Anger

Ephesians 4:31-32  “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” 

Anger is an emotion we all feel from time to time. Too often people use it as a tool or weapon to beat others into submission. Many hide behind anger when the true emotions they feel are just too painful to bear. Anger is everywhere and it is an insidious parasite that destroys when given free reign.

Anger is a great motivator when you have to do something you don’t really want to do. It can be a powerful driving force that overcomes every obstacle, practically guaranteeing success. With emotion running high, everything suddenly becomes do-able. No one will mess with an angry person. Known anyone like that? Been that person yourself? What a high price for questionable success! Unfortunately, anger works too well. It’s habit forming. But it is not God’s way. 

The Bible teaches us the difference between righteous anger and anger that seeks its own way. We, as Believers, are guilty of claiming righteous anger when it is only thinly veiled self-serving anger. We need to tread lightly and prayerfully here, for the consequences self-righteous anger are no different than those of the non-believer walking in unadulterated and un-tempered anger.

Consider the account of Jesus throwing out the money changers in the Temple in Matthew 21:12-13.  Jesus was justifiably angry. The money changers were buying the animals the people brought in for the sacrifice. They were paying a low price in temple money. In short they were taking advantage of the poor and making a tremendous profit, all in God’s Temple. Jesus put a stop to this outrage. 

We humans have a tendency to get mad. We get mad at the people we love. We get mad at the people who wrong us. We get mad when things don’t turn out the way we expect and/or want. Sometimes we are just plain mad. If you think about it, anger seems to be the main way issues are handled. It’s a habit of behavior that becomes so commonplace in our lives, we don’t even realize it. 

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26-27, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.”  (KJV)  

Anger that is out of control always leads to sin. Think about it…anything can happen when anger is in control. Words come out of our mouths that bring shame and cause division. Our wrong actions hurt others and destroy our testimony.  

We are to be under God’s authority and under the control of the Holy Spirit, not controlled by anger. We are not our own. We belong to Jesus. We represent Him to others. What must they think of Him when they see Believers out of control?  

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:29-30 

Not only are we told not to sin in our anger, but we are told to put aside those emotions that lead to sin. That’s a biggie! Habits are difficult to break. We need to learn new ways to handle life’s upsets and disappointments. Ask the Lord to help. Without Him, we will continue to be in bondage to our anger. 

Make a Habit of It

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters. (Nathaniel Emmons)

What we make of ourselves can directly be linked to the habits we cultivate. You know I often talk about starting your day by tithing your time to God through Bible reading, study or prayer. I talk about that so often because I know how much it has increased the quality of each day by giving God my first time in the morning. It is a habit I worked to cultivate. I didn’t just wake up one morning and change my morning routine. It came in baby steps. It was a habit, I’ll admit, established out of need, not so by devotion or self-discipline. Over time, I really noticed a change in me, my attitude, my mood and it ceased to be an effort. It became a joy, an anticipated practice, a divine habit.

We all have habits; some are productive, some not so much. Some are just downright bad for us. I shared the quote about habits being either the best of servants or the worst of masters because it is true and a powerful observation. We can control our habits or they can control us.

Why do it the nasty habits seem to have more power than the good ones? Let’s face it, some people can’t get through the day (or maybe even the hour) without a cigarette or drink, yet they certainly miss brushing their teeth before bed without giving it a thought. The bad habit satisfies the flesh and the good habit is doesn’t weigh so heavily on the flesh gratification scale.

Bottom-line – it is all about the flesh and our human desires.

Habits become as comfortable as a warm bed on a cold morning. Even if it is a habit we don’t like or notice anymore, we slide into it without thinking. Biting your nails, picking your teeth, reading before bed each night, taking your medicine at the same time, hanging your clothes the same direction on a hanger, the way you load the dishwasher, they’re all habits we cultivated at one time or another. There are so many more, and you know what yours are if you think about it for a moment. They are the actions we take routinely, consciously or not, which allow us to revel in our comfort zones undisturbed.

I’ve heard it said you cannot lose a habit once established but you can replace it with something better…or worse. I think we can break a habit. That’s not to say it will be easy but it can be done when intent and purpose work together with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We, on our own, will default to the flesh. Sad but true. It is the loving and godly direction through the Holy Spirit that brings us outside of our fleshly ways and into a lifestyle that is pleasing to God.

