Attitudes

P 2263 Always remember, Love is the umpire.

/ DVH

I have spoken before about hubby and I and the blessing we have regarding spiritual connection. We think perhaps together, we are one of those supporting ligaments described in Ephesians. Let’s look in Chapter 4:16 “From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.” God has graciously given hubby and I that kind of connection. Praise Him. 🙌 Now, we can both be as stubborn and determined to get our own way as the next guy, but we know that the Lord put us together for a purpose. 

However, if your marriage is bumpy or shaky, maybe you could start to pray that God will create between you and your spouse the perfect joint, so that each side can function well, fully supported by the other one. Jesus is the greatest cartilage we could ever ask for to keep us from rubbing our end of the other joint raw. Put Him between you and your spouse, or prayer partner – it is not wise to tolerate friction, that is destructive. However, Love will not put all the work on the other person either. Remember, we are meant to support each other, this is not a one way deal – with one partner drowning in the other one’s ministry.

If you happen to be single, then find someone you trust to pray with, and support them. Paul had Timothy, and Silas – he supported them and they supported him. Today is the time to fix any dislocated joints we know about so we can begin to move cohesively together. As we are Christians this means repairing things to the Holy Spirit’s satisfaction, as well as both of the parties. Otherwise, we will push that joining together out of alignment by ourselves. We need to deal with any dislocation immediately. Serving one another and supplying each other’s needs, helps the body to function smoothly.

This has, recently, become so apparent to Hubby and I because of my accident on Saturday.  In difficult times, one part of that joint may need to serve as a ‘splint’ for the other one so the repairing process can take place. Many times I have noticed the reason for marriages struggling is because one partner is forced into trying to maintain the joint but without the other partner’s contribution.

Think about it like this:  even in our fingers, health for our digit relies on the blood supply being able to get through.  In spiritual matters, we can hold up the growth process for both people by restricting the blood supply – the Holy Spirit’s input.  The bible tells us one half of the joint supplies the other under His guidance, and hubby and I have seen that work many, many times. I cannot do what I do without him.  And he cannot do what he does without me.  Ministry of any sort, is not supposed to divide.

Hubby is typing this blog for me, he is taking dictation, because I need both hands to type. When we are on the road, giving away bibles etc, God might give me a word of knowledge that sets hubby off on the Lord’s pathway when he meets the stranger. It is astonishing to me that I can give him a word of knowledge, and he can act on it, and it all turns out wonderfully – but not at all the way I think it will.

This is where trust comes in, I trust my husband and he  trusts me. This kind of supply for the other person is based totally on trust.  Sometimes he says, “I’m going to do thus and thus..”, and in my mind, I’m thinking, “That will never work” – but it always does.  We need to learn to have faith in each other, to have faith in Jesus IN the other person.  It appears that trust and ‘submitting to one another’ go hand-in-hand, and that creates a spiritual flow just like the veins in our hands – blood goes up, it comes back down.  The important part is the Blood.  We must not restrict the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

He is the star on this stage.  The two people involved have laid aside their own egos and attitudes … even the things they have learnt from their family of origin, when they do not align with the bible. The Holy Spirit loves to flow, but He needs yielded vessels that want to submit to Him and to each other, for the greater good.  Always remember LOVE IS THE UMPIRE. 👋🏻 Bye.

P 2261 Agreement is not participation.

/ DVH

“So this is why we abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us. Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!” James 1:21-22 TPT.

Yes, James did just say we can totally deceive ourselves! Not responding to what we read, or even not co-operating with the Holy Spirit in our lives, is self-deception. Lots of people agree that Jesus was a man Who came to earth, lived and died here. Most of them do not do anything further about it! Agreement is not enough! God is looking for changed hearts – not just mental assent. Our hearts will not be changed without us giving Him permission PLUS acting on what He tells us. Those two things go hand in hand. We need to swallow our pride … and be careful we don’t choke … and start again, this time with humility.

Here’s a litmus test for you. Would your spouse, family, or friends, say you have visibly changed in your attitudes and actions since you started following Jesus? I’m not just talking about church attendance either. I mean other people can see that God is knocking off the rough nasty bits and polishing your life like a gemologist polishes a fine stone. The point of salvation is a changed life. Not just somebody who knows how to look good, or sound good or parrot off the right words. Instead, like Paul of Tarsus, we aren’t the same old frightful person we were before we met Him!

