Joy in the Furnace - Part 2

Joy in the Furnace Part 2
By Debbie Guinn ©

James 1:2-4 -- Consider it ALL joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be PERFECT and COMPLETE, lacking in NOTHING .”

In Part 1, we looked at the principles I will have trials and God is always with me in the furnace (trials). We are going to continue our study in Daniel Chapter 3 and see what we can learn from the time that Shadrach , Meshach , and Abednego spent in the furnace. I hope you will see that God has a plan for each of the furnaces in our lives and He is at work in them.

The third principle is one that REALLY excites me!! I am set free in the furnace! Daniel 3:21 says, “So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. Verse 23 says, and these three men, firmly tied , fell into the blazing furnace.” However, in verse 25 it says, “I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound ….” The soldiers had bound the men before throwing them into the furnace and now they are FREE -- walking around unbound.

Not only is God IN the fire with us but He will also “unbound” us -- set us free of those things that keep us in bondage -- during those times of trial. As I study Scripture, I cannot think of any place in the Bible where God delivered somebody from something when they were just going along enjoying life. He always sets people free while they are going through the trials and hardships in their lives. He sets us free in the fire!! Now that is something that I can get excited about! Yes, it makes the trials worth it, knowing that He is setting me free during those times.

The fourth principle I found in this story is I will NOT suffer harm while in the furnace. Daniel 3:25 goes on to tell us that the king saw the men “walking around in the fire… unharmed …." Verse 27 adds, “They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.”

God does not lead us into the fire to bring harm to us or to destroy us. He wants to give us life, not bring us harm. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you….” . Satan is the one who is out to bring us harm. John 10:10 says, “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” Satan is the thief – the one who tries to harm us – not Jesus . Jesus comes to give us life – real, full life – a life better than we ever dreamed or imagined.

We may feel incredible pain and it may seem like we are suffering greatly when we are in the fire. However, in God's eternal scheme of things, we will not be harmed. In fact, once we emerge from the fire, we won't even smell of fire. In other words, the work that God does in our lives as we go through trials is SO great and powerful, that once we come out of that trial, we will radiate with joy, peace, healing – to the point that we carry on us only the fragrance and aroma of Christ and His work in our life. We will “smell” of that abundant life. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 speaks of this. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

The fifth principle that I find in this story is that My trials “promote” me in my pursuit for God's perfection in my life. In Daniel 3:30 we find that the king promoted Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego . They had already been in a place of high rank before this, but here they were promoted to an even higher status. It is the same for us. Going back to James 1:2-4, we see that our trials are meant to make us “perfect, complete, lacking in nothing.” A couple of other verses that address this are: 1 Peter 5:10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” and 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Each trial we go through brings us one step closer to complete perfection in Christ that will be revealed when we go to spend eternity with Him.

Jesus , Himself, was made perfect through suffering. Hebrews 2:10 says, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” Hebrews 5:8-9 adds, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” What an honor to be made perfect in the same way that Jesus Christ , the Son of God was also brought to perfection!

The sixth, and final, principle is what I believe to be the ULTIMATE purpose behind ALL of our trials. It is that God will receive glory and honor through my trials!!! In Daniel 3:28, we find that the king had a total change of heart. "Then Nebuchadnezzar said, 'Praise be to the God of Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego , who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.'” In verse 29, he issued a decree that “the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." In the end of this entire fiery ordeal, GOD WAS GLORIFIED!!! These three men had been such a strong witness, standing up for God even in the face of death. God rewarded their obedience and the king saw God's power and gave Him the glory and honor that He was due.

I believe that one of the reasons God allows us to go through trials is so that we too can give Him glory. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice , though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed .” I love that!! My suffering will ultimately result in praise, honor and glory when Christ is revealed!

You see that is how I can “consider it all joy”…that is how I can “greatly rejoice” when I go through trials. I begin by accepting that I WILL have trials. I KNOW that God is ALWAYS with me through every single one. I get excited knowing that I will be set free during these trials, that I will NOT be harmed by them, and that they are bringing me one step closer to perfection in Christ where I will not lack in ANYTHING. The thing that causes me to rejoice the most is knowing that my trials are bringing glory and honor to the one who suffered far more than I ever have or will in order to give me eternal life with Him. Knowing HE will receive glory and honor makes any trial worth whatever suffering it brings.

