Tuesday, October 27, 2015

What to Do When You’re Rejected

Rejection hurts. If you’ve ever been rejected--and most of us have--you know what I’m talking about.


So, what should you do when you’re rejected?

Here are a few tips that have helped me:

 1) Do not take rejection personally.  Yes, you read that right. When someone rejects you, it does not mean there is something wrong with you. When someone rejects you, it means there is something wrong with the other person’s perception of truth. Because you follow Jesus, God accepts you. Scripture says, "If God is for you, who can be against you?” (Romans 8:31).

 2) Forgive the person who rejects you. There is an old saying that goes like this: “Hurting people hurt people.” When some rejects you, that person is hurting in some way. So instead of getting angry or upset, show kindness toward that person. Scripture says, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing” (I Peter 3:9).  
 3) Remember that Jesus understands how you feel. He was rejected not only while on earth, but, sadly, He is still being rejected today. So, you are in good company. 

 Rejection comes in many forms, but the worst kind of rejection is self-rejection. It’s one thing when someone else rejects you, but it is quite another when you reject yourself. 

 Self-rejection results when you believe a lie  about yourself instead of the truth. Satan will hurl lies at you to get you to hate yourself. He will tell you things like “You’re too fat” or “You’re stupid.” He will put negative thoughts in your mind about your worth, your appearance, or your ability to succeed. Do not listen to his lies.  Listen only to what God says about you in His Word.

 What God says about you is who you truly are. 

 Read Psalm 139. In this psalm you will discover what God thinks about you. And, when all is said and done, His opinion is the only one that matters.

_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Friday, October 23, 2015

How to Get Closer to Jesus through Prayer

Hey, Gabriel Girls!

 Today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite subjects: Prayer. 


Now before you think BORING in capital letters, hear me out.

 Do you know what prayer is? It’s not reciting a bunch of pre-written words over and over. It’s not a list of your needs. And it’s not a formula for getting what you want.

 Prayer is a conversation with the Creator of the whole universe, the God Who created you!

 WOW!  Does that blow your mind?  

 Think about it.  The same God Who created the Milky Way and the galaxies and the stars and the planets and the sun and the moon and the oceans and the mountains--and on and on and on--wants to have a conversation with YOU!!!

 I don’t know about you, but that truth makes me feel very, very special.

 To think that God wants to spend time talking with me is amazing! But that is the truth. And He wants to spend time talking with you.

 So, how do you have a conversation with God?  The same way you would with your best friend. 

How do you talk to your best friend? You use your ordinary language. You’re honest and open about how you’re feeling. You share secrets.

 That’s the way God wants you to talk to Him. 

 Now, when you talk with your best friend, do you do all the talking? Probably not. In fact, when you go to your best friend for advice, you probably listen more than you talk.

 Well, it’s the same with God. When you talk with God, it’s better to spend more time listening to what He has to say than to do all the talking. Of course, you can vent to God and He’ll gladly listen (See our earlier blog post on how to vent the right way).  But it’s a good idea to spend most of your prayer time listening to what God has to say.

 Why? Because God is a whole lot smarter than we are. Plus, He knows you better than you know yourself because He made you. He knows how you function. He knows what’s going on inside you. And when you get broken, He knows how to fix you.

 The neat thing about prayer is that you can have an all-day conversation with God as well as a special time of prayer. In other words, you can talk with Him about everything throughout the day.  Because Jesus is inside you, He goes wherever you go. He’s always there, ready to have a conversation with you. 

 This habit of talking with God throughout the day is called practicing the presence of God. In fact, there’s a great little book about having an all-day conversation with God.  It’s called The Practice of the Presence of God and was written by a monk who lived in France back in the 1600s named Brother Lawrence. You can get a free copy of his book for Kindle by clicking here.

If you start having an on-going conversation with Jesus throughout the day, you will grow to love Him more and more and to know Him better and better. As a result, you will discover that everything you could ever need or ever want is found in Him and Him alone. 

 _______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Why Should I Forgive Someone Who Hurt Me?

We can’t go through life without getting hurt. Unfortunately, it’s part of the package of being on this earth. But we can learn how to deal with hurt so that it doesn’t mess up the rest of our lives.


The first thing to know about all hurt is that it comes from Satan. The foundation of dealing with hurt is the truth that God is good and Satan is bad. We have to get this foundational truth straight before we can be set free from hurt.

 Scripture says that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father . . . .” (James 1:17).   

