https://forwardmarriage.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120427861-KFMYP2P9IBZ35TKWPREA/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120803360-X8CAI8LWLXY3ZSZ6P14J/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120351287-8BF2CZKN4S1RZB0UXY2O/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696121100381-7NODYVLYT1LJD75FICMJ/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/c76563fe-faa5-4552-b841-40dcf69e41f1/ChadLana_Homepage.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Home https://forwardmarriage.com/come-up-higher daily 0.75 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626446491492-WMWLYX9MOL7BB9HKMSM8/Soaring+Above+The+Clouds+Boeing+737.jpeg Come Up Higher - Come Up Higher As my husband and I boarded the airplane to head to New York, I was afraid the flight would be delayed because of the weather. A terrible snow storm had come through the day before and the roads were terrible. The sky was grey and foggy and flurries still lingered in the air. I sat in my seat starring out the window thinking about my life. At that moment I began to relate my life to the gloomy weather. I felt like my life was in a slump and I was discouraged. Obstacles often make me question decisions I’ve made, in those times I tend to look for things I can do another way in hopes of getting a different outcome. Whenever I feel this way my mind begins to run a million miles an hour, I get restless and anxious. As I began to make my mental to-do list on how to improve my life, the plane raced down the runway. As we began to accelerate and lift off, I watched as the ground below drew further and further away from us. The gloomy clouds began to restrict my view of the ground as we went higher; after only a few moments, we went through the last of the clouds and reached such an altitude that the clouds were now below us and above us was a beautiful blue sky where the sun shined brightly. Just then the Lord began to speak to me; He showed me that even while I sat on the runway waiting to take off, the blue sky and sun was there all along; I just couldn’t see it because of where I was sitting. It amazed me how my reality had changed so quickly all because my position changed. While I sat lower, the clouds made everything look sad and dismal; however, elevation allowed me to see my day in a whole different way. How many times have we assessed situations and made judgments before we have allowed God to lift us up. I don’t know about you, but after I have spent time with the Lord I begin to see things from His perspective instead of my own. We should never, ever take spending time with the Lord for granted. We must always make His Word and our devotion to Him a priority. Many of us make far too many decisions before taking the time to get God’s perspective. Doing this may possibly contribute to wrong decisions we have made. In essence we could be sabotaging our own destiny because we are reacting to things that we have limited visibility on. In your time with God, I encourage you to stay in His presence until you have really seen things from God’s eye view. The Lord is urging His people to Rise up. In fact that day as the Lord began to minister to me on the plane, I continued to hear the Lord say, Rise up daughter, Rise up. God is calling His children to come up to a higher place; it is critical during this hour that we choose not to live a mediocre Christian life. Full abandonment to the ways of Christ is what He is requiring. Anything less, just won’t sustain you in this hour. I encourage you as the Holy Spirit encouraged me to rise up to the place where Christ has called you and continue to cultivate your Christian life from that position. https://forwardmarriage.com/radicallove daily 0.75 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626444789156-PKESQW70PHFYKJY9H5TR/leighann-blackwood-gsQ4uk6cnyw-unsplash.jpg Radical Love - Radical Love Before receiving Christ, love is generally based on two revelations: Self Love, and Loving people who love you. Matthew 5:46 says, "If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that!" The sad reality is that it is not easy to walk in love with some people, but those are precisely the people that Christ has called YOU and me to love. Most people have self love and most people love people who love them back. This is how most people love but this is also what separates true Christians from unreal Christians. Talk is cheap, a lot of people say that they are walking in the love of God but they are selective about who they really walk in love with. Is your conversion and thought pattern about people who have hurt you negative? Do you feel like you are always the victim and everyone hurts you which gives you the right (in your own mind) to NOT walk in love? Do you make excuses to avoid walking in love? Is your love conditional (you only love people when they do what YOU want them to do)? This is what Jesus said to do in response to difficult people who have hurt and offended you, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you." Matthew 5:44 You can't really talk about walking in love without bringing up offense. It's so easy to fall into the trap of offense. As a matter of fact, the Greek word for offense is "skandalon." We get our English word "scandalize" from it. It means "the bait of a trap." How easy we fall into the trap of offense. What's sad is, you're the one that ends up bound because offense leads to unforgiveness and bitterness and before you know it, you're not acting at all like a Christian. You can't be selective about who you want to show love to. God has called us to love our enemies. There is a lot of humility involved with loving your enemies. As Christians we have to take the high