Sometimes I think about the words spoken to me over 25 years ago. One of the medical specialists said that I’d be lucky to be able to work for 10 years. Even though it’s been some time now since I worked full-time, I did for more than 10 years and since then I’ve been blessed by jobs enabling me to work shorter hours, particularly over the last four years.

So I reckon that specialist was wrong–or maybe he didn’t know how stubborn I’d be, or the desperation of wondering how I support myself if I don’t work, that’s driven me to keep on pushing through the difficulties and pain.

Just lately, I’d been feeling like it’s got harder and I wondering what other options I might have. I have a wonderful boss who has been so accommodating this last year or so, and I feel like it’s only because he has been so supportive, that I’ve managed to keep going.

Last week, he told me that things are going to change for him and it looks like my job will disappear–sometime in the next few months. I was shocked, though I guess there have been some signs that I didn’t take seriously enough; but while we talked about what I wanted to do, I wondered if this might be the time for me to stop pushing to do what I’ve felt up until now, I must do.

The above verse reminds us that we are not supposed to worry and I love the way “The Message” puts it.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. . . ” (Matthew 6:34)

It’s been hard to stop my mind from worrying about what I should do; what I can do; how will this work out; and what next?

What I should do? Don’t worry. Remember that I can always depend on God. His guidance, His understanding and support, His provision and His presence.

What I can do? Pray and ask others to pray. Look for the windows that may open as doors close for me. Be open to different opportunities.

How will this work out?I don’t know, but I do know that God has provided for me in sometimes very unexpected ways, many times before.

What next? I’m not sure and it may be some time before I have an answer to that. It might even involve taking some risks and letting go of some things that have given me security in the past. God knows what will happen and where I’ll be next month, next year, or whenever. I just need to trust in His plan for my life.

Prayer: Father, I have been blessed to do so much more than I believed I would be able to and I recognise that is only with Your help. Thank You so much. Help me to continue to trust the future to You. Amen.

About the Author:
Fiona Burrows lives in Melbourne, Australia. She is thankful for the difference God makes in her life, and the lessons He is teaching her, as she lives with chronic back pain. She enjoys finding time for reading, writing, and photography, and to travel when she is able. You can contact her in the Sunroom.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

What have you been worked up about lately that you need to trust God to work out? How do you best remind yourself of that, when you worry?

I love watching someone’s tears being wiped away by a loving parent, relative, or friend. That interaction is so precious. Maybe it’s seeing the concern and care taken to collect each and every tear. Maybe it’s knowing someone else cares so much about you they will gladly wipe away your tears that stirs my heart. Whatever the reason, it’s an emotional scene for sure.

For those of us going through hard situations, tough physical challenges or tight finances, tears can be a regular occurrence. When I read this passage, the tenderness expressed by David here made me shed some tears. Several other versions say it this way, “You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your records?” (HCSB)

To me, this is a reminder that God sees every one of our tears; He collects them so not one will be forgotten or missed. Essentially, God is saying He grieves right alongside us. When we are hurting and sad, He is hurting and sad. When we are happy, He is happy. He is the truest friend we’ll ever have.

Wow, what a loving picture of God’s affection toward us. It encourages me greatly to know that God cares that much about me to collect my tears in His bottle! Know that whatever you are going through God does see you and mourns along with you. Let your tears fall onto His hands; He cares so much about you (1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer: Dear God, Your love and compassion touches me greatly. My soul takes comfort in knowing you collect each and every one of my tears. Thank you for never letting me go through something alone. Amen.

About the Author:
Bridget Gazlay resides in beautiful West Michigan. She struggles with fibromyalgia, endometriosis, IBS, kidney stones, and migraines. She works full time but writes and designs fabric art on the side. Bridget’s prayer is that anyone who comes across her writing or artwork would see she allows, “God’s creation to be my inspiration.” Find out more about Bridget at, www.pfccreations.com.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

How has God encouraged you through your tears?

