Friday Focus #9

What's On Your Mind?

Have you ever been through a really, really hard time in life? Maybe it was a broken heart from an ex or the death of a loved one. Maybe it was a traumatic experience like a house fire, car accident or some kind of abuse. When we experience these things, does it help us to always talk about them and bring them up over and over again? Or are we doing damage to ourselves, God's children (for those who believe in Him- John 1:12)? 

Personally I have been through some of the things I have mentioned and by the grace of God, He put people around me that could help me through those times during and after. But, after it is over says a lot about me. For instance, if I am going to keep referring to and replaying something that hurts me time and time again, I'm probably not going to be a very happy person. I don't know anyone who dwells in hurts that has a joyful demeanor about them. God wants us to be joyful for it is good for the heart (Proverbs 17:22), not be in pain whether it be physical, emotional or otherwise. So how do we get to the point of being more joyful?

We have to give our hurts to God. Have you prayed about how God can use you through it as much as you have talked about how painful it was? Through God there is power to turn the horrible into something wonderful. David and Bathsheba's story in 2 Samuel 11 shows how adultery can end up producing one of the wisest and richest godly men in Solomon. It takes a turning toward God. That takes a choice. The choices others make are not your fault, but what you do with what happens to you is up to you. Proverbs 19:21 tells us that no matter what we think and plan will only stand if it is unison with God's purpose. Deep!

It's one thing to have a hurt and turn that into a lesson to learn from and teach others. But, it is another to keep bringing up something that still brings you pain when you remember it. What good does that do to you? It probably upsets you or brings you to tears. The bad can be used to do good. Isaiah 26:3 tells us to keep our minds on God and what is godly as it bring us peace. Thinking of pain does not bring peace. Seek God's peace and love for you by turning over your hurts to Him.

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Friday Focus #6

Taking Ownership of Our Actions

We have to stop blaming God for where our life is. We have to stop blaming God for how we feel. And we have to stop blaming God for the things that happen to us after we make bad decisions. Ultimately we have to take ownership of our actions. Our actions can be a determining factor as to whether or not we are seeking to be aligned with God or just seeking to please ourselves.

I have had many conversations regarding God and what He would allow in our lives. Such questions circle around topics like why does God allow suffering or evil. The truth is, we live in a broken world full of broken people. It started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God said in Genesis 2:15-17 that Adam and Eve could eat from any tree except for that tree for surely they would die. So what did Adam and Eve do? They did exactly what they were not supposed to. They were tempted by the serpent (we understand to be Satan or temptation) who in Genesis 3:1-7 questioned what God said and then debunked what God had already commanded.

Isn't that what Satan does to us now? We know what God says based on what is written in scripture. We understand what God says, but when tempted with whatever tempts us, we can fall when we stray away from obedience. We do not always choose to run away from temptation. When we give in to temptations the results can be immediately catastrophic or eventually. I am not writing these things to scare people into obedience but to illustrate how when we do the opposite of what God commands, we fall right into Satan's trap and we are now further away from God.

Remember King David and Bathsheba and how their affair lead to a child out of wedlock and she was married to someone else? In order for David and Bathsheba to try to hide their shame (just like Adam and Eve wearing loincloths after eating the fruit), David tried to have Bathsheba's husband sleep with his wife (had him come home from war early), but Uriah was too drunk and did not so then David set Uriah up to be killed. Do you see how David and Bathsheba's infidelity and disobeying God went from something small and in a worldly sense very "innocent" lead to her husband's death? Even though David eventually married Bathsheba, God was still not happy with what David had done (2nd Samuel 11:27).

Look at is this way, when you do what God says and you are obedient, it doesn't make life perfect, but His will protects us from Satan's temptations and our own selfishness. In Proverbs 14:12 we see how a way that a man/person sees is the right way to them ends up being the track to death (not necessarily physical death- but even spiritual).

When we are tempted to go against God's will, we can either flee from the temptation which leads to only momentary satisfaction or we can seek God's will for our lives on a moment by moment and daily basis which leads to a closer connection to Him. We are not perfect, but God's will for our lives is.

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Friday Focus #4

Staying in God's Will

Think about a time that you regret doing something. Seriously, take a second to think about it.

Whatever answer you came up with, ask yourself this question "Was I in God's will when I did that?"

I have made many bad decisions in my lifetime and many of those are made out of selfish decisions that were not endorsed by God. God's word and will need to be first in my life, not secondary.

When we look at the story of King David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) we see two people who engaged in lustful acts that led to a child out of wedlock. Bathsheba was married and slept with another man and ended up pregnant. David conspired to have her husband, Uriah, come home from war in hopes that he would sleep with his wife and David and Bathsheba could cover up their sin. But, when Uriah came home he got too drunk and didn't sleep with his wife. So David sent Uriah back into battle, but put him in part of the battle with the hardest fighting and then draw back from Uriah so that he may be struck down and die in battle. Do you see how being out of God's will and giving into their own lustful thoughts and ideas led to a man's death? Is that in God's will?

In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are to take every thought captive and align it with how Christ thought. That means making God's will first in our lives.

We are to live our lives like Jesus. We are to think like Jesus. In Philipians 2:5 we are told to have the same attitude as Jesus. That means thoughts of selfishness, envy, self-righteousness, wrath, lust, etc, are not of Christ. We are to become Christ like.

I found a video from Pastor Rick Warren on Recognizing God's Voice which really goes into detail on how to know when what we think or feel is of God or of evil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-827QmRDjUA



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