Forgiveness is in Us - Alive in 2025
Are you really ready to learn how to lean into this year with the expectation that God is going to power you up with new energy, new zest, new zeal, new enthusiasm and a richer joy for a new year! Do you want your path, your goals, your hopes and dreams to become more clear this year.? Do you want to shine a light on the shadows of your life? Do you want to know the right direction for your life? Then Come On! Leave the dark and reach for the light!! Join in now!
Diana’s Notes
Alive in 2025
Greetings all you beautiful peeps out there!! LOL! I am your host Diana, welcome. God wants you to be ALL He created you to be and to do that, we have to know we are loved and adored by our Creator God, our God Who can move mountains - El Shaddi. Do you have any mountains, any obstacles, anybody, anything that stands between you and God’s promises for your life?? Sure, I bet you do, because we all have something , some mountain that we just can’t seem to get around. But thankfully we don’t have to! In fact, we were never meant to do life with El Shaddi, He knew every obstacle- here we go with today’s conversation…
Last week we spoke about letting go of all of our anger and frustration, blame and unforgiveness toward God. It is easy, in the private spaces of our thoughts, to believe God is against us. Why else would our lives be so broken, so complicated, so… stress-filled! But giving God the cold-shoulder will not help us, and not only will it not help, but it keeps us separated from knowing how He really feels about us. We turn our greatest Source of comfort and strength into our boogie man. Like God is playing a game of whack a- mo with our lives. We think we have overcome something- and then like a thief, the very next day, we lose our way all over again. It is a constant battle to just keep moving because we have come to dread what is ahead. But God’s Own Word, His holy scripture tells us in
Psalm 34:18 - The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
God promises to strengthen us, help us, heal us, heal our illness, heal our brokenness - He wants to bind up all of our wounds no matter what they are, and be near to ALL who call upon His Name - but if you don’t trust Him, if we blame Him for all of our problems - then how can we call upon Him for help?? We can’t, we won’t. That is why if we hold any grudge against God, we must restore our relationship with Him first and foremost - then He is able to light the way for the rest of our healing, and growing, and little by little we see a crack in the darkness and hope once more begins to fill our hearts, and minds and souls.
It can be scary to let go of control and trust God with your whole life, but He promises to be with you every step of the way; if you will learn to follow even while you are afraid. There are many times I am way overwhelmed with a situation that sprouts up through the cracks of the path I am walking, but I cling to -
Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT - Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you or abandon you.
God is for you! He is for your life! And we need to come in, out of the dark shadows of fear, and rejection, and shame, and anger- and just simply fall on our knees before Him and seek His face, His forgiveness and His Help! When I am doing something now, that I don’t necessarily feel confident about I remind God of His word, His promises of Deuteronomy 31 - Okay Lord, I’m doing this because I am learning to trust you and obey you no matter what I feel and You promise to personally go ahead of me, that YOU will be with me - So…. Please do not fail me like you promise!
Every single time we stand on God’s Word and remain standing on it all the way through that day’s road trip - we become stronger, more familiar and confident in His promises. And as the days and weeks go by of practicing this - over time we find that we have grown more, moved further and have overcome more than we ever dared to even imagine we could. GOD IS GOOD! HE IS FAITHFUL!
This week, as we are learning how to follow Jesus and turn towards the light - Let’s power up, Let’s Come Alive in 2025 by letting go of how we have always done things and let’s give God creative power to paint our lives in the beautiful colors of life He has already planned out for us.
In Genesis there is an account of a young man named Joseph. Just like God loves to paint beautiful colors of life into our lives, Joseph’s father loved him so much that his dad, Jacob at one point gave him a coat of many colors to signify how much he adored and loved his son.
God gives us stories all throughout the Bible of people who have overcome the odds. They are recorded throughout the Old and New Testaments ( old and new covenants) so that we can gain wisdom, understanding, and come to know personally in our own lives that when we do learn to lean our lives on God, that indeed, all things are possible. Even when everything around us seems bleak, dismal and hope seems like a distant dream.
1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us: Wrong verse! I will share the correct one next week! LOL
Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Joseph is a great example of how God will, eventually, work everything out to the good for us, if………. Like Joseph, we learn to trust God with our current path, our middle, and our ending.
We are going to look at Joseph, because the life of Joseph teaches us that “forgiveness is in us” when we are able to remain faithful to God as we walk through difficult circumstances and as we at times, blindly trust Him, if we don’t allow our mind to darken our spirit by turning away from God and turn towards our own methods - we will see Him work everything out and then, with our hearts full of Him, we can forgive and have mercy, when otherwise, we might invoke retaliation…………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile Jacob had settled down where his father had lived, the land of Canaan.
Joseph and His Brothers
2 This is the story of Jacob. The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the flocks. These were his half brothers actually, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought his father bad reports on them.
3-4 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age. And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat. When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him—they wouldn’t even speak to him.
5-7 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, “Listen to this dream I had. We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat. All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine.”
8 His brothers said, “So! You’re going to rule us? You’re going to boss us around?” And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked.
9 He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: “I dreamed another dream—the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!”
10-11 When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him: “What’s with all this dreaming? Am I and your mother and your brothers all supposed to bow down to you?” Now his brothers were really jealous; but his father brooded over the whole business.
12-13 His brothers had gone off to Shechem where they were pasturing their father’s flocks. Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are with flocks in Shechem. Come, I want to send you to them.”
Joseph said, “I’m ready.”
14 He said, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report.” He sent him off from the valley of Hebron to Shechem.
15 A man met him as he was wandering through the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 “I’m trying to find my brothers. Do you have any idea where they are grazing their flocks?”
