FATHER, RESTORE OUR NATION: A Prayer

Father,

I feel so grieved and disheartened,
As I see how far America has strayed
From the nation we once were—

From the people You called us to be.
Our narcissistic leader seeks to enhance his power,
Betraying the public trust repeatedly,
As he points a blaming finger at others,
Repeatedly condemning them for his failures.
As I watch him abandon candor and forthrightness,
I long for the honorable leaders we once produced—
Men and women who did what was right,
Regardless of personal consequences;
Whether or not it was in his or her best interest.We have elected a spineless man—
An empty suit who refers to himself as “Eye Candy.”
He has appointed regulators who look good but are not—
Czars with impressive resumes who lack character—
Men and women who speak mellifluously of noble things,
While camouflaging their self-serving ways,
With layer upon layer of greed and deception.
Their words tickle the ears of the ignorant and uninformed,
Which has come to typify more Americans than not.
As modern day Sophists, these unelected miscreants
Regulate our lives, mandating wrong while calling it right,
As they repudiate what is right, honorable, and noble,
Castigating it contemptuously as being politically incorrect.
Willfully and consistently they mislead us,
While some among us benefit from their duplicity.
Licking their lips greedily, these scoundrels reap
Ill-gotten gains at the expense of the innocent citizenry,
Increasing our debt, as another piece
Of our cherished nation is destroyed by their mischief.

Lord, spare us from the calamity that is about to befall.
If we bow our knee and humble ourselves before you,
Will You restore us to what we once were?
If You do, it will allow others to see that
You still have a purpose for us—
For the land of the free and the home of the brave.

—Jack Watts

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Drawing Close to God

Refer to Step 9: I humbly ask God to change anything He desires, and I ask Him to heal my pain.

In the end worship can never be a performance, something that you’re pretending or putting on. It’s got to be an overflow of your heart . . . Worship is about getting personal with God, drawing close to God.

—Matt Redman

After experiencing religious abuse, it’s predictable to believe God has no further use for you. For those of us who have experienced it, we come to understand our limitations, based on the condemnation we have internalized, especially when we take a hard, long look at ourselves. As we look inward, we don’t see much that has value. In our own eyes, we have failed, which makes us assume that God also views us as failures. Nearly everybody who has experience such abusiveness feels the same way—some more than others.

Having built our lives on sinking sand, we don’t see how any worthwhile thing can be established on ground that’s not firm. Part of this perspective is accurate, but there’s certainly more to the story.

Although our lives may be sinking sand, God is still busy with us, accepting each of us right where we are, and He intends to produce something of substance out of the rubble. By turning up the heat and pressure, the sinking sand settles and is hardened into quartz, which is transparent, solid rock—rock that has value. Unlike sand, quartz is useful.

As you look at your life from your perspective, you may not be able to see anything of value right now, but you are not God. He sees things differently. He sees you as the person He created you to be, and He alone has the power to transform you into what He wants. Therefore, rather than curse where you are, bend your knee and ask Almighty God to make the necessary changes that will establish you, helping you to become everything you were ever intended to be.

I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord; for although Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou dost comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and son, and He has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:1-2)

—Jack Watts   Real Prayers FREE Download

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Religious Narcissists Lack “Genuine” Empathy

Refer to Step 4: I recognize that God is not the abuser; rather, people who misuse their authority are the abusers.

 

Ambition is “Lucifer” applied to a barrel of gunpowder, the explosion of which, where it succeeds in blowing one man into a niche, dashes twenty to atoms.

—Charles William Day

A surprisingly large number of narcissistic men and women lead major Christian ministries. Because their unique “Christianized personality disorder” is not easily recognized, such leaders routinely abuse those they have been called to serve. As part of this disorder, they never recognize or acknowledge the true nature of the wrongs they perpetrate or the consequences of their behavior. Unfortunately, such behavior impacts every aspect of their ministry.