road and walk in forgiveness. Many times we allow pride to get in the way which prevents us from displaying the powerful love of God at a time when it's most needed. When are we as Christians going to walk in spiritual maturity. I say this in complete love, "GROW UP." It's not all about you, it's about Jesus and advancing His kingdom here on earth. If someone hurts you, turn the other cheek... Commit yourself to loving radically, the way Jesus loves. A lot of times we get caught up in who is right and who is wrong. Let me inform you, if you are a Christian, and you are not walking in love and forgiveness, you are sinning against God. Therefore you are wrong. Who really cares if someone doesn't see your point of view or agree with you. What does it really matter? At the end of the day, pride seeks to be 'right' about everything, while God calls us to humble ourselves. I challenge you to commit yourself to first repent for not walking in love and then pray, "really pray" for those who have hurt you and those you have not shown love to. This also means you have to show love within yourself, just at the thought of that person. "Love is NOT rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." 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Without hesitation I walked to the front and stood before the Lord. I had reached a point of desperation because I had been dealing with an enormous amount of pressure in my personal life. Some of these problems had kept me awake in worry many nights. While I knew to always take matters to the Lord and lay them at His feet. I found myself often picking the issue back up again trying to fix it myself. I would often worry about how long I would have to endure the pressure. I simply wanted the Lord to fix it so that I could enjoy life. My pastor prayed that God would intervene in my situation, he prayed that the Lord would give me strength, but then he prayed something that caused me to stop and think, he said, “Lord, don’t remove the pressure, remove the anxiety associated with the pressure…” At that moment, I could feel myself resisting what he said. I didn’t agree with that. I remember thinking, “what on earth was wrong with my Pastor? “Why would he pray that? “No, I want the pressure gone!” The rest of the day, I pondered those words, they wouldn’t escape me. “Lord, don’t remove the pressure, remove the anxiety associated with the pressure…” Quite frankly, I was a little annoyed about it, I couldn’t shake those words. A day later, I woke up out of my sleep with this thought. “How would it feel to be able to endure the pressure of my current situation and not be fazed by it?” I wondered, what type of strength would I need to have be able to walk through this storm and not be moved by it, to not lose my joy or peace in it? To literally, lay it at the feet of Jesus and keep it there? This thought was unconceivable for me. Over the course of my life, I had become a professional worrier, especially over this type of problem. Sure, I had matured over the years. I didn’t worry about matters the way I did 20 years ago. I had grown up some, but I felt as if I was hard-wired to carry matters until they were resolved. Pressure and anxiety were intertwined; they were one in the same to me. It was unimaginable to be able to walk through some problems unintimidated by them. I then began to wonder why I had accepted this as my way of life. Not one time can I remember praying, “God keep me in this storm until I learn to be unmoved by it!” No way would I ever pray that type of prayer. My faith would always eventually arise and remind me that I needed to trust that God would fix it, but I thought it was okay to have an occasional melt down over these trials, as long as I found myself crying out to God in the end, this was an acceptable response. After all, I am a woman and we have the hormones… Over the course of my life, I have endured a lot of hardship. Some trials were bigger than others. Some were caused by my own actions, or the actions of others, and some were simply apart of life’s journey. Thankfully, I have been able to be a testimony of Christ overcoming power in the midst of many of these situations. I didn’t fall apart over every situation I had to walk through, only certain ones. I have grown to understand; all trials are simply not created equally. There are some trials that I call trigger trials. These are trials that often bring out the worst in me. I worry more during these trials and have a lot of trouble letting go and trusting God to fix it. This was the type of trial I was enduring when I went to the altar for prayer. I had been through this type of trial many times before and each time I allowed it to halt my faith. Unable to shake the prayer of my pastor, I began seeking the Lord about it. He took me to this scripture. “You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:3-4 MSG). God apparently wanted to highlight an extremely deficient in this area. It was time that I recognize that this part of my life was not living up to Christ’s standards. While God wants to elevate us to new levels in Him, we often times hold ourselves back because we are unwilling to address some areas of weakness in our own life. Many times it is our own self-sabotaging decisions that are holding us back. God does not want us to be weak. He is raising up people that can stand in the midst of adversity and be immovable, unshakeable and unfazed. He wants to strengthen us so that we have the ability to not only hold onto their peace, love and joy, but exhibit it to others so that they may see the power of Christ at work in their life. The Apostle Paul tells us: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Over time that promise has become abbreviated