Prayer Focus - Strangers
Day 5
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics
One person you always see but have never spoken to
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 62
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." ( vs. 1-2 )
I am so tired tonight. Going back to work from the summer break is hard as it brings long days and short nights. Hours in the car fighting traffic and endless commitments. I can hardly think, but I keep going. What is important gets done and we keep moving on. My time with God is my only time to myself, but most importantly, it is my lifeline. If I did not have God, I would surely be lost. First of all, I would not have my family, my husband, or my beautiful children. I would not be a teacher, and probably, I would not be alive. I have found rest despite being exhausted. I have a stronghold. I have something beyond this life. I always thought that if all we had to live for was the 9 to 5 and the grow old, get a job, raise a family, then die type of life than it was all so hopeless. I am so glad that God showed me something different.
"My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." ( vs. 7-8 )
Besides rest, my honor comes from God as well. If I had been left to myself, I wouldn't have had any honor. I was not a very nice person before I became a Christian. I used people and all I cared about was myself and my desires. I was full of anger and rage and had a seared conscience. I was so hardened by sin, that my spiritual transformation took a long time. I did not change overnight when I decided to follow God. Yes, I had grace, but the real work was just beginning. The consequences of only 17 years of godless living have now taken thirty plus years to overcome. It is hard for me to imagine, but I have been trying to do this since 1983; all of my adult life has been dedicated to becoming closer and closer to God. It has taken all that time to develop, through God, whatever honor I have now. What a thought! My integrity has come through walking through the furnaces and learning the hard way what it means to serve Him
One thing I am especially grateful for is that during all of this time, I have always had God to run to and to hide in. When the going got rough, as it often did, I poured out my heart to Him and then just slept an empty sleep, letting His spirit burn off the dross of my soul. In the morning when I would awake, I would be a little bit better; a little closer to the woman of integrity that I longed to be. The sun always seemed to shine brighter on those days and everything was a bit clearer. It was as if I could see God shining through.
"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving. Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done." (vs. 11-12 )
Finally, I will remember that God is strong. That fact is a given which I need to always remember. He is not like me. He is more than capable. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God is huge and powerful. God is able! I will also remember that God is loving. He loves me. He loves You. All of what He does day to day in maintaining and running the universe is in an effort to try and bring people back to Him. That is His ultimate goal and desire. He desires that all men are saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (I Tim 2:3-4). Let us be faithful. It is worth it. I know. God will reward us if we are faithful. He will reward us for what we have done! Let us do something worthy of being rewarded today!
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are coming to You. Our souls find rest in You alone. Thank You for providing us with the refuge that we so long for. We are lonely, weary travelers here. We are so different that sometimes it is tiresome. But You know. You are strong and You are loving. You will be here for us and provide for us. You are our fortress and refuge. We will trust in You. We will pour out our hearts to You. We will commit with our hearts and souls to serving You. We know You will reward us.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I finding rest in God alone? What other things do I try to find rest in? How can I turn more to God for the rest and refreshing that I need?
2. Am I easily shaken? What does my stability say about my relationship with God? How can I become more stable?
3. Which of the names of God mentioned here do I most identify with? What does it mean to me to know that God has these qualities? How can this help me to trust in Him at all times?
4. Am I remembering that God is strong and loving? Which of these is harder for me to remember? Why?
5. Am I living as if I believed He was going to reward me according to what I have done? What would I change if I truly believed He was going to do this?
