Finding God in Our Pain

Scott LaPierre - There’s More to Finances Than Money

Scott LaPierre - There's More to Finances Than Money

Since you made it past the title, There’s More to Finances Than Money, I’d like to personally congratulate you because we both know that money is a sensitive subject. It’s vital to life, it is one of the major exchange systems we use and yet it makes people uncomfortable at best and defeated at worst. But my guest, Author and Pastor Scott LaPierre wants to do more than take a look at it he wants to equip us on how to live at peace with our finances through his book and workbook titled, Your Finances God’s Way. 

As a pastor, Scott counsels people through all phases of life and the various challenges that we enter into throughout our life. Based on his experiences, research, and Gods word, Scott has written several books that guide us through some of our most challenging roles. For example marriage, trials (as in pain and suffering), how to work and rest. He has a couple of more books and you can find them on his website (link below).

For me, the conversation with Scott was beneficial because it made me realize that throughout my lifetime as I entered into the various phases and challenges that I’d never faced before, it would have been very beneficial to have some insight into how to navigate this new territory. For example, when you're first married because there is a major shift but especially with regard to marital conflicts or finance issues. Even anxiety because if I'm honest, I didn’t understand how to balance work and rest.

My point being, how do we know what to do when we encounter these things for the first time? We don’t know what to do unless we educate ourselves. Hence the books Scott has authored.  He looks through the lens of God’s word (the Holy Bible) as the foundational piece to life and then leads us into God’s wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and understanding.  We look at how to use God’s word as a compass to make the best decisions possible in every phase of life and in this specific conversation, the context being our finances. 

Here are the two things that solidified the thought that there's more to our finances than money. After hearing them, I couldn’t help but wonder if they’re the two most powerful reasons why we avoid looking at our money. #1) We do not have a money problem, we have a spending problem. #2) To look at our finances, (the way we spend our money), is to look at the value system of our heart.

Today’s conversation with Scott is not a deep dive but his book Your Finances God’s Way, covers so much more than he and I were able to talk about in our brief conversation.
Here are a few of the topics we covered:
*What are some of the ways we overspend? His simple answer made complete sense and for me it's the best place to start when trying to gain control of your money.     *What are some of the heart conditions that plague our spending goals? This one is hard because we need to have the courage to take a look at our own heart.   *Can non-believers benefit from God's principles?   *Is it ever too early or too late to create a financial plan?   *I pointed out that it can’t be all work and no play, so how do we fold that into our financial goals?    *What is need and can we ask God for things? And if so, under what conditions?

We talked about much more, with the focus being practical ways to live without debt and save for retirement but our overall goal is to equip you to live in peace with your money. So how do we live in peace with money? 

Scott made a great distinction about money being neither moral nor immoral, it’s a resource that God has given us. Therefore, we educate ourselves in a way that we take ownership of this resource and we put our money to work for us. I don’t know about you, but true freedom is when I’m not being controlled and especially by a resource that I should be controlling.  

I’m so glad you stopped by today friend, may this conversation add to your desire to understand and live in God’s value system of freedom.

Get connected with Scott:
FREE GIFT WHEN YOU VISIT SCOTT’S WEBSITE: www.scottlapierre.org
Email scott@scottlapierre.org
Podcast: Living God’s Way with Scott LaPierre

Transcript:  https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/c8bec522e72049ac89f0df14bbe11194/edit_v2

 

 

Rosie MaKinney - A Porn Free Marriage is Possible

Rosie MaKinney - A Porn Free Marriage is Possible 

Rosie MaKinney wants you to know that a porn free marriage is possible! Rosie is the founder of Fight for Love Ministries and the author a book titled the same, Fight for Love. She is my guest and if porn is a problem in your marriage, she has some good news for you today!

If there is a lack of intimacy in your marriage, a disconnect that you can’t quite put your finger on then listen to this entire conversation. If your husband struggles with a porn addiction and you’re in need of some answers, clarity, hope and healing, you must listen to this whole conversation. If you’re a women who struggles with porn, Rosie gives you hope and points you toward healing.

Fight For Love Ministries is where Rosie equips and educates women with a baseline of information about the dangers of porn, showing them the way out of addiction because her heart is that every marriage, every woman has a fighting chance. Her book on this same topic, titled Fight for Love, is an amazing resource as well as her website https://fightforloveministries.org/.

We talk mostly about husband’s who are struggling with an addiction to porn but we also talk about the fastest growing user group, women. One third of porn users are female. We talk to them in this conversation and there is a focused portion of Rosie’s book for women who are struggling with a porn addiction. 