 Once you’ve settled in your mind that God is good all the time, you can begin handling your hurts.  Here are three steps to help you:

 1) Identify the hurt.  Allow yourself for a moment to feel the pain caused by the hurt.

 2) Give the hurt to Jesus.  He wants you to cast all of your cares of Him (I Peter 1:7).

 3) Forgive the person who hurt you. The way to do this is to let Jesus in you forgive through you.

 Living the Christian life really means letting Jesus live that life through us. We cannot live the Christian life on our own. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

 Why should you forgive some one who hurt you?  Because forgiving the person who hurt you is the only way for you to be free.  When we do not forgive, we allow ourselves to be the prisoner of the person who hurt us. 

 So forgive. God will take care of the person who hurt you. But, best of all, pray that God will have mercy on that person and that he or she will come to Christ. This is what Jesus did as He hung on the Cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Friday, October 16, 2015

How to Vent the Right Way

All of us have days when we feel as though we just have to vent or we’ll explode. The problem with venting, however, is that you have to vent to the right person or else your venting could backfire.


While it’s good to have a “venting partner,” I’ve discovered that the best person to vent to is God. 

That’s exactly what David the Psalmist did. Whenever he felt overwhelmed, scared, angry, or distressed, he vented to God.

 Venting keeps the pressure from building up inside. But venting to others can sometimes be disastrous. Venting to God, however, can be so freeing because God has broad shoulders. He can handle our venting.

 One thing about venting, though. Don’t stop there. After you vent, be sure to tell God how much You trust Him to take care of the situation for you. That’s what David did. After he vented about a problem to God, he always ended by thanking God for helping him solve the problem. In other words, David always expressed his trust in God.

 Here is an example of David’s venting to God when one of David’s best friends betrayed him:

 Psalm 55
Listen to my prayer, O God.
Do not ignore my cry for help!
Please listen and answer me,
for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
My enemies shout at me,
making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me
and angrily hunt me down.
My heart pounds in my chest.
The terror of death assaults me.
Fear and trembling overwhelm me,
and I can’t stop shaking.
Oh, that I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest!
I would fly far away
to the quiet of the wilderness.

How quickly I would escape—
far from this wild storm of hatred.
Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans,
for I see violence and conflict in the city.
  Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders,
but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
  Everything is falling apart;
threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
  It is not an enemy who taunts me—
I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—
I could have hidden from them.
Instead, it is you—my equal,
my companion and close friend.
What good fellowship we once enjoyed
as we walked together to the house of God.
Let death stalk my enemies;
let the graveb swallow them alive,
for evil makes its home within them.
But I will call on God,
and the LORD will rescue me.
Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress,
and the LORD hears my voice.
He ransoms me and keeps me safe
from the battle waged against me,
though many still oppose me.
God, who has ruled forever,
will hear me and humble them.

For my enemies refuse to change their ways;
they do not fear God.
As for my companion, he betrayed his friends;
he broke his promises.
His words are as smooth as butter,
but in his heart is war.
His words are as soothing as lotion,
but underneath are daggers!
Give your burdens to the LORD,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
But you, O God, will send the wicked
down to the pit of destruction.
Murderers and liars will die young,
but I am trusting you to save me.

_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio


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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Lollipops and Lima Beans: Living an Uncompromising Life

Hey, Gabriel Girls!

 Lima beans are one of my favorite vegetables. Especially drenched in melted butter. 

 Lollipops, on the other hand, I could take or leave. 


When my children were small, their pediatrician would give them a lollipop each time we visited. That would most likely be unheard of nowadays.

 A lot of things we did back then would be unheard of nowadays. But this is not unusual. Things change as time goes by.

 But there are some things that never change. Those things are the intangibles, the values and principles that guide our lives.

 The matters of the heart.

 The Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and that God never changes (Malachi 3:6).  This means that His commandments never change, either.

 So, how does all of this apply to you? It is your responsibility as a child of God to understand the difference between the things that never change and the things that do. Then it is your responsibility as a child of God to uphold the things that never change and to do so without compromise.

 How can you do this? By deciding today what you will do in the face of temptation. 

 For example, if your boyfriend asks you to have sex before marriage, what will you do? Ask yourself that question now, and determine that you will obey God’s Word that commands you to wait until marriage before engaging in sex. If you don’t make this decision before the temptation hits you, you may have trouble making it when the temptation hits you.

 Daniel was a young man who faced many temptations. But way before he faced any of them, he had already purposed in his heart to obey God (Daniel 1:8). 