Showing posts with label anger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anger. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Daily Devotional - 8/28/15 (10/28/09)
Prayer Focus - Enemies
Day 7
Pray for:
One person who was mean to you when you were a child
One person who has given you a lot of trouble recently
One person from your family (immediate or extended) that has given you trouble
One person from work or a social circle that has given you trouble
One person that you feel is a danger to your well being even though you have never met
One person who is unaware that they are hurting you
One person who you believe will never apologize for the pain they have caused you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Your ability to offer complete forgiveness from your heart
Your ability to let go of the hurts and move on whether they will ever apologize or not
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 58
"Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be." ( vs. 3-5)
This is a hard teaching. Some people are evil early on. We do not understand this and we wonder why? Perhaps we will never know, but God knows; the God who looks on the hearts of all men. He knows everything about these people. He knows they are people who will not listen to anyone. He knows they are set on seeking their own will, no matter what the consequences are. He even knows they have trouble looking past today. Often these people do very well in life and they succeed in their ways. Sometimes, they do better than those of us who are striving so hard to do what's right. We struggle with this. We become angry and bitter. We desire revenge. Sometimes we even do stupid things to "pay them back". But this is not what God desires. God desires for us to let go and let Him take care of it. God does see. He does know. He says in Romans 12:17 - 21:
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Bottom line, we need to still do good, no matter what anyone else is doing. Our salvation and well being is not worth throwing away because of some evil person. We are worth so much more to God than that. He does not want for us to ruin our lives. He continually says, "I will take care of this! You do what's right!" God WILL take care of it. It may not be on our timing, but it will happen. We need to let it go and give it to God. We need to pour out our feelings and emotions to God and then wait patiently. He is the only one that can change a man's heart. All our strivings will do nothing but destroy our lives. Our bitterness and hatred does no damage to the evil person, only ourselves.
This takes us to another layer of trust. We need to trust that God will win in the end. We need to trust that God will purge out the evil and then the righteous will find relief. It is not up to us to do the purging. We are to stay righteous and to love our enemies. We are to leave justice and revenge up to God, who is sinless. He will do it in the most effective way possible and we, we will be rewarded for walking the high road; for not seeking revenge, for loving our enemy and overcoming evil with good. So let us remember the final promise of this psalm:
"The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, ...Then men will say, 'Surely the righteous are still rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.' " ( vs. 10a, 11)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We pray that we are never like the wicked men. Keep our hearts in tune to Your word and receptive to the help and assistance of others. Help us to always be willing to learn and grow. Help us to train our children so that they will not grow up into wicked men and women. It is a serious responsibility that You have given us and we pray for Your strength, wisdom, and guidance. We are waiting on You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about this idea that some people are wicked early on? How have I seen this in my life or in the lives of those around me?
2. Is it difficult for me to accept the idea of God's judgment? Why or why not? How can I develop a greater understanding and appreciation for this aspect of God's character?
3. How do I feel when I see injustice? How do I feel when I see justice done? Why? What do I do about unjust situations? Is there a better way for me to deal with what I see around me?
4. Do I seek revenge? Why? How do I see myself being vengeful? What should I do instead? How can I get help with this?
5. How do I treat my enemies? Am I overcoming evil with good or am I acting evil as well? How can I do this? Are there any situations that I am in right now that I am not handling correctly? How can I change?
Day 7
Pray for:
One person who was mean to you when you were a child
One person who has given you a lot of trouble recently
One person from your family (immediate or extended) that has given you trouble
One person from work or a social circle that has given you trouble
One person that you feel is a danger to your well being even though you have never met
One person who is unaware that they are hurting you
One person who you believe will never apologize for the pain they have caused you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Your ability to offer complete forgiveness from your heart
Your ability to let go of the hurts and move on whether they will ever apologize or not
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 58
"Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be." ( vs. 3-5)
This is a hard teaching. Some people are evil early on. We do not understand this and we wonder why? Perhaps we will never know, but God knows; the God who looks on the hearts of all men. He knows everything about these people. He knows they are people who will not listen to anyone. He knows they are set on seeking their own will, no matter what the consequences are. He even knows they have trouble looking past today. Often these people do very well in life and they succeed in their ways. Sometimes, they do better than those of us who are striving so hard to do what's right. We struggle with this. We become angry and bitter. We desire revenge. Sometimes we even do stupid things to "pay them back". But this is not what God desires. God desires for us to let go and let Him take care of it. God does see. He does know. He says in Romans 12:17 - 21:
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Bottom line, we need to still do good, no matter what anyone else is doing. Our salvation and well being is not worth throwing away because of some evil person. We are worth so much more to God than that. He does not want for us to ruin our lives. He continually says, "I will take care of this! You do what's right!" God WILL take care of it. It may not be on our timing, but it will happen. We need to let it go and give it to God. We need to pour out our feelings and emotions to God and then wait patiently. He is the only one that can change a man's heart. All our strivings will do nothing but destroy our lives. Our bitterness and hatred does no damage to the evil person, only ourselves.