My challenge to you today is to do just what James 1:2 says…”Consider it ALL joy…when you encounter various trials.” Thank God for your trials and for the work that he has done and will continue to do in your life, in and through each and every one of them. I pray that each of you will learn to find true JOY in the furnace.

Keep pressing in to HIM!!

Debbie

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BIO

Debbie Guinn was born in Phoenix, AZ, graduated from Southwest Baptist University and has lived in Texas since 1994. She is the single mother of three daughters and lives in Ft. Worth Texas . Debbie resigned from her job as an Administrative Assistant in 2001 when the effects of Multiple Sclerosis began to take her sight. She is a speaker, an editor, as well as an author who regularly contributes to Heartbeat the Magazine and is currently working on two books. Debbie 's transparency and firm grasp of God's truth challenges women of every age and stage to trust in the life-giving power of God's Word for every aspect of their lives.

Joy in the Furnace - Part 1

Joy in the Furnace – Part 1

By Debbie Guinn^{© 2007}

James 1:2-4 -- Consider it ALL joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be PERFECT and COMPLETE, lacking in NOTHING.”¹

I don’t know about you, but finding joy in any trial – even the “little” ones –was never an easy task for me. I knew that as a Christian, I “should” look at things that way, but it just seemed to be one of those things that I would never accomplish during my life here on earth.

That all began to change last winter, when I found myself dealing with a debilitating illness. For four months, I was unable to do much of anything from a physical standpoint. However, God used that time to do a work in my spiritual life…mainly teaching me how to find joy in my trials. It was more than simply choosing to be happy IN SPITE OF my trials. It was a time of truly learning to thank God FOR the trials. It was a process of discovering that it IS possible to rejoice in – yes, get excited about – even the toughest, most painful trials.

One day, I was telling God how tired I was of being sick. I was completely overwhelmed with my circumstances. I had so many things that needed done; I couldn’t do anything because of my health; I had nobody to help me with things; I was afraid; I was lonely; I wanted it all to end…. Honestly, I was just having a good pity party that day. I had put on a CD to listen to, hoping to lift my spirits.

A song started playing and two lines from that song really got my attention. It says, “If you lead us to the fire, you will not withdraw your hand; We’ll gaze into the flames and look for you.” God just stopped me in my tracks right there and said, “Debbie, I am IN the flames but you never look for me there.”

He was so right – but then again, He always is. I tend to do one of two things when I am going through trials in my life. Either I look at the “stuff” (situations, circumstances, people) going on in my life – or I decide to ignore all that “stuff” and focus instead on all the good things that God has done/is doing in my life. There is nothing wrong with looking at the good. In fact, God’s Word tells us that we ARE to think on good things. It says in Phil. 4:8, ”Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”^(KJV)

It IS good to think on the good – we need to have our thoughts on those things. However, I believe God was telling me that I needed to look to HIM wherever HE is. He doesn’t want me to forget or ignore the good things He has done, but He wants me to follow Him and see Him IN the trials too. If I am looking at the “stuff” – even the good “stuff” -- I can’t focus on HIM and see what He longs to do in and through the trial.

I began to think of trials as being in the fire, comparing the “stuff” to the flames. I was drawn to the story in Daniel of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – the three men who were thrown into the fiery furnace. I began an in-depth study of that story and God showed me SO much about what He does during the trials of our lives. I discovered six key principles in this story that have totally changed my outlook on trials. These principles have given me reason to rejoice in the trials and suffering that God brings or allows in my life.

For sake of time and space, I am not going to cite the entire story, but I highly encourage you to read the first three chapters of Daniel. The first two chapters give a little background as to who these three men were, where they came from, and their roles in Babylon. They were of the royal family of Judah – worthy of high honor; they were “perfect” from a physical standpoint, handsome, highly intelligent, and “qualified to serve in the king’s palace”. (Daniel 1:3-4). They were highly respected by the king, so much that he appointed them administrators over the province of Babylon. (Daniel 1:19-20; 2:49)

More importantly, though, is the fact that they were men who loved and served God – and ONLY God. When commanded to bow down and worship the king’s golden image, they refused. Even when threatened with death, they stood firm in their convictions, certain that one way or another God would deliver them. (Daniel 3:17-18)

The first principle from this story is that I WILL have trials in my life. It is easy to think that trials only affect certain people – those from a certain social or economic class, race, etc. Many times, we think that trials only come to people who “deserve” them due to sin or “poor choices” in life. Therefore, if I am going through a trial, I must have done something wrong to deserve it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had everything going for them – or so we tend to think. They were high class, smart, had found favor with the king, AND lived their lives committed to God. Yet, they were still thrown into the furnace.