They behave ruthlessly, while calling their behavior God’s leading, misleading thousands in the process. Their egocentric worldview allows them to embrace a mind-set that equates their will with God’s will. They actually believe the two are one and the same. Believing their calling is higher than others, they are more important, and they behave accordingly. What they think and believe carries more weight than others. By the message they preach, they would deny this; but by their actions, they consistently validate it.

They rarely admit wrongdoing because they never think they are wrong, which is part of their unique personality disorder. They will acknowledge they have made “many mistakes,” while never admitting to anything specific. They not only lack empathy for others; men and women like these don’t even understand it—not really. To them, it’s a concept to emulate, and their feigned compassion is never truly empathetic. Instead, they routinely have an agenda, which focuses on ingratiating others to themselves—not identifying with them.

What makes people like these so difficult to recognize is they have great compassion for “the lost”—for those who have no relationship with God. At the same time, they are quite willing to trample upon anyone who gets in their way to “reach the lost.”

Narcissists seem to love loosely defined groups rather than real, flesh-and-blood people, with whom they are incapable of having a normal relationship. It’s the idea of helping nameless, faceless people that they love—not getting involved with real humans. While the message they broadcast seems to embrace humility, their day-to-day dealings with others displays how arrogant they really are. In their minds, they believe they are serving the Lord, but nothing could be further from the truth.

For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts. (I Thessalonians 2:3-4)

—Jack Watts   Real Prayers

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NEW BOOK: “Real Prayers for Real People with Real Problems”

Today,

Dunham Books has released my book, Real Prayers for Real People with Real Problems.

For the next thirty days, you may download an e-book version for Free. The material is solid—just like the posts. Feel free to forward this offer to anybody you please.

Just click here: Real Prayers for Real People with Real Problems

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God Meets People in Their Brokenness—Not in Their Denial

Refer to Step 3: I accept that the responsibility for getting back on track is mine and no one else’s.

The people who do us good are never those who sympathize with us, they always hinder, because sympathy enervates.

—Oswald Chambers

How many times have you heard someone say something like this?

• “There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just fine.”
• “I don’t need any help. I can handle things by myself.”
• “I opened up once, and look where it got me. I’ll never do that again.”

People who need help with their recovery are often the most difficult people in the world to reach. They deny there is a problem and refuse to seek assistance. For them to do so would be an admission of weakness, and that’s something many are unwilling to do, especially men. For women, seeking help is much easier.

For those of us who know the value of the help provided by those who have “traveled our path,” it’s hard to understand why so many continue in their self-defeating behavior rather than make the necessary changes to achieve a life of value—a life that can be rich with meaning and purpose.

When it comes to religious abuse, the task of overcoming denial is even more difficult. Unlike abusing alcohol, food, sex, or drugs, there’s no outward manifestation—no dysfunction acting out. The emotional damage is all on the inside, where the destructiveness eats away at the soul of the abused person.

Frequently, someone will ask me how he or she can convince a friend or loved one to seek help. The answer is simple: most of the time, they can’t.

The person in need has to come to that realization without interference. Until that happens, there’s nothing you can do other than pray they will bottom-out and become willing to seek help. There are things that you can do, however, that will hinder the recovery of another. You can:

• Sympathize with their difficulties, which will do nothing but feed into their self-pity.
• Agree with them in their delusion that they are coping with life the best way possible, given the situation.
• Enable them to continue with self-destructive attitudes and behavior, by not allowing them to suffer the natural consequences of their actions.
• Make things easier for them—softening life’s blows by intervening, which may seem to you like “the Christian” thing to do.

It seems like each of these actions is what a good friend would do, but it isn’t. By intervening, you may be prolonging your friend’s suffering by helping him or her avoid reality. By being a “good friend,” you may inadvertently be standing in the way of the Lord who is intent on gaining their attention.

Let them crash. When the pain becomes too intense, they will reach out for help—not before. It’s much better to pray for a loved one to reach the end of their rope than to ask God to minimize that person’s suffering, especially when they are headed in the wrong direction. God meets people in their brokenness—not in their denial.

Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:2-3)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Forgiving Others

Father,

Now that I’ve opened myself up completely,

Being as honest and forthright

As I know how to be,

Having also admitted my faults to another,

I want to humbly ask You

To change anything in me You desire.

You are Almighty God; and I am not.

I am weary of trying to walk a path,

Which has not been intended by You.

As I complete purging my soul

Of all the toxins that remain,

I know I need to go one step further.

I need to forgive those who have been abusive,

Absolving them as completely as I have been.

I have nursed my anger and bitterness

For far too long, and I have paid a heavy price

Of destructive emotions for doing so.

Believing I was punishing them by being unforgiving,

I have punished myself instead.

I no longer want to live like this—

Having to pay a huge price for being remorseless.

I forgive them—just as You have forgiven me.

I release them completely—just as You have released me.

Give me the strength to put my pain and anger behind me;

Allow me to walk into the future

Free from these debilitating encumbrances.

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Week 20: Review & Reflection

Father,

You’ll have to prepare the heart of my friend—

The one I have chosen to be my confidant.

When I reveal myself to that person,

I pray that Your love and acceptance will be

What I experience and not the condemnation

Of someone who is judgmental and self-righteous—

Someone who will not understand or accept me—

Just as I am, exactly like You do, Father.

Question: It’s important to have others be part of your recovery, but only trustworthy people. On a scale of 1-to-10, how trustworthy are your confidants?

 

Nobody plans on being abused, especially by fellow Christians, but it happens all the time. When it does, it’s debilitating and can render a person fruitless for a long time. It usually means a person’s original vision about their purpose in life has to change, and many have difficulty accepting that. That’s why it’s important to remember it’s God’s purpose we are here to fulfill—not our own.

Question: Has your vision changed since your abuse? If so, in what ways has it?

God promises not to put more on us than we are able to endure, which at the time, never seems to be true, does it? It always feels like the weight of our hardship will break us, but God knows us better than we know ourselves. He stretches us beyond our comfort zone, which is His intention. In the end of it, however, we develop deep character qualities, which we could not have obtained through any other means.

Journal: Write about how far you have been stretched by God. Think of at least one example and write about it, being sure to spend time on the long-term results.

Your future behavior is in your hands. If you are smug and self-satisfied, you will have a great impact—all-negative. If you display love and graciousness, you’ll also have a greater impact—all-positive.

Question: Being completely honest, what has your impact been? If it’s less than you desire, tell God about it, asking Him to make you into the person He wants you to be.

At some level, accepting what their abuser have said about them as true, abused people act out the roles ascribed to them in nearly the way Pavlov’s dog salivated. The abused person believes they are worthless, behaving predictably. If this has been your experience, admit it to yourself, to God, and to another human being. You’re not responsible for your abuse, but you are responsible for your reaction to it.

Journal: Taking time to be introspective, write about the acting-out behavior you participated in shortly after your abuse.

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Rethinking Your Expectations

Refer to Step 10: I choose to believe God still has a purpose for my life—a purpose for good and not evil.

 

We must not measure our spiritual capacity by education or by intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured by the promises of God.

—Oswald Chambers

 

One of the worst consequences of being religiously abused is the belief that you will never do anything of consequence again. Being shamed, ridiculed, belittled, and discarded, most abused people recoil from the attack and, like a wounded animal, look for a place to hide. Pulling away from others, even if it’s just emotionally, negates the man or woman’s ability to become the person God intended them to be.

At some level, accepting what their abuser have said about them as true, abused people act out the role ascribed to them, in nearly the way that Pavlov’s dog salivated. The abused person believes they are worthless, predictably behaving that way.

If this has been your experience, admit it to yourself, to God, and to another human being. You’re not responsible for your abuse, but you are responsible for your reaction to it. Believing what your abuser said about you, rather than the promises of God, will effectively neutralize you for as long as you accept it as true. It diminishes everything about you, and you will lead a half-life or less, never reaching your full potential.