This takes us to another layer of trust. We need to trust that God will win in the end. We need to trust that God will purge out the evil and then the righteous will find relief. It is not up to us to do the purging. We are to stay righteous and to love our enemies. We are to leave justice and revenge up to God, who is sinless. He will do it in the most effective way possible and we, we will be rewarded for walking the high road; for not seeking revenge, for loving our enemy and overcoming evil with good. So let us remember the final promise of this psalm:
"The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, ...Then men will say, 'Surely the righteous are still rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.' " ( vs. 10a, 11)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We pray that we are never like the wicked men. Keep our hearts in tune to Your word and receptive to the help and assistance of others. Help us to always be willing to learn and grow. Help us to train our children so that they will not grow up into wicked men and women. It is a serious responsibility that You have given us and we pray for Your strength, wisdom, and guidance. We are waiting on You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about this idea that some people are wicked early on? How have I seen this in my life or in the lives of those around me?
2. Is it difficult for me to accept the idea of God's judgment? Why or why not? How can I develop a greater understanding and appreciation for this aspect of God's character?
3. How do I feel when I see injustice? How do I feel when I see justice done? Why? What do I do about unjust situations? Is there a better way for me to deal with what I see around me?
4. Do I seek revenge? Why? How do I see myself being vengeful? What should I do instead? How can I get help with this?
5. How do I treat my enemies? Am I overcoming evil with good or am I acting evil as well? How can I do this? Are there any situations that I am in right now that I am not handling correctly? How can I change?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/16/10 (9/16/09)
Focus Letter - P
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Please help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 16
"Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge." (vs 1)
"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." (vs. 5 & 6)
Sometimes with all that is going on in my life, I do not feel very safe. I have to be the strong one right now for my family because of my husband's illness. There is no one to take care of me. If you have ever had to be a caregiver for someone you understand. If you are a single mother, you understand. If you have been abandoned in some way by someone, you can understand. I think all of us can understand this feeling in some way. It can be overwhelming and we wonder, "What about me?" Who will be here to protect me and guide me. The answer is simple, though often hard to feel and understand. God will. He will be there to take care of me even if no one else is. He can be my ultimate emotional, physical, and spiritual support because He knows what I need even when I don't.
In this world, sometimes, we will be all alone. We cannot avoid this. Jesus was all alone in His greatest hour of need. All of His friends deserted him. One betrayed Him. What we go through is no different. We have been hurt and we have also hurt. But God is still there. He can restore our souls and He can help us to cleanse out the pain in our hearts. Anger and bitterness are easy to come by and hide deep within our hearts when we have been hurt or let down. Disrespect rages. But we must forgive. We have been called to let go. As we have been forgiven, we must forgive (Matt 6:14-15). We must take refuge in God. Let the vengeance be His and move on. We are only destroying ourselves by our bitterness (Heb 12:14-15). There is no point in it. Pain is part of the human existence and God knows.
The bitterness we can carry around from our hurts can destroy us. We envy those that we think have it better than us. We are miserable and forget that God has a plan. He assigned us our portion. He gave us our families. He allowed us to marry who we did. He has given us our children with all of the joys and sorrows they can bring. He has assigned us our portion and set our boundary lines. He has planned our lives and our times, even while we were still in our mother's wombs (Psalms 139:13-18). Who am I to resent what God has done; to be dissatisfied with the lot He has given me? Maybe someday I will have something better but for now this is it. It is what it is and I am serving God regardless. God is great even if nothing else is.
We must realize that life is not about us; it is not about me being happy. When I strive for happiness, it alludes me. When I forget about happiness and strive for God, it comes and rests in my heart. There is nothing truly lasting and worthwhile in the things around me or the career or the possessions. There is only God and what is of utmost importance to Him; people. Apart from God, we have nothing (vs. 2). I have nothing. I came to this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That is how it always is. Life is fleeting. Good times are fleeting. Bad times are fleeting. Only God is permanent.
