Purity 357: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Purity 357 03/04/2021 Purity 357 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo of “The Gorge”, presumably the Niagara Gorge, because the friend who posted this last known whereabouts were in the Buffalo, New York area, shows us a blue sky, green water and brown foliage.  Yeah, so that’s probably near Buffalo. Honestly, I don’t know for sure because they didn’t share the location and their privacy settings don’t even tell me where they live! Well, despite the dormancy of the vegetation, we can still enjoy the view and possibly be inspired to seek out the hiking trails near this site, when things are green again maybe.

Also as there is a bridge in the distance, I would like to encourage all my friends by reminding them that every day we are taking a step closer to spring. We are currently crossing the bridge from one season to another and every day feels like a victory to me. 

I would also like to remind my friends that every day God is inviting us to enter into His presence no matter where we go or what the season. 

So, if you are curious about deepening your faith, I encourage you to join our discipleship class locally at Rock Solid Church this evening at 6:30pm or by joining are class remotely via the mt4christ247 podcast.   When we walk with God, we are never alone and if you need company on your journey join us on the path of discipleship. 

(An Audio version of this message is available 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).) There is more content at the restricted blog. Follow me on Twitter or MeWe for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Psalm 146:1-2 (NLT2)
¹ Praise the LORD! Let all that I am praise the LORD.
² I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Today’s verse exhorts us to praise the Lord with all that we are and as long as we live.   These verses point to a deep relationship with God. They reveal that the psalmist knows the truth of who God is and that the appropriate response to that knowledge is to use every core of their being to praise the LORD until the day they are called into eternity. 

This attitude of the heart, that feels compelled to surrender all of oneself to praise the Lord, is what we aspire to develop.  This dedication to the Lord and giving Him praise is a disciple’s attitude.  

The more we walk in the Spirit and seek the Lord the more we will realize the depth of His wisdom, the awesomeness of who He is, and the incredible love that He has for us and that experiential knowledge will provide us with a continual source of praise.  

Singing the Lord’s praises is not only an appropriate response to our relationship with Him it is also a gateway to His presence and a means to grow in our spiritual maturity. 

When you are singing to the Lord with all your heart, you break down the walls between the soul and spirit, where your intellectual knowledge of God becomes heart knowledge as your mind, will, and emotions are given insights from the Holy Spirit.   

Through repentance, prayer, and worship, I have experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit where He literally manifested His presence.  If you don’t know what that is, research it, repent and pray to receive it.  To this day, I periodically experience the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in times of prayer and worship.   As I walk in the Spirit daily, my orientation is to expect and welcome the Holy Spirit’s presence, wisdom, and leadings.     

The way the Holy Spirit finds you is through your sincerely seeking Him with all of your heart and singing the Lord’s praises is one way to break through to a new spiritual dimension of intimacy with Him.  

I have compiled a worship music playlist that I listen to quite often, where it is almost a soundtrack for my day, and it has been a conduit for the Holy Spirit as I have used it to sing praises to the Lord and to open my heart and reach out in my spirit to commune with Him.   If you’d like to see that playlist, I shared it today at mt4christ.org. on Facebook, twitter, and MeWe.  The link below:

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/84d0d2e3cfcc4aacae0dce46055759afsune?ref=dm_sh_e8dc-f2a8-283e-f5a3-7d147

If you have a problem with expressing your faith in song, you really should try to get over yourself.  The Lord wants all of you. Your praises and your heart need to be surrendered to the Lord out of your love for Him.  

When you draw close to the Lord, He draws close to you.  And when you do it in song with all of your being, you better buckle up because you may just tear down a wall into a spiritual dimension that you never dreamed existed, a dimension that will give you will full assurance of the reality of God and His incredible love for you. 

If you reach out and God shows up, you’ll never have to work up your praise again. It will be a natural response and a continual delight.  

So reach down within, reach out to the Lord with your spirit, and sing His praises!

I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we will share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Anger: Facing the Fire Within”

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:

IV. STEPS TO SOLUTION

Frustration Ignites Anger

On that hot, dry day, Moses' frustration reached a boiling point. He had led more than a million of his people through the vast desert. But for all of his efforts, they continually complained... criticizing his leadership and condemning him for their plight: "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead...! Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place?" (Numbers 20:3-5).

