Do you ever struggle with the desires of the flesh? You know you want to walk the right way, but the fleshly desires of your humanness are loud and screaming inside to be satisfied. What do you do? How do you overcome? What do you do when you are in the heat of the moment and give in? What do you do afterwards? This struggle, this war within and without never ceases to end. How do we get the victory? How do we overcome? Wars of the Flesh!

Romans 7:21-8:4 …So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! … Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit…

Every time we meet with the law, we meet with defeat! Let me say that again, every time we meet with the law, we meet with defeat! When we try to live up to what we should do, we judge ourselves according to the law. The law has already judged us and we are worthy of death. We can’t help but sin, it is in our nature. There is no escape in the flesh. Paul says we are a prisoner of the law of sin within us. How will we overcome? Who will rescue us? There I go, except by the grace of God. Get this please, and my inner man also, except by grace we are capable of doing the same terrible and horrible things that are done in the world every day. Grace! Grace! Grace! If we can really understand this next scripture, it will set us totally free.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

So now, if we are saved by grace, and according to Romans, we have been set free from the law of sin and death, why on earth would we ever want to live according to it again? We do, because that is how we were taught. Some church leaders need some kind of hold on their people, they can’t just let them run wild in the Spirit of God and have some fun and overcoming in Him, now can they? Now, this isn’t always the case, a lot of leaders simply don’t know. They don’t understand this passage. Get the whip out and let’s beat ourselves for missing the mark again. Does this sound familiar? It does to me, I’ve done it and sometimes I still get caught up in it. Woe is me, I failed again. SELF-PITY! The devil loves self-pity. He uses this spirit to render mighty men and women of God defenseless. As long as we are in a pity party, we are of no help to the Lord or ourselves. In all fairness, there are also a lot of leaders who understand this truth and operate in it bringing freedom to their groups.

REFOCUS! I am writing this as much to myself as anyone else out there. We are free from the law of sin and death. Focus on Life in the Spirit and you can’t be judged because the righteous requirements of the law have been fully met in Jesus. If we are living in the Spirit, we are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. We are spotless and blameless and this is according to His word. The law has no more control over us, unless we allow it. The devil cannot blame us anymore unless we accept his judgments, nor can anyone else. We stand guiltless and sinless before the Lord. Is there anyone else that dares to judge us otherwise? Are they God? Do they stand against Him? We are His children and He will protect us.

Do some reading about the prophets and people of old? Were their lives perfect? Did they obey every word? Would you have chosen them to represent God? What about Abraham and his fears and mistakes? Look at David and his adultery with his friend’s wife and if that wasn’t bad enough, he had him set up to be killed on the battlefield. What about Paul and the fact that the Lord chose him as an apostle when he was the guy who was pursuing and killing the disciples. Peter denied the Lord not once, but three times and the Lord still put him in charge of others saying, “Peter, feed my sheep.” We are in good company. We are human. We make mistakes, but praise the Lord that it is by grace that we are saved. We are not under the law, but under grace. This doesn’t give me a license to sin, on the contrary, if I live in the spirit I won’t even focus on sinning or not, I’ll simply live. I’ll be focused on Him and His love. I’ll be focused on the needs of others. I’ll be so caught up in His love, some things simply won’t matter anymore. This is where I want to stay, wrapped up in His love while living here on earth.

There is a higher way to live. Take gravity for instance, for so many years we were taught that what goes up, must come down. Then NASA sent a rocket to the moon and it didn’t come back down. We simply superseded the law of gravity. This is how it is in the Spirit. This is how it is with the way of the eagle, soaring high above the things that would try to bring it down. We too, can fly above our circumstances. We realize they are there and we continue to work towards their resolve, but we can do it in an attitude of love and confidence that we will overcome. This is the difference.

I have posted other articles for your reading. We have free encouraging wallpapers and a questionnaire to help you showcase your desires, talents and abilities. There is also music and an art print on the path of life. Feel free to check back twice a week for new posts and if you know of anyone who needs to be encouraged, send them a link. If I haven’t quite worded something right, please forgive me, I am limited by my own humanness. Please catch the spirit of what I am saying. Let’s give each other the room to make mistakes. If you see any bloopers, feel free to laugh. Enjoy your life. Get caught up in Holy Spirit and your life will take on a new meaning. Check out some of my other posts if you want to know how to get closer to Him. As my friend in London says, “Have a lovely day.”

