Dear Friends,
As I write this letter to you, a New Year is rapidly approaching. A New Year never guarantees anyone a new start—for some, it will just be another calendar year. But so many others need life to change! I’m not talking about starting a new religion; I’m talking about starting a BRAND-NEW LIFE! What I’m talking about is adopting a new way of thinking that leads to successful living! Romans 12:2 says, “Do not become like the people who belong to this world. But let God completely change the way that you think, so that you live differently. Then you will understand what God wants you to do. You will know what is good. You will know what pleases God. You will know what is completely right.” (EASY)
So, how does this life change work? This change is produced through a RELATIONSHIP with God, which means it is a PARTNERSHIP. The nature of any partnership is that each partner has a part to play! Change occurs when there is an AGREEMENT between both partners. In our partnership with God, He does the supernatural, miraculous work of change while we do our part of submitting to and obeying Him. Lasting life change always begins from the inside out. It starts with how we think, leading to incredible, life-changing choices that, in turn, lead us into a life of abundance on every level! Jesus declared His purpose and intentions for us in John 10:10… “A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!” (TPT)
This is still Jesus’s intention for us TODAY! He still yearns to lead us into a life of overflowing abundance! But we must surrender to HIS PLAN and HIS WAY of doing things. We must accept His TRUTH while letting go of the lies that have held us back! For instance, we must let go of the lie that we can live any way we want, and God will still bless our lives. We believe this lie because we don’t know what God says about the issue or the TRUTH that is present in the Bible. Learning the truth will dispel the lies that only serve to keep us in needless suffering and bondage! We must submit to His authority and learn and obey His words to experience life change.
The Year, resolve to reject the lies that keep you from God’s best! Do whatever you need to do right now to grab hold of Him even as He is grabbing hold of you because it is eternally worth every effort you make!
May the Newsletter challenge you to reach beyond the ordinary to enjoy NEW REFRESHING LIFE this Year!
Life With Father Ministries
A NEW LIFE
“Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you…” Hebrews 13:5 (MSG)
God’s intentions were never to create us, only to abandon us to figure things out ourselves. No, He’s a good, good Father! And like any good father, He provides everything we need to live and grow because He wants the best for us. If you will but trust Him, He has promised that He will not abandon, forsake, or leave you helpless or uncared for! Look at what He said in Isaiah 46:4, “I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you.” (GNT)
Do you know why people steal or get involved in illegal activities? For some, it’s a matter of greed or entitlement; for others, it’s a way of paying for their drugs, while others tell themselves they are only trying to survive and take care of their family. This is so unfortunate because these people don’t know their CREATOR. And because they don’t know Him, they also don’t know that He provides abundantly for his children! In fact, our heavenly Father is not limited to how the economy is doing! He has an unlimited storehouse of resources! And He freely gives His children access to it so they never have to live in fear of lack on any level! Those who know JESUS have an assurance that He will ALWAYS PROVIDE for them!! This is God’s NEW WAY of thinking and living! Relying on the Lord is so much easier than trying to do it all on our own!! Stealing becomes unnecessary when we know that the Father will freely give us what we need in life, plus much more if we ask Him in faith.
I can personally attest to what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 37:25 because I’ve lived it for 40-plus years, “I was young, and now I am old, but I have never seen good people left helpless or their children begging for food.” (NCV) Although our heavenly Father is a perfect provider, He is not a cold, uncaring vending machine in the sky—He requires us to have a loving relationship with Him! The restoration begins when we let down our walls of fear, anger, and bitterness, stop the blame game, and acknowledge our pain and responsibility! It may seem difficult initially, but if we persist past our feelings, we will be greatly rewarded for our faith and efforts! (Hebrews 11:6)
Despite what is happening all around you, do your best to lean into God right now by focusing your mind and attention on what He says to you and about you in the Bible. Respond to His Words in prayer. Memorize verses that pertain to what you need from Him. Also, as you learn His Words in the Bible, the Holy Spirit will remind you of what you read at the proper time when you need it most. God’s Words will act as a guide to help you in every circumstance and at every turn in life. Since God is already in tomorrow, He also knows what you need to avoid so that you don’t go down the wrong path and sabotage your life! His Words will steer you away from what would bring you harm and will lead you along a safe and stable path. (John 14:26, Proverbs 6:22) The most important thing is learning how to QUIET DOWN on the inside so that you can hear His heart, which in turn, helps you to know and understand Him better. It’s like any relationship; if you did all the talking and never listened to the other person, you wouldn’t know them very well. It is in the listening that we begin to learn and understand who our God is and what His intentions are for us!
BONDAGE OR BOUNDARIES?
It’s important to remember that this new life requires us to have boundaries. Boundaries are not bonds, though—there is a fundamental difference between them! Boundaries do not bring bondage but a more extraordinary life of freedom. Boundaries keep out things that steal, kill, and destroy our dreams and our joy! (John 10:10) They prevent things from damaging, destroying, and even snuffing out our very lives! Boundaries were created for us by God, and they are good!
