Remember to Forget the Dissapointments of Others

The longer we choose to hold on to grievances and wrong doings the more emotional pain we allow to linger in our hearts and mind. Imagine being rushed to a doctor and they take out the bullet that was shot at you. It is a miracle that you are alive. Then as soon as you get enough strength you take and look at the bullet and then shove it right back into the whole. That sounds crazy! It is exactly what happens if we do not forgive and release the bullets from our past wounds.

Psalms 55:4
"My heart is sore pained within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me."

I write this to you without any illusions of the task of letting these things go. It will hurt. It will take time and just when you think you are going to be OK, something will remind you of the pain. Then, if you are not careful, the whole wave of grief can topple you and bring you right back to the starting point. What I am learning from situations in my own life is to make sure there is someone to talk to when those thoughts and feelings begin to rise. Make sure you have a trusted friend or counselor that can hear your thoughts and allow your heart to bleed without allowing you to jump off the deep end. It is in those moments that some of the biggest mistakes in life are made if not tempered with good friends who help point you back to the foot of the cross.

Here are a few easy steps to take when you are feeling the waves of grief and pain…

1. Breath
Your brain must get proper oxygen to think clearly. When you are upset your breathing is strained and will always alter your ability to walk in wisdom.

2. Slow down
When we get upset we say things like, “Fine then!”, “Well then I will just…” and we begin making rash decisions that will usually bring negative consequences not only to you but to those loved ones that surround you.

3. Pray
There is nothing more important than to run to God. Do what ever you have to do to get away and spend a few moments, hours, or days with God. It is crucial that you find Jesus in your situation before you make any judgments about the situation. Jesus is truth and will bring a light into the darkness that will always change how you look at what is in front of you.

4. Read and recite God’s word
It will be natural for you to want to run around and hear what everyone thinks about your situation and pain. When looking for wisdom it is important that you are first anchored in the Word of God. He will keep you on course in the fiercest of storms and help you decipher the advice that others are giving you. This world will try to pull you hard enough to loosen the anchor. DO NOT LET IT! God's word is truly the only thing that will keep you from wandering around lost in the darkness.

5. Talk to a trusted friend or counselor
It is crucial that you find a way to get the thoughts out of your head. If you do not have someone to talk to then write it down somewhere safe. If you leave it in your head it will begin to bounce around like a rubber ball that will only cause more damage and pain. Find a way to get it out of your head so you can look at your thoughts at face value and not through the lenses of the many emotions stirring inside.

I am here to proclaim to you that healing is possible and it will not always be as difficult as it may feel right now. God has His plan in motion to bring healing to you and to your situation. Your job is simply to run to Him and trust. If you are brave enough to take that first step, He will bring to your aid all of the resources of heaven to see you cared for. He loves you!

1 Peter 5:10-11
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Remember to Forget your Past Failures

There are many things we must learn from our past failures; however, once you have learned those lessons, it is crucial that you do not keep mulling over the mistakes. It will keep you stuck in bondage even though Christ has done everything needed to bring you freedom. Again, we must use our past to learn from our mistakes and bring wisdom to our present day or we will just keep making the same mistakes over and over. The problem comes when we keep stabbing ourselves with those mistakes or when we shackle ourselves to the wrong-doing and allow it to haunt our daily lives and disrupt our future.

The chains of our past are difficult to lay down. It is interesting to me how so many people are walking around feeling like they are in bondage though they are not. It is like taking someone who has been in chains since they were very young, then after 30 years, taking the chains off and telling them that they are free. They do not even know what that means and they definitely do not know how to act. I was watching an old movie on television the other night--you know those movies that come on so late and you should go to sleep but it is just interesting enough to keep you on the couch. It was a movie about an old prisoner who was supposed to serve 50 years for his crime. He was so comfortable in his jail that he had now been there for 56 years and the new warden wanted to set him free. This prisoner was so scared and did not want to go. He would rather stay put with the chains and the comfort of the known obstacles than face freedom and the unknown things it may bring.