Joseph

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What do you do when everything goes wrong? Do you end your life? Have you gone through too many years to start over again? Do you feel like you are too old or tired to start all over? When Everything Goes Wrong!

Revelation 12:10-11 “For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

Have you lost everything? Are you at the bottom of the pit and the way up seems insurmountable? Are you going to give up? Is everything really lost? Does it really matter? Are you just tired and worn out?

I know the feeling. It may have been different circumstances, but I have stood where you are now. Hopeless, alone, rejected, wounded, fearful of what tomorrow will bring. Where will the next meal come from? How will I ever overcome all of this? I am so far down, there can’t possibly be any way out.

Those days have passed. They have faded into the past and only their memory remains. The Lord has been faithful even when I lost all hope. He never gave up on me and He carried me in His arms when I couldn’t go on. He will do the same for you, if you let Him. The Lord isn’t limited by who we think He is or by what someone else says He is like. He is what He proclaimed in the Bible. He is not bound by our religious beliefs. He is not bound by the government or someone’s military might. He is not scared of terrorists. This is His earth and His creation. He created it. He died on the cross to save mankind. He has a purpose and a plan. He will overcome evil and establish His kingdom on the earth. He will wipe the tears away from His people and comfort them in His love.

He is worthy of our praise. I have seen miracle after miracle including physical healings, mental healings, and being translated from one place to another. I’ve felt His presence so heavy, I was unable to stand. He is more real to me than the people around me. He has done this for me and He wants to do the same for you. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He loves you more than you can imagine. Just think, when He was in the garden of Gethsemane, He knew He was going to die on the cross. He had a choice to make. I believe He saw each and everyone of us and He thought, they are worth it. When He was on the cross, in such agony and pain, He looked up to heaven and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It was for you and me so that we could be restored to the Lord.

You are not at the end, my friend. You have only come to a crossroads. It is simply a change in direction and you are never too old to start down this path. Only Jesus Christ knows what you need. He cares enough to interrupt our lives to help us fulfill the purpose we were created. Are you ready for a miracle? If you turn to Him and ask Him for His help, He will. Dare to get to know Him. What do you have to lose?

I have been asked over and over to share my story. I will be starting on it in the upcoming posts. My life, in my opinion, is riddled with mistakes, distractions, and disappointments. I haven’t done the right things, nor made all the right choices. In my opinion, I am not a good candidate for a role model. I’m glad I wasn’t the one choosing. The Lord picked me up in the midst of my misery and changed my life. Lots of things stood against me, but He was on my side. My bloodline was full of unbelievers and sinners and such. My family life was dysfunctional, broken and torn. I had so many fears I didn’t know if I’d ever stand up strong. I searched and I searched for the truth, because I wanted to know. He was right beside me all the time. All I had to do was ask Him for His help. He’s changed my life. It’s been a journey. It’s been a relationship. I still have a ways to go, but I’m glad I made the choice. I can tell you from experience that He is alive. I have seen the miracles. He has healed me and others physically and mentally. He’s not just some words in a history book. He can change your life, if you want Him to do so. Check out these two posts if you want to get to know Him: “Who Do You Trust,” and “In His Presence.”

Since I’ve started this blog, I’ve had people from around the world write to me. You know what, we are all people. We all have emotions and desires. We laugh, we cry, we love, and of course we have the ability to do terrible things. We live under different laws. We have different religious beliefs because of different religious organizations. My goal with this web site is not to answer everyone’s questions. My goal is to encourage you to go on. My goal is to introduce you to the One who has made such a difference in my life. He is not a myth. He is real. One of my thoughts in the beginning was, “If I can just help one person not to commit suicide, that would be worth it for me.” Suicide is making a permanent decision for a temporary problem. It wrecks families and friends. If, for some reason, you don’t believe there is anyone else in the world who cares for you, I am telling you now, I do. You are the reason and there are more than one of you. I am here to tell you that your life wasn’t a mistake. You are not here by accident. You have a purpose and you have a destiny. You just need some help in finding it. Please check out my other blog posts and the web site. If you want, you can write to me from the contact page. I’ll answer as many as I possibly can. I also write new posts based on questions sent to me. Feel free to ask Jesus anything you want, after all He is the One who created you and knows you the best. I have a questionnaire on the site that will help you discover some things about yourself. I have two of my songs on a flash jukebox. As time permits, I will be adding more. There are four encouraging wallpapers available for free to download to your desktop. I also have an art print on the two paths of life. Check these out and I hope they encourage you. Then reach out to others, smile and encourage them. You will be more encouraged just by encouraging others.

