"A Relationship with GOD"

 Reflections4Life™ March 19, 2023

“A Relationship with God”

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…” Deuteronomy 10:12

Scripture Contemplation: Proverbs 4; Lamentations 2; Matthew 6:25; Romans 6; 8; Ephesians 4...

Through every attack, every trial, and hardship, one thing has ringed the most in my soul: “Is my life a true reflection of my relationship with God?” What is my life saying about God? What am I saying (my actions, my deeds) when I am going through a battle? Is my speech of defeat? Is it negative? Or, am I speaking with faith and confidence in what God has spoken and promised to my heart? Is my life truly reflecting who I say God is to me?

I declare, this week's Reflections will be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. Be cognizant of what your life is reflecting concerning your relationship with God. Walk in the goodness and promises of God, no matter what comes your way. Stand strong in the Father, who enables you to withstand all matters of storms, and cultivate your relationship every day.

A Mask of Religion

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.

Mark 7:6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

Actions indeed are louder than words. People will hear what we say, but look at what we do. Many shun a relationship with God because those who wear the mask of religion and say they are believers have not done such a great job of exemplifying a life that would draw others to Christ. Instead, rocked with scandal after scandal, and under the guise of saying we are believers, we have allowed and continue to allow atrocities to occur in this world, and excuse behaviors of people in power or high positions only to gain what we want instead of what God requires.

Perhaps it is because we have not fully believed. Maybe we have not sold out our hearts and souls to Christ. Because of this, it makes it easier to swallow the demands and standards we place on others but do not follow ourselves. We have mastered the art of religion and have failed at relationships. We have a form of godliness but our hearts and souls are lacking Holy Spirit, truth, conviction, and love. We are pretty edifices with decaying souls and spirits within. We use religion as a weapon, the letter of the law to shackles, bound, and kill but do not hold these same laws to ourselves. Religion without a relationship and the Spirit of God is just another way to bind and destroy people and strip the world of love. It covers the truth about who God truly is.

An Intimate Relationship

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

I thought about how a dear friend lived her life up until her very last breath on this earth. What an example of Christ she portrayed. Her life touched many people. Her love extended everywhere. Her life spoke of kindness, love, forgiveness, hope, faith, and laughter, even amid excruciating pain. She left a legacy of greatness for those who loved and knew her. More importantly, she lived it. Every day; even through sickness and pain, she reached forward and brought light and laughter to others.

It was not her religion that captured or drew people to her but the light and love that shone through her. Her relationship with God translated into her relationship with people from all lifestyles, backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions. She did not use religion to try to persuade others to what she believed. Nor to condemn others for the lives they lived and what they thought. She gained respect for respecting others. Yet never compromised or shied away from what she, herself believed and stood for.

How many of us pay attention to what our lives are speaking? Do our lives line up with what our mouths have been confessing? Do our lives exemplify the life we say we are living in Christ? Would anyone know by our actions alone, if we were believers and loved the Lord? Would our life lead another to Christ? Would they want to partake in the goodness of God by what our lives reflect, and the fruit we bear? Are we bound to religion or free in a relationship with the Almighty King?

With Love and Kindness

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

This is what I know; God has many things He desires to do for us on this earth. Many prayers He desires to bring to fruition. Blessings He desires to manifest in our lives. Yet, for many of us who call ourselves believers, we have fallen short in our faith and love. We have honed our skills in religion and the letter of the law, but have failed miserably in the lessons of unconditional love and relationships.

Sure, we will go to church, and say the right words, but our hearts are speaking loud and clear, affecting our actions. Our message is not one of faith, love, trust, and belief or a relationship with a loving and just God. Instead, it is a message of doubt, fear, regrets, unbelief, unjust, vengeful, and schizophrenic God. Then we wonder why the church is full of like-minded people, yet whose homes are cold and void of love and meaningful relationships, and no one knows one another. Our home, our family is our first ministry. What would our families say?