If your life has been like this, you don’t have to submit to the stinging indictment of your abuser any longer. What that person said was not biblically true. It was a human curse, and you should not allow it to destroy your future like it has your past.

Put it away once and for all. Choose instead to return to what God has said about you when you chose to invite Him into your heart. He loves you—no matter what, and He has a plan for your life that includes love, joy, and peace. Regardless of how difficult it is, reject the abusive message you’ve internalized. Make a conscious, consistent effort to do so. If you do, your sense of God’s love and acceptance will be immediate.

 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Being There for Someone Else

Refer to Step 8: I will share my experience and my own wrongdoing with a trusted friend, confessing the exact state of my heart.

We are attracted to people who share in our growth and progress and lose interest in those who don’t.

—Recovery Slogan

Becoming a Christian is easy. All that is required is the willingness to accept what has been freely provided to you by God. The Lord has done everything necessary, which is what grace is all about. The only thing you or I can do is make His gift more or less desirable to others.

Because so many Christians are smug and self-righteous, legalistic and condemning, haughty and judgmental—not nearly as many non-believers are attracted to a life of faith as there should be. Sadly, all of us know the people I’m describing: the ones Christ displayed anger toward—the heartlessly self-righteous crowd.

The lives of the self-righteous reveal a version of Christ that is not the New Testament version—not even close, and yet these are the people most feared in Christianity—just like the Pharisees were in Christ’s day. The bitter sting from the tongue of a Christian legalist keeps many from embracing God’s love, acceptance, and mercy. The only legitimate fruit they display is self-control—except for their biting, acerbic tongues.

Not being like them is part of what your recovery is all about. If you display love, joy, long suffering, and a genuine concern for those in need; then you are being faithful to God’s will. That’s very attractive to wounded, hurting people—people desperate for answers. By being there for someone who needs you in their recovery—just like someone was there for you—you will bless not only them but also yourself.

Your future behavior is in your hands. If you are smug and self-satisfied, you will have a great impact—all-negative. If you display love and graciousness, you’ll also have a greater impact, and it will all-positive.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cleave to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. (Romans 12:9-14)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Developing Estimable Character Qualities

Refer to Step 4: I choose to believe what God says about Himself: that He is good and can be trusted. I recognize that God is not the abuser; rather, people who misuse their authority are the abusers.

Adversity is the mint in which God stamps upon man his image and superscription.

—Henry Ward Beecher

When you see how carefree some people’s lives seem to be, do you ever wonder if God is holding you to a higher standard than He does others? Many people seem to have such a comfortable, easy life, while those of us in recovery—by way of contrast—seem to have a much more difficult time than they do.

If this is true—and I believe it is—then what is the reason for it? What is the purpose? In my own life, I distinctly remember when I was thirty-three and prayed, “Father, thank You for sparing me from trouble. Everything has always gone so smoothly for me. Nothing bad or difficult has ever happened. My life has been free from pain and suffering. Thank You for that. I’m so grateful, Lord.”

In my simplistic perspective, I believed what I prayed was true. God was taking care of me by sparing me from all the heartache suffered by others. Within a month of the time I uttered that prayer, things changed, and the subsequent thirty years have been filled with difficulties. Have I struggled and chafed under the strain of my circumstances? You bet—big time!

But I’ve also grown, and the growth was the purpose behind all the difficulties. God promises not to put more on us than we are able to endure which, at the time, never seems to be accurate, does it? It always feels like the weight of our hardship will break us, but God knows us better than we know ourselves. He stretches us beyond our comfort zone, which produces the growth He desires. At the end of it, we develop estimable character qualities, which we could not have obtained through any other means.

When you learn to recognize this, you will learn to choose gratitude rather than self-pity.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Accepting Life as It Is—Not How You Wish It Would Be

Refer to Step 3: I accept that the responsibility for getting back on track is mine and no one else’s.

 

All our mortal lives are set in danger and perplexity: one day to prosper, and the next—who knows? When all is well, then look for rocks ahead.

