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Christina Cook Lee

Media Producer - Author - Blogger - Songwriter

Still

Choosing to do the right thing

By Leave a Comment

Topic: Forgiveness

Focus: Choosing to do the right thing

Proverbs 20:22 (NKJV) Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

It’s so tempting to take things into our own hands when we have been offended. Especially when it’s not the first time or even the tenth time in one day. It’s hard to hold ourselves back from saying what we think and compensating in the same way we have been compensated. It would be a lot easier just to dish it back to that one who seems to take such pure pleasure in persecuting.

Forgiveness is extra hard when a wrong against us or someone we care about was not ‘accidental’…and yes, there will be those times when we have been pushed so hard for so long that it seems like it might be the right time to get a little justice on our own…

Even when we know the Lord and understand that He is the One Who should come to our rescue, it’s still hard to wait for Him. Why does it always seems like He’s late in our minds? According to our opinion, He should have stepped in so much sooner. What is He doing? Why is He waiting? How can we stand it any longer?

We may realize that God knows…and there’s a reason. But we’re tired of it and tempted.

When we get to the point where we feel this way, we are in a perfect position to advance in the kingdom if we can exercise our ability to keep still and hang on. What we have to continually remind ourselves of, is that this is a test.

Maybe it would help if we could imagine we are surrounded by a great cloud of unseen witnesses who are watching to see how we will manage. As they observe, they are wondering…will this time be any different than all the others? Will our attitude be any more enduring than before? Will we put our trust in God instead of ourselves during the heat of the conflict? Will we wait for Him to save us? Could we possibly persevere through this and not even flinch?

(Read more below)

Now, you can listen and/or read! 

Link to New Strength Audio Version
New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

Those are all honest questions, given our past history.

Whether you were raised in an atmosphere where there was conflict or not, there’s no getting used to someone who doesn’t want to get along. It’s equally hard to imagine that it could be fair for someone to get away with so much. But if we can handle the pressure and get through it with some level of patience and success, we will not have as much to regret about things we shouldn’t have said or done.

It really all comes down to the matter of our pride and whether we can take the wound without instinctively striking back.

When we decide to go against human nature, we are choosing Godliness.

The area where we feel the most pain, is the area that most needs to ‘die’. We made the decision to be crucified with Christ—to take up our cross daily and follow Him, so is it any wonder that we are feeling tortured?

It always comes back to the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Jesus was so creative in the way He handled people. He was just on a whole different plane. Could we be like that? Could we try to just be above our circumstances this time?

What good would it have done if Jesus had put Himself on the level of His offenders? We’d have the record of someone who fought back and lost. But, that’s not what we have, is it? As we view the trial of Jesus, He behaved with dignity in the face of ill-treatment. He kept His mouth shut and let His accusers have their way. They thought they were winning, but they weren’t. In the end, Jesus won the battle and God got the victory.

God wants us to win, too. He is hoping we will let Him save us. It’s really hard to remember that we win by not fighting. We win by not recompensing evil for evil. We win by waiting for Him.

So, we go the extra mile…this time. We willingly take our hands off the situation and let God be God. We not only choose to not get even…we draw deeply from the well of compassion God has dug in the depths of our heart and realize that this one who may not seem to deserve our love or forgiveness…really does.

Declaration: I will find new strength by going against human nature and choosing Godliness. I will not recompense evil. I will love and forgive. I will wait for the Lord and let Him save me. I will advance in the kingdom of God.

Living life under His wings

By Leave a Comment

Topic: Joy

Focus: Living life under His wings

Psalm 5:11 (NKJV) But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

The key to having joy is trusting God. Everything we suffer in this life is connected to how much we trust God. If we could learn to trust the Lord in all things—life would be so much different for us.

As I looked up the translation of the original text for Psalm 5:11, I found that the meaning of ‘trust’ in this verse is ‘finding shelter—as under wings’. The word ‘defend’ was ‘to be hedged in or about’. Let’s look at the verse with those words replaced: But let all those rejoice who find shelter under Your wings; Let them ever shout for joy, because You have hedged them in; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

The act of providing shelter under wings also implies an act of ‘parenting’. The offspring of birds are normally hidden from danger under the wings of the parent. Often this act of sheltering occurs within the nest, which suggests close intimacy and connection—a secure place of belonging. In that nest, there is a hedge of sorts around the vulnerable babies. They are safe on all sides because of the protection the loving parent has provided.