Perseverance–that word may trigger varying emotions, some being negative. When I think of perseverance, I think in terms of me persevering, not God. I get tired of persevering, even though I know His word says it is accomplishing a good work in me. Then I read a thought-provoking statement in one of my books. The author said that when we want to give up we need to persevere with God because God perseveres with us.

How does God persevere with me? When I doubt Him over and over again, not learning my lessons from previous situations, He continues to show Himself faithful. He does not give up on me when I give up on Him. At times He may be my last resort but I am never His last resort. When I disappoint Him, He never rejects or abandons me. He keeps forgiving, keeps loving, keeps strengthening, and protecting.

Aside from the fact that perseverance is beneficial for spiritual maturity, I want to choose perseverance out of love for all God has done for me. When I get tired of waiting for medical appointments or test results, I remember that God persevered through countless years of problems with humanity, waiting for the appointed time to send Christ to earth for me.

When I feel I can’t endure any more pain or sacrifice, I remember that Jesus persevered through life and death on earth because of me, suffering more than I can comprehend. When I’m tempted to give up on God, I think of the way the Holy Spirit perseveres in drawing me back.

When I persevere I am working together with God. Remembering that fact will give me the persistence I need to keep going until the work is finished. Then God and I will rejoice together, and that’s worth persevering for!

Prayer: O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean’s depths its flow may richer, fuller be. (Hymn O Love That Will Not Let Me Go) Amen.

About the author:
Bronlynn Spindler lives in VA and is blessed to have the support and encouragement of a wonderful husband and three grown daughters. God’s grace and strength have brought her through thyroid cancer and continue to sustain her through ongoing back pain, depression, headaches, multiple sensitivities, and fibromyalgia. You may view her blog of devotionals at www.aplaceofsprings57.blogspot.com.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

How have you seen God persevere with you in your life?

When my daughter was a little girl I told her: “No matter what you do I will never stop loving you.” I take comfort in the fact that God’s love far exceeds my own, my ability to love my child comes from God, for God is love. And no matter how much I love my child, God’s love is infinitely greater than my love.

We all fail each other and ourselves in numerous ways. Because we are weak and frail human beings, subject to human passions and faults, and living in bodies affected by sickness and disease, affected by human weakness, we fail to live up to God’s standards, and sometimes leave each other disappointed.

I find that it helps me to allow for the shortcomings of others by reminding myself that I sometimes fail God and others. I sometimes fail to live up to my own standards, my own hopes and expectations. We will all fall flat on our faces sometimes and we should not be shocked and awed by the fact others will at times disappoint us as well.

If we allow room for the failings of others we will save ourselves much frustration and disappointment. And if we allow space for the weakness in others, we may find them more willing to accept our own shortcomings.

Those of us with disabilities and continual health issues correctly expect a bit of leeway from others when it comes to our afflictions. I think this can make us more sympathetic to all sorts of shortcomings from those around us. We, better than most people, know how easy it is to come up short in life, to fail to accomplish everything we want to accomplish.

When others fail to meet our expectations, we ought to give them space for their shortcomings since we expect the same from them.

What a comfort it is that God is patient with us, and how encouraging that God’s love is unfailing. He is our guide in relating to others. Because He loves us so much, and overlooks our many faults, we can make room in our hearts to love others and forgive them their faults.

Just as we are likely to disappoint the expectations of others because of our afflictions, we must make an effort and make allowance for others and their various weaknesses. Sometimes they will disappoint us with moral failings. We understand better than most “the weakness of the flesh” as the Bible says.

Our weakness may not be sin related, but we know how well circumstances and surroundings can affect one’s actions and abilities. Our capacity and understanding for human failings should be huge because of our experience with affliction.

