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Why Words Matter

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 15:55:31 GMT

Why Words Matter

When was the last time you ever gave a thought to words, your words, the words of others, the words you see on social media, the words you read in magazines, the words you hear on TV, the words you read in your Bible.

Words are everywhere and they help us to make sense of, and give context to our world. They describe what we see, what we hear, what we do and what we think. They can define who we are, what we do, give voice to our opinions, and state our case. Words can make our past come alive, our present be enthralling and paint a picture of what we want our future to be. Words are the primary method of communication among human beings, and between humans and their creator. All of this because of words.

There is nothing that we can see, hear, smell, touch or imagine that is not expressed by a word. There is no sound that can be described without words - a rushing wind, a crashing wave, a screeching of brakes, a rustle of leave, the cry of a baby, a whisper of love - all words create an image in our mind - in our brain to be exact, which is interpreted to make up our seen and heard world. Is it not fascinating how much words matter - but there there is more….

Have you ever thought about who invented words, where did they come from - I’m not talking about languages - those are words spoken in a different tongue or dialect but are still derived from an original source of words. There is only one explanation of the incredible phenomena of the origin of words and that is One who is The Word.

In John 1:1 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John writes - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:3 - All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Gen 1 In the beginning God (The Word) created the heaven and the earth - He (The Word) did this by speaking into existence Light, the Firmament, Day & Night, All Vegetation, Animals, Fish & every creeping thing. The Word used words to create everything that exists in our world today and everything He created He used a word (its name) to describe it. The God who created the Universe is the Word and He not only upholds the world by the Word of His Power (Hebrew 1:3) but He is the cohesive and sustaining force behind all creation - communicating with His creation through words.

Now this is where things get very very phenomenally amazing - in Gen 1:26-27 - God (The Word) says “Let us make man in our image and likeness (to resemble us) - male and female He (The Word) created them. He created mankind to be similar in nature and quality to Himself with the same power of words to create - but to create what, as every physical and material thing has already been created - humans can only create things out of what God has already created - ie earth, wood, water, gas, minerals and metals etc.

So what are we to create out of the image of God that is in us???

So glad you asked that question - God (The Word) has given us the power to create our reality with the power of our words, and not only that, He also created the mechanism by which this can be done - all created by His own words confirmed in Psl 139:14 - I am fearfully and wonderfully made and 1 Corth 6:19 - Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Part of the fearfully and wonderfully made temple is a magnificently complex organ which is the centre of the nervous system, responsible for controlling most bodily functions and responsible for creating our reality through WORDS - this organ is our brain. Our words have the capacity to create our reality. Words shape our brain and our reality by the nature of the words we speak or think - this can result in a positive or a negative reality outcome depending on our words. That is why our words matter so much.

A recent development in the field of the sciences has emerged called Neurotheology which explores the the connection between the brain and religious / spiritual experiences. Using methods like brain imaging / scanning they study the phenomenal activity that prayer and meditation has on the brain. What they have found is that our brains are wired to experience transcendence, awe and connection to something greater than ourselves, and that the intersection between faith and brain function has profound implications for mental health.

So is layman terms, the words that we speak and think don't only have the power to change the brain and our reality, but faith and speaking and meditating on the spiritual words of God, light up the brain and have the power to affect our mental health and our reality.

In Matthew 12:36- 37 God gives a chilling warning to us not to speak idle words.

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty (idle) word they have spoken, For by your words you will be acquitted, (set free) and by your words you will be condemned (subject to punishment)

Idle words are those that are without constructive purpose - they don't help or build anything positive and potentially cause harm or damage - they do not have a beneficial outcome. By speaking or thinking idle or condemning words over our own life’s qualifies us for punishment to ourselves.

Psalm 19:14 says : “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

There are literally hundreds of scriptures - which I cannot name all here where God refers to and warns about Words - In Ephesians 4 & 5 He refers to renewing of the mind (that is done by changing how we speak and think) He refers to being sanctified (cleansed) by the washing of the word. There are so many references to Words and their effect - there is intensely more power in the actual Words of God than just our own words to change our brains and our reality as His Word is alive and active (Hebrew 4:12) it is a living force that can penetrate the heart, the brain and every part of our being to be transformational. It has penetrating power to effect lasting change - repair the damage of past idle words and create our new reality. Speaking and believing the Word of God over our lives can super charge our mental health back to the original template held in heaven of who God created us originally to be.

Herein lies the link between our words and the effect it has on our brain and how the chain reactions start - it sounds seemingly harmless but as you will see has a devastating effect on our life, choices and identity. Just by changing our Self Talk and how we define ourselves can change everything.

Why Yesterday's Manna won't do

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 17:17:24 GMT

Why Yesterday's Manna won't do

Have you ever considered why God did not allow the Israelites to gather manna for two days except on the day before the sabbath? In Exodus 16 we read the story :

“So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread (Manna) which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer (about 2 litres) for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’

” Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.

And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So, they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted. Exodus 16:15-24 NKJV

There are many more meanings that can be gleaned from scriptures if one would only take the time to look deeper. Experience of human relationships through watching as a third party or being one of the parties involved has urged me to take a deeper look into what other meanings the Lord wanted to convey, besides the very obvious one for the Israelites themselves, that being, that He wanted them to rely on Him totally for their every need. By raining down bread in the morning and quails in the evening was just another one of His miraculous signs that He was their provider and protector.

I have as a marriage counsellor come across a particular recurring ‘phenomena’ which has baffled me until a few days ago, when I was pondering what this issue was about – I hear Lord say in a very casual way - “Yesterdays Manna won’t do”. That was intriguing, what on earth did something He did for the Israelites in 1446 BC during the Exodus have to do with the phenomena I was trying to fathom out in 2025? The Lord said - Go and take a fresh look at Exodus 16 - which I did.

What I found when looking more closely to the passage is that, it was the Man of the House who was instructed to collect the Manna / Bread – He had to collect and take home the manna for each person in his tent, which would have been his wife, children and servants if there were any - let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ That sounded contrary to what we would expect, as it would normally be the women who went in search of food, not the men. It was the Man of the House who was tasked to not only gather enough, but also ensure that nothing was left over and stored for the next day, except on the Sabbath when he was instructed to collect double.

So then followed the million dollar questions – SO WHAT??

So the next thing the Lord said, was – What is so significant about bread?

On looking deeper into why God chose to provide Manna / Bread it soon became obvious that He uses bread, which is essential to life to convey some deep spiritual truths about who He is and His character to us, starting with the Israelites 40 year sojourn in the wilderness. He was establishing foundational truths about Himself, using bread as a metaphor, and at the same time nourishing and sustaining the nation through which He would be delivering His son, the Messiah, who states that He is the Bread of Life.

Was God setting up a structure or pattern for the newly freed nation to follow? He provides to the Man of the House life giving bread, and he in turn passes on this provision to all in his tent – the provision is for that day alone and only new and fresh bread of life will suffice for the next day – yesterday’s manna won’t do for today. It has to be consumed and enjoyed on the day it is provided.

So, how does this shed light on my dilemma? What I have been finding in couples counselling is that it is mainly the Man of the House that wants to eat off ‘Old Manna’.

In couple after couple that I work with in the counselling room, it is usually the man who is looking to the past of what worked, is no longer working and can’t understand why, and how his accumulated unconsumed efforts back then are not acceptable to satisfy the problems of today!

He cannot understand why the manna he provided back then, and he has been storing up for years in his memory banks, is inedible, even detestable when he tries to feed it to his wife today. He keeps looking back to how hard he has worked, to how much he has provided, how much he has done, how much manna he has gathered and stored, and none of it seems to satisfy or pacify his wife in the here and now. He cannot see that if the manna is not consumed on the day it is given, it cannot be carried over to be brought out of storage when he sees fit. He cannot see or accept that new and fresh manna is needed to satisfy her needs today, he wants old manna to be good enough. When this manna is no longer acceptable, his intentions move to ‘giving up’. Nothing is working, nothing is good enough for you, I’m done!

Interpreted into todays language that means, you cannot bring up all your good deeds of the past to try and make her feel guilty for what you are lacking to provide today. God has placed men as the spiritual head of their home, their tents. He is the one who the Lord instructs to go out and gather the essential bread of life that the Lord generously provides for his family – these days that represents, material, emotional and spiritual provision for his family that day. Todays problems need today’s manna.

The classic example of fresh daily manna is found in Lamentations 3:22 – His mercies are new every morning – great is thy faithfulness.

Imagine if God says – five years ago I gave you manna which you did not eat, you did not appreciate what I did for you then, so now you are going to have to eat that manna today – even though it only lasts for one day. He in His graciousness and compassion gives us fresh manna every day. Should every Man of the House not be doing the same for his wife, instead of making her guilty for all he has done that she seemingly has not appreciated – he presents a worm infested stinking bowl of old manna and demands that she be grateful. I think not…..

In saying the above, I by no means make a generalization that it is only the Man of the House that lives in the past, many women do also and can dish up old manna to try and solve todays issues.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have been storing up old manna and how you can stop using it today. Pray for new mercies every morning to deal with and address today’s problems – don’t drag yesterday’s pain into today.

Spiritual Abuse - A Psychological Perspective

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:01:15 GMT

Spiritual Abuse - A Psychological Perspective

Spiritual Abuse is prevalent in most faith settings including Christian Institutions and Churches around the world today. Many cases of spiritual abuse are not reported or addressed outside of the church walls. As this form of abuse is ‘coming out’ more often, especially in the world of counselling, as a Professional Christian Counsellor I feel that it is vital that Spiritual Abuse is defined from a psychological perspective, exposed explicitly for what it is, and at the same time disclose the impact that it can have on the life of the target individual, church members and the wider community affected.

With knowledge of what Spiritual Abuse is, how it feels and what it looks like, people can identify when this is happening to them or to someone else, and they can make a choice to take appropriate action.

Spiritual Abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse . It is characterized by a systematic pattern or coercive and controlling behaviour by one individual over another in a religious context, in a place or worship, faith-based organisation or at home.

The target of the abuse experiences this as a deeply emotional personal attack. It can have a severely damaging impact on those who experience it and can be experienced in a variety of different relationships and may include some of the following behaviours:

• Emotional manipulation and exploitation in the guise of righteousness

• Being manipulated or feeing pressured into service or conformity

• Feeing unable to say no to increasing demands for time, service and obedience

• Forcing or requiring a person to share every aspect of their life for scrutiny under the guise of

accountability.

• censorship, including inability to ask questions, raise concerns or disagree

• Requirement for secrecy and silence

• Misuse of scripture or the pulpit control to manipulate behaviour of the congregation or to justify

abusive behaviour.

• Requirement of obedience to the abuser and implying that it is equivalent to obedience to God

thereby invoking fear of spiritual consequences for disobedience

• The suggestion that the abuser has a ‘divine’ position

• Isolation or rejection to those who will not conform

• Superiority and elitism – inferring that they have more value or say.

Spiritual Abuse can be experienced in these various ways:

THE ABUSER THE ABUSED

Leadership towards Church Member

Church Member towards Leadership

Leadership towards Leadership

Church Member towards Church Member

How to recognise the warning signs:

• Power Positioning – asserting dominance – elevating their own value due to status.

• Conflation of human approval, acceptance or blessing with that of God – putting themselves on the

same level and as the same authority as God.

• Instilling a sense of obligation to God, the Church and Individuals

• Unquestioned Authority - They are right and you are wrong.