This is the kind of security God offers us when we put our trust in Him. No true harm can come to one who has an everlasting relationship with Him. There is a bond that can’t be broken when we willingly choose to place ourselves under His authority. The safest place any of us could ever be is ‘in the nest’ abiding under the shelter of the Lord.

God loves it when we have childlike faith. What is childlike faith, really? Think of a young child who is one or two years old. What is important to that child? To know where it’s parents are and to be close to them. They love to have the attention, approval, and love of their parents more than anything. Every small child loves to say, ‘Mama’, or ‘Daddy’. They just like saying the words. When they are in any kind of trouble. the first thing they cry out is “Mama’ or ‘Daddy’. That is the way God wants us to feel about Him. He wants us to prefer Him over all others—and all other things.  He wants us to desire closeness with Him. He wants us to be completely satisfied with His love and to keep our attention focused on Him.

Things start going wrong in our lives when we try to get satisfaction from sources other than God. We need to keep that childlike connection with Him—the kind that if He walks into another room, we are on His heels. If any distance comes between Him and us, we should be crying our hearts out—just like a little child does when they think they are going to have to be away from their parents.

(Read more below)

Now, you can listen and/or read!

Link to New Strength Audio Version
New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

It is the Lord’s desire that we would know true joy as a result of our love for Him and His Name. He wants us to be free from fear, loneliness, discouragement, disappointment, depression, addiction, and all the things that would come in the way our ability to trust Him completely.

If this life is a series of tests we live through to fulfill the purpose of God putting us here—the most important purpose we could possibly fulfill would be to find the ability to trust God completely. We can only trust someone we truly love. If our ability to trust God is lacking in any way—we should be focused on cultivating a deeper love for Him.

To have more joy, we need to become more serious with ourselves regarding our ability to trust God. If we feel afraid, we should search our heart and ask, ‘Do I trust God right now? If I trust Him, I will not be afraid’.

If we are unhappy because of problems in a relationship—we need to put all of our trust in the Lord. The relationship might not be perfect—but if our trust in the Lord is perfect, we won’t become overwhelmed by our circumstances.

In every situation, we will be able to find joy in the knowledge that our life is lived under the shelter of His wings. Nothing can harm us there. There is no failure there. When we are living life under His wings—we are in a safe place. He is taking complete responsibility for us, so we have no reason to worry.

Take a moment right now and see yourself in that nest. You have chosen Him and He has chosen you. You have a bond of love that is intimate and your connection with Him cannot be broken. He has prepared a place for you to abide with Him that is safe on all sides…above, beneath, and all around—He has you covered.

Declaration: I will find new strength by seeing myself protected by the Lord. Under the shelter of His wings I will safely abide forever. Nothing can separate me from His great love. The knowledge of the importance of my trusting Him is changing how I live. In the future, I will search myself daily as to whether my trust in Him is complete. With childlike faith, I will prefer to live in His presence—giving Him my love and attention.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Choosing to do the right thing

By Leave a Comment

Topic: Forgiveness

Focus: Choosing to do the right thing

Proverbs 20:22 (NKJV) Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

It’s so tempting to take things into our own hands when we have been offended. Especially when it’s not the first time or even the tenth time in one day. It’s hard to hold ourselves back from saying what we think and compensating in the same way we have been compensated. It would be a lot easier just to dish it back to that one who seems to take such pure pleasure in persecuting.

Forgiveness is extra hard when a wrong against us or someone we care about was not ‘accidental’…and yes, there will be those times when we have been pushed so hard for so long that it seems like it might be the right time to get a little justice on our own…

Even when we know the Lord and understand that He is the One Who should come to our rescue, it’s still hard to wait for Him. Why does it always seems like He’s late in our minds? According to our opinion, He should have stepped in so much sooner. What is He doing? Why is He waiting? How can we stand it any longer?

We may realize that God knows…and there’s a reason. But we’re tired of it and tempted.

When we get to the point where we feel this way, we are in a perfect position to advance in the kingdom if we can exercise our ability to keep still and hang on. What we have to continually remind ourselves of, is that this is a test.

Maybe it would help if we could imagine we are surrounded by a great cloud of unseen witnesses who are watching to see how we will manage. As they observe, they are wondering…will this time be any different than all the others? Will our attitude be any more enduring than before? Will we put our trust in God instead of ourselves during the heat of the conflict? Will we wait for Him to save us? Could we possibly persevere through this and not even flinch?

(Read more below)

Now, you can listen and/or read! 

