New Wave of God: Love and Mercy Doug Addison Are there people in your life that annoy you? Maybe you have family or friends that have different beliefs and values than you do, and it causes friction between you. If so, then this is a great opportunity to extend God’s grace to them and watch your situation change. God is releasing a new wave of His love and mercy. Where there has been a heavy stand on doctrine and beliefs, it’s now time to extend acceptance to the outcasts, the broken-hearted and those beaten down by religion. Love will overflow to bring justice. I was irritated Recently I was coming out of a coffee shop in Los Angeles only to be accosted by a panhandler looking for money. I was irritated partly because of this person’s attitude, treating me as if I owed him money. I decided that day to ask him his name. He stopped as if no one had ever asked before. He told me his name and I asked him about his tattoo that read, “If I don’t laugh I will cry.” I don’t usually give people on the street money. Instead I sometimes buy gift cards so they will not buy drugs. I gave him one and it only took my slowing down to change the situation. There is always a real person inside everyone we meet. How to turn around any situation Maybe you have heard me talk about how you can change the spiritual atmosphere around you? The secret is simply found in the spiritual principle of “what you sow is what you reap.” If you find yourself seeing negative things in others or your situation then that is all you will see—whether it is reality or not. You can change your focus and turn a situation around instantly. The reason this is important is that there is power in our thoughts, words and prayers. Usually people who are negative have been wounded, possibly by someone who could have extended them love. When it is in our power, we need to find ways to “bless and not curse.” This often requires being inconvenienced, since we will need to be intentional and proactive. Spiritual complaint department I sometimes joke around saying that I put in three good opinions of people for every negative complaint in Heaven when I’m praying because I like to balance out the complaint ecosystem. It may seem funny, but in some respects it’s true. You overcome negativity with the positive. This is to help offset a negative legalistic view of God that has crept into many people’s beliefs. A big sign of this legalism is when you see people moving from grace and mercy to rules and judgment. God is love and He is always calling us to grow in love and compassion. When we lose touch When we stand too firm for what we believe, then we can lose touch with grace, mercy and God’s heart for people in need around us. God is revealing these negative beliefs now. If you find yourself doing some of these things the best way to deal with it is to stop yourself and be humble towards others. God is releasing a new power to love the unlovely. What can we do? There are some easy ways to show love in practical terms. • Find someone to bless. • Look around at your situation and focus on what’s good. • Check your own thought process. Best of all: love Let’s take advantage of each opportunity to be useful to God as we show love. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV Blessings, Doug Addison DougAddison.com Doug Addison is a prophetic dream interpreter, speaker, writer, Life Coach, and stand-up comedian. Doug travels the world bringing a message of love, hope, and having fun! His unique style helps open people to discover their destiny and experience God’s supernatural love and power. Doug is an award-winning author of seven books. He and his wife Linda live in Los Angeles, California.