Her passion for bringing this sensitive topic to the surface and normalizing an aggressive stance against pornography in marriage was born out of her own personal journey because of her husband, Mark’s porn addiction.

Mark and Rosie now live a porn free marriage, Mark is a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist and Rosie gives hope and healing to other women who find themselves in the same situation she experienced. Loneliness, thinking you’re the only one, fear about speaking up, confusion and misinformation about how you should act/what you should say, and hearing just plain bad advice.

Rosie has created a clear, empowering path of freedom for women to initiate recovery and stay the course. 

Some of the topics we covered: why women blame themselves, misconceptions about porn use, the difference between how men and women interact with porn, the fact that a wife is not simply fighting her husband’s preferences or even another person and Rosie shows us how the battle is an altered chemical state in the brain.

In the opening audio clip, Rosie explains why is it still traumatic for a woman and the relationship even if the husband does not reveal his addiction. Even though the wife may not have concrete evidence, or even an explanation of the disconnect of intimacy there is still a consequence. So that whole way of thinking by a husband of, I’m not going to tell my wife because I want to protect her doesn't work. There’s still an emotional, mental and physical consequence to that way of thinking. 

Something else that was interesting to me, Rosie explained that pornography itself is not the reason for divorce and when she explained her findings it made complete sense. She points out how the attitudes and behaviors that surround porn use as typically being the ultimate destruction of the marriage.

Rosie’s message will set you free because she knows that you don’t have to try harder, you need to educate yourself on what you’re dealing with. Understanding the power position that God has already given you will help you understand the best way to stand in the gap for your husband and bring true, lasting change.

Fight for Love because it’s worth it and a porn free marriage, a porn free life is possible!

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifofthrive.com

Connect with Rosie:
Website: https://fightforloveministries.org/

Book: Fight For Love https://www.rosiemckinney.com/book-1
Resources Mentioned:
The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Ray Gregory: https://www.christianbook.com/great-rescue-youve-taught-recover-intended/sheila-gregoire/9781540900821/pd/900823
Documentary - 3 part Brain, Heart World by Fight The New Drug: https://brainheartworld.org/

Listen to the Podcast

Buy the Book

Join our Support Group

Browse our Resources 

Website

 

BIO:
Rosie McKinney is a writer, speaker, and podcaster, who ten years ago entered the fight against her husband’s compulsive porn use. Through her faithful and uncompromising stance and his repentance, counseling, and group work, their marriage is now porn-free. From the very beginning of her journey, Rosie has been bold and relentless about reaching other wives struggling with porn-invaded marriages. There is now a thriving recovery community on the central coast of California, supervised by her husband, Mark, a certified sexual addiction therapist. Rosie is the founder of Fight For Love Ministries, which empowers women with both the facts and the faith to fight against porn addiction and its effects on them, their spouses, and their families. Connect with her at https://fightforloveministries.org/

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/991e103cd40e486a990a095a60d11684/edit_v2

 

 

Kevin Horath - Living with a Hardened Heart

Kevin Horath - Living with a Hardened Heart

Author and Pastor Kevin Horath and I talk about a hardened heart. Not a physical condition but a spiritual one. He’s written several books but the one we focus on is The Pharaoh Factor - Living with a Hardened Heart. If you know the story, Pharaoh hardens his heart toward God, but what does that mean for us today? How does one acquire a hardened heart? How do we know if we have a hardened heart?

Kevin and I both dug around in our own personal stories of what it looked like in each of our specific situations of having a hardened heart. How did we get there and what does recovery look like?  And just as important, we cover the question of how do we keep our hearts soft and teachable so that we don’t return to an isolated, fearful, self-sustaining condition? A condition that I personally know is exhausting, frustrating and it’s definitely lonely. 

I marvel at the contradictions of this life in comparison to the things that have spiritual value, specifically God’s spiritual value. Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about.

When things are the most painful, the beauty of what God has for us on the other side, the healing, it is something that we couldn’t think to ask for. He wastes nothing and He redeems everything.

When we submit ourselves, our situations to God, lay down things, in God’s value system we get better than we had, better than we deserve. It’s not simply restored to what it use to be. Rather we’re given what God Himself has for us. And of course the ultimate example of submission is when Christ said, "It is finished." Sounds like the final conclusion, end of story, it’s over. And yet, it was just the beginning for us. New life, direct access to God, salvation, eternal life, heaven on earth, and so much more.