In Genesis chapter 1, we see how God created a beautiful place for us to live on Earth. As a good Father, even back then, He never shirked His duties to “prepare a place” (John 14:2-3) for His children to enjoy freedom and life. The first thing He did as a wise parent was to set boundaries. He separated the heavenly waters from the seas and created the atmosphere called “sky.” (v 6). Second, He made the boundaries of land and sea, then an abundance of food for us. (v 9) He did not create mankind until all the borders and provisions were established. Everything was perfect!
Of course, you should know what happened after a time in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1-3) The man and woman pushed the limits of God’s boundaries and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they were commanded not to eat from! Our world right now is a direct result of that disobedience! Boundaries are not meant to restrain us or put us in bondage. On the contrary, by barreling through God’s boundaries, we place ourselves in bondage to all sorts of things, such as addiction, heartache, brokenness, and ultimately death. And the devil is clever. He entices us to push the limits because “surely we won’t die,” as God has promised. (Gen. 3:4) And maybe we don’t die immediately, but the sin of disobedience and rebellion sets us on a terrifying, destructive course in life! On this highway to hell, the devil convinces us to gradually inch forward until we’re caught in a death trap, far away from our loving Father! And like a tractor beam, the enemy’s grip is so strong we cannot escape it no matter how hard we try! We lie to ourselves, saying, “I can quit anytime. I just don’t want to right now.” WOW! What a huge lie we’ve just told ourselves! Then we get stuck there suffering a most miserable existence! This is not what God intends for us, and He is calling us back to a right relationship with Himself and a healed and whole life with Him!
The Good News is that no matter how far down the wrong path we’ve gone or how long we’ve been gripped by sin, Jesus is still waiting to forgive and restore our lives! Today, you are ONE DECISION away from a new, healthy life of freedom! YOU DECIDE when the horror ends! You see, God doesn’t force us to live right. He lets us make our own decisions. Yet God also knows that pain on any level can be a good motivator! (Proverbs 20:30) Listen, sometimes we create our own pain and then try to blame someone or something else for our plight. Let’s get honest today! The truth is God is not indifferent to our pain! On the contrary, He cares immensely about our situations! (Psalm 31:7) But the Lord sometimes waits until He has our full attention and are ready to adopt and adapt to His ways so that, as the Great and Wonderful Shepherd that He is, can lead us into a good life!
“’…Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.’” But you refuse to do it. And yet the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord…The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you.” (GNT)
A NEW HEART
“I will give them a new heart and a new mind. I will take away their stubborn heart of stone and will give them an obedient heart. Then they will keep my laws and faithfully obey all my commands. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-10 (GNT)
Sometimes, people don’t respond to God’s call because they think the Christian life is dull, boring, and impossible to live. They believe that they would have to give up everything they enjoy. But what if I told you that God had a fix for that? What if I told you that God could make you a brand-new person, giving you a new heart with new desires? What if you actually enjoyed serving the Lord—what if you couldn’t help yourself but do the right thing? Friend, this is what God’s powerful GRACE is all about! The Lord removes the old sinful core of our being and gives us a brand new one just like His!
After a person is Born Again, they must begin practicing the new way of life. As you practice doing the right things, you will find your desires changing from self-centeredness to selflessness, from looking out for yourself and your own interests to surrendering to Christ and looking out for the interests of others. This is the new nature at work within you, transforming you into the image of Christ!
Just remember it takes time to learn how to live godly. It’s like a huge cargo ship; it cannot turn around on a dime. You did not get where you are today overnight, so changing will take time. But if you follow Jesus, one day at a time, I promise…no, HE PROMISES to heal your brain and body—the nightmares will cease, your fear and anguish will be swallowed up by His peace, and your life will blossom like a rose! As I said, it might not be an overnight thing, but one step each day in the right direction and your understanding will become crystal clear, your tears of regret, guilt, and shame will dry up by the warmth of His lovingkindness and you will find solid peace for your mind and joy for your life! So, keep at it, and don’t quit! If you persevere past your temporary feelings, you will be rewarded with a rich and satisfying life! (Hebrews 6:12) If you’ve never asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you can pray the following prayer and receive Eternal Life!
PRAYER FOR SALVATION
Dear Jesus, I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. Not only have I been hurt, but I’ve perpetuated that hurt on others. The Bible says that the punishment for sin is certain death. (Romans 6:23) But you took my place and died so that I could be free from selfishness and sin and have eternal life. I acknowledge that you died for me and accept your death as payment for my sins. Please, Jesus, come into my life and make me a new person! Create a clean heart within me and cause me to be willing to submit and obey you so that I can enjoy the kind of life that is truly free and abundant! Today, I choose to make you my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me eternal life! Amen.