If you have surrendered your life to Christ then you have been set free and do not need to stay in your jail. Maybe you have even been forced to leave your jail but still feel the weight of your chains. It is a façade! Jesus made it very clear what His purposes were in His coming to this earth as a man. There is no amount of stubbornness, habitual living, memories, evil deeds, prideful moments, back stabbings, criminal activity, hurtful words, or mistakes made that can derail the purpose or vanquish the promises that God has put in place by sending His son Jesus Christ to love you. He who Christ has set free is free indeed!

Luke 4:16-21
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Maybe you are reading this devotional and you have never been set free. If you are in this jail and have chains wrapped round your heart and mind that are constricting you from becoming all that God has planned for your life- today is the day for you to be set free. Run to Him! Stop what you are doing and fall to your knees and surrender! There is a peace for that storm, healing for those wounds, and a most importantly, a purpose for your life. I encourage you to ask the Lord to be your Savior and allow Him to be your Lord. He will change the way you look at everything that you touch and give you a new perspective about where you have been, where you are at, and what is ahead in the future. He truly loves you!

God Bless

Remember to Forget… and Don’t Ever Forget to Remember

This last couple of weeks has been full of ups and downs for me.

I would like to blame a person, circumstance or maybe even God for this instability. However, the Lord has shown me that the emotional heart spasms were a direct result of forgetting the things I need to remember and remembering and dwelling on the things that I need to surrender to the Lord and forget. Over the next 8 weeks I will take the time to give you a glimpse of how I am trying to apply this encouragement from the Lord. It would be nice if this teaching could explain how I crossed the finish line and have succeeded in applying and living each of the truths and challenges that I am about to write. Though, it would be nice, it is not something I can say, as each of these points have different battles attached to them that are still being faced.

Why does it seem that as I try to focus my eyes on the Lord and follow His ways it seems that the human factor keeps pulling me in different directions. I am praying that as I share these truths with you that the Lord will cement them into my heart and  bring encouragement to yours.

Forgetting...
Forget Your Past Failures
There are many things that we must learn from our past failures, but once you have learned those lessons it is crucial that you do not keep mulling over the mistakes. It will keep you in bondage. Christ has done everything needed to bring freedom. We just need to walk in that freedom.

Forget Disappointments of Others
The longer we choose to hold on to grievances and wrong doings the more emotional pain we allow to linger in our hearts and mind. Imagine being rushed to a doctor and they take out the bullet that was shot at you. It is a miracle that you are alive. Then as soon as you get enough strength you take and look at the bullet and then shove it right back into the whole. That sounds crazy! It is exactly what happens if we do not forgive and release the bullets that caused our past wounds.

Forget Titles That Define You
This has been one of the biggest lessons that I am learning during this season of life. Since I was a child there have been many titles given to me and adjectives used to describe what other people see in me, some of them positive and some of them negative, some of them unfair and some of them earned, some that are honoring and some that are embarrassing. I am learning that no matter what titles are wrapped around my neck the only voice that I need to listen to, when it is time to begin defining who I am, is the voice of the Lord. He has called me precious and more importantly, He has called me His own.

Forget About Chasing The Perishable
It is crazy to watch our society try to function in a world where they can’t just go and buy everything their hearts desire. If you take a moment to look around you will see fathers who rationalize working too much to provide their child with unneeded toys and a house that is too large to keep clean without a maid. You will see mothers talk themselves into giving away precious memories that will never be able to return again in order to have the newest items. Marriages that can’t grow because no one is taking the time needed to invest intimately, and a world that is crumbling around us as they look for something that will last. Everything this world offers is temporary and it is high time we start putting our energy and precious commodities into things that are eternal.

Remembering...
Remember that God will Always Walk With You
There are days that go by where it seems God is hiding from me or has possibly left the planet. Then I press in and play the spiritual game of hide and seek and begin to see that God’s fingerprints are on everything and that He has been with me everywhere I have gone. He has been there the whole time-- loving me, holding me, strengthening me, caring for me. I am never alone!

