Taming the Text

Before Andrea had so much as given the introduction of the lesson in class on Sunday, I knew I was in for more “ouch” than “amen”.  You see, she was talking about the power of the tongue and I just happen to have a chronic case of MMD (Motor-mouth Disorder).  I have seen time and again the healing and the destruction that can be produced by the things we say. 

But what about the things that we communicate without saying a word?  What about the words that we type?  While the words we say with our mouths are incredible powerful, the words we form in other media can be equally impactful for good or bad.  So much of modern communication is through text and email.  Even though we may be using our thumbs, all the same issues of the tongue still apply, or to put it another way…

Out of the overflow of the heart, the thumbs type.

Most of us can text about as fast as we can type on a keyboard or even talk, for that matter.  And we have these handy little devices that allow us to instantly speak our mind to anyone and everyone, no matter what mood we are in, with absolutely no cooling off period.  The results of this hastiness, however, can last long after we press “Send”.

For instance, just this week a text I sent to a coworker could have been a case-study in hasty, argumentative, know-it-all communication.  And now because I had to prove I was right to the other know-it-all, the relationship is now strained.  Someone whom I have been praying for opportunities to share Christ with has now seen the icky overflow of my know-it-all, insecure heart instead of seeing Jesus in me.

Social media-our text message to the world.

If you think that the words you say with your mouth and can only be perceived by those within hearing distance is powerful, think of the impact of your social media accounts.  What among our daily stream-of-consciousness babble is building others up, tearing others down, or causing someone to stumble?

The tongue can’t be tamed, our words in whatever form can’t be tamed, so what are we supposed to do?  Just as Andrea spoke about in the lesson, no amount of self-help techniques will give you power over your tongue.  This can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit, who is freely given to all those who believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Please be praying with me this week…

Lord, please tame our tongues and our texts.  Please let the words that flow from us be kind, true, and necessary.  Let anything we say or communicate glorify You and make your name revered among those who interact us.  We pray that your Spirit would flow through us and speak life into those around us.  It is only by the power of the blood of Christ that we are even able to come to you at all.  We love You, Lord.  Amen.

-Renee Moreland

Fearfully and Wonderfully (Not Frightfully & Weirdly) Made

“13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were written all

The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

Psalm 139:13-16

Fearfully and wonderfully made… these are probably two of the hardest words in the whole Bible for me to believe about myself.  The First Book of Renee reads differently, it says frightfully and weirdly made. 

But as we walk through these verses we’ve heard a million times, lets actually take a moment to let them sink in…

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.”

Really?  Even that thing that made me weirdly short, or tall, or fat, or thin, or plain? 

Yep.

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows that full well”

We were made both fragile (fearfully) and amazingly resilient and complex (wonderfully).  Then we are reminded, just in case we forgot, that the Lord’s works are wonderful.  Everything He does is good, including how he made you.  Even the complexity in a single human cell is enough to merit praising God for his creativity.

“My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;”

Even the circumstances of our birth, whether they be common, miraculous, or traumatic, even then God knew us and was knitting together chromosomes to make you exactly the person you were meant to be.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”

Even the experiences we’ve had and the moments that defined us, even the days that have yet to define us, the Lord already knew about them before we took that first gasp of breath.

So who are you going to believe? Yourself and your anxious, self-conscious thoughts, or the holy, inspired Word of God? 

Take a moment right now to meditate on these verses and let God's Word soak into all those cracks in you heart that insecurity is keeping wedged open.

And the next time that self-loathing thoughts invade, let’s remember that God formed us the way we are ON PURPOSE and He’s pretty convinced that He did a good job.  

-Renee Moreland

Forgiveness Is Not Forgetting

Too often I have listened to a lesson on forgiveness and have felt the weight of guilt and condemnation (forgiveness-guilt if you will). Lies from the enemy creep in and whisper "you're not over it...what they did still stings so you couldn't have forgiven them...you aren't friends with them any more so how can you think you forgave them..."  Deep within my heart I know I forgave them, I remember the long and painful process, but something still lingers, something still hurts, still festers when "that person/situation" arises yet again. Am I alone...does no one else ever feel this way?