Some of my readers have never been inside of a church building. Some do not even have the luxury of being close enough to go. Some won’t come out of their homes because of the fear in their heart. If we never meet, that is okay, but if you leave this earth without meeting Him, you will have lost everything. If you really want to know the truth, then search for it with all of your heart and you will find it. You are at the end anyway, so what do you have to lose. You are not alone. He is with you. All you have to do is ask. If I don’t meet you here on this earth, I hope to see you in heaven. May you live a full and victorious life. May the Lord fill you with His peace, guide your way, and make Himself known to you. May you find your purpose in this life, journey down the path of life, and fulfill your destiny.

Joseph

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Are you at the bottom? Are you so low, you can’t see any possible way out? Do you feel like your world is falling apart and there is no one around who can hear you scream inside? Are you around friends, but they can’t see you where you are? Is there no hope left? Is the flickering flame about to go out? Are others trying to help, but their advice is just all wrong? Down But Not Out!

Still, there is hope. You are reading this. Time hasn’t run out. Don’t find a permanent solution to a temporary problem! Suicide is not an option. It is a bad permanent decision for a temporary problem. What you are going through is temporary! I know, I’ve been there. We find ourselves in a hole thinking there is no way out. Our emotions lie to us. It is only a temporary thing, but it feels like it will never end. What if tomorrow things were going to change and it would be the major turning point in our lives that we had been waiting for so long, but the only problem was that we checked out of life the day before. That would be a catastrophe! Just one more day would have made a difference. The truth is we don’t know when, but if we give up, we are guaranteed to never make it.

Scripture says that there is nothing that can come against us that is not common to others. In other words, someone else has faced the same kinds of things we are going through. In my opinion, some find a way to make it through and others succumb to the pressure. I personally believe that the best place to come to in our lives is to come to the end of ourselves. Unless we come to this place, we don’t realize who we are.

When I was young, I thought I was invincible. I was very good in school and my grades reflected it and most of it came naturally. I didn’t have to study much. I was also very good with my hands. I came to a place of believing I could accomplish anything I set my hands to do. When I came to the end of myself, I couldn’t do a single thing right. Things that had come so easily before, were now beyond my grasp. We all have our weaknesses. It wasn’t until I came to this place that I was able to discover just how much I really depend on the Lord. Without Him, we can simply do nothing. If He forgets to give us our next breath, we simply die. If you don’t believe me, you still have a ways to go. We are the fortunate ones. Some people never experience the privilege of coming to the end of themselves. They think they are God’s gift to the earth. They live a life of emptiness, trying to fill a gaping whole inside with relationships and everything else that looks good within their sight. They’re the ones who live a life of misery and end up dead inside and lost for eternity. They have everything on this earth they need, yet they miss heaven in eternity. They gain the whole world, but in the end they lose their souls.

Let me tell you again, you are in a good place and if you make the right choices, it can become a turning point in your life. Later on, you will rejoice at having the opportunity to find out who your friends really are, what the real meaning in life is, and just Who the Lord really is. Ask Him to make Himself real to you. Pour out your heart to Him and then listen as He shares His with you. He cares for you more than you will ever know. He knows what is going to happen tomorrow and He knows your destiny. He created you for a specific time in creation, at a specific place on earth for a special purpose. If you choose to accept this destiny, you will be one of the most fulfilled people to walk the earth. A person who does what they were created to do are the happiest people in the world.