We can all play nice when we are in company- smile, nod, and suck up our feelings when they are hurt, because we don’t want to embarrass ourselves. But who are we when the front door closes and somebody at our house annoys us? Yeah! I know. Trust me to ask that one! 😳 Transformation is a sign God is at work within. You don’t lick apples – you bite into them … what will someone else taste when they accidentally, or not – bite into you? We can all end up deceiving ourselves into thinking “I’m doing OK, I did such and such the other day, that makes me a good Christian.”

Skipping over God-given opportunities is a very risky business. I tell myself, “one more time!”  Almighty God does not like it when we abuse His Grace. It is better to admit, to the Lord, yourself and especially to others – that you have failed. Asking the person who is annoyed at you or the one who has hurt you, to pray for you is humbling – but powerful. Like I said, agreement is not participation. Participation comes when we bite the bullet and say ‘no’ to what we think and submit ourselves to one another. And yeah, it sucks! Dying to self does. 

In the Western world we are so indulged by comfort and ease we actually think we still have options. Ask the African lady who has been raped multiple times how hard it is for her to forgive those that trespassed against her. Or the Ukrainian man who has lost his entire family to a missile. Our choices in the West are not hard – they are simply cutting across our self-indulged ways. I know that we can suffer hardships too, but these things, when we face up to them, make us stronger in the Lord and the power of His might… if we let them and act on them. We need to stop protecting the old-self …sometimes even with scriptures and supposedly Godly attitudes. We must stop believing what we say qualifies us. What Christ DID qualifies us. And He died to change us.

Saying I am a horse does not make me a horse. Even if I go and live in a stable and eat hay and neigh all day. I could even learn to run faster … well, maybe not that …!!  😂 Saying I’m right, or I’m a Christian, or refusing to acknowledge that I need to be corrected, does not make my opinion of myself true. We have whole churches full of people who love to sing songs and prophesy and wave their arms about. They smile at everyone and the minute they get into their car to go home they are shouting at each other.  

Plus they cheat on their income tax. Hilariously I can almost hear someone grumbling at me: “now, that’s enough, my income tax is my business lady!” A humble heart takes correction with Grace, even if it is wrong. If you don’t believe me, then believe this: “I gave My back to the smiter and My cheeks to those who plucked out the hair. I hid not My face from shame and spitting,..” (Isaiah 50:6 KJV)… or this … “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten; but He trusted to Him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23 RSV) We are not aiming at a better, nicer ME – our aim is to be LIKE HIM. Agreement that what God says is true, is not participation. 👋🏻

P 2250 Value His opinion.

/ DVH

We should never be surprised by this world’s actions and activities – this kind of hate filled stuff has been going on for centuries. Sin is common to mankind. After all, we were like this from the very beginning. God said to Adam and Eve: ‘You can have everything you see, but that tree over there – don’t eat from that one.’ He had a great reason, and He gave it to them … but they didn’t value His opinion.

So Adam and Eve ate from the only tree that was forbidden. Did you know that there are 73,300 tree species? Approximately 20,000 plants are edible by human beings. That’s a whole lotta choices. Yet the tree that attracted those two was the one they were not allowed to eat – and it wasn’t about hunger at all. It was really  about ambition. That teaches us a lot about what makes people tick! The power of choice was always going to be our downfall – as well as our salvation.

satan put a caveat on that fruit when he told this couple if they ate it they would be just like God Himself. satan, BTW lied, by twisting the truth and not stating the consequences. Adam and Eve were already like God, they were eternal pure beings. satan implied that the lack of choice in one area was robbing them. However when they sinned, it corrupted them, the same way satan had been corrupted. he was ambitious too. Many people want a God who provides – but not one Who is in charge. 