The truth of the matter is that EVERYBODY has trials. NOBODY is exempt from them. It does not matter how wealthy we are; how high up on the socio-economic ladder we are; how good or bad we are. It doesn’t even matter how little or great our faith in God is. Jesus says, “In this world you WILL have trouble.” (John 16:33)² He is talking to His disciples here – those who have given up everything to follow Him. This tells me that even if I am totally, 100% sold out to Jesus, I will still have trials in my life. They are simply part of life for EVERYONE.

The second thing we can learn here is that God is with me in the furnace (trials). Daniel 3:25 says, “He (Nebuchadnezzar) said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire…and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."² God was with those three men -- and He is with us as well. It is so easy to feel God has deserted us when we are in the fire but the truth is that He hasn’t and He won’t. HE is ALWAYS with us, no matter where we go or what we do. Psalm 139:7-12 says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” ²

The Bible contains MANY passages where God promises that He will ALWAYS be with us and that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. One of my favorites is Isaiah 43:2-3 “When you pass through the waters, I WILL be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”^(ESV) Here are some other passages where this promise is evident: Genesis 21:22; 26:24: 28:15; 31:3; Deuteronomy 4:29-31; 20:4; 31:6-8,23; Joshua 1:5,9; 1 Chronicles 28:20; 2 Chronicles 20:17; Psalm 9:10; 16:8-10; 23:4; 37:25,28; Isaiah 41:17; 42:16; Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 15:33; 2 Corinthians 4:9; 13:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; Hebrews 13:5.

I think there are two parts to God being with me in the furnace. The first is the more obvious factor, simply that I am NEVER alone. He is ALWAYS with me through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The second part – the part I often forget – is that there is NOTHING I go through that Christ hasn’t already gone through. In other words, part of God being WITH me is the fact that He can relate to and empathize with whatever trial I am enduring because He has already endured it. Hebrews 2:18 says, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”² Hebrews 4:15 goes on to say, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” ² (Note: The Greek for “tempted” in both of these verses is “peirazō” which means “to try, make trial of, test; to inflict evils upon one in order to prove his character and the steadfastness of his faith.”)

Next time we will look at what God does during the trials in our lives. Until then, “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” (I Peter 4:12). Remember, you will have trials BUT you are never alone. Your Father who loves you is with you, wanting to do a mighty work in and through that very trial.

BIO

Debbie Guinn was born in Phoenix, AZ, graduated from Southwest Baptist University and has lived in Texas since 1994. She is the single mother of three daughters and lives in Ft. Worth Texas. Debbie resigned from her job as an Administrative Assistant in 2001 when the effects of Multiple Sclerosis began to take her sight. She is a speaker, an editor, as well as an author who regularly contributes to Heartbeat the Magazine and is currently working on two books. Debbie's transparency and firm grasp of God's truth challenges women of every age and stage to trust in the life-giving power of God's Word for every aspect of their lives.

A Victim No More

A Victim No More ©
by Debbie Guinn

“ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us .” Romans 8:37

WordNet® 3.0 defines a victim as “an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance.” I think that definition pretty much defines all of us. I know it does me. In fact, based on that definition, I have been a “victim” many, many times throughout my life. In fact, just this week, I fell victim to a heater that decided not to work, leaving me very c-c-c-cold.

Fortunately, I did not stay a “victim” for very long, in this situation. I checked to make sure the heat was on, checked the breaker box, and then called the property management company to report the problem. Later that day, a man was here to fix my heater and we were blessed with heat before nightfall. (We were also blessed with above normal temperatures that day and plenty of sunshine to warm up the house until the repairman arrived.)

However, I have not always handled being a victim as well as I did this time. Many times, more than I would like to admit, I have allowed adverse circumstances to defeat me, plunging me into self-pity, hopelessness, and despair. “Past experience” convinced me that I was a weak and powerless victim who could not do anything about my circumstances and I simply had to lie down and take it. While there is truth to the fact that I had been a true victim at times, I was holding on to those past events, allowing them to dictate who I was and how I reacted to new situations. I had become stuck in “victim mode” – living as a victim, long after the situation had passed when I was, in reality, no longer a victim.