• When only ‘certain people’ hear from God and so they do the thinking for others

• An atmosphere of secrecy

• An Elitist Attitude – An offensive air of superiority

• Favouritism – “the in-crowd” / Clones

Why does Spiritual Abuse go unnoticed and be allowed to continue:

• It often happens gradually and incrementally – not obviously noticeable, but a pattern with emerge.

• The abused will experience a feeling of disloyalty by ‘betraying the abuser’ – telling tales, and

therefore keep silent. They sacrifice their own feelings to 'not rock the boat'.

• The abused will feel inhibited by shame or feelings of guilt – ‘Am I complicit’ – questioning the part

they may have played – feel somehow responsible.

• Fear of being labelled as a troublemaker or fear of retribution from the congregation or community –

sacrifice their own feeling to people please.

• The victim is not being believed – branded as a liar or fantasist

• Those confided in or sought help from have rallied to protect the ‘accused’ or the institution – people

taking the side of the accuser. Fear of loss of connections and being ostracised / judged.

• Despite the abuse, people need the relationship & to belong – fear of loss or disconnection.

• Fear that speaking out will be going against the work of God.

Why is Spiritual Abuse so Impactful?

• It is conducted within a faith-based community which is like a family to the abused

• The faith-based community is supposed to be a source of stability, support especially for vulnerable

people or at vulnerable times – the abused sometimes has no other support network to turn to.

• It is a form of betrayal trauma to the abused – both by the abuser and the institution

• It creates a fear of needing to withdraw oneself or having relationships withdrawn from them –

sometimes isolating the abused.

• The community in which abuse is being experienced is also part of the victims spiritual identity

• It can cause dismantling of the role of faith as a source of comfort / healing / growth for the abused – it

can impact their relationship with God.

The Relational & Psychological Impacts of Spiritual Abuse

RELATIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL / EMOTIONAL

Difficulty Trusting of Others and Self Shock / Fear

Loss of Family & Community Grief

Loss of Relationships & Connections Self-doubt / Damaged Self Esteem

Loss of Social Life Shame

Loss of Support System Anger

Fixation on the abuser Stress / Anxiety

Fixation on the abusive relationship Depression

Isolation Self-harm / Addiction

Repression, Disassociation re the Abuse

PTSD

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The Physical, Spiritual & Existential Impacts of Spiritual Abuse

PHYSICAL SPIRITUAL / EXISTENTIAL

Irregular Eating Patterns emerge Loss of meaning and purpose of life

Poor Sleeping Habits Loss of Christian Fellowship

Restlessness Doubting own faith and inner convictions

Panic Attacks Loss of Personal connection with God

Physical Illness Loss of Relationship with God

Loss of / tainting of spiritual practices

Impact on Life Plans / Journey Loss of faith

Finances if in full time ministry

Needing to move home / relocate

Career and Calling Suspended or Terminated

Impact on the Wider Community.

Division and conflict – people taking sides

Others may come forward – exposition of the magnitude of the abuse - causing scandals - bringing Christianity into disrepute.

Betrayal and Disillusionment within the congregation / community - Trust is broken

Confusion and an implosion of everything you thought you knew

Question your own spiritual experience

Collapse of the community – splitting of churches

Irreconcilable damage to structure of the current community.

I have during my long experience as a christian been the victim of spiritual abuse at different levels, from leadership and fellow members of a congregation, and have dealt with it in various ways on my own, with limited knowledge of the psychological impact.

This particular issue, I can now say from a professional stance, is something that can be addressed in a confidential professional therapeutic relationship with a counsellor, and not only by religious leaders - as they may sometimes insist on.

Separating the spiritual aspect from the psychological impact with a trained professional counsellor who has an understanding of Christian faith, can bring a whole new perspective, and create room for a path to healing.

If this article has triggered you in any way and you feel that you have been the victim of Spiritual Abuse and need help - please contact me via my website or email me at info@lifepathresources.co.uk and I may be able to assist you.

Prov 4:6-7 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you.

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.

As a professional disclosure - much of the above material has been acquired from a training webinar held by the ACC (Association of Christians in Counselling & Linked Professions)

Prov: 4:6 Do not forsake Wisdom, and she will protect you, lover her and she will watch over you.

Self Emancipation

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:41:17 GMT

Self Emancipation

This poem has been written, not by me but by my client Eva Longss, (her assumed name) she is a survivor of long term childhood and domestic abuse. Eva has been having counselling sessions with me since September 2023 and is finding a new freedom in her God given identity and talents - especially the gift of Powerful Words to express thoughts and feelings. Eva has given me permission to share this poem relating to her ongoing journey to healing and wholeness.

*Self-Emancipation*

Too long living under someone else’s cloud.

Nothing but a black, stifling shroud.

Supporting, carrying, bearing, enduring…

This is not healthy.

How could it ever be?

Is this God’s ‘Life abundant’ for me?

Jesus came and died to give us His Kiss of Life.

But people choose to settle for the kiss of death.

By way of the enemy’s rancid, camouflaged breath.

‘Do not disturb!’ shouts their sign.

‘You choose your way. I'll choose mine.’

‘Don’t disturb my slumber

And don’t waste my time!’

You cannot live under somebody else’s cloud.

It’s nothing but a black, stifling shroud.

It will exhaust your energy, numb your senses

Leave you empty, drained, without defences.

Nothing left to give.

Nothing left to live.

Dysregulation!

Impending implosion?

Or just self-erosion?

Too long in the Land of Isolation.

Lock-down Land, a virtually permanent station.

Love is not infatuation, fixation, or domination!

Time to make a break for Emancipation!

Eva Longss 26/2/24

It was never God's intention for us to come under the domination and control of another human being, even He does not violate our Free Will Choice.

If you are being affected or have in the past been affected by Domestic Violence and need healing from its vile affect on your life - contact me on the details on this website for a free consultation. If you identify with these powerful words - send an email to me with a message of encouragement to Eva - info@lifepathresources.co.uk

Galations 5:1 (The Message) - Christ has set us free to live a free life, So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

Control v Self Control

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 12:53:08 GMT

Control v Self Control

I have over the past year as a counselor had a recurring theme among several of the clients that I am working with. Levels of anxiety in both men and woman are high and I am wondering as to whether or not it’s as a result of the pandemic lock-down. I personally don’t think that its a direct result of the actual Covid 19 virus, but due to the lack of control people had over their lives as governments and institutions placed personal restrictions on them during the 2 years of ‘lock-down madness’. A distinct sense of powerlessness was experienced across the board, rich, poor, men, women, adults and children. Poor mental health hit an all-time high in the UK with statistics in 2021 showing that one in five adults experienced symptoms of depression.

It almost feels as if due to the lack of control during that time triggered a reciprocal response of now wanting to control everything. It is not being recognized explicitly, but there is a distinct undercurrent of a ‘need’ to take control of everything. It's almost as if something was triggered by the suppression of humans free will choice which we are now witnessing on a large scale which seems to have tipped the scales in the opposite direction. I may be wrong but hear me out.

Expectations to have things go their own way is high on the list. There appears to be an underlying sense of ‘panic’ for those who previously may have been rational and able to navigate through difficult circumstance, to now retreat into depression when they have no control over life situations, the past, the future or how relationships are turning out. The dips seem to be lower and the highs higher.

The traumas of life remain the same, but its seems as if the capacity of some individuals, to deal with them have become increasingly more difficult. The lack of control over things that are clearly beyond their ability control is having a profound effect on more and more people. Obvious things which are realistically beyond their control, like the opinions of others, the actions of others and what others think of them, are no longer obvious as being out of their control, and cause undue pain, stress, anxiety, feelings of rejection and abandonment, which in turn leads to depression and poor mental health. Suicidal thoughts, and not being able to cope with life is now a common theme, and suicide rates have escalated.

On the flip side of the coin, I have also seen how some controlling and manipulating people, who enjoyed the restrictions, in an attempt to control the freedom of others, have reacted to the point of wanting to reinforce and continue restraints on others, even after official restrictions were lifted.

Working with clients to point out the obvious has been eye-opening to see how global personal restrictions, once lifted has affected how many people are behaving and thinking now.

Have we completely lost the ability to discern what is not within our ability to control – to establish what those things are and figure out a way to let them go to regain our inner peace – if so let me remind you that there is a way.

It’s fear that drives us to control – fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of death, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of judgement, fear of……….fill in the blank.

For Christians, Jesus gives us the answer in 1 John 4:18

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

Perfect or Agape love can only come from Abba Father – when we let go of control of things beyond our control, and allow His love to flood our hearts and minds, we relinquish control of what is not within our ability to control and regain our inner peace and mental stability.

The only control that we are required to practice is Self-Control which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We control our boundaries, our thoughts and actions, our goals, what we give our time and energy to, and how we handle difficult and challenging situations.

Galatians 5:23 Gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law

What is it that you are trying to control that is beyond your control?

What do you have control over, that you have not exercised control over?

Is it time to discern and shift?

A Path to Offense

Sun, 21 May 2023 15:47:13 GMT

A Path to Offense

Has the world gone mad or what? It sometimes feels as though we are surrounded by eggshells and don’t know where to tread lest we say or do something that is going to ‘offend’ someone. There now appears to be a thousand more ways to offend simply through ignorance, living or speaking your truth, not being compliant to the demands of others or being deemed not to practice inclusivity. Even not taking sides can become an offence!

The dictionary gives two definitions of an offence. The first is a breach of a law or rule, an illegal act and the second is an annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult or disregard for oneself.

I will be referring to the second definition of an offence in this blog.

Perhaps the ‘trap’ or ‘bait’ of offence comes to Christians so readily is because we are oblivious of the words of Jesus in Luke 17:1 where he says, “It is impossible that no offenses should come”. To me the word impossible implies that offenses will come – there is no escape from offenses. There is no consideration of ‘if’ offence will come, it’s about when offense comes! So then when offense does come, the matter arises of how we ought to respond. How we respond to offense can often reveal our level of spiritual maturity and how much of ‘self’ is still alive in us.

Pride has its roots in ‘self’ and scripture commands us to ‘die to self’ If we are truly dead to ‘self’ – our dead ‘self’ can no longer receive offense or be offended.

I witnessed first hand this week how an offence has the capacity to change a person’s behaviour and mindset in a moment in time. Offence if allowed to be ‘unbridled’ can be devastating to an individual, a people group or a community. It has the capacity to destroy intimacy with God, relationships with family, friends and community, which is ultimately what our arch enemy wants.

Offense triggers self-conscious emotions like humiliation, pride, guilt, shame, and resentment which can in turn trigger many negative emotions like anger, hatred, and bitterness. These negative emotions ‘land’ or ‘take hold’ in our souls which is our mind, will and emotions. These negative emotions can then poison and lead to a distortion of our thoughts and perceptions around the source of the offense, and be a catalyst for bad choices or self-damaging actions

What can be surprising about the attitude of an offended person, is that that they can also be offended that you are also not offended by the offence they have taken.

One of the paths which can lead the way to taking offence is a feeling of POWERLESSNESS.

The sense of powerlessness is the expectancy or perception that one's own behaviour cannot control the occurrence of personal and social outcomes, that control is vested in external forces over which we have no power or say.

It may also be described as an overwhelming feeling of helplessness or inadequacy. We might feel we have no influence over others, who seem to disregard or disrespect our humanity, freedom, and independence. Feelings of powerlessness and lack of control can be swiftly negated or overpowered by the fierce negative emotions activated by taking offense. It can feel akin to taking back some control to override the sense of powerlessness, but that in itself can be a loss of control. Galations 5 speaks of self control as being a 'fruit' of the Holy Spirit that resides in us.

