Monday, August 20, 2012

August 20,2012

Good morning all!  It's 6:11 this morning and I'm up, dressed, straightener on drinking my first cup of coffee.  Isn't life wonderful!  It would be if that's all we had to worry about, don't you think?  Unfortunately, life's pleasures don't always equate to a smoothe and easy day.  If you're like me, what started off as a beautiful, peaceful day can erupt into chaos by 6:35 am, especially during the school session when everyone is flying around trying to get ready.  Isn't life great!

Well there is a purpose to my madness this morning.  It begins with ending my day with Jesus and beginning my day with Him too.  I don't think there is a better time for me to contemplate God's righteousness and mercy than in the quiet.  When we're busy, there is stimulating things to take our focus off of Him.  It's easy to get distracted, agitated, angry, basically, it's easy to sin.  I was asked yesterday how do you get over anger when someone doesn't say their sorry?That's a hard question
indeed.  My answer to her, although not well thought out, was really true.  Letting ourselves always go to anger is never the answer.  God is slow to anger and great on mercy.  I asked her if she would want God to react to her the way she sometimes reacts to others?  She's a sweet person and is often quiet when we talk, or rather when I'm talking.  What I wanted her to realize is that she has the ability to control agitation, which leads straight to anger.  I have never known anger, hurt or resentment to solve anything.  Only when I have sat down and prayed, Lord convict me of what I have done and help the other person be convicted as well, have I witnessed healing.  The healing didn't just occur in me, it occurred in the other person as well.  Anger leads to you being hurt.  It rarely will hurt the other person.     If you live with an angry person, you learn quickly to ignore it.  Why?  Because anger is just raw emotion, it doesn't solve anything, ever!

I don't live by anger.  I don't really like to be angry.  I am a rare woman because I do let the past be the past.  Ever since my husband and I got back together, I let the past rest and I work on my future.  The future is what matters.  If you're married I hope you already have learned this lesson and if you desire to be married, learn it now.  Men don't like the past coming up every time you're in an argument and if you think about it, either does Jesus.  That's why He gave His life so our sins would be washed as we repented them to Him.  We will never be blameless but we can show mercy just like Jesus does.  I'm really glad He doesn't bring up my old garbage and that when I'm in front of Him, the past will be the past.  I know that I will be judged but I hope along the road I learned to have grace and mercy.  Nothing is perfect but if I continue to grow in the Lord my heart and my attitude should reflect my Lord.

If you find yourself saying, "He should say sorry, they should be more repentant, what's wrong with their attitude, don't they see they're hurting others?"  Please repent and look at your own heart, your own sins and ask Jesus what you need to work on today.

I don't look at everyone now and say I have to fix them.  No ma'am they have to fix themselves.  And like everything in this world, only Jesus can help them do that.  I wish I could save every woman from being hurt, every child from witnessing horrible things, and every marriage from the pitfall of divorce, but I can't.  I don't have that kind of power.  That's why whenever I see destructive behavior, with myself or someone else, I pray.  I pray for my heart and their heart.  I cry out to God and ask Him to change my heart and to make it new.  I don't want to be the one judging; I want to be the one praying.

You may have read this today and thought to yourself, that's not me.  I hope you don't deal with anger or agitation but you deal with something.  We all do.  It might be envy, worry, fear, or something only you know.  I would ask you today to go to Jesus and say, "Search my heart, O, Lord and reveal to me where I need to change."  He'll show you and then instead of trying to change everyone else, ask Him to change you.  You are the only one that can change you!

Proverbs 15:18 NKJV:

     A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.

Psalm 145:8 NKJV:

      The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy.


My prayer today:

O, Lord, thank You for being a merciful and just God, slow to anger and abundant in grace.  As I come before You this morning, I realize that I have sin in my life.  I realize that I must confess it to You and once confessed continue to ask You for direction.  If I fall back into it, please reveal it to me so that I can confess it once more.  Habits are hard to break and often, I find myself back in Your presence asking for forgiveness one more time.  I'm so glad that You are not a God that judges me harshly.  That You give me time to figure out my sins and come before You.  Thank You for washing away the dirt and bringing forth the light.  Without You, I would be a hideous creature but with You I am made pure by Your presence in my life.  Anger is a raw and harsh emotion.  It reacts and destroys.  It leaves no prisoners and it's so hard to get over.  I'm asking Lord, for those that deal with anger, please help reveal to them the cause and lead them to repentance.  The only way they will ever be truly healed of their hurt and anger is if they're before You.  So we come before You today, each woman with their own sins, their own pasts and their own feelings, reveal to us what's on our hearts and make us new this morning.  Guide us toward the light and away from the darkness and instill in us a clean heart.  We desire to be women that worship and love You.  In order for us to love You, we must also learn to love ourselves and others.  We ask that You would show us Your love and that You would spread it through us as we repent before You.  There is no other King we would rather worship, there is no other God for us.  Lead us by the still waters and comfort our minds and our hearts.  We desire to be one with You today. Thank You for being a Lord that is slow to anger, for we know that your sheep are lost.   Take care of my sisters and their families today and show me where I need to be for Your people.  In Jesus name, AMEN

Until tomorrow...


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