 Before you do anything else today, purpose in your heart that you will obey God no matter what temptation comes your way. Then, when the temptation comes, as it surely will, you will already know what to do.
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Friday, October 9, 2015

Fences


Hey, Gabriel Girls!

 Today we’re going to talk about fences. Weird, right? Just bear with me. I’m going somewhere important with this.


When you were a little girl, did your parents put a fence around your play area? If your house had a little backyard, there was probably a fence around it. If you didn’t have a backyard, your parents protected you in some way from a nearby street or dangerous area.

 Was that fence a good thing or a bad thing? I think you would agree it was a good thing. Why? Because it kept you safe and alive.

 Well, did you know that God has a fence, too? That fence is the Bible. It is His Word on what is safe and what is not safe. It is His Book of Fences for your life.

 Wouldn’t it make sense, then, to stay within God’s fences, wherever He places them in your life?

 For example, one fence God has built around your life is the sexual fence. That fence warns you against having sex before marriage. Why? It is that God doesn’t want you to enjoy sex? No. Not at all. The reason is that God created sex only for marriage, and He knows that if you cross over the sexual fence before marriage, your life will be destroyed.

 Do you think God knows what He’s talking about? I would say so! After all, He is the one who created sex in the first place. He certainly knows how it works. 

 What other fences has God built around your life to protect you? Ask Him to show you. You will come away with one conclusion: God loves you so much that He has put fences in your life to protect you from Satan and his demons. Respect those fences and your life will be filled with joy and blessings instead of turmoil and sorrow.
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

How to Come out of Depression

Depression is one of the biggest complaints among teen girls. If you’re depressed or have ever been depressed, this post is for you.  If you know a teen girl who is depressed, please tell her about this post.

What is depression? Depression is a mood disorder that is characterized by continual sadness and a loss of interest in life. Spiritually speaking, depression is an evil spirit that wants to rob you of your joy and of your destiny.

 Because depression is, at its root, a spiritual issue, it needs first and foremost to be addressed spiritually. Psychology can be helpful in dealing with depression, but if psychology does not take into account the spiritual aspect of depression, then therapy will not be totally effective.

 How do you know if you’re depressed? Here are some signs:

 --You feel hopeless.
--You cry at the drop of a hat.
--You cry a lot.
--You want to be alone more and more.
--You lose interest in activities that used to interest you.
--You feel tired all the time.
--You have trouble concentrating.
--You think about harming yourself (e.g., cutting, food binging or starvation).
--You think about killing yourself to end your suffering.

 While experiencing these symptoms once in a while doesn’t always mean you are depressed, experiencing them frequently could mean you are depressed.

 So, what should you do?

 Scripture gives us the answer:  Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).

 What is the garment of praise? The garment of praise is an attitude of heart which causes you to praise God in the midst of depression.

 I can hear you now. “Dr. MaryAnn, how can I praise God when I’m depressed? I don’t feel one bit happy or joyful when I’m depressed. All I want to do is die.”

 Praising God does not depend on our feelings. It depends on our will.  We can choose to praise God even when we don’t feel like it. In fact, God commands us to praise Him even when we don’t feel like it. Why? Because God knows that praising Him will lift us out of depression and drive it away.

 Remember we said earlier that depression is an evil spirit?  Well, evil spirits can’t stand it when we praise God. They will run away every time.  So, when you praise God in the midst of depression, the evil spirit of depression will flee from you. In its place will come the joy of the Lord.

 This is one reason God commands us to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).  He knows that by rejoicing in Him, we will drive away depression. God also tells us that His joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

 So, the next time you’re depressed, stop what you’re doing, stand up, and start praising the LORD with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Do it even if you don’t feel like it. You will be amazed at how depression will flee and you will be filled with the joy of the LORD!

If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!

_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Friday, October 2, 2015

What to Do When You Feel Lonely

Do you ever feel lonely? As in “nobody cares about me” lonely?

Loneliness is one of the worst feelings in the world. In fact, loneliness is more than a feeling. It’s a feeling produced by a thought. 

 A wrong thought.

 The wrong thought is that nobody cares about you. And that is a lie. Satan loves to use this lie to trick you into depression.

 You see, the truth is that God cares about you. And since God cares about you, that is all you really need.

 The next time Satan tempts you with the lie that nobody cares about you, remember this verse from Psalm 27:10:
"Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.”


___________________________________________


If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!


_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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