SundayWritings...4/24/16

Good Morning...
Last night our church had a Seder dinner that was well attended. Our worship leader is married to a person who was brought up in the Jewish faith. He is Messianic now and he led the Seder. There was a special book of presentation that was written to include Yeshua as Messiah. The dinner was interactive and very interesting to participate in.  I really liked how things that Jesus did and said were shown as Him following the heritage he had and followed from the Old Testament.

The Sunday devotional is written by Jan Andersen about lines that are drawn to establish boundaries. It compares lines that we draw with the lines that God draws, and what that means for us.

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  Today's Devotional   

"LINES DRAWN"

written by

Jan Andersen

Sunday Devotional for 4/24/16

Lines are often drawn to establish some sort of boundary.  When children are given a picture to color, they may be asked to stay within the lines, the boundaries of the figures on the page.  When we hear that battle lines are drawn, we understand that two sides that are arguing about something have decided exactly where they differ and are ready to fight for their side.  Drawing a line in the sand generally means there is a point where someone will go up to, but not beyond.  

When the Pharisees tried to get Jesus to condemn a woman to be stoned to death for being caught in adultery, He instead stooped down and wrote in the dirt (see John 8:3-11).  Was Jesus writing something or just drawing lines?  We can only guess.  But Jesus did establish a boundary, that anyone who was without sin themselves had to be the first to throw a stone at the adulteress.  The end result was that they all walked away.  Jesus, who was the only truly sinless one, forgave her instead of condemning her.  Yet He loved her enough to not leave her there, but also asked her to go and not continue her sinful ways.

There was another time that God made some lines that established boundaries.  He chiseled the ten commandments with his own finger into the two tablets of stone.  Even when Moses broke the first set, God wrote them again in stone.  The Spirit also writes them in our hearts.  Unlike lines in the sand or dirt, or in our minds, these lines are permanent.  No matter how we try to twist them to our own liking, God's laws remain constant.  If people claim to have some new revelation about God and even do wonderful or miraculous things, but they entice you to break God's commandments or to fall away and follow some other god, then you know not to follow them or believe what they say.

Deuteronomy 13:4 (NIV)  It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.  Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

But what happens when we have trouble "staying within the lines" of the commandments?  We certainly all have that issue, as we all sin daily.  All we need to do is ask God to forgive us once again and to give us the power to remain faithful.  God loves us too much to leave us where we are, and will forgive us and help us to turn away from our sinful habits and hangups. Though we will never be perfect, we can continue to grow in our faithfulness.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for giving us boundaries to guide us in our lives.  Help us to follow your laws and to be aware of where we have gone outside the lines.  Thank you for sending your Son to die for us so that we are forgiven when we fail.  Send us your Spirit to strengthen our faith and then to help us share that faith and forgiveness with others.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

"Forgiveness" performed by Rebecca St. James

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 Anchored  

 In the late 90's there was a song called"The Anchor Holds."

 It was performed by Ray Boltz. Here are some of the lyrics...

I have journeyed

Through the long, dark night

Out on the open sea

By faith alone

Sight unknown

And yet His eyes were watching me

The anchor holds

Though the ship is battered

The anchor holds

Though the sails are torn

I have fallen on my knees

As I faced the raging seas

The anchor holds

In spite of the storm

I've had visions

I've had dreams

I've even held them in my hand

But I never knew

They would slip right through

Like they were only grains of sand

The anchor holds

Though the ship is battered

The anchor holds

Though the sails are torn

I have fallen on my knees

As I faced the raging seas

The anchor holds

In spite of the storm

I have been young

But I am older now

When God is the anchor you can rely on it that the anchor will hold.

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

Dealing with Anger...God's Way...Part 2

(Continued from Friday Writings)

Other roots that lead to anger include fear of confrontation, insecurity, and feeling controlled by a job or other people and their problems. I used to get mad at people who controlled me until God told me one day, "You’re just as guilty as they are because you're letting them do it." We shouldn’t put excessive pressure on ourselves by making too many commitments just because we don't want to say no to someone. 

Masks of Anger

Sometimes we use masks to cover up the things we don't want anybody to see. If we’re harboring anger, we think masking it keeps others from knowing the real us. So we hide behind a variety of masks in an attempt to trick people into thinking we're something or someone we're not. I’ve discovered that people respect you more if you share your real self with them rather than trying to hide everything. After all, people can tell when something isn’t right. You may think you're hiding your anger, but it’ll eventually find a way to come out—either in voice tone, body language or attitudes. Some people use the cold-shoulder mask. When someone makes them angry, they may say they’ve forgiven them, but they become cold, showing no warmth or emotion in dealing with that individual. These people live a lonely existence. Because they’re so afraid of being hurt, they avoid close, meaningful relationships. This is a classic example of "choosing your pain." They’ll choose the pain of living an isolated, lonely life instead of working through the problem, determined to develop good friendships. Other people like to use the silent-treatment mask. They say they're not angry with you, yet they refuse to talk to you, or they only communicate when it’s absolutely necessary, usually with a grunt or nod. When people avoid being with, touching, or doing things for the person they're angry with, they're hiding behind a mask, which isn’t the answer. 

