Purity 427 05/25/2021 Purity 427 Podcast
Good morning.
After starting yesterday
with a mild “case of the Mondays”, I struggled to experience the contentment I
knew I should be walking in as someone who is alive and well and blessed to
know the Lord. I went through my regular
practice of gratitude and attempted to be thankful for everything I had only to
have a contradictory attitude rise up in me as I was annoyed at having to go to
work and instead of seeing the good of what I had in my life, I had critical
thoughts about the quality of my standard of living and doubts about my immediate
and distant future.
It was with this battle
of mental warfare that I took to the road yesterday and thankfully it didn’t
take long for the Lord to bless me with an insight that changed things.
While we are not supposed
to base our self-worth according to material possessions, personal attributes, or
our station in life because someone invariably will have more things, talent,
wealth, beauty, or intelligence than us, sometimes comparing ourselves to
others can really help us to gain some perspective.
As I drove through
various parts of the capital district on my commute to my first job I was
convicted about being critical about my standard of living when I realized that
many have less than I do and some live on the streets.
The mad pace of some
other commuters in traffic also reminded me that even though I left home at the
last minute, I realized that I wasn’t in a hurry or fearful of being late and
that I was blessed with a job that gave me a great deal of independence and
financial security.
I was shamed by my
negative thoughts about what I had and realized that they were tied to hopes
for even better things in the future.
Hoping for and planning
for good things in the future is great but I, and possibly with some assistance
from the enemy, as I am teaching on spiritual warfare this week after all, took
my vague hopes for better things in the future and turned them around to be a
present moment condemnation. My critical
attitude was fueled by my hopes for a better tomorrow.
Although I have vague
plans and hopes for the future, somehow I didn’t manage to accomplish them all
over the weekend. Somehow I didn’t wake
up magically delivered from my current situation and I still had to go to the “same
old grind” on Monday. And because of
that irrational feeling coupled with fears that I might not accomplish my goals,
whatever they may be, I viewed my present state with an extremely critical
eye.
Thankfully, my eyes were
opened to the fact that I have it pretty good right now and everything turned
around to the point where I was able to stop and “smell the roses” later in the
day to capture today’s photo.
For someone who is
teaching discipleship and spiritual warfare, I realize that I am still a
student, but I am becoming more adept at recognizing the fact that our thoughts
are something that we can control and that we can challenge any negative
thoughts and change the narrative that defines our day.
We have to ask ourselves
questions like: Why am I feeling this way? What am I thinking about? Is that
true? Why am I thinking about this? Do I really want to dwell on these things
that I am thinking about and feel this way?
And when we do all that
we should also ask: What does God say?
The Lord will never
leave us or forsake us. He has given us the power to overcome by renewing our
minds with His wisdom and by drawing on the strength of His presence.
So keep walking and
talking with God, because brother, when we just talk to ourselves or listen to
those nagging voices or impressions that tell us that we are not good enough, we
know that dialog isn’t coming from God.
The Lord wants to work
everything together for good for those that love Him, and part of that work
happens in our minds. When we focus on what He says about us, we will know who
we truly are and will experience peace regardless of the circumstances.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
John 1:14
(NKJV)
14 And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth.
Today’s verse points to the incarnation: God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ.
We don’t celebrate Christmas for nothing! The invisible God becomes visible to us all in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ’s words, actions, and miraculous works show us that God is good, just, faithful, loving, and holy.
The incarnation, God becoming man, was not only the Lord’s plan to redeem mankind. Forgive the play on words but, it also shows us that God likes us and is like us.
First, the incarnation was done out of God’s love for us. So yeah, He really, really likes us. Christ’s earthly ministry, death and resurrection all point to God’s great love for us. John 3:16 ring a bell?
But another thing that we may miss is that the incarnation was to show us that God is like us. God is a person. God is not some mystical alien intelligence that man can not relate to. Man is made in God’s image and while we are not little gods, we are a reflection of God in our attributes that allow us to be kind, loving, just, and wise.
Of course man shows his true wisdom in following what the word of God says as we were created with the intention that we would give God glory by being like Him. Christ became flesh to show us that God understood our struggles and that when we abide with God like Christ did, we can live a righteous life. Jesus showed us the way. We just have to follow His example and accept the new life we have been given by faith.
So if you run into anyone who tells you that you can’t really know God, introduce them to Jesus. He didn’t come to earth so people could say you can’t know God. He came to show us who God is and to let us know that God loves us.
I invite all to mt4christ.org where I always share
insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters
in Christ with their walk.
Today, in continuing recognition of mental health awareness month, we continue
to share from Dr. June Hunt’s “Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless
“.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
F. How to Forgive
Is your sense of hopelessness caused by unforgiveness? Have you ever said:
“I have been so wronged. I know I should forgive, but how can I simply
let my offender off the hook? I just can’t!”? If these thoughts are
driving your depression ... if these words have passed your lips or even
crossed your mind, be assured you are not alone. That is precisely why you need
to know that you can let go of the hurt and the heartache. You can learn ...
How to Handle “The Hook”
- Start by
making a list of all the offenses caused by your offender.
- Imagine
right now a meat hook around your neck and a burlap bag hanging from the
hook in front of you. And imagine all the pain caused by the offenses
against you—each offense on the list—dropped like rocks into the burlap
bag—the bigger the offense, the bigger the rock. So, now you have 100 lbs
of heavy rocks—rocks of resentment—hanging from the hook around your neck
... weighing you down in despair.
- Ask
yourself, Do I really want to carry all that pain with me for the rest
of my life? Are you willing to take the pain from the past and release
it into the hands of the Lord?
- If so,
right now, take all the pain and release it to Jesus.
- Take the
one who offended you off of your emotional hook and place your
offender onto God’s hook. The Lord knows how to deal with your
offender ... in His time and in His way. God says ...
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35)
Prayer to Forgive Your Offender
“Lord Jesus, thank You for caring about how much my heart has been
hurt. You know the pain I have felt because of (list every offense). Right now,
I release all that pain into Your hands. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the
cross for me and extending Your forgiveness to me. As an act of my will, I
choose to forgive (name). Right now, I move (name) off of my emotional hook to
Your hook. I refuse all thoughts of revenge. I trust that in Your time and in
Your way You will deal with my offender as You see fit. And Lord, thank You for
giving me Your power to forgive so that I can be set free. In Your holy name I
pray. Amen.”
A Bitter Survivor
Question:
“How can I release bitterness toward my loved one who committed suicide?”
Answer: Although you cannot confront your offender in person, you can
confront indirectly by saying what you would want or need to say as if your
offender were in front of you.
- Consider
the “chair technique.” Imagine your offender seated in a chair placed in
front of you. Say the things you would say if the person were actually
seated across a table from you. Express your feelings about what was done
to you and the painful ramifications those events have had on your life.
Then extend forgiveness and explain that you have taken the person off of your
emotional hook and placed the person onto God’s hook.
- Write a
letter to your offender, stating every painful memory. Read it over the
person’s grave or at a place where you can openly speak as though you were
in each other’s presence. Then at the close, choose to forgive by
releasing your offender into the hands of God.
- Make a
list of all painful as well as positive memories. After completing the
list, go back to the beginning and write the word “past” by each memory.
Acknowledge and accept that the past is in the past. Release all the pain
as well as the person into the hands of God.
The fact that your offender has died does not mean you cannot forgive and
thereby release bitterness that may have established a foothold in your heart
and mind. The Bible says ...
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and
that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:15)
Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys:
Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless.
----------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
God bless
you all!
Join our
Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class via the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D
Email me
at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be
encouraged.
Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship
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