Tag Archives: anger

Aug13

Jump Over Yuck

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I mentioned a few posts back that joy does not have to look like happy. What I didn’t know then, was that the Lord would quickly unlock a major key to maintaining joy in my life.

There was an ugly message waiting for me. One laced with all the manipulation and undercurrents of superiority that could possibly be shoved into a few sentences. And suddenly, my joy was on shaky ground. I was tempted to hate, to expose, and to cut off all ties. Until a friend of mine, who I was totally honest with, offered, “that won’t feel as good as you think it might.”

With the insertion of truth into the swirling chaos of my reaction, my thoughts began to slow. I chose to breath deep and still my mind. I asked Jesus for truth. He showed me Hebrews 12:2,MSG “2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.”

Suddenly, I could see that this attack was just one of the enemies weapons of mass distraction. My enemy wanted me to be distracted from the entire point of my life. Instead, God called me to fix my eyes on Jesus, consider where I’m headed, and get back on track. As I asked Him to help me, He gave me the most amazing and simple vision to overcome.

I saw a trap laid out in the wilderness, and it was camouflaged with leaves. Holy Spirit removed the camouflage so I could see the trap. He asked me, “Are you their prisoner? I say you are free. What do you say?” I decided, “I am free!” Then He showed me to walk around the trap set for me, and keep going forward. And I DID! Praise the Lord!

Shortly after that choice, I was around the one who sent the message, and I can tell you that I truly harbored no anger or frustration or hatred for them. I AM FREE! This is a huge miracle. So I asked the Lord, how can I continue experiencing this freedom as life continues flying at me?

He said to maintain JOY, you simply, Jump Over Yuck.

J-ump.

O-ver

Y-uck.

JOY!

So today, I want to encourage you. Are you their prisoner? Or are you free in Christ? Will you choose to fall into the traps set before you? Or will you ask Jesus to help you see them, so you can JUMP over them.

Let’s all choose to Jump for Joy today! Let’s triumph and rejoice together in this great freedom Jesus has bought for us with His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. He is worthy of ALL glory, honor, and praise!

Father, help us have eyes to see the traps being set for us. Help us Holy Spirit to jump over them. Help us to become more like You Jesus, never losing sight of where we are headed. Remove any distractions that keep us from the main thing. Help us to be about Your business totally, and flowing at Your rhythm and pace for our lives. We need You! We love You! It’s by Your blood, Your spirit, and Your power I ask these things in Your Holy, Perfect, Saving name Lord Jesus! Amen!

 

Jul24

Tenderhearted??

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Philippians 2:1 Are your hearts tender and sympathetic?

I mean, honestly, it depends on the moment right? My heart might be tender and sympathetic if I just heard about a horrible, sad, occurrence that took place somewhere in the world. However,  if I just waded through the immense stress of the check out line with two small children, where the person in front of me had nine thousand coupons and it just happens to be the cashier’s first day, by time I get to my car, chances are my heart won’t be super tender.

Hmmmm. So what’s that about? Is my heart tender and sympathetic? What about if I get the opportunity to be offended? Or horrified? Or disgusted? Or inconvenienced? Or maybe all of the above? Lord, are you requiring that my heart always be tender and sympathetic? How is that even possible?

Pursuing this truth caused me to consider what the opposite of tender and sympathetic would be. Cold? Disconnected? Unforgiving? Hard? Unapproachable? Impatient? What do you think of when you consider the opposite? As I contemplated these words in relation to my heart, I began to understand the question the scripture begs more.

What is going on in your heart? “Pay attention to what triggers you to act opposite of Christ. This is where you need Me.” Oh, I see, this is not an opportunity to shame myself for (once again) not measuring up, falling so short of the standard. In fact, nothing the Lord calls us to, is that at all. Instead, each standard is only the sincerest beckoning to run to Him. Without Him, we cannot reach any standard of RIGHT, it’s only with Him and through His blood. But the good news, the very best news is, He never tires of lifting us up, carrying us through, reminding us, and encouraging us. He is faithful.

I asked Him for more. He showed me, Colossians 3:12, “Since God chose you (I mean we could stop right there! What a JOY!) to be His holy people, whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” As I meditated on this scripture, I was reminded of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit out of Galatians 5. Relief swooped in, I am called to clothe myself in who He is, but I don’t have to find it alone. I prayed, “Holy Spirit, fill me up afresh, I choose to put You on, so that when the world sees me, they will really see You. I need You more now, than ever before, and I know tomorrow I will need You even more.”

Sometimes, the enemy wants to aggravate us, to sidetrack, and distract us from what Jesus has called us to. Most often this will come through some opportunity to be offended, hurt, enraged, depressed, or totally overwhelmed. I choose to see that attack as a tip off: Ohhhhh, I have an important mission today, so my enemy wants me defeated. Then I use that to fuel my fire for this world knowing they are LOVED through and through, by Love, Himself.

My resolve will be modeled after Jesus’, as we find in Hebrews 2:2, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.”

I have a goal, to make Jesus by living for Him and with Him.  I will continue to study how Jesus did it by being connected to the Father in utter submission to His Will. I will continue to model my steps, my choices, and my beliefs,

after His. I will finish my race with endurance, by receiving all the Heavenly helps available to me. And with YOU! We will triumph together in Christ!