An awareness of the trap or bait that offense can be, will empower an individual to not allow ‘self’ to rise to the bait and thereby choose not go down the destructive path that offense can lead to.

Proverbs 19:11

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

What Gets God's Attention?

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 18:42:38 GMT

What Gets God's Attention

I don’t think that there is a Christian alive or dead that has not at one time or other in their journey with God, tried everything to get God’s attention on the issues or trials they are going through. No matter how big or small the problem is, they know in their hearts that God has the answer and ‘if they could only just get His attention’ He can solve it, heal it, make it right. Problem is sometimes it feels like God’s attention seems to be diverted away from you onto someone else’s problem. Someone else’s dilemma seems to be more important than yours. Have you ever been jealous or envious that someone else’s prayers and requests gets answered and yours don’t !!! I would never verbalize that, but have definitely thought about it, forgetting that God knows my thoughts…..

This can be a precarious place to be in, and I know those who in their times of trial have lost their trust and walked away from God because they feel that He did not come through in time or at all for them. It seemed as though He had a problem hearing their request or gave them the answer to someone else’s problem.

I have in the past been in such a position. It was a painful, debilitating, lonely and an unbearable place to be in. God felt far away, and my pain felt like more that He was able to handle or look upon. It was one of those places where I knew that I had done nothing wrong or anything to deserve to be in the position I was in, and worst of all, I knew that for some reason God had allowed it. I know that my life is in His hands and nothing happens to me that has not been filtered through Him. That was the bitter pill to swallow. Being in full time ministry at the time and having a solid foundation in scripture and an intimate relationship with the Lord – everything felt like a huge very unfair test, which I was failing at miserably. Yes, there was an element of the demonic involved – coming against me from the outside, but it was the emotional pain I was suffering within which became my worst enemy. I needed to get God’s attention to get through this ‘catastrophe’, and at the time thought I knew how. I never had enough toys to ‘throw out of my cot’ or words to plead, bargain or whine at Him. Doing religious things to feel worthy of His attention also proved to be fruitless.

Children don’t have to be taught that expressing ‘self pity’ or lamenting over something painful can immediately get the attention of a parent. Some even know how to play that card over and over to manipulate attention at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, human beings fall for that type of behavior trap, but God does not. Self-pity for excessive self-absorbed unhappiness over my own pain and troubles did not appear have God come running to my side to ‘fix it’. Have you tried this – and seen it work?

Now don’t get me wrong, He says He will never leave or forsake you, in times of trouble and calamity, and if you seek His face and His comfort you can find it. He will hold you in the palm of His hand, but he may not ‘take away the pain’. He will be with you in the fire and through the water, but the fire may still be there to burn you and the water may still threaten to drown you.

So, what is it that gets God’s attention – It’s Faith and trust in His ability to see you through the situation and not out of the situation. He is the God of the Breakthrough not the God of the Breakout. Prisoners breakout to escape their imprisonment and probably get caught and go back to prison. Christians walk with God through ‘their hell’ to obtain their victory over the circumstances.

Faith gets God’s attention and His help to Breakthrough every circumstance we find ourselves in. Faith attracts the heavenly armies of God to intervene on our behalf – (Psalm 91:11) Angels are searching to and fro throughout the earth, at God’s command ‘sniffing out’ the Faith of the saints so that they can sweep in and respond to ‘Not my will but Yours be done’ – ‘Be it unto me according to Thy will Lord’. This is what gets God’s attention – Faith activated, unwavering trust in his ability to intervene on our behalf so that His will can be done, not because we are in pain and deserve to be soothed, but because of who He is to us, and to direct us to His will for our lives. Abba responds to faith, not whining, complaining and pleading. He responds to our surrender to His will and to declarations of our Faith in his character as The God who is Mighty to Save, who never Slumbers or Sleeps, who is Merciful and Just, and He backs up the promises in His word with action on our behalf.

Faith is never static, it does not stay the same, it can either shrink or grow. Self-pity has the ability to shrink faith until it disappears and with it our hope disappears as well.

A tiny seed of faith and trust in Abba can:

• Get you out of bed in the morning.

• Stop the tears from flowing for a few hours until you can go for days without crying.

• Let you see beauty around you.

• Be aware of God’s presence.

• Find something small to be grateful for.

• Give a word of encouragement to someone else.

• Elevate your mood, put a smile on your face.

• Be aware of God’s goodness towards you.

• Take your eyes off your own problems for a little while – then more and more each day.

These are just a few things that can happen when you relinquish self-absorbed unhappiness and step out in growing faith to trust the God who Sees You, Hears You, Knows You and Loves You Unconditionally.

In Hebrews Chapter 11 – you will find the Great Hall of Faith, People who trusted God despite very challenging circumstances – people who got God’s attention and were worthy to be mentioned in Scripture.

What Picture Does Your Story Paint

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 26 Nov 2022 16:48:21 GMT

What picture does your story paint

The general saying goes that every picture tells a story, but as I have been watching my husband avidly pursing his talent for painting for the last few years, I began to wonder if someone’s story painted a picture as well. We have all done collages of some form at some stage in our lives, and if you have not, it can be fun, it can also be cathartic, but it can be a disaster as well.

I remember the first collage I did many years ago and remember rummaging through the already ransacked magazines made available, to find the pictures or phrases that described what I was trying to convey about who I was and parts of my life. It was quite a dismal attempt to say the least. I could not find the perfect fit for my situation.

Then again a few years ago, I was required for an exercise at college, to do a ‘river or life’ drawing or collage of the highlights and low-lights of my life. Again, it was dismal. I chose to paint it this time, and not having that kind of artistic ability it turned out a total mess.

I know people who can paint a picture with words in such a vivid wonderful way that it can be imagined as breath taking, but nothing compares to a visual, real scene depicting aspects and nuances that are difficult to describe in words, that keep drawing our eyes back again and again to drink in the beauty or the raw power and majesty of a creation captured in a moment of time.

Although I don’t have experience as a counselor with little children I find it thoroughly fascinating what can be deduced from their simple but truthful drawings about what is going on in their lives.

In contrast what I find equally fascinating are the pictures that people portray of their lives on social media, many of which are not really a true reflection of what is going on in their lives.

People chose to display and hide behind the good times pictures, the fun times pictures, the happy times pictures and never disclose the real chaos that could be going on. What’s on with that?? Not only is it misleading to others who could be going through a tough time spiritually, physically, emotionally or financially, but can create an envy for the ‘facade’. Most people have an intrinsic instinct to compare their lives with those of their friend or family, and when it doesn’t match up, feelings of discontent and failure start to creep in. I have time and time again in the counselling room heard – ‘everyone else is……(fill in the blank) and its not happening for me’ – I am doomed, I am cursed – I am a failure.

I wonder if we were more truthful about who we are, what the picture of our stories would look like. How would we paint the insecure attachment we developed in childhood, or the negative patterns of behavior we adopted from being neglected or abused. How would we paint the pain of rejection, abandonment or disassociation. These are the issues we deal with daily as counselors with the people who post ‘fake’ lives on social media. Now I know that not everyone has gone through the issues above and possibly do have a ‘rosy’ picture to paint – but these are few and far between these days.

Seeing a real picture of your story could not only be inspirational to others but healing to you yourself. A picture paints a thousand words so lets be real about the stories we paint.

A Powerful Testimony

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 15:07:42 GMT

A Powerful Testimony

Testimonies are one of the most powerful tools that we have to give hope and encouragement to those who are going through struggles and a tough time in life. It's for this very reason that I am publishing a powerful testimony from a client I have counselled in the recently There is healing for the broken and abundant life after sorrow and pain. Read this testimony and rejoice over the changes that took place in her life.

Today is my last day of Therapy

I started it in June 2021, not knowing what to expect and although it hasn’t been a year, in that time I faced my past trauma, I sorted out my issues, I created boundaries, I have learnt to have respect for myself and my body.

But most importantly, I learnt that closure is not external... search for it all you want,

you’ll never find it because it must come from you. You’ve got to learn to forgive yourself for your past and own it. Don’t wear it as shame or guilt or hatred for yourself, but to remind you of who you have been, so that you can become the best version of yourself for the future.

I was on a path of self-destruction because I felt betrayed, hurt, and broken but on this journey, I learnt that I’ve also betrayed, hurt, and broken other people.

I cannot take away the pain that I have caused but I can make sure that I make better choices.

I am proud of who I am today because I am finally free from the chains

that had me bound since I was 17.

I started therapy feeling scared, skeptical, lost and a little bit overwhelmed because I was afraid to be vulnerable.

You made me feel relaxed and welcomed from the get-go and that allowed me to be so open and honest, I didn’t feel afraid anymore.

A year ago, I didn’t know whos… I felt that everyone had their own opinions and perceptions about me, and that created a discombobulated identity for me.

You told me that I did all the work to get to where I am now, but I could have never progressed to this point without you there to guide me and challenge my thoughts and feelings.

I am so grateful and thankful to you, because although you may feel as if I had the power and strength within me this entire time to get to this point, it took you to ignite that fire and drive for me to realize the person that I wanted to be.

I wish you well and I hope that one day when I become a play therapist, I’ll be able to change somebody’s life, just like how you changed mine.

I will never forget you. Thank you for giving me back my wings, I’m ready to fly."

For me this testimony is worth more that gold. It's concrete proof of how counselling, empathy and commitment to change can lead to wonderful healing and restoration.

If you have an issue that you may want to explore through counselling please contact me.

Discrimination - Am I Guilty

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 14:45:12 GMT

Discrimination - Am I Guilty?

Yes, yes and yes again, I am guilt and so are you…..

Its hard to admit to yourself and even harder to speak it out, but yes, we are all guilty of discrimination in some form or other at sometime or other in our lives. We may not recognize it as discrimination, we may be able to justify it to ourselves, or try and explain it away as something else, but discrimination has at some point been a part of our thought life and actions.

Let me start by giving a definition for the word discrimination: Discrimination which can also be known as, intolerance, bias, prejudice or bigotry, is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, and most recently their vaccination status - as well as many other categories.

It was not part of God’s perfect plan for human beings to ‘suffer’ from the sin of discrimination, this is very clear from Genesis Chapter 1:31 where on the sixth day after God had created mankind, both male and female in His own image – He pronounced that everything was GOOD. Not substandard or defective in some hidden way. So where did discrimination come into the picture?

It took only a further 2 chapters of Genesis to reveal this heinous trait which was put into the mind of Eve by the arch enemy of our Creator. In Genesis 3:5 the snake says - “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” An immediate suggested unjustified distinction between herself and God – that somehow she was ‘lesser’ or not ‘like’ God and therefore Eve bought into the idea that they, her and Adam, had to take some action to improve their status. The action was that of the ‘devaluation’ of God’s word by rebelling against the authority of God, which ultimately led to their downfall and the fall of mankind and spiritual separation from God.

Mankind unfortunately has not learned its lesson from this fatal act, and has throughout history believed that the only way to status up, is to put someone else or their ideas or ideology down. Thinking of yourself more highly than others is not only a form of pride but discrimination. Whether it is only internalized or expressed verbally making an unjustified distinction between yourself, your group, your tribe or your nation against another person, their group, their tribe or their nation is discrimination.

We have not all be fortunate enough to have been born and raised in countries where not only education, health services or opportunities for advancement in technology is relatively freely available, and it can be easy not to identify with or discriminate against those who have not had these benefits or do not share our values or beliefs in life – and deem these people or groups to be lesser than ourselves.

Being a Christian or a religious person does not automatically exempt you from discrimination as I have found out… We need to carefully consider the direction of our thought patterns and be hasty to repent and bring them into righteous alignment.

