Christ: The Solid Rock

Christ: The Solid Rock

As I glanced over some pictures I took of my grandson, I came across this one and was reminded of lyrcis to an old hymn...

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
 
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
 
His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
 
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;All other ground is sinking sand.

Okay, so those who know me well are probably thinking, "everything reminds you of a song." Yep, it does. But hey, that isn't a bad thing when it reminds me of the awesomeness of God. I know that trials may come, but I also know that I can cling tight to the solid rock, that firm foundation, and my faith will remain intact. Sometimes I may not "feel" His presence, but that doesn't mean He's not there. And that reminds me of another song...hehe..

I waited for You today
But You didn't show, no no
I needed You today
So where did You go
You told me to call,
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are you still there

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here
And I'm never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life, oh
We cannot separate
Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here

And I'm never alone

So there you have it. We may not always feel God's presence, but we can rest knowing that His Holy Spirit resides within us. And we can trust that no matter how the situations look, He will be there with us, a solid rock to lean on...He will never leave nor forsake us, and we can trust that.

Alzheimer's

What do you do when your loved one forgets significant events and people in their life? I am just now beginning the journey through Alzheimer's with my dad and I wonder how I am going to be able to handle it as the disease progresses. In June my dad's wife died. He doesn't remember. Every day he questions where she is or makes comments about her as if she is still living. Sometimes I try to just avoid commenting. It seems to be simpler if you don't have to tell him she's dead. But those times when he point blank asks me I feel I have to be truthful. So I tell him. And he grieves all over again. It's like it's the first time he's heard the news. Shortly after the death he would get so angry and ask why no one told him. The thing is, he was right there with her when she died. I've begun to add that part as soon as I tell him she died. I'll say, "You were right there with her daddy. You just forgot." His other thing is he claims the house he's living in is not his own. There's no use arguing with him about it. He won't believe you. We've just started assuring him that he's not going to be kicked out of the house. It seems to appease him at least momentarily.
My grandmother had Alzheimer's. I watched as she progressively grew worse and ended up bedridden and unable to even speak. My mother and aunt had to live with her up until her death. It took a toll on them physically and emotionally. I can't fathom me doing more for daddy than I already do. Is that wrong of me to think that way? My schedule is pretty full as is. And if you knew the whole story of my childhood and such you'd understand more why I feel this way. My son is always asking why I have to tend to my dad when he never did anything for me. It's a hard thing. My dad wasn't there for me growing up. He didn't offer any child support. We did without even the basic necessities of life. But still I loved him. And I would never want to hurt him. I would never want to abandon him in his hour of need. That's what my mama taught me. You help your family. And being a Christian, I feel it is my responsibility to help him and to forgive him.
A long time ago a friend advised me to express to daddy how I felt about what he did to us. I told him, "I can't hurt him the way he hurt me." I didn't want to tell him all that I had kept buried inside. The hurt, the anger, the suffering I endured as a result of his actions. I would never want to inflict that kind of pain on him. But it would be even worse if he didn't have any feelings about what I said...like if he didn't seem to care at all. So I kept my mouth closed. And now, I don't think he'd even understand if I told him.
Every day I pray that some of his memory will come back (he has other issues that contribute to the memory loss). If that could happen at least he might be able to enjoy his life for a while longer. I dread that day when he no longer remembers who his kids are. Oh if only a cure could be found....

Vote

http://www.ccfla.org/guides.php

http://www.cc.org/

I am not a fan of politics. I do however feel that it is my responsibility as a citizen of this great nation to vote. But I feel I need to be informed about the decisions I make. That is why I posted the sites for people to check out...the first one is for Florida, the second is the main site. Take a look. See what your candidates stand for or against, and then vote.