If you would like to know more about the Lord, please check out my other posts. I have archived them by title and a short summary for 2007 and 2008. If you find one you would like to comment on or share some encouragement, please do. Also, feel free to contact me on the Contact form. I have some encouraging wallpapers on the site. Feel free to use them on your computer to help keep your focus. I have a couple of the songs recorded that I’ve written in a flash jukebox. It is my hope that these words have brought you enough encouragement to make a difference and to help you overcome. Here’s to your bright future. Go for your destiny. I hope to see you there.

Joseph

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What is victim mentality? I use this term to describe a victim of some traumatic event where being a victim becomes a way of life or habitual. This person believes that others owe them and cease to do things for themselves that could help them achieve victory. Once a person is caught in its web, how do they get out? How can we become an overcomer? How can we get healed and move on with our life? Victim Mentality!

This is a very difficult place to be. A person in this place can be surrounded by the enemy. First of all, a tragic event has happened. Please note that this can also effect an entire country, people, culture, family or individual. Anytime a traumatic event happens it opens a place for the enemy to come in and wreak havoc, not only on the victim but to those who are close and also to the perpetrator and then also to those who have witnessed the event. We see it all the time in the news. We see the hatred and rage that can develop if it is not handled correctly. We’ve also seen innocent people pulled in and hurt. It can all stop with one person, the victim. I am not saying that victims don’t have rights because they do. I am saying that it is not good to go beyond those rights and inflict more damage. Please hear what I am saying, it will bring freedom and healing.

By dwelling on being a victim, unforgiveness, and pain, one can propel themselves into a downward pattern. Unforgiveness is the fastest way to destroy a person’s life. Regardless of what happens to the perpetrators, the victim’s life is in danger. The scripture says that bitterness rots the bone. There are a lot of fragile bones in people these days. I am not saying that all of it has to do with bitterness, but it does warrant a look. Unforgiveness also leads to self-pity, which is the beginning of a lot of darkness. Self-pity attracts a lot of other things; anger, resentment, rage, finger pointing, retaliation, hatred, homicide, suicide, and I also am convinced mental illnesses. I am not a doctor and I am not attempting to make a diagnosis. I am merely pointing out things I have observed.

Traumatic events happen everyday to people just like you and me. Some are by innocent mistakes and others are done on purpose and premeditated. For the sake of this post, I don’t want to touch on rights and legalities, my purpose in writing is to help the victim overcome on a personal level. Forgiveness is something that is on a personal basis. It can release the victim from many years of pain and help speed up the healing process. When a person chooses unforgiveness, their focus in tuned in to the pain, the wrong done to them and the focus is always on the negative. This eats at the person and their attitude continues to spiral downward to death. One who asks the Lord to help them forgive begins the journey to healing and victory. They become free of the things that want to bring them down. They begin to focus on the positive and begin rebuilding their lives. If they choose to focus on helping others, their healing is even more rapid. People come around those who are trying to recover versus those who spew bitterness out of their mouths. Who would you rather be around? Would you like to be healed or do you want to hang on to the pain and misery? The choice is yours. No one can make choices for you. At the end of your life on earth, it is your choices that determine your place in eternity. We won’t be able to blame someone else. We’ve all heard the saying, “The devil made me do it.” No, the devil tempted you and you chose to give in to the temptation. Eve blamed it on the serpent, but God still held her responsible for her decision as well as Adam. It is our choices along the way that have made us what we have become.

Accidents happen to a lot of people, the question is whether we respond or react to them. If something has happened to you that is so terrible and you feel you can’t go on, please cry out to the Lord and ask Him for help. Send us an email through our form on our contact page if there is no one else and we will respond as soon as we can. If you find yourself in a place of unforgiveness, ask Him to help. Look at what He went through on the cross, yet He could still say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing!” He took all of the sins we would ever commit upon His back and chose to forgive us in the midst of His agony and pain, so that we might one day be able to come to Him and be saved and totally forgiven. He weighed every choice in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before and I believe He saw each one of our faces and He knew it would be worth it. He made His choice to endure the cross before He felt any blows to His body. He didn’t deserve our hatred. He didn’t deserve to die on our behalf, but He did. No one deserves hell. He knew that, I know that and if you ever have a vision of hell, you will know that too. Even our worst enemies deserve a chance at forgiveness. What they do with it is up to them, but I wouldn’t want to be the reason they’d never have the chance to be changed. I would rather suffer a loss. Some of the people who opposed me the most, have become my friends and some of my friends have turned away. Only the Lord knows the heart.