God will keep us safe. God will keep me safe. I will turn to God. I will love God and the saints in the land; my brothers. God has made my lot secure. God has made it okay. I will be okay. Everything will be okay. I do not know how anything will end but it will still be okay.
How can we do this? How can we go on with these ethereal promises; physically intangible securities when all we can touch is falling down around us? The answer is here:
"I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (vs. 7 & 8)
We have to set the Lord before us (vs. 8). We have to keep as clear a picture of Him, and of all He has done for us in the past, as possible in front of our eyes at all times. If He remains there, if we allow Him the presence He deserves in our lives, we will not be shaken. We must keep my focus on God as surely as we keep it on the road when we are driving. Then He will be our guide and we will reach our final destination. If we clean out our hearts and lift up our eyes; if we focus on God and renew our joy at the delightful inheritance He has given us, then we will be able to be glad and rejoice. We will be secure. God will make known to us the path of life. He will give us salvation and everything else.
God is always in control and it is good.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for all You do for us. We are so grateful that You are in control. You have given us what You want to give. There is a reason for all of it. Help us to keep You in focus and live life. You know better than us. You give good gifts and You redeem us from our failures. We praise Your name.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I have any hurts or bitterness in my heart from the past? Is there any unforgiveness in my heart? How can I deal with this?
2. Am I grateful for the life that God has given me? Am I grateful for my spouse and children? Am I grateful for the family I was born into?
3. Am I striving for happiness or am I striving for God? Would others say I was happy? How can I change this?
4. What tangible ways can I keep God always before me?
5. Do I believe God will meet all my needs? Why or why not? What do I try to use to meet my needs besides God? Does it work?
Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Please help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 16
"Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge." (vs 1)
"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." (vs. 5 & 6)
Sometimes with all that is going on in my life, I do not feel very safe. I have to be the strong one right now for my family because of my husband's illness. There is no one to take care of me. If you have ever had to be a caregiver for someone you understand. If you are a single mother, you understand. If you have been abandoned in some way by someone, you can understand. I think all of us can understand this feeling in some way. It can be overwhelming and we wonder, "What about me?" Who will be here to protect me and guide me. The answer is simple, though often hard to feel and understand. God will. He will be there to take care of me even if no one else is. He can be my ultimate emotional, physical, and spiritual support because He knows what I need even when I don't.
In this world, sometimes, we will be all alone. We cannot avoid this. Jesus was all alone in His greatest hour of need. All of His friends deserted him. One betrayed Him. What we go through is no different. We have been hurt and we have also hurt. But God is still there. He can restore our souls and He can help us to cleanse out the pain in our hearts. Anger and bitterness are easy to come by and hide deep within our hearts when we have been hurt or let down. Disrespect rages. But we must forgive. We have been called to let go. As we have been forgiven, we must forgive (Matt 6:14-15). We must take refuge in God. Let the vengeance be His and move on. We are only destroying ourselves by our bitterness (Heb 12:14-15). There is no point in it. Pain is part of the human existence and God knows.
The bitterness we can carry around from our hurts can destroy us. We envy those that we think have it better than us. We are miserable and forget that God has a plan. He assigned us our portion. He gave us our families. He allowed us to marry who we did. He has given us our children with all of the joys and sorrows they can bring. He has assigned us our portion and set our boundary lines. He has planned our lives and our times, even while we were still in our mother's wombs (Psalms 139:13-18). Who am I to resent what God has done; to be dissatisfied with the lot He has given me? Maybe someday I will have something better but for now this is it. It is what it is and I am serving God regardless. God is great even if nothing else is.
We must realize that life is not about us; it is not about me being happy. When I strive for happiness, it alludes me. When I forget about happiness and strive for God, it comes and rests in my heart. There is nothing truly lasting and worthwhile in the things around me or the career or the possessions. There is only God and what is of utmost importance to Him; people. Apart from God, we have nothing (vs. 2). I have nothing. I came to this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That is how it always is. Life is fleeting. Good times are fleeting. Bad times are fleeting. Only God is permanent.