I was recently the ‘object’ of a vicious attack of discrimination over my free will choice not to participate in the current global vaccination trial program. It was not only hurtful, but a total unwarranted violation of my God given free will choice. Liberty to choose what is best for your own health is now becoming a vehicle for discrimination. What however angers me more is the fact that what is welcomed and condoned by society is a woman’s free will choice over her body to murder her unborn child……no discrimination attached?????

“Do not conform to the pattern of this ‘world’, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

We need to accept that God has given to each human being free will choice, which even He will not violate. Discrimination is a very subtle, vile and devious way of trying to get people, people groups and nations to conform to your way of thinking, by elevating your ideas and values and devaluing theirs, and in the process devaluing them as people. There is no place in our world for discrimination of any kind if there is to be peace among all people and nations.

How we achieve this is by first searching our own hearts to reveal where we have elevated our own thoughts and ideas and devalued others – sincerely repent of these thoughts or words spoken and begin valuing people irrespective of their opposite ideology or way of life.

Now, having said all of the above, there is in my opinion one exception which bears mentioning and that is this : Where there is in YOUR particular group, an I make particular reference to your faith group, a radical deviation from the truth held by community of believers, or a total contradiction or violation of the Word of Truth, there is room for not valuing the ideology which may split the group, and there is a place for intolerance of the violation of the common beliefs of the group. This is entirely a different matter to be dealt with within the group itself and not to be interfered with by those outside of the group.

It’s when different groups pit themselves against the ideology or beliefs of other groups that discrimination sets in, and people are devalued.

“Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:4)

Let us not be judges with evil thoughts.

When your voice is heard

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 14:17:30 GMT

When your voice is heard

Let me set the scene… a woman is in labour and finally gives birth, amidst all the pain she has endured thus far, the only thing she is listening for, straining her ears to hear above the noise of the medical staff around her, is the very first cry of her baby. Upon hearing that very first cry, she can now lay back exhausted and relax, resting assured that the baby is alive and breathing. How exciting, how reassuring to hear the unique voice of her child. This child has been hearing it’s mother’s and father’s voice in the womb for the last nine months and now finally, the parents are hearing the voice of their child. How very profound….

Have you ever pondered why humans have voices? Have you ever wondered why each person’s voice is so unique, so distinctive? Have you ever pondered why voices can evoke memories? Memories that can terrify, or memories that flood our hearts with happiness or joy. Our brain stores the memory of the sound of the voices of the people we know and have encountered in our lives. I can remember the sound of the voice of my mother and father who are no longer with us – the memory of the sound of our voice can never be extinguished, never be erased – it may remain dormant, but it does not die. We can identify a person by the sound of their voice, even if they are not physically in our presence. So powerful is your voice when it is heard.

Your voice was created to give sound to words… Thoughts that are never vocalized remain as thoughts, but thoughts that are spoken are powerful to create and form the things that the thoughts contain. A clue to this truth comes in the very first lines of Genesis. This is the first time we are told in the Bible that God speaks. He uses his voice – ‘And God said’… ‘And God said’. God continues to speak throughout Genesis and into the New Testament where His word becomes flesh and dwells among us.

We take for granted that we have a voice until perhaps one day we lose it. There are those who so value their voices that they have even insured their vocal chords as instruments of their profession – they make a substantial living out of the what their voices produce e.g. singers like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart.

I however, am concerned that in today’s day and age our voices are not longer heard as often as they should be. I am concerned that we are not using our voices to create and form the things that are of utmost importance to us. Our voices have been reduced to words on a page…. Through instruments like social media, Facebook, Twitter, and other such platforms – no one hears us speak audibly. They see our thoughts on a screen but don’t hear the emotion with which the words are conveyed. They see our words but don’t hear the nuances and tones of our voices. They don’t experience the sounds that are emanating from our hearts. Why have we been silenced? Is this intentional or is this the price of progress – I don’t have the answer – all I know is the fruit of it all is, ‘our voices are no longer being heard’! People no longer speak – they message, they text, they whatsapp thinking this is communication. They think they can resolve conflicts, convey messages of hope, comfort or instruction without audible verbal communication – they are disillusioned – once that text is read, and the app is closed – what they have written is often forgotten, often discarded or deleted. It is however hard to forget the anguish of pain in a voice, or the shriek of excitement from a child, or a genuine word of compassion or empathy from a friend.

Your voice is important to be heard. Your thoughts are worthy to be spoken out. I am a counsellor in talking therapies and confirm over and over the value and importance of someone actually talking about their pain, their past, their failures, their ambitions, their desires and beliefs. It is not only a privilege to hear their voices but also to be heard when I respond.

There is another who longs to hear your voice and longs for you to hear His voice as well

Psalm 116:1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.

Where can you hear a real voice, or make your voice be heard today?

Are you seeking a Word for 2021 ?

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 18:46:28 GMT

Are you seeking a Word for 2021 ?

It has not always been easy for me to put into words what my passions are. I know that one is Worship, and another is delving into the Word of God. By that I mean, researching, looking up meanings of words and finding where else they come up in scripture. All this to say: Has the Lord given you a Personal Word for 2021? If not yet, I urge you to seek it out from Him as it will give you direction, strength and guide you though the unknown to come.

At the beginning of 2020, the personal word that the Lord gave me was “I will be your sun and your shield” from Psalm 84:11. Little did I know at the time how sustaining that word would be. Even now in hindsight I am amazed at its significance and true meaning, as I apply it to the circumstances and situations that I have had to face in 2020.

The sun brings light, warmth, comfort and facilitates growth to everything on the earth. There were some tough decisions and choices the Lord put before me to make very early in January 2020, which sometimes made me feel as if I would be stumbling around in the dark, if I went through with them. Without the personal word which day by day brought light and illumination to my path, as events unfolded, and perspective became much clearer, I realized that I could easily have missed God’s will for me for 2020. Even when I forgot the word, God did not forget His promise to me in 2020.

The most challenging time came in August when my elderly mother fell extremely ill and died in South Africa, and I was not able, due to COVID-19 restrictions, travel to be with her in her final hours. Once again, the personal word came into action as God provided comfort, warmth, and light into the very depth of my being, removing every shadow of disappointment, disillusionment, and powerlessness over the situation I found myself in. Do not however be mistaken to think that the process took a day or a week or even a month, but by allowing the pouring of His light, comfort, and warmth to wash over my spirit daily, it eased the pain and pushed back the darkness of grief.

During 2020 the Lord has been my shield in some amazing ways. A shield protects and guards a warrior’s vulnerable heart and internal organs. A shield, however, must be held up by the person who wants to be protected. The Lord cautioned me and showed me when to hold up the shield and when to lower it. I came under a vicious spiritual attack fairly early in the year and the Lord immediately said – ‘hold up the shield – I will take the blows’. He protected my heart from becoming battered and bitter and I have walked away stronger, wiser, and grateful for His covering. I have intentionally embarked on a path of spiritual growth and awakening to what the Lord is doing supernaturally in my life and on the earth today.

During the pandemic, the word shielding has become a regular part of everyday vocabulary. I have not had to shield or quarantine during any of the lock-downs as the Lord has been my shield. I believe that there have been numerous times I could have been exposed to the virus, but the ‘shield’ has been up, and the Lord has protected me as He said he would – and I continue to trust in His unfailing word.

I personally believe that 2021 is going to be just as, if not more challenging than 2020 and I have sought the Lord for a personal word for this year as I know without a doubt that I am going to need it not only to survive but to thrive. I am encouraged by this word and will share some of it with you. The word is from Habakkuk 3:19 – “He will make me to walk upon mine high places”. High places are places of worship, battlefields, authority and government, places of land possession, victory, and dominion. I know that high places need to be conquered and are not easily accessible. In the natural world climbing to high places can be risky, takes training, effort, and sometimes specialized equipment. As the spiritual parallels the natural, the same will be necessary which can be daunting, but I am trusting that the Lord will be there not only to defend but fight on my behalf.

I am entering 2021 with optimism not for a vaccine or an end to the virus, but to witness the mighty hand of God as He shakes the nations and brings heaven to earth as only He can. We need more than a vaccine, we need to return to Holiness, Righteousness and Truth which is only found in Jesus – and saints, this starts with us – the church of the only true and living God.

I hope that this encourages you to also seek the Lord for a personal word for 2021.

May your year be filled with extraordinary promises from the Lord for you to enjoy and grow into.

Powerless, But Not Helpless.

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 16:00:48 GMT

Powerless, But Not Helpless

Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of being part of conversations where people have been feeling utterly powerless over the situations they find themselves in. The privilege for me lies in the fact that God is giving me an opportunity to reflect on my own attitude and feelings about being powerless in the face of hardships or situations I have no control over. Where does powerlessness take me? – to despair? – to frustration? – to worry? - to confusion? – anger or even hatred, or does powerlessness increase my pursuit of God’s plan, purpose and lessons for my life. Powerlessness is an emotion that can have the audacity to question your faith in your own ability or influence, in the social system, in the government and even in God if not recognized for what it is, or what it can do.

The Counselling Directory describes Powerlessness as being ‘an overwhelming feeling of helplessness or inadequacy in stressful situations – making us more susceptible to anxiety, stress and depression . This may include an inability to exercise our freewill when it comes to expressing opinions, making decisions, or asserting our personal choices. We might feel we have no influence over others, who seem to disregard our freedom and independence. Or we might fear confrontation with authority figures – because we fail to assert our boundaries and communicate our needs. Slowly this eats away out our self-confidence and weakens our resilience and ability to solve our own problems. For example, we might feel unable to stand up for ourselves in an argument, voice our concerns in a staff meeting at work or protect our interests with family members for fear of being seen as selfish. We may even seek to please others in an effort to win their approval and favor, while secretly resenting their power over us’.

Does any of the above feel familiar, or resound with you – if so, you may have been experiencing powerlessness. Powerlessness, has the ability to bring out the worst and the best in us. Powerlessness can compel us to do things to try and make things ‘right’ but could have disastrous consequences in the long run.

One of the most recent glaring examples of powerlessness has been the global Covid 19 Pandemic where millions of people the world over have virtually overnight been stripped of personal freedoms and privileges that have by and large been taken for granted, and considered as normal before the pandemic. In many respects we have been left powerless over the decisions taken by governments and authorities over many aspects of our personal lives, businesses, and even spiritual gatherings – we have been dis-empowered with no apparent influence to fight back….

In one conversation that I was privy to, the person displayed visceral anger towards authorities who had restricted certain social and educational face to face interactions. In fact, they went as far as to say that they ‘hate’ people who are scared and in fear who were causing the impinging of their rights through

dis-empowerment. It got me thinking about dis-empowerment and powerlessness and more importantly, what is a Godly response to this seemly destructive emotion.

These are some of the thought and questions that immediately came to mind which you may also like to ponder on.

• ‘Who exactly is in charge of my life?’ If I have truly surrendered my life to Christ – surely then, He is in charge and He is certainly NOT POWERLESS over any situation that I find myself in. Can I surrender my powerlessness to Him and still feel whole and empowered?

• Is the powerlessness that I am experiencing a result of me wanting and needing to be IN CONTROL of every situation in my life? If so, where does that leave room for God to work miracles and lead and direct my path – do I always want everything to be my way? Can I relinquish control of every aspect of my life to Him and still be at peace?

• Am I operating in FEAR or in FAITH? – Am I allowing what I see with my eyes, hear with ears to dictate what God’s outcome for my life will be? Can I be content without knowing what God’s next step for me will be?