I’ve been through a lot of pain in my life and I haven’t always responded the way I knew I should. The Lord is just and He will and can protect us. He also gives us the choice to forgive others so that His love can work through us to help others to see Him. We didn’t get what we deserved, for the scripture says that, “the soul who sins shall die” and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of the Lord.” There were times I had to ask Him to forgive others through me, because I hurt so deep inside. He did and then He healed me to where I could forgive them. He healed me and sent the darkness away. He helped me reach out to others and He healed them too. I had every right to hold on to unforgiveness and to demand restitution, but by doing things His way, He poured so many more blessings into my life than I could have ever imagined.

He is the reason for this web site. He is the reason I can write messages of encouragement. In most cases, I have been there. I have walked the miles, I have felt the pain and through it all I have overcome. I didn’t do it alone. He sent others to me to help me and He was always there for me. He will do the same for you. I am here today because He lives and I know Him personally. He has changed my life and I am forever grateful. I have experienced His mercy, grace, loving kindness, forgiveness, joy, peace, love and every other attribute that is His. I have seen a vision of hell and it is a horrid place and no human being deserves to spend eternity there.

It is my hope that this message has brought you hope. There is life after trauma and tragedy. It may take a while, but you can go on. I hope you reach out for His miraculous love and find a new way of life. There are many religions that claim to know the truth, but there is only one Who is the truth. Search for the truth with all of your heart and you will find it. You will know when you have, because your heart won’t be empty anymore. If I don’t meet you on this earth, I hope to see you in eternity with Him. Never give up. Against all hope, believe that while there is still breath, there is still a chance.

Joseph

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The pendulum swings from one side to the other, from extreme to extreme. Only in the middle of its journey is the balance. The clock, with its pendulum, is sometimes representative of our lives. It can also represent an action against us with a counter reaction from us. The balance of this lies in our response to the action against us and not to simply to react to someone else. Response Versus Reaction!

I have lived many days swinging from reaction to reaction. When others would tell me I was wrong, I’d react and go to extremes to prove them wrong. I had to find a solid foundation that I could stand on without being swept off of my feet again. The ground always seemed to be shifting under my feet and I wasn’t stable. I soon began to challenge everything I heard. I so desired to know the truth. I wanted some stability in my life.

As I looked back on my life, my father leaving me as a small child was the major source of my instability. Second in line were little fairy tales told to me as a child by adults. I was a child and I hung on to what others were telling me as the truth. Later in school, others would mock me at such beliefs. This caused me to really want to know the truth. I didn’t like being mocked. What about you? Do you remember any of that?

My pendulum went all the way to the other side for a while as I searched and searched. I even searched through different churches and their personal beliefs and I found that a lot of times they really didn’t believe everything they said they did. So in this search, I began to wonder if I’d ever find the truth. There must be truth out there somewhere, this universe just didn’t come into reality in a random way. The odds of that happening are too great. So I continued on.

It wasn’t until recently that I really began to realize that this was the way a lot of churches were established. They were established on the swing of the pendulum. They were established by a reaction to a reaction against them. It reminds me of Israel when they were taking the promised land. There were some who wanted to settle on the outside of the promised land while others chose particular places inside. The more I meditated on this the more sad I became. Here is this awesome promised land, they finally made it and then most of them just settled for less than their inheritance. I can’t and will not do that. I refuse to settle for less than Father wants for me and my family and for you. This is my battle and this is my dream, that everyone may experience all that Father has for each of them.

Many truths have been established over the years by numerous men and women of God. Most of these have now become their own denomination or non-denomination. I don’t believe that this is the Lord’s best. I believe He wants us all to go on and I believe, that if some of these men and women of God were still alive today, they would be appalled that their group simply stopped and camped on their revelation instead of handing it on to the next generation to go further into the purposes of the Lord. The Lord doesn’t stand still. He moves on. Take a look at Israel. They camped for a while and then moved on. The Lord gives new revelations of His Word to His people so that He can fulfill His promises to us and our generation. There is an awesome book by John Crowder, “Miracle Workers, Reformers, and The New Mystics.” Don’t be moved by the word mystic, it simply refers to being spiritual. John goes back through the centuries up to the modern day and explores the different moves of the Lord.