Victim mode is a dangerous place to live. It makes me vulnerable to continued victimization because I accept and even expect to be victimized. I am an easily recognized target by would be victimizers. I might as well wear a big sign around my neck that says “KICK ME!”

When I see myself as a victim, and continue living as a victim, I will soon develop a victim mentality. Victim mentality is when a person blames everything “bad” on somebody else. It's always somebody else's fault and, therefore, I have no power to do anything about it or change my circumstances – even my life as a whole. That results in my thinking, “life will always be bad and there is absolutely nothing I can do to make it better.” Victim mentality is worse than the occasional pity party. It is a non-stop, never ending state of self-pity that offers no hope of a bright future.

It is a very hopeless state because I remain stuck in my past, unable to move forward. It is a place of bondage with no hope of ever finding the freedom that Christ offers ( Luke 4:18 , Galatians 5:1 ). I cannot grasp or receive His love ( Psalm 103 , Ephesians 3:17-19 , 1 John 3:1 , 1 John 4:9 ), nor can I experience the abundant life He came to give me ( John 10:10).

So, why would I, or any Christian, who knows that God's plans for us are for prosperity and not harm, for a hope and a future ( Jeremiah 29:11 ), continue to live in the hopeless state of victim mentality? I knew that Christ came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free ( Isaiah 61:1-3 ). I knew He came to give me an abundant life ( John 10:10 ) and that He wants me to walk in freedom ( Galatians 5:1 ). I knew that those old things were past and ALL things were made new because of my relationship in Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ). So, why did I continue to live as a victim for so many years?

I have identified three things that kept me locked in that victim mode. The main thing is what I talked about in my article last month. I had a faulty belief system and was believing lies from the enemy as opposed to the truth of God. You see, I “knew” – intellectually – that God's plans were for prosperity; that He offered me hope for a wonderful future. I knew – intellectually – that He wanted me to have an abundant life and to walk in the freedom and victory of my new life in Christ . However, I didn't really BELIEVE those things. I couldn't because my mind was so full of the lies that I believed that there was no room for the truth. I believed that I was worthless, unloved and unlovable. I believed that my purpose in life was to be used and abused by others. I believed that I was a victim and always would be.

The second thing that kept me living as a victim was fear. Fear really goes along with believing lies from the enemy. Fear is NOT from God ( 2 Timothy 1:7 ), so therefore, it must come from the enemy, who is the father of lies ( John 8:44 ). Satan kept me living as a victim, through fear, by believing lies such as “It's safer being a victim. If I try to step up and stop people from victimizing me, I'll just get hurt even worse. It's just better to let happen what's going to happen. Besides, I know what to expect as a victim. In addition, people feel sorry for me as a victim. If I'm no longer a victim, they won't have any reason to love me anymore.”

That kind of thinking may sound silly. In fact, it sounds somewhat ridiculous to me, now that I have learned and BELIEVE the truth. However, when a person is trapped in victim mode, with a faulty belief system, we believe those lies that tell us we are better off as a victim and that creates a HUGE level of fear of leaving the victim mode behind and living as a victor.

The third thing that kept me living as a victim was unforgiveness. Quite simply, as long as I harbored unforgiveness towards those I viewed as responsible for my victimization, I was unable to move out of that victim mode. Unforgiveness leads to resentment and resentment leads to blame. Blame and resentment ALWAYS leave a person feeling like a victim.

In his In Touch Daily Devotionals (3/17/05) , Charles Stanley says, “When we refuse to release our unforgiveness, we can expect to go through a series of painful steps. First, we will have difficulty dealing with the wrong done to us. If we choose to forgive at this point, we can skip many of the remaining steps. But if we cling to resentment, bitterness will take root, and we'll begin to experience defeat in relationships, emotions, attitudes, and even in our physical body.”

This was so true for me. I felt defeated in every area of my life. One day, I got tired of being a victim. More than that, I was tired of living as a victim. I decided that I wanted to discover and live the free, full, abundant and hopeFUL life that God promised and Christ came to give me. In Romans 8:35 , Paul asks, “ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" He gives us such a clear answer to that question in verse 37 , when he says, “ Yet in ALL these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. I realized that I did NOT have to live as a victim. I was MORE than a conqueror through Christ !!!