When are we going to let go and allow God to have His way? When are we going to honestly trust in God and give Him all of us? When will we let go of religion and gain a relationship with the Highest that is honest, open, healthy, and can translate into our relationships with others? Simply put, when are we going to drop the masks and stop hiding behind religion, making excuses for our bad behavior, our judgmental spirits, and our hypocritical ways?

I want my life to speak well of Christ; to be that walking epistle that draws others into a relationship with the Heavenly Father. I desire to not just leave a legacy, but to leave one of greatness by totally surrendering to God, and allowing Him to use me; even in my most testing and trying times. I do not want a form of godliness, wearing a cloak of religion, and my heart removed from who God truly is.

My Beloveds, May the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Your life has been speaking for you for a long time. It is a reflection of your relationship or non-relationship with God. Let your life express well of you and God, and you—your relationship and not religion—will draw others to the saving grace of Christ. You are blessed. Now go and be a Blessing!

©2023. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.

"Run to God"

 Reflections4Life™ February 19, 2023

“Run to God”

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19

Scripture Contemplation: Psalm 31; 34; 139; Romans 10; 12; 2 Corinthians 10; Jude…

©Ruthe McDonald

I declare, this week’s Reflections will be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart mind, and soul. Let it resonate in your heart and soul that there is safety in the arms of God. In the presence of the Almighty is where you will find the answers that your soul seeks. However, you may not receive the answers right away but be comforted in knowing that God not only hears you but has already answered before you called.

Everything

Psalm 34:17, 18 “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Half the battle in our lives is learning to give God everything. We can talk to God about anything. We can bring everything to Him. Everything. All of our concerns, our questions, our wants, and desires; whatever may be causing a disturbance in our spirit, in our lives. Every hurt and pain. God not only desires for us to but also encourages us to. Lay it all on the altar.

I understand that for many that is a scary thing to contemplate—everything. God is not holding us back when it comes to laying it all on the altar, at the throne before Him. It is our continued lack of trust and inability and/or fear to be vulnerable. We struggle to tell ourselves the truth. God already knows it. Most have been so hurt and disappointed by people we love and trust that it is hard for us to trust God, or anyone that God sends into our lives to help bring healing, and show us His unconditional love and trust in a human connection.

Our faith in people has often translated into our faith in God. Instead of running to God with all of our cares and concerns, and pouring everything at the altar, as He has asked us to—we hoard the hurts and disappointments. We ruminate over them like sick children, until it becomes a part of us and we cannot let God in, nor release anything. We have built a wall between our hearts and God. 

Somewhere in our minds, we blame God for allowing things to happen in our life. At the same time, the enemy has been whispering his lies; whispering that God does not care does not love us, that He has abandoned us. Which is a total fabrication that the enemy often uses to sow seeds of doubt, to get us to stop praying and bringing everything to God. The enemy’s ultimate goal is to stop us from believing in God, in His promises, and in love; closing us off to all the goodness and greatness, that God has ordained for our lives.

Believing

Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved.

Believing is the other half of the battle. There is power when we believe in God. It strengthens us when we believe in and stand on His word, in all that the Father has spoken to our hearts and the visions He has granted us. 

It is not about what we see with our natural eyes but what we can believe in our hearts without first seeing. The world says that seeing is to believe, seeing with your natural eyes. God says that first believing in what He has spoken, brings to fruition what you first believed without having first seen. That is faith.

This is exactly why the enemy tries to infiltrate our minds. It is his playground, our battlefield. The enemy knows that if he can plant seeds of doubt in our minds and we continue to think and meditate on those lies and negativity, it soon becomes a belief in our hearts. Whatever we believe in our hearts becomes our truth and only God has the power to change and remove the lies that we have accepted and now justify as truths.

Our minds are powerful vessels; our thoughts are a conduit of the life that we not only desire but what God has promised. This is why God admonishes us to renew our minds daily (Romans 12:1-2) to think of pure and good things (Philippians 4:8) and to pull down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).