So, here I am, once again talking about starting your day with God. Ask God to show you where you can amend your morning routines to allow for time with Him first. Maybe it’s getting up 15 minutes earlier so you can read a few scriptures. Don’t whine, 15 minutes one way or the other is NOT going to alter your sleeping/rest time. Maybe it’s forgoing the morning news on TV or in the car in favor of listening to Christian tapes. Filling your mind, thoughts and heart with God rather than the latest murder story can significantly change your mood.    

 
Start with baby steps and before you know it, you will gladly jump out of bed eager to have breakfast with the Lord. Start a new, healthy, eternal habit today!

When and Whom to Bless

May He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. (2 Cor 9:10, NKJV)

There is almost never a bad time for a blessing. Saying "goodbye" before heading out the door in the morning can be a time for blessing. Encouraging someone in their time of trouble can be an occasion for blessing. A hospital visit is definitely a moment for blessing. A note in a card for a birthday, graduation or any celebration is a perfect opportunity to speak blessing into someone else's life. As you begin to practice the priestly duty of blessing, you may be amazed by how frequently the Holy Spirit will nudge you to impart a blessing.

Parents may speak Scriptures in blessing their children and grandchildren. Spouses may speak blessings to strengthen their relationship with one another and affirm one another in ways they have never experienced. I had a ministry teacher who shared how every morning she prayed and blessed her husband before he left for work. She prayed for an umbrella of protection and said a blessing over him. What a wonderful way to start your day! Siblings can bless siblings. Congregations can bless their pastors and pastors, their flocks. Friends may bless friends. Anyone who wants to impact the life of another person with the language of God can use blessings for that purpose.

Scriptures create blessings. In other words, the language of God is used to phrase each blessing. Although the blessings are extracted from their Biblical context, great care need be taken to preserve the essence of each Scripture. The vibrancy of God’s Word is retained, even though the applications may be new.

Allow me to cite some examples for clarification. The context in chapter one of First Timothy is Paul describing how he was entrusted with the Good News, even though he was the “number one sinner.” Despite his history of blasphemy and persecution, he was granted God’s grace and forgiveness. Paul continued in verse 14, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (NIV). This verse also expresses a beautiful truth about God’s grace toward all of us who are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. Adapt 1Timothy 1:14 as a blessing in this way, “May the grace of the Lord pour out on you abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” In doing so, we are able to convey the message of God’s mercy and grace to others as we bless them. Though the application has changed, this truth clearly applies to us just as it did to Paul.

Another example of how a Scripture is customized into the form of a blessing is 2 Samuel 22:34 (a thanksgiving psalm of David) where we read, “He makes me as surefooted as a deer, leading me safely along the mountain heights” (NLT). God’s protection based on this verse reads, “May God make you as surefooted as a deer, leading you safely along the mountain heights.”

It may seem a complex issue to know what to say in blessing someone but God has provided us all the right words for every need, purpose and type of blessing we could ever speak into the lives of others. Remember, His Word is more powerful and creative and beautiful than anything we could come up with on our own anyway. Why would we even want anything else?

May you be like the morning light at dawn, like a morning without clouds. May you be like sunshine after a rain that makes the grass sprout from the ground. (2 Sam 23:4, NCV)

It's Trash Day

At my house, Thursdays are trash day. Oddly, my thoughts of organizing my week revolve around trash day; don’t ask me why, I do not have a clue. Maybe because it comes near the end of the work week, so it marks a mental change of pace, I don’t know.

But, this Thursday I had a thought I’d like to share. Trash days are action days. We go around emptying the cans from the various rooms so my Honey can take the big yard can down to the street. We actively work to rid our home and lives of trash. We do not have to think about it, it’s a habit of necessity, we just do it. Things can get messy and stinky if we don’t.

This brought to mind the question, why don’t we make a habit of routinely ridding our minds and thoughts and lives of messy, stinking thinking? Everyone dislikes taking out the trash but we do it because we do not want to live with the trash in our homes. So, doesn’t it make sense that we take out the trash encumbering our thought life, as well? The trick, as I see it, is to make a point of taking action, taking out the trash.