The love and grace of God upholds us in affliction. God’s love and mercy, His compassion and kindness can be a great comfort to us in affliction. We are sobered by just how weak the human body can be, and just how much it fails us, and yet because of our experiences in affliction we can express love and compassion that is born out of affliction and our experiences with suffering. Of course we could let our experiences make us bitter and hard in our hearts, but the better path is to learn from our difficulties and let our challenges soften and teach rather than harden and embitter us.

Take comfort in the fact that God’s love for you is unfailing. Know that no matter how much you fall short in life, God is not willing to give up on you. And as you face your challenges and difficulties, be willing make room for the shortcomings of others, we are all imperfect beings, and we share the imperfections of humanity.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be patient with us and help us to be patient with others. Forgive us our weaknesses and failings, and help us to forgive others as well. Amen.

About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He is author of the book “Chronic Illness” available in the Amazon Kindle store.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

Are you grateful for the fact that God loves you no matter what you do? Are you willing to love others no matter their shortcomings?

Dominic Cook

By Debbie Farmer

Recently I read a letter from a young man named Dominic Cook (also known as “Dooch”) who uses his pain to encourage others with his music. His testimony was such a blessing to me and I am going to share this interview with you now and hope that you too can also receive a blessing today.

Dominic Cook (AKA: “Dooch”) Please tell us about yourself and how you got into the music industry.

Where to start, where to start. . . Well, I’m a 27-year-old, husband, married, and going on 8 years. I have been a Christian going on 7 years now and a father of 5. My youngest Joshua, passed away at 2 months old–a year ago.

I have been doing music since I was 8 years old. It was the first thing I wanted to do and has been the only thing since. I spent my teenage years in New York City where I worked in the music business and learned a lot before I moved back to Virginia. [You can read his complete bio here on his web site, he has quite an amazing testimony!]

How did you get your stage name?

My stage name, “Dooch,” is actually a life long nick name that was given to me as a baby. But my alias, “Hope Boy,” is a name that I picked up as I’ve been known to give people hope. In the streets the drug dealers are known as “d-boys” which means dope boys because of what they sell. I see myself as the opposite of them as a hope boy, one who gives out hope instead of dope.

What kind of music do you perform?

The kind of music I do is rap to say the least. I desire my music to inspire people and give them hope. To comfort the broken and hurting, to be a voice for the voice-less and to stand up for the oppressed.

Can you give us some personal background on yourself and your battle with clinical depression?

I have been a Christian for almost 7 years now and this is when I first noticed my battle with being melancholy. However, I believe that this has been a struggle for much longer. While a teenager, I was addicted to alcohol, weed, and cigarettes so I think that the struggles were masked.

When I became a Christian I immediately became sober and that’s when I realized what I was dealing with. Every day has been a literal fight and battle for me, as every day either started off gray or quickly turned gray. I was heavily into the Word of God and that is what keep me grounded, hoping for a brighter day, but the “melancholy” soon affected all areas of my life.

It has affected my work, relationships, self esteem, plus more, and for all these years I never went to the doctor. I just thought it was normal, I never thought it was depression. A year ago our 2-month-old son passed away suddenly and this brought my wife into a place of depression. This ultimately caused both of us to receive help. This is when I was finally diagnosed with chronic depression.

How has music helped you?

When I started recording music that was true and real to me and my life it became a avenue of release and healing to me. I was able to get stuff out and it brought healing to me to be able to do that. It encouraged me when I saw others who heard the music cry and talk of how they deal or dealt with the same things and how my music helped them.

It made me believe that even my pain and depression could and would be used for God’s glory and for good.

How do you think your music might be able to help someone else?

I think it’s hard for people who deal with depression because of all of the myths about it and the “cooties” that people who deal with depression have. So a lot of people who suffer from depression are too ashamed or scared to admit to it that they suffer from it. Especially for Christians having depression is seen as taboo and it’s frowned upon so most people who suffer from it feel as if they can’t tell anyone or they will be ostracized, frowned upon and judged.

So, I think my music will meet these people where they are–both believer and un-believer alike–and let them know that God loves them, He is here for them, and they are special.