17 The man said, “They’ve left here, but I overheard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph took off, tracked his brothers down, and found them in Dothan.
18-20 They spotted him off in the distance. By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him. The brothers were saying, “Here comes that dreamer. Let’s kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up. We’ll see what his dreams amount to.”
21-22 Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, “We’re not going to kill him. No murder. Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don’t hurt him.” Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father.
23-24 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn’t any water in it.
25-27 Then they sat down to eat their supper. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and perfumes to sell in Egypt. Judah said, “Brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not kill him—he is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28 By that time the Midianite traders were passing by. His brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites who took Joseph with them down to Egypt.
29-30 Later Reuben came back and went to the cistern—no Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself, he went to his brothers. “The boy’s gone! What am I going to do!”
31-32 They took Joseph’s coat, butchered a goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. They took the fancy coat back to their father and said, “We found this. Look it over—do you think this is your son’s coat?”
33 He recognized it at once. “My son’s coat—a wild animal has eaten him. Joseph torn limb from limb!”
34-35 Jacob tore his clothes in grief, dressed in rough burlap, and mourned his son a long, long time. His sons and daughters tried to comfort him but he refused their comfort. “I’ll go to the grave mourning my son.” Oh, how his father wept for him.
36 In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, manager of his household affairs.
So, how’s your relationship with your siblings??? Any of them want to take your life, but settle for selling you as a slave?
Families, siblings, people!!!!! Can be brain-twisting! I wonder sometimes how God can love us so much, when obviously we are capable of doing some pretty bad stuff. BUT HE DOES! He loves us! You can count on it!
God’s desire for us to forgive, and have good hearts, and good attitudes, especially when things are trying our patience, our trust, our confidence, when we feel absolutely the weakest in our mood - He wants us to not hold our breath and try to squeeze out one more ounce of ….. Fill in the blank - but to recognize and learn that is when we take a knee and with a humble heart, we ask God for His strength, His loving-kindness, His patient endurance, His peace, to lift us up beyond our own abilities so we do not get caught in traps. Traps of shame, remorse, regret, fear, anger, jealousy… All the stuff that steals. God already knows we are imperfect, but when we can turn towards Him and not react and respond ( when we can have an attitude like Joseph - God can do mighty miracles beyond measure. -
I frequently have been reminding myself of Joseph every time I want to have a little pity party of how difficult life may be in the moment, or going through health issues, people issues, financial issue. Boy, life sounds like its just one big issue!! LOL it can be, but the trials and tribulations and hardships we endure do not have to steal from our life, like we will learn in coming episodes about Joseph.
Joseph did not remain pitiful while in the pit. He went to work, demonstrating God’s ability to work through him, even when it seemed pointless and beyond hope.
Joseph' brothers were pretty jealous of him and even though I am sure their feelings were hurt by the difference in which Joseph received special treatment, maybe their lives would have been different as well, if their hearts would have held God in the highest position of their hearts. Joseph may appear to be a little spoiled brat, hey look what I got from dad, or I’m telling dad your not doing your job. I am sure he was like any young sibling under their skin, but no matter how we might feel about someone - harming them, abusing them in any way, controlling them… whatever we might do to elevate ourselves from feeling overlooked, under appreciated, forgotten and invisible- no matter the situation; to bring harm of any kind is not God’s desire for any person.
1 Peter 2:1: So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit like a captured wild animal and the intention was to kill him and rub his blood all over that coat of many colors their dad gave to the little pip squeak - but they ended up selling him as a slave and Joseph had to endure a long period of time in his young life under some pretty hard times and experiences. But during those years, God developed wisdom in Joseph and eventually placed him in a position where he was able to come face to face with his brothers.
Next week, we will pick up with Joseph and how we can be overcomers and discover that forgiveness is in us, when we take our eyes off ourselves, our circumstances, and place them on the ONE Who is Creator of all.
This week, let’s embrace Ephesians 3:20
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians Prayer
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all of the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers, that theGod of our Lord Jesus Christ; the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of of Him, I pray that the “eyes” of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His Might”( Ephesians 1:15-19)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth derives it’s name, that He would grant you , according to the riches of His glory, to be enlightened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. “ (Ephesians 3: 14-19 NASB)
Meditate on God’s Word and allow the eyes of your spirit to be enlightened.
Remember, we are learning to transform our minds so that we re-learn to have the mind of Christ.
Continue Learning How to Walk in the Light! God bless and I will see ya next Time!
And a few other links as well
Steven Furtick: Triggered Taking Back Your Mind in the Age of Anxiety
JimmyEvans: The time is Now to Change Your Attitude
https://endtimes.substack.com/p/the-time-is-now-to-change-your-attitude
Beth Jones: Getting a Grip on the Basics is a great resource to help you get the basics of how vital you are to God and how good He desires to be to you
https://www.thebasicsuniversity.com
Songs to inspire you
Made For More - Josh Baldwin, feat. Jenn Johnson
Do It Again | Official Lyric Video | Elevation Worship
Trust In God (feat. Chris Brown & Isaiah Templeton) | Elevation Worship
Foundation Verse
Romans 8:11
The Spirit of God, Who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Chrisr Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living in you. “
Additional Resources
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above, were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand new christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana and we will pass along your information for you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you!
Diana’s Home Church:
Valley Family Church - Pastor’s Eric and Alexa Jones
www.valleyfamilychurch.org
Other recommended Jesus-centered churches who teach the True Word of God:
Elevation Church - Steven Furtick
https://elevationchurch.org/
Joseph Prince Ministries - Joseph Prince
https://www.josephprince.org/
Joyce Meyer Ministries
https://joycemeyer.org/