When The Door Slams
"Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:26-28
Many victims [of sexual abuse have] tremendous anger toward God, their parents and other Christians who did not understand the deep pain the abuse victim has endured. Many pastors and other Christians are personally uncomfortable or unfamiliar with such intense pain. Wanting to "rescue" the victim as well as to avoid experiencing their own pain through personal involvement, they may tend to give "formulas" or "pat answer" as a solutions: Just trust in Jesus and everything will be okay.
Initially, however, such superficial advice only increases the pain and confusion victims experience. It implies they don't have enough faith, that they should be " OK" by now, or that they are not pleasing God in some way because they aren't yet healed.... I know that Christ is the Healer; He wants to heal the damage that has been done, but restoration often involves a process that takes years. There is no "quick fix" to the pain of any abuse.
Think about this: Without first repairing the interpersonal relationship with God...., the abuse victim has no "source" with which to establish any lasting victory over the results of damage in his or her life, nor sustenance for the journey to wholeness.
Many times the relationship with God must be entirely role-modeled again within a trusting and caring counseling relationship with another person as a pattern for developing a healthy relationship as the victim learns how to have a healthy relationship with the of Christ.
Related Bible Texts: Job 7:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 John 3:1-2
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Sunday, February 16, 2020
A True Friend Cares
When The Door Slam
"Consider your ways!
You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes."
Haggai 1:3-6
A true friend says what is good for us, not just what sound good. A good friend sometimes says the hard things because we need to hear them and make changes. A true friend cares enough to confront.
The prophet Haggai passed on God's loving confrontive words to the people of Israel. God had earned the right to confront. Think about this: He was the Father of Israel and they were His children. He had supported them, provided for them, guided them, encouraged them. Now, however, in love He felt the need to confront them because of their choices.
It seems the Israelites had taken up poor spending habits. They were living beyond their means. They were not planning or saving. Whatever they made in wages was immediately spent. Even though they were spending, eating, and drinking, it was never enough. They always wanted more, but gave nothing to God.
Our God is a caring God. He cares enough to confront. He will, through His Word, show us areas of our lives that need to change, just as He did with the children of Israel. Let The Lord God speak to you today through His Word and lovingly show you what you need to change. He loves you enough to confront
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.
"Consider your ways!
You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes."
Haggai 1:3-6
A true friend says what is good for us, not just what sound good. A good friend sometimes says the hard things because we need to hear them and make changes. A true friend cares enough to confront.
The prophet Haggai passed on God's loving confrontive words to the people of Israel. God had earned the right to confront. Think about this: He was the Father of Israel and they were His children. He had supported them, provided for them, guided them, encouraged them. Now, however, in love He felt the need to confront them because of their choices.
It seems the Israelites had taken up poor spending habits. They were living beyond their means. They were not planning or saving. Whatever they made in wages was immediately spent. Even though they were spending, eating, and drinking, it was never enough. They always wanted more, but gave nothing to God.
Our God is a caring God. He cares enough to confront. He will, through His Word, show us areas of our lives that need to change, just as He did with the children of Israel. Let The Lord God speak to you today through His Word and lovingly show you what you need to change. He loves you enough to confront
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.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Ways Of The World
When The Door Slams
For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh. the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world
1 John 2:16
Learning facts does not necessarily give one wisdom: This passage addresses the absolute futility of the human "rat race." We all struggle with it. We easily fall back into the rat race if we don't fight it with godly wisdom.
Everybody feels like a nobody sometime. Many of us devote time, energy, and money to prove to others that we are somebody. People ignore their children, cheat on their spouse, cheat in business, and generally ruin their lives to prove it, but they never find significance.
The ways we vainly try to prove our significance are known as the "ways of the world." Lust of the flesh implies illicit bodily appetites, including sexual, food, and chemical addictions. Lust of the eyes is the temptation of materialism. the Greek phrase for the pride of life literally means "the pretension of human life," pride, arrogance, ostentatious behavior, trying to control others.
Even if the ways of the world worked, they would be immoral and wrong. God says they can never fill the void in our souls. Only faith in Christ, and pursing intimacy with Him and loving believers, can fill those vacuums and bring meaning to our lives. Only looking at ourselves the way God looks at us-as children who are in process of being perfected in Christ-can bring true feelings of significance. Jesus is the answer.
May my God grant us the wisdom to devote our energy to real understanding of God and loving people-rather than the ways of the world.
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.
For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh. the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world
1 John 2:16
Learning facts does not necessarily give one wisdom: This passage addresses the absolute futility of the human "rat race." We all struggle with it. We easily fall back into the rat race if we don't fight it with godly wisdom.
Everybody feels like a nobody sometime. Many of us devote time, energy, and money to prove to others that we are somebody. People ignore their children, cheat on their spouse, cheat in business, and generally ruin their lives to prove it, but they never find significance.
The ways we vainly try to prove our significance are known as the "ways of the world." Lust of the flesh implies illicit bodily appetites, including sexual, food, and chemical addictions. Lust of the eyes is the temptation of materialism. the Greek phrase for the pride of life literally means "the pretension of human life," pride, arrogance, ostentatious behavior, trying to control others.
Even if the ways of the world worked, they would be immoral and wrong. God says they can never fill the void in our souls. Only faith in Christ, and pursing intimacy with Him and loving believers, can fill those vacuums and bring meaning to our lives. Only looking at ourselves the way God looks at us-as children who are in process of being perfected in Christ-can bring true feelings of significance. Jesus is the answer.
May my God grant us the wisdom to devote our energy to real understanding of God and loving people-rather than the ways of the world.
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
Non-Defensive
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.
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 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.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Lukewarm Spiritually
When The Door Slams
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:15
One of the characteristics of someone who is severely depressed is a flat affect. What this means is that they show little emotion. This kind of person does not respond with enthusiasm to anything. They are "lifeless." Even when surrounded by the celebrations of Christmas there is no display of emotion.
In Rev. 3:14-22 the Church in Laodicea had become complacent. They showed no vitality and no life. They were lukewarm spiritually. In their feasts as well as in their religious sacrifices, people in the ancient world customarily drank what was either hot or cold, never lukewarm.
Therefore this distasteful "lukewarm" label had a real impact. The imagery is sorrowful. They needed to find true richness, they needed to cover their shameful nakedness with clothes and put salve (ointment) on their eyes so they could have spiritual sight. The church was unconscious of its real need.
The warning comes to us today to be alert to our spiritual life, to see clearly our spiritual situation, and not to get complacent in our materialism. Lord, at this time of the year when we are bombarded by materialism, help us to have spiritual eyes to clearly evaluate our personal lives.
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.
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:15
One of the characteristics of someone who is severely depressed is a flat affect. What this means is that they show little emotion. This kind of person does not respond with enthusiasm to anything. They are "lifeless." Even when surrounded by the celebrations of Christmas there is no display of emotion.
In Rev. 3:14-22 the Church in Laodicea had become complacent. They showed no vitality and no life. They were lukewarm spiritually. In their feasts as well as in their religious sacrifices, people in the ancient world customarily drank what was either hot or cold, never lukewarm.
Therefore this distasteful "lukewarm" label had a real impact. The imagery is sorrowful. They needed to find true richness, they needed to cover their shameful nakedness with clothes and put salve (ointment) on their eyes so they could have spiritual sight. The church was unconscious of its real need.
The warning comes to us today to be alert to our spiritual life, to see clearly our spiritual situation, and not to get complacent in our materialism. Lord, at this time of the year when we are bombarded by materialism, help us to have spiritual eyes to clearly evaluate our personal lives.
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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