Link to New Strength Audio Version
New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

Those are all honest questions, given our past history.

Whether you were raised in an atmosphere where there was conflict or not, there’s no getting used to someone who doesn’t want to get along. It’s equally hard to imagine that it could be fair for someone to get away with so much. But if we can handle the pressure and get through it with some level of patience and success, we will not have as much to regret about things we shouldn’t have said or done.

It really all comes down to the matter of our pride and whether we can take the wound without instinctively striking back.

When we decide to go against human nature, we are choosing Godliness.

The area where we feel the most pain, is the area that most needs to ‘die’. We made the decision to be crucified with Christ—to take up our cross daily and follow Him, so is it any wonder that we are feeling tortured?

It always comes back to the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Jesus was so creative in the way He handled people. He was just on a whole different plane. Could we be like that? Could we try to just be above our circumstances this time?

What good would it have done if Jesus had put Himself on the level of His offenders? We’d have the record of someone who fought back and lost. But, that’s not what we have, is it? As we view the trial of Jesus, He behaved with dignity in the face of ill-treatment. He kept His mouth shut and let His accusers have their way. They thought they were winning, but they weren’t. In the end, Jesus won the battle and God got the victory.

God wants us to win, too. He is hoping we will let Him save us. It’s really hard to remember that we win by not fighting. We win by not recompensing evil for evil. We win by waiting for Him.

So, we go the extra mile…this time. We willingly take our hands off the situation and let God be God. We not only choose to not get even…we draw deeply from the well of compassion God has dug in the depths of our heart and realize that this one who may not seem to deserve our love or forgiveness…really does.

Declaration: I will find new strength by going against human nature and choosing Godliness. I will not recompense evil. I will love and forgive. I will wait for the Lord and let Him save me. I will advance in the kingdom of God.

Joy

By Leave a Comment

Focus: Living life under His wings

Psalm 5:11 (NKJV) But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

The key to having joy is trusting God. Everything we suffer in this life is connected to how much we trust God. If we could learn to trust the Lord in all things—life would be so much different for us.

As I looked up the translation of the original text for Psalm 5:11, I found that the meaning of ‘trust’ in this verse is ‘finding shelter—as under wings’. The word ‘defend’ was ‘to be hedged in or about’. Let’s look at the verse with those words replaced: But let all those rejoice who find shelter under Your wings; Let them ever shout for joy, because You have hedged them in; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

The act of providing shelter under wings also implies an act of ‘parenting’. The offspring of birds are normally hidden from danger under the wings of the parent. Often this act of sheltering occurs within the nest, which suggests close intimacy and connection—a secure place of belonging. In that nest, there is a hedge of sorts around the vulnerable babies. They are safe on all sides because of the protection the loving parent has provided.

This is the kind of security God offers us when we put our trust in Him. No true harm can come to one who has an everlasting relationship with Him. There is a bond that can’t be broken when we willingly choose to place ourselves under His authority. The safest place any of us could ever be is ‘in the nest’ abiding under the shelter of the Lord.

God loves it when we have childlike faith. What is childlike faith, really? Think of a young child who is one or two years old. What is important to that child? To know where it’s parents are and to be close to them. They love to have the attention, approval, and love of their parents more than anything. Every small child loves to say, ‘Mama’, or ‘Daddy’. They just like saying the words. When they are in any kind of trouble. the first thing they cry out is “Mama’ or ‘Daddy’. That is the way God wants us to feel about Him. He wants us to prefer Him over all others—and all other things.  He wants us to desire closeness with Him. He wants us to be completely satisfied with His love and to keep our attention focused on Him.

Things start going wrong in our lives when we try to get satisfaction from sources other than God. We need to keep that childlike connection with Him—the kind that if He walks into another room, we are on His heels. If any distance comes between Him and us, we should be crying our hearts out—just like a little child does when they think they are going to have to be away from their parents.

(Read more below)

Now, you can listen and/or read!

Link to New Strength Audio Version
New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

It is the Lord’s desire that we would know true joy as a result of our love for Him and His Name. He wants us to be free from fear, loneliness, discouragement, disappointment, depression, addiction, and all the things that would come in the way our ability to trust Him completely.

If this life is a series of tests we live through to fulfill the purpose of God putting us here—the most important purpose we could possibly fulfill would be to find the ability to trust God completely. We can only trust someone we truly love. If our ability to trust God is lacking in any way—we should be focused on cultivating a deeper love for Him.