Another example is when we leave our old self behind (accepting Christ’s work on the cross), we gain direct access to our Creator. Direct access gives us the opportunity to activate an intimate relationship with God and get to discover who God created us to be at our origin, when He knit us together in our Mother’s womb. We get to put on, wear, walk-in God’s original creation for us. We fulfill our purpose, our calling with joy no matter our circumstance. Free to live above the limitations, pain and brokenness of this world. 

My final example….when fear is most terrifying, whatever area that may be, whatever form that takes on … behind that fear is a revelation, a truth about God and therefore a freedom for us to experience. The God of the Holy Bible is not the god of fear. Fear, chaos, confusion that’s the presence of your enemy. 

For example, your fear could actually be blocking knowledge of your gifting or clarity about your purpose. Satan does not want you to make a breakthrough because he can’t afford for you know who you are, for you to bring forth the message God has appointed to you, at this time in your generation.

So my point being, don’t let this brief conversation between Kevin and I, about familiar scriptures, disciplines and God’s truths pass you by. Draw in a little closer and ask Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and reveal any areas of your heart that may be hardened. Ask to reveal His truth so you can experience the freedom that He has for you.

Ezekiel 36:26 is a promise from God to you and I. It says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you, your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

Why would He make this promise to us? Because, a heart of stone is only as far away as the next painful situation, trigger about past trauma, or when you hear words that strike deep in your heart, when you get what you feel, is an external confirmation of your internal voice. 

When we don’t take the painful places of this life captive to Christ, hold them up to God’s truth and let Him give us clarity with His value system, we will harden our hearts to the things we have no control over, no context for and no understanding of our identity.

Despite the pain of this life, which we all know revolves around family, friends and relationships in general. It all comes back to relationship. It’s the core of our existence because we were created for relationship. For that reason alone, it’s worth being alive to and not dead to it … even though alive. With Christ, He rewrites all the evil this world dishes out, giving our soft tender heart a safe place to thrive despite the presence and in the very midst of pain and suffering. That’s His speciality.

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Connect with Kevin:
IG: thefactorbooks
FB: The Factor Books
Website: TheFactorBooks.com

Bio:
Author Kevin P. Horath is a dynamic speaker and teacher who has served as Associate Pastor for Hillside Bethel Tabernacle since 1997 as well as working as a healthcare human resources executive for over 27 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Kevin lives in Decatur, Illinois, with his wife, Kathy. They have three children, three grandchildren, two dogs, and one cat. In their free time, Kevin and Kathy love to sail on Lake Decatur.

His goal is to help others find a spiritually healthy approach to life through the realistic, practical application of biblical stories, characters, and principles.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/e023aefe34da4b418c7c8463937b34d5/edit_v2

 

John Jarman -Broken and Redeemed

John Jarman - Broken and Redeemed

The conversation with my guest today, John Jarman, the Author of Broken and Redeemed was a welcomed reminder of the beauty of redemption.

I can’t think of anyone who has been able to avoid the broken parts of this life. I think we all get it, that at some point we will be handed difficult obstacles, painful life experiences and overwhelming grief. At times, it comes from other people in their brokenness and sometimes it’s our brokenness that affects others. Especially the ones we love most. John is one of us, familiar with how tough life can be, well aware of how this world wants to weigh you down with guilt, shame and lies. 

John is a former football coach and marine. He’s currently a professional fitness coach and discipleship leader. As he and I were talking I took a close look at the contrast of this man’s man partnered with a tender heart for the things of God.

John has given me a short answer to some very tough questions…questions along the line of, "How do I find freedom or a renewed life?" "How can I know truth or find peace? I’m going to answer, abiding….in Christ. John uses that term several times. Abiding means enduring, continuing, unceasing. So abiding in Christ is how we bring heaven to us in the here and now.

Since the ebb and flow of this life is sure to bring pain and suffering then maybe the question we should be asking is, "How do we redeem it?" And I think John’s book Broken and Redeemed is a perfect example of how we can overlay what he’s learned onto our own lives and we too, can walk in intimacy and freedom in Christ.  

John’s story is a reminder for us that when we step through the gate, the door, Christ, (making what he did on the cross personal for us), we get direct access to God Himself. We are positioned to discover directly from our Creator, how He made us in His image when He knit us together in our mother’s womb.

We get to participate in God’s love story with us. We get to experience what being an overcomer is like. We overcome our circumstance, our pain is redeemed, we receive deeper revelation of God’s heart for us, we grow in intimacy with the God, and His truth sets us free. Where there is truth there is freedom, and when we dwell in freedom we receive peace. All the while we’re building trust in God.

