Fighting Hard

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"Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein of their tongues deceive themselves, 

and their religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: 

to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James 1:26, 27

I've found this passage speaking to me quite strongly over the past  few days mostly because I've found myself failing miserably in the execution of the verse.  Normally, I would not call myself a judgmental person.  I'm opinionated, for sure, but judgmental..usually not so much.

I've tried to pinpoint the source of my
aggravation   I feel that if I could just discern what's leading me to these terrible thoughts about people I could change them.  But instead, I'm finding myself become more and more judgmental, bitter, and hateful.

I realize this is not God's way for me.

God wishes for me to love justice, act mercifully, and to love relentlessly.  God wishes for me to be humble before Him and for His love to flow out of that humility.  God desires for me to set aside every pollutant in my life and to seek Him wholeheartedly.  But I, unfortunately, I seem to chose to remain bitter, cold, hateful.

How do I change this?  How can I change my opinions--my judgments--when I'm so certain that I am correct?

At some point or time you have had similar feelings.  Perhaps today you are feeling this same way--stuck in the rut of disappointment, pride, and bitterness all of which lead to a judgmental attitude.  The good news is there's a way out and God wants to help you find the way out of this dark place and into His light.

1.  Ask for prayer for other believers.

James writes, "Is anyone among you in trouble?  Let them pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord...Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16).

I'm sure you know the saying, "Confession is good for the soul."  Somehow that's true.  There is something about confessing our shortcomings that helps us.  Maybe it's that we know other people will be watching us or maybe it's just that the shortcoming is no longer a secret but confession changes our hearts. 

2.  Submit yourself to God and the authority of His Word.  In other words, live for Him.

In James 4 he writes, "...Don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity agains God?...Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you...Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up."

It's only by submitting (obeying) the Word of God that the enemy flees from us.  We must learn to sacrifice our own desires and line ourselves up with His Word.  He says forgive.  We must forgive.  He says love.  We must love.  He says turn off the television and spend time with Me.  Then that's what we do.  

It's that simple.  And it's that difficult.  Every time we sacrifice our own desires for God's we are killing our sinful nature again and allowing the Holy Spirit to have control of our life.

3.  Walk the walk even when you are forcing yourself to do that.

I know what you're thinking.  That's legalism.  I must have faith.

Well, yes, you must have faith, but James wrote, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds...as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:14-26).

It's mind over matter friends.  No, it doesn't always feel good, but it's the right action and God will honor that action.  It's kinda amazing how are actions start to change our feelings.

If you show love enough to a person you don't like eventually you'll start loving them.  If you show mercy to someone who doesn't deserve it enough eventually you'll become a person of mercy.  

Mind over matter.

I'm doing my best right now to change my mindset.  Is it easy.  Absolutely not, but I want my life to be pleasing before God and I want my life to be to be an example of true religion that God honors.

The great thing is God's hand of mercy and grace and love is always extended for us and He's never going to pull away.  When we follow our failures up with repentance  Christ forgives us...to the utmost.  He never remembers our shortcomings again.  

May we ever point people to His love by the love with have for one another.

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Divine Design + Freebie

This morning I was doing my devotions when I came across one of my favorite verse in the Bible.  Chances are it's one of yours too.  It's usually that verse people quote at you when you feel lost and maybe even abandoned by God.  I'm sure you've read it on graduation cards.  I know you've heard in many sermons.

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If you read the context of that verse you'll find that there is trouble all around the Jews.

Here's a few of the things they were facing.

• Their country was literally divided in two and it had been for sometime.
• Over half of both of their countries, Judah and Isearl, were in exile.
• When they were taken into exile, the infrastructure was destroyed including their beloved temple in Jerusalem.
• They refused to listen to the voice of God choosing, rather, to listen to false prophets who feed them lies.

That sounds like a pretty dark place to me.
                    It was a dark place of their own making.

But here's were the promise of God comes in. 

This verse is actually included in a letter written to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon where the people of God were in captivity.  It's basically a warning to Nebuchadnezzar that soon his day would be over.  His rule would have no effect of God's people.  The people of God were in trouble.  They where in exile.  But for long.  God had a good plan...a plan to prosper them and not to harm them.  A plan to give them a hope and a future.

They messed up.  I mean, really messed up.  Bad.  They hadn't obeyed the commands of God.  They had turned their backs on God and on His prophets.  But despite all of the terrible things they did, God, their Father, was with them.  He knew them.  He loved them.  And He would restore them.

God's ultimate plan is always one of restoration.  He always has a good plan for you.  

Does that mean that you won't have to live in some messes sometimes especially ones we create?  Absolutely not.  Just like the Jews, we create our own problems by not living in God's boundaries.  Yet at the same time, just like His people, He always has a plan to get us out of our mess...to prosper us and now to harm us.

God sees you.  He knows you.  He will restore you.

I know I've created several messes in my own life some of which I'm still living in now.  But I know God is my restorer.  He's my healer.  He's my best friend.  He's my love.  I know He is divinely working all of my messes for my good.

I'm sure it wasn't in His original plan but He's working it into His divine design.  

The end is better than the beginning and it's much better than now.  It's all in His divine design.

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No Sermon Needed

Sometimes we forget that God's Word is God's word.  He inspired it.  It's directly God breathed for our encouragement, teaching, correction, and comfort.  To try and add something to make His Word more clear is kinda...well...arrogant.

In recent weeks I've felt like I've been in a cloud partly because it's insane in my life right now, partly because it's blistering hot outside, and partly because of some emotional grief that I'm working through.  But in spite of the insanity in my life, I'm standing on the promise of these next verses and believing that as I trust God He will make me more than a conqueror.

I hope they encourage you.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that our faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1: 6,7

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.  This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be save--and that by God.

Philippians 1:27,28

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Philippians 4: 6,7

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15: 4

The Lord detests men of perverse heart but He delights in those whose ways are blameless.

Proverbs 11: 20

But as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Psalm 73: 28

You might also want to check out Psalm 1, Psalm 119, Proverbs 3: 5,6, Psalm 27, Psalm 35 just to share a few.  Ultimately, we have to remember to take into authority every idle thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).  I am a daughter of God through Christ Jesus.  I am a joint heir through Christ Jesus.  I am victorious through Christ Jesus.  I have power through Christ Jesus.

Have a wonderful week finding and declaring who you are in Christ!

All Scriptures taken from the New International Version

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