Tag Archives: shame

Posted on

Are You Waiting On God?

It’s Another Podcast!

Sometimes, good intentioned statements may sound like a person is doing the right thing, but are they subtly blaming God?

In this short podcast (5:02), I talk about the topic of waiting on God.  It’s a touchy subject, but I do believe that all of life has a balance.  Listen and see what you think.  Do you think that we sometimes, because of our lack of faith, subtly blame God?

Enjoy the podcast.

[If you cannot see the player below, just click the title above]

Don’t Be Shy – Leave A Comment!
Do you have some thoughts about this?  We’d love to hear what you think.  Just scroll to the bottom of this post and type in your comment. (If you are receiving this post via email or RSS, just click the title above and then scroll to the bottom of the post and type in your comment.)

You Might Also Enjoy:
Why Blame Him?
Why Does God Let Things Happen?
God Is Not In Charge

Share This Podcast!
Do you want to share this article on your website or Blog?   To share on social media, like Facebook or Twitter, there are buttons below.

There’s More!
For past articles, click on the, “Posts” tab above.  For past videos and podcasts, mouse over the “Posts” tab above.  Look for more videos as well as more podcasts coming soon to Confidence And Joy!

Posted on

There’s A Baby On The Way

It’s Another Podcast

Kathy and I are really excited about the new baby who is scheduled to arrive in late December.

No, it is not our baby!  It is our first grand baby; a granddaughter to be more specific.

In this short podcast (5:06) there is something really cool I have noticed with all babies. I’ll bet if you think about it, so have you. Is this  something we could learn from, or, do you think, that at the very least, we could use it as a reminder of something really important?

Enjoy the podcast.

[If you cannot see the player below, just click the title above]

Don’t Be Shy – Leave A Comment!
Do you have some thoughts about this?  We’d love to hear what you think.  Just scroll to the bottom of this post and type in your comment. (If you are receiving this post via email or RSS, just click the title above and then scroll to the bottom of the post and type in your comment.)

You Might Also Enjoy:
If He Could Forgive…
Stop Living With Guilt
How To Face Another Day

Share This Podcast!
Do you want to share this article on your website or Blog?   To share on social media, like Facebook or Twitter, there are buttons below.

There’s More!
For past articles, click on the, “Posts” tab above.  For past videos and podcasts, mouse over the “Posts” tab above.  Look for more videos as well as more podcasts coming soon to Confidence And Joy!

Posted on

Stop Looking Back!

Getting ready to drive off in my wife’s car the other day, I checked and adjusted her mirrors. I first adjusted the side mirrors and then finally the rearview mirror.  And suddenly, it dawned on me.  rearview

Ever notice how much smaller the rearview mirror is than the windshield?

Of course I realize that this is not some startling new discovery.  Anyone who drives knows that the rearview mirror is much, much smaller than the windshield for very obvious reasons.

But as I sat there before I drove off, I wondered just how fast and how far you could drive if the windshield was the size of the rearview mirror, and the rearview mirror was the size of the windshield!

Not An Idea For GM!

No, I am not losing my mind with a wild brainstorm idea for General Motors!  I car-little-blueam trying to make a point.  We all know that the reason the windshield is so much bigger is because the road ahead of us is so much more important than the road behind us.  We need to see and focus clearly on as much of the road ahead as we can.

This is so true in living life.  Where we are going in life is so much more important than where we have been.  Yet far too many people are living in their past.  They live day to day staring into their rearview mirror with all their focus and attention on what happened to them in the past, instead of looking forward to the future.

What’s In Your Past?

People are living with regrets, guilt, shame, disappointments and discouragements resulting from things in their past. Many people go around feeling sorry for themselves.  Some are living with anger or seek revenge from being hurt.  Regardless of what has happened or how they feel, they all have one thing in common:  they are all starring into their rearview mirror.

What is there in your past that you can change?  Absolutely nothing.  What great profit is it to spend your time and mental focus on the past?  There is none.  Even if there were some really fantastic things in your past, they are all still in the past.

Some people are still trying to live back in the “good ol’ days,” back when their lives were so much better.  They think about it and relive a happier time without all the stress or hardships that they face now.  Doing that is still looking into the rearview mirror!

The Way To Move Forward Is To Move Forward!

Yes, there are disappointments in life, some small, and some not so small.  But if you are going to move forward with your life, you have to put your eyes on what is ahead.  As you drive your vehicle, you not only see the road immediately in front of you, but you can also see a good ways up the road.

So why not do that with your life?  Stop dwelling on the past.  Stop reliving it over and over and over.  Stop talking about it.  It is over with and there is nothing that can change what has happened in the past.

Of course, there may be circumstances that you have to deal with as the result of something that has happened in the past.  Take care of those, but then be determined to move forward.

Confidence In God

The Bible talks about forgetting those things which are in the past.  That means that it is a freewill choice to let go of the past.  We can choose to look forward or to look backward.