They have a purpose, they are someone.

It will let them know that they are not alone, they are loved and it’s okay, that they can reach out for help.

Can you tell us about your song and video and where our readers here at Rest Ministries can check your music out?

My latest song and video is called Drowning, [you can see video at end of this article] and I wrote this song a few months after my son passed, as I was walking through a very dark season. I felt as if I was drowning, I hated my life, I disliked everything and everyone and just wanted life to be over, so I poured my heart out in this song–everything I was feeling and dealing with–and just cried out to God, asking Him to help me. It was a true expression of my heart, something I equate to a modern day psalm of sort.

You can check out my music at www.youtube.com/godisdope and you can follow me at www.doochakahb.tumblr.com

Can you share some of your inspiration?

Yes. These are my two “life verses” so to say. I believe that my life is a letter written for all to see for the glory of God and whether I deal with depression or something else and He comforts me, He will use that to comfort others.

2 Corinthians 1:1-7 3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.

2 Corinthians 3:3 The Message:
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.

Wow. . .

This interview and your video are such a heartfelt blessing. I cried through the video! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. You are a remarkable young man and your testimony will help so many. May the Lord hold you close and comfort you.

Thank you so very much for your time and for doing this interview. I would like to leave you with a quote that I love which is in Latin. “Spes Mea in Deo” that means “My hope is in God.”

May your hope be in God, who can and will take your pain, depression, sufferings and hurt and use it for His glory and to comfort and minister to others.

Debbi Farmer, a part-time writer in North Carolina, lives a song-filled life now with her family thanks to the Lord’s wonderful and sufficient grace after suffering from severe clinical depression herself. Today she suffers from several illnesses including Fibromyalgia, but the Lord is good and has helped her face the trials of life and even waddle through them. She wishes she could give you all a cheerful hug today and share with you a song of hope.

My prognosis is poor. Still is no cure for my illness, multiple sclerosis. The only guarantee I have is that my disease will progress. Medication can slow the progression. Small comfort.

Is there something to hold onto when the world offers little hope?

Here’s an option. Look beyond this life to heaven.

So the choices are: dwell on the current situation or consider glory in heaven.

Painful life now or pain-free eternity.

Hmmm. . . I’ll pick the eternal focus.

But the daily problem remains. The pain is a loud shout. The promise of a renewed body is a faint whisper.The remedy? Drown out the haunting howl of hurt with precious promises.

Psalm 73:26 says,“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

I resolve to fill my head with sweet truths of His faithfulness. But the dueling drumbeats sound:

My feet ache. . . God is the strength of my heart. My hands hurt when I make a fist. . . God is the strength of my heart. My energy is depleted. . . God is the strength of my heart. My energy is depleted. . . God is the strength of my heart. Cognition problems creep in the fear floods my heart. . . God is the strength of my heart.

Eventually the divine drumbeat is all that remains: God is the strength of my heart.

Each day is like changing the channel in my brain. One station broadcasts fear and pain. Another offers hope.

The Rotten Reality station spews cruel messages: Time to get out of bed. I am too tired. Why is life so hard?

I switch to the Blessed Assurance station. God is the strength of my heart.

I slither out of bed. Then stand immovable. Waiting for the sensation that signals my legs are ready to carry me. Better make dinner while I still have the strength. No one knows how exhausted I am. How I am going to do the errands I have to do? Poor me!

Switch to: God is the strength of my heart. . .God is the strength of my heart.

Next thing I know, I’m functioning. Joyful.

Prayer: Dear Protector of my soul, when my future seems so uncertain and even bleak with this illness, I remember that You have a plan for my life. This affliction often makes no sense, but Your Word tells there is a purpose in all things. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” And, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Thanks be for the blessed assurance of eternal life with You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

About the Author:
Vicki understands special needs as a patient, parent, and professor. She has had multiple sclerosis since 1993. Her 31 year old son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. She’s taught special education as a teacher, administrator, and adjunct professor. Through her online community she reaches out to other parents of children with special needs. http://theblogfrog.com/1505794

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

What uplifting verse echoes in your mind throughout the day?

