The Power of a Grateful Heart

To the earthly mind, the Kingdom of Heaven is full of paradoxes. Here are a few:

• We must first give before we can receive.
• We must return good for evil.
• We must love those who hate us.
• We must humble ourselves before God will exalt us.
• We must forgive those who curse us.

Such commands of our Lord shake our human reasoning and make no sense at all. But when we obey these commands, we find that we become filled with joy and peace.

Another such command is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in every circumstance." At first glance, this sounds ridiculous. How can we give thanks in the midst of evil? How can we give thanks in the midst of suffering and pain? How can we give thanks when someone hurts us?

The truth is that when we give thanks in the midst of every trial, we are expressing our trust in God Who is far bigger than any trial. And when we trust God, He delivers us from the trial or helps us to endure it and get through it.

Jesus is not saying that we must be thankful FOR the trial, but IN THE MIDST OF the trial. Evil things come from Satan, but God allows them in our lives to draw us to Himself, to help us understand that we are totally dependent on Him.  The longer we walk with Christ, however, the more we see that the trial has worked on our behalf, transforming us more and more into the image of Christ. This is God's ultimate goal for us: to transform us into the image of His dear Son Jesus Christ.

Whatever trial you are facing today, give thanks to God in the midst of that trial. Run to Him and cast your burden on Him (Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:7). He cares for you and will see you through. 

Take to heart this promise of God for you in Zephaniah 3:17:  "The LORD your God in the midst of you is mighty; He will save; He will rejoice over you with joy: He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing."
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Copyright 2014 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

Christ's Mission: To Heal Your Broken Heart

Jesus Christ had an amazing mission statement. It was first recorded in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 61, and announced by Jesus Himself in Luke 4:18:19 when He read from the Word of God in the synagogue:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound...."

Note, in particular, the second point of Christ's mission statement: "...to heal the brokenhearted."  Are you broken-hearted today? If so, this word is for you.

Jesus came to earth to heal your broken heart!

That is good news! No matter how your heart was broken, Jesus can heal it. All you have to do is give Him your broken heart.

You may be thinking that your broken heart is beyond repair. I assure you it is not. My own heart was broken, and Jesus healed it. He will do the same for you because He loves you.

Your heart may have been broken by rejection, physical or mental abuse, sex trafficking, abandonment, separation, divorce, death of a loved one, illness, loss of a job, death of a dream, drugs or other addictions, imprisonment, or any one of a number of things that can break the human heart. But what matters is not how your heart was broken. What matters is that Jesus Christ can heal your broken heart. All you have to do is give it to Him.

Here is a simple prayer to help you:

Lord Jesus, my heart is broken. I give it to You now. Heal it as only You can--in Your perfect timing and in Your wonderful, loving way. Thank You. Amen.

Pray this prayer now and begin to experience the amazing, supernatural healing power of Christ's infinite love for you.

To help you in your healing journey, I highly recommend The Mended Heart (affiliate link) by Suzanne Eller.   

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Copyright 2014 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, DMin, MFA.

Do You Want to Get Well?

Do you want to get well? This may seem like a silly question, but it is the question Jesus asked the paralytic (John 5:6).  Why would Jesus ask such a question? Surely, everyone wants to be well.

The truth is that not everyone wants to be well. The desire to be well precedes all healing.  If you do not want to be well, then you will not get well.  But if you want to get well, you will get well as you seek God's wisdom and pray for His direction. You will get well as you believe that you will get well. 

How can you tell if you want to be healed?  Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1) Am I using my physical sickness or my emotional illness as a means of getting attention?  If so, am I willing to give up that desire for attention in exchange for wholeness?  

2) Am I willing to renounce the doctrines of men and the doctrines of devils in exchange for the truth of God's Word? Much false teaching is out there regarding healing. This false teaching comes from people and from demons. You may have been the recipient of this false teaching in your church or elsewhere. False teaching will keep you from wanting to be healed. If, for example, you have been falsely taught that God makes people sick to teach them something, then you will feel conflicted about wanting to be healed because you will think that you are violating God's will. But, if it is true that God makes you sick to teach you something, then you are violating God's will by going to a doctor.

3) Am I willing to concede that, while I may not be responsible for what happens to me, I am totally responsible for how I respond to what happens to me? It is far easier emotionally and psychologically to blame others for our troubles than to assume the responsibility ourselves. But the truth is that we cause many of our own problems.

4) Am I willing to concede that while God is in control of the universe, He has given me dominion over the earth, a free will, and, therefore, dominion over my choices?  It is far easier to blame our negative life situations on God's sovereignty than on our responsibility. Saying that everything happens because God is in control is a cop-out.  Some things happen because of our poor choices. God never intended for them to happen.

5) Am I willing to give up all of my excuses to pursue emotional health? Am I willing to go through the pain in order to discover the freedom that is on the other side of the pain? Emotional health requires a price on our part.  That price is the laying down of our own solutions to our problems and the embracing of God's solutions as found in His Word.

So, do you want to be healed?  I hope you'll shout a resounding YES! :)