Forgiveness—God’s Way

Forgiveness—God’s Way

Forgiveness—God’s Way

By Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights
Scriptures: Matthew 5:44 and Mark 11:25

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”

Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 

In my youth, I learned all about the impact of unforgiveness before I ever understood the incredible power and freedom of God’s plan; and that is forgiveness! That is what we will be talking about today.

I have a brother who is two years older and was incredibly mean to me from a very early age. I was an easy target since there was very little supervision in our home. He tormented, made fun of, beat up on and laughed at me regularly. As we grew older, he became more abusive in his behavior. And by age 11, he and another brother began to sexually molest me. I didn’t dare tell anyone because my greatest fear was that no one would believe me, and if they did, I would be blamed somehow. At 12, I was raped by a stranger in the neighborhood and was robbed of my virginity and whatever childhood innocence I had left. I escaped my abusive home environment at the age of 15. And I took my anger, confusion and bitterness with me into every relationship. Unfortunately, I experienced more violations and abuse from strangers out in the world.

The relationships that I did have were very toxic. I was promiscuous and emotionally unavailable. And when I look back on that season of my life, I also chose men who were unhealthy as well. At 24, I became pregnant by a man whose name I can’t remember, as we had just met that one day and I never saw him again. Unfortunately, I chose to abort my baby. And that was a devastating decision that broke me!

But, praise be to God that, approximately nine months later, the Lord revealed His Spirit, His truth, and I was born again! But there were layers of lies and wounds to process and release to the Lord. So, in my childlike obedience, I did the only thing I knew to do. I surrendered all these hurts and atrocities to Jesus, my Savior. I assumed that once I forgave as the Bible teaches, it was behind me. But I was wrong! The emotions of unforgiveness continued to rise up in my heart, as certain situations triggered them.

So I had a decision to make; I could try and bury the memories of the wrongs done to me and forget about them. But the problem with this is, it continues to surface along with the root of bitterness that continues growing inside.

As a follower of Christ, I worked on past wounds that were causing pain, and in that process, I specifically forgave my brother and have been praying for him for decades. But I recently found out that he has cancer and will need surgery. You would think that at once, I would pray for him, but what happened really surprised me! my immediate response was, “I don’t want to pray for him; he’s awful.”

When the thought came to me, I was convicted. So I took it to the Lord, and He began to help me sort through the unforgiveness, again. I realized there was still a remnant of unforgiveness in my heart against him. I had to deal with it!

I am learning that forgiveness is not only a one-time obedient act for the Lord, but it is also an ongoing process that needs to be revisited when it creeps into our hearts.

What I hadn’t been considering was that he came from the same dysfunctional home as me. My father was very harsh and cruel to him and my other brothers. Although he’s never expressed it, I believe he is burdened from past abuse. And from working through this for myself and for so many others, I’ve come to understand that those who have been abused are prone to hurt others in similar ways.

 

Questions to take to heart:

Are you holding onto unforgiveness toward anyone?

How are you working through the process of forgiveness?

Are you finding it hard to forgive some over others?

 

Pastor Bill Elliff shares his perspective:

“Forgiveness is my responsibility as a choice of my will, made possible

by God’s grace, to release a debt, by faith, for the glory of God.”

 

Let’s look at the breakdown of the above statement:

“My responsibility”:
Regardless of what others have done, I am responsible for the sin of my unforgiveness.

“As a choice of my will, made possible by God’s grace”: It is not an act of my emotions but a choice I can always make because of the sufficiency of Gods empowering grace.

“To release a debt”:
The reason I am holding this in the ledger book of my heart is to make others pay (in multiple ways). Forgiveness transfers this issue from my courtroom to God’s, believing that He is fully capable of taking care of others.

“For the glory of God”:
There is nothing that illustrates God more clearly and shows others the remarkable power of God to help us through the deepest hurts of life than forgiveness.

 

You are loved,
Luci

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Spiritual Eye

A Spiritual Eye

A Spiritual Eye View

by Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights

Scriptures: 2 Kings 6:15-17 and John 3:3

 

2 Kings 6:15-17
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The king of Syria was at war with Israel, and Elisha the prophet was being given divine insight from God about the battle plans. So, he informed the king of Israel when and where his enemy would strike, which made the Assyrian king angry. So, he went after Elisha with his army. But the Lord protected him and his servant by giving them spiritual eyes to see and delivering them!

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus is saying here that those who haven’t submitted to the Lord Jesus are blind to the things that God is doing here on this earth.