Now once again, they had no water. Earlier in their journey, God had miraculously provided water by instructing Moses to strike a particular rock with his staff. When Moses obeyed, a stream of water—enough for all of Israel—poured out of the rock. (See Exodus 17:1-6.)

Now, at this point, God intended to perform a similar miracle, but He told Moses to simply speak to—not strike—a certain rock. However, Moses was so frustrated with the people that his anger boiled over the edge. Rather than speaking to the rock, he forcefully struck the rock... not once, but twice. Gushing water is what God intended—not gushing anger. As a result, God disciplined His chosen leader by not allowing him to lead His chosen people into the Promised Land. (See Numbers 20:1-12.)

At times, are you like Moses? Do you ever allow injustice, hurt, fear, or frustration to make you furious... for which you receive a painful repercussion? If so, what should you do when you get angry? The Bible says...

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil." (Psalm 37:8)

A. Key Verses to Memorize

Firefighters know the danger of letting a flame get out of control. They are trained to respond quickly. You must also respond quickly in order to control the flame of anger before it consumes your life and destroys your relationships. For this reason...

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James 1:19-20)

B. Key Passage to Read and Reread

"'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.... Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:26-27, 29-32)

God's Analysis of Anger

• Anger is appropriate at certain times	v. 26
• Anger must be directly and promptly controlled so that it does not lead to a sinful response	v. 26
• Anger, if not stopped, can be used by Satan	v. 27
• Anger, if prolonged, gives ground to Satan	v. 27
• Anger can lead to corrupt, unwholesome, degrading talk	v. 29
• Anger can grieve the Holy Spirit	v. 30
• Anger can be totally cancelled	v. 31
• Anger becomes sin when it results in bitterness	v. 31
• Anger must be eradicated before it turns into rage	v. 31
• Anger must be forfeited before it leads to fighting	v. 31
• Anger must be stopped before it becomes slander	v. 31
• Anger must be mastered before it becomes malicious	v. 31
• Anger can be conquered through compassion	v. 32
• Anger can be forsaken through forgiveness	v. 32

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Anger: Facing the Fire Within.

----------------------------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.

Purity 356: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Purity 356 03/03/2021  Purity 356 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo of a blue sky above a mammoth display of God’s glory comes from a friend who grabbed this shot while on the road near Cedar Pocket, Arizona.  This mountain or hill shows the colorful historical record of ages past and testifies of upheaval or erosion that shaped our planet.     

I share it to point to the timelessness of God. As God is the Creator of all things, of time and space itself, there isn’t a place in any of those layers of time that God wasn’t present.  He has shaped our world throughout history. He has brought us to this present moment, and He will determine all the ages to come.  

I also share it because its Wednesday and I wanted to encourage you that no matter what mountains you are facing this week God is still present and available to shape your life too.  We may feel our lives are eroding away or are in constant states of upheaval but regardless of our circumstances God is the One who is always here to help us to get over that “hump”.  When we draw our strength from Him, we can overcome any obstacle and endure through whatever rocky season we are driving through.   

So keep walking and talking with God.  History is His Story, and the amazing thing is that He wants you to know that and to participate in it with Him by your side.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Romans 6:16 (NLT2)
¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Today’s verse points to the spiritual reality that there really are only two ways in life: God’s way which leads to life and righteous living and the other way that leads to sin and death.   

Sin of course has been defined as “missing the mark”.  The “mark” is God’s way.   I think that’s an important aspect of our faith to understand.  Typically, many Christians understanding of God’s way comes in legal terms because of the existence of God’s law.  

They point to the Ten Commandments and figure that as long as they aren’t murdering anyone or committing adultery they are doing okay.  Also with this limited understanding of God’s way as a legal moral code, we would try to work around it or try to claim some measure of righteousness for keeping most of the law or being better than others. 

That’s the problem with the law: it wasn’t meant to be kept in part, it was meant to be kept perfectly, and none of us could do that. As much as we tried to keep the law, we would invariably fail and to fail one time is one time too many.   

So we needed grace. We need Jesus.  But amazingly, even when we place our faith in Christ, we still have our free will and can choose to not obey Him.  

Because of grace, those who have put their faith in Christ are saved regardless of how they behave. The word of God tells us that nothing can separate us from His love.   