—Sophocles

When someone invites Christ to come into his or her life, that person develops a vision about what God wants him or her to be. Usually, this vision is quite grandiose, having as many worldly aspects as altruistic.

It’s at this point God begins His work, whittling away the worldliness, leaving the fruit of the Spirit in its place. Usually, the process requires years—sometimes decades. From God’s perspective, that’s fine because He is never in a hurry.

From our human perspective, however, the process seems long, arduous, and grueling. That’s because we recognize our days are numbered. We want to enjoy them, be happy, and experience continuous fulfillment. Unfortunately, life rarely works as we believe it should, often throwing us unwanted curves, such as being abused.

Nobody plans on being abused, especially by fellow Christians, but it happens all the time. When it does, it’s debilitating and can render a person fruitless for a long, long time. It usually means a person’s original vision about their purpose in life has to change, and many have difficulty accepting that.

That’s why it’s important to remember that it is God’s purpose we are called to fulfill—not our own. By simply accepting where we have been placed, rather than chafing about not being where we want to be, we can put ourselves in line for God to use us as He sees fit. No other strategy is effective.

Therefore, it’s a critical step for an abused person to accept the reality of his or her situation and move forward. To wish that life had been different—and that you had not been abused in the first place—doesn’t work. To get back on track and become fruitful, you must change your mindset and accept life as it is—not how you wish it should be.

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:6-7)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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A Prayer: Confessing the Exact State of Your Heart

Father,

Now that I have spelled out

The exact nature of my behavior,

And have written it down on paper,

I feel naked to the world and very vulnerable.

Just reviewing it makes me feel relieved

But also sorrowful and insecure.

Now that I have brought to light

My deepest, most intimate secrets,

I feel so exposed, fearing rejection and ridicule.

Perhaps others will mock me—

Just like my abusers have.

I know that’s not a realistic fear,

But it still creates apprehension and foreboding.

I know You forgive my self-defeating behavior,

But people are rarely as generous.

You’ll have to prepare the heart of my friend—

The one I have chosen to be my confidant.

When I reveal myself to that person,

I pray that Your love and acceptance will be

What I experience and not the condemnation

Of someone who is judgmental and self-righteous—

Someone who will not understand or accept me—

Just as I am, exactly like You have, Father.

I have worked so hard and come so far.

Help me to continue being vulnerable and forthright,

Which I know is Your will for my life.

Stand with me, Lord, so that I can

Boldly state the exact nature of my heart—

With humility—devoid of fear and timidity.

Heal the broken places and relieve the burden

Of guilt I have been carrying for far too long.

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Week 19: Review & Reflection

Father,

As I continue on my road to recovery,

I want to unburden myself of all of my shame,

My guilt, and everything that enslaves me.

But to do so feels like a daunting task.

There’s so much there. I know it, as do You.

Father, that’s why I need Your guidance.

Only You can help me achieve complete honesty.

Journal: The sense of shame incapacitates nearly every person who has ever boon abused. Write down what your abuse felt like.

 

There’s a way out of your abusive situation that works—a way filled with hope. God has not given up on you—not for a minute. There’s a future waiting for you—a future filled with noble, worthwhile endeavors. It’s available, but you have to work for it. It will not come easily. Nothing of value ever does. All you have to do is want it and be willing to work for it—not just some of the time—but each and every day.

Journal: What are some of the noble, worthwhile endeavors you would like to do with your life. Write about what they are and how you can achieve your goal.

Then, for whatever reason, something happens that’s completely out of left field. And more often than not, it isn’t something we desire. When that happens, we can become angry and bitter, blaming God for the unpleasantness of our circumstances, or we can renew our minds by bending our knees and acknowledging that God, in His sovereignty, has control over everything. We do not.

Journal: Write about what you do to stay in control.

Taking inventory may be difficult, but it’s preferable to wallowing in self-pity, which never produces anything positive. Taking inventory, which is an honest admission of who you really are, is the key to a new life—a life free from guilt and shame. It can also help you become everything they ever wanted to be in life—and more.