Last week, I had to address a root canal that became infected. My heart sank as the dentist said, “You need to go back to the endodontist and deal with this. I dreaded it, remembering how hard it was the first time. It was long and difficult and led to extended complications from the antibiotics. I had an appointment for the next day, and they said that I may need surgery. Before rising that morning, I sought the Lord through devotion and prayer. There were no distractions or demands on me. It was just me and the Spirit of God in the quiet of the new day.

I got up and prepared for the long drive and potentially invasive surgery. Usually when I’m in the car, I listen to podcasts or praise music, but this day was different. I spent quiet time with the Lord and listened for His heart toward me as I drove down the peaceful mountain roads. It prepared me for His plans.

I started out feeling frustrated about having to divert my plans for the week. But then I asked Him to change my perspective on what I was to face. And He answered my prayer in a wonderful way.

Prior to leaving the house, I grabbed a letter I had just drafted for my brother who desperately needs Jesus. And in it, I shared my testimony, my heart for him to be saved and shared the gospel with him. I was going to look it over for editing while waiting on the doctor, but they called me in right away. As the assistant prepared me for the procedure, we began to talk about faith and matters of the heart. She wasn’t attending church at the time and said that reading the Bible was confusing. So, I encouraged her to ask the Lord to open her eyes to His truth before she started to read, and I pointed her to the Book of John. This Book of John provides a clear message of the gospel and the incredible love Jesus has for us!

While getting the dental work done, I prayed for her, the doctor, his family, and other loved ones that came to mind. The time was going too fast as I focused on eternal things. And as I prayed, the Holy Spirit prompted me to give this young lady the letter I wrote to my brother. At first, I thought it was odd, since it wasn’t written to her. But then I realized that this letter had my personal testimony and the salvation message laid out from the Scriptures. It was the perfect way to get the gospel to this precious woman. I was so excited and had no doubt that the Lord was guiding me. She was moved that I shared something so personal. And I pray it moves her to seek Jesus.

When I woke up this particular morning, I was focused on myself, the inconveniences of having my busy schedule altered, and the suffering I would endure. But when I refocused to see my day through the eyes of the Lord, I saw that the Spirit was doing an eternal working in my life and those around me!

First, you must be born again in order to see what God is doing beyond your mortal existence. Have you reached out to Jesus and surrendered your life to Him? He loves you and is waiting for you to seek Him and repent of your sins. He will show you how to walk with Him.

Then, it’s a daily asking, “Lord, help me see what You are doing in my life. Help me see the big picture that goes beyond myself, into Your eternal plan.

Clear spiritual sight is vital for believers, and it involves learning to see as the Lord sees. This requires a shift in our perspective.

Questions:

1. Are you asking God to open your eyes to eternal things?

2. Are you resisting what God wants to show you?

3. What has He revealed to you as you open up to Him?

4. How can we pray for you?

I hope this topic has been helpful to you. Please reach out if you need to talk or want to pray: overcomer982@icloud.com

His Servant,

Luci

 

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Peace in My Storm

Peace in My Storm

Peace in My Storm

By Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights

Scripture verses: Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Philippians 1:6

Isaiah 43:2
“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.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Philippians 1:6
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

In the last five years, life as I knew it has taken a very different turn. David and I moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2017, to start the homestead we lovingly planned for so long. It includes multiple gardens, fruit and nut trees and raising animals. The first two years were wonderful as we established our homestead and became acquainted with our new community.

God led us to a great little country church, and we began ministering wherever He led us and were excited about being able to bless others with the bounty from our gardens! Then things began to happen that started chipping away at my view of God’s perfect future for David and me.

Since 2019, there have been a series of events that brought me from excitement to despair. After experiencing multiple health issues that included severe back pain, foot surgery, a severe case of covid, and chronic UTI’s, which led to more than two years of debilitating IBS and losing a beloved dog of 15 years after years of managing her decline. And while dealing with all these issues, I was having trouble fitting into our very different culture. I started believing and focusing on the lie that life is not good, God is ambivalent, things won’t change, and it will keep getting harder. And during this period, we were experiencing the difficult restrictions and changes Covid-19 brought for all of us, which increased my anxiety more.

At the start of this new season in our lives, I had certain expectations that clearly haven’t been met. I thought it would be so fun! I expected my health to maintain a certain level so I could do all the things I love at home and doing ministry for the Lord. But the opposite has happened. I’ve been praying and thinking on this for months and have come to realize that the Lord had a different plan for us. You might think that should have been obvious to me, but like many of us, I’m stubborn, and it’s not easy to give up on my idea of the life I desired to live. God’s ways are not my ways; that’s becoming clearer to me.