Glasses Shopping..All About Choices

My goal yesterday was to find a new pair of glasses. Simple enough task, right? Wrong. As I picked through the bunch, finding a few that suited my style, I had a sales person come over asking to see my prescription. She then informed me that my selections wouldn't work for the prescription I had. Now how did I know that there would be some glitch if I found anything I liked? Anyway, I stood there picking up each pair I had chosen as a possibility, only to have her shake her head with almost every single pair. The ones I liked least might work...mght work? So she began bringing me selections she knew would work. Blah, blah, ho hum, and more blah. I'm thinking..."I wanted modern, not my grandma's glasses." "Have you tried plastic?" she asked. Well, sure I have. My first pair of glasses were plastic. And I'm not totally opposed to plastic. It's just that the colors usually don't work well with my skin tone. She brings me a tan pair. BLAH! Me and tan just don't work well together. Black? Nope....too dark. Tortoise shell? Eww...not for me.  Wire frames next. John Lennon style? Nope...been there, done that....back in the 80's. Aviator? Nope...another been there, done that. I had this horrible thought that I might end up coming out of there with big bug eye glasses like someone talked me into way back in the day....the ones I couldn't see how I looked in while shopping and ended up hating for the next year. Finally, I found a pair I liked okay and went to make the purchase, hoping to have them in an hour. Ha! No hour wait for you, missy! Well, that's how it sounded in my ear. My prescription is a special order case. Even if I didn't have the progressive lens issue, there's the issue of my one eye that would need a special lens. "Okay, so how long?" I ask.  "Oh, only about two weeks." Only? Geez. So moving on she begins to explain progressive lenses to me since I've never worn them before. I kind of knew all of the information she told me, but she had pictures. She had drawings. And then she had to explain all of the additional options. Whew! By the time I actually got around to making the decisions, I had spent 2 hours in there. 2 hours and still no glasses.  Yeah, they are on order. But now I'm wondering if I'm having second thoughts. Nah! I'm not going through that again. It's all been done now.

As I reflected on my day I was reminded of all the choices we have to make in life every day. Some choices are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things (like picking glasses), while others have some serious implications in our lives and especially in our spiritual life. Accepting Jesus as Savior or rejecting Him is the biggest choice we must make. While some may think that they can put off making a choice, they have actually made a choice...a choice to reject Him. By rejecting Him, they are doomed to spend their eternal life in hell. That's some serious stuff there. I really don't know why people always assume they can make some death bed confession of faith but continue to live a life without Christ in the meantime. Do they not understand that they may not get a chance to repent if they wait? Do they think they are immortal? I probably thought that way once upon a time. But I think the older you get the more you can see that people don't always have an instant left to say some prayer of repentance. So this is a decision people need to make while there is still time to make it.
Another issue that is of importance are the friends we choose. I am a person who is pretty selective about friendships. Most of the ones I have are people I've known for years. While some don't believe the way I do about God, all of them are aware of my beliefs. I don't try to hide it. Anyway, I was thinking about high school days. Back then (yeah, it's been a long time) I longed to be in with the popular crowd, the cool crowd. But for the most part, they were the drug users and drinkers. And as uncool as it made me, I refused to be a part of that. I knew all too well the suffering that comes from such activities. I stood my ground for the most part....and, as you can assume, I wasn't really accepted into that group. Looking back, I'd say it was a good thing. Here we are years later and many of those friends are addicts. Many have spent time in jail or are currently in jail. Most of them have had failed relationships. And I ask myself, "How cool are they now?" Their rejection hurt for a moment, but in the long run I am a better person because I stood for what I believed and refused to be swayed by peer pressure.

Every day we are faced with temptations. In those times we have a choice to make. At times, the desire to sin is so great and it seems that we can't bear it, but God's Word assures us that we won't be tempted beyond what we can bear, and He makes a way of escape. The thing is, we have to want to escape. I'd say that what we are thinking on can control what we eventually do. If you are rehearsing a sin in your mind, then chances are you'll soon commit it. Years ago I had a young man tell me he was going to remain pure until marriage. Soon after, I discovered that he was looking at pornography. I let him know that if he continued doing that, there would be no way he could keep that vow he had made to remain pure. When you look on something too long, it gets into your heart, and once there, it will manifest in your life. Sadly, that turned out to be the case in his life just as I had suspected it would.

As we read the Word of God there are many instructions for how a Christian should live. It is up to us to choose whether we will be obedient to God's commands or live according to our flesh. It is my prayer that when I come to the end of my life I will have made the right choices.

Please Pray for Ezra

A friend of mine recently sent me an urgent prayer request, along with a website to read up on the whole story. My heart was deeply touched as I sat and read the blog posts, crying for this child, these parents. I cannot begin to tell the story in such a way as to give you a clear understanding of the severity of this situation so I am imploring you to visit the website...when you do, I am certain you will feel the same ache in your heart that I feel, and be inlcined to pray without anyone even having to ask...

http://www.thematthewsstory/

A Little Fluff Never Hurt Anybody...or Did It?