To have more joy, we need to become more serious with ourselves regarding our ability to trust God. If we feel afraid, we should search our heart and ask, ‘Do I trust God right now? If I trust Him, I will not be afraid’.

If we are unhappy because of problems in a relationship—we need to put all of our trust in the Lord. The relationship might not be perfect—but if our trust in the Lord is perfect, we won’t become overwhelmed by our circumstances.

In every situation, we will be able to find joy in the knowledge that our life is lived under the shelter of His wings. Nothing can harm us there. There is no failure there. When we are living life under His wings—we are in a safe place. He is taking complete responsibility for us, so we have no reason to worry.

Take a moment right now and see yourself in that nest. You have chosen Him and He has chosen you. You have a bond of love that is intimate and your connection with Him cannot be broken. He has prepared a place for you to abide with Him that is safe on all sides…above, beneath, and all around—He has you covered.

Declaration: I will find new strength by seeing myself protected by the Lord. Under the shelter of His wings I will safely abide forever. Nothing can separate me from His great love. The knowledge of the importance of my trusting Him is changing how I live. In the future, I will search myself daily as to whether my trust in Him is complete. With childlike faith, I will prefer to live in His presence—giving Him my love and attention.

IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO NEW STRENGTH DEVOTIONAL BELOW, A NEW SEGMENT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL EACH DAY.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.

Forgiveness

By Leave a Comment

Focus: Choosing to do the right thing

Proverbs 20:22 (NKJV) Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

It’s so tempting to take things into our own hands when we have been offended. Especially when it’s not the first time or even the tenth time in one day. It’s hard to hold ourselves back from saying what we think and compensating in the same way we have been compensated. It would be a lot easier just to dish it back to that one who seems to take such pure pleasure in persecuting.

Forgiveness is extra hard when a wrong against us or someone we care about was not ‘accidental’…and yes, there will be those times when we have been pushed so hard for so long that it seems like it might be the right time to get a little justice on our own…

Even when we know the Lord and understand that He is the One Who should come to our rescue, it’s still hard to wait for Him. Why does it always seems like He’s late in our minds? According to our opinion, He should have stepped in so much sooner. What is He doing? Why is He waiting? How can we stand it any longer?

We may realize that God knows…and there’s a reason. But we’re tired of it and tempted.

When we get to the point where we feel this way, we are in a perfect position to advance in the kingdom if we can exercise our ability to keep still and hang on. What we have to continually remind ourselves of, is that this is a test.

Maybe it would help if we could imagine we are surrounded by a great cloud of unseen witnesses who are watching to see how we will manage. As they observe, they are wondering…will this time be any different than all the others? Will our attitude be any more enduring than before? Will we put our trust in God instead of ourselves during the heat of the conflict? Will we wait for Him to save us? Could we possibly persevere through this and not even flinch?

(Read more below)

Now, you can listen and/or read! 

Link to New Strength Audio Version
New Strength Inspirational Statement of the Day

Those are all honest questions, given our past history.

Whether you were raised in an atmosphere where there was conflict or not, there’s no getting used to someone who doesn’t want to get along. It’s equally hard to imagine that it could be fair for someone to get away with so much. But if we can handle the pressure and get through it with some level of patience and success, we will not have as much to regret about things we shouldn’t have said or done.

It really all comes down to the matter of our pride and whether we can take the wound without instinctively striking back.

When we decide to go against human nature, we are choosing Godliness.

The area where we feel the most pain, is the area that most needs to ‘die’. We made the decision to be crucified with Christ—to take up our cross daily and follow Him, so is it any wonder that we are feeling tortured?

It always comes back to the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Jesus was so creative in the way He handled people. He was just on a whole different plane. Could we be like that? Could we try to just be above our circumstances this time?

What good would it have done if Jesus had put Himself on the level of His offenders? We’d have the record of someone who fought back and lost. But, that’s not what we have, is it? As we view the trial of Jesus, He behaved with dignity in the face of ill-treatment. He kept His mouth shut and let His accusers have their way. They thought they were winning, but they weren’t. In the end, Jesus won the battle and God got the victory.

God wants us to win, too. He is hoping we will let Him save us. It’s really hard to remember that we win by not fighting. We win by not recompensing evil for evil. We win by waiting for Him.

So, we go the extra mile…this time. We willingly take our hands off the situation and let God be God. We not only choose to not get even…we draw deeply from the well of compassion God has dug in the depths of our heart and realize that this one who may not seem to deserve our love or forgiveness…really does.

