When The Door Slams
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
Psalms 91:14
Our responsibility is to set our love on Christ and trust Him to defend us. God's response is exultation. He will set us on high at the proper time. This is an incredibly freeing thought; no matter what happens we do not need to defend or glorify ourselves.
Our culture teaches us to respond defensively. It is a skill that each of us must learn and practice. Most of us assume that if we don't defend ourselves in a conflict others will see us as weak. In reality, the opposite is true. Nondefensive responses such as, "Let me think about that," and "Why don't we talk about this when you are not so upset," keep conflict from escalating.
Christ is a perfect example of truth in this passage. Christ is God. He didn't have to grasp for deity because He already had it all.
Christ was so sure of His identity that He was free to lay aside His position. He willingly stepped from deity into humanity. Because Jesus set aside His human will in order to do the will of His Father, "God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name."
Each of us needs to surrender our need to exalt ourselves. Our Lord will work out His perfect will in the details of our lives.
Lord, in the conflicts I might face today, help me to speak the truth in a loving nondefensive manner.
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
God's Word Under Attack
When The Door Slams
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Revelation 22:18-19
Revelation contrasts the serenity and blessings of believers to the severe plagues and pain that will come to those who refuse to accept Christ. There is also a final warning to all people not to mass with God's Word.
The Bible is under attack in our world, even by very "religious" people. Some discredit it completely, but others are more subtle. Does your own pastor believe in the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible? Even seminaries often belittle God's Word. Cults crop up every day. Manipulative men and women want to control others' minds. Some clam to have written new books to the Bible. They take advantage of the naive.
God's Word is complete. It is God's inspired love letter to us. It guides us to recovery from our negative tendencies, sins, and addictions. It teaches us to reach out to God and our peers. It teaches us our significance and promises a glorious future. It is God's Completed gift and our personal path to joy and peace. May God grant us the serenity that comes from trusting His Word and not being fooled by those who would discredit it or add to it.
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge These to the Lord and think Him for his forgiveness.
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Revelation 22:18-19
Revelation contrasts the serenity and blessings of believers to the severe plagues and pain that will come to those who refuse to accept Christ. There is also a final warning to all people not to mass with God's Word.
The Bible is under attack in our world, even by very "religious" people. Some discredit it completely, but others are more subtle. Does your own pastor believe in the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible? Even seminaries often belittle God's Word. Cults crop up every day. Manipulative men and women want to control others' minds. Some clam to have written new books to the Bible. They take advantage of the naive.
God's Word is complete. It is God's inspired love letter to us. It guides us to recovery from our negative tendencies, sins, and addictions. It teaches us to reach out to God and our peers. It teaches us our significance and promises a glorious future. It is God's Completed gift and our personal path to joy and peace. May God grant us the serenity that comes from trusting His Word and not being fooled by those who would discredit it or add to it.
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge These to the Lord and think Him for his forgiveness.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Defense Mechanisms
When The Door Slams
"The heart is deceitful above all things. And desperately wicked: Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways.
And according to the fruit of his doings."
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Our hearts are deceitful.
The heart includes our mind, our emotions, and our will.
We can be deceived by our thoughts, feelings and actions. Psychology has labeled these ways we deceive or lie to ourselves defense mechanisms. There are many defense mechanisms that can be used.
We can repress our true feelings and pretend we are doing good, when we are desperately hurting. Rationalization is a way we avoid the truth and make the unacceptable appear acceptable. Projection is another defense mechanism involving blaming others for our own shortcomings.
Denial is the refusal to see what really exists or to accept that it is true. There are many other defense mechanisms, but all of them are ways we lie to ourselves.
The truly wise person is not afraid to face the facts and understand that defense mechanisms is deceitful. A wise person will hate his or her iniquity rather than hide it. The wise person can face him or herself rather than live a life centered on defense mechanisms.
Lord, help me to see myself clearly. Help me to hate my own sin but lover the sinner, just as You do.
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
"The heart is deceitful above all things. And desperately wicked: Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways.
And according to the fruit of his doings."
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Our hearts are deceitful.
The heart includes our mind, our emotions, and our will.
We can be deceived by our thoughts, feelings and actions. Psychology has labeled these ways we deceive or lie to ourselves defense mechanisms. There are many defense mechanisms that can be used.
We can repress our true feelings and pretend we are doing good, when we are desperately hurting. Rationalization is a way we avoid the truth and make the unacceptable appear acceptable. Projection is another defense mechanism involving blaming others for our own shortcomings.
Denial is the refusal to see what really exists or to accept that it is true. There are many other defense mechanisms, but all of them are ways we lie to ourselves.
The truly wise person is not afraid to face the facts and understand that defense mechanisms is deceitful. A wise person will hate his or her iniquity rather than hide it. The wise person can face him or herself rather than live a life centered on defense mechanisms.
Lord, help me to see myself clearly. Help me to hate my own sin but lover the sinner, just as You do.
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
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