So if you truly place your faith in Jesus, you can choose to live in bondage to sin and be welcomed into His kingdom when you die.  

But verses like Romans 6:16 indicate that sin leads to death.  Other verses tell us that Christians will be known by their fruit.   While His grace is amazing, there is great danger in thinking that you are a part of God’s kingdom if you continue to stay in bondage.  

Are you really saved if you never change or pursue a life that reflects God’s presence?  

That’s a personal question that we all have to ask ourselves.  God is the only one who knows that hearts of men and He will determine who is His when He calls us home.    

Our faith isn’t supposed to be about getting a ticket to heaven. Our faith is supposed to give us new life and bring a sense of heaven to us now.  The peace, love, joy, and other fruits of the Spirit are only cultivated in our life when we turn from our sin and become slaves to righteousness.   

So look at your life and try to determine who your master is.

If you have placed your faith in Christ but are still a slave to sin, I want you to know that He has set you free.  A righteous life is possible through faith in Jesus.  When the Lord calls us to salvation, He calls us to better things and wants us to experience a new life free of the bondages of the past.  Whatever you surrender to the Lord, He is faithful to take away.  So walk away from your sin and follow God’s way to righteous living.

If you’ve already been set free, rejoice but remember that our freedom didn’t come cheap and we should endeavor to share the gift that we have been given and encourage our brothers along the way to break the chains that weigh them down.      

 I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we will share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Anger: Facing the Fire Within”

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:

D. What Is the Root Cause of Anger?

The root cause of extended anger is typically based on a "wrong" premise about "rights." The root cause of the nearly catastrophic Canadian landfill blaze was also based on a wrong premise about rights: Unscrupulous business owners chose to operate their landfill in their own illegitimate way rather than yielding to the official permit requirements for landfills.

When we feel that our real or perceived "rights" have been violated, we can easily respond with anger. But what are our legitimate rights? One person would answer, "Happiness." Another would say, "Freedom to live life my way."

Yet this was not the mind-set of Jesus. He yielded His rights to His heavenly Father. Based on the Bible, we have the right to live in the light of God's will as revealed in His Word. Other than that, we are to yield our rights to the Lord and let Him have His way in our hearts. We are told to...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

• Wrong Belief: “When I am hurt, fearful, frustrated, or treated unfairly, I have the right to be angry until the situation changes. It is only natural for me to be angry about the disappointments in my life and to express my anger in whatever way I choose. “Right Belief: “Since I have trusted Christ with my life and have yielded my rights to Him, I choose not to be controlled by anger. My human disappointments are now God's appointments to increase my faith and develop His character in me." The Bible says..."Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine" (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Do You Want to Know God's Plan for Your Life... and for Controlling Your Anger?

No one wants to be thought of as "out-of-control." No one wants to live with anger that is out of control. Yet, so often, someone will say, "I've really tried to control my anger, but for some reason, I just can't."

If that someone is you, it could be that the Lord is saying, "I know you can't—but I can. I can provide you the control you need—My supernatural power can be at work in your weakness—recognize My authority over you and give Me control of your life. I can change you from the inside out."

Do you need a real change in your life? If so, there are 4 truths you need to know in order to have a changed life.

4 Points of God's Plan

#1 God's Purpose for You... is Salvation.

• —What was God's motivation in sending Jesus Christ to earth? To express His love for you by saving you! The Bible says..."God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17).
• —What was Jesus' purpose in coming to earth? To forgive your sins, to empower you to have victory over sin—including anger—and to enable you to live a fulfilled life! Jesus said..."I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 NKJV).

#2 Your Problem... is Sin.

• —What exactly is sin? Sin is living independently of God's standard—knowing what is right but choosing what is wrong. The Bible says..."Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).
• —What is the major consequence of sin? Spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Scripture states..."Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God.... The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23).

#3 God's Provision for You... is the Savior.

• —Can anything remove the penalty for sin? Yes! Jesus died on the cross to personally pay the penalty for your sins. The Bible says..."God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
• —What is the solution to being separated from God? Belief in (entrusting your life to) Jesus Christ as the only way to God the Father. Jesus says..."I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (John 14:6; Acts 16:31).

#4 Your Part... is Surrender.

