"We can do this!!"

Igniting Hope Ministries
There are many times in life where we can’t just think our way out of discouragement or mediocrity. Faith comes by hearing, not just thinking something (Romans 10:17). We need to rehearse past victories aloud, boldly proclaim the promises of God and remind ourselves verbally of previous things He has said.

 

 

     I left that last blog pretty discouraged.  I have tried and tried to change my thinking.  The devil throws something at me and I half heartedly quote scripture.  I remember one time at work when I was getting angry, I repeated  to myself, "I am a child of God.  I am a child of God." because that's all I could think of.  I ended up saying, "I am a child of God who has had enough." and blew up anyway.  When we set out to change something we get resistance.  I believe what I wrote to be true, but why can't I do it?

     I was getting ready to take a shower and I heard God say, "Actions speak louder than words."  Guilt set in, but He quickly explained Himself.  He said that if we tell someone they are bad with a smile on our face, they smile back and ask what they did.  If we change our tone, they take us more seriously.  When we pound them with a closed fist while we say it, they believe it.  The actions of abuse speak louder and deeper than words alone.  No wonder I think people will hear me better if I rage.  Beating myself up is not helping. 

     He also explained that I bottle it up and try not to rage instead of dealing with the anger when it first comes, though sometimes I only have a split second to catch myself.  In my childhood, I was laughed at when I got angry, I was laughed at when I cried and even crazy happy was frowned on.  It seemed too much happiness was not acceptable.  Emotions are bad was the message I got.  So I stuff them, I've been stuffing them.  I am actually so full of emotions they spill out all the time lately.  Honestly, I hate it.  When I feel anything too strongly my first reaction is to numb it.  Too happy?  Calm down.  Too angry?  Calm down.  Too anything has to go. I don't know normal levels of emotion.

     I got in the shower and Jesus started talking, like He always does.  He said, "Come to me like a child."  What is that supposed to mean?  Little kids who have done wrong should have the freedom to tell on themselves without fear.  He was asking me to come to Him at the first hint of trouble in my mind.  What He explained is that I hide.  I go days without talking to Him for fear of being in trouble.  When I can't take it anymore, then I break at His feet in a pile of guilt and shame.  I'm going at this defensively instead of offensively.  He used a great example.

     I reached out to a pastor when I decided I needed to change.  He was someone who always pointed women toward women, but I refused to talk to women and God told him, not this time.  God told him to help me.  Because of our history and the laws of nature, he set rules we were both happy to follow to make sure there was no misunderstanding and that nothing inappropriate happened.  We also kept the subject on the table.  We were both free to discuss anything that was making us uncomfortable or we weren't sure of.  The subject on the table was an offensive move.  God used this as an example to me on how we should handle any sin we don't want to fall in to. 

     A child close to His parent wants to please them and the closer we get to God the more we don't want to sin.  I am proof of that.  I have been asking Him repeatedly to fix me.  I have a lot of habits I want to break, but especially the rage inside me.  I am ruining relationships with my rage and it is putting a wall between me and God. 

     Jesus gave me a picture of myself as a child holding His hand.  He is looking down at me and saying, "We can do this."  Do I think it will be easy?  Not at all.  But the way I understand it, if we take every thought captive, we are sure to catch the bad ones before they get out of control.  Put in so much good stuff there is no room for the bad.  "Actions speak louder than words" makes sense in positive behavior too.  A child believes a parent who gives a hug or holds their hand even more when they say, "We can do this."

 

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”
― C.S. Lewis