It wasn't easy to break out of that victim mode – I had lived there for many, many years. It took a lot of prayer and perseverance for me to get out and stay out of that victim mode. I didn't just suddenly start living as the “conqueror” that Paul said I was – just because I decided that's how I wanted to live. I had to make some changes in my life. I had to work through those things that had kept me locked in that state for so long.

The first thing I did was…well I “did” something about it. I took action. I started standing up for myself, saying “no” and refusing to be walked over. I quit blaming others for all of my problems and started taking responsibility not only for my actions, but more importantly my REACTIONS to things that happened to me. That was really hard for me – mainly because I still believed so many lies. So, I fell back into victim mode many, many times along the way.

The real victory came when I started replacing those lies with the truth. It was impossible for me to accept and believe the truth when my mind was full of lies. I could not fully accept and believe the truth that God offers until I identified, disputed and exposed those lies as LIES, and then replaced them with the truth from God's Word. This meant digging into God's Word and seeing what HE had to say about me, about others, and about Himself. Once I firmly believed the truth, I was able to see myself the way God sees me – as a victor and not a victim. I saw firsthand what Jesus meant when he said “ You will know the truth and the truth will set you free .” ( John 8:32 )

The second thing that I did was deal with my unforgiveness towards those who I had resented for “ruining my life”. I realized that I was hurting not only myself, with my unforgiveness, but also those (such as my children, friends, and co-workers) who had to put up with my victim mentality that stemmed from my unforgiveness. More than that, it was affecting my relationship with God. Forgiveness was critical! Not only did I need to forgive as part of getting out of the victim mode, but I also needed to forgive in order to restore fellowship with Christ and others. Most of us are familiar with Matthew 6:9-13 where Christ gives us a model on how to pray. We love that passage and many of us can quote it by memory. However, how many of us know what the next two verses say? In verse 12, Christ tells us we need to forgive. Forgiveness is so important – and NOT an option – that He goes on in verses 14-15 to tell us “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. BUT if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

I'm sure many of you would like to stop reading about now…we don't like to talk about forgiveness and simply do not want to believe that God would honestly deny us His forgiveness, if we refuse to forgive others. However, that IS what Jesus says….isn't it?

I would like to share some things that I have learned about forgiveness that may help you work through this area. Forgiveness is something that takes place in your heart – for your own healing. Forgiveness sets YOU free from the chains that you have put around YOURSELF by harboring bitterness, anger, malice towards the person(s) who hurt you. Often times, we think we are making the other person pay when we refuse to forgive them. The truth is that we are usually the only one who suffers.

I think it is important to look at what forgiveness is NOT. It is not an act or statement acknowledging the other person's innocence or letting them off the hook. If I wasn't wronged, then I wouldn't have any reason to forgive. If there is need to forgive, then it means I WAS wronged. I love what John and Stasi Eldridge say about forgiveness in their book Captivating . “If your forgiveness does not visit the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete. We acknowledge that it hurt, that it mattered, and we choose to extend forgiveness to…all those who hurt us. This is not saying it didn't really matter. It is not saying I probably deserved part of it anyway. Forgiveness says “It WAS wrong, VERY wrong. It mattered, it hurt me deeply, and I release you. I give you to God.”

WOW!! Did you catch all of that? Understanding what forgiveness is and is NOT – and then choosing to forgive – was a powerful step for me to move from victim to victor.

Once I replaced the lies with truth and forgave those who had “victimized” me, the next thing I did was to begin to look at ALL those past circumstances and events – as well as my present ones – as opportunities for God to mold me into the person He purposed me to be ( 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 ; James 1:2-4,12 ; 1 Peter 5:10 ) AND to bring glory and honor to Christ ( Romans 8:17-18 ; 1 Peter 1:6-7 , 4:12-13 ). That has not always been an easy thing for me to do. For years, I resented God for allowing me to be a victim. But, as I opened my heart up to see His hand in everything – truly believing that He loves me and wants ONLY what is best for me – I was able to let go of that resentment and trust that God will use (and IS using) ALL of the trials and suffering that I have gone through (and will go through in the future) for His glory. While not everything I go through in life SEEMS good in MY eyes, I have learned that I can trust God to “ cause all things to work together for good” ( Romans 8:28 ).

