2022-02-26
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
The Bible tells us: “Isaac’s servants dug…a well…But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, ‘The water is ours.’ So…they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also….And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called it…Rehoboth, because he said, ‘For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land'” (Genesis 26:19-22 NKJV).
What a great example of practicing forgiveness. During a drought, Isaac dug wells and his enemies moved in and claimed them. It wasn’t fair, but instead of retaliating, he moved on and dug new wells – and God blessed him greatly. The truth is this: God will fill the emptiness in your life when you forgive those who have hurt you.
Let’s face it; as long as we share this planet with other imperfect human beings, they will hurt us. There is no way to avoid it. And when the hurt goes deep, it can be hard to forgive. Does that mean you should go around pretending that nothing is wrong, and denying how you feel? No, the first step toward healing is acknowledging your feelings. And Jesus gives us the second step: “Pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28 NIV).
When you do that, something unexpected happens. Your heart softens and you start to see the offender through God’s eyes instead of your own raw emotions. “But I don’t want to forgive them!” you say. Then here is step three. Acknowledge your unwillingness to forgive and ask God to make you willing. Pray, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.”
Soul food: Exo 4-6; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 58; Pro 6:12-15
2022-02-13
Hebrews 12:11 ESV
Healthy confrontation calls for putting the other person’s well-being above your own interests. So how do you confront someone in the right way? By doing these three things:
(1) Be sure. There must be a good reason to confront. And it should be a rare event, not an everyday one. You shouldn’t relish the experience. If you do, you need to examine your motives. Are you feeling superior? Are you redirecting your anger toward this person over a completely different issue? Are you lifting yourself up by putting them down? Before confronting someone, you must answer these questions truthfully.
(2) Be specific. Vagueness leads to an uncertain outcome, no matter how tactful and gracious your words may be. Make sure you know the reason for the confrontation; then make it clear to the other person.
(3) Be sensitive. Every situation is different, so a season of soul-searching and prayer should precede any face-to-face encounter. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for problems, and the other person will sense uncertainty and uneasiness in your words. Don’t run that risk. If you haven’t taken the time to pray and get counsel beforehand, don’t jump into the situation on your own. We have all seen this type of Clint Eastwood “Go ahead, make my day” approach. Without fail, it leaves confusion, resentment, and a trail of wounded souls. Make sure your words and tone of voice are attuned to the person you’re dealing with. And try to keep your personal agenda in check; none of this is about you! Pay close attention to timing, choose your words carefully, and, for sure, pray for guidance. Remember, Christlike confrontation brings the right result every time.
Soul food: Isa 9:1-7; Luke 2:1-7; Matt 4:12-16
Hebrews 12:11 ESV
Healthy confrontation calls for putting the other person’s well-being above our own interests. Here are three things that can help us confront others in the right way: 1) Be sure. There must be a good reason to confront. And confrontation should be a rare event, not an everyday one. We shouldn’t get pleasure out of the experience. If we do, we seriously need to examine our own motives. Before confronting someone, we must answer these questions truthfully: Am I feeling superior? Am I redirecting my anger towards this person over a completely different issue? Am I putting this person down in order to feel good about myself?
2) Be specific. No matter how tactful and gracious our words might be, if we’re vague about the reason for the confrontation, we’ll never get anywhere in helping the other person to improve. We need to be sure of the reason for the confrontation, and then make it clear to the other person.
3) Be sensitive. Every situation is different, so a season of prayer should always happen before any face-to-face encounter. Otherwise, we’re setting ourselves up for problems, and the other person will sense uncertainty and uneasiness in our words. Don’t run that risk. If we haven’t taken the time to pray and get God involved, we absolutely mustn’t jump into the situation on our own. Without God’s input, we’ll leave a trail of confusion, resentment, and wounded souls.
Another important bit of advice is to make sure our words and tone of voice are adapted to the person we’re talking to. So in short, if you need to confront someone, pay close attention to timing, choose your words carefully, and most importantly, pray for guidance.
Isa 9:1-7; Luke 2:1-7; Matt 4:12-16
2022-02-06
Psalm 55:22 NIV
When we’re stressed, the surge of negative emotions can be overwhelming. And unless you unburden your soul before God, it’s easy to make wrong decisions, succumb to wrong impulses, move in the wrong direction, and explode at the wrong people. The psalmist addresses this: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” The extent to which you consciously lean on God, drawing strength from Him, is the extent to which you will lower your anxiety level.
It’s no coincidence that many of the psalms start with David crying out to God for help and end with him rejoicing because he vented his frustrations to the right person – God! The truth is, life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. Your job, your finances, your marriage, your children, your health, and your future are all sources of anxiety, so you will never be totally free from angst.
But you can lower your anxiety level by following Paul’s advice: “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus…Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so…we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times…but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort – we get a full measure of that, too” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 MSG).
To quote a well-known pastor: “The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry.”
Soul food: Isa 53:1-12; Acts 8:26-40
2021-12-20
Hebrews 5:14 NCV
In the 1940s, Switzerland manufactured 80 per cent of the world’s watches. Then in the 1960s, when an inventor presented a concept for a new type of watch to the leaders of a Swiss company, they rejected it. All the other Swiss companies he approached did the same. They lived by the philosophy, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ But the inventor believed in his design, and took it to a company in Japan. The name of the company was Seiko, the design of the watch was digital, and guess what? Sales of digital watches soon outstripped the traditional analogue ones. One discernment-driven decision can change the course of our entire life. And our discernment can also end up blessing others.
Here are two things we need to know about God-given discernment: 1) It’s shaped by Scripture. ‘Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and knows nothing about right teaching. But solid food is for those who are grown up. They are mature enough to know the difference between good and evil’ (v.13-14 NCV). Spending time in God’s Word, reading it, studying it, reflecting on it, and asking questions about it will help us develop our level of discernment.
2) It’s sharpened by use. The more we use it, the more competent we become. We’ll sometimes make mistakes when it comes to exercising discernment, but just like a muscle, the more we flex and stretch it, the stronger it grows.
And here’s one last thought about discernment: the Bible refers to ‘discerning of spirits’, or attitudes and motivations (see 1 Corinthians 12:10). What a great advantage to have! Let’s pray for the gift of discernment and use it at every opportunity.
Zech 9-11; John 21:1-14; Ps 12; Prov 31:1-5