White knuckles grasped the arm rests. “Just a bit of turbulence,” the flight attendant’s voice cracked as lightning reached for us and thunder yelled at our arrogant plane flying through his sky.

Too frightened to feel fear, I mashed my nose into the plastic window as dark clouds turned opaque. Rain pelted the window. The lightning flashed around me. The interior lights flickered out. Darkness had conquered our plane.

I looked around hoping to see the flight attendant in the glow of the emergency row lights. Nothing. I looked out the window, hoping to see a break. Nothing. I closed my eyes and considered the age old analogy of pushing through the storms of life: keep walking through it, the storm will pass.

But we did not fly through it, we flew up–into it. The trajectory forced my head against the back of the seat. Why continue flying up? We needed to land.

Milliseconds loitered until white flashed in the window again. I pressed my face back to the plastic as the plane surged through the top of the cloud. I looked down to see the storm we escaped, but the turmoil below hid, cowering beneath the rippling marshmallow cloud-floor. I saw no ominous clouds, only sunshine and beauty reflecting off a fountain of wispy clouds.

I am learning to push through storms when they attack, but the quickest way out of the storm is straight up. Above the storm, the sun still shines.

Now I know, when lightning and thunder join forces with rain, I have no armor. I cannot fight. But I can look up. And in the heavens, I can see their weaknesses and remember that beyond them, the sun beams.

Prayer: Father, I see the storm in my life and I know I cannot fight it. I am overwhelmed by the pain. Help me look up so the rains of despair do not drown me. Amen.

Welcome to our newest writer!
Andrea Hitefield lives in Dallas, TX, and is a current student at Dallas Theological Seminary. She loves drinking tea and watching the storms pass by her apartment window. She enjoys finding small treasures to help her deal with a life of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

What ways can you look up when the storm pelts you with rain?

Dooch - AKA "Hope Boy"

By Debbi Farmer

Eventually, we will all feel blue. We will have days, even weeks when we are sad. Many can rebound from these emotions–but many cannot.

We face tragedies and struggles that can turn our world completely upside down. And sadly there are times also when physical changes in our body can cause clinical depression even when life appears to the world to be running smoothly. When you have depression, it interferes with daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you.

Depression is a common but serious illness.

Many people with a depressive illness never even seek treatment. Helping someone with depression can be a challenge.

If someone in your life has depression, they may feel helpless and you may wonder what to do. You can help the person you care about recognize the symptoms of depression and get treatment that will help them.

People with depression may not recognize or even acknowledge that they are depressed. They may not even be aware of the signs and symptoms of depression, or they may feel too hopeless to address the issue. People with depression may think that how they feel is normal and not the result of a mental health condition. All too often, people feel ashamed about their depression and mistakenly believe they should be able to overcome it with willpower alone. But depression seldom gets better without treatment and may indeed get worse.

If you are in this same boat, believe me when I say the boat is full as many more are suffering today also.

Debbi Farmer, a part-time writer in North Carolina, lives a song-filled life now with her family thanks to the Lord’s wonderful and sufficient grace after suffering from severe clinical depression herself. Today she suffers from several illnesses including Fibromyalgia, but the Lord is good and has helped her face the trials of life and even waddle through them. She wishes she could give you all a cheerful hug today and share with you a song of hope.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow . . . we will be featuring an article about a rapper.

You heard it right! A rapper! Dominic Cook (also known as “Dooch”) has quite a story to tell and Debbi recently interviewed him about his testimony. He understands depression. He knows loss–deep, soul-wrenching, questioning God kind of loss.

His web site tells the details of his story:

From 12-17 his life revolved around the streets, he wanted to really live the stuff he rapped about and he did. Gang fights, felony arrests, robberies, him being stabbed 3 times and becoming a statistic by ending up on the notorious Rikers Island at age 18.