When you are driving your vehicle, you can’t get very far without running into something if you’re constantly looking into the rearview mirror. I don’t recommend trying this!  And neither do I recommend doing it with life either.

road-rainbowIf you want to have confidence in God, take your focus off of the past.  If you have read “My Story,” then you know I have done this numerous times in my life.  And I know it’s not always easy.  But I also know it’s the only way to move forward.
If you want to move forward with your life, then stop looking back, ask for God’s help, and keep looking and moving forward.

…..

Did you find this article helpful?  Do you have a comment about letting go of the past?  Has forgetting the past helped you to move forward?  I love to hear your thoughts, just type them in below.

Mike Verdicchio

Related Posts:
Were You Unfairly Laid Off
What Kind Of A Day?
I love Baseball

Posted on

Is He Willing?

Most of us recognize God’s power and ability. We believe that He is able to do all that He has promised to do and more! We would readily agree and believe that there is nothing too hard or too big for God.

But many times, we have a difficult time believing that He is willing to do it for us, personally. Have you ever been there before?  I sure have.  And if you are not convinced and certain that God is willing to do it for you, then do you really believe and trust Him?

Why Do We Have Doubt?

Why is it that we sometimes think that God is not willing to do it for us personally? What is it that causes us to doubt His willingness? Why would we not accept that He is willing?

I learned the answer many years ago.  The answer is feelings of being unworthy or undeserving. I used to wonder, “What I have done to deserve it? What have I done to earn it?”  Much of this kind of thinking is due to sin consciousness and condemnation.

But, when you really think about it, what is it that we could do, or refrain from doing, that would earn His willingness to provide for us what He has promised? That is a big part of the answer, because far too many Christians base their self worth on how much they do or do not do!

Your Actions Have Nothing To Do With How Much He Loves You!

How many Christians do you know who subtly believe that their righteousness and worthiness in God’s eyes is dependent upon their actions?  I used to be like that.

But if that is really true then we wouldn’t have needed a savior!  The Bible says that it was the completed work of Christ that makes us right and worthy in the sight of God.  What a day it was for me when I learned that!

The Scriptures are clear in saying that as a Christian, nothing can separate you from God’s love. That is why His love for you is unconditional.  He put no conditions on it! Your actions do not have anything to do with how much He loves you. Nothing can ever separate you from His love.

Nothing!

He doesn’t love you any less today than He did yesterday. He doesn’t love you more when you are praying. He doesn’t love you any less when you are messing up. His love for you is unconditional! Nothing can separate you from His love.

Part of the problem in not accepting His willingness to perform His Word for us personally, is in not accepting what He has done for us in the completed work of Christ.

Have you ever had a couple of days go by where you prayed a lot, and did things for others, and really felt that you were “walking for Him?” At those times, how confident were you to go to God and ask for the things you needed? You were probably pretty confident, right? But, why was that?

I’ve been there before!  My actions made me feel worthy and right before God. That is an indication that I believed my self worth, my being right in God’s eyes, was dependent upon my actions.

And if that’s what you believe then when you have a period of time where you are falling short or messing up, you have very little confidence to go to God and expect His help.

You Are Already Righteous!

The Bible says that the Christian is righteous. For a long time that was just some nice sounding spiritual word. But understanding what righteousness means will help you greatly in accepting God’s willingness to bring His promises to pass in your life.

Simply put, “righteousness” means that you are just, or, right! It is a state of being right or just according to an established legal standard. In this case, the legal standard is the justice of God.

In other words, in God’s sight, in His high court, you are right; you are just; you belong! You can now stand before God without any sense of guilt, shame, or condemnation. You have been made right. He made you right!

No wonder the Bible says that you are lovely and acceptable in His sight and holy and without blame before Him! It has nothing to do with your works. It has everything to do with the completed work of Christ.

This Has A Major Impact On Your Self Worth.

Can you see how accepting the righteousness Christ accomplished for you and believing it is true can have a dynamic impact on your self worth and your self esteem?

I don’t feel unworthy to open my refrigerator and get some food. Well of course not! I belong in my own house! It is right for me to be there!

The same is true with God. You and I belong in His presence; we are right being there because He made us right! You and I are both righteous.

Not understanding or believing that we are right in His eyes plays a major part in our accepting His willingness to bring His Word to pass for us personally.

But if we choose to accept His unconditional love for us, and, that we are right in his sight, we will begin to accept that He is willing to bring his Word to pass for us personally.

The promises of God come to pass for us when we believe God. We may very well believe that He is able, but if we don’t really believe that He is willing, then we will not believe that He will.

Why not believe what the Bible says about you and accept God’s unconditional love, and believe that you are already righteous in His eyes? It will have a dynamic impact on your confidence that He is not only able to do for you what He has promised, but that He is also willing to do it for you personally.