Now let’s look at Genesis 9:1 for another illustration: “Then God blessed Noah and his sons. He said to them, “Have children so that there are many of you. Fill the earth.”… But they didn’t! … Genesis 11:2-4: “The whole world had only one language, and everyone spoke it. They moved to the east and found a broad valley in Babylon. There they made their home. They said to one another, “Come on! Let’s make bricks and bake them well.” They used bricks instead of stones. They used tar to hold the bricks together. Then they said, “Come on! Let’s build a city for ourselves. Let’s build a tower that reaches to the sky. We’ll make a name for ourselves. Then we won’t be scattered over the whole earth.” 😳

That is in direct disobedience to what they were told to do. And here’s human defiance and ambition sticking up its nasty little head. Father God told those people to fill the earth, literally … spread OUT. But they clubbed together instead. Then they built a tower because their building was going to get them to heaven – their way! They even changed their building materials to make that tower more permanent! They had to work to make those bricks!

Humanity wants the freedom to decide what is good for us, and what is not. Instead we need to recognise that what holds us all back is common to mankind. Sin. Defying God. Wanting our own way. Let’s look at Job 5:1-7: ““Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer!To which of the holy angels will you turn? The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him, the jealous anger of an idiot does her in. I’ve seen it myself—seen fools putting down roots, and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.

Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no one to stick up for them. Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests, cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all, insatiable for everything they have. Don’t blame fate when things go wrong— trouble doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble, as certainly as sparks fly upward.” 

The bible tells us that sinful attitudes are inevitable – because human beings think that what WE know, is all there is. That, and blaming others when we get it wrong, is our downfall. Sin isn’t just sex, booze and deviancy. Sin is saying: “I know better than You do God.” That’s what happened in the garden. Blame and disobedience. However, Almighty God already had a much bigger plan. If satan had had even a whiff of God’s plan he would have left those two newbies in the garden alone! 

We are more than capable of corrupting ourselves – we once gave away purity for independence.  We gotta stop blaming the snake for our own proclivities. All satan did was give Adam and Eve an opportunity. he’s a tempter, and he studies humanity for flaws, but he’s not able to make us do, anything. Our will can oppose his temptations, but instead we allow supposed needs, and our own opinions drive us. We need to value God’s opinions above our own, and see what He will do with our obedience. 👋🏻

P 2212 It’s OK to be a weak people! I recommend it!

/ DVH

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But He (Jesus) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Our new life in Christ HINGES on these verses.

I think this is one of those oxymorons in the bible that kind of muddle and mess with our minds. It seems to be saying: ’Let us be glad about being weak because then Christ can be strong in us?’ Huh? How does that work again?? It works and relies purely on the power of His Grace. Christ’s death released so much grace and power it not only saves us, it can utterly transform us – from the inside out. But we have to LET it – and letting it means giving up before you even start, or turning it over to Him when you realise YOU can’t do it. It means unconditional surrender.

We need to learn to deliberately lay down all our escape plans, clauses and subclauses, and decide to live our lives helpless without His help and input. Jesus totally relied upon the Holy Spirit and we need to learn to rely upon Him too. But first we need to admit we cannot possibly be spiritual in a way that is acceptable to the Lord – without His help.  If we want His perfect power, then you and I need to start from our utter weakness and live there!

BTW, I am not talking about indulging the flesh with things like polishing off a large packet of potato chips or a whole chocolate bar! That may well be a weakness but it is not the only weakness that Paul is talking about here! The weakness Paul means here, is the lack of willingness, or motivation to live this life we have been given, differently. It is the weakness that shows up in our flesh and attitudes, when somebody treats us badly, or life squeezes us tightly and everything starts going wrong. It’s about dying to self at those times when we want to give in to our old self, and do and say, whatever we feel like! That’s called living by your own strength and it is not only over-rated –  living that way has no real Holy Spirit power in it. 

Well, for me to continually live out what these verses say, I follow Him … straight down onto my knees! Then I tell the Holy Spirit I want to obey Him, but it’s too hard and I’m not going to lie to Him! This is where my all time favourite word motivates me. Nevertheless … I’m gunna give in to You anyway Lord. It’s where I ask for His strength and admit my utter weakness, plus my lack of motivation and I ask Him to help me. So, what’s the difference between making yourself – or praying first asking for His help – and then still doing whatever it is anyway? After all you still end up doing whatever it is you don’t want to do! Well, NOW, I am leaning on Him not me – I gave up on MY strength when I asked for His help. Then I tell Him I am so sorry I didn’t want to do whatever it is, I get up, blow my nose, use my faith and go and do it.