We are people who like comfort and it is easy to camp out for a long time when we get comfortable. Thank the Lord that He gently tries to move us on. We have a choice, just like Israel we can stay in a certain place or we can pack up our lives and live from glory to glory and go on to ever increasing faith. Our faith is built in the same way as our muscles. The more we use it the stronger it becomes. I challenge you today, go beyond living in mediocrity by making a choice. Choose to live your life in balance and respond to His word instead of react. Respond to others with His love when they react against you. Let love be the reason for your choices. Choose to change your life today and start to live again. Fan the spark, that you feel in your heart right now, into a raging flame of His love. Let it consume you and then pour it out to others. Life Of Balance!

How will others see if we keep it all inside? Will they ridicule and mock us? Probably! Don’t take it personal. It is Jesus they are mocking and not us. They don’t understand and they don’t know, yet! But some will and it might be because of your example. How much is it worth to you to see one soul saved? Is there a price you can put on it? Is there anything that can be as bad as hell? I wouldn’t even wish it on my worst enemy, not when they can experience the glorious grace, mercy and love of the Lord. Most of us have seen videos of people throwing themselves off of buildings to their deaths and we wonder why? Why didn’t someone try to help them? Why didn’t they just talk to someone? What if they did and no one heard them? Are we listening? How far will we go to save them? I know I am not where I want to be, but I am on the journey. Each day I want to get closer, how about you? Will you make the choice to get up out of your hurts, fears, and pain and dare to receive the inheritance that is yours and then help others find theirs?

Today is my birthday and I wanted to give this gift of encouragement to you. I so desire to see you healed, delivered, free, and engulfed in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why hold on to rags when you can have His riches? Take a step and check it out for yourself. My gift from you would be to see your smiling face in heaven, to hear that you took the challenge and you lived the rest of your life on a new and glorious journey. Whatever comes against you, respond with His love. If I don’t get to meet you here, I’ll see you there.

Joseph

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In each country there are problems. The scenery is different, but people are still people. Each of our problems are unique and strangely similar to others. In desiring to live a good life we all struggle with opposing forces around us. Some live in the midst of war and battle while others live safe and secure. Each has their own problems to face. What will we do? How will we overcome? Courage To Succeed!

I realize that these posts are read in 24 different countries as of now and I will be adding a translator program to convert them to 10 different languages soon. How can I write something applicable to all who are reading? I live in the United States of America. We are loved by some and hated by others. Some say we are spoiled and greedy. Others call us names we won’t mention. If we are going to find our way in this world, we need to see beyond our differences. The Lord doesn’t see our country boundaries like we do. He sees people. His church includes people of all countries. He loves us all. We are His body and He wants us all to be joined together in His purpose. We must see beyond the veils of the flesh and into the heart. We all hurt. We all love. We all have passion and a desire to make a difference. I want to be a catalyst to help bring a spark to each and every heart that says, “Get up. You can do it. You can make it. You are not alone.” Scripture says that we have a great cloud of witnesses that has gone on before us, men and women of faith.

How can we encourage each other? I believe we can encourage each other even in the little things. We can pray for each other. We can share our stories. We can tell each other that tomorrow is a new day and it hasn’t been created yet. We can watch the sunrises and sunsets and know that the Lord is painting the sky just for us. We can hear the wind in the trees and know the trees are praising the Lord. We can hear the songs of the birds and know they are too. All of creation is waiting for the Lord’s people to take their rightful place. It doesn’t matter what country you live in, or what language you speak, if you are His then we are brothers and sisters. We are not alone. Your life matters and you can make a difference.