You can’t force trust. Trust doesn’t come until there’s a trial. We test God in our pain, and with our questions and confusion and we find Him faithful.  

This life dishes out its weak, temporary value system but when we submit our broken things to God and let Him take over, He restores, heals and makes broken things whole. The beauty of God's restoration vs us pulling up our boot straps and making it happen is that it’s not simply restored to the way it was. It’s restored to the original plan. The plan God had for us before the foundations of the earth were laid, before we were impacted with imperfection and evil.

As you listen to John talk about how he overcame, let the beauty (and by beauty I mean strength and power) of submission and humility be revealed to you in a whole new way.

Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifothrive.com

 

Connect with John:
www.brokenandredeemed.com
https://brokenandredeemed.com/products/broken-redeemed-paper/ (you can get it autographed when you order through John's website)
https://www.facebook.com/BrokenRedeemed
https://twitter.com/broken_redeemed
https://www.instagram.com/john_brokenredeemed

 

BIO:
John Jarman is a professional fitness coach and men’s discipleship leader with a passion for seeing lives changed by Jesus Christ. A former football coach and Marine Corps veteran of Desert Storm, John’s life was radically transformed from a self destructive trajectory to one of life, wholeness, and a dynamic walk with Christ, a story that is told in the pages of Broken and Redeemed. John holds a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Ohio University, and, as of this writing, is close to completing a Master's degree in Theology from Faith Seminary in Tacoma, Washington where he resides.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/b21b8b1347174007984799c0e6f8cd31/edit_v2

Dr. Kelli Palfy - Healing for Male Sexual Abuse Survivors

Dr. Kelli Palfy - Healing for Male Sexual Abuse Survivors

There is healing for male sexual abuse survivors. Dr. Kelli Palfy, is a registered psychologist working in private practice in Edmonton, AB. Canada. Of the many ways she helps to bring healing into the lives of her clients there was one aspect that I wanted to bring to my listeners today and that is the ignored topic of male survivors of adult or childhood sexual abuse. 

What are signs that a wife might need to be aware of should her husband be a survivor of sexual abuse. How can she protect her sons (and ultimately her daughters too) from sexual abuse…especially since the statistics show 95% of sexual abuse is perpetrated by a family member, someone you trust, someone who has gained the trust of your child. 

For the first 20-25 minutes, Kelli and I talk about her journey to her Ph.d in psychology. Why the interest in helping men find wholeness and healing after sexual abuse? Granted that is not her only focus in her practice but after hearing her story I could see why she could relate.

Not only from her own hesitation to find help for the merciless bullying she endured in her work environment but what she saw day in and day out as she served her community as part of the Royal Mounted Canadian Police.  

Below you'll see some resources listed. Also, on Dr. Palfy’s website she has a Resource link on which you’ll find educational videos. There are personal stories of abuse and healing, how PTSD relates to sexual trauma, the truth about unwanted arousal and several more.

Dr. Palfy does not side step the uncomfortable issue, the tough questions, nor does she avoid addressing the internal struggle. 

Wives, if you feel that your husband is showing some of the signs that Dr. Palfy talks about, take your concerns directly to God because no one knows your husband better than God. No one knows the details of his life, any traumas that may have occurred or the way he's tried to process them. You're looking for direction, support and how to bridge the conversation (should there be a need for one). Don't hesitate to reach out to professionals for guidance as well.

Maybe you can’t identify the signs that Dr. Palfy gives but you know smoothing is wrong, possibly there’s a disconnect of intimacy. To be honest, trauma manifests in a variety of ways, some very unique. Listen to the story that Dr. Palfy shares about the man who begins to limp and it grows worse.

But in either situation, whether it's for your husband or another family member, (son or daughter), educate yourself and consult the Lord for clarity and understanding. Ask God to prepare your husband’s heart for the conversation, if he has indeed ever experienced or is experiencing any type of sexual abuse.

If you are led to be the first one to verbalize what you suspect, have courage. You are in a unique position to usher in healing for your husband, to lift a weight you have no idea the heaviness of it all. Ultimately, you win and your family wins because the head of your household is walking in wholeness and healing. You want to talk about a whole new level of connectedness with your spouse!

It’s the desire of my heart that we all take God up on His ability to bring healing and wholeness into our lives and restore our hearts.