Face the Truth... And Choose Your Pain

If you want the great and mighty things God has for you, you must get to the root of anger and deal with it. Get rid of the masks and face the things that happened in your life that made you the way you are today. Admit that you can't change by yourself. Until the root is removed, it’ll continue to produce one bad fruit after another. Too often we spend our lives dealing with the bad fruit of our behavior, but we never dig deep enough to get to the root of the problem. Actually, when we're faced with anger, we must choose our pain. Digging deep to take care of the bad root is painful, but it’s the only lasting way to take care of the problem. We can either suffer positively, doing what’s right or we can go with the devil's plan. But remember, the same devil who tempts you to follow your human feelings will later condemn you for doing it. You must decide if you want the pain that will take you into a new realm of glory or to keep your same old pain and try to hide it while it's rotting inside you. 

Peter tells us to be well-balanced and temperate, withstanding the devil at his onset (see 1 Peter 5:8-9). When you begin to feel anger, it's the perfect time to exercise the fruit of self-control. You may have a good reason to be angry, but don’t use it as an excuse to stay that way. Instead of denying or justifying it, ask God to help you deal with it in a positive way. Romans 12:21 gives good advice: Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.When Satan attacks you, instead of getting mad, go bless someone. Responding in a positive way is the direct opposite of what the enemy wants you to do, defeating his plan to keep you upset. It doesn't come naturally, and it isn't always easy, but when we do what we can do, God will do what we can't do.Do not be quick in spirit to be angry or vexed, for anger and vexation lodge in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9). If we hang on to anger, we're just being foolish. We must turn the anger and the people who caused it over to God and let Him take care of it. ...Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord (Romans 12:19). Trust God and He will take care of you and protect you. You can't change your past, but when you give it to God, He’ll use it to bring you a better future. 

Is Anger Sin?

Is all anger sin? No, but some of it is. Even God Himself has righteous anger against sin, injustice, rebellion and pettiness. Anger sometimes serves a useful purpose, so it isn't necessarily always a sin. Obviously, we’re going to have adverse feelings, or God wouldn’t have needed to provide the fruit of self-control. Just being tempted to do something is not sin. It's when you don't resist the temptation, but do it anyway, that it becomes sin. God sometimes allows us to feel anger so we’ll recognize when we’re being mistreated. But even when we experience true injustices in our lives, we must not vent our anger in an improper way. We must guard against allowing anger to drag us into sin. Ephesians 4:26-27tells us, 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]. Refuse to give the devil any opportunity to get a foothold in your life through anger. 

All anger, regardless of its cause, has the same effect on our lives. It upsets us, causing us to feel pressure. Keeping anger locked inside and pretending it doesn't exist can even be dangerous to our health. Most of the time we’re only hurting ourselves, and the person who angered us isn’t even aware of it. So we must take responsibility for our anger and learn to deal with it. Process it and bring closure to it, and that will relieve the pressure. I have been through some rough times in my life, and for many years those experiences caused me to feel miserable. I was so mad about the abuse in my childhood that it was making me bitter and hateful. I was angry with everybody, but one day God confronted me and said, "Joyce, are you going to let that make you bitter or better?" That got my attention, and I eventually had to find a positive way to process my anger. That was a place of new beginnings for me. When you face your anger and decide to deal with it God's way, you can overcome it. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be stable and walk in the fruit of the Spirit. We have the power to forgive those who do injustices in our lives and to love the unlovely. 

Take Steps Toward Freedom

People are born to be free; it’s a gift from God. We’re not to be free from responsibility, but free to be led by the Holy Spirit. Any time our freedom is taken away or given away, we experience anger. Are you willing to go through whatever it takes to be free, or do you want to stay in the mess you're in for the rest of your life? If you want to be free, just start doing what God wants you to do, one step at a time, and you’ll eventually walk out of your messes. When we are battling anger, we must realize that ...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). When Satan makes you angry, remember that he's trying to keep you from accomplishing the will of God in your life. 

In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul told Timothy to be calm, cool and collected and to keep performing the duties of his ministry. That’s good advice for all of us. When we get angry, we should calm down and start doing what God has called us to do. You can be bitter or better—it's up to you! If you're mad about something, instead of letting it ruin your life, turn it into something good. Overcome evil and anger by praying for those who hurt and abuse you. Forgive them and be a blessing to them. It may not be easy at first, but when you make the decision and stick with it, God will take care of the rest.

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RECIPE FOR LIVING...   

Make heaven your first priority by living for Christ in the best way you know how. Fight injustice wherever it is found no matter the tribe or class. Speak the truth at all times no matter the cost and no matter who gets angry at you or no matter whose toes you step on.. Stay humble, dedicated and committed to His word and to prayer. Commit your life to a course especially to defend the poor, speak for the widows and ophans by finding ways to put a meaning to their lives. Respect all men but fear only God. Be willing to die for the course of Christ if necessary. Be willing to be called names for your faith because it is time for the church to be church again otherwise we will loose our relevance in a world lost in compromise. If the salt loses its flavor it will be good for nothing Matthew 5:13-16. Whatever you do, be guided by these principles as a true witness for Christ and we shall take back our cities and our world one person at a time. May God find our hearts to be the platform through which He can show forth His glory in this dark world. If this blesses you promote it by sharing it. Thanks

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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.