• —Give Christ control of your life—entrusting yourself to Him...."Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross [die to your own self-rule] and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?'" (Matthew 16:24-26).
• —Place your faith in (rely on) Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and reject your "good works" as a means of earning God's approval...."It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The moment you choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior—entrusting your life to Him—He comes to live inside you. Then He gives you His power to live the fulfilled life God has planned for you. If you want to be fully forgiven by God and become the person God created you to be, you can tell Him in a simple, heartfelt prayer like this:

Prayer of Salvation

"God, I want a real relationship with You.

I admit that many times I've chosen to go my own way instead of Your way.

Please forgive me for my sins.

Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.

Come into my life to be my Lord and my Savior.

Change me from the inside out and make me the person You created me to be.

In Your holy name I pray. Amen."

What Can You Expect Now?

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, look at what God says!

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Anger: Facing the Fire Within.

----------------------------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 

Purity 355: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Purity 355 03/2/2021  Purity 355 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo comes from Celestial Blue Photography and displays the beauty of the setting sun near Fulton, New York. Locally a good deal of the snow has melted already but the temperatures have dropped again and as hopeful as I am for spring to March on in, I am reminding myself that it is still winter and photographs like this show us that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.    

As we slowly “march” through this month I believe that it is important to roll with the punches as our expectations for spring can fill us with hope, but they can also cause us to become bitter and angry if the weather doesn’t cooperate with our vision. 

So let’s focus on being content with the blessings of the day, the beauty that surrounds us in every season, and the God who loves us and is in control of it all.

(An Audio version of this message is available 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).  and at the restricted blog. Follow me on Twitter or MeWe for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Matthew 13:23 (NKJV)
²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

Today’s verse teaches us a few different aspects of our faith walk such as:

• The word takes root in good ground, 
• The good ground understands the word, 
• The good ground bears fruit.
• The amount of fruit varies.      

The good ground is us. We have to be prepared to receive the word. Our hearts and minds have to be open for God to teach us. We can’t be distracted when we come to God’s word otherwise, we won’t get much from it. We should also pray before reading the word.  The Holy Spirit is the one who brings revelation so ask for Him to bring it.  

Understanding the word of God is a key to our faith. Understanding doesn’t just mean knowing what the word says. A full understanding comes through meditating on what the word says and what it implies about how we are to perceive the world and how we are to live in it.  Understanding the word not only causes our perception to be enlightened but also results in our applying it to our lives.

Thus planting the seed of the word of God into our good ground will result in fruit. The fruit to look for in a life transformed by the Christian faith includes Bible study, prayer, church attendance, sharing the gospel, worship, generosity, and acts of service for someone else’s benefit.  People shouldn’t have to guess whether or not you are a Christian. It should be clear by how you live out your faith.  

The final point is that the amount of fruit will vary with each of us. It will vary according to our individual gifts, talents and opportunities but this varying amount of fruit also shows us the possibility for growth. We could grow more. Conversely the varying fruit also teaches us the reality that we can also fail to bear the fruit that we could have through our disobedience in following God’s perfect will for our lives.   The varying numbers of fruit indicates a robust and dynamic faith life that is fluid and responsive to our actions.  

So endeavor to be good ground, to understand the word, and to cooperate with God to enjoy the fruit that will come from a life lived in His presence and surrendered to His will.      

I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we will share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Anger: Facing the Fire Within”

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:

C. Do Expectations Lead to Anger?

When it comes to anger, unrealistic expectations can be harmful—much like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. When it came to battling the Canadian landfill blaze, any expectation of quickly extinguishing the fire proved futile.

A thick haze of smoke choked out the fresh air and sunlight for miles. Of greater concern was a gas pipeline dangerously close to the billowing flames, posing a serious threat to life and property. Even the water supply was threatened by the pooling of leachate (the liquid drainage from the landfill).

After consulting with firefighting specialists, authorities decided to excavate the burning material and transport it to another area where it could be fully immersed in water.

How easy to adopt the unrealistic expectation... that we have the power to determine what people should do or how situations should be. "My destiny should be this; therefore, people should do that." Typically, we pray and expect God to do everything we ask. We want to be the fire chief, when in reality He alone is the One in charge.