Declaration: I will find new strength by going against human nature and choosing Godliness. I will not recompense evil. I will love and forgive. I will wait for the Lord and let Him save me. I will advance in the kingdom of God.

Joy

By Leave a Comment

Focus: Living life under His wings

Psalm 5:11 (NKJV) But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

The key to having joy is trusting God. Everything we suffer in this life is connected to how much we trust God. If we could learn to trust the Lord in all things—life would be so much different for us.

As I looked up the translation of the original text for Psalm 5:11, I found that the meaning of ‘trust’ in this verse is ‘finding shelter—as under wings’. The word ‘defend’ was ‘to be hedged in or about’. Let’s look at the verse with those words replaced: But let all those rejoice who find shelter under Your wings; Let them ever shout for joy, because You have hedged them in; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

The act of providing shelter under wings also implies an act of ‘parenting’. The offspring of birds are normally hidden from danger under the wings of the parent. Often this act of sheltering occurs within the nest, which suggests close intimacy and connection—a secure place of belonging. In that nest, there is a hedge of sorts around the vulnerable babies. They are safe on all sides because of the protection the loving parent has provided.

This is the kind of security God offers us when we put our trust in Him. No true harm can come to one who has an everlasting relationship with Him. There is a bond that can’t be broken when we willingly choose to place ourselves under His authority. The safest place any of us could ever be is ‘in the nest’ abiding under the shelter of the Lord.

God loves it when we have childlike faith. What is childlike faith, really? Think of a young child who is one or two years old. What is important to that child? To know where it’s parents are and to be close to them. They love to have the attention, approval, and love of their parents more than anything. Every small child loves to say, ‘Mama’, or ‘Daddy’. They just like saying the words. When they are in any kind of trouble. the first thing they cry out is “Mama’ or ‘Daddy’. That is the way God wants us to feel about Him. He wants us to prefer Him over all others—and all other things.  He wants us to desire closeness with Him. He wants us to be completely satisfied with His love and to keep our attention focused on Him.

Things start going wrong in our lives when we try to get satisfaction from sources other than God. We need to keep that childlike connection with Him—the kind that if He walks into another room, we are on His heels. If any distance comes between Him and us, we should be crying our hearts out—just like a little child does when they think they are going to have to be away from their parents.

(read more below)

Now, you can listen and/or read!

The key to having joy is trusting God. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength
Link to New Strength Devotional, Audio Version.
The key to having joy is trusting God. --Christina Cook Lee, A Quest For New Strength
New Strength Devotional Inspirational Statement of the Day

 

It is the Lord’s desire that we would know true joy as a result of our love for Him and His Name. He wants us to be free from fear, loneliness, discouragement, disappointment, depression, addiction, and all the things that would come in the way our ability to trust Him completely.

If this life is a series of tests we live through to fulfill the purpose of God putting us here—the most important purpose we could possibly fulfill would be to find the ability to trust God completely. We can only trust someone we truly love. If our ability to trust God is lacking in any way—we should be focused on cultivating a deeper love for Him.

To have more joy, we need to become more serious with ourselves regarding our ability to trust God. If we feel afraid, we should search our heart and ask, ‘Do I trust God right now? If I trust Him, I will not be afraid’.

If we are unhappy because of problems in a relationship—we need to put all of our trust in the Lord. The relationship might not be perfect—but if our trust in the Lord is perfect, we won’t become overwhelmed by our circumstances.

In every situation, we will be able to find joy in the knowledge that our life is lived under the shelter of His wings. Nothing can harm us there. There is no failure there. When we are living life under His wings—we are in a safe place. He is taking complete responsibility for us, so we have no reason to worry.

Take a moment right now and see yourself in that nest. You have chosen Him and He has chosen you. You have a bond of love that is intimate and your connection with Him cannot be broken. He has prepared a place for you to abide with Him that is safe on all sides…above, beneath, and all around—He has you covered.

Declaration: I will find new strength by seeing myself protected by the Lord. Under the shelter of His wings I will safely abide forever. Nothing can separate me from His great love. The knowledge of the importance of my trusting Him is changing how I live. In the future, I will search myself daily as to whether my trust in Him is complete. With childlike faith, I will prefer to live in His presence—giving Him my love and attention.

If you subscribe to New Strength, a new segment will come to your email each day.

For music selections that will help bring hope and encouragement during your recovery from depression and addiction, https://www.youtube.com/user/NewStrengthMusic/playlists?sort=dd&view=1

All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.