• How much to I really TRUST GOD? – Whose power am I really trusting in, His or mine? Can I trust in a God who I cannot see to do what I don’t know how to do?

• Is it okay for me to feel weak and powerless so that He can show Himself strong and powerful on my behalf? Am I ready to accept whatever He allows into my life, knowing that it has been filtered by Him?

• Can I have empathy for those who feel as dis-empowered as I do – or do I blame them for my plight? Can I share my faith with those who are weak, when I am also weak?

Powerlessness comes down to not being IN CONTROL of every situation in your life, and lets face it there will be hundreds of circumstances brought upon by yourself and by others that you simply are not able to be in CONTROL of.

In the Garden of Eden, God originally gave Human Beings authority and dominion / control or ruler-ship over the earth and the creatures on the earth, but they were not given dominion over other human beings – ultimately God, our creator has dominion over us. During the fall of man which was also the transfer of authority and dominion to Satan, man gave control of himself over to the enemy of our souls. Ever since then, fallen Humans Beings have been trying to get back the control of their lives. One of the reasons Jesus came and conquered Satan was to take back dominion and control from him.

God has no control over lives that are not explicitly surrendered to Him through salvation in Jesus Christ. Even once we have, of our own freewill received this salvation, we need to be surrendering control over to Him daily, or moment by moment. We overcome powerlessness by relinquishing our carnal control power over to His Supernatural Power which will in turn empower us to live and have our being in His Mighty Power

POWERLESSNESS IS A SIGN OF BEING DISCONNECTED FROM OUR TRUE SOURCE OF POWER.

Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and have our being.”

Hello, I'm Disappointment

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 15:02:34 GMT

Hello, I'm Disappointment

Disappointment can become a real deep issue in your life. When life does not turn out the way you expected, and time is moving on.. When you have not accomplished what you thought you would have by now and time is moving on.. When people have not turned out to be who you expected them to be, and time is moving on... When dreams have not come to pass, and time is moving on...

When you have been betrayed and abandoned, and time is moving on...When expectations have not been met, and time is moving on….

Disappointment starts off like a raging river that cuts a path through a mountain, and if allowed to linger over time, becomes a constant flowing stream, having formed a deep ravine out of which you feel you are unable to climb. Its deep, its wide, its unrelenting, it can contaminate every part of your inner world. It can change the landscape of your life, it can take over, and try to sculpt your future.

Disappointment is real, it is not a figment of your imagination, it is not tangible, but it is ever present. It cannot always be explained, and words cannot always express what it feels like on the inside. It can sometimes feel like being caught in a net and being dragged down into a deep dark pit never again to see the light of day - so all-consuming can deep disappointment be!

Living with deep disappointment can drain the very life out of you, it can suck the joy and enthusiasm for life out of your very soul. It is one of the most destructive emotions to deal with as it’s tentacles can reach into every area of your life causing major discontentment, isolation and even the abandoning of your purpose.

Dealing with disappointment starts with recognizing it. It is easy to recognize anger, rage, jealousy, resentment, hatred, or any other negative emotion that rears its ugly head, but disappointment is not an upfront ‘on the stage emotion’. It waits patiently 'backstage' for the main performance to be over then subtly, like a dark shadow creeps in and takes over. It is a lingering emotion, not a fireworks outburst like anger or rage that burns then subsides. When it comes, its intention is to smolder and remain for as long as it can. It feeds off the upfront ‘on the stage emotions’ but is content to remain hidden and undetected for as long as possible, gathering and harboring vile content.

Once exposed and recognized disappointment is not easy to deal with and will resist all your best efforts to discard it. Forgiving others and your-self does not evict it, positive thinking does not uproot or supersede it, and it can’t be cast out because it’s not a demon!

I have prayed over this issue of deep disappointment for a long time now, and the Lord showed me something today regarding dealing with disappointment. He said the only way it can be dealt with is – “It must be Flushed Out”! How on earth does that happen? He showed me a river, not as a crystal-clear stream, but a thick black oil like sludge - that is what disappointment looks like in your soul. Slow moving, circling, picking up debris, foul smelling, vile and almost stagnant. The only way this gets cleared is by fresh clean water coming from upstream in regular torrents, diluting and flushing away the sludge downstream into a vast ocean where it can no longer have any detrimental effects.

So how does this apply to my life and your life? Disappointment can only over time be flushed out by God allowing and providing fresh new uplifting experiences and people into your life, restoring faith and trust in humanity and new hope for your future. God is able to redeem time that has been lost and create relationships that have been longed for. So instead of praying for God to take away disappointment pray for Him to bring into your life, new people, new experiences, new opportunities, renewed purpose, and vision. These are the things will flush disappointment out into the ocean and finally render it powerless and ineffective - leaving your river of life crystal-clear to flow with joy once again. Disappointment will continue to visit your life, but once you know how to break it's harmful cycle, it will never be able to ‘bog’ you down again.

Rev 22.1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

The Danger of Idols

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 18:35:55 GMT

The Danger of Idols

So, the question arises – how can idols be dangerous? To a Christian who takes God at His word, discovering the scripture Colossians 3:5-6 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is IDOLATRY . On account of these the WRATH of God is coming” can be good reason to conclude that what incurs the wrath of God could be dangerous to our lives.

I have discovered 3 things that idols do – They Distract – They Deceive, and They Destroy

One of the reasons idolatry brings on the wrath of God is that they OFFEND Him, and they DESTROY us. God is forever after our hearts and idolatry begins in the human heart. Actually, it begins in the void inside the human heart that craves to be filled.

The heart starts craving, wanting, needing, then enjoying and being satisfied by anything that it treasures more than God. It’s a disordered love or desire. It is the act of loving too much what ought to be loved less – loving, desiring, and treasuring the idol more than God. It’s the thing that brings you more comfort, more satisfaction, more acceptance, more status, more attention, more fulfillment than God does.

Human beings were designed by God to give and receive devoted attention – ultimately attention and worship to Him! From the beginning of time we have sought out objects to worship and give reverence to – the sun, moon, stars, mythical beings. We have evolved and now become far too intellectual and civilized to still do this – so our objects of worship and devoted attention have transformed into things more subtle, more hidden, sometimes intangible, or relational idols.

Whether our hearts are aware of the need for God or not – it goes looking for attention, love, and fulfillment. The problem is that our hearts want ‘instant gratification’ to fill the void that we are all born with. A relationship with God is something that grows and strengthens over time - there is no instant gratification with Him. The enemy of our souls, the devil knows this only too well, and is always available to step in with a DISTRACTION that can satisfy for a while. The distraction in itself is not necessarily sinful, but the place that it takes in our lives – the place reserved for God alone is the sinful part.

Some examples of the DISTRACTION

1 A young boy or girl who yearns for the love and acceptance that can only come from their father will seek gratification and acceptance in a gang or a dangerous relationship with an older predatory / abusive man or woman. The relationship becomes their treasure – their idol – something that they think they cannot live without or let go of. This relationship can carry on well into adulthood with disastrous consequences on emotional growth and mental stability.

2 A young woman who has never felt loved or accepted – meets a man, falls in love, gets married, her world revolves around him, his needs and his wants – he becomes her idol on a pedestal – someone she believes she can’t survive without. She puts the marriage relationship before God.

3 Someone who has come out of poverty, becomes successful and now has status, career and money to spend on anything…work, money and possessions becomes an idol – something that now fills that aching void caused by lack and struggle.

4 Young parents whose childhoods were less than happy will devote their lives to their children to give them what they never had – the children become their idols – they put the kids before each other and before God.

The spirit behind idolatry DECEIVES you into believing that the idol is what you NEED for a fulfilling, satisfying life – that the idol whether you recognize it or not, IS your salvation, your reason to live. The deception provides a buffer between your reality and the truth. The comfort that the idol brings keeps you at a distance from the real comfort, peace, and love that only God can bring.

Idols sets you up for DESTRUCTION – when the lofty career comes tumbling down, when the money is lost, when the perfect husband leaves, betrays you or dies, when the children leave home and turn their backs on you, when the co-dependent relationship becomes abusive – the idol comes crashing down and you are left sitting in the pile of rubble that you have built your life on.

Idols leave you empty, wanting, guilty and perhaps with a feeling of shame for having giving so much attention to, and trusted that which is temporal, that which does not lead to ultimate comfort, relief or lasting fulfillment and true satisfaction. Idols will always eventually let you down!! Where you turn to for comfort when the idol falls also has the danger of becoming another idol.

It can be difficult to identify an idol in your life, as we all have ‘blind spots’ and cannot see our own weaknesses or failings. God however sees and knows everything about you. If you are serious about dealing with the idols in your life – then take some time with God and ask him to show you what they are, and how to ‘lay them down’. If you are brave, ask a close trusted, honest friend who knows you well, and has the courage to tell you the truth – then believe them! God is gracious when we repent and ask His forgiveness for putting idols on the altar of our hearts, in the place reserved for Him alone.

Where Are Your Idols

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 30 May 2020 18:42:15 GMT

Where Are Your Idols?

One of the most shocking things God revealed to me was that I had an idol and that He was removing it !!!!!

Most Christians feel quite secure in the fact that they do not have any idols in their lives – not the ones the bible refers to anyway. We are sure to be complicit with the instructions in Leviticus 26:1 ‘You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God.

So, we purge our homes and environments of anything that can be considered an idol – we have now complied with this commandment – or so we think!

If you have read through the old testament, you might also have seen a few times, like in

Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous , is a jealous God). However, who of you has ever stopped to think that God is so jealous over you that he would have the audacity to remove your idols to get your undivided attention…… I certainly never did!

God revealed to me that an idol is not just an ‘image, statue or object of worship’ such as those that are worshiped in pagan religions, but ‘ something or someone that you feel that you cannot live or exist without’. Something or someone, that if it is taken away from you – your life will no longer be worth living – or that there would be no longer purpose for you on this earth. That was a shocking revelation to me – as it brought me to the realization that there was something in my life that, if it was to be removed – my world would come crashing down on me – and it did, and almost destroyed me except for the fact that God was with me throughout the whole harrowing process. He allowed the devastating circumstances of my idol to be removed – in order to get my undivided attention and to re-arrange my priorities for Him and Him alone to become the one and only idol in my life.

Over the years I have ministered to and seen people from various walks of life display obvious idols that they are blind to see for themselves. These idols come in the forms of: Children, Careers, Habits, Obsessions, Spouses, Possessions, Ministries, Relationships, Knowledge, Vanity, and the list can go on and on…

God in his infinite patience, waits on the side lines for you to abandon your idols and place Him first and foremost in your life. What you are not prepared to give up and let go of – is an idol. When there is a high calling on your life – God will eventually intervene and remove the idol if you do not do it – so that His purpose can be fulfilled in your life with no hindrance and self -indulgence on your part. Believe me idol removal is a painful process. It is a tearing and wrenching away of what you hold most dear and precious in this life.

People entering into ministry with idols in their hearts – will only progress so far – until the idol is removed and the Lord is Lord of all. There can be nothing that you are not prepared to lose, let go of or leave behind for the Lord’s perfect will to be accomplished in and through your life. I know this is a hard message to swallow but believe me that the outcome is gold – gold refined in the fire – pure gold.

Isaiah 48:10

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction

Lets Talk Boundaries

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sun, 17 May 2020 16:04:42 GMT

Lets Talk Boundaries

One of the healthiest things you can do in your life is establish boundaries – we do this subconsciously sometimes without realizing the significance of the practice. Boundaries say more about you as a person than those for whom they are set. Boundaries express that you know your limitations and want respect and a measure of control in those areas. More often than not, boundaries are not expressed verbally until the lines are crossed – and therein can lie problems. The more explicit you are with your own boundaries the healthier your relationships will be, and the more freedom you will have to live a fulfilled life.