You see to collect this particular promise you have to start with ‘I can’t’ and sometimes … ‘I am not sure I want to either!’  Speaking for myself – I can’t – a lot! So I give up – A LOT.😂 I can’t shower myself, dress myself, give myself energy, eat anything I want, sleep well all the time, or even make myself something to eat or drink. Most of the time I have just enough energy to do whatever that day requires. And some days I run out early. (I usually make no sense at all after that!) And on other days I just plain don’t even want to try. So then I hope that being sick and disabled is an excuse He will accept. Fat chance! Those are the times that the Lord likes to blow my mind by asking me to do something utterly impossible without His help. And, low and behold, I can do it after all. 😳 “… But because you say so, I will…” Luke 5:5

Meanwhile, strangely enough, I actually consider myself extremely blessed, and fortunate. God has given me a learning curve that is pretty steep at times, but that curve has actively demonstrated to me that my ability to perform, is ZERO. I learnt to rejoice in my weakness. I discovered His strength really IS made perfect in weak people – because I ARE one! With the Lord I can do anything, without Him I can’t even tie my own shoes. What a blessing this life is! I feel very sorry for other able-bodied people who have to wrangle with the reality of this verse, because they are hindered by their own human talents, strength and abilities – including the ability to push themselves … and I am not. Bye… 👋🏻  Hang on folks…  Easter is not over …Sunday’s coming!!

P 2194 What is God aiming at?

/ DVH

I Thessalonians 4: 23-24 “May God Himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One Who called you is completely dependable. If He said it, He’ll do it!” Amen. The Person Who can teach us Holiness is the One Who has HOLY in His Name. We need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, from the bible as He leads us.

There are times when we think we know what the Lord wants from His kids, and so we get nit-picky about superficial things. What people wear – what people say – but the Lord looks at hearts. Think about this – the woman that was taken whilst she was committing adultery was thrown down at the Lord’s feet. She did not look pure and holy – she looked guilty! Jesus went around the visible things and her actions and He taught her accusers a lesson, plus He spoke to her heart, all at the same time. His love released her from fear and guilt …

Human beings look at attitudes and actions for proof of sin – but the Lord looks at our hearts. Ask yourself, am I amenable and open to change? Do I listen to what other people say about me or am I suspicious of others and their motivations? Our hearts can be changed easily when they are soft toward Him and others. Unfortunately we don’t always know what is IN there. So we need to take note of what we do, feel and say, and how we respond to others.

Our circumstances will uncover the real US. We are who we really are when we are damaged, provoked, or passed over, or treated badly. Our responses to those things reveal our actual heart attitudes. My best advice is don’t make excuses for yourself. Repent anyway. Make His pleasure in who you are, more important than saving face, or pretending to be someone you aren’t. Don’t be afraid to be your real self – Jesus paid for all our sinful attitudes. However, let’s keep working on those attitudes while it is still day, because night is coming.

We are not here to uncover other people’s sins! Instead, His kids are always looking for a way to love, connect and help each other – we choose to see the good in each other. Sin starts in our minds and if it is unattended to, it will drop into our hearts. Sin needs justification. “I do this because they did that!” But Jesus’ death and resurrection empowered us to a higher place where the greater law prevails.

Our God is not content with lip-service, He works from the inside out, but we must overcome our fear of change and embrace the fact that because what Christ did – He totally and utterly loves us. He loved us all before we were ever born. Sadly, for too long our aim has been our own comfort, but the bible makes it very clear – we are His kingdom people – we are here to usher His kingdom here on earth the way it is in heaven so our comfort is non-existent or secondary.

This is why verses like this one in Thessalonians are important. They show us the Lord’s AIM. His aim is not to fluff our pillows and make sure our beds are all comfy cosy – His aim is to have a people – a family. And Jesus Christ is our example of what that family will look like! You will, however, still be you, and I will still be me – but we will both be changed, praise the Lord … because we both need it. Maybe me more than you!

The thing this verse shows us is that God Himself will do this work in us, as we step out in faith and use the bible as our guideline. As we continually use our faith, we step into His kingdom and then even our own transformation adds weight to His kingdom growing around us. The more we change, the more the world around is influenced by our new way of thinking, doing and being. 