to “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Most of the time we look at that scripture as a confirmation that God is sheltering us from overbearing pain. However, we can look at this scripture in another way. God may be calling you to a place or position in Him where He may want to elevate you to do great things for Him in the Kingdom. If we look at this scripture through that lens, we can evaluate it differently. ““God will never give you more than you can handle.” If you cannot handle the pressure where you are, why would He elevate you to another level of responsibility? He is faithful and loving, He is urging you and I to grow up, get stronger and learn to shine through the pressure so He can trust you with more, elevate you and use you for His glory. I hope that you can look at your life today and begin to highlight those trigger trials that seem to always make you stumble. Maybe you don’t fall apart in weakness as I have done in the past. Maybe you get angry, moody or overtly frustrated. Whatever the case, I urge you to allow the Lord to deal with those areas of weakness in your life, just as He continues to do with me. God Bless! https://forwardmarriage.com/surrender daily 0.75 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626445513667-R14JLAMRT1YU4XJ5INNM/steve-halama-1w7P2fIJwXY-unsplash.jpg Surrender - Surrender I had a visit from an old familiar friend...His name is depression. He reminded me that I was a failure and that there was no one who cared enough to rescue me. I was reminded of the abandonment I felt when I lost both of my parents; the deep pain from being betrayed. The hurt I felt when my closet friends talked about me and turned their back on me. I was sinking fast in my despair and could feel how weak the foundation was that I had built beneath me. I replayed all the rejection and felt satisfied; I didn't deserve to be loved and accepted the thought that I was a terrible person. I was smart enough to know they were lies but I chose to believe them at that moment. I read an article last week that said this, "I didn't feel like letting go, I didn't really want to give everything to God. I still wanted control." When I read this, it jumped out at me like I was reading it from a billboard. God was speaking to me and I knew it. God desires for you and me to surrender fully. People have failed us and guess what, we have failed them too. I thought to myself, "How long am I going to look for an external source to fulfill what only God can fulfill?" I had put my husband in that spot, my children, my business, my music, my church, my friends.... I had exalted everything but God. I was looking for an external piece to fill an internal void. Nothing was ever big enough or good enough. I began expecting too much from people around me. I wanted them to rescue me from the internal struggle but they failed every time. I wasn't willing to surrender my whole heart to God. I gave him only a part. I wanted to maintain control because I guess I didn't trust Him with my entire life. It's interesting how being at a low point in your life can make you do self-inventory. I have been trying to fix myself for years with lots of useless remedies and band aides. I never really dealt with the true problem; my true issue wasn't all the pain, hurt and disappointment, the real problem was that I didn't want to fully surrender to God. I didn't want him to have true Lordship. I didn't want to give up control. I was looking for praise, accolades and approval from people to feel like I was a good person or worthy of love. Everything that I knew God wanted to give me I rejected, until now... Today is a new day. I have surrendered completely and as a result I now have unexplained inner peace. I have forgiven myself of all my short comings and failures and know that the Lord has forgiven me too. Today I have apprehended my identity; I am beautiful, inside and out because I was made in the image of God. I am loved by the creator of love. I am satisfied with the Lord alone. Giving up control feels good. Relaxing in the arms of Jesus is invigorating. My hope and confidence is in God. I pray that today you surrender yourself fully to the Lord. Give Him everything, let go of all the pain, frustration, and anger. Forgive yourself and others. Stop keeping a record of all the wrongs done to you. Don't look back, step into a new reality and apprehend right now the supremacy of God. SURRENDER COMPLETELY! Psalms 63 expresses my heart today. You are my God. I worship you. In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert. I have seen your power and your glory in the place of worship. Your love means more than life to me, and I praise you. As long as I live, I will pray to you. I will sing joyful praises and be filled with excitement like a guest at a banquet. I think about you before I go to sleep, and my thoughts turn to you during the night. You have helped me, and I sing happy songs in the shadow of your wings. I stay close to you, and your powerful arm supports me. https://forwardmarriage.com/weakness daily 0.75 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626447049738-DICD4X5YR84UUEBTX62V/woman-crying11.jpeg Weakness - Weakness In my quiet time with the Lord this morning, I initially found myself feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because of the weak areas of my life. I don’t know about you but I hate when I mess up, fall short or simply fail at something. All of us have something in our life that makes us vulnerable, maybe it is anger, worry or an unhealthy addiction. Whatever that weakness is, most of us find ourselves getting frustrated at the lack of victory we seem to have over these personal shortcomings. Well, that was me this