Joseph , son of Jacob , is a good example of a “victim” turned “victor”. Genesis 37 tells the story of how Joseph 's brothers sold him into slavery. I'd say that definitely qualifies Joseph as a victim. Genesis 39 tells how Joseph was thrown into prison after refusing the seduction of Potiphar's wife. Once again, we see Joseph being victimized. However, never do we read that Joseph hung on to thoughts of being worthless or powerless. Never do we see Joseph living in defeat or feeling sorry for himself. Instead, we see Joseph continue to trust in God, using the gift of interpreting dreams – the very gift that was the final straw that led to his brothers getting rid of him. Joseph found favor not only with God, but also with those in charge, excelling both as a slave and again as a prisoner.

We see evidence of Joseph 's forgiveness towards his brothers in Genesis 45:5 when he tells them not to be distressed or angry with themselves, and again in verse 15 of the same chapter when he kisses and weeps over them. After Jacob died, Joseph 's brothers were concerned that Joseph would turn against them. However, Joseph relieves their fears in Genesis 50:19, 21 . “But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?…So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”

Throughout chapters 37 through 50 (of Genesis), we also see God's hand on Joseph , protecting him and also, using the very situations where he was victimized to preserve the Jewish nations and bring glory to God. I love what Joseph says to his brothers in Genesis 50:20. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Where are you today? Are you living as a victim or a victor? If you are living as a victim, I pray that you will take the steps necessary to move from victim to victor.

I encourage you to go back to last month's article “Out With the Old…In With the Truth” and work through that exercise of replacing the lies with the truth. It is a powerful process that will give you such victory as you discover that the truth really does set you free.

I also encourage you to ask God to show you if you are harboring any unforgiveness and resentment towards those who have hurt you. If so, ask Him to help you to forgive those people. You cannot live in victory, and will continue to live as a victim, as long as you have unforgiveness in your heart.

Finally, I encourage you to ask God to help you see all of the painful experiences of your past, present, and future as part of His work in your life, bringing glory and honor to Him. I have written in more detail, some truths that God has taught me about this subject, in “Joy in the Furnace” in the November issue of this magazine.

In closing, I'd like to share one final thought that God has been teaching me the last several months. If we never had battles (trials, suffering, etc.), we'd never experience victory. In other words, the only way to experience the “thrill of victory” is to fight in the battle. Jesus tells us in John 16:33 , that we WILL have trials in this world….BUT (He goes on to say) that HE has overcome the world. We should expect, therefore, to have trials, resulting in battles to fight. However, we cannot fight alone and unprotected. We must do as Paul tells us, in Ephesians 6:13-18 , and take up our armors, DAILY. Only when we are protected by His salvation, HIS truth, HIS righteousness; place our faith in HIM and ONLY Him; apply HIS Word; and spend time with Him (in prayer), will we be able to stand in victory and go forth in peace.

We are His children. Therefore, we don't have to live as victims. We are more than conquerors in Him…we are victors!

Pressing in to Him,

Debbie

Originally printed in HeartBeat the Magazine, Healing the Wounded Heart, February 2008.

Out With the Old…In With the Truth©

“I don't understand what I do. I don't do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate to do.” Romans 7:15 (NIRV)

Every year, on January 1st , many people make New Year's resolutions. My guess is that you have made such resolutions yourselves at least once in your lifetime. New Year's resolutions are usually the result of our desire to better ourselves by putting an end to detrimental or unhealthy habits and to establish constructive, healthy ones. For some, New Year's resolutions are nothing more than a casual statement, made without much thought or care as to whether or not the goal is ever reached. For others, however, these resolutions are made carefully and sincerely with firm determination to accomplish the goal set forth. These people really do want to make any and all changes necessary and begin the year with a seemingly unwavering resolve to succeed.

While there are those who make their resolutions and do stick with them, statistics say that 70% of us have lost our resolve by February 1st. We find ourselves discouraged and defeated, asking, “What happened? What went wrong?” We, like Paul in the verse above, cannot understand why we don't do the things we want – and even know we need – to do, but instead do those things we despise. It seems no matter how hard we try, how determined we are to stick with our plan for change, we end up doing things the very same way as before.

