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First I want to say, if someone is hurting you physically, every reasonable line has been crossed. Please don’t let it continue at all cost. Escape by any means necessary. Physical abuse is one extreme, and the other extreme is being easily offended. I have seen people justify someone physically beating them, and I have seen others pretend normal anger is insane abuse. The vast majority of the time, neither of these extremes are in play. If you aren’t sure, please seek advice from someone you tr …

If we believe we are better than other people we may be in the most danger. Fear’s trap is to lead us to believe we are less valuable than others so we will then strive to be more valuable than others. The truth sets us free, and that truth is realizing we are no more or less valuable than anyone else, that our decisions do matter, and that no one can earn the love of God. Ephesians 2:8-10,”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of G …

Offense is a trap! It’s a trap that wants to lead us to a fear led life. When we feel offended, it should lead us to first look within ourself and then seek the truth. If we are easily offended then we no longer live in control of our own life, but instead give control of our life and our peace to the fearful among us. Love is not easily offended....fear is. This does not mean that if people intentionally hurt us we should be ok with it. It certainly doesn’t mean if someone will physically harm …

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home just …

Just out living our suffering doesn’t ensure we grow stronger for it. How we move through it determines if we grow stronger or not. Loving through our suffering means still doing what is “truly” best for others without regard for ourself. Loving when we are suffering is extremely difficult. Suffering makes a five pound weight a hundred and five pound weight, but fighting to lift a heavier weight is what makes us stronger. When we keep fighting to live a loving life even in our suffering, then Go …

It’s not loving to knowingly allow people with no intention of changing to keep running over you. That’s selfishness. Love does trust and seeks truth, and if people are truly repentant after failing, then love trusts again and again. We all fail - often even when love rules our life. We have a responsibility to seek the truth and pray and decide if someone is really in the fight to live a loving life. If they are, we should trust God, pray for them, and give them a second chance. Trusting someon …

I’m not positive, but I don’t think love even exists until a sacrifice is required. When someone hurts us, then a sacrifice is required. We can either sacrifice them, or we can sacrifice ourself. Fear will sacrifice them. Love will be the sacrifice, but love won’t sacrifice for foolishness. It will only be the sacrifice for truth. Love always perseveres. If someone really loves you, they will want what is truly best for you. Even if love forces them to step away, they will still want you to live …

It takes courage to listen and ask simple questions. Fear always pretends to be strong, so it will risk passing over the fundamentals never realizing it’s building a house on sand. True strength is okay with not knowing everything, and asks questions so it can dig deeper and build a firm foundation. Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and be …

Loving to be loved is not love it’s manipulation. If someone is loving us because we love them, then they may not be loving us at all. They may be loving themselves. It’s not always malicious either. Sometimes it’s all they know, and sometimes it’s all we know. That’s why it’s so important we love Jesus, because He will teach us how to really love. If the person who loves you hates their enemies, that’s a …

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 1 John 4:12-16 if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in the …