morning, praying in despair over my failed attempts to overcome these weak areas of my life. Somewhere in the middle of my prayer a shift occurred. I found myself thanking God for this weak area of my life. As I began to sing Michael W. Smith song, Breathe, “And I, I’m desperate for you, And I, I'm lost without you…” I realized it was that very weakness in my life that reminded me of my frail humanity and my need for not only a Savior, but my constant need to run to God for help. The Bible says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, English Standard Version). It is not a sin to have weaknesses, in fact, Paul boasted about his weaknesses… What is interesting about 2 Corinthians 12 is Paul speaks about some great visions and revelations he had from God; and although Paul was privileged to have these spiritual encounters, he didn’t brag about them, instead he chose to brag about his weaknesses because he understood those weaknesses made him vulnerable and reliant on the power of Christ in his life. Now, I am not implying that you will not have victory over weak areas of your life, I am simply saying that your own strength is not enough to overcome that weakness. You need the power of God at work in your life to find victory over that weakness and once you have obtained victory, you will need God’s power to maintain that victory. As you ponder the weak areas of your life, instead of ignoring or being frustrated about it; choose to respond as Paul did. Run to the Lord…. EVERYTIME you are keenly aware of your weakness. Allow Him to help you overcome it by His grace and power. Be thankful and celebrate your weakness because it makes you DEPENDENT on Him and gives God the opportunity to show His glory and strength through you. https://forwardmarriage.com/premarital-counseling daily 0.75 2023-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626404591261-DXXLKJ1AHR2875DM6LAC/84d29bf5ec595171c406551324fd7c91--biracial-couples-interracial-family.jpeg Premarital Coaching - Premarital Coaching New love, there’s nothing like it. However, relationships are guaranteed to change over time. All couples have problems; you will too. Premarital/Newly Married coaching will help you to identify which areas will most likely be problematic for you and your partner, and to learn how to manage the difficult areas. Don’t wait until the problem has grown so large and complicated that it is much more difficult to solve. All couples planning to be married should get premarital coaching before tying the knot. If you are newly married, it's not too late. In our 4-8 sessions you can learn how to communicate more effectively, how to provide better emotional support for each other, and how to plan for a long-term, loving, happy relationship that lasts. We are SYMBIS facilitators, and through the SYMBIS assessment, we will discover what areas of your relationship will need work. Following the assessment, which can be done online in the convenience of your own home, we will meet to assess your SYMBIS report and will then design your sessions specific to you. Our program will help you build a healthy, strong marriage. You spend so much time and money planning the wedding. Shouldn't you also put effort into planning a life-long marriage? Schedule an appointment today for premarital coaching: 404.720.8188 Credentials: Chadwick Walsh Board Certified Christian Counselor, AACC Board Certified Life Coach, AACC SYMBIS Facilitator JaLana Walsh, MAHS Master of Arts in Human Services, Life Coaching, Liberty University BS Psychology, Christian Counseling, Liberty University Board Certified Christian Counselor, AACC Board Certified Life Coach, AACC SYMBIS Facilitator Fee: SYMBIS Assessent: $60.00/couple Marriage/Couples session: $75.00 for a 40-minute session / $125.00 for 70-minute session We do accept major credit cards, personal checks, and cash. Payment is required at the time of service. Cancellation Policy If you do not show up for your scheduled therapy appointment, and you have not notified us at least 24 hours in advance, you will be required to pay the full cost of the session. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120351287-8BF2CZKN4S1RZB0UXY2O/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120427861-KFMYP2P9IBZ35TKWPREA/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120803360-X8CAI8LWLXY3ZSZ6P14J/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696121100381-7NODYVLYT1LJD75FICMJ/image-asset.jpeg https://forwardmarriage.com/relationshipcounseling daily 0.75 2023-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626443194553-1WRAKR7E71GL661MGL2D/counselingbadges.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120427861-KFMYP2P9IBZ35TKWPREA/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120803360-X8CAI8LWLXY3ZSZ6P14J/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120351287-8BF2CZKN4S1RZB0UXY2O/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696121100381-7NODYVLYT1LJD75FICMJ/image-asset.jpeg https://forwardmarriage.