I currently have three beloved rescue dogs. And for the past several months, I’ve been dealing with some very stressful health issues for two of them. And the third one has ongoing IBS and arthritic issues. Last October, my youngest, Chloe, developed lesions on her tummy, which grew rapidly. I found myself in the ER vet where she was given treatment and meds but no diagnosis. I followed up with my local vet who performed major surgery to remove most of her mammary glands, followed by a series of tests. But the lesions continued to grow on her body. His diagnosis was an autoimmune deficiency, so he put her on steroids to manage the lesions, and this led to diabetes. Before we knew what she had, her symptoms were severe. They had us up multiple times through the night and cleaning up after her constantly throughout the day, which went on for weeks. After the diagnosis, I was dealing with daily injections and multiple blood tests.

I was physically and emotionally drained. I didn’t think I could do any of this, and if one more thing was added, I would just shut down! I found myself falling into a heap and crying at times. I was so overwhelmed that I failed to stop and ask Jesus to bring comfort. Then one of my other dogs started limping. After two months, he had surgery for a torn CCL. He is now crated and requires both of us to get him out as he cannot bear weight and needs a sling under his belly. His initial recovery will take over three months.

I’ve had to step away from a young girl’s ministry I had committed to, and it made me so sad. And I’ve had to step away from my social events, which I love. I prayed to God often, to bring healing for me and my husband who is dealing with health issues that will require surgery soon. And I really want my animals to be healthy and happy! I pleaded with the Lord, but nothing has changed. In fact, it seems to be getting harder.

There are seasons when we can feel overwhelmed and unable to focus on living out our God-blessed, joyful and healthy life because all we can see are the huge issues before us. I have been so focused on my overwhelming problems that I missed seeing my mighty God and loving Father, who is in complete control.

The question I have to ask myself is, do I want to have an easy life with very little or no spiritual growth or do I embrace all that God brings and give Him praise for developing my faith and strength? Because that is what our storms can bring! I want to focus on God’s control over the problem, not the problem itself because it brings peace to my heart. In order to receive all that God has, I have to exercise my trust and belief that He truly is in control. One way I practice this is to remember His faithfulness to me over the past forty-one years.

God knows. He is in direct control of every detail of our circumstances, knows what we need and calls us to Himself. And in that time, we are to enter His presence. When I find myself becoming agitated and impatient, I stop and tell the Lord how much I need Him, how much I need to redirect my perspective. I have to let go of those things I can’t control. And it has helped me so much! It occurs to me that God has lovingly allowed these trials so that I may grow in His strength, for His service and His glory! And when the next storm comes, I’ll be better prepared.

I want you to know that my connection with you all has helped me to see how much God is working in all of our lives. God called us to encourage and lift one another up, which builds our faith. And that is what I experience when we spend time together sharing our stories of how God is working in your lives. It’s such a gift!

Questions to take to heart:

1. Do you feel helpless in the storms in your life?

2. How are you responding to them?

3. What are these trials teaching you (humility, patience, endurance, deeper trust in Jesus, etc.)?

4. How can we pray for you?

God bless you and thank you for allowing me to share.

I pray this topic has been helpful for you. Please reach out if you need to talk or want to pray: overcomer982@icloud.com.

His Servant,
Luci

 

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My Loving Father

My Loving Father

My Loving Father

By Luci Boudreaux/Spiritual Insights

 

Scripture Verses: Ephesians 1:3-4 and 1 John 3:1a

Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love.”

1 John 3:1a “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”

 

Many of you precious ones have been abused by your fathers or male figures in your life. So, it may difficult for you to see God as your loving Father. Or you may think God is not being gracious or kind when He allows trials or suffering. But He knows just what we need that will cause us to turn to Him and experience the richness of an intimate relationship. Sometimes, these trials are just what make us stronger and become more aware of His presence.

As a very young girl, I saw my father as the hard-working provider and accepted that he was too busy to spend time with me. I wanted to be with him, but there were very few opportunities, and when there were, he wasn’t emotionally available. As I grew into my teens, things became very contentious between us. He often accused me of being promiscuous even though I hadn’t been, yet.

As I look back, I see that he was intimidated by my becoming a woman. He didn’t want me talking to boys or exploring the concept of maturing. He labeled me as a tramp, which hurt me deeply. He expressed lots of anger and frustration. I had no idea how to cope with his misguided anger. So, I retreated from him as much as possible.

I began to seek out love and affection from other boys and men, which led me into a destructive life of promiscuity and substance abuse. This behavior came out of a deep sense of rejection and abandonment from my father.

The two examples that I had of what God is like were my father and the catholic church. They both fell short as they were hyperfocused on obedience and judgment. I hated the concept of God as a Father. But by His tender mercy, I came to know Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior at the age of 25.

