Saturday Writings.....4/23/16

Good morning...
   Today was a lay back get over the tiredness of being away for three days. We had a great time, but it was exhausting. Now it is time to get back to real life. Life is good, and a little getaway is pleasant to the senses!

Today's devotional was written by Carol Steficek and the title is "Sent Out."  It is about the requirement to spread the good news of salvation to people far and wide or in our own neighborhood.

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  Today's Devotional   

"Sent Out"

written by

Carol  Steficek

   SENT OUT

"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, The Kingdom of God is near you." 
Luke 10:8,9

   

    When we think of being "sent out" we think about Jesus' disciples, pastors, evangelists -- people who are specially equipped to spread the gospel message.

     Well, this is only partly true.  As part of the church of Jesus Christ, we are all sent out into the world to spread His gospel message.  Most people who come to church and later join have been invited by someone.

     

    You don't have to be an eloquent speaker to share the love of Jesus with someone.  All you have to do is tell them what Jesus means to you and has done for you.  Maybe your neighbor will see how you live differently than the rest of the people on your block, how you attend church regularly, are active in volunteer projects, are willing to give of your time and talents and money to help others.

    We are all sent out to witness to the good news of salvation to a world in desperate need of it!  Tell others, show others by the life you live -- the kingdom of God is near.

  Song About the Good News of Salvation
  
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God prepares us and protects us!

What a blessing to know that God is always at our side willing to do what is needed to be safe through His grace. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is a good, good God. Thank you, Lord!

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    Words of Wisdom...Joyce Meyer...on Anger  

Dealing with Anger...God's Way...Part 1

Early on in my relationship with God, I spent a lot of time being led by my feelings. If somebody made me mad, then I was mad; if I felt like telling somebody off, I told the person off; and if I felt like talking about someone, I did just that. But the more I grew in Christ and came to understand His Word, the more I realized how dangerous it is to let my feelings dictate my actions. The truth is, our feelings are extremely fickle, and they can't be trusted.

I remember one morning about 25 years ago I was going to go preach at a ladies meeting at my church in St. Louis, and Dave and I had gotten into an argument. I was really mad…and I felt guilty because I was mad. Then God showed me something that was very life-changing to me. Somehow I ended up in Ephesians 4:26-27, and I saw the verses in a different way than I ever had before. This scripture says:

"When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down. Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]." (AMP)

The verse doesn't say, "Don't get angry" or "If you ever get angry." It says, "When [you are] angry." We're all going to be angry at times, but it's not feeling angry that's a problem. The problem comes when we act on those feelings. At times, I've really wished some of my feelings would go away, but usually they don't. I've learned that God is not necessarily going to change them, but He is going to change me so I can be stronger than they are. We need to be in touch with our feelings and take responsibility for them, but we can't allow them to control us.

Some people have been upset for so long that they don't even realize they're angry anymore. For many years, I was angry about being abused by my father when I was a child, yet I wasn't really even conscious of the fact that I was mad about it. I was angry and harsh and hard, and I was trying to be a Christian that way. I loved God, but I hadn't gotten serious enough with Him to say, "I want to do things Your way and I need Your help."

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Proverbs 16:32 (AMP) says, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his [own] spirit than he who takes a city." A person who rules their spirit demonstrates self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit that's given to us to help us control ourselves. This means when we feel a certain way, we can choose not to act on it if we know it's against the Word of God.

Now it's important to understand that if you let your feelings – especially anger –get into a rage, then you may be at the point of not being able to control yourself (Ephesians 4:27). That's why it's so vital for us to learn how to recognize the warning signs – and put a stop to it – when those feelings first begin.

That morning when I read that passage in Ephesians 4, I realized that God was saying there is a way to be angry and not sin: we have to make a decision about what we're going to do with the anger before it manages us. And God has given us some tips in His Word about how to do just that.

The Bible instructs us to take every thought captive into the obedience of Christ before it becomes a stronghold in our mind (2 Corinthians 10:5). It also says when we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7). So when you feel yourself getting upset, the sooner you say "No!" to that feeling, the better. Instead of letting the anger control you, you can say, "God, help me. I know being upset is not going to get me anywhere. This person hurt my feelings and that was wrong, but I'm not going to act on this. With Your help, I'm going to control myself, and I'm going to trust You to take care of the situation."

Today I want to encourage you to forgive those who have hurt you. Let go of any angry feelings you're holding on to, and place those situations in God's hands. We can trust Him to be our Vindicator. God is bigger than our feelings and He has given us self-control so we can

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/learning-to-manage-anger-and-walk-in-peace-128193/#W6AGBScqW0zXsYDV.99

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/learning-to-manage-anger-and-walk-in-peace-128193/#kYylqxePMXtxpcMk.99

Everybody has to deal with anger from time to time. But what’s the best way to handle it? To answer that question, we must first understand what anger really is. Anger is an emotion often characterized by feelings of great displeasure, indignation, hostility, wrath and vengeance. Many times, reacting in anger is how we express our dissatisfaction with life. It’s defined in the Greek language as the strongest of all passions. Anger begins with a feeling that’s often expressed in words or actions. We feel something and it causes a reaction.

Get to the Root of the Problem

Anger is the fruit of rotten roots. One of the primary roots of anger stems from the family. Angry people come from angry families because they learn from their role models and carry on the same behavior in their own lives, eventually passing it on to their children. 

Other Roots of Anger Include...

Injustice—when people mistreat us but there’s nothing we can do about it, we get angry because we feel it isn't fair. As much as we’d like to change the situation or the person who’s treating us badly, we can't. People can't change people; only God can change people. So it's best to put our energy into praying for the offender. 

Strife—which is hidden, repressed anger, begins with judgment, gossip, backbiting and thinking too highly of yourself. Strife is often exhibited in arguing, bickering, heated disagreements and angry undercurrents. 

Impatience—often produces anger when we can't get what we want when we want it. When our progress is hindered or slowed down because of others, it’s easy to become impatient. Most of us struggle with impatience on a daily basis simply because of today's fast-paced world. 

Abuse of any kind—sexual, physical, verbal, emotional or mental abuse almost always leads to anger. They’re all injustices, which eventually leave the abused feeling helpless and angry. Abuse of any kind can’t be ignored. We must deal with it and process it before we can get free of it.

Unmet needs—can also produce anger. We all have needs that can and should be met by those closest to us; however, they don’t know and understand our needs unless we communicate with them. But even then they may sometimes fail to meet our needs. Therefore, the answer is to go to God with our needs and not to other people. 

Jealousy—anger caused by jealousy was one of the first negative emotions mentioned in the Bible.Genesis 4 tells us that Cain killed his brother Abel because he was jealous to the point of being angry. Although this is one of the more extreme results of jealousy, it reminds us of how dangerous jealousy can be. 

In today’s society many people feel their status is dependent on their job or position in the church. Because of this mindset, they’re afraid someone else may get promoted ahead of them. Jealousy causes them to try to be important in the eyes of man. If you have this problem, understand that God has you where you are for a reason. He knows what’s in your future, and He may have you in training for it right now. There’s a big difference between being able and being ready to do a specific thing. So don't despise the days of small beginnings. Remember, we must answer to God. Our rewards come from obeying the specific callings He’s placed on our lives, not from the great things we accomplish as far as the world is concerned.

Part 2 will be posted in the Sunday Writings post tomorrow.

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Prayers are lifted up daily for 

you by the Devotional Writers

and the Monthly Writing Staff

of Women's Focus Ministries.

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