When we believe in what God has spoken to our hearts, we meditate on it, on His word, and His promises, we are strengthening our faith muscles. We are building a defense that the enemy will not be able to penetrate. We have the power to manifest what we believe in our hearts. The problem for many is that they have been stuck in a negative space for so long, they believe that nothing but bad or negative will take place. They end up self-sabotaging their lives because where faith once was, now resides fear and unbelief. The perfect cocktail for the enemy to wreak devastating havoc and destroy one’s mind and heart if possible. I say this because here is what the enemy forgets and what so many of us forget: there is absolutely nothing on this earth or below it or above it that can ever separate us from the love of God. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. (Romans 8:38-39)

As long as God loves us, there will always be hope for us until we take our last breath on this earth. All of that doubt and unbelief, all of that hurt, pain, and disappointments?—Can be washed away the moment we accept the pure love of God, and His forgiveness, and learn to forgive and love ourselves. We must first believe. Believe that it is true; that the word of God is true. Believe in His love and forgiveness, then accept it as truth. Allow it to become the new truth in our hearts.

Run to God

Psalm 31:1-2 (MSG) I run to you, God; I run for dear life. Don’t let me down! Take me seriously this time! Get down on my level and listen, and please—no procrastination! Your granite cave is a hiding place, your high cliff aerie a place of safety.

Like David, run to God, Beloveds. He is our safety, secure place, and answers for all things. Though it may seem like God is not answering or hearing your prayers, He is. In fact, He has already answered. However, the enemy of our soul will try to always interrupt and get in the way of us hearing and seeing God. We are stronger than the enemy when we yield to God when we run to the safety of His word and in His loving arms. When we begin to speak and pray the word of God over our lives and walk it every single day, we are creating a solid foundation that is impenetrable by the enemy. Though there may be times that we stumble and fall, and times of heartaches, losses, and even disappointments, it does not mean that God is not there. 

We must learn to navigate this life with the knowledge that there will be afflictions and adversities that we will encounter, but nothing too hard or difficult for God, and nothing we cannot overcome with God on our side. Though the weapons form against us, they will not succeed (Isaiah 54:17) as long as we are standing and believing in the truth of what God has already declared and decreed in and over our lives. Remember: The enemy has no power or authority except what we give him.

My Beloveds, May the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Run to God. Give Him everything. Believe Him for all things. He is not a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He should repent. Whatever God has spoken to You, has promised you; it is indeed going to happen. Have faith, think about the good things and the promises of God, and follow His navigational instructions! You are blessed. Now go…and be a blessing!

©2023. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.

"It Starts in the Mind"

 Reflections4Life™ January 8, 2023

“It Starts in the Mind”

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1

Scripture Contemplation: Psalm 28; Psalm 51; John 14; Romans 12; Colossians 3; James 1...

©Ruthe McDonald.

It is a pleasure to be able to fellowship with God. Having access to His grace and mercies. His anointing is new in our lives every day. As you walk in faith, remember that God has heard you before you even called. Do not give up on God but hold fast to His word and promises. Stay in the word this year. Fast, pray, and meditate. Know in your hearts, that no matter what you face, you are not alone. Feed your mind and heart a consistent diet of the word of God. Surround yourself in worship and watch what God manifests in your life this New Year!

I decree that this week’s Reflections will remain a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. There is nothing, which God will not do for His children. His love is unconditional and knows no bounds. Make it your business this year to get in the presence of God as never before. If you want to see a change in your life; if you want direction; if you want to know your purpose and how to handle the things that come your way, and remain steadfast? Then, spend more time with the Father and get set to have your mind renewed daily.

To be alive, in the presence of God, and receive all that He has ordained for your life is an awesomely powerful thing. I can assure you that there are many people that are grateful, never thinking or believing they would see another year. There are also those filled with gratitude for the opportunity to enter into a new season. Yet, still, others remain stuck in the past and are finding it difficult to move forward. No matter how many brand new days and years they receive, they are not living because they are stuck in a moment or situation, becoming prey for the enemy.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.