Remember that God Has A Great Plan
To be honest, it is the thought of  my future that has been the source of much of my turmoil. There are things of the past that have pain and hurt, but most of those wounds are healing quite well. There are situations I face daily that have the potential to create some difficult moments, and yet, the Lord seems to continually guide me through and equip me to handle those obstacles. But looking down the unknown hallway sometimes feels like I am in a scary movie and I just don’t know what is going to happen. Why is it that my mind always wants to revert to the memory of a scary movie where there is something dark and terrible wanting to eat my flesh instead of the idea that God has such a great plan? The end of the hallway is a definite unknown but the character and heart of God for me and my family is good. There is no need to fear!

Remember that God Paid Your Ransom
There will be many moments along the journey where you will be tempted to stop and look at all the reasons that you are not worthy of allowing God to bring great blessings. It is one of the wages of war from the enemy of your soul to remind you of your failures and shortcomings. It is essential that each and every time that you begin to feel that you are out of place and should be rummaging through the junk yard instead of enjoying God’s “five star service” that you remember how Jesus came to this earth and paid your debt. You can raise your head high and look at people in the eye in confidence. This is not because you have found a way to overcome. The freedom and purpose that people will read in your eyes is a direct result of the price that Jesus paid for each and every one of us.

Remember that God Loves you Anyway
All of those reasons that pop into your head of why God could not possibly love you are valid. We do not deserve the love that He is offering. However, He is still offering it! He loves you anyway. He is looking beyond what you look like right now. He doesn’t just see you as something broken, tarnished, and falling apart. He sees what you will look like once he is able to piece you back together and fill you with His love and purpose.


Dear Lord,

I pray that each of these points will touch our lives and help us get out of the way so you can direct and protect us. Show us the things that we need to submit to you-- allow you to carry and help us remember the truth and promises that you have set in place. You are a great God, with a great plan, and we long to get close enough to you that we know your voice and can stop doubting your love.

Amen

1...2...3... JUMP!

"Trusting the Lord, at times, is like sky diving with only an umbrella."

When is the last time that you had that feeling in your stomach like it has dropped out and it took your breath away? When I was a kid, there was this hill a couple of miles from our house that we would always ask our parents to drive down. It was really steep and the drop was so fast that my stomach would feel like it was doing flips. When I received my driver’s license I made that road a regular part of my trip home. It seemed the faster I went down that hill the more exhilarating it was. So, if I enjoyed that feeling so much as a child, why is this feeling in my stomach uninvited. We have less than a month before Melissa and I pack up our lives once more and journey into the unknown. It is a wonderful feeling to know that their friends and family on the other end of that journey, but there are still many unknowns. What will I do for work? How does this move fit into the plans of the Lord? Will the new school system be good for our kids? Is there a pastor position awaiting me? It is funny because all of these questions remind me of my children. They can’t handle getting in the car without knowing what is going on. So they ask us all of these questions. Questions I usually don’t answer because I want them to just relax and trust that we as their parents have their best interest in mind and they don’t have to know what is going on. Let me turn this conversation around on myself. The Lord is in the driver’s seat and we are not. He has asked us to get into the car and buckle up. Now, I am reverting to a child like state of control, fear, longing for information, the need to know. I believe with all my heart that the Lord has a big smile on His face and wants me to just relax. He has already made the way for our family and the story is not a horror film. It is a story full of adventure, drama, comic relief (thank you Noah and Exodus), some tears, some battle wounds, and in the end victory.

I do not know where you are at right now. Maybe the Lord is asking you to jump and you don’t know what will happen. You might even be questioning if this is the Lord. What kind of God asks us to step into the lion’s den, or in a fiery pit, or travel into the unknown, or drop your known career and follow him, or give away the little bit of food you have to feed thousands of people, or to stand when all you feel like doing is to fall? This kind of God is one that knows who He has created you to be. He knows what kind of strength lies inside of you, if and when you submit to Him and allow His strength to flow.