The primary problem with unrealistic expectations centers around the simple word pride. We would be wise to ask the Lord, "Do I act as though I am the center of my world and everything revolves around me?" The Bible describes angry reactions resulting from unmet expectations....

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.... 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" (James 4:1-3, 6)

Unrealistic Expectations

• Anger toward circumstances “I expected good things would always come my way... but my life is clearly not what I had expected."
• Anger toward others “I expected you to always be here for me, to love and support me... but now I feel alone and lonely."
• Anger toward yourself “I expected to always excel... but now I am struggling and feel like a failure."
• Anger toward God “I expected God to protect me from pain and provide health and wealth as He promised... but He hasn't answered my prayers."

The more we expect God and people to do what we want, the angrier we become when they fail us. Truth is, the more we try to control others, the more control we give them over ourselves. The more demands we put on others, the more power we give them to anger us. Instead, we need to humble ourselves and submit to God's sovereignty over our lives and over the lives of others. We need to leave our desires and our destiny in His hands—where they rightly reside.

The Bible says we are to lay our hopes and expectations before the Lord and allow Him to determine what we should receive....

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." (Psalm 62:5)

Anger over Unrealistic Expectations

Question: "Since the Bible says, 'Ask and you will receive,' I was told that all I had to do was name and claim what I wanted—in Jesus' name. If I would sincerely 'believe,' I could expect to 'receive'... which clearly hasn't happened! I'm angry with God. Why hasn't He answered my prayers?"

Answer: Your anger at God is based on unrealistic expectations. While you were completely sincere, those who taught you this expectation were sincerely wrong. The Name It-Claim It theology is not biblical. When you look at the whole counsel of God—reading all Scriptures on the same subject in their accurate context—you will see that the "believe and receive" doctrine doesn't measure up as biblically accurate.

• Consider the apostle Paul, whose pedigree was impressive, yet he knew what it was to lack health and wealth. Although 100% in the will of God, he was also weak and "in want." He said..."I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:12-13).
• Jesus tells us that whatever we ask in faith, we will receive: "I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24). At face value, this verse appears to back up the belief that God will give us whatever we ask—as long as we believe, we will receive it. Yet the apostle John gives us clarification: If your desire conforms to God's will, He will look upon your request with favor and allow it to come to pass. The Bible says..."If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And... we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).

Anger over Loss

Question: "How can I handle my anger over the losses in my life?"

Answer: When you experience significant loss in your life, you will go through a time of grieving.

• Admit your feelings—your hurt, sense of injustice, fear, or frustration.
• Release to God all the pain you feel, along with the situations beyond your control.
• Trust God to give you the grace and insight to deal constructively with each loss.
• Release your expectation that life must go your way. Pray, "Lord, thank You for being sovereign over my life. Whatever it takes, I want to respond to You with a heart of gratitude and to accept the unchangeable circumstances in my life. I choose to stop making myself and those around me miserable by being angry over something none of us can change. Instead, I thank You for what You are going to teach me through this loss.... And thank You for Your promise that somehow You are going to use this loss for good. In Your holy name I pray, Amen." Repeatedly remind yourself to...

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Anger: Facing the Fire Within

----------------------------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.

Purity 354: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Purity 354 03/1/2021  Purity 354 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo comes from a friend who lives in Huntington Beach, California. With a beach in the background, they took notice of this solitary flower while on a walk near there home.   

I often share photos of wide vistas and views of the heavens in my attempts to draw our attention to the big picture and the God that stands above it all.   However, sometimes we have to come back to earth and realize that God is in the details too. Sometimes little things mean a lot.  

Reflecting on some testimonies that I have heard recently I have been reminded that God can touch us with His presence in unexpected ways and that his attention and knowledge of us is highly personal.  

With January and February in the past, and the official start of spring 20 days away, I know that many of our new year resolutions may have gone by the wayside as we have faced challenges or simply have returned to familiar patterns of behavior.   I know some friends whose hopes and dreams for 2021 have been met with disappointment and tragedy already. 

While I can’t, personally claim to have suffered any tragedies and have actually experienced many good things this year, I too have been disappointed in the way some things have gone over the last 59 days, particularly in compromising my intention to focus on my physical, mental, and spiritual health at times, trying to fix situations with tactics that are more reminiscent of my old ways than my new life in Christ, having mixed motivations, and having suffered a loss of one hope for the future as what I was believing for has proven to be more of a dream than a vision.  