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120427861-KFMYP2P9IBZ35TKWPREA/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120351287-8BF2CZKN4S1RZB0UXY2O/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696121100381-7NODYVLYT1LJD75FICMJ/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120803360-X8CAI8LWLXY3ZSZ6P14J/image-asset.jpeg https://forwardmarriage.com/unforgiveness daily 0.75 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626444625985-QTZFNHP5LEXTLVTM1C9H/tamirlan-maratov-sDgHXXRk4zo-unsplash.jpg Unforgiveness - Unforgiveness As I sat before the Lord today praying, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "Unforgiveness is paralyzing my people." I could feel a pain deep in my heart that urged me to pray. I began to feel the Love of God for His people, longing to set them free from this poison. The tears I was trying to hold back suddenly rushed down my cheeks as I remembered when I too was so oppressed because of the unforgiveness I carried in my heart against another individual. We have all dealt with hurt and offense by others, but there was a situation I once faced that literally crippled me inside. The hurt I felt was far worse than any pain I had ever experienced in my life, including losing both of my parents to cancer. Boy, do I remember this time in my life, oh so well. I was brokenhearted beyond words. I prayed that I would die because I couldn't bare the pain I felt inside. With every breath I took, I would physically feel pain shoot down my chest right into my heart. It was during this time of hurt that I was holding unforgiveness. In fact what I felt was more like a bitter rage. Yes, I was a born again Christian-- even a minister at the time. I didn't want to forgive this person. There was NO WAY I could let this person off the hook for what they did to me. After several months of carrying this bitterness in my heart, a good friend of mine had come in town for a wedding. Aware of the situation I was dealing with, he pulled me aside to console me. At the end of the conversation he said, "You know you have to forgive her don't you?" Those were word that I just didn't want to hear. Of course I knew I had to forgive, but it seemed like an impossible task. Even if I wanted to (and I didn't) I had no clue how to do that. I got back in my car angry at his words and started chatting with the Lord about this thing called "FORGIVENESS." Let me tell you something about me, I'm a transparent person. I don't pretend with people and I never pretend with God. After all He knows the truth anyway, so whats the point? Neither am I a bitter person. I am typically a soft hearted, forgiving person. So me feeling and acting this way was out of character for me. I sat in my car feeling hurt and dirty before the Lord. I was filled with pride as I rehearsed the events that led to this pain in my heart. I despised the thought of forgiving her. Towards the end of my complaint filled chat with the Lord I said, "Lord, I don't want to forgive her. I don't! But, I want to please you more than I want to hate her. So I need you to help me." God heard my pain filled prayer. A few days later, I was rummaging through some of my dad's old things and stumbled across a book by R.T. Kendall entitled, "TOTAL FORGIVENESS" That book put me on the journey I needed. To make a long story short, a few months after I prayed that prayer and made the decision to move towards forgiveness. I went on a fast with my church for 21 days. My prayer was,"....Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Ps: 51:10. For the first 20 days of my 21 day fast I couldn't feel anything, in fact because I was hungry (lol) I was even more edgy and angry. I had made a decision that if something didn't change within my heart by the end of the fast, I was going to leave my church that I loved so much because I just couldn't bare seeing this person. On the 21st and last day of my fast I was in church and noticed a peace that I hadn't had before. Service ended and I headed into the lobby, I looked to my right and there she was. I walked straight over to her (without thinking) and embraced her and told her that I forgave her. Not only that, I told her that my prayer was that she would never have to experience the kind of hurt I experienced and that I didn't want her to reap what she had sown in my life. This young woman broke down in tears as I held her in my arms. "What had I done?" This wasn't premeditated. When did the hatred disappear? This experience for me was so supernatural that afterwards I sat on the back chair of the pew and just wept. I felt Gods love overtaking my body in a way that I had never experienced before. It was at that very moment of opening up my wounded heart and displaying Gods love that I began to experience the presence of the Lord in my life in a new and profound way. It was during that moment of humbling myself that I felt most acquainted with God. The pain I felt inside began to subside and I finally started to heal. Bitterness was no longer there to hold the hurt in my heart. Much of unforgiveness is due to pride! Sometimes we are just thinking so highly of ourselves that we will not let someone else off the hook. Other times it is due to extreme hurt. In my case it was a combination of both pride and hurt. Something inside of me said that by forgiving her I was letting her get away with what she did without any punishment. Regardless of what it is, God says that we must forgive. That's not a request, but a command. As you read this, I pray that you would allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where you might be holding unforgiveness in your heart (even if it's unforgiveness towards the Lord or even yourself). I encourage you to make a decision to forgive. Your emotions may not want to, but that doesn't matter. You must make the decision to forgive out of obedience to Gods Word. Matthew 5:44 - But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 6:14 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Mark 11:25 - And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Romans 12:20 - On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Luke 6:35 - But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:36 - Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:37 - "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Luke 6:38 - Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Proverb 20:22 - Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. https://forwardmarriage.com/addiction daily 0.75 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1626445791186-R63IYL2PQ2HM6U1KMOY4/alec-douglas-iuC9fvq63J8-unsplash.jpg Addiction - Addiction I know way too many people struggling with negative addictions. Lets face it, most of us deal with something that we're not happy about. I have wondered for years why so many of us Christians don't experience freedom from these negative addictions. Here is my question, if we serve an almighty God, why don't we experience more victories over the those things that plague us? You know, those things that we hide in our secret closet and don't want anyone else to know about. After we've tried to gain freedom over our burden(s), most of us end up accepting the struggle we face by saying, "I'm only human" or "I guess this is the thorn in my flesh" referring to the preceding scripture. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 In all the times I've heard someone refer to this scripture, never does it say that this 'thorn in his flesh' had power over him. What it says is that even though it tormented him, and reminded him of his weakness, in that weakness-- Christ power would rest on him to make him strong enough to overcome. So, what is your addiction? anger, alcohol, over-eating, power, lust, greed... I found it very interesting that the word used for addiction in the old testament is idolatry. Spiritually, addiction is a deep-seated form of idolatry. Idolatry is also defined as worship of any idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of God. Idolatry is in reality creating a God substitute. Those of us struggling with an addiction, my purpose is not to condemn you, but encourage you. I refuse to believe we can't experience freedom from these idols in our life. The God we serve is way to big and powerful for us to be subject to something as small as an addiction. I also don't believe we need to wait for God to do something more. There is no more for God to do. He has already completed his work-- we just haven't apprehended it. It is the working of the Holy Spirit that will produce in you the fruits that reflect the character of Christ. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. You can be free from whatever addiction that you've struggled with. Addiction starts in the mind. That is the first and final battle ground. Do you want freedom, then realize that once you have victory over your thought life-- you will have victory in your walk. Matthew 22:36-37 tells us to: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Learn to love the Lord God with all of your mind. Make a conscious effort to keep your mind renewed and washed by the Word of God. Science tell us that we have somewhere between 12,000 - 50,000 thoughts per day. 80% of those thoughts are non-sense or negative. Many organizations (Buddist, New Age, Futurist) are adapting to what is called mindfulness. Being aware of the busyness of the mind and then turning to meditation to quiet the mind. These organizations only got it half right. Our meditation needs to be on the Word of God. In a nutshell, what I want to tell you today is that you can have freedom over any addiction that you may struggle with. Do not believe the lie that you can't be free. You must believe God's Word and know that if God can save you, He can deliver you. There is no limit to His power. God has put us in charge of managing our lives. God is not going to do for you what He's given you power to do for yourself. Sometimes you have to just become militant about it and take the authority that God's given you, and rebuke the demons that have been speaking to your mind. Crying about it isn't gonna change your situation, but taking authority and doing something will. So, if you want to be free.(really want to) you will be! Receive it now, then just walk it out. Remember this: "You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." Be free in Jesus Name! https://forwardmarriage.com/lanalandbooks daily 0.75 2022-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/9343285b-14fe-4ce3-95c1-0f17bd0c96b5/bookcover_noOnelikeme.jpeg LanaLandBooks - No One Like Me??? "Mrs. Lana Walsh is upset when she watches the news. All throughout her life, she has seen fighting for equal rights and protections for people of all races and nationalities. It reminds her of her elementary school days when she first learned about segregation. In this thrilling narrative, Mrs. Walsh takes you back through time to a lesson on interracial marriage bans and the lasting effects they had even after they were outlawed. This brief history of racism, segregation, and marriage comes with a secret story Lana never knew: her own mother and father would not have married if it weren’t for the Lovings. Rooted in history, "No One Like Me" is the touching story of a young mixed girl learning about her parents’ past. Finally able to accept that she is a combination of both parents and two different races, Lana realizes that she is not alone and that there are many like her." https://forwardmarriage.com/couples-cafe daily 0.75 2025-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/822f28d9-ef88-45c3-af11-20e85004c90e/WinEveryArgument_conflict.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/591f03ab-eb7d-415e-b758-cc0155c253b3/loveinsidejob.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/41f6b75c-0e5f-4963-ba5d-186808938e79/EATPLAYLOVE+%28700+%C3%97+300+px%29+%28500+%C3%97+150+px%29+%28500+%C3%97+100+px%29.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/08c6dbe9-df7d-41c3-821b-b24a0289a72e/EKG.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f08855fa3c1600ab77d536/1696120351287-8BF2CZKN4S1RZB0UXY2O/image-asset.jpeg 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