I think there are several reasons why this happens – whether it is a New Year's resolution we fail to keep or any other change we desire and attempt to make in our lives. Today, I am going to address just one of those reasons. For me, this was by far the biggest hindrance to me ever being able to make ANY kind of lasting change – physically, spiritually, and emotionally – in my life. It has also been the key to every aspect of healing that God has done in my heart. It is what I call the “Faulty Beliefs Syndrome.”

I grew up believing many derogatory things about myself. I was worthless; I didn't matter; I was a burden; I was a hopeless case; I was unlovable. (I could go on, but think you get the idea.) I truly believed those things…in the very core of my being. Any time I would try to make a positive change in my life, those beliefs were inside of me sabotaging any attempt I made at change. Why try to lose weight? I was unlovable, so what difference did it make if I was fat or skinny? Why try to make friends? I would just become a burden to another person. What difference would it make if I spent more time reading the Bible? My life didn't matter and there was no hope for me anyway.

I did have some wonderful, Godly friends who continually tried to convince me those things were lies. They would even point me to Scripture to show me the truth. I would try, desperately, to cling to the truth and change my thinking as well as my actions. I wanted to believe it, once and for all, but I would eventually revert to believing the lies. I could not seem to shake the beliefs that had a death grip on my thinking.

This past summer, I was in the Minirth Faith-Based Program for two weeks. One of the things they spent a great deal of time talking about was false belief systems. Through the things they taught us and an exercise they gave us, I discovered that the reason I could not cling to the truth was because I did not comprehend the true depth of my faulty belief system. I had recognized those lies that were on the “surface” of my thinking. What I didn't realize, however, was that I had other “root” beliefs hidden deep inside my heart that were faulty. My attempts to replace those “surface” lies with the truth were as futile as trying to get rid of dandelions by pulling off the tops. They would disappear for a while, but eventually return in full bloom. Before I could fully accept and actively believe the truth, I first had to acknowledge the deeper lies that were controlling my belief system.

I worked through the exercise they gave us and for the first time in my life, I was able to clearly identify the false beliefs and recognize them as the lies that they were, and to replace them with the unshakable truth of God's Word. I cannot even explain to you how drastically that changed my entire thought process…a change that has not wavered since that day. John 8:31-32 says, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. THEN you will know the truth, and the TRUTH will set you free.” (NIV)

This Scripture has become a reality, over the past several months, as I have truly experienced freedom in a way I could have never imagined, as the result of wholeheartedly believing and clinging to the truth of Christ 's teaching. His truth HAS set me free!

As with all of the healing God has done in my life, it is my desire to pass on what I've learned to help others receive healing in their own lives. I long to see others, bound by the lies of the “Faulty Beliefs Syndrome”, find the freedom that is readily available in Christ…so that they will know the truth and the truth will INDEED set them free. Recently, I had the privilege of sharing this principle (and exercise) with with a dear friend of mine. It has been an INCREDIBLE joy to witness the victory and freedom she now has as well.

If you would like to know more about this process as well as an outline of the exercise, click on the following link (HeartBeat the Magazine -- Healing the Wounded Heart) where you can find this article, in its entirety.

I pray that finding freedom from false beliefs will be your number one resolution this year.

Pressing in to Him!!

Debbie

Originally published in HeartBeat the Magazine, January 2008

Gifts that Heal
By Debbie Guinn © 2007

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son….” John 3:16a

This time of year, we talk a lot about giving gifts to others. We take great care in finding that “perfect gift” for those we love. We have our lists and we're checking them twice, making sure we get just the right size, the right color, the right model, etc. to bring a smile to the face of someone special. Today, I want to talk about gifts we can give that bring more than just a smile to a face or even squeals of delight…gifts that touch deep within the heart, especially a wounded heart… gifts of compassion, hope, encouragement, value, love…gifts that show others the love of Jesus.

This past summer, I was the recipient of just such gifts and it made a HUGE impact on the healing that God was doing and getting ready to do in my own heart. In August, a friend of mine (also named Debbie ) helped me to make one of the toughest decisions of my life -- to check myself into a mental hospital. (See “ Discovering my True Purpose ” for more on that.) While sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, my cell phone rang and it was Debbie , calling to check on me and to tell me that she loved me and was praying for me. Then she told me about a prayer her husband had prayed for me just prior to her calling me. What she told me just caused my heart to melt into a huge puddle right there in that waiting room.