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1 Cor.13:11

Anyone who has children knows all too well that a child's way of thinking about things is far different than an adult's way of thinking. As I was going through some old pictures I came across this one of my two grandsons eating their cotton candy. It got me thinking about how many people out there are going around from church to church looking for the latest and greatest "fluff" preacher. Well, that's not what they'd tell you. That was kind of my own spin on it. What I am referring to is people going to hear preachers who will tell them what they want to hear. No stepping on their toes kind of preaching. And don't dare say anything that doesn't make them feel good. Give them a sweet gooey message and life is all good. I've known people like that over the years. And they don't only do this with preachers, they do it when picking friends. I've had friends ask for my opinion on things and then cringe when I spoke what the word of God said. I was thinking, "Hey don't kill the messenger. I only spoke what God's Word said on the subject." But they were looking for a pat on the back, a condoning of their sin. I once wrote a song called "Don't Compromise" that touched on this. Here's the first verses and chorus:

Your friends may come to you

Seeking your counsel

They're lost and confused

They don't know just what to do

Well, let me give you

A little word of warning

They may just take your words

And spit them right back at you

Cause they don't really want to hear

What you've got to say

They only want you to agree

With their sinful ways

They're looking for a pat on the back,

Someone who'll say

What they're doing just isn't half bad,

In fact it's quite okay

But don't compromise

What you know to be true

Just speak the word

And let the word do the talking for you

Don't let them try to talk you into thinking their way

Just say the words you know

That God would have you say

And don't compromise

Going back to the picture...the cotton candy reminds me that kids would eat junk food all day long if you let them. It doesn't matter that it's not good for them as long as it tastes good to them. But what they don't realize is, this can make them sick. Sometimes the sickness comes pretty quickly because of too much junk food intake at one time. But there is a lack of nutrition that will also effect them in the long term if they continue on this path. This is even more detrimental to their overall health. That goes right along with what I was saying about wanting to hear only good things, things that are pleasing to the ear. If you don't receive the full counsel of God, then you will be lacking. There will be a deficiency. There has to be a balance of nutrition.

I don't deny that God gives good things to His children, but He also disciplines them when necessary. If He didn't, then you would have to wonder if that was truly love. Parents can understand this. If we never disciplined our children then they would turn out to be spoiled brats who always demanded things to be their way. They would live a life thinking "it's all about me." And that kind of thinking is contrary to God's Word.  We teach our children things like not to cross the street when cars are coming, to check the depth of water before diving, to not play with fire, etc. But it is equally important to teach them to put others above self, to serve rather than be served, to not cheat, not lie, and other things found in God's Word. That way they can grow into the adults God would have them be. And it's important for adults to learn these lessons as well. They aren't just for kids to learn. As a new believer there may be things in your life that aren't exactly how God would want them, but over the years, as you study and meditate His truths, there should be a change. There should be growth. If there isn't then something is wrong.

So, with all of that being said, let me encourage you to seek more than just a feel good message. Seek God's truths fully even if it might hurt just a bit going down. Correction is not a pleasant thing, but it will definitely produce a better person.



Without Excuse

Have you ever noticed that whenever you see people in beach pictures they always look to be having a good time even if they are covered by a ton of sand or wallowing in the salty ocean, waves crashing against them, knocking them under? It's not often you see someone who doesn't look happy or peaceful. On occasion I've seen the contemplative sort. But even they look to be pretty tranquil. I recall times when I've went to the beach and just listened to the sound of the waves crashing to shore, gulls cawing, smelling the salty air, praying for a balmy breeze to cool me down a bit...as I gazed out onto the horizon it suddenly seemed that all of life's cares were just washed away. No worries here. There was a tranquility about the ocean; a calmness that seemed to soothe the soul. God's presence just seems to be so obvious whenever I am out in nature like that. It's so big...so beautiful. And I can't even imagine it just popping into existence, as some would think. 

