When anger shows upo, trouble will follow

James 1:19 – Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

 

Can you imagine what would happen if we all took the time to put a buffer between our anger, and the event that triggered it? If we just slowed down, prayed on it, then reacted? Secular Psychology has been saying that we should take a breath before reacting for a few decades now, but the Bible has been saying it for many Centuries.

 

Most of our anger comes from a point of self control than logic. When we are told that we have to do something, or it doesn’t go the way we want, then we get mad. That’s not Biblical because everything that we do is ordained, and controlled by God. So if we get angry because we lose control, then what we’re really doing is getting mad at God because we don’t think His way is good enough for us. This is why we see so many cases of tragedy throughout the Bible, because people didn’t have faith in God’s way, and got angry.

 

Avoid anger at all costs, it only produces sin. Make sure that you don’t fly off the handle when you feel that urge to react angrily. As soon as you feel it, walk away, pray on it, and by that time, you will give a more Godly response. A Godly response will be much more peaceful.

 

Imperfect people in the Bible-Jonah

Oftentimes, we find ourselves in sinful places because we weren’t paying close attention. We got lazy and ended up in a whirlwind of terrible choices with terrible consequences. Other times we knew what we were doing when we chose to disobey God.

 

The prophet, Jonah, was told by God to go to the city of Nineveh to preach so that they’d repent and turn to God. Clearly, Jonah was far from thrilled at this command because he literally ran away from God and headed for Tarshish, a city in the opposite direction of Nineveh. He ended up boarding a ship to get as far away from Nineveh as he could.

 

Unfortunately, his poor choice in evading God’s command didn’t turn out well for him. Within a short time, a storm came upon the ship and threatened to kill the entire crew. Immediately, Jonah knew that his disobedience to God was the cause of the situation. So, he told the crew it was his fault. Jonah 1:15 NIV says, “Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.”

 

If that wasn’t bad enough, he was swallowed up by a giant fish once he was in the sea. And he would spend the next three days and three nights in the belly of that fish before being vomited up on dry land. Once he was no longer camping out inside the fish, he chose to obey God and preach repentance to the city of Nineveh.

 

Here are two takeaways from the life of Jonah:

 

Face It, Don’t Run From It

When God commanded Jonah to preach repentance to a large city of sinners, he wanted nothing to do with it. So he ran. Had Jonah just obeyed God and done what he was supposed to do in the beginning, he wouldn’t have had to deal with the consequences of his actions, including camping out in the disgusting belly of a fish for an extended weekend. Often, we experience hardships in life and we’d rather ignore or deny them, than face them. So, let’s deal with our difficulties and struggles head on and allow God to meet us in the midst of them.

 

God’s Plan Prevails

While the people in Nineveh were wicked and living lives full of sin, God desired for them to return to Him. That was His plan in the beginning and it came to pass. Regardless of our own plans and dreams, we have to understand that God is sovereign. This is His created world that we get to reside in. We are here for His purposes, not the other way around.

 

We’ll all have to do things we don’t want to do. Instead of fleeing from our responsibilities and callings, let’s obey God the first time and watch how He works to transform lives. He’s sovereign and we should consider it an honor to participate in His work on earth.

A time for adversity by Dr. Charles Stanley

I love this article on adversity by Dr. Charles Stanley

ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF ADVERSITY is that it challenges our pride. Paul experienced this kind of intervention through what he called “a thorn in the flesh,” and the Lord used it to hone his effectiveness as a servant of Christ (2 Cor. 12:7). We don’t usually realize what’s at stake when we allow pride to take root in our life, but it affects how God interacts with us, as He “is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Pride will prevent Christians from reaching the potential of what God wants to do in and through them. Even if the world sees them as a success, a self-motivated and self-empowered ministry lacks value in the Lord’s eyes. Can you see how much was at stake for Paul—and for believers throughout history? God used the apostle to build up churches and write letters that would become a major portion of our New Testament. When he understood the reason for his “thorn,” Paul reacted with trust and gratitude for the Lord’s wise and loving protection. Perhaps you can see why adversity may be beneficial for you, too. Each of us has been given areas of influence. Humble yourself today so God can use you greatly.

 

Dump the fear, and pick up the faith

Philippians 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 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,y whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I love the story of Paul. Here was a man that was rich, smart, but very evil. He hated, hunted, and haunted Christians. Yet on his way to hunt Christians down and kill them, God decided that he could be used to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles. After all, who would be more believed by the Pharisees than one of their own who had changed sides?

When Barnabas introduced Paul (Formerly Saul), to the Disciples/Apostles, they could not believe that this chief killer of their faith was now an instrument of God. It didn’t make sense. Why would this guy have such a radical change in direction? Why would he give up his position of wealth and influence. To say they were suspicious is an understatement, they hated him.

So now we move forward a few years later after the others had accepted and embraced him, and we find Paul in jail in Philippi. He’s facing death, but we see that his faith has not only remained steadfast, but has become stronger. He’s in prison, and that’s where we see today’s passage come into play.

Paul is most likely in chains, but instead of saying poor me, he begins to say that he has all that he needs, because he has Jesus. He says, “Look, I’ve been rich and influential, so I know what that’s like, but even though I’m imprisoned now, I’ve never been happier. Happier because I know my joy isn’t found in riches, but in the peace of Jesus.”

I wish I had that sort of contentment in times when I find myself in trials! Don’t get me wrong, I feel pretty strong most of the time, but there are definitely times when I find myself wishing I had more material things.

Why do we always want more? The Bible is full of examples of people who have had their socks blessed off, they are satisfied for a little while, then they wind up wanting more. We are just never satisfied.

Let’s pray to be content with what God has given us and stop worrying about the future. Let’s remember that no matter how bad we think we have it, God will always give us what we need. Let’s dump the fear and pick up the faith.

#dumpthefear #Pickupthefaith

Is what you give God your best, or what’s left over?

What do you give God?

Genesis 4:1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions  from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Would you get jealous of someone else if they brought a better gift to God than yours? If you would, there’s a way to prevent that, bring the best you have to God.

God doesn’t necessarily judge us on what we bring in terms of money, He just wants the best of what we’re able to give. An example of this is found in Mark 12:43,44

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

It’s not how much we give in Dollars, it’s how much we give from our hearts. So what have you given your best of today? Your time? Your devotion? Your attention? All of these things are worth more than gold to God, and you can afford to give them.

Beginning today, wake up in the morning, pray that God shows you what He wants from you, and give it your best. Make it an offering of sacrifice, but make sure it’s the best of what you have. Doing this will bring more blessings than you have ever seen.