Lived Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

Resources:
Book: Willful Blindness, Margaret Heffernan
1in6.org - Confidential non-profit for Sexual Abuse & Assault of Boys and Men
malesurvivor.org- Hope, Healing & Support for men from all walks of life
Dr. Robert Marshall -https://www.roberthmarshall.com
Dr. Kelli Palfy: https://kellipalfy.com/Default.aspx

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/05404e1ca8c24d0a9b0d81c76727f56e/edit_v2

 

Amy Nordhues - Sexual Abuse by a Mental Health Professional

Amy Nordhues - Sexual Abuse by a Mental Health Professional

It is my prayer that today’s conversation with adult sexual abuse survivor Amy Nordhues will strengthen your heart in countless ways. Amy's abuse was at the hands of an older gentleman, trusted by the community as well as the church and he was also a mental health professional.

Amy had the heavy burden of experiencing abuse both in her childhood and as this story indicates, an adult. Can childhood abuse set you up to be an easy target as an adult? Amy answers that question and many more with transparency and a genuine desire to give the abused a voice.

As we talked I could see countless ways the devil was focused on destroying her. From her childhood abuse, where she didn’t have any control over what happened to her to the professional help that at first feels like, she describes it, a sanctuary but then becomes a psychological prison.

She gives examples of the subtle ways her Doctor broke down barriers and Amy’s internal dialogue that silenced the alarms that were going off in her head.  Her candor was refreshing as she didn't side step any questions and gave authentic answers even if they weren't the type that seem appropriate, canned answer most people expect.

Satan may have tried to shut down Amy’s heart, to silence her voice, and keep her from ever discovering who she was in Christ …. but he failed.

Amy is a solid Christ follower. She’s found healing for her abuse, victory over her abusers and whenever Satan feels the desire to take a swing at her over her past, she already has the tools in place to triumph over anything evil tries to put on her.

She knows the One who is our ultimate Healer, Christ. He’s the only One who holds the restoration of our mind, body and heart and He works it all together for our good and His glory. 

Need a little encouragement for your heart today, listen in to Amy’s story of courage to report her abuser and face the backlash from those who did not believe her.

Amy’s courage now to share her story both in this podcast and through her book, Preyed Upon, Breaking Free from Professional Abuse gives you an inside look at the warped beliefs that early abuse instills, beliefs that make adult victims vulnerable to sexual predators and what it looks like to walk in victory. 

If you are in an abusive situation or if you've experienced sexual abuse, Amy is speaking directly to you and your heart will find a kindred spirit. May you remember that you are not alone.

Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com

For more encouragement, read: https://alifeofthrive.com/2021/07/27/adaptive/

Connect with Amy:
https://amynordhues.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AmyNordhues
https://twitter.com/Amy_Nordhues
https://www.instagram.com/amynordhuesauthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21702772.Amy_Nordhues
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HR9TN3N
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-nordhues-636806225/
https://www.tiktok.com/@amynordhues

Bio: Amy Nordhues is a survivor of both childhood sexual abuse and sexual abuse as an adult at the hands of a mental health professional. She is a passionate Christ-follower and expert on the healing God provides. She has a BA in psychology with minors in sociology and criminology. Her devotions have been published in The Secret Place (Judson Press) devotional series. Her essay, Give Me a Sign, won 2nd place at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Foundation Awards. Her memoir, Prayed Upon, won the Inspire Christian Writers’ “Great Openings” contest for non-fiction. She blogs at www.amynordhues.com. A married mother of three, she enjoys spending time with family, writing, reading, photography, and all things comedy.

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/ed9d17903df94ae3a6d870cfb81caeea/edit_v2

Kevin White - In the Presence of God

Kevin White - In the Presence of God: 

Where or who do you turn to when times get tough? If you're a Christian then you immediately turn your focus to the presence of God. Our conversation today focuses on getting to the point with regard to the plan and purpose of our Christian faith which is pursuing the presence of God. Without the presence of God we are merely another religion.

Our salvation is the first step and it gives us direct access to God. Our worship, our prayers, our service etc should usher us into His presence.

It always has been and will always be about our personal, intimate, one-on-one relationship with Christ. If we enter into salvation but never grow in intimacy with Christ, how will we ever be able to claim our rightful place as the bride? I mean, we wouldn't even know our Groom.

My guest, Author Kevin White and I boil it down for you as we talk about his newest book, Getting to the Point: Every Guidance or Provision You will Ever Need Can be Found Today in God’s Presence. 

I want to repeat that….Every guidance. Every provision. You will ever need. Is found today. In God’s presence. 

