God Plays Chess Backwards (Page 11)

God Plays Chess Backwards

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Do You Say "I'm Sorry" Often?

Do You Say "I'm Sorry" Often?

Here's one I have been working to overcome. The constant use of the phrase "I'm sorry". I used to use it far too much. Even to the point of taking responsibility for things not my responsibility. I have been fairly successful at no longer

Good Advise And Bad Timing

Good Advise And Bad Timing

Back on 19-Aug-2021 I wrote a post, Is God Bound By Us Doing Things In The Right Order? [https://www.risingabovethedarkness.com/is-god-bound-by-us-doing-things-in-the-right-order/] , that had a phrase that has stuck with me for a bit. > Good advice is always good advice. But bad timing is always bad timing. I

Follow-Up On The Hard And Fast

Follow-Up On The Hard And Fast

I figured it would be a good time to give an update to follow-up on One Of The Scariest Prayers [https://www.risingabovethedarkness.com/one-of-the-scariest-prayers/] back on 7-Jul-2021. My prayer was this: > Lord, I need this to change. I don't know how else to get there. But

Did You Really Leave That In Your Past?

Did You Really Leave That In Your Past?

Had a moment of self awareness recently. Did I really leave that toxic mindset in the past? If I did, how would I know? How would I be sure? How would I verify I had actually changed? For transparency I'll give a tiny bit of context. There was

Just Because You Can Stay Doesn't Mean God Wants You To

Just Because You Can Stay Doesn't Mean God Wants You To

This might seem like a silly topic honestly. But it was a pretty profound realization today for me. I recently renewed my lease agreement for another bunch of months. And I naturally figured (read: assumed) that I would automatically be staying that long. That the new lease terms where what

Are You Unintentionally Planning Your Life Away From God?

Are You Unintentionally Planning Your Life Away From God?

How much planning are you doing for your life? And more importantly are you rigidly holding on to those plans? Lemme clarify first by saying all the standard stuff. * Planning is good * Having goals is good * Having a solid foundation is one of the keys to success * Working towards your

Keep Your Word, But Don't Promise!

Keep Your Word, But Don't Promise!

> But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. James 5:12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.5.

Praying Other People's Prayers Onto Yourself?

Praying Other People's Prayers Onto Yourself?

This might be a little trippy... just to warn you... Have you ever thought about what other people are praying for you? Have you ever prayed their prayers... for you yourself? Are others praying for you to quit smoking? Have you prayed their prayers on yourself, even if you don&

What Does Compassion Really Look Like?

What Does Compassion Really Look Like?

Let's take a trip down memory lane. Try going back into your memories. Go back to a time before you made a decision to change something. It's easy to remember the day you made the choice to change something, right? But let's take a

Knock, And The Way Will Be Opened

Knock, And The Way Will Be Opened

> For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. -- Matthew 7:8 ESV Have you thought much on this verse before? Knock and the way will be opened. > What door is in your way that

When The Shrug Is Toxic

When The Shrug Is Toxic

Sometimes when bad things happen, people will shrug off a detail or part of the conflict. They can often be sorry for what happened but... > I didn't intend to hurt you, so I'm not upset It sounds legit right? I mean if you didn'

Alright Fellow Men, Let's Talk Bullets

Alright Fellow Men, Let's Talk Bullets

It's an old analogy: "I'd take a bullet for my wife, for my family!". The meaning being as a man, why wouldn't I step in front of my wife, my children and put myself in the line of fire to take the

The Frustration Of Reaping vs Sowing

The Frustration Of Reaping vs Sowing

I'll start with a quick elaboration in case you might not be familiar with these terms from the Christian or Jewish perspective. > Sowing is the term for when we talk and share our faith with others, we share the gospel and nothing really changes for the person.

When Doing The Right Thing, Is The Wrong Thing

When Doing The Right Thing, Is The Wrong Thing

What if I told you that "doing the right thing" can sometimes be destructive, damaging to relationships, and make situations worse? Would that sound confusing? I've personally spent countless hours over the last decade of my own life focusing entirely on "doing the right thing&

It's Not About Right And Wrong, It's Really Not

It's Not About Right And Wrong, It's Really Not

As I walk through this current season of my life I am realizing more and more that right and wrong have less meaning than I had always thought and felt they do. Now don't get me wrong. Lemme clarify. * Sin is still sin * Hurting people is still vile

Is God Bound By Us Doing Things In The Right Order?

Is God Bound By Us Doing Things In The Right Order?

We Christians can often get sucked into the legalism of "doing the right thing" or "doing things right" or... "doing things in the right order". Now just to calm the fervor of all the uptight legalistic Christians and the people who follow the religion

When Trusting God Changes Your Life

When Trusting God Changes Your Life

So how did I get here? Well I am sure you want the short version. Over a decade ago I went through a family crisis and divorce. It was that period where I was losing everything I truly cared about, which was different than what I thought I cared about,

We Don't Realize The Weight

We Don't Realize The Weight

You don't realize how much something weighs until you put it down. I've been carrying the responsibility for everyone, for a lifetime. Literally worrying, thinking about, staying connected to, and fighting for everyone in my social circles since before I was a teenager. I had no

What is Dysfunction?

What is Dysfunction?

Raise your hand if you've had dysfunction in your life. As you can see from the image above, I am raising my hand! haha Which is where the present comes in... Currently I am on a journey to understand my own dysfunction. And today the Lord revealed one

When You Slide Obediently Into God's Lane For Your Life

When You Slide Obediently Into God's Lane For Your Life

I am in a strange season of life right now. And God is making it a remarkable season! As I have quieted my life and focused on solely listening to the Lord on what to do with this and that over the last couple of months I find myself in

What Is The Darkness That You Speak Of?

What Is The Darkness That You Speak Of?

Figured I should write a post about this about now. What is the darkness that I talk about rising above? It's not the physical darkness. It's the mental, emotional, and spiritual place we all find ourselves in from season to season. Sometimes we dip our toe

I'd Rather Be Wrong Than Right

I'd Rather Be Wrong Than Right

I'd rather find out I was wrong, then never have lived and found out I was right all along. It's kinda like "it's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." I'd rather take a

Perfect People Are Useless To Anyone But Themselves

Perfect People Are Useless To Anyone But Themselves

Did I get your attention with the title? Perfect people are useless? Consider this. If you see a person walking around with a "perfect" life or they are a "perfect" person who has no problems and makes no mistakes... Who is benefiting from their "perfection&

Are You Ok With All Three? Yes, Wait, and No

Are You Ok With All Three? Yes, Wait, and No

It's a great thing to see what you want and chase it! In fact it's what everyone should be doing, regardless of the season of their life. The hard part is being Ok with the waiting, or an outright no when you chase it... So I&

When Your Hope Is In The Lord, It Doesn't Hurt

When Your Hope Is In The Lord, It Doesn't Hurt

I write this as someone who struggled for a long time to even comprehend this. And now I am struggling with living this out. It's a journey to get to that place for many of us. And I am definitely one of those many. You see when you&

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