3/17/2023 0 Comments Stop with AngerThe Bible doesn’t tell us not to become angry, but it does give us some guidelines on how we should handle our anger properly. If vented thoughtlessly, anger can hurt others and destroy relationships. If bottled up, it causes bitterness and destroys us from within. Paul tells us to deal with our anger swiftly and decisively. When anger is left to fester, Satan can gain a foothold and divide us. When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt. However, we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or when we feel offended or neglected. Selfish human anger never produces the righteousness God desires. It never helps anyone.
Questions for further thought: 1. In what ways are you nursing anger against someone right now? 2. What are some ways you could resolve your differences? Challenge: Think of that person you are nursing anger against. Commit to praying for them for one week and see how God works a miracle in your heart and mind.
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3/16/2023 0 Comments Stop with Pride and ArroganceThe cure for evil desires is a stance of humility. (See 1 Peter 5:5-6) Pride can make us self- centered and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine. It creates a greedy disposition towards things that we don’t really need. We can be released from these prideful desires by humbling ourselves before God by the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit fills us, we see that this world’s seductive attractions are only cheap substitutes for what God has to offer though faith in Christ.
Questions for further thought: 1. If you were to ask those closest to you, would they tag you as proud or humble? 2. What things weighed most heavily in your answer to question #1? Challenge: If you struggle with pride, and we all do, pray that the Lord would give a stance of humility. He loves to give us the desires of our hearts when they align with His! 3/15/2023 0 Comments Stop Listening to Wise CouncilJethro was Moses’ father-in-law and a very wise and necessary piece in Moses’ progression toward leadership of the Israelite people. Jethro suggested Moses delegate most of the work of judging people’s complaints to others and focus his efforts on the work that God had commissioned him to do. This delegation was wisdom in action as it relieved Moses’ stress and improved the quality of the government. Furthermore, it helped to prepare them for the system of government that would be their reality in Canaan. Proper delegation can multiply your effectiveness while giving other an opportunity for growth. By taking this wise advice, Moses became a more effective leader for God’s Kingdom while also giving others a chance to shine.
Questions for further thought: 1. How do you determine whom you take council from? 2. Can you recall a time you were the beneficiary of wise council? How about a time when you ignored wise council? Challenge: Do a word search on Biblegateway.com on wisdom. Read and meditate on some of the passages that appear. 3/14/2023 0 Comments Stop Trying to Control EverythingMoses was a busy man. He thought he should be judge and jury and act as the control arm of all the peoples various spats and disputes. He was spending so much time and energy hearing the Hebrews’ complaints that he could not get to the other important work that the Lord had set forth for him to do. He was wearing himself ragged serving the people in this way and the proclamation of God’s Word was suffering because of it. People in positions of responsibility often feel they are the only ones capable of completing the necessary tasks; but as it turns out, others are equally as capable.
Questions for further thought: 1. What are some things in your life that God desires to control? 2. In what ways do you see yourself giving God control of the areas identified in question #1? Challenge: Write out those things that are most difficult for you to give up control. Pray for God’s wisdom and help as you slowly turn those things over to Him. The Christian life is hard work. The Lord never said it would be easy. We are constantly swimming upstream against the strong current of sin that pervades this fallen world. To be a follower of Jesus Christ requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with Him, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin continually with the power of the Holy Spirit. To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We will inevitably stumble if we let the sin that so easily entangles get a foothold. We must remember to keep Christ in sight and to keep sin at bay, not in our power, but with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Questions for further thought: 1. What sins do you feel trapped in? 2. What is one sin you will commit to stop by the power of the Holy Spirit? What are your next steps to make this a reality? Challenge: Read the rest of Hebrews 12 and ask God to give you strength and fortitude as you engage in this battle against sin. 3/10/2023 0 Comments Don't Worry, Be HappyAnxiety seems to be a constant in our lives. Truly being at peace and trusting God to take care of us ranks right up there with patience as one of the hardest virtues to acquire. Chances are that it might take your whole lifetime to live in that consistent flow of faith. But a lifelong pursuit of understanding God’s power and love for us, small step by small step and maybe even taking a few giant steps along the way, will result in a story worth telling – one that is written by Him.
Questions for further thought: 1. What makes you most anxious in everyday life? 2. Where have you been successful in trusting that God will guide you? Challenge: Ask God to give you the long view of your life, to help you rise above the everyday turmoil and let go so He can write your story. 3/9/2023 0 Comments Turn Your Eyes Upon JesusThis man has a demon-possessed son who constantly endangers himself. The disciples can’t cast the demon out, and the father asks Jesus whether He can. Jesus basically questions the father’s faith. Instead of protesting or trying to screw up his courage and muster his own faith, this dad instinctively responds in the way we all should: “Help me overcome my unbelief!” God doesn’t require us to have some feeling measured by an imaginary Faith-O-Meter in order to help us; He grants us faith when we fall short.
Questions for further thought: 1. Do you ever question whether God can even help you? 2. Do you feel like there is some minimum level of faith required before God will answer prayer? Challenge: Think of the change you identified earlier this week to begin to write a different story about your life. Pray for the faith necessary to begin to let God rewrite your story through this one change, and remember that faith itself is a gift from God. 3/8/2023 0 Comments It Doesn't Depend on YouThis man has a demon-possessed son who constantly endangers himself. The disciples can’t cast the demon out, and the father asks Jesus whether He can. Jesus basically questions the father’s faith. Instead of protesting or trying to screw up his courage and muster his own faith, this dad instinctively responds in the way we all should: “Help me overcome my unbelief!” God doesn’t require us to have some feeling measured by an imaginary Faith-O-Meter in order to help us; He grants us faith when we fall short.
Questions for further thought: 1. Do you ever question whether God can even help you? 2. Do you feel like there is some minimum level of faith required before God will answer prayer? Challenge: Think of the change you identified earlier this week to begin to write a different story about your life. Pray for the faith necessary to begin to let God rewrite your story through this one change, and remember that faith itself is a gift from God. 3/7/2023 0 Comments God Even Helps AhabBoo! Hiss! Israel’s King Ahab is NOT a good guy. But in this passage we see God defending Ahab against the Syrian king for His own name’s sake. Ahab responds with questions: “Who will do this? Who will get it started?” And when the answer is “You will,” Ahab gets started. If even Ahab can be helped by God, surely your flaws can’t get in God’s way.
Questions for further thought: 1. Do you ever feel like you have to do something first to earn God’s help? 2. What questions would you ask God if you think He wants you to work on one specific improvement in your life? Challenge: We don’t have a prophet handy to tell us exactly what to do, so we have to listen. Ask God to give you guidance about where to start walking in obedience – and then set a timer for at least 2 minutes, slow your breathing, and try to listen for an answer. 3/6/2023 0 Comments Just One ThingIf we’re truthful, it’s not just one thing we have to fix, but a spiraling combination of flaws, an endless to-do list, feeling frozen or distracted or just flat. Our chaos, taken as a whole, seems impossible to fix – and it is, taken as a whole. But if we can be faithful in small things, taking them one at a time, we eventually can be faithful in the big things. And God never asks us to do it alone – He knows we can’t, and we shouldn’t even try! Starting small, you can let Him rewrite your story.
Questions for further thought: 1. Are you overwhelmed by everything you have to do or “fix” in your life? 2. Can you think of any habit in the past that you have started by just taking that one small step? Challenge: Make a list of 5 small things you’d like to work on in your life. Then pick one, only one. Choose one small action to improve it. Pray about it, and if possible, start immediately on this one small thing. |
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April 2024
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