As beings created in the image and likeness of God – who has set Physical, Spiritual and Emotional boundaries in the world for us to respect – should we then not follow His example and do likewise.

During this time of lock-down more than ever it has been crucial to maintain boundaries with those who we are locked in with. Maybe there has been more conflict, more irritation, more tempers flaring, more negativity than usual – could this be due to be boundaries being disregarded and broken down in such close proximity for this length of time. There has been no escape, no opportunity to ‘get out’ – ‘get away’ to ‘calm down’ gather your thoughts and re-think things through. Confrontation may not be a viable option at this time….

I’d like to address 3 types of personal boundaries that can exist in every area of your life – these are : Physical Boundaries, Spiritual Boundaries and Emotional Boundaries.

The most common boundaries are ‘physical boundaries’ – easy to see and relatively easy to maintain e.g. – don’t borrow my clothes – don’t use my toiletries – don’t use my cell phone, don’t touch my credit card, don’t encroach on my ‘space’… you can make an endless list I’m sure. These boundaries are usually in place to protect your property from being used and abused by others. Physical boundaries are fairly easy to communicate – as they are tangible – visible to the naked eye.

Every Christian should have the good sense to have ‘spiritual boundaries’ in place. These boundaries extend to the ‘enemy’ of our souls – “so far and no more” over our health, family finances etc – but should also extend to ungodly spiritual control by pastors and leaders. We aught to be able to discern where spiritual boundaries are being crossed and take action. Wherever your free will choice is being overridden or extinguished – know that a spiritual boundary has been crossed – even God in His sovereignty will not go against our free will choice – even if it is to our detriment. God provides hedges of protection as boundaries around us from the wiles of the enemy – staying in His will is staying within the boundary of His protection.

The boundaries that I have the most difficulty maintaining are ‘ emotional boundaries’. As these boundaries cannot be seen, often we don’t know what the boundary looks like until someone crosses the line and we are faced with a decision or consequence. Without a comprehensive list of what these boundaries could be – we can flounder through life being very unhappy and not knowing why! One of the most common emotional boundaries that is crossed on a regular basis is manipulation and control by someone you love and who says they love you. There comes a confusion of emotions which renders you paralyzed to recognize what is actually taking place – this can continue indefinitely until you take a step back and examine the action for what it is. With recognition comes the capacity to set a boundary in place.

So how do you know if you have poor personal boundaries: This is a check list – by no means is it comprehensive - Are there places where you may want to consider making changes and implement boundaries – know your limitations?

 You fail to speak up when you’re treated badly

 You give away too much of your time

 You agree with a person when you actually feel like disagreeing

 You say “yes” to a person when you want to say “no”

 You feel guilty for dedicating time to yourself

 You feel taken for granted by others

 You permit people to touch you when you feel uncomfortable or want them to stop

 You have toxic relationships (i.e. you are always giving, and the other is always taking)

 You make too many grand sacrifices for others at your own expense

 You are passive aggressive and might have manipulative tendencies (as a way of trying to regain your lost power)

 You constantly feel like the victim

 You feel like you have to “earn” respect by being nice

 You over-share details about your life with others

 You feel guilty when others aren’t happy (as if you’re responsible)

 You are what other people want/need you to be, and not who YOU need to be

 You’re out of touch with your needs

 You attract people who try to control or dominate you

 You have chronic fear about what others think of you

I trust that the Lord leads you in making healthy boundaries in your life. If anyone is interested in more valuable information on this subject I can recommend a book by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend called Boundaries.

Locked In on Lockdown

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:13:50 GMT

Locked-in on Lock-down

The Lord has highlighted something to me during this current global lock-down. My life has not been disrupted as much as others I know because for the past year or so the Lord has been leading me to ‘cut back’ on activities that take up so much time and energy and are basically not necessary to sustain a healthy life emotionally and spiritually. So, I spend most of my time at home anyway except for when I am at work – and there I am also alone in the office.

What the Lord showed me was the painful state of some people’s hearts who are lonely and ‘locked in’ on lock-down. He reminded me that loneliness does not necessarily mean that you are on your own.

Loneliness and isolation has become epidemic in our society today and the consequences for some can be disastrous – some leading to suicide and other potentially dangerous habits. The sense of boredom and isolation can force some to confront their own thoughts and inner world. Many people who struggle with feelings of loneliness can link their struggles to deeper roots. Being in a state of lock-down, the ‘locked in’ state of loneliness is fueled by the threat of trauma, together with a fear of loss or grief, a lack of self-esteem, and insecurity. Those who are both emotionally & spiritually strong, are better equipped to face negative experiences because they have developed both internal and external resources that help guide them through the process.

A known strategy for coping with the fear of being alone is to be in constant motion. Busyness is a distraction, but the anxiety generated by an endless need to find ways to be in perpetual motion is unhealthy. Examples of this are compulsively working long hours, not having adequate work/family boundaries, filling the gaps in time with one social event after another or generally never pausing long enough to reflect or focus on the self. Unfortunately, with being in lock-down, this is no longer possible, and people are finding themselves being ‘locked in’ on lock-down. Locked in with their thoughts, locked in with their negative emotions, locked in with their fears and insecurities, and possibly locked in with their abusers or the cause of their pain.

As a Christian I will always promote the first line of attack against loneliness as ‘taking it to God in prayer’ – getting insight into the root of the problem – getting counselling or ministry and applying scripture and the power of God to deal with and heal the vulnerable areas in our lives. I am however going to suggest some other ways to address this.

Some practical healing agents for loneliness are awareness, acceptance, and compassion.

Awareness . Choose to bring your awareness to your experience. Pay attention to how your body feels - If you feel the sadness well up within you, allow yourself to cry without restraint. Don’t try to suppress and internalize your feelings and emotions. Denial of your emotions will cause you to turn them inwards to incubate and fester. Find a healthy way to express your emotions.

Acceptance . Many people instinctively try to run from loneliness by keeping constantly busy. They try to hide from it by numbing themselves. But none of these tactics really work—at least not for the long haul. Instead, choose to stay with the feelings when they arise. Acknowledge your loneliness and choose to continue being aware of it – Awareness and acceptance is the first steps to taking charge and making changes.

Compassion . Practice reminding yourself that others feel lonely too. It is part of the human experience that most people share at some time or other. And just as you would show compassion for anyone else who suffers from being lonely, you also deserve this caring response. So, choose to see yourself with this perspective—as you would see someone else—and tell yourself that it is sad that you feel so alone. Don’t be harsh on yourself or condemn yourself for feeling this way.

If you have supportive others in your life, reach out to them. Take a deep breath, put aside your pride, pick up the phone to text or call, and ask for support in whatever form you need it. Allowing yourself to truly connect with others will help you feel emotionally stronger and less alone.

For anyone out there who needs support – I am more than willing to chat – I am trained in Christian Ministry and currently in training towards my Counselling Degree.

Four Seasons

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 19:46:39 GMT

Four Seasons of Change

We are all facing unique seasons in our lives, and having an understanding of what season you are in has a significant bearing on your soul. It’s wise to process and ascertain where we are in our lives, in our relationship with others and with God so that we can navigate each season accordingly. I am going to identify four spiritual seasons - this is obviously not a comprehensive list but will give you a general idea of what the characteristic of each season can look like.

1. Growing Season

2. Pruning Season

3. Wilderness Season

4. Harvest Season

The Growing Season is a season of change which brings it’s own unique challenges - you may be stretched to do things you’ve never done before, or go places you’ve never been. God is stretching you because He wants to enlarge your capacity to handle what it is He has next for you. The discomfort you feel in this season isn’t because you are a failure, you are simply experiencing growing pains. Don’t shrink back from this discomfort - try new things - take risks and do not be afraid to fail - you may stumble as you navigate unfamiliar territory - but God will not let you fall. Psalm 37:23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

Negative emotions that can come to the surface in this season are:

Uncertainty, Unfamiliarity, Discomfort, Frustration, Feelings of Failure, Doubting, Hesitation, Fear of the Unknown, Procrastination.

God knows where you are in the Growing Season and what difficulties this season can bring - so let go of doubt - keep growing trust Him and know this season will pass.

In The Pruning Season God is allowing test after test and trial after trial in your life because He is preparing you for something greater. He knows that there are some attitudes, beliefs and even people that you may need to let go of before you can enter your next season. This season may feel very difficult and uncomfortable, but allow it to complete its work in you, like fire is used to shape and purify gold, God uses these trials and tests to strip you of your old ways and transform you into the person that He is calling you to be.

Negative emotions that can come to the surface in this season are:

Anger, Jealousy, Despair, Hopelessness, Unbelief, Giving Up, Resentment, Rejection, Abandonment, Impatience.

1 Peter 1:7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

How do we make it through these tests in our pruning season - Keep the faith and know that this season will pass.

The Wilderness Season is a time of lack, waiting and even pain and suffering. Seasons like this can be very lonely especially when God appears to be silent - you are making it day by day, but you don’t feel like you have enough as you wait for God in this season - fight the urge to shut down, stay angry or run away. Resist the lies that the enemy tells you in this season and cling to God’s truth. You are not alone - this is not the end - you are victorious in Christ. It may not seem like it, but the wilderness season is where God is the closest to us, right beside us in the dark and depressing times. Pls 34:18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Negative emotions that may come to the surface in this season are:

Hopelessness, Despair, Abandonment, Rejection, Emotional Pain & Suffering, Extreme Loneliness, Depression, Heart Broken, Shattered.

Now is the time to press into the presence of God and understand as no season lasts forever - this too shall pass.

In a The Harvest Season you are reaping the benefits and blessing from seeds that you planted in previous seasons. This also means that you are in a very busy season which demands much of your time, energy and strength. As you may feel overwhelmed at times it is important to remember how blessed you are and that its time to be a good steward over what the Lord has given you. If you are feeling a little discouraged and stressed, take it one day at a time knowing that God has given you much because He trusts you with much. The temptation in a Harvest Season is to is to get so caught up in our blessings that we forget to cling to God. It is so important not to become complacent in this season, simply because things are going well. Galatians 6.9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Negative emotions that may come to the surface in this season:

Overwhelmed, Fatigue, Frustration, Complacency, Weariness, Impatience

We still need to seek God like in any other season and know too that this season will end.

2020 - Taste and see that the Lord is Good

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 15:02:37 GMT

Taste and See that the Lord is Good - Psl 34:8

On the eve of 2020 we are about to enter not just into a new season but a new era in the Kingdom of God. On the 1st January 2020 both the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars will be converging.

We entered into the Hebrew New Year 5780 at Rosh Hashanah on the 29th September 2019.

If we add up the numbers 5+7+8+0 we get 20 – The year 2020. A significant time in our lives is upon us as the Lord converges the two timelines. The number 80 in the Hebrew alphabet is the letter Pey which represents a mouth. The previous year which was 70 is the letter Ayin which represents the eyes. God speaks through numbers and symbols – especially in the Hebrew language – after all he is the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and we are the seed of Abraham – so we take note.

What we have ‘seen’ in the last season, what the Lord has shown us and prepared us for - we will now taste of and experience. We need to track the history of what God has shown us and now prepare to experience His faithfulness, His love, His mercy, His provision and fulfillment of the vision we have ‘seen’. In this new season we have to line up our mouth / our voice (Pey) with the hidden things that God has shown (Ayin) us in the last season.

