A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Proverbs 15: 1)

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4: 1-3)

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4: 29-32)

Among the first lessons I learned in psychology grad school was how to deal with a counseling client who’s upset and yelling.  The human tendency when a person becomes loud is to attempt to get louder, a tactic guaranteed to escalate the conflict rather than calming it down.  No, if you want someone to begin to stop yelling, you lower your voice almost to a whisper.  It’s hard to maintain loud volume when the other person is speaking very softly.  A while back I had a bad case of laryngitis, and I noticed this principle at work.  People were speaking softly to me!  (You’re welcome for the tip!)

A person who habitually yells is having difficulty with self-control.  No strong person is undisciplined and out of control. If you have to prove your power with a loud tone of voice, you don’t possess confidence in your proper authority.  You’re trying to prove your power with aggression and intimidation.  Genuine power does not require one to become overpowering.

On the other hand, the individual with a steadfast mind who chooses to respond calmly, factually, and respectfully is a person with God-given strength.  This individual’s renewed mind does not react without thinking.  Rather, the wise person practices the pause for creative withdrawal,  the deliberation about long-term outcomes, and intentional choices of words and actions. Well-considered words spoken firmly but softly are attention-grabbers.

You don’t have to yell to make your point.  Quiet confidence in the Lord is reserved for the strong.

I want to become stronger and stronger in You, Lord.  Holy Spirit, temper my words and actions, for I have nothing to prove.  You’ve already proven it all.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters,  I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isaiah 43: 1-3)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John `6:33)

The news reports are heart-sickening. Russia has invaded Ukraine, and the catastrophic impact on innocent Ukrainians is beyond imagination. Putin’s far-reaching demonically-inspired schemes are producing their evil results. The world and maybe the circumstances of your life are chaotic and seemingly impossible. However, God is not taken by surprise, and He is at work. His provisions are already in place for those who trust Him. You can count on that.

The focus of this devotional message, then, is not the world situation nor on your personally overwhelming challenges. I want to give you hope that is not dependent on “things getting better.”

Truth is, there’s always something happening or about to happen that will stretch your coping and your faith. THE Hope is Jesus, says the scripture. His Spirit will rise up within the willing believer at just the right time with just the right words, actions, or bursts of patience. He will never leave nor forsake you, no matter what. The Lord is true to His Word, and He has said plenty about His own character and about sharing all that He is within you because you are in covenant with Almighty God. He IS your Peace, your Provision, your Protection, your Healer, your loving Daddy.

I know. The uncertainty of it all invites you to anxiety. However, your distress will be highest when your gaze is on your circumstances. Instead, fix your eyes on the One Who will be your peace when all around you is crazy. He is stability in the midst of the unstable. He is Hope when you’re tempted to feel hopeless. Our Lord is Everything when life seems to have left you nothing.

So, as Jesus said, “Take heart! I have overcome it all, and you are able to share in My victory. I saw to that at the cross!” Believe it; receive it!

Lord Jesus, these times are hard! But this I know. You have the answers. You know the steps You have for me to walk through it all. As I live in desperate dependence on You, You will see me though. I trust You, Lord.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (Ephesians 6: 10-13)

Stand, stand, stand!  Got it?

But what does it mean to stand?

First of all, stand means don’t sit down!  Don’t quit.  I believe that someone reading this has been asking, “Is it really worth it?  Is it every going to work out?  Will I ever see results?”  Certainly, pray and ask God what you are to do in your specific situation.  However, don’t quit from discouragement!  If God called you to it, He’ll sustain you through it. If God has not released you, don’t throw in the towel; wipe the sweat with it, and keep going!  Stand!

Another meaning of that focus word is to “stand against,” put up protection, resist attack.  Every individual, especially every Christ-follower, has a Satanic enemy who has many demonic helpers.  They want nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy you.  (John 10: 10) They are individually strategic, they are organized, and they are patient.  If they can get a toe hold in your life, they’ll just keep working at it until they get a foot hold. I’ve heard it said (and I believe it) that the enemy bides his time, letting you believe all is well when it’s not.  He waits until you have developed maximum influence to close in and bring you down.  He wants to hurt as many people as possible.  Jesus has conquered these foes, and He has given believers the authority of His Name. Use that Name boldly.  Stand!

A third way we’re called to stand is “having done all, stand.”  When you’ve done all that you know to do, when you’ve followed God’s principles and the Spirit’s leading, but you still aren’t seeing results – stand in trust.  God is working behind the scenes, putting you and all the pieces in order.  He’s taking care of what’s needed so that when the harvest comes, it will be healthy and bountiful.  Rest in Him.  Stand!