What is on your heart? What is your destiny? Do you know why you were created? Have you heard the Lord tell you what He wants you to do with your life? If not, why not? Have you asked Him? Take a look at the Questionnaire I put together on this web site. See how many of the questions you can answer and ask for guidance for the ones you can’t. Some are called to bring about a change to their whole country. Some are called to simply walk each day. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or not done up to this point in our life. The Lord can wipe everything clean and we can start afresh. If you want to have the most amazing life there is, follow Jesus. Everyday can be an adventure. Life to me is new everyday. Each day I wake up and wonder what is going to happen. Who will I meet? What will I say? Will I meet a new friend? No matter what the challenge is, I eagerly wait in expectation to see how it will unfold. If you’re on the battlefield, can you see His wonders in the sky or somewhere around you? No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, ask Him to show you who He is. I was in London, England during the destruction of the World Trade Centers in New York. Aircraft to the US were grounded for weeks. I’d look out of my hotel window and I’d see these really short rainbows on the clouds. It made me feel like the Lord was holding me in His hands. I was over 5,000 miles from home, but I was at home in His love. Over the years, He has become more real to me than even my wife and children. Flesh and blood may fail me, but He never has and never will. Every time we are faced with a challenge and He comes through, it makes my faith in Him grow in leaps and bounds. I never knew my earthly father because he left when I was three. My heavenly Father knows me and loves me so much more than I can imagine and I love Him so deeply. I know that I am not perfect and have made and continue to make so many mistakes and then I have to realize that if He would have wanted me to be perfect, He would have made me a robot. He wants my love. I want His. His love is so awesome, so perfect, so complete, no wonder when someone finds it, they lay down their desires to fulfill His.

I could write books about my life and all the fears and obstacles I’ve faced. I’ve gone through three divorces with my mom, two personally and have now been married for thirteen years. My wife has gone through a traumatic injury on a printing press. Her thumb got caught in the rollers and it pulled her in to her arm pit, degloving her flesh and muscle. The doctors told her they would have to amputate but she refused. She has use of it today. She was in and out of mental institutions for seven years because of the trauma and finally the doctors gave up on her because they said the nerves in her brain were short circuiting because the mylon sheathing was deteriorating. Someone didn’t give up on her. The Lord lifted her up, out of the pit and totally healed her. There is a lot more to this story, but I wanted to share some of it to help encourage you. We all have our problems. We all have our ghosts and things we fear. We each have our own path to walk. We have been given the choice to choose life or death. We alone are responsible for our own choice. We have the privilege of helping others achieve their destiny. I hope I can somehow encourage you to go beyond where you are. Reach out beyond the pain and find healing, wholeness and the love of the Lord.

There are many ways to reach out to those around us. I chose to use the web because I know there are those who won’t go inside a church building but will venture out on the web. Fear separates us from others, but love brings us back. How do we find the help we need? It is closer than we think. The Lord loves you. Let Him.

If you would like to help, please send your comments to this post. Let me know if you want them to be kept private or would like them made public. For the safety of our readers, each comment is screened. We do receive a lot of spam and have put protocols in place to restrict it. You can also use our contact form to reach us directly for private communication. If you would like to become a part of this ministry, please let us know. You can also link to this post or send this link to others. Tell others of your story. Start your own blog. There are many ways to encourage others. I encourage you to reach out beyond where you are. As you help others, it will be multiplied back to you. That is simply the way the Lord operates. You can’t out give Him. Here’s to you. Here’s to your destiny. Here’s to His body all around this great planet. One day we will be joined hand in hand. One day we will meet each other face to face. One day His peace will rule this earth. Glory to the King of kings. If you would like us to share at a meeting, please use the form and provide the necessary information. Thank you for letting me share with you today. Have a blessed and overcoming life in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph

Comments

What do you do when the love of your life says they want a divorce? What do you do? How do you cope with it and better yet, how do you go on? With some people divorce seems such a trivial thing. I haven’t been able to figure this out. If that person was really committed to the marriage, why didn’t it effect them the same way? I’ve been through several divorces with my mom and two personally and there are no easy answers. Surviving Divorce!

Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8, 1Corinthians 6:16, and Ephesians 5:31 state similar things. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

How did I make it through my personal divorces, strictly by the grace of God. My first divorce tore me deep inside. As a child, I had determined never to go through a divorce. I thought I could do whatever it took to keep the marriage together. I remember sitting down with my lawyer and asking him what I had to do to keep the marriage together. He simply told me there was nothing I could do. I left his office totally devastated and depressed. My whole world was falling apart and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My precious daughters ages 3 and 1 1/2 were going to be separated from their father. My dad left when I was 3 and this was a blow to my hopes. I felt hopeless and powerless. I was totally devastated. When my second divorce happened it tore me even deeper than this. I felt like I was punch drunk and I simply didn’t know what to do next. I felt like a total failure and I wanted it to be all over.