And that is why I ask you to open your heart. We do a lot of profiles here at Rest Ministries on women who have ministries out of their home, the clean-cut, those who sing what we define as traditional worship music. But pain is pain. And “Dooch” believes in the same God we do. And as I read through the interview by Debbi, a few people immediately came to mind who could use this man’s faith to strengthen their own. He speaks their “language.” They would read his story and see where he now puts his faith.

I hope you will look forward to it!

Mother’s Day. It’s a mixed bag of emotions depending on your life experiences. Some people will think of their own mother and her precious role in their lives; others will grieve the mother that is no longer here on earth; and some of you will think of the mother you still have here on earth–but who never fulfilled the role of “mom” in the way you dreamed.

Many women will get precious handmade gifts from their little ones; others will sit along and wait for a phone call from their adult child that never comes.

And still, some women will grieve extra hard this day that they are not celebrating being a mom. Perhaps they have not conceived, or they have lost a child. Some will suffer even more silently as they grieve the abortion they had years ago and imagine how old that child would now be.

I celebrate today as a mother because a very special woman gave me her baby through adoption. She looked me in the eyes and said, “I trust you completely.”

God loves us more than we can even imagine. Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ.” Whatever you are feeling today, be it joy or sorrow, know that you have been adopted by God. He loves us in a way that we cannot even fathom. His love is intense, extraordinary, possessive, and wondrous. We are His. You have done nothing so wrong that God will not claim you as His child.

And scripture tells us that “He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.” As a woman who dealt with infertility issues, I can say that we are a pretty emotional bunch. To settle us is no easy task. To use the example of settling a barren woman, tells us that nothing is beyond the Lord’s power, and that He can bring comfort in any circumstances, even the hurting heart of one who longs to nurture a child.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be the person You desire for to be and settle me with that peace You speak of in scriptures. Do not leave my side as I experience whatever you have in store for me today, on Mother’s Day.

About the Author:
Lisa Copen has been very blessed to have an amazing mother who is her best friend. She is a mother because another mother surrendered to what she believed was God’s will and gave her child to Lisa and her husband through the gift of adoption. Lisa is currently working on a book for Christian moms who live with chronic illness.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he gives us the above advice–words we’ve no doubt heard many times before.

When I read these instructions again recently, I was in a pretty bad place. Emotionally I was really struggling and I knew that because I was finding it hard to just make it through each day, I was less tolerant of other people around me and quicker to be critical, or thoughtless in my responses to them.

I guess you could say that this verse really hit home.

I know that I can be hard to be around when I go through those times where the chronic part of chronic pain, really gets me down. When I find myself overwhelmed by my circumstances and wondering how I’m going to keep on doing this, when it’s so hard.

Those around me, may not be able to understand what I’m going through, or may not even be aware that I’m struggling–so the rude, critical, or offhand responses I make, may seem hurtful.

This passage goes on to say the following things:
“Be kind and compassionate. . . Be imitators of God. . . live a live of love.” (Ephesians 4:32 5:1-2)

That’s hardly how I’ve felt towards others–I’m ashamed to say. I know I fall short of that behaviour so many times.

I’ve often said that it appears God has chosen not to heal me now, but He has given me the grace to go on living with my pain. Only by God’s grace can I go on facing each day and only with His help can every word, thought and act–be love.

Prayer: Father, may the words I speak, be helpful, not hurtful to others and may my behaviour be something to point others towards You, not turn them away. I acknowledge that I can’t do this alone, I daily need your help. Amen.

About the Author:
Fiona Burrows lives in Melbourne, Australia. She is thankful for the difference God makes in her life, and the lessons He is teaching her, as she lives with chronic back pain. She enjoys finding time for reading, writing, and photography, and to travel when she is able. You can contact her in the Sunroom.

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

Have there been times when you have said or done things that have turned others away from God? How do you stop that from happening?