God will keep us safe. God will keep me safe. I will turn to God. I will love God and the saints in the land; my brothers. God has made my lot secure. God has made it okay. I will be okay. Everything will be okay. I do not know how anything will end but it will still be okay.
How can we do this? How can we go on with these ethereal promises; physically intangible securities when all we can touch is falling down around us? The answer is here:
"I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (vs. 7 & 8)
We have to set the Lord before us (vs. 8). We have to keep as clear a picture of Him, and of all He has done for us in the past, as possible in front of our eyes at all times. If He remains there, if we allow Him the presence He deserves in our lives, we will not be shaken. We must keep my focus on God as surely as we keep it on the road when we are driving. Then He will be our guide and we will reach our final destination. If we clean out our hearts and lift up our eyes; if we focus on God and renew our joy at the delightful inheritance He has given us, then we will be able to be glad and rejoice. We will be secure. God will make known to us the path of life. He will give us salvation and everything else.
God is always in control and it is good.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for all You do for us. We are so grateful that You are in control. You have given us what You want to give. There is a reason for all of it. Help us to keep You in focus and live life. You know better than us. You give good gifts and You redeem us from our failures. We praise Your name.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I have any hurts or bitterness in my heart from the past? Is there any unforgiveness in my heart? How can I deal with this?
2. Am I grateful for the life that God has given me? Am I grateful for my spouse and children? Am I grateful for the family I was born into?
3. Am I striving for happiness or am I striving for God? Would others say I was happy? How can I change this?
4. What tangible ways can I keep God always before me?
5. Do I believe God will meet all my needs? Why or why not? What do I try to use to meet my needs besides God? Does it work?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/4/10 (9/4/10)
The scripture reference for the story of the angel being delayed in coming that I mentioned yesterday is in Daniel 10:1 - 11:1, see especially verses 10 - 14. This is a very interesting story about the spiritual world and the spiritual warfare that goes on unbeknownst to us.
Daily Focus Letter - D
Pray for:
Five things you are thankful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A country, city, or place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic that you would like to see your household grow in beginning with the focus letter
Dear Lord - help me to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 4
"Answer me when I call to You, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." (vs. 1)
It is okay to ask for relief from our distress. We don't have to just gut it out all the time. There definitely are times of battle or times of suffering that we will have to endure but then God provides times of refreshing. Even Jesus thought His disciples should go off for some time of relief when they returned from their missionary journey.
What we need to ask ourselves is am I really doing the work of the Lord or standing firm in some struggle so that a time of relief is merited. If so, great, but I know I have many times just fallen into relief mode and often struggles and problems came about because I was in relief mode and then I asked for more relief. I was just being spiritually lazy. What I really needed in order to start feeling better was to start doing something!
As for suffering, it is okay to ask for relief but then we need to be ready for God to say no, or not yet. The best example of this is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked, and asked some more, but in the end, thankfully, He said, "not my will, but Yours be done"(Luke 22:39-46). Paul asked for the thorn to be removed from him but God said no, that His power was made perfect in Paul's weakness. Paul finally surrendered it and was able to say he "delighted" in his weakness and other struggles which were quite astounding (see 2 Cor 12:7-10 & 6:3-10).
The bottom line is that we are set apart by God, for His purposes. We aren't here for ourselves and our hopes and dreams. There is the wonderful verse in Psalms 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart," but often we forget the first part - delighting ourselves in God - and focus primarily on God giving us the desires of our heart. We need to think more about how we can delight in God and less about our desires and dreams. When we do this, the two will start falling into place.
"Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him." (vs. 3)
Secondly, we need to think about whether or not we are allowing ourselves to be set apart. Perhaps we are blending right into the world and everyone around us. What do our activities show, how about the TV shows we watch, and the movies we go to. What about the books we read and the places we hang out? I know when I first became I a Christian I was very sensitive towards what I was watching, wearing, and reading but then I got rather casual about it and even used the rationalization that I have to know what the world is into. After having children, I think I became more sensitive to these issues again because I started looking at the world from their eyes. When your child starts being able to read and starts asking what that vulgar saying on that person's t-shirt means, it begins to hit home. Or when you have to change the TV channel when they walk into the room, it makes you think.