Many times people ask, "Would God send someone to hell who had never heard the gospel message?" In years past I might have asked that very question. It doesn't really seem like a fair deal to condemn someone who didn't have the chance to know God. But in Romans 1:20 it says: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Now, I'm no Bible scholar but this reminds me of what I was just speaking about....how something so big, so vast could never have just popped into existence. It would require a much greater power...a Creator. Psalms 19:1 tells us: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." This tells me that if a man can believe that there is a Creator of the earth around him, and he seeks to know that Creator, then God will surely make a way to reveal the gospel to him. We are told that if we seek Him, we will find Him. That would seem to include those who may have no knowledge of who He is, just a knowing that there has to be a Creator.

For those who question God's existence, go outside and take a look at the world around you. Not just a glimpse of things, but take a deep look at the complexities of this world. It takes as much faith to believe that this world was created from nothing as it does to believe it was created by God. And if evolution were true, why has it stopped? If man truly did come from an ape, why then hasn't he evolved into something new? And what about all the details of the human body? The way things all work together is an amazing thing. Do you actually believe it just happened by some explosive circumstance?

Until next time...

~jan~

Following God's Leading

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6-10

I was reading my Bible last night as the television played in the background. I stumbled onto Acts 16:6-10 and even though I've read it many times over the years, I felt compelled to read it again. It's a good reminder of how we may not always know the course God would have us choose, but if we step out in faith and it's not God's plan, we can rest assured that he will stop it. After reading the passage I put my Bible down and started listening to the television. Several pastors were on (including Pastor Stovall Weems from Jacksonville...he is my friend's pastor) TBN and at that moment Pastor Brian Houston was speaking about planting a Hillsong church in New York. I had to laugh when, in the course of the conversation, Acts 16:10 was mentioned. It's funny how God works like that isn't it? It's kind of a verification or confirmation that God is speaking something to you. So this had me re-reading the passage again, wondering what exactly I needed to learn from this passage. I'm thinking, "What are you trying to show me Lord?: Well, the obvious message (as I've said already) would be that we may not know where to go, but as we step out in faith, trusting God to lead us, He will direct us. In verses 6-7 we see two attempts to go in a certain direction but God stopped it. And I'd say, Yes, He did. But it was only after they acted. Sometimes we get this notion that we can't do anything until God says to do it. In all honesty, we may not hear specifically from God and this then requires a leap of faith. If you have clear direction from God to wait that's all good. But when you don't, and what you're wanting to do is a good thing, then trust that God will direct if you get off course. Take a risk.
When we get to verse 9 I thought about something that seemed to veer completely from the obvious message. Over the years I've had people tell me that God no longer speaks to people using dreams and visions. This always bothered me since I have had dreams that I felt were from God. And many times they turned out to be pretty accurate about situations going on around me. Oh, don't get me wrong, I never assume every dream is a dream from God. Many are just silly dreams. Those are usually the ones I forget quickly. But on occasion I have a dream that I can't shake. I'll go throughout my day thinking about it, unable to forget it. This always causes me to take a closer look at its message. Anyway, as I read the words, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night" it was like a light bulb went off. This vision in the night happened after Jesus' resurrection. And there are other times mentioned in the Bible that speak about such things as being in a trance, visions, etc. So how is it that a person can say God no longer uses these means to communicate? Yes, we have the Bible to lead and direct us, and that is always a source to rely on. If we think something is of God it sure better line up with what is contained in those pages. Otherwise, we would be wise to question its validity. So my point is, seek God, seek to do His will, and He will answer. And that answer may come in ways we don't always expect.

Until next time...

~jan~

Obedience: The Purest Form of Worship

What does it mean to worship? There are so many views on the subject. How do we determine what is considered worship? Let's start with these explanations of worship:

The primary Hebrew word for worship, Shachah  means "to depress, i.e. prostrate (in homage to royalty or God): bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship."
Three Greek words used to define worship are: Proskuneo - "meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand), to fawn or crouch to, homage (do reverence to, adore): worship." It occurs 59 times in the New Testament. It originally carried with it the idea of subjects falling down to kiss the ground before a king or kiss their feet. Sebomai - "to reverence, hold in awe." Used 10 times in the New Testament. Latreuo - "to render religious service of homage." Used 21 times in the New Testament.

The English word for worship means to ascribe worth to something.