 

Journal: Think about who you really are and write a brief description of who that is.

It’s time to get back in the game—back to who you know you should be. Nothing is more important—not even close. Will you be this kind of person? Will you abandon your anger, your bitterness, and your resentment?  Will you be who God has always intended you to be? Will you stop feeding your self-pity and do the work necessary to be more fruitful than you ever dreamed possible? Will you get back in the game? Can God trust you with what you have learned? Can He count on you to be faithful in helping others who have been wounded—just like you have been helped? Can He count on you to point others to Him and not exploit them as you were exploited?

Question: Answer each of these questions, being completely honest with yourself.

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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A New Way of Life—Serving Others

Refer to Step 11: I make a commitment to nurture my relationship with the Lord, asking Him to reveal His will to me and to provide me with the power to carry it out.

 

Only God can turn a mess into a message.

—Unknown

Learning to come to God as Almighty—rather than just as a Friend and Comforter—has empowering qualities that most abused people have either forgotten or have never learned. When you come to Him, asking what His will is for your life, you are asking Him a direct question. No longer content to languish is your despair and your depression, coming to God as Almighty tells Him you are ready to do whatever He wants you to do—to be whatever He wants you to be.

It means you have reached a point in your recovery when you want to be of service to others. It’s a mark in your recovery when you’re healthy enough to help someone rather than exclusively focusing on yourself. It means your intentions are to serve others.

You’ve come to trust Him again, knowing that your abuse came from misguided men and women and not from God. Knowing that abusive people like them cause much more harm than good, you have also come to realize your experience can have value in helping other wounded people heal.

Can God trust you with what you have learned? Can He count on you to be faithful in helping others who have been wounded—just like you have been helped? Can He count on you to point others to Him and not exploit them as you were exploited?

Only you know the answer to these questions; but if you are faithful with your part, you can’t imagine the reward that awaits you. You’re sense of self-worth, which has taken a hit ever since your abuse, will make you feel more worthwhile than you’ve ever felt before—guaranteed.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I, send me!”  (Isaiah 6:6-8)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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Pursuing His Purpose—Not Ours

Refer to Step 7: I will make a detailed, written account of my abusive experiences, as well as my subsequent behavior. I commit to being as thorough and honest as I’m able.

 

Don’t be pushed by your problems.

Be led by your dreams.

—Anonymous

Being abused is devastating—no doubt about it. For a while, many find it difficult to breathe, let alone function normally. When the initial trauma has subsided, however, if a person can find the courage to stop reacting negatively, they can transform their hurtful experience into something positive.

To do so, they need to take a thorough inventory of their lives, which may be very painful. Taking inventory may be difficult, but it’s preferable to wallowing in self-pity, which never produces anything positive.

Taking inventory, which is an honest admission of who you really are, is the key to a new life—a life free from guilt and shame. It can also help you become everything you ever wanted to be in life—and more. It will be different than your original vision; but it may be even more fruitful.

This is not a “pipe dream.” It happens to people all the time. The way to achieve this is simple; but that doesn’t make it easy. This is what the 11 Steps are all about—achieving freedom from abuse so that you can achieve a lifetime of fulfillment.

Before you commit to taking inventory, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you content with the way your life is heading right now?
• When you reach the end of your life, don’t you want it to have counted for something?
• Can you honestly say that watching life from the sidelines—rather than being an active participant in the game—is fulfilling?

As you can see, the alternative is not very appealing. That’s why your recovery is so important. Remember, God is like the Marines; He’s looking for a “Few Good Men”—a few good women too. It’s time to get back in the game—back to who you know you should be. Nothing is more important—not even close.

Will you be that kind of person? Will you abandon your anger, your bitterness, and your resentment?  Will you be who God has always intended for you to be? Will you stop feeding your self-pity and do the work necessary to be more fruitful than you ever dreamed possible? Will you get back in the game?

I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and he will make his ways successful. Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit. (Isaiah 48:15-16)

—Jack Watts   Recommended Resources

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