As we grow in Christ, reading the Bible and learning from His example, we make changes in our thinking. We seek to please Him and want to be more like Him. Yet, still we have those thoughts, habits and mindsets that are not of Him. I am suggesting that we make a point, on trash day, to pick one of those and purpose to dispose of it. Sound silly? Let me give you an example.

Thursday morning, I was doing my morning routine of dressing, face and hair. As I put on my moisturizer, I had a thought about how old I look. I noticed all the lines, sags and imperfections I saw looking back at me. This, Friends, is classic stinking thinking. I was judging my own face by worldly standards. My face, although sculptured by God, was viewed and judged as not good enough. WOW, where do I get off thinking such thoughts?! This is trashy thinking. Seriously, can the eternal God really look at me and see an ‘old’ face? In His big picture, my 57 years is less than a blink of an eye, yet I have the audacity to call myself old and look upon the face the He gave me with less appreciation. I’ve got some nerve!

Another example, the news has repeatedly shown scenes of gangs of young people mobbing into convenience stores and stealing everything they can get their hands on. A spirit of fear is generated by these scenes. Not all young people are doing this, yet a cloud of suspicion hangs over any group moving in mass. This is stinking thinking. We are judging young people, races and cultures by an unruly few. This is prejudiced, stinking thinking.

It’s time to take out the trash! I propose on trash day, whatever day yours is, we pick one thing on which to focus for the next week. We must first repent and ask for forgiveness for our stinking thinking. Read scripture on whatever it may be. If you are reading this, you have access to a computer. Google scripture on the trash you are putting out and faithfully pray for a renewed mind in that area. A steady diet of reading scripture will change hearts. Scripture says ‘out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ So, what will it be with us? What is the abundance of our heart?

Picture the heart as a vessel—a bowl—and things are poured into the heart. At a certain point, the vessel will overflow, and abundance will come out of it. What comes out of our heart—this bowl or vessel—will expose the characteristics of the heart.

When we pour information into our minds, we process it. For a while, it stays in the bowl, as it were, and becomes mixed with what has been put there before. Our minds work on it for a while, and over time, it begins to gel into certain ideas. Once our minds are full, ideas break out in words, plans, and behaviors. Evil thoughts within, evil speech and/or works without. Or, we can put it the other way around—godly, kind, Christ-like thoughts within, godly, kind, Christ-like speech and/or works without.

It’s time to put out the trash! It didn’t accumulate overnight and we can’t rid ourselves of it overnight but we have to start taking action. Let’s go, it’s trash day.

Think About This

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” Proverbs 23:7.

Yesterday I touched on taking our thoughts captive. It is too big an issue in our lives not to spend a little more time talking about it. Joyce Meyer has a book titled “Battlefield of the Mind” which addresses this. Christianity and living the Christian life is a war that goes on between our ears. And is a matter of our thought life more than it is a matter of the devil and demons and what they do. I’ve said all along the devil gets credit or blame for things we bring on ourselves. He sits back smiling and laughing as we bring turmoil and trouble into our lives with the thought occupying our minds. We have to remember that our flesh is fallen; the will of the flesh is in unity with sin and therefore satan. That is why it is called the sin nature. It is our nature to sin. You don’t have to train a child to sin, you have to train them not to sin, not to take what isn’t theirs until it’s paid for and so much more. Scripture tells us and we know from our own lives, that a man acts and does in accordance with how he thinks.

That is why the battle is in the mind. The devil has worked through the world to influence us to think according to a mindset that is contrary to God and the Bible. We call it a person’s worldview. Wicked men hate God and don’t want to admit there is a God, because they don’t want to be accountable for their actions and lifestyle. To justify themselves, they work extremely hard to train the younger generation to think their way, amoral, immoral, anti-god and try to convince them there is no God. Heaven forbid our children think there is a God and He will hold them accountable for keeping the Ten Commandments. After all, that might affect their behavior. Of course it would! Which is why, generation after generation, more people live with no conscience or morals. It has been destroyed by indoctrination and brain-washing. Those same folks accuse Believers of brain-washing when teaching faith.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”  

The Bible doesn’t say “take every demon captive” but “take every thought captive." When we are born again by the spirit of God, we do not belong to satan. We still have mindsets and ways trained by a worldly mentality we need to destroy and replace with a mind renewed by the truth of God’s Word. Only then will we act and think in a manner acceptable to God.  