"In your anger, do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." (vs. 4)
Sometimes the way the world is, and the baseness of our culture as it strays away from Godly principles gets me upset. Then I tend to feel guilty because when I was growing up, I was taught to not get angry. We were not even allowed to fight in my house. So, while I understand the reasoning behind the rule, (it is exhausting to have duelling siblings), being told to not fight or to not get angry did not stop the very human emotion of anger, nor should it have really. What it did produce was a lot of built up resentment and the victim mentality in me so that I was not able to be angry in appropriate situations or even say "no" when I needed to. This led to me allowing others to abuse me and also to me placing myself in bad situations.
Verse 4 of this psalm was a revelation to me because it says "in your anger, do not sin." It is just accepted that we will get angry. It is okay. Jesus got angry. He even acted on it, but He did not sin (Matt 21:12 -13). I can get angry, I just need to channel it right. I cannot have a temper tantrum, which I want to do. That would be sin. I cannot throw things, which I have to admit I have done. That would be sin. I cannot swear at someone and tell them off. That would be sin. I cannot reject the world in the sense of looking down on it and feeling that I am above it. Or I cannot look down on those of my friends that are involved with things I know are wrong. I can be upset, even angry, but then I must respond in love and concern. They are the ones that will ultimately suffer. I need to be concerned about their spiritual welfare, and as one who has been there myself, try to help them and reach out in love. How they respond is up to them but my love can not stop. In my anger, I cannot sin
Self evaluation is so important to handling our anger correctly. As it says in verse 4, at night I need to go over my day and search my heart. I need to be silent and let God speak to me about where I have been and what I have done. Then, I need to deal with whatever I find. We cannot let the sun go down on our anger, as this will give the Devil a foothold in our lives (Eph 4:26-27). When we get angry (whether or not it is justified), and then don't deal with it, we let bitterness grow and develop in our hearts. This can eventually lead us away from God. We are to make sure that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Heb 12:15). Unresolved anger is the start of this bitterness.
In all this, sometimes, it seems like life is just too much. Too many problems, too many personal issues to deal with, too many world problems. I remember a point in time in my husband's battle with cancer, right after we found out that the cancer had spread, that I saw something negative about the state of the world on TV and just started weeping. My husband couldn't understand why this little short TV segment could set me off. I just kept telling him, "I can't take anymore bad news." Everything was building up and I was asking just like the psalmist - "Who can show us any good?" (vs 6). I just couldn't see any good. After I finished my cry, I turned back to God. I had to look up because there was nowhere else to go. In all that I have gone through in the last 25 years of trying to truly follow God, this is where I have always ended up. Yes, there are many things around me but God. That's it "Yes, But God."
I have always loved the last verses of the psalm (vs 7 & 8) because of this. They state..
"Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
I have to stop looking around at the world and my circumstances as overwhelming as they may seem and look up at God, at the light coming from Him. I have to remember that I am supposed to focus on God, rejoice in God, know that in the world there will be troubles, but God has overcome the world. The world - the grain and new wine which can be enjoyable - will never fill me up. Even if everything is going great in my life, even then, I still won't be filled with as much as I can be with God.
So in the end, I can lie down and sleep in peace. In the midst of everything the Lord is making me dwell in safety. Everything is going to be alright.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We live in a troublesome world. Often there does not seem to be any good, but You are here and You are good. You have asked us to dwell on the positive, the honorable, the lovely. Help us to fix our eyes on those things and to keep our eyes focused on Your face. Only then will we be able to live our lives properly. Help us to live truly set apart lives. Help us to remember You. You fill us with what is greater than the world has to offer but we are so easily deceived. We do not want to be deceived any longer. Help us to seek the truth. Help us to seek You so that we may truly have peace.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I in distress right now? What is causing this if I am? Am I asking God for relief and help in this time?
