Using What I Already Have

Sing to the Lord!
    Praise the Lord!
For though I was poor and needy,
    he rescued me from my oppressors. Jeremiah 20:13 (NLT)

Yesterday we talked about the negative voices we hear in our head that cause us to doubt who we are and how much God loves us.  What are some things you can do when you hear those voices?  Here are some things I do to counter these attacks.

Prayer and Quiet Time - Luke 5:16 tells us Jesus often went off for quiet time with God and to pray. No doubt he was the most attacked person who ever lived. His time with God reset his focus and helped him to hear the still small voice.

God's Word - There are so much in God's Word that tell us who he is and how he cares for us. Dive in. Read it and remember.

Use Your Brain - when you are being emotionally attacked, you need to use your brain to counter attack. Think about who God is and what you know about him. Think about your past with him and your current relationship. Use this information to determine if what you are hearing is from him.

Praise!  Any time we praise and worship God in song, it takes our minds off of our troubles and focuses them on God.

Props - when I feel that I am being attacked, I develop props that help remind me who is in control. For example, one of the things I do is ROAR - out loud. You see the Bible says the devil prowls about as a roaring lion trying to devour us. But the Bible also says that Jesus is the Lion of Judah - and he has already conquered through his death on the cross. Jesus is the stronger lion. When I roar, it reminds me that this battle is already done and I can relax.

God loves you and every day he is telling you. When you are being attacked, fight back. God has already won this war. Remember to use the tools he has given you.

That Is Not God's Voice

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

"You know you can't do that - you always mess things up."
"Do you hear yourself? What makes you think you can do anything right?"
"You always mess things up. You are worthless."

Do you ever hear voices like these?  I do. And when we hear them, we are tempted to think it is God talking to us. But it's not. How can you know? The Bible tells us. 

Gentle words are a tree of life;
    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 (NLT)

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6 (NLT)

God tells us in the Bible to watch our tongue, to guard what we say and to use our words to build each other up.  God will never do anything contrary to what is in his Word so you know that those negative thoughts are not his.

Will God convict you when you are doing something wrong?  Absolutely. But his words will be words of encouragement or gentle reproach, not condemnation.

So, next time you hear Satan utter those awful thoughts in your head, fight back. I'll share some tips on how to do that tomorrow.

I Want To Be A Tax Collector When I Grow Up

But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’  Luke 18:13 (NLT)

He was standing away from the crowd, off by himself, fully aware of who he was. When he prayed, he did not even lift his eyes toward the God he prayed to. He beat his chest in mourning and he uttered the same thing we all think from time to time. God, have mercy on me. I'm not worthy of your love.

This man knew he was wrong. He knew he was a sinner. He knew he had nothing to offer that was worth the God he served. But he came anyway. He came because he knew it wasn't about him or what he did but about the God who was bigger than all that.

This man didn't compare himself to others. He didn't check off a list of good deeds. He simply came with his failures and obvious problems. He came for the love and acceptance that is so freely offered to all of us.

I wish I could be more like this man. I tend to mimic the Pharisee more than I would like. How can my heart me more like the heart of this tax collector? By focusing on Jesus. By looking at the one who can change me so my heart is broken when I come before him.

May sound strange, especially if you are a Pharisee, but I would rather be this tax collector.

Father God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Make me more like Jesus. Amen

Focus of the Pharisee

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’  Luke 18:11-12 (NLT)

We often look down on Pharisees. We are critical of their way of thinking and how they rejected Jesus and his way of thinking.  Take this one, for example.

He is praying. He points out to God all the good things he does. He fasts, he gives money to God. He's doing good things.  Then, to make sure it's clear where he stands in his own righteousness, he compares himself to others. He doesn't pick other Pharisees (after all, they may be doing the same good things he's doing). He chooses the lowest of the low. He singles out the tax collector, the cheaters, adulterers and any other sinner that pops into mind.

Now, how do we fit in here?  Have you ever said "Well, I am not as bad as......" or "I'm not that bad, I don't ......"  Have you ever listed the good things you do to check off the boxes?

Now, I am going to ask you the same question as I did yesterday. Could you be a Pharisee?

The only person we should be looking at and comparing ourselves to is Jesus.

A Minute In It - Pharisee or Tax Collector?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)

Which one are you? The Pharisee or the tax collector?

Hold My Hand

For I hold you by your right hand--I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you. Isaiah 41:13 (NLT)

I was at a pumpkin patch - fall festival kind of event this past weekend with my Daughter and Grandson. As we were walking around, we had to keep a close eye on my Grandson because he's little and he darts out in front of people and tractors and trains, etc.

As we were walking along, I heard a parent say to their child "Hold my hand."  Made me think of God. He says to us

"Hold my hand. Don't be afraid. I'm looking out for the tractors, trains and people that might run you over. And when you venture out, I'll be standing right beside you."

My grandson is too little to do the hand holding thing for too long but when he does head somewhere, he looks over his shoulder expecting that we'll be there.

Wouldn't it be perfect if we did this with God? First, we hold his hand but if we let go for some reason, we look over our shoulder to make sure we haven't wandered too far off.....and we would see him standing right there.

Everyone Has A Story

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. Mark 5:18-20 (NLT)

Jesus left. He is never going to push himself on us. He shows up and then waits for us to ask him to stay or tell him to leave. It's our choice. The folks of the town asked him to leave so he did.

But the man he healed wanted to go with him. He knew what it felt like to have God work in his life and he wanted more. But, as with all of us, Jesus had work for him to do. He had changed his life and people needed to know how. Jesus didn't ask him to get a degree and go into professional ministry. He didn't ask him to start a big non-profit to impact thousands. He asked him to go back to his family and friends, his neighborhood and tell everyone he knew what God had done for him.

The man did what Jesus asked.  And the Bible says they were amazed. Even though initially they didn't want to have anything to do with Jesus, by this man's personal testimony, their curiosity was peaked and they were willing to listen. By witnessing his life change, they were willing to hear more. Because of his story, they were amazed.

What about you? Do you share your story with others? God gives us each a story. He wants us to tell it because in every single story he is in the middle of it.  That's what people need to see.

Not In Our Neighborhood

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured.  Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.  Luke 8:34-37 (NLT)

Jesus cast the demons into the herd of pigs. The herd of pigs immediately ran off the cliff and dove into the water, drowning. The man, however, was at peace and for the first time in a very long time sat calmly and participated in a conversation.

The folks tending the sheep ran off and told the entire town what happened. Keep in mind that a town in that part of the world at that time was not like the towns we think about now. They were little villages where word spread quickly. All the curious came to see if it was true and there, to their amazement, sat this man listening to Jesus and talking to the others around. He was even dressed!

Their reaction was one of joy and happiness. They ran to Jesus and asked him to help their friends and loved ones by healing them too. They recognized who he was and they too wanted to talk to him and be near him.

NOT.

That is not what they did.  They were afraid because they didn't understand this power. They only knew that this was different and too much out of their control so they asked Jesus to leave. They sent away the one who could bring them joy, happiness and healing because he wasn't what they were used to.

How often do we do the same?