Now let's move on to my thoughts:

I have often said that obedience is the purest form of worship, for without it, any act considered to be worship is useless. In other words, we can be doing all the so called right things and still not be worshippers. Let's take a look at the story found in 1 Samuel 15:2-23:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’" So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim— two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs— everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night. Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal." When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions." But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?" Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest." "Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied. Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?" "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

This is a prime example of what I am referring to when I speak about obedience in regard to worship. In this passage Saul tried to justify his partial obedience by saying they were going to use the animals for worship sacrifices. That clearly wasn't what God had instructed him to do. And we all know that partial obedience is still disobedience in the eyes of God. Saul rejected the word of the Lord. As a result, he was rejected as King. To obey is better than sacrifice.

In Amos 5:21-24 it says:

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

So why were their religious feasts and offerings despised by God? Weren't these considered acts of worship? They were despised because they oppressed the righteous and were taking bribes and depriving the poor of justice in the courts. Proverbs 21:3 says: "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." God would have much rather had them treat others right than to have some ritualistic act of worship. Their hearts were far from Him.

Romans 12:1 tells us: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship."

Offering our bodies as living sacrifices means putting God's priorities above our own. It means obeying His commands and doing what is pleasing in His sight; sacrificing our ways in order to live according to His way. He views this as a spiritual act of worship. Wow! Isn't that incredible? By doing what God wants us to do we are considered worshippers. I like that. This takes a lot of pressure off of me when I come into the house of God to worship with other believers. I don't have to DO any specific act to be considered a worshipper. My lifestyle is the act that determines worship.

So, does this mean that our acts of worship at church are not really worship? No, it doesn't mean that at all. As long as our heart motives are pure, and we are consistently walking in obedience to God's commands, our expressions are an overflow of a lifestyle of worship. Those expressions may include bowing and other outward displays. But the act itself is not what constitutes worship. It requires relationship with God, and a pure heart.

I was thinking about the story of the wise men and how they were traveling to see Jesus when he was born. They rejoiced when they saw the star. There was an excitement at the anticipation of being in the presence of the Messiah. They were joyful. Once they were actually in His presence they paid honor to Him. Or another way of putting it is they ascribed worth to Him. They fell to the ground and worshipped. They also offered gifts. What they didn't do was ask for something. Now right about now I can hear some of you grumbling....many believe that God will grant things like healing and deliverance in times of intense worship. And while this may be true, our focus should not be on what we might get from God, but rather on what we can give to God. Also, let me make another point here....the wise men were excited about being in the presence of Jesus...we have Jesus living on the inside of us. So this tells me that we should have an excitement about God in our every day lives. And while we may not always be in a position to bow before the Lord, we are to be humble before Him.

Okay, so there are a few of the thoughts I have on worship. I could say so much more, but will close for now.

Until next time...

~jan~

With God We Can Do All Things

When faced with situations that may cause us to become angry with another person we have a choice to make. We can either be slow to anger, restraining our lips from speaking things we will later regret or we can lose our temper and basically invalidate our religion to those around us (James 1:26).
There have been times when I've spoken in anger and later felt that my witness for Christ had been blown out the window. I immediately felt remorse even though at the time I felt my anger was justified. Why? Because I knew that my behavior wasn't pleasing in God's eyes. The Bible clearly states that we are to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, to turn the other cheek (luke 6:27-33) and to not be easily offended (Proverbs 19:11). That may be difficult to do at times, but it's not impossible or God wouldn't have instructed us to do it.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have a High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. He was tempted just as we are, yet He was without sin. Verse 16 tells us that we can come boldly to the throne of grace in order to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I thank God that we can ask for His help and when we do blow it we can be assured of forgiveness when we confess our sin (1 John 1:9). That mercy still amazes me. Don't get me wrong though. This is not a license to sin.
Unresolved anger can quickly turn to bitterness and unforgiveness. These things are rooted much more deeply than just a simple angry moment and can eventually cause serious repercussions if not dealt with promptly. So how do we deal with the problem before it veers out of control? By being spiritually minded. This requires spending time in the Word, renewing our way of thinking. When our thinking is in line with God's we will be slow to anger, we will show mercy and we will learn to forgive no matter how many times we've been mistreated. When Satan attacks us or throws temptation our way we will have weapons of warfare at our disposal. In my own strength I cannot conquer the enemy. But Jesus can...and did. And because He did, I now have access to that same power. I just need to learn how to tap into it. I need to fight those temptations the very way Jesus did; with the word of God.

Until next time....

~jan~