Where did we get the saying "forgive and forget?" It is ridiculous! That isn't how the human brain works. Our powerful, beautiful brain remembers things, especially hurts. There is no DELETE button, no magic function to erase what we have gone through. And, encouragingly enough, it isn't a biblical command. Yes, we are called to forgive, but the God that made our brain and wired it perfectly did not grant us the ability to forget. WHY? Maybe it is for protection, to learn from hurts of our past, to grow and mature beyond them. Maybe it is to remind us that no human is perfect, that we are all sinful and fallible creatures. Whatever the reason, I have had to learn and relearn that forgetting does not automatically accompany forgiveness. And I am thankful for the godly men and women who have taught and counseled me through seasons of both unforgiveness and forgiveness-guilt.

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
-Ephesians 4:32

I recently went to a small bible study where Marty Sholars, a Christian counselor, spoke on forgiveness. She gave so many valuable insights into biblical forgiveness but the one that brought tears to my eyes was "forgiveness is not forgetting." She spoke of the imagery of a scar. In cold weather the skin around a scar can tighten causing tenderness in the area. That tenderness was not a sign of a wound but of the fact that the wound was healed and no longer bleeding. She also spoke of what Jesus showed the disciples when He visited after His resurrection...HIS SCARS! Proof of who He was and what He went through on our behalf. Proof that He loved us enough to sit on that cross and die for our salvation and His glory. 

WOW, bring on the misty eyes! I can honestly say there have been two distinct instances in my life where I felt betrayed by people I loved and cared for and I described the emotional pain they caused as being cut open. Betrayal in friendship, to me, is much like two people sewn together in a strong bond and having that bond ripped apart. Graphic I know but I think the people we hold the closest are the ones that have the potential to cause the most damage, the largest wounds that take forever to heal and leave the biggest scars. In both cases we reconciled (hold on, we'll get to this concept) our friendship and again I was hurt, our friendship was damaged and eventually ended. I worked through forgiveness in counseling and have been praying for them for years now (please don't read that as boasting, it is still hard to pray for them but the Lord softens my heart to them every time I do).

And still the scars tighten and are tender when those people enter into my life. I don't know if that will ever go away or if I will ever be called to be in a relationship with either person again but I know this, my scars are a sign of healing from God alone. I never want to harm their reputation nor do I wish any ill towards them. The Lord helped me to forgive them of what they did to me and He forgave me for my ugly heart towards them after being hurt. 

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
-Matthew 6:14-15

The other topic that spoke to me was how she distinguished reconciliation versus forgiveness. Forgiveness is between you and God, sometimes the person who hurt you has no idea they did so. Sometimes it is not appropriate or necessary to point out the hurt they caused. And sometimes it is not an option if the person is no longer with you. Many times during depression people hurt me who had no intention of hurting me, simply because of the way my brain reacted to things people did or said. I had to forgive over and over my misunderstandings and anger towards people who had no idea what I heard and felt in their words and actions. 

Forgiveness frees up our hearts to receive God's grace and conviction. It takes the weight of justice off of us and puts it onto God, who is the only righteous and just judge.

"If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." - Luke 17:3-4 (emphasis added)

Reconciliation is between you and another person. It allows the hurt to be known, addressed, forgiven and the relationship mended to continue. But when that covenant is broken again and again it may be that person is not good for you or you may not be called to reconcile if they show no remorse/repentance for their actions. BUT, forgiveness is never an option, it is always commanded and always blessed. Do not stand between God and that person thinking that your forgiveness will somehow condone their behavior. God alone will do the work of conviction and justice, you need only forgive and step aside. As my teacher Andrea said this week, "tattle on them" and then pray for them. Lift them up to the Lord and ask that He do work only He can do, change hearts and mature believers.

I hope that encourages you to free up your heart from unforgiveness and from forgiveness-guilt. The Lord will never condemn you but He will bring conviction, learn to tell the difference and at all times pour out your heart to Him. Tattle to the Lord on those who have hurt you, forgive them, pray for them...then write down the date you forgave them and