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

This scripture does not say that we can do all things through our own wisdom, strength, knowledge, gifting, or skill. Yes, it is Him who has given us all of these wonderful gifts but the miraculous will never happen until we are willing to lay those ideals down and let Him take control. In truth no matter how hard we fight for control, it is never an element that we will be able to capture and become the master of. It will only create an illusion that will ultimately bring destruction to those who have been tricked into building their lives on such a weak foundation.

A New Chapter Begins

Wow! It feels so good to be able to write you and tell you that Melissa and I have come to a decision that we both have a great peace about and seems to be the next step that the Lord has for our family. We are moving to Reno, NV. We miss our family very much and are excited about being able to reconnect with a portion of our loved ones after a long time of distance. Our last year and a half of life has had many lessons for both of us and we know that there is still so much more to learn. However, we do thank the Lord for always standing by our side and bringing us to a place where we are moving forward as a family into the next chapter of the Dahir Story. These last 19 days of faith have also been an important time for us. We have had the idea of moving to Reno on our hearts for over a year. You may ask us why we took all this time to seek the Lord and pray if we already knew the answer. Hearing and knowing God’s will for our lives is not about us just doing what we want or what we think is correct. It is about taking and submitting our decisions, our motives, and our desires to the Lord and allowing Him to change and tweak anything that does not fit into His plans or honor Him. Here are a few lessons that we learned over the last few weeks of pressing in to seek direction from the Lord.

#1 Life is what happens while you are waiting for life to happen
This is one of those deep thoughts that came out of the insights of Melissa. During one of her times of thinking about our life and seeking the Lord for our future, she was reminded of the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” Do you remember that one? He spent his whole life thinking that life was going to turn out a certain way and, because of that, focused on his specific and particular goals, finding himself often frustrated by the various interruptions that came his way. However, it turns out that while he was looking in the other direction, his life was touching people and shaping their lives. Towards the end of the movie he was disappointed because he thought that he never amounted to much. He then had the chance to see many of the people all in one room that his life had somehow connected with. His impact on the world around him took place while he was waiting for his life to happen. It is OK to have dreams and goals; however, there is not a dream that should cloud your vision so much that you can’t see the miracles happening every day of your life.


#2 Our emotions will bring us to many places but it is the surrendering of those very emotions that will bring you to the heart of God
Emotions are triggered by so many things and so it is important that, though we decide to pay attention to our emotions, we must not give them the power to control our lives. How we feel about things is simply that. It is how we feel about them right now and, believe it or not, that feeling could change as the wind changes. That is why it is crucial that we anchor our lives to scripture and to a walk with the Lord. That combination of guidance in our lives will keep us from running around in circles and allowing our moments of extreme emotions to rule our day.

#3 Wait. God’s timing will rarely fit into your time table
This part of the equation has not been fun, and yet because we waited and sought God like we have, it gives me a freedom to not second guess the decision we have made. If we would have simply jumped on the first idea we had and assumed it was God speaking to us, I think we would have questioned the “what if’s” for many years. Trust God! Walk forward in His timing and don’t allow those feelings of urgency to push you into a decision.

#4 The Lord will use many situations and people to confirm His purposes
There have been many people in our lives, movies we have watched, songs that we have heard, scripture that we have read, and nudges from the Holy Spirit that have confirmed for us that the next step we are to take is to go to Reno. If we would not have dedicated this time to allow the Lord to confirm this, it would be difficult to walk with confidence into the unknown.

So here is what we know! Our last Sunday at the church in Virginia is June 28th and we should be in Reno, NV by July 13th. Now these are the plans that we have at this time and though our “19 Days of Faith” are over, this does not mean our daily walking in faith has stopped.

Dear Lord,
Please take these plans that we have and continue to guide us. We lay our past, present, and future in your hands and ask that you use it to glorify you and expand your kingdom. We ask for your strength and wisdom for each step that is ahead. We love you.

Amen