2. Am I in the spiritual battle and am I doing the work of the Lord or am I being spiritually lazy? Are any of the problems/issues I am facing in my life right now due to my spiritual inactivity or weakness? If so, what can I do to get back to where I need to be or to grow?
3. Am I being set apart? Is there any difference in my life/activities as a Christian or am I just like those around me who do not claim to know God? Is there anything that I am doing right now that makes me feel guilty or that I think deep down is not the best for me spiritually? What can I do differently starting today?
4. How do I feel about anger? How do I deal with my anger? Do I have healthy boundaries? Can I say no to people or situations that aren't best for me spiritually or do I get sucked into them time and time again? Am I bitter? How can I get help with this? Do I have strong spiritual friends who can help me?
5. Do I have peace in my life? Am I sleeping well? What am I trying to use to bring me peace and joy? Do I believe that my spiritual life could make a difference in this? Am I focusing on God or circumstances? What can I do to start moving closer to God and the peace that He offers?
(If you know of someone that might want to also follow this blog that is not on Facebook, the website is http://www.lillianjacobs.blogspot.com/)
Daily Focus Letter - D
Pray for:
Five things you are thankful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A country, city, or place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic that you would like to see your household grow in beginning with the focus letter
Dear Lord - help me to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 4
"Answer me when I call to You, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." (vs. 1)
It is okay to ask for relief from our distress. We don't have to just gut it out all the time. There definitely are times of battle or times of suffering that we will have to endure but then God provides times of refreshing. Even Jesus thought His disciples should go off for some time of relief when they returned from their missionary journey.
What we need to ask ourselves is am I really doing the work of the Lord or standing firm in some struggle so that a time of relief is merited. If so, great, but I know I have many times just fallen into relief mode and often struggles and problems came about because I was in relief mode and then I asked for more relief. I was just being spiritually lazy. What I really needed in order to start feeling better was to start doing something!
As for suffering, it is okay to ask for relief but then we need to be ready for God to say no, or not yet. The best example of this is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked, and asked some more, but in the end, thankfully, He said, "not my will, but Yours be done"(Luke 22:39-46). Paul asked for the thorn to be removed from him but God said no, that His power was made perfect in Paul's weakness. Paul finally surrendered it and was able to say he "delighted" in his weakness and other struggles which were quite astounding (see 2 Cor 12:7-10 & 6:3-10).
The bottom line is that we are set apart by God, for His purposes. We aren't here for ourselves and our hopes and dreams. There is the wonderful verse in Psalms 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart," but often we forget the first part - delighting ourselves in God - and focus primarily on God giving us the desires of our heart. We need to think more about how we can delight in God and less about our desires and dreams. When we do this, the two will start falling into place.
"Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him." (vs. 3)
Secondly, we need to think about whether or not we are allowing ourselves to be set apart. Perhaps we are blending right into the world and everyone around us. What do our activities show, how about the TV shows we watch, and the movies we go to. What about the books we read and the places we hang out? I know when I first became I a Christian I was very sensitive towards what I was watching, wearing, and reading but then I got rather casual about it and even used the rationalization that I have to know what the world is into. After having children, I think I became more sensitive to these issues again because I started looking at the world from their eyes. When your child starts being able to read and starts asking what that vulgar saying on that person's t-shirt means, it begins to hit home. Or when you have to change the TV channel when they walk into the room, it makes you think.
"In your anger, do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." (vs. 4)
Sometimes the way the world is, and the baseness of our culture as it strays away from Godly principles gets me upset. Then I tend to feel guilty because when I was growing up, I was taught to not get angry. We were not even allowed to fight in my house. So, while I understand the reasoning behind the rule, (it is exhausting to have duelling siblings), being told to not fight or to not get angry did not stop the very human emotion of anger, nor should it have really. What it did produce was a lot of built up resentment and the victim mentality in me so that I was not able to be angry in appropriate situations or even say "no" when I needed to. This led to me allowing others to abuse me and also to me placing myself in bad situations.