It starts in the mind. Beloved, everything we are experiencing and will continue to experience begins in the mind—what we are telling ourselves, what we are listening to, whom we are listening to, and what we ultimately believe. What we have consistently thought about or have allowed planted in our minds will eventually become a belief in our hearts and manifest itself. The only way to keep those thoughts from taking root is to renew our minds daily, take on the thoughts of Christ, and learn to pull down strongholds. If we do not, we become a tool for the enemy to use in his fight against God. Trust me when I tell you, if the enemy finds any entrance he can slip through, he will, and will not stop until he destroys your life, your faith, and your love. Or until you stand in the authority that God has given you, and kick the devil out.

We are no match for Satan. Not on our own. He is the master manipulator and father of lies. The mind is the devil’s playground. If he gets in, he will try to take over. It begins with a whisper, a thought, an image, a dream. If we do not immediately dismiss it, plead the blood of Jesus, and learn to fight the way God instructs us, we will fall victim to the enemy, as he wreaks havoc in our lives, and destroy our hearts and lives in the process.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

We must—we must understand and believe that we are not waging war against a physical entity. We cannot underestimate the cunningness of the enemy. Or, how far he will go. Trust me when I tell you this: the enemy has studied us. He has roamed this earth, often aware of the greatness and power that rests in many of us that we do not even yet recognize in ourselves. He will use every arsenal he has to destroy us so that we do not come to that realization. Or, if we do realize it, destroy us before it manifests. That is why we must not be ignorant about the enemy and who we are in a battle with, and why it all starts in our minds, with what we tell ourselves, what we believe, what we think about, and what we know.

Renew your minds on a daily basis, Beloved. Allow God to saturate your heart and mind with His word, His truth, and revelation about the enemy. Do not underestimate your adversary, the devil. The mind is his choice of a battleground. If allowed as much as an inch, he will come in and wreak such havoc and devastation; you will not recognize who you are and what has transpired. But know this: we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ. We have, as well, Holy Spirit. Yet, we must yield to Him. Yield to what God is saying and release what we think we know and have faith, even in the things that make no sense. We must be willing to release who we are for who God says we are. We must be willing to release our intellects and ways of thinking, in exchange for the mind of Christ. We must totally yield to the Father, and lay aside what we thought we knew, in order to receive what we need, and the revelation of who we are in God, how to strategically fight AND win against the enemy. This is not a battle of the flesh, but a battle of the mind and spirit. This battle is won through the power and strength of our God.

My Beloveds, may the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. It starts in the mind, Beloved. All victories begin in our mind and what we tell ourselves, what we think about consistently, and what eventually is believed in our hearts concerning all matters. Renew your mind daily. Think about the things of God. Meditate on His word, put on your armor of God, and fight how God teaches us strategically to fight against the enemy of our soul and future. You got this because God has you. Trust Him. You are blessed. Now go…and be a blessing.

©2023. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.

"The Lies We Tell Ourselves"

 Reflections4Life™ December 4, 2022

“The Lies We Tell Ourselves”

“...and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 26:27

Scripture Contemplation: Psalm 31; 120; Proverbs 6; 12; Isaiah 59; 1 Timothy 2...

©Ruthe McDonald.

God desires us to live a life of truth. To live our lives in such a manner, that it is above reproach. However, how many of us live our lives in truth when it came to others but lie to ourselves? Many may not practice lying to others but hold the crown for lying to themselves.

I decree that this week's Reflections will be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. Allow the light of God to shine on those places in your heart that you have tucked away. Let the truth come forth so that you may be free, and live the life that God has ordained for you.

Psalm 51:6 “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.”