Sound way too easy? If so, let me ask you this, how much time do you spend with God developing your relationship with Him? Talking with Him and listening for His reply? Think about distractions or times when your mind isn’t settled. I spend time with God but a lot of times I don’t slow down enough to hear Him speak. So you know what I do then? I fill in the blanks of what I’m sure He would have said. Then I run out into the day with false information.

So If you are like me and are prone to distraction or lose your focus, then when my one-on-one time with the Lord is up, I realize that I didn’t even give God a chance to speak. Or maybe He did speak and I missed it!

So it's not too good to be true because it takes intention and discipline to give God your time and create a space where He can speak into our situations, heart, mind etc. We must intentionally slow down (to thoughtfully engage) and that in itself is a challenge.

And the reality is, it’s not easy but it’s so incredibly worth it. In the times when I rest in God’s presence, give Him that space to bring His sovereignty into my life, it’s a beautiful thing. My mind, heart and emotions get a good dose of peace, clarity and strength for the day ahead because He reveals Himself in a way that affords me provision and reveals His guidance.

Listen now as Kevin shares what he’s learned about getting to the point of our Christian faith and into the presence of God. 

Live Loved and Thrive! @ alifeofthrive.com

Read more about God's intimacy for us at https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/01/11/god-2/

Learn more about Kevin and his work at https://kevinwhite.us or on his socials:
Facebook: Kevin White 
Twitter: @kevinwhiteus
LinkedIn: Kevin White 
Instagram: @kevinwhiteus

BIO: Kevin White is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder and Executive Director of Global Hope India. He has traveled over 1 millions miles and to 27 countries speaking on the point of Christianity. With the complications of today’s world, Kevin’s work simplifies and purifies the Christian experience to one fact: The point is to seek God’s presence and build a relationship with Him. 

Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/698afe02f9a64002a2cae43a8f1e672d/edit_v2

Kisha Moore - Put Guilt, Shame, and Regret to Rest

Kisha Moore - Put Guilt, Shame, and Regret to Rest

If you struggle with guilt, shame and regret this conversation is intended to give your heart rest. We’ll point you to the One who knew how hard something like this would be and therefore provided a place, actually Someone, The One to take our pain to and lay it down at His feet, the feet of Jesus. I have personally found Him to be the One, who makes it possible for me to lift my head under the weight of my mistakes.

In today’s episode, you’ll be privy to a typical conversation between my friend Kisha Moore and I.  The topic is built around guilt, shame and regret. 

What I loved about how our time together developed was that we included what it means (both how and why) to stay connected to God.  I think it’s a fair assumption that when we are weighed down with guilt, shame and regret it puts a distance between us and the one whom we’ve let down and that includes when we let ourselves down.  Who wants to spend time in the presence of the person whom you would never want to disappoint when in fact you have been less than you thought you were. 

But because of the cross the very place we should go is into the presence of God. The reason is because the cross that He provided is the way to restore our peace. A way to ease our burdened heart.

There is one area of this topic that I wish we would have touched on and that is guilt with regard to the pain and suffering we have caused others. So I’ll add this quick thought. The way to make peace with that sort of pain is to process it with God, ask Him what did our actions mean, why did we do that. And part of healing is to take responsibility for your actions, decisions, words. 

Off the top of my head, I think of apologizing (as a way to take responsibility) however, we have no control over the way someone responds to our apology. Truth be told, they may never agree to let us off the hook. Sadly, that also includes ourself as one not wanting to let us off the hook. Very few are as cruel to us as we are to ourselves.

As a mom of boys I remember trying to get blood out of their clothing. Was never successful no matter the cleaning product I used. Also, back in the day I worked for a polymer plant and I learned that red dye was the most potent color we had. Nothing would overtake the color red and it’s what I think about when it comes to the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. 

While our sin harms us and others, ultimately our sin is against God and that’s why we go to God.  We have the privilege of laying our guilt, shame and regret at the feet of Jesus, the only intercessor we need and let His crimson blood saturate our guilt and pain until His blood is all we see. 

If you think this is too good to be true, an easy out, then I want to challenge you with two things. 

First I want to challenge you to get real about taking responsibility for your sin and how it has affected you and other people. If you look your sin square in the eye, not giving yourself an out such as pointing to another person or an excuse then its not an easy task. It’s a tough thing to do but it's the first step in moving from victim to victor. 

Secondly, take a look at what a crucification is, the purpose behind the sinless Lamb’s blood and the heart of the Father who provided a way for us to lift our head under the weight of our sin…in the here and now.

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