2020 will be the year of finding our voice, we will now speak out and declare what the Lord has shown us in 2019. In particular it will be the year when woman of God will be speaking out. The letter Pey has the letter Bet hidden within it - pregnant within it - Bet means ‘The House of Creation’ The word ‘mother’ appears in the KJV of the New Testament 84 times – women bear the image of Christ in the House of Creation (Womb) and it will be a significant year for women to be a voice for God in 5780 to release what they have been carrying in their spiritual house of creation - for those around to taste and see how good the Lord is.

So, in 2020 when we line up our mouths with what God has hidden within us, as we speak God will begin creating the vision for us to taste, see and experience what He has spoken of.

“That which has been hidden in the house of creation will be released for those to taste and see how good the Lord is in 2020”

Blessings to you all as you enter into 2020 - may you find your voice to declare all that God has laid upon your heart - May you taste and see of His goodness to all generations. God Bless - Sandy Cutts

Patience..and the Revolving Door

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 22:41:15 GMT

Patience..and the Revolving Door

Its been a while since I have written a blog, and as usual have waited for something meaningful to say. I was driving home from work this afternoon asking the Lord to give me something…something meaningful to share that will shed light on an issue for someone out there. These words dropped into my spirit….Patience and the Revolving Door. I had no idea what that was about and as I sought the Lord for more clarity, He said “patience is part of the test and impatience is the revolving door”.

Now here is a useful fact that I found on google – after not knowing where to start with this information from the Lord. “In right hand traffic countries, revolving doors typically revolve counter-clockwise, allowing people to enter and exit only on the right side of the door. In left hand traffic countries such as Australia and New Zealand, revolving doors revolve clockwise, but door rotations are mixed in Britain”.

How many times in our journey with the Lord has He given us a vision, a promise but with no strategy or timeline, just an expectation of what it to come. It's as though He then sits back and watches as we face a test of faith and patience.

It’s been a long and arduous five years of patience, frustration, disappointment, impatience and finally surrender to get to a place of peace and complete trust that the Lord WILL DO what He promised to do – with no help from me whatsoever. Has it been easy ? – NO, has it been worth it? YES definitely!

How easy it is to become impatient. We live in an instant society, we want it and we want it now. Everything is at our fingertips, online, easily accessible, on tap and in abundance. We withhold nothing from ourselves that we want or need. Self gratification is high on our list of priorities. We can instinctively treat God the same, if He has something for us, we want it and we want it now.

God in His infinite wisdom makes us wait…He tests our faith, patience and trust in Him. Faith is not faith until it is tested. God needs us to trust Him totally before He releases His promises to us. During the wait, the Lord is working on our character, working on our attitude, working on our pain, working on our kingdom principles.

Impatience is like entering into a revolving door, trying to push it the wrong way – it won’t move… try pushing it the other way, then pushing it too hard and so that it bypasses the exit gap, then having to go around again to try to make an exit. In a foreign country or in Britain you won’t be aware which way you need to push the door unless there are arrows giving directions.

The Kingdom of God operates as a foreign country on earth and we need patience and God’s directions to navigate through it. Everything operates opposite to secular society in God’s Kingdom - to receive we must give, to be forgiven we must forgive, to reap we must sow and so on… Impatience impedes our progress with God’s promises, to move forward we have to wait – exercising patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit who is at work in those who believe in Christ.

Hopefully next time you walk through a revolving door, you will remember this little message and remember to be patient, wait for God to move in His time and in His way. As you wait you will rise up on wings as eagles, you will run and not be weary, you will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40.31.

Confronting Truth

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 13:30:26 GMT

Confronting Truth

One of the most discomforting situations to be found in, is without doubt to be confronted with truth, especially when it is truth about yourself - the truth about who you are at the very core of your being. I have over the years many times read the scripture in John 8:32 which says “and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” and up until recently interpreted it as only relating to doctrine and spiritual matters. I have discovered that truth about God, who Jesus is and what He came to do is a truth that seems to be easily accepted when confronted with – this is especially true when backed up by, and demonstrated by the power of God.

We live so comfortably with who we think we are until our world is shaken by truth. It is only then that we discover the awful truth about who the real me on the inside is, and it can be quite disconcerting. This truth that confronts us starts us on a journey of ‘self -discovery’ which never ends.

I was recently confronted with a truth about myself – one which without doubt many have encountered in times past and will confront in the future. This truth was about ‘who was on the throne of my heart’ – who had the most power over my world, my emotions, my joy and my future. If anyone had asked me that question I would have been quick to answer – God of course, BUT the startling revelation of truth stared me fully in the face when my world came crashing down around me, not by God but by the very one that I had allowed to be seated on the very throne of my heart.

I had in the past heard many sermons and teaching about the danger of having idols in our lives and took great care to not fall into that trap – until I discovered that the very thing that I idolized had the power to devastate me – and nearly did. What I did not know at the time was “ that which you idolize has the power to destroy you” and I soon began to understand why one of Gods 10 commandments says we are not to set any idols before us. God is not an idol – He is our Father, our Creator.

Being confronted with this truth was shocking and left me feeling shaken to the core as for almost five decades I had lived and believed that God and only God was 1st in my life. The realization of this truth was the catalyst that propelled me into a true introspection of my belief systems. This truth soon led me to scrutinize several areas of my life and sift though who or what I had really placed my trust and faith in outside of God.

The freedom that comes from knowing the truth about yourself when you are tested by God is truly liberating and the outcome is life changing. The liberty comes when you come into agreement with God about your error, repent and start to make the conscious step by step changes to redirect your trust and faith in Him alone. Trust and faith are not about just confessing it with your mouth – it’s about deliberately practicing it in the day to day, moment by moment of life.

The downside of being confronted with truth many times comes as a result of being, tried, tested and placed in the storms of life. It’s in the storm that you find Him and it’s in the storm that truth about yourself is confronted. My storm was fierce and long and I prayed for it to end….I discovered in hindsight that the longer the storm raged, the more truth was confronted and the more freedom and aligning with God’s intention and purpose for my life became evident.

As time has past since that life changing revelation I have had to constantly re-assess and take cognisance of ‘who is on the throne of my heart’. I continue to remind myself of the dangers of idolatory and rely on God to alert me when I ‘forget’ where my trust and faith truly needs to be placed.

What About Me

Sat, 09 Nov 2019 13:26:33 GMT

Envy - one of the 7 deadly sins.

One of the most vulnerable positions to be in, is to be brutally honest about yourself to those you are in community with. When you expose your internal world - and its not pretty - one of two things can happen - you stand the chance of being judged for your ‘sinful thoughts’ or you give others the courage to expose their own ‘sinful’ internal world. Before you share this internal world ...there are possibly one of two ways to deal with the ‘revelations’ when they come to the surface of your own heart - keep it buried alive - or, put it to the sword of the Spirit and allow God into that place - to cleanse it, to heal it, to change it. I have come to learn over the years that whatever stays hidden in deep dark places in your heart, somehow has power over you and will affect your choices, your attitudes, and ultimately the way you do life.

There can be many hidden / concealed thoughts in a persons heart that one simply doesn’t have the courage to admit to oneself, let alone confess to someone else. I have recently had the opportunity through a very thought provoking teaching, the serious task of searching my own heart, and having to own up to these very distasteful conditions. It isn’t easy to write about this, but it has to be exposed for what it is, after all, there is going to come a time when everyone’s sin will be made know before all men, and simply stated, I want no part of this ‘way’ to remain.

So what are these secret sins - the sins that I know we all ashamedly do, but secretly hate ourselves for - the first is none other than the very first ever sin committed - its ENVY - one of the seven deadly sins. We don’t like to admit it but we all do secretly indulge in envy. Envy is not to be confused with JEALOUSY - which can be defined as a personal emotion which begins with the feeling that we have lost something because of some real change in our circumstances.

The Latin underpinning of the word envy comes from ‘Invidere’ - ‘to look upon with malice - or to look against in a hostile manner. It can also be described as seeing another’s virtue and feeling contempt or resentment for it.

Envy and jealousy can go hand in hand and can form a stronghold or alliance in your life, the outworking of which can be extremely destructive. Proverbs 14:30 says “envy rots the bones’.

James 3:16 says For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there will be disharmony and every foul practice.

Envy is produced and comes in response to something we should feel admiration for - a virtue or gift someone else has, whose ability we will never reach - something which is unattainable to us. Instead of feeling genuine admiration or praise we feel hatred or envy for their virtue - the inability to admire that which is greater than you. What we can fail to realise with envy is that it can be a two way street. Not only can we possess envy but can also be the one against which envy is targeted. Envy creates ‘spiritual warfare’ which ever way it is aimed.

The only way to eradicate envy is to acknowledge that it exists, confess it, ask God’s forgiveness and pray for Him to cleanse us of envy. Be mindful of when it arises and be swift to repent again.

Take Responsibility

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 13:26:21 GMT

Take responsibility

There are 3 things that contribute to a healthy wellbeing or unhealthy breakdown of our bodies.

1. What we put into our mouths

2. What we put into our minds

3. What we put into our spirits

We have sole responsibility over all three areas and the choices we make will depend the outcome of our health. We were designed by God to live long and healthy lives and He gave us all that is necessary to do so. If we stick to His plan - we can’t go wrong. These are the 3 basic steps to get back the the original design which in turn causes our bodies to function the way it was intended to - bearing in mind that we are tri-part beings and all 3 parts work together, also maintaining an understanding that nutrition can affect our mental and spiritual state and visa versa.

Eat only what God has created - whole foods as close to their original state as possible. No processed food with man made chemicals or preservatives.

Fill you mind with that which is good, true and worthy of praise - rid yourself of negativity, resentment - be quick to forgive and be honourable in all things.

The word of God (the Bible) is the food your spirit needs to thrive and keep healthy. A spirit that is well fed is strong, healthy and able to withstand harsh trials.

All disease can be traced to a breakdown of systems in the body - as a result of either a lack of what is needed to sustain it - or an over abundance of foreign substances that cause it to breakdown. When we do not feed the body what it needs to sustain a healthy life - it eventually breaks down. God designed food which nourishes and feeds every cell in our bodies - man made substitutes do not feed the cells but cause ‘invasions’ causing systems to be overloaded and breakdown.

The responsibility for our health lies in our own hands through the choices we make day in and day out. For more interesting talks on this topic and to learn how to make more responsible choices I can suggest a series of talks on YouTube called Living by Design by Spirit Health.

Whats done is done

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 19:05:38 GMT

You can't undo what has been done !

How many times have you done something, said something, and wished you never had.... perhaps too many times than you wish to remember or even admit. Or perhaps it is something that should have been said or should have been done - and you never did. Two things that can never be taken back are words or time. What’s done is done and can never be undone. We live with the memories of what had been done or not been done.

We can maybe in time forgive ourselves for what we have spoken or not spoken or done, and we can forgive others for what was said to us or what was done against us, but the memories will always remain. Through forgiveness the sting is removed but what was done remains and sometimes comes back to haunt and hound us, and the memory thereof can even bring us to tears.

Just when you think the healing is complete, something presents itself and the memories come flooding back to try and overwhelm you. I have had this happen time and time again and have been confused at the pain it has caused and have asked God over and over, surely this hurt has been healed - so why the pain again?

It’s not something that I welcome, not something that I want to dwell on and want to re-live again and again. Questions arise, have I really forgiven, have I really put the past behind me, am I ever going to remember this without pain? How can I move past this? Why does it keep coming up?

More questions than answers.....more prayer, more waiting for answers that seem a long time coming.