I had never met Debbie 's husband, never even really talked to him. In fact, I avoided calling her if I thought he might be at home. The few times he did happen to be there and answered the phone, I would freeze and couldn't talk…I even hung up on him a couple of times. Now, I'm sure he is a great guy – Debbie talks highly of him. However, he was a man and like every other man in this world, I was afraid of him. Not only was I afraid of him, but I never dreamed that he might care even the slightest bit about me. After all, he was a man and well…caring about me did not go with the label I had placed on men.

So, to find out that a MAN had prayed for me was special in and of itself. This man, whom I had never met, cared about me! It also touched me that upon hearing what was going on with me, he immediately stopped everything (he was at work at the time) and prayed for me. He placed enough value and worth on me to put my well-being above his business. Debbie told me what he had prayed and two things really pierced my heart. In his prayer, he called me “precious” and he asked God to protect and heal my “fragile heart.” I can't even begin to tell you what hearing those simple words did to me. I didn't even realize until several weeks later the full impact they had in bringing healing to what was indeed a VERY fragile heart.

My friend's husband did more than pray for me that night. He gave me some gifts that touched my heart in a very deep way. He gave me compassion, hope, encouragement, value, love and so much more as he exemplified the love of Jesus in his words and actions. It would take pages to fully explain the extent to which God used that in my life. I will summarize it by simply saying that it opened my heart to be able to receive love and healing from everybody, especially the men that God placed in my life those next two weeks, while in the hospital.

We all know people who are hurting…people who need far more than new clothes, toys, electronics, even new cars this Christmas…people who need to know how much God loves and values them. Even Christians often fail to recognize just how deep God's love is for us…just how much value He places on each and every one of us. Stop and think, for a minute, what 1 John 4:9 means when it says, “ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ” Really meditate on John 3:16 which tells us that God loved every single person in the world SO much that He sent His one and only son to die for us so that we would not die, forever separated from God, but that we could live with Him forever.

Now THAT is love!!! That is what Jesus was referring to in John 15:13 when He said, “ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ” This type of love is what people need to heal their wounded and fragile hearts. Showing people the love of Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever give them – not just at Christmas, but all year long. If we back up to John 15:12 , we hear Jesus command us to “ Love each other as I have loved you. ” Loving as Jesus loved means giving – sacrificing – whatever is necessary to meet the needs of others. 1 John 3:16-18 says “ This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love.”

My daughter is involved in a local musical theater group, Kids Who Care . They have a song they sing, that goes along with this idea.

Angel of Hope ©

Lyrics by Deborah Jung, Music by Jay Adkins

The young boy was watching As the woman was walking

Her arms brimming full At the end of the day.

The bus stop was waiting Her energy fading

With care and concern She was moving that way.

Her baby was singing Some goo-ga-lee music

She smiled as he nuzzled His head in her cheek

Her steps growing weary The boy could see clearly

Her load was too much And her arms were too weak

So the boy took a step And he smiled as he offered

To carry her bags The last little way

And the woman's eyes sparkled As she thanked the young hero

And he smiled to himself As he went on his way.

CHORUS:

The heroes are there Some are standing in shadows

They don't make the headlines When their wings brush your sleeve.

But these angels of hope Far outnumber the heartaches

And the goodness they give us Remains when they leave.

The young boy was watching As the newsman was talking

The airwaves were full At the end of the day.

The radio blaring The public is staring

As stories of terror Keep coming their way.

So they lock up their doors And their shops and their houses

Soon they lock up their hearts And they can't find the key.

In a world growing smaller With walls growing taller

A young boy is searching For you and for me.

His hand reaches out To those who are weary

His smile leaves a trace Of hope deep inside.

And you know that he's in you And you can do something

For someone who needs you To stand by their side.

CHORUS:

The heroes are there Some are standing in shadows

They don't make the headlines When their wings brush your sleeve.

But these angels of hope Far outnumber the heartaches

And the goodness they give us Remains when they leave.

We give Jesus to others by seeing their needs, reaching out a hand to offer gifts of hope, healing, peace, compassion…most of all love. It is my prayer that this Christmas, you will look beyond the fancy packages, and “wish lists” and look into the hearts of those around you and give them the gifts they need most…give the gift of Jesus .

“ So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity .” ( Colossians 3:12,14 )

Originally published in HeartBeat the Magazine, December 2007

Angel of Hope © Used by permission of Deborah Jung , Founder and Executive Director, Kids Who Care