Now don’t freak out or get excited, I haven’t gone off the rails completely or anything, but I think it is best when you recognize that you are slowly veering off course to stop and get your bearings rather than just to keep going. 

So for the next 20 days, to launch ourselves into a new season, I have decided to go on something of a vision quest as I seek to strengthen or re-establish the commitments I may have made to the Lord and myself regarding my life and ministry and to enjoy the “better days” that I have already found through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

There will be prayer and there will be fasting as I seek to lean on the Lord to find more peace and contentment in my life and hope to “spring” out of patterns of seeking comfort from things that fail to satisfy or are empty of substance.  

So let’s leave yesterday behind, and let’s take notice of the little things, as we slowly walk into a new season and all the peace that God has for us.

 

(An Audio version of this message is available 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).  and at the restricted blog. Follow me on Twitter or MeWe for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Psalm 104:33 (NLT2)
³³ I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!

Today’s verse reminds us that since we have found our peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ our lives should be lives of praise.  

Oh how faithful and good is the Lord, our God!  He is our Maker, Redeemer, Savior, and Friend.  Our lives are a rich mosaic of all the love, beauty, pain, and struggle that seemed utterly random, but all came together when we found ultimate meaning and purpose when the truth of Jesus Christ was revealed to us. 

We may be in the midst of a mystery, not knowing what will happen one day from the next or how our lives on earth will progress, but we have been given the assurance of life everlasting and the goodness of the Lord of all creation.  We have been given the power to see His hand upon the shaping of the world and in our lives and that should cause us to sing.  

Never forget where you were before Christ and what He has done for you. Don’t take His love for granted. Remind yourself of His ever-present care by proclaiming it with songs that come from your heart.   

Our relationship with God is a love relationship. Love Him and sing!

I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we will share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Anger: Facing the Fire Within”

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:

B. What Causes a Sudden Increase in Anger Intensity?

When most people envision a raging inferno, they imagine a wild forest fire or rows of homes engulfed by flames. But in 1999 an entirely different kind of fire broke out in North Delta, Canada, as a roaring fire filled 250,000 cubic yards in a landfill.

The fire was caused by tons upon tons of loosely piled waste, which created a single, 50-foot column deposited in a way that violated two important permit requirements.

The local fire department responded to the North Delta landfill fire with several pumper trucks that worked around the clock for 24 hours to put the fire out—or so they thought.

But a few days later the fire actually intensified when flames broke out on the steep face of the landfill following a 50-yard by 100-yard sinkhole that fell about 10 feet where the flames had originally been concentrated.

Anger can also intensify, seemingly coming out of nowhere, warranting close examination of its cause.

Although a person's ways of expressing anger may change slightly over time, they seldom change dramatically. A dramatic change would not be typical. When there is a major change, there is also a major cause.

If someone is uncharacteristically impatient, irritable, or provoked, be aware that changes in mood and behavior can result from...

• Drug abuse (steroids, cocaine)
• Medications (certain antidepressants)
• Head injury (sports, fall, car accident)
• Chemical deficiencies (hormonal imbalances)
• Illness or disease (brain tumor, brain cancer)
• Physical stress and emotional trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Spiritual rebellion (blatant refusal to acknowledge, worship, or obey God)

Sudden changes of behavior warrant a close examination as to what could be a physical cause, especially in the brain. Be prudent—don't judge too quickly—and seek knowledge because...

"Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly." (Proverbs 13:16)

Anger and Depression

Question: "Can depression be caused by anger?"

Answer: Yes. If you have anger but do not process and release it, over time your anger can turn inward, which often produces depression. But there are other causes of depression as well:

• Clinical depression can result when the physical body does not naturally produce essential mood-elevating chemicals.
• Chemical depression can develop when medications interfere with the production of certain neurotransmitters.
• Postpartum depression occurs in some mothers when their hormone levels drop following the birth of their babies.
• Situational depression is caused by painful situations in which the heart is grieved (for example, death of a loved one, divorce, job loss). Regardless of the cause of a person's depression, hope and praise are effective antidotes....

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 42:11)

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Anger: Facing the Fire Within.

----------------------------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.