What’s done is done and whether or not there has been repentance from the offending party or not, your life has to go on, you pick up the broken pieces and keep on keeping on. Until understanding comes, this pattern of reoccurring memories can lead to bitterness, resentment and more pain.

Running from pain and hurt is futile in this life, it would be like holding your breath hoping to die !!!

I have discovered that in His infinite wisdom God uses pain in our lives to direct us, to motivate us and bring us to greater heights and purpose in His kingdom. Yes what’s done is done but it can be used for His doing. I have come to understand that the glimpses of memory and pain that come from time to time are a poignant reminder from the Lord of how far I have come and how faithful He has been on my journey to wholeness. It’s is also a reminder of the pain that is being experienced daily in the world by those who are still walking the path that I have walked. It spurs me on to pray, to intercede and petition for the broken and hurting.

It reminds me that God has not brought me this far to glory in my own deliverance and restoration, but to take up the ‘Sword of the Sprit’ to use the weapons that He gave me, to now fight with on behalf of those needing to overcome the same battle.

What’s done is done, but will be used for His doing. The victory belongs to the Lord.

Pain....where it can take you

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 19:04:15 GMT

Pain....where it can take you

I don’t blog for the sake of blogging, but wait for the Lord to give me something to say. It’s then the time to put pen to paper, or rather in my case put fingertips to keyboard. As the thoughts come pouring in, I get anxious that I will forget what He has said, as these thoughts often come when I am no where near my I-pad. The wonderful thing however, is that as I do sit down to capture the thoughts, they come flooding back - for that I am grateful.

Have you ever experienced a severe itch that just has to be scratched to soothe it - take it away, and take it away now. Sometimes that itch just happens to be in a hard to reach place - and oh my word, what lengths some people go to for relief. Grab anything, a hairbrush, a back scratcher, a ruler, even the corner of a wall or door will do - you know what I’m talking about - I’ve seen it happen and I’ve been there - done that. Sometimes the best option in those cases is to call upon someone else to intervene on your behalf.... Don’t laugh it happens all the time. An itch just has to be scratched - experiment by trying to ignore it - see who wins that game.....

Pain is very much like an itch which simply has to be soothed, to be taken away at all costs - at least that is how most of us think. None of us are really prepared for pain - maybe if we were, we would not suffer its awfulness. I have had what I thought was the ‘misfortune’ of experiencing both physical and emotional pain in my life, as would many of you as well - this blog is about sharing some of the lessons learned during a a time of extreme emotional pain and my journey to soothe it.

Just my opinion - emotional pain is much worse than physical pain. The reason I say this is that physical pain is just that... once the pain has gone - the memory of it seems to dissipate quite quickly as well. Take child birth for instance - if a woman does not have the capacity to forget the pain - she would never go on to have another child. It’s as though God has put into us the gift of being able to forget physical pain. Another example of this fact is the dare devil people out there who take risks, get badly injured, yet go back for more....crazy don’t you think. They seem to forget the physical pain.

Emotional pain on the other hand - is a different category altogether. It needs and wants to be soothed for a long time - sometimes a lifetime. People who have experience tremendous emotional pain sometimes take a very very long time to risk that area again - sometime they never do. I want to say upfront here - doctors, medicine and time will take care of physical pain, but emotional pain needs the Great Physician to be healed completely. There is a saying that time heals every hurt - that’s really a lie - all it does it bury it - sooner or later it comes to the surface to haunt you again.

Being abandoned, rejected, despised, and neglected by those who are closest to you are some of the root causes of emotional pain. One to the biggest causes of the harshest kind of emotional pain in our society and in marriages today is infidelity and betrayal. The pain goes so deep that it can take years to heal and restore the soul - but the good news is that, with the Lord it is possible. Understand however that this is a process - no quick fix or deliverance prayer can heal emotional pain.

Emotional pain can take you to places that you never in a lifetime thought you would go... No matter how strong you think you are, without the Lord, it can be a dangerous slippery path from which there may be no return. Are you frightened yet? - you should be. This is no joke - seriously, if I knew this upfront, I would have tried to be prepared. In this life there is no escape from emotional pain, but the outcome for your life will depend on how you face it, how you handle it and who or what you turn to, to soothe and ease the pain. Unlike an itch which can be dealt with in an instant, emotional pain is persistent, persistent, persistent in its relentless pursuit to be soothed and eased.

Emotional pain takes place in our soul - the place of our mind, will and emotions. It’s a place that cannot be touched by human hands, its a place that cannot be held, cuddled, kissed, comforted by human touch. Human intervention to ease the pain of the soul is very limited, but God in His infinite mercy has provided a way for our souls to be touched - only by Him.

Before I expand on how you can allow God to ‘touch the pain’ in your soul I want to mention some of the ways that human beings ‘try’ to soothe our souls in pain. In saying this I in no way imply that these are all or any of the ways that I sought to do so during my time of extreme emotional pain. During that time however, I sought out and listened to many teaching both biblical and secular on how people handle and address emotional pain and the extremes some go to.

More often than not people turn to ‘things’ that bring comfort to the physical body rather than the soul - they look for comfort in food, alcohol, drugs, sex, illicit relationships, anything that gratifies and brings temporary comfort to their flesh - the problem is that - as with many other temporary comforts, more and more is needed to bring some kind of relief - simply because it is not the soul that is being touched. Others turn to the really dark side - despising and blaming God - seeking to self harm and self destruct. Others turn to distraction of every kind - busy - busy -busy seeking to fill every waking moment to keep the pain at bay, then collapse into a fatigued heap at night.

Another way in which people handle emotional pain is to isolate themselves, separate themselves from all that was familiar. This can be detrimental as it can lead to self pity and depression very quickly. For a short time, I ventured down that treacherous path until the Lord gently brought me back into the much needed fellowship of caring believers. I soon discovered however, that those who had not walked this path before me were not fully understanding of the pain and although were well meaning, their ‘advice’ was often misguided and aimed at temporary gratification and self indulgence. It is wisdom not to confide in a multitude of people and seek counsel in every ear that is ready to hear your story - and believe me there are many.... There are few you can trust with the pain of your precious heart �� and they are the ones who will walk alongside you, holding you up until you can walk on your own again. Find them and you find treasure.

Now on to the good part of this story.... The only place that I found comfort for my soul was with the One who created my soul. The bible says that the Lord is close to the broken hearted but believe me it doesn’t always feel that way - The solution to that was definitely to “NOT GO ON FEELINGS... “ take God at His word - then when you look back you will be amazed to find that He was with you every step of the way - even when you did not ‘feel’ His presence.

Prayer can be difficult when pain is overwhelming and the Lord knows that only too well - He sweated blood in Gethsemane when words were few and far between. Now I’m not advocating that you sweat blood, but tears and more tears are a good substitute. Now if I told you that I cried tears every day for more than 365 days, you probably will think I’m exaggerating, but I am not. Tears mingled with humble, mumbled prayer before the Lord are healing - God does not care too much for self pity, but a heart broken and longing for his touch alone, He cannot resist.

I am definitely not advocating this as a formula by no means but I found that something tangible representing the presence of God to be very comforting during those times of prayer. I was given a beautiful prayer shawl from Israel by a very good friend of mine which I used to cover myself with as I knelt in prayer each night before the Lord. I would cry and pray until I felt the presence of God cover me over the prayer shawl - the peace and comfort that came during those times is indescribable. God was healing and restoring my soul moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day as I poured out my heart to Him. He also taught me that being out in the beauty of His creation, in His presence was restoring to my soul. Long walks in nature, just talking to Him was like balm to soothe a damaged soul.

The most important lesson to be learned though all the pain has been to focus on what is eternal and not what is temporal and to forgive, forgive and forgive again. If you can learn to forgive those who have hurt and wronged you when the pain is at its peak, you will sooner find the path to healing and restoration of your soul. I pray the the Lord leads you and comforts you when its your time to walk this path - we all have a chance to make this journey - where will yours take you??

Unmet Expectations

183:789666586 (Sandy Cutts) — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 19:03:09 GMT

Unmet Expectations

It has taken some years and some really painful experiences for me to come to the place of acknowledging that a lot of my ‘pain’ has been as a result of unmet expectations. Expectations I have had of God, of my spouse, my family, my friends, my colleagues and of course of myself. It is an undetected, self-inflicted emotional pain that has caused chaos undoubtedly in many lives. The reason it goes undetected for so long is that we don’t like to admit that this is something that we ultimately are responsible for.

We all have expectations of how life will turn out or of goals for our lives and when these things don’t happen we are devastated. This is especially true in our close relationships. One simply cannot believe that something that started out so good and had all the potential of being the best thing that could happen to us can also be the very thing that devastates us too. Our expectation of health, wellness, prosperity and a sound significant relationship is so out there that when reality sets in and expectations are unmet we are totally unravelled.

Take God for instance…we take Him at His word, well at least most of us do. His promises to us are wonderful and our expectation of Him to make sure of a happy ending in this life are shattered when things don’t go the way we expected them to. Marriages end when they shouldn’t, people die young, tragedy strikes, businesses are lost and families are torn apart by unforeseen circumstances – what we expected did not happen and we suffer the pain of unmet expectations.

Talking of marriage, some of our most painful unmet expectations take place in this sacred union. We stand at arm’s length away from the one whose eyes we look into and hear their lips say, “to have and to hold, to love and to cherish until death us to part” – when this does not happen and we find ourselves rejected or abandoned the unmet expectation of being loved and cherished until death us do part can be soul destroying.

Unmet expectations in the work place can leave us bitter and resentful of having trusted and believed in justice and equal opportunity. It seems that nothing is exempt from the unmet expectation syndrome that we are all afflicted with.

One of the harshest unmet expectation zones is actually ourselves. We sometimes place really unrealistic expectations on ourselves to - deliver, to perform, to be successful, to be wealthy, to be healthy, to prosper, to be the best, to go higher, to push further, to work harder, to be kinder, to love more, to be a better person, to be thinner, to be fitter and the list goes on and on and on……. We are affected adversely when we don’t live up to our own expectation and over the long term this can develop into a ‘low grade’ state of depression. Compounded with the unmet expectations as mentioned above and if undealt with we can find ourselves in a sorry emotional state.

So what is the solution to dealing with unmet expectations? I will share what has been of significant help to me in the recent past.

Firstly to accept and acknowledge that we live in a broken world and that if we live long enough someone is going to let us down and not all our expectations will be met. Get used to the idea upfront so that it doesn’t take you by surprise and ‘knock you for a six’ The closer the relationship, the more pain the unmet expectation can cause. Come to an understanding that hurting people, hurt people and that undealt with issues from someone’s past can cause chaos in present relationships.

Secondly expectations are normally something we don’t take the time to discuss with our partner / family or friends. We go into relationships with the assumption that things will go as we ‘expect’ them to without the other person knowing what your expectations are. We often treat others as we expect to be treated but often find we are not ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ – knowing what someone else’s expectations are upfront help us to decide if we want to pursue the relationship or not – no surprises ahead.

Thirdly accept the fact that this life and the people that we live and work with are never going to be perfect. God has not promised us a perfect and happy life on earth. We are all on a journey to be conformed into His image and this life is not all that there is to complete our happiness. Much of what has been promised to us may only take place in the life hereafter.

Come to a place of realization that you are part of a greater story which does not come to an end in this life and everything we desire and long for will be restored to us in eternity.

The most important thing I learned is to LIVE WITH ETERNITY IN MIND ALWAYS. Everything that is temporal will pass away and be no more – put your focus and energy into that which is eternal. If something can come to an end on earth – it is temporal. I hope this has been helpful in bringing some perspective to this issue.