibily demonstrate the love of Christ. Larry Waters says, "How the believer deals with undeserved suffering may be the primary witness of God's goodness, justice, grace and love not only to the sufferer, but to a nonbelieving world."
Suffering gives family and friends who become caregivers an opportunity for character growth. In some cases it's not the sufferers but those around them who benefit most.
When I consider how both my parents' deteriorated at the end of their lives, I might argue that it wasn't worth it. Although at times I saw a clear spiritual impact in each situation. Through my parents' weakness, I grew in character, compassion, and love. Suppose I could ask my parents now, in the presence of Christ, "Were your suffering and your final years of indignity worth the character growth it brought about in you, me, and your grandsons and friends, and worth your and your family's spiritual impact on others, including caregivers? I can picture them, on the streets of gold, smiling and nodding emphatically.
A Romanian pastor Josef Tson once said, "The gospel will never be spread without someone suffering."
While it would be nice if our suffering would cease, we know God is more concerned with our souls and character than our comfort and happiness.
Blessings,
Dalinda
By no means are we a substitute for God, but we do serve as his ambassadors. A Christian counselor David Powlison once said, " Although God alone is the blazing sun, we can be a 3-watt night light." In darkness even a tiny light can bring hope.
The fact that we've come through suffering may comfort those who don't even know us; indeed, it may help someone long after we've died. Who is being, and will be, touched by your suffering that you won't know about until eternity?
People hear the gospel best when it comes from those who have known difficulty. In 1 Corinthians 9:22, Paul says, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak" Our suffering makes Jesus visible to the world. Our faithful suffering gives others courage to speak up for Jesus.
Suffering creates a sphere of influence for Christ that we couldn't otherwise have. E. Stanley Jones wrote, "Don't bear trouble, use it. Take whatever happens--justice and injustice, pleasure and pain, compliment and criticism...take it up into purpose of your life and make something out of it. Turn it into testimony."
Suffering gives us a way to credibily demonstrate the love of Christ. Larry Waters says, "How the believer deals with undeserved suffering may be the primary witness of God's goodness, justice, grace and love not only to the sufferer, but to a nonbelieving world."
Suffering gives family and friends who become caregivers an opportunity for character growth. In some cases it's not the sufferers but those around them who benefit most.
When I consider how both my parents' deteriorated at the end of their lives, I might argue that it wasn't worth it. Although at times I saw a clear spiritual impact in each situation. Through my parents' weakness, I grew in character, compassion, and love. Suppose I could ask my parents now, in the presence of Christ, "Were your suffering and your final years of indignity worth the character growth it brought about in you, me, and your grandsons and friends, and worth your and your family's spiritual impact on others, including caregivers? I can picture them, on the streets of gold, smiling and nodding emphatically.
A Romanian pastor Josef Tson once said, "The gospel will never be spread without someone suffering."
While it would be nice if our suffering would cease, we know God is more concerned with our souls and character than our comfort and happiness.
Blessings,
Dalinda
Friday, July 1, 2011
God Is In Control
God is truly in control and if we believe it, we have nothing to fear.
When we spend our time worrying, we are spending our time saying that God isn't there, that He can't handle our problems...and that's just not true. Our will may not be His, but His is always better.
If we could only grasp that....God is in control, not your husband. God is in control, not your children or parents. God is in control, not your doctor. God is in control, not your boss. God is in control, not a terrorist.
No matter what is going on in your life right now, God loves you and He is in control, so you don't have to be!
Have a Happy 4th everyone!
In Him,
Dalinda
When we spend our time worrying, we are spending our time saying that God isn't there, that He can't handle our problems...and that's just not true. Our will may not be His, but His is always better.
If we could only grasp that....God is in control, not your husband. God is in control, not your children or parents. God is in control, not your doctor. God is in control, not your boss. God is in control, not a terrorist.
No matter what is going on in your life right now, God loves you and He is in control, so you don't have to be!
Have a Happy 4th everyone!
In Him,
Dalinda
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