 

Oct2

Slow to Anger

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Have you ever been blindsided? Thinking everything is fine, all is well, and then someone comes at you and has a bone to pick with you? Their feelings are real, they are truly hurt by what they have perceived and want to get it off of their chest. But you, you aren’t prepared because you had no idea that anything was the matter. How will you respond?

Unfortunately, this has been happening in my life quite frequently as of late, and I believe if I do not change my initial response, I may just have to go around this mountain for 40 years. I am learning quite a bit by my reaction, and the Lord is teaching me so much through these experiences and I thought I could share with you.

Here goes: 

When I am hearing from another person about how my actions have hurt or offended or upset them- my job is still to love. They are one of God’s precious children and deserve to be treated with respect and honor in every state, no matter what. What does my flesh want to do? It wants to protect me. I begin thinking quickly and in small circles of how I can defend myself from their offense and stop listening. I am then quick to speak and none of it sounds anything close to love because it is all about being right, all about self- protection. Love is actually no where on my radar because hurt, what that person was trying to communicate in the first place, is beginning to dictate. Now we go on the crazy cycle. You were offended and by sharing it with me, I get offended, and then I try to preserve and protect myself, now I am speaking out of my offense, and they get even more offended and begin to respond out of their now heightened level of offense. And from there, it just gets uglier and uglier and uglier until someone jumps off the crazy cycle and remembers about this amazing force called LOVE.

How can I choose Love to begin with? This is what I am learning. I am learning to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to anger. I am learning to LISTEN. That means hearing out the heart of the situation, and trust me when you are “feeling” attacked, that is not easy. But what part of being a true Christ-follower is easy? Listen to the heart, while asking the Lord to help you hear the truth, help you to see them with the stamp, “Loved, Valued, Cherished Child of God,” on their forehead. Asking the Lord to help you respond with words that articulate value and honor to them, letting them know they have been heard. Instead of allowing conflict to destroy, I am learning that the Lord can use conflict to build up and heal.

Conflict is going to happen, and the enemy loves to bring this into your atmosphere when you are vulnerable. You are vulnerable in seasons where you are physically exhausted, mentally drained, or overwhelmed and stretched in many directions at once. He loves to kick you while you are down. Funny thing about our call to love though, it is not null and void when we are not on our A game, there is no clause saying except when you don’t feel like it. No, we are called to love God and love others always. 

So here is what I am learning. This season of my life is one of much change, much new, and a lot of learning that I need to do in order to step into my next season, and there is a deadline of sorts on my horizon, which creates a bit of pressure. This is a season where I am vulnerable and easily overwhelmed. This equation of course means my enemy wants to swamp my boat, but simultaneously God is growing me and teaching me and strengthening my resolve. Praise God!

I am learning that now, more than ever, my quiet time with the Lord is imperative to me remaining in love. I am learning to pray ahead of time that in every circumstance, especially the unexpected ones, my first response would be love. I am asking ahead of time that supernaturally the Lord would cause me to be slow to speak, slow to anger, and quick to listen. 

I’ve been contemplating how Jesus would look upon them, love them, and then He would respond. I am asking Him to help me follow His lead. Will you join me? We could change our world with this kind of love, respect, and honor!!!!!!!!!! 

Lord, Thank You that everything our enemy intends for evil, You turn around for good. Thank You for revealing the cracks in my foundation and for showing me where I need to be strengthened. Lord, I admit my utter dependence upon you, I need you now more than ever before. Help me to supernaturally be slow to speak, slow to anger, and quick to listen. I trust You with my relationships and my response. Prepare me, use me, and bless everyone involved. I ask these things in the Mighty Name of Jesus, Amen!!!!!!

Mark 10:21 AMP

21 And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him…..

James 1:19 AMP

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry

 

 

 

 

Jan8

Angry? Not me…..or am I?

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Recently the Lord has reminded me that anything I try to do in my own strength or power will end ugly.

I have started attending a group which makes you journal and the first week is probing inward about anger. I found that my anger (which I was highly unaware of it’s existence ) was mostly due to me constantly saying in my mind, “Let it go,”….”don’t worry about it,”….”just keep moving, it’s not a big deal.” The problem was, it was a lie! I wasn’t letting it go, not worrying about it, or moving on, I was actually stuffing it. Which means my tendency, always to my own great surprise, is to reach a point where, “I JUST CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

I wasn’t able to let it go, although I was fully believing I had, because I was trying to do it in my own strength, by myself. After journaling the Lord has shown me that a much more beneficial road to take would look like this:

“Lord, thank you for giving me the emotion of anger so I can discern when something is wrong. Right now, something is wrong because I am feeling angry. Do You have a solution or a higher perspective or reality for what I am currently experiencing?”

This takes a lot more time and effort than being ruled by my emotion, but I am fixed on moving forward this year. I am partnering with Jesus no matter what it takes to replace my destructive cycles, like this one, with constructive cycles. I am willing to take the extra step for freedom!

The truth is, I cannot muster up enough strength consistently to hold in all the stuff that flies at any of us in just one day, not to mention, weeks, months, and years. I need God, I need Him in every NOW moment, and He is available and with me! What incredible Love! Lord, I fully admit my dependence on You. I need you, Lord, more than ever before! I love you Jesus! Amen!

Ephesians 4:26-32 MSG

26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

28 Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.