Are You Languishing in Damage Inflicted?

My dad carried a small wound from his years in the Navy. It made one of his hands hang in a loose fist. He had to work the hand to get it to open. It wasn’t the hand that took the injury however. Only a small scar in his upper arm could be seen, and only then if you looked closely. What seemed like a small insignificant injury caused a huge problem for my father all the days of his life.

Wounds inflicted don’t always show on the surface. It may be from a jab to the heart or a knife in the back. It could be shrapnel wounds from bigger bombs thrown out without care as to who it might affect. Those bombs are born of and thrown out because of selfishness, carelessness, disloyalty, cruelty, animosity, rejection or hate.  The ongoing diseases that follow the damage include sorrow, sadness, depression, desperation, dejection, unworthiness, self-loathing and more. 

Those who send out the damaging news, information, scars, pain, and injuries don’t want peace and don’t care who gets hurt. Although the person or persons wielding the damage seem fine, eventually it will catch up with them. They can’t throw out damage without eventually receiving damage to themselves. But in the meantime, you’ve been left wounded and bleeding on the road of life and no one seems to want to pick you up and help you. If you’re not careful you will try to bandage the wounds with old dirty rags that only make it worse. You may try to pick yourself up, fix your own hurts and find that the pain remains.

Unlike my father’s wound, which caused damage for his entire life, we have a Great Physician who will come to us and bandage our hurts and heal our hearts! He is with us when we’re born again and He remains with us always, whether in the good times of joy or in the foxholes of life.  We can rejoice, for we don’t have to live crippled, wounded, damaged lives! God is here to set us free from what others do to us, or from what we’ve done to ourselves.

Are you nursing your wounds this morning? Have you been hit by another’s shrapnel and find it hard to walk in the light of God’s Word? Someone may have said you were damaged goods - weak, sick, wrong, bad, unlovable, useless, hopeless, beyond fixing.

Oh beloved, don't give up! Don’t believe a word of it! For God Himself has come in and made you a new creation. He forgives ALL your mistakes, bandages ALL your wounds and redeems ALL your life! He says to you this morning, Fear not! For I AM with you! Be not dismayed! I AM your God. I AM going to strengthen you. I AM going to help you.  I AM going to hold you up and give you victory and justice. I love you always, I will care for you forever and I AM your reason to get up, move on and live by faith!

You don’t have to languish in the damage inflicted, but rather flourish in the love and care of the God Who sees and heals and delivers and works out everything in your life for your good and His glory!!!!

Romans 8:34 Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 142:4-5  I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.  Then I pray to you, O Lord.  I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.”

Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that …all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. [Amplified]

Psalm 34:5,18 Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Give That Misidentified Problem to Him!

Because I work in an agriculture office, you just never know what people will bring in for us to identify. It could be a twig, a leaf, or a bug. Sometimes what they bring is alive, other times it’s dead. They’ll walk in with a bottle or a bat and say, “What do you think it is?” After careful consideration and the occasional perusal of an insect or plant book, one of the agents will identify it. Sometimes it has to be sent to the plant labor the entomology specialist in our state office. Final diagnosis can be made once a person in authority has seen it.

As humans, we see a lot of “stuff” come into our lives. Often it’s just a small speck on the screen and we are able to quash it quickly and move on. Other times something huge makes its way into our lives or minds and we have problems identifying it. Lots of times we misdiagnose it. We fail to run it through the Book of Identification and we let the concern about it run rampant in our minds as we worry, fume, fear and become depressed over it. If we’re not careful we’ll let that little speck multiply until we’re overrun with it. Finally we have to call in an expert who can truly classify it and give us control measures or tell us that it’s not really a problem.

Oh beloved! What are you holding in your hand this morning? What have you been turning over and over, looking and trying to figure it all out? Are you concerned that it’s poisonous or going to make you sick or create some disaster in your life? Are you worried about the outcome or how to get rid of it? Maybe you’ve misdiagnosed it and you think it’s all disaster.

Run to the Book of Identification and let God figure it all out for you. He will correctly identify it as you ask Him, “What do You think it is?” As you let God look into the things you have tried to “handle” on your own, He will not only give you a right verdict, He will make all things work together for your good! No matter what you’re going through, He is the Expert and He is aware of all things, so only He can make correct analysis. You may be convinced you have seen disappointment but He sees His appointment, you may be seeing disaster and He’s seeing His answer. Trust Him today to look through eyes of pure love, evaluate your life through the microscope of His Truth and to properly dispose of the hurts, issues and misdiagnosis of your whole life. This Great Physician you can rely on, no matter what and you can leave those bugs and problems in His hands for He will surely work them all out for your good and His glory!

2 Chronicles 33:12-13 But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God!

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 77:13-14 Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.

2 Samuel 22:4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while He is near.

Psalm 119:50 Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.

1 Chronicles 16:11 Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him

James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Discouraged? Saturate Your Life with the Word

While I love to have my teeth cleaned and feel the smooth polished surfaces, I do not like more invasive effects.  But it was time to have some things taken care of. So I went to a wonderful local Christian dentist who we’ve known for quite a few years. He’s kind, generous and fun to be around! Nevertheless, needles and all that aren’t my favorite. The doc numbed my mouth and left me to get completely ready. I even had a color tv and remote control at my disposal.  After a few minutes, he came in with his assistant, another friend, and began to work. He had told me if I felt anything to speak up.  In fact I did feel something and he quickly saturated my mouth with more medication.  Before long the procedure was over and I could get out of the chair and go home. I was thankful once again for relief. I had not realized how much it was hurting until it was fixed.  I had evidently been dealing with it on an ongoing basis. I gave thanks to the Lord again for the relief.

Oh beloved, is there something giving you agony? Have you held it in so long that you have forgotten what genuine relief is like? Perhaps you have thought it was normal to be in pain, have misery or deal with the ache of a broken heart.

Run to the Lord this morning and let Him saturate you with His Word! It permeates every area of your life – from your mind to your body to your spirit – until all you feel is the joy of His presence! Let Him show you all the promises that are meant to cure broken hearts or broken spirits! He loves you extravagantly! He watches over you continually! Truly He is the Great Physician Who will touch you and make you whole again!

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Psalm 107:20 He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction. (AMP)

Psalm 42:5,6 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again— my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:8 But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.

Psalm 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!  AMP