Betty: When God permits someone to come in your life, you don’t know how long it will last, so you can’t take it for granted. When you’re given the opportunity, make good use of it. Because it might not be there for you tomorrow. God permits us to have certain people in our life for a period, and it behooves us to cooperate. God gives us opportunities for a time.

Once we allow God to heal a negative trait in us, then the other person with a similar negative trait doesn’t annoy us as much. That’s because they are not as close to home. It annoys people to have to see what they can’t stand in themselves in someone else. So, they have to get that person fixed.  They will go on and on about another person. And I’m sitting there thinking, “Hmmm, are they ready to handle this?”  Some people can’t handle that what they hate is really a reflection of themselves in that person. And the only way to get out of it is to deal with it in themselves.  Often they’ll say, “No!  She’s got to get healed first.”  No, I’m sorry you’re the one that’s got to do the work.

We need to seek the other’s good and say, “Lord, strengthen me, so I can love like you love.” Use your energy to cry out for strength rather than to run. You only have so much energy, so use it for the positive. I trust that whatever God permits to happen is for our good, because He’s incapable of doing evil. So, I can’t go wrong with Him. It’s nice that we have a God whose nature can’t do evil. So, you can really trust Him. 

When our wheels spin, we don’t accomplish much. So, rather, hand this over to the Lord.  Doing what the Lord is asking you to do is enough. So, don’t make it worse. Don’t lay awake and worry. If stuff comes up, give it to the Lord. Ask Him to help you handle it.

Ask the Lord to show you what door you opened. If you’re ready to be unkind and unmerciful to yourself, is that the door you might be opening so that if others happen to be in that place, it gives them permission to be unkind and unmerciful to you, because you started it? You’re beating your own self up. You have to have a door open. So, that’s what you’re really looking for. What’s your open door? In what way do you cooperate?

AM: My open door might be…

Betty: Hold that up to the Lord.  What is it that you want the Lord to do for you?  Go back into tongues. There is the little dramatist in you.  Are any of your kids acting out what they unconsciously pick it up in you?  Parents are the role models for their kids so when you pray for the healing of this little dramatist in you, pray for the healing of it in your kids as well.  It’s that part that wants to slam all the doors and lock them. It’s like “Oh, cool it.” You have to take charge of the dramatist in you whenever it shows itself.    

Ask the Lord to show you any door you opened. In what way do you cooperate?