In everything I’ve gone through, I’ve been fortunate to have had a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He never left me, even in my deepest, darkest moments of despair. Over the years I have gained a lot of understanding from these experiences and I am now able to identify with others who are going through these same situations. Please know that sometimes things just happen. It doesn’t make you any less of a person. Father has given everyone the right to make their own choices. Everyone has ghosts in their closets. There are things we hide inside to protect ourselves. There are triggers that pop up from things that have happened to us in the past and then we react rather than respond. I could go on and on but the main thing is that we must go on. Take the time we need to find strength and healing. If you don’t know the Lord, this is a good time to start. If you do, know that you haven’t failed Him. He loves you so much. If you have made a mistake or a bunch of them, His forgiveness is yours for the asking and so is His healing touch. He is personal. You don’t have to be around others to experience His love, but it might help. He will meet you where you are. If you need someone to talk to, ask Him to put someone in your path and to show you who they are. Remember they are just human and they aren’t perfect, so don’t expect them to know everything. The Lord on the other hand is perfect and will help you through everything. Trust Him as you are around others.

I had a lot of people around me, but they couldn’t see me where I was. A lot of them had good advice, but the timing was off. Sometimes it just takes time to heal. Some miracles are instantaneous, but others develop over time. We don’t always know the outcome. Sometimes relationships can be healed and sometimes they can’t. Trust the Lord that He knows what is best and that He will help you to find your way. People make bad choices and others have to live through them. Let it strengthen you and not tear you down. The pain will lessen. It is possible to go on. The Lord will return more than was taken and cause everything to work for good. Don’t give up.

If you need help and want to write me, please use the contact form on this web site. I do not give out my email on this site because of all of the spam I receive daily, but if you would like me to reply, please use the form and I’ll give you my email address. I am the only one who gets the email. I’ll respond as soon as I can. My wife and I work to support ourselves and this ministry. We will do what we can to help. Just know that there is someone else who is for you. You can go on and you can make it. Dare to reach out. Dare to dream again. Dare to take it one step at a time. You are not alone. If it is possible, try to reach out and help others in some way. This will speed up your healing time. There is just something about giving to others that helps us so much more. Be encouraged. There is life at the end of divorce. Surviving Divorce!

Joseph

Comments

What is passion and purpose? Where does it come from and how can we use it to get us closer to our destiny? How can we grab on to our destiny and still be led by Holy Spirit? Are we driven by our compassion and purpose or His compassion and purpose? Sometimes we can do the right things and still be wrong, usually because of the motive of our heart. We can even speak the truth in certain situations and still be wrong because the timing was wrong. The walk of faith takes obedience rather than sacrifice. Passion & Purpose!

I think that one way to find out if we are operating in our compassion and purpose is to ascertain whether or not we are getting burned out in whatever it is that we are doing. If we are operating in our own desires, we will eventually burn out and get worn out. Whatever the Lord asks us to do, He will provide His anointing and strength. Sometimes we just plain need to get to the end of ourselves to see the difference. It’s okay and it is necessary. Are we going to do everything right? No! Is it going to get easier to hear His voice? Yes! How does a baby learn to walk? He watches others and then keeps trying until he gets it. The more he exercises his muscles and mind the better he gets. It’s the same with walking with the Lord. The more we practice, the better we get. Mistakes are just part of the learning process, they don’t mean failure. Failure is sitting down and giving up. With the Lord, we can’t fail unless we quit.

I just want to encourage you today to not get in a hurry and get all stressed out. If the Lord is in it, it can’t fail. It will come to pass. There will be peace in the midst of the storm. Don’t let the enemy get you all stirred up. Rest and regroup if you must. Keep on going. Keep on walking. Keep on believing. You will succeed no matter how many mistakes you made. I know, I’ve been a good example in making mistakes and I am still on my way. Have a great and wonderful day.

Joseph

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