Almighty God will make us holy the same way He is holy. And the Person Who totally understands and knows how to implement it into our lives, is the Holy Spirit.  But we need to continually learn to co-operate with Him. One of the most important revelations to grasp, is our utter helplessness without Him. We cannot do this work of transformation ourselves. We can read about it, agree with it, and eventually we will realise that we come up short. Paul talks about this in Romans. 

When we discover it is beyond our reach to change ourselves, that is the time that the Lord has begun His work in us. Poverty of spirit is a good thing. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…” Our Spirit-led responses to life’s difficulties are the building blocks of our new life. We need to learn to rely upon the Holy Spirit to show us how to be holy the way He is holy. 👋🏻

P 2164 Dealing with all kinds of pain.

/ DVH

“God, I invite Your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to Your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to You.” Psalms 139:23-24 TPT

Wow. Talk about confronting the things we often want to avoid at all cost! Have you noticed how the Lord just loves to look in those dark hidden corners that we hope He doesn’t see? He does it to help us out of pain. Some places we go to in our minds and hearts, are not in line with His thinking, so we need to have Him examine us, and sort out what is behind them. We also need to recognise enemy attack. Obviously, we are told to resist satan, and press into the Lord instead. 

Any diagnosis needs some sort of treatment! The bible recommends humbling ourselves, and submitting to others, by inviting the Holy Spirit to search our hearts prayerfully with their help. We also need God’s help and wisdom to find the stuff we have hidden away, even from ourselves. Human beings are funny creatures, we don’t like to admit faults and failures, yet confessing that stuff is a pathway to a new place in Him. I’m not talking about getting so self-obsessed you turn yourself inside out, but there are the times to pray the search me prayer and submit yourself to Him … as well as someone else. We are not alone, anymore – let your Christian family comfort you.

It is also good, in those times, to ask someone to join you that you know will tell you the truth. None of this flattering, “Oh you’re OK, it’s just a bad day” junk! Other people can have a wider view than we do, they can see the results of our attitudes and actions. Unfortunately we sometimes only see or understand our own intentions. It is incredibly easy to confuse those two things. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. We need the bible to help us sort out what is motivating us.

Many arguments that occur in a Christian home have been about what was intended. We need to carefully examine with His help – what was the real-life result! Our intentions don’t nullify what actually happened to someone else. Learn to listen to your spouse, your kids, and/or any people close to you who know you – let them reflect the YOU they see. Don’t hide behind hurt feelings, or fear of change, but open yourself up, because this is a normal part of growth. Real change comes from confronting the corners of your heart and it isn’t all bad stuff. Pain has a pathway – let’s dig up the pathway!

In times of anguish we do need the body. Other people who are more mature. Or perhaps someone who has experienced the kind of pain you are going through, to help straighten out our perspective. I ask myself a couple of questions, when or if, I don’t like the other person’s answer: “Why would this person lie to me? What have they got to gain?” Heads up! Most other people usually have nothing to gain and they are also running a big risk of alienating you. In my experience, people who tell you what you want to hear aren’t helpful – they want something.

Here is some stuff I have observed from just living. Pain numbs our spiritual senses and clouds our view of Who He is. It forcibly shoves us over into our minds … logical answers, and problem-solving. Then thinking-our-way-through-pain takes over. But, in reality, PAIN doesn’t actually diagnose the cause of anything! … So doing that won’t help us. Pain is a symptom, not the cause – a result, not the initial issue. 

Always remember, we don’t have to deny or hide our faults and sins anymore, because we know we have a Saviour! Plus, most of our faults etc. have a way of showing up so clearly that the people around us are well aware of them anyway! The bible tells us to humble ourselves, God will exalt us when He is good and ready. (Paul did it – Galatians 2) Even my enemies have something to teach me about myself. My immediate response to being around them is a sign post to what lies within ME!  👋🏻

P 2139 Our feelings can control our lives and oppose faith

/ DVH

Our feelings fight for control of our thinking and eventually our faith, because we have learnt, from this world’s society, to listen to what makes me feel good. Jesus Christ was born into the sort of captivity that some people in this world face today, His nation was under the control of the Roman Empire. However, Christ understood what real freedom is. It is about who we are INSIDE. He understood that even though we are all free to hate, that means we are also free to love. Jesus Christ understood the power of choice. I’m not sure humanity understands this concept much – our feelings have been kind of, over- indulged.