The renowned Christian writer, Watchman Nee, wrote a book called, “Sit, Walk, Stand.”  I highly recommend his explanation of successful Christian living. 

And, as you go out the door – some of you into the messiness of a lingering tropical storm and others into the messiness of a life gone awry – STAND!

Dear Lord, I cannot stand on my own.  I need Your power to persevere.  I also need to know when I’m standing in the wrong space! Your wisdom, O Lord.  Your wisdom!

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.  (Proverbs 23:7)

Here’s an interesting one-question quiz for you.  Your answer will reveal a great deal about your habits of thought.

If you could pick one color to describe your mind and your emotions, what would that color be??

Come on.  What’s the first color that popped into your mind? And for you, how does that color feel?  What does that hue suggest about how you usually think?

I started pondering this question when I read a thought-provoking quote by Marcus Aurelius:

“A man’s thoughts dye his soul.” 

What kinds of thoughts do you dwell on? What types of wonderings and ponderings occupy most of your mental space? You see, the way you think has everything to do with how you feel.

Are you in the habit of worrying?  Worry is negative rehearsal for the things you fear. Worry dyes the soul (the mind, will, and emotions) – dark red, negative and on high alert.

Is depression your most common emotional experience?  Depression involves obsessing over the worst in your life circumstances, your worst faults, your predictions of a dire future. Depression colors your soul dark gray approaching black, like gathering storm clouds.

Maybe the color you thought of was yellow like sunshine, bright orange like fiery hot, or a beautiful blue like serene water.  Well, cool!

Your thoughts dictate your emotions, and you have the power in each life situation to choose where your mind will focus. Will you zero in on what is wrong in your life, or will you opt for optimism? Will you focus on your inadequacy or His “more than enough?” Will you look for what you can do or obsess about what you can’t?

Dye your soul” with the beautiful colors of a sunrise or sunset – pinks, lavenders, yellows, oranges, and soft blues. I love those colors, and I love the peace and joy that fills me when I choose the kind of thoughts that produce them.

As wise King Solomon said, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

God, You’ve told me that You are working on me to give me the mind of Christ.  I want to think like You think about myself, my situation, and my future.  Renew my mind, Holy Spirit.  

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43: 39)

This passage implies that God can be up to something really good in your life, but that you may mis-perceive it or miss it. Could this be true in your life right now?

Why do you think that might happen? Perhaps what you are immediately experiencing is doors slammed shut, and you just don’t know what you are going to do. It certainly does look as if you’re at a dead end.  God says, “See, I am doing SOMEa new thing!”

Maybe you are set in your habitual ways, “comfortable,” but feeling some kind of stirring of discomfort. Don’t do something “crazy.”  Stop, be still, and listen. Is God about to spring up a  “new thing?”

Or it may be that you have felt for a long time that you are in a vast desert, a wasteland. You’ve struggled and tried, prayed and cried, but no relief seems to be in sight. Maybe you saw what looked like the solution, but it only turned out to be a desert mirage. Your Loving Father says to you, “Just hold on, I’m making a way in the desert. You may not see it and feel it yet, but it’s happening.”

Open your eyes and see it.  God’s doing a new thing!

Lord, help me not to stubbornly cling to my old ways but to be willing to embrace the new things You want to bring into my life. I choose to let go of the false belief that I know much of anything. Instead, I rely in total dependence on You. Because I trust You, I relax in Your Love. Because of Your sweet work in me, I have HOPE.

For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Romans 11: 29)

I’ve had this comforting verse on my mind as I’ve worked with three certain clients this week, all of whom were tempted to believe that they had no purpose, that they had sinned their way into disqualification, or that they had just messed up one too many times for God to still want to use them. Have you ever felt any of these?

According to God’s Word, God is never done with you. He’s placed abilities and talents within you that are aligned with the purpose and calling He has placed on your life. He will stir and nourish those gifts within you any time you are willing to have Him work in you and through you.

I hear someone asking, “But what about the parable of the talents? Didn’t God take away the talents of two?” Well, first of all, the talents in that parable were money. Who among us has not lost money when we made unwise decisions with it?

Romans 11: 29 reveals that God is not going to change His mind about the gifts He gave you to use to make His world a better place. He has placed deep within you a calling for your unique opportunities.

It’s not too late for you! On the authority of His Word, God wants you to hear that!

Lord, Your mercy and grace are astounding! Thank You for all the chances You’ve given me and for Your plans for me that You keep working. I praise you that age or mistakes or the opinions of others cannot alter Your relentless Love for me. I submit to that Love, and my heart is grateful from its depths.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
    He delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34: 4)

I get nervous on Weather Alert days (like today in our area). I acquired that anxiety through some very scary weather experiences. I’m better than I used to be, though. Most of us have some kind of specific acquired anxiety because life has handed us some frightening events, and that invites us to be nervous any time we’re reminded of that experience.