We have to acknowledge we cannot change our lives by changing our behavior. Dealing with behavior is a temporary change at best. Scripture says, “As a man thinketh…” We have to change our way of thinking and our thought patters if we are going to change our behavior. When our thinking is lined up with God’s Word, satan is sealed off and has no entrance into your life. He will still come with accusations thrown at us, hoping to penetrate our minds and thinking because it is the avenue where he gets power in a person’s life. If we think evil thoughts, angry thoughts, hateful thoughts, vengeful thoughts, lustful thoughts, any thoughts contrary to God’s Word, we act sinfully. We don’t go out and do sinful acts we didn’t first think and meditate upon. We don’t seek out porn without first desiring it in our mind. We don’t take a gun and shoot someone unless there are murderous thoughts in our mind. We think harshly about someone before say hateful things to them. It all starts in our minds. With so much opportunity for sinful thoughts in our heads, the enemy doesn’t need to do more than watch the sin show we provide when we let those thoughts run free.

Why is it that after we “come to Christ” we are still doing wrong things and have bad habits? It’s because when saved, we have been washed by the blood and cleansed from our past sins, but that doesn’t renew our mind, change the way we think or habitual pattern of thinking. That can only be done with 'the washing of the water of the Word.' Until then, we still have an attitude and spirit built by a old system of thinking.

Ephesians 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” and the sanctification of the Spirit as He speaks to them and corrects them,

Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

We can repent and be redeemed, but we are like a fish that has been caught for the kingdom of God. The Lord cleanses us when we change our thinking and renew our minds with His Word and His Spirit. We must allow and desire His correcting us in our daily walk. We have to ask the Lord to teach us “His ways” and show us “His paths” for us to walk in. Here’s the kicker…He is faithful to do His part always; we, however, must do our part as well and it all starts between our ears.

Time for a Change!

Early mornings have always been my most productive brain time. I’ve enjoyed that for the most part and waking early has never been a hardship for me. This was quite a good system when I was still in the workforce outside of writing. This time of year, gardening time throws a monkey wrench into my work schedule. I can only have limited time working in the sunlight due to the lupus. This makes early morning light the prime time for me to do the required maintenance on my veggie garden. Brain (writing) time vs. Garden time has, until this year, always been a little stressful for me.

This year God showed me I was limiting my vision to what I saw in front of me. I accepted without question a situation that did not meet my needs. As one that ‘analyzes things to death’ (to quote an old friend), it seems so silly now that I simply accepted the situation without trying to correct what no longer worked for me by simply complaining without changing. Thanks, Lord, I needed that eye-opening revelation!

I prayed for direction and submitted to the pull of research I felt the Lord led me to do. My question: Can I rewire my most productive brain time to allow me to write later in the day, when it’s too hot and sunny for me to be outside anyway?

Normally, I feel like ‘oatmeal brain’ that time of day and do routine chore that require little of my mental muscle. Is it possible to learn to restructure my mental energies and to control them instead of them controlling and dictating my time and abilities? God showed me that all I needed was to lean on my faith that He is still in control and able to help me change anything. That’s His part.

My part requires a commitment to faithfully stick with mental exercises needed to change habits and mindsets. My first act – commitment to change. The desire to make the changes has long been there. Desire alone is not enough. Everyone has things they would like to change about themselves and their lives but, like me, they complain about them without looking beyond what they saw in front of them.

           God’s vision is limitless! Why wouldn’t He want me to be able to garden to provide food for my family and still pursue my heart’s desire to serve Him through my writing? He would want is best for my family, of course. So, with God’s help and a determined heart for change, I am starting this morning to rewire my brain energy to suit my needs. 
       I will still get up early. It’s still dark out, so I have plenty of time to get the blog out and do my morning prayer/reading. I can ponder and contemplate ideas for writing as I do the gardening but I am learning to use the power of God to make the most of what He has blessed me to do. I’m excited. Feel a little silly that it never occurred to me before but I’m stepping in front of all that to push forward in my quest. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me!