Verse 4 of this psalm was a revelation to me because it says "in your anger, do not sin." It is just accepted that we will get angry. It is okay. Jesus got angry. He even acted on it, but He did not sin (Matt 21:12 -13). I can get angry, I just need to channel it right. I cannot have a temper tantrum, which I want to do. That would be sin. I cannot throw things, which I have to admit I have done. That would be sin. I cannot swear at someone and tell them off. That would be sin. I cannot reject the world in the sense of looking down on it and feeling that I am above it. Or I cannot look down on those of my friends that are involved with things I know are wrong. I can be upset, even angry, but then I must respond in love and concern. They are the ones that will ultimately suffer. I need to be concerned about their spiritual welfare, and as one who has been there myself, try to help them and reach out in love. How they respond is up to them but my love can not stop. In my anger, I cannot sin
Self evaluation is so important to handling our anger correctly. As it says in verse 4, at night I need to go over my day and search my heart. I need to be silent and let God speak to me about where I have been and what I have done. Then, I need to deal with whatever I find. We cannot let the sun go down on our anger, as this will give the Devil a foothold in our lives (Eph 4:26-27). When we get angry (whether or not it is justified), and then don't deal with it, we let bitterness grow and develop in our hearts. This can eventually lead us away from God. We are to make sure that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Heb 12:15). Unresolved anger is the start of this bitterness.
In all this, sometimes, it seems like life is just too much. Too many problems, too many personal issues to deal with, too many world problems. I remember a point in time in my husband's battle with cancer, right after we found out that the cancer had spread, that I saw something negative about the state of the world on TV and just started weeping. My husband couldn't understand why this little short TV segment could set me off. I just kept telling him, "I can't take anymore bad news." Everything was building up and I was asking just like the psalmist - "Who can show us any good?" (vs 6). I just couldn't see any good. After I finished my cry, I turned back to God. I had to look up because there was nowhere else to go. In all that I have gone through in the last 25 years of trying to truly follow God, this is where I have always ended up. Yes, there are many things around me but God. That's it "Yes, But God."
I have always loved the last verses of the psalm (vs 7 & 8) because of this. They state..
"Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
I have to stop looking around at the world and my circumstances as overwhelming as they may seem and look up at God, at the light coming from Him. I have to remember that I am supposed to focus on God, rejoice in God, know that in the world there will be troubles, but God has overcome the world. The world - the grain and new wine which can be enjoyable - will never fill me up. Even if everything is going great in my life, even then, I still won't be filled with as much as I can be with God.
So in the end, I can lie down and sleep in peace. In the midst of everything the Lord is making me dwell in safety. Everything is going to be alright.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We live in a troublesome world. Often there does not seem to be any good, but You are here and You are good. You have asked us to dwell on the positive, the honorable, the lovely. Help us to fix our eyes on those things and to keep our eyes focused on Your face. Only then will we be able to live our lives properly. Help us to live truly set apart lives. Help us to remember You. You fill us with what is greater than the world has to offer but we are so easily deceived. We do not want to be deceived any longer. Help us to seek the truth. Help us to seek You so that we may truly have peace.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I in distress right now? What is causing this if I am? Am I asking God for relief and help in this time?
2. Am I in the spiritual battle and am I doing the work of the Lord or am I being spiritually lazy? Are any of the problems/issues I am facing in my life right now due to my spiritual inactivity or weakness? If so, what can I do to get back to where I need to be or to grow?
3. Am I being set apart? Is there any difference in my life/activities as a Christian or am I just like those around me who do not claim to know God? Is there anything that I am doing right now that makes me feel guilty or that I think deep down is not the best for me spiritually? What can I do differently starting today?
4. How do I feel about anger? How do I deal with my anger? Do I have healthy boundaries? Can I say no to people or situations that aren't best for me spiritually or do I get sucked into them time and time again? Am I bitter? How can I get help with this? Do I have strong spiritual friends who can help me?
5. Do I have peace in my life? Am I sleeping well? What am I trying to use to bring me peace and joy? Do I believe that my spiritual life could make a difference in this? Am I focusing on God or circumstances? What can I do to start moving closer to God and the peace that He offers?
(If you know of someone that might want to also follow this blog that is not on Facebook, the website is http://www.lillianjacobs.blogspot.com/)
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