Our world is tied up with owning things, because we have a lot of freedom to choose. Over the years I’ve learnt that I don’t have to like people to pray for them. Which is why Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and do them good whenever we can. Our actions do not have to be guided by our feelings. However, our feelings certainly know how to put up a good fight at times – especially if someone else jumps up and down on them! But those feelings can be a problem, and giving in to them is a mistake – because feelings cloud faith.

I cannot tell you how many times I have had to take my own feelings by the scruff of the neck and tell them – “You are not the boss of me, JESUS IS.” That statement comes with a warning label … ⚠️ …because doing it hurts. It hurts because in my lifetime I have learnt to live by my feelings, so some things feel natural. Just because it feels natural that doesn’t make it good, right and profitable. Actually my feelings lie to me all the time. They tell me that it is not fair when I am sick, or I can’t do stuff I want to do, or eat what I like. Have you ever noticed that your feelings rarely give you a solution? I have! 😳

Moving on …There are times when I feel like I deserve all this fabulous stuff I don’t have. 😂 Yeah. Howzat working out for you baby?  I also feel like everybody should love me because I’m a nice person. But they don’t. My feelings are not accurate, and when I indulge them they take over, and they demand to be fed. Mainly because I have stepped out of the realm of reality. I actually can’t control anything but ME and feelings can shoot that in the foot too!  Hypothetically, I might get cross if someone else does not give me the approval I think I need. Or I can get angry because I know what I want, and you won’t give it to me (!!) 😱… Meanwhile, I can also feel that if you would just do what I want, then everybody would be happy. Well, I’d be happy anyway! And if you dare to make me unhappy, then I will make you PAY.  Like I said, my feelings are totally unrealistic and they lie to me.

Feelings can be cruel taskmasters. They demand this and that, and if people don’t get what they want when they want it, then their feelings will make you get your own straw (Exodus 5:6-20)  just to make sure you know who is IN CHARGE. That sounds a lot like Pharaoh to me!! I know many people who live by their feelings and being around them like is living on a roller coaster. U-P, down …looping the loop …and hanging upside down. 🤢 I get giddy trying to talk to them because I never know what is going to offend them next. It’s like you are walking along with someone chatting away, and suddenly you hit a very deep hole and you can’t figure out how you fell in! 

People who live by their feelings are utterly unpredictable. Many poor souls are so trapped by their feelings that they let their feelings influence their choices. How I feel is a part of who I am, but it is not all of who I am. I am  a person of faith. Faith and feelings rarely coincide. I’ve practiced ignoring my feelings when my feelings told me that I hate someone. I know I can’t do that anymore, because I belong to Jesus! Actually, I found out, as time went on, I  didn’t really hate them – I just didn’t understand them, or the way those people thought. Living by our feelings is a childish indulgence – living by faith means you take big steps into better behaviour. We are led by SomeOne wiser than we are..

There are people in this world who make every effort to try to control every single thing around them. They take over entire countries or people groups just so they can feel powerful or important. Napoleon felt important, and it didn’t work out well for him. Alternatively, it also seems that there are people have never ever heard the word NO! in their lives… and when they do finally hear it they want to take an ax or a knife or a gun and do something appalling with it. Like James says:  ‘…my brothers… this ought not to be so!’ Some actions or attitudes are diagnostic tools, and if we do them, we are exhibiting our lack of our awareness that there is a God and we are answerable to Him. Our feelings are not ever meant to be bigger than our faith.

We simply cannot afford to live our lives the way this world does – living that way will kill off faith. Let’s look at money for a moment. Hubby and I changed our banking system. We give our money to Jesus and use it the way He tells us to use it. When we do that, we are storing our financial security up in heaven where thieves and greedy people can’t get to it. This means we don’t have much down here, so we can’t buy lots of things we don’t need. YAY!  Unless the Lord Jesus, Who is now our banker, decides we need it.  We consult Him about every purchase and if He says NO then we don’t get it. 

Instead, we’ve learnt to thank God that we have somewhere to live, because so many people in this world don’t. Some people even live in fear for their lives daily. Everything in this world depends on how you and I look at things. We can see loss, and sadness, or see opportunities to change our POV and think like Jesus did.  Like I said, feelings oppose faith. 👋🏻