It took me a couple of years of prayer, reading the Bible, and seeing examples of godly men in the church to understand that God, my loving Father, is nothing like the earthly father I knew. And my relationship with Him became such a refuge of grace, forgiveness, and a constant loving presence! I came to know my Heavenly Father in a very personal way. I learned that I could go to Him in complete trust; I am safe with Him.

The relationship I have with my Heavenly Father is full of acceptance, joy, long-suffering, and intimacy! And I learned this by opening up to Jesus and learning about Him through the Scriptures.

When we see Jesus, we see the Father. I love the way Hebrews 1:3a says it: “He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”

How blessed we are that God reveals Himself to us!

Questions to Consider

  • What was your relationship with your earthly father?
  • Has it hindered you in any way from opening up to your Heavenly Father?
  • How were you able to overcome that obstacle and embrace your Heavenly Father’s love? Was it through Scripture, a godly man, or a combination of several things?

The Lord is merciful and patient, waiting for us to come to Him with all our cares and questions. I pray you will find hope and peace in His presence as you seek Him. You can reach me at: overcomer982@icloud.com.

 

Your friend,

Luci

 

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Leaving Things Behind

Leaving Things Behind

Leaving Things Behind

by Luci Boudreaux/Abuse Recovery

Scriptures: Philippians 3:12-17 and 2 Corinthians 5:17

Philippians 3:12-17 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

 

From the time I was a young girl until the age of 25 when I surrendered my life to Jesus, I had established so many ungodly behavior patterns and unhealthy thinking (which led to unhealthy coping mechanisms) that I was having difficulty becoming the woman of God I knew He wanted me to be. I knew I was delivered from eternal damnation. But what about living an abundant life now?

I was unsure of myself, always second–guessing myself, very insecure and filled with painful memories, which made me angry and frustrated. It affected my relationship with the Lord and others. I knew what the Bible taught me; that Jesus loves me and cast away my sins as far as the east is to the west.

Just as 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

I wanted to believe God’s promises were for me, but I knew who I had been, the things I had done. My faith and hope were weak, and the enemy was working hard to steal my hope for a better life. I was fearful to step out and trust God in all areas of my life that needed to be dealt with before I could move forward.

But one thing was constant and strong in my heart. And that is, I wanted to be healed and whole. I worked at it by spending time in God’s Word, in community with other believers, playing uplifting music, and listening to godly teachers who lived like they believed.

But I continued to struggle. I couldn’t understand why I was still stuck in this place and continuing to return to my old ways of thinking and doing.

Does this resonate with any of you?

You go to church, read God’s Word, listen to worship music, but it doesn’t seem to be moving you forward in your faith or healing. Perhaps you are holding onto that one thing that is weighing you down. Is it possible that pride is preventing you from dealing with it or asking for help?

At this point, I sought out ministries and two specific women counselors that understood my broken past and what it felt like to have no self-worth. I’m thankful that they had the courage to ask some hard questions that caused me to face my distorted thinking. These women saw beyond my pain to what God had for me. They taught me to understand my position in Christ and that I was a new creation; I no longer needed to revisit my past for the sake of condemning myself.

I learned how to recognize that the painful events of my past do not define me, nor do they have the power to control how I live my life today. I learned that healthy boundaries are important and that I have the power to use these experiences to forgive, which allows me to heal and help others in their journey. So, my past no longer has a hold on me; I now use it to glorify God!

I am a very different woman today. I embrace the truth that I am a daughter of the Most High and that I don’t need to fear anything in this world or in the spiritual realm! I am a warrior, an ambassador, who God promises to equip for every situation in my life so that I may walk in victory and display His character.

As Paul said in Philippians Chapter 3, we haven’t “arrived,” but we are focused on moving forward, towards the goal of becoming more like Jesus. In view of this, I see every situation that comes into my life as an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to teach me how to live out my faith. He allows situations (positive and negative), so, I submit to them, knowing it’s for His glory and my ultimate holiness.

God is doing a spiritually renewing work in each of us. And my desire is that we all draw closer to His heart. One of the spiritually powerful things in my life is spending time with like-minded believers who I can encourage and be encouraged by. It’s important for us to pay close attention and seek out those who walk in the way of Christ. Follow their example; you will become like those you spend the majority of your time with.

I encourage you all to use the issues we discuss in our conference calls to propel you into a better place. Don’t settle for less than God’s best for you! We can experience the abundant life here and now! But it takes a lot of courage to change!

Questions to Consider:

  1. Are you allowing your past to hinder you from moving forward in your healing journey?
  1. What is preventing you from embracing what God is calling you to?
  1. How may we pray for you?

We are here to help you in your journey. Please reach out if you need to talk. You can email me at: overcomer982@icloud.com.

Your friend,
Luci

 

 

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