It is sometimes hard to accept the truth when it comes to our own faults, flaws, or something that may have happened to us. The truth can be painful, and we will do almost anything to avoid that pain. We will even lie to and convince ourselves that all is well, when in fact, we are nothing but broken pieces of clay, patched and held together by the lies we tell ourselves, and the false portrait we paint for others, suggesting that all is well in our lives. Inside we are crumbling, too afraid to allow the truth to come forth and bring healing, for fear that exposing our truth or dealing with our truth is far too much for us to bare.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

For far too long, we have been holding on to issues that have stagnated our lives. Our walk in Christ is limited by our refusal to face the truth and be honest with ourselves and what we have gone through or are currently facing. Too many are hiding from the truth, evading certain issues. We close our hearts to those who get too close to finding out the truth. We hide from who we really are and ourselves. Many carry the fear that not only will others reject them but they will not like what they see or find when truly searching their hearts and facing personal truths.

We lie to ourselves on a daily basis. We tell others and ourselves that everything is fine. That, our lives are great, and we have everything together. When the truth of the matter is: we have been lying to ourselves. Lying so long, that we don't even recognize the truth about ourselves. We have bought into our own fallacies concerning our lives, how we feel about ourselves, and see ourselves.

It is time to stop lying to ourselves and tell the truth! It is time to free ourselves from our past, our mistakes, and our abusers, and confront, that which has been holding us emotionally hostage. We cannot possibly enjoy or receive all that God has ordained for us when in our hearts we do not feel worthy or have not allowed God to heal us from that, which has badly hurt us.

I do not know what your situation or circumstance might be today, yet I implore you to lay everything at the altar, allowing God to mend your broken pieces. There is nothing hidden from God, nothing that will surprise God, nothing that our God cannot handle. You only have to have the courage to tell your truth. Have the courage no to longer lie to yourself, giving it all to God, allowing healing and deliverance to come forth.

Healing and deliverance cannot manifest if we refuse to acknowledge or confront the issues. Freedom from that, which keeps us bound and broken, depends on our willingness to confront that, which has hurt and harmed us. We must have the willingness to bare ourselves before the Lord, releasing all that we have tucked away from our own minds.

At the point of decision, when we are sincerely ready—heart, mind, and soul—we will ask ourselves, what are the benefits of the lies we tell ourselves? What do we get from lying to ourselves? What purpose does it serve to live a lie and not confront that which has hurt us so deeply and profoundly affects our entire lives and relationships?

For many, it is a spirit of fear. Fear of finally confronting and facing what has happened to them. Fear of remembering. Fear of rejection. Fear of someone else finding out. Fear of never being able to move on or have the life that you so desperately yearn for. It is that, the spirit of fear, which keeps far too many crippled. They are bound to a past and all lies that have manipulated who they truly are. It has held so many bound and hostage from receiving all that God has for their lives.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

The Father wants us free from our pasts and those things that have hurt us and disturbed the course of our lives. In order for us to be free, we first must be willing, to be honest with ourselves; to stop lying to ourselves, face the truth, and do the work that is required to receive the healing and deliverance that is necessary to live the lives that God has ordained for us.

Stop lying to yourself, Beloved. Allow Holy Spirit into those secret places; to touch and heal those wounds that you have been unsuccessfully covering up. Let the anointing power of the Lord cleanse your soul, and bind up every hurt, and wound that you have encountered in your life. Place your life in the Father's hands, allowing Him to turn your broken pieces into a beautiful masterpiece. Tell the truth and free yourself. Walk fully in the blessings God ordained for your life. You ARE worth it. His blood has made you worthy.

My Beloveds, may the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Allow the cleansing and healing power of God to release and deliver you. Do not be afraid to confront your past, and face your truths. With God, you can do all things because He is your strength. Believe and know with certainty in your heart, that the Father is with you always, and desires nothing but His best for you. Be free. Be healed. Be made whole. You are blessed. Now go...and be a blessing!

©2017. Revised ©2022. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.