The problem is, that anxiety can spread. Fear can hold you and me back from opportunities that are ours for the taking.

What’s are the costs of living in worry and anxiety? Some of you know all too well.  The tolls anxiety exacts on your body, your emotions, and your productivity are legendary.

Additionally, consider another aspect of the stolen booty of the thief fear. When you’re chronically experiencing anxiety, this usually means that you’re feeling threatened in some way.  When you’re feeling threatened, your focus is on “survival” – in other words, on self-protection.  Though you may have talents and callings in relating with people, you lose the capacity for going outside yourself to offer empathy to others. The sacrifice of purpose fulfillment is an exhorbitant price!

The thief fear also belongs to a gang, and he brings his buddies along with him.  In other words, anxieties multiply and grow when you give them place in your life.

Look, like I shared with you, I suffer from some post-trauma anxieties, too, so I don’t speak as one who has all of it together.  I’m a work in progress on this one.

However, I come to you as one who knows the Truth. When I listen to God rather than to the anxieties that can sucker-punch me before they try to rob me, I am defended against those enemies of my soul.  When I call to the front and center of my mind my covenant with Christ in which His strength and His provisions are mine, the nervousness dissipates.  When I call out to Him, He hears me.  When I am willing to hear Him, He delivers me from all my fears.

The same is true for you!  The scripture says, “You’ll know the Truth, and the Truth make you free.”

Arrest that thief!  Jesus says you don’t have to live this way!

Lord, anything that could happen today, You already know about and You’ve already provided for; You have me covered.  That’s Your job.  My job is to trust You more than I trust my worries.  I believe You, Lord – and please help my unbelief

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 9)

When I think about all the ways we think we are getting or keeping control in our lives, it makes my head hurt. Some of these may temporarily bring a SENSE of control, but none bring true control.

1.Keeping your “stuff” perfectly in order;

2.Acquiring “enough” money (whatever that elusive number is);

3.Keeping emotions underground and “in check;”

4.Looking good compared to someone else;

5.Being the boss, at work or home;

6.Outsmarting someone else;

7.Putting someone in their place;

8.Being admired and liked by people you meet;

9.Achievement and accomplishment of a sought-after goal;

10.Pleasing others so much that you are “indispensable”(not);

11.Fixing other people, getting them to “do right;”

12.Getting revenge…

And the list goes on.

But each of these is a temporary fix for an unholy hunger that has manifested itself in human form through the ages. You attempt to feed and satiate that hunger, but it is never quite enough. Glancing back over that diverse “food list,” you realize first of all how pervasive this human craving for control is. Second, you realize how futile it is to try to fill up this bottomless pit. Whatever you put in there is quickly absorbed and the flesh yells at you, “More! More!”

Please, save yourself a lot of trouble. Come to the startling realization that you are not in control, and that no amount of clutching, grasping, or clawing will change that immutable fact. That’s the bad news.

The good news is, Someone is in control, and that Someone knows all, loves you beyond anything you can imagine, and is placing opportunities and choices in front of you daily that allow you to become your best. It’s only in the yielding to God’s wonderful plan for your life that the pieces come together. And even when it seems that someone has just emptied the puzzle box all over the floor, just know that there is a master picture and that no necessary part is missing. Also know that all that happens, even those pieces that look ugly by themselves, all of them work together to create a beautiful whole when your life all comes together. But this can’t happen until you really come terms with Who is oh, so able to show you your next steps, and until you find the freedom of relinquishing the incessant pursuit of gaining and maintaining control.

The truth is, you gain control by giving up control.

Lord, I surrender to You. I accept my powerlessness to control circumstances or people. I have faith in You, the One Who is faithful to see me through it all.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (I Corinthians 13: 4-7)

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Let’s depart from the expected and talk about what love isn’t and doesn’t.

Isn’t it interesting that personality quirks that are explained away or even found endearing in courtship can become real boogers in marriage and other long-term relationships?  You initially think it’s cute that your new romantic partner is jealous, relishing the idea of how much he/she must  care about you.  Then you live with that constant paranoia about your actions and intentions or those of others. You’re attracted to his/her “confidence” and boldness.  Then you watch as that idealized version morphs into the reality of an individual who believes his/her way is the only way and who will do whatever it takes to get it, no matter how it affects you or others.

Love isn’t jealous. Jealousy is a complex emotion that is usually the product of insecurity. Sometimes that insecurity is justified; the partner is indeed flirting with danger.  Other times one partner carries personal insecurity from past personal hurts and betrayals  or from parental infidelity or abuse. Often included in the experiences of jealousy are fears of abandonment, comparison of self to others perceived as threatening, and the unhealthy belief that you are unworthy or unlovable.  Some actually tend toward true paranoia, misinterpreting every signal and suspecting every motive.  Jealousy strikes both women and men when they perceive an actual or imagined threat from a third party or “all the ones out there.”

Jealousy is not limited to romantic relationships.  It can also glare its green eyes among siblings and family members who are vying for parental attention or competing for family resources. The God kind of Love is not competitive.

Jealousy is a miserable way to live for both the jealous-er and the jealous-ee!.  .

God has an alternative.  It’s great when a human has been so consistent and loyal in a relationship that you have absolutely no doubts about what your partner would do, given the opportunity to stray.  However, you don’t always have that luxury.  So how can you live above the fear named jealousy?

You trust in God, Who will never abandon you, Who is always faithful, and Who will see you through, no matter what.  You don’t have to become a PI to voraciously search for information to assure yourself that you will be OK in a relationship.  God says that He has a purpose and a plan for you.  He sees it all, knows it all.  He will never, ever desert you.

Knowing that kind of security, you can be freed to love and trust others.  You may want and value another human, but that person is not your Source.  God is. You don’t have to worry about how you compare to someone else.  You are of infinite worth, wonderfully designed by God and given purpose to offer the world.   If God has given you the gift of a partner as a beautiful part of His plan for you – great! But insecurity?  Jealousy?  Heck, no.

Love isn’t arrogant.

The definition of arrogance includes being boastful, vaunting oneself, lifting oneself up with pride.  In other words, the arrogant person sees herself/himself as better than a partner or those around him/her. Arrogance is fueled by pride, and as the scripture reminds us, a fall cannot be far behind. But first, an arrogant, prideful person can spread seeds of heartaches, resentments, and low self-worth in the humans with whom it regularly comes in contact.

The scripture reminds us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  That includes the devilish pride of overestimating our opinions, our worth, and our priorities over the value, the rights, and the feelings of others. When you are in a relationship with another individual, you have the growth challenge of developing spiritual and personal maturity that allows you to leave behind, “My way is the right way” and embrace, “Let’s communicate openly and respectfully and reach a solution that includes and honors us both.”

Holy Spirit, convict me and remove from me the devilish pride that can inspire me to believe that I know the right way and others don’t.  Please save me from any contemptuous attitudes toward others! I want to hold only the attitudes and display the actions of Love, O God.  Lord, I find my security in You.  I don’t need to prove anything.  I don’t need to be fiercely guarded.  I just want to trust YOU, for You are the Source from which my Agape flows.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61: 1-3)

Then He (Jesus) rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4: 20-21)

I’d like to begin our reflections this morning with a question. As a Christ-follower, as a believer in whom the Spirit of Christ lives, as an ambassador of Jesus Christ on this earth today, does it make sense that your mission aligns with His? That answer seems self-evident. Our God-given assignments will correspond to the mission of Jesus when He was here in bodily form.

So, what was Jesus’ mission? The prophet Isaiah stated it, and Jesus clarified that He was the fulfillment of it. In Luke 4 Jesus took the Isaiah scroll one day in the synagogue, read it aloud, then stated, “This day you see Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled.” This is a pretty big deal, one with very practical implications for you and me.

1. Proclaim good news to the poor.
2. Bind up the brokenhearted.
3. Proclaim freedom for the captives and the release from darkness for the prisoners.
4. Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our Lord.
5. To comfort all who mourn and those who grieve in Zion – bestow beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.

Are you feeling a loss of purpose and a lack of direction about what to do in your life? Look around you. People are starving for encouragement. They need someone to just be present, be comforting, and provide practical help when their hearts are broken. Plenty of people are trapped in addiction and/or the tyranny of their own bad habits, and they could use models and supporters of their recovery. Individuals’ hearts hunger for God, whether they recognize it as such or not. Help people understand the ways of the Lord, and encourage them to trust in His timing and rhythms. Folks all around you have experienced loss, and they are grieving. Show them that you notice and that you care. In other words, see your world through the eyes of Christ, and minister to them in His ways.

Another way to look at this powerful passage is as a recipient of the Love of Christ. Today you may be broken, grieving, entrapped, and brokenhearted. You can ask the Lord with confidence for His help in any of these situations. They are specifically named in His mission; He’s an expert in their solutions. The scripture invites you to ask, and it promises that when you do, you will receive.

Trust that. Trust Him!

Lord, I want to be Your representative on this earth, and I want to be willing to go to whomever and to wherever You call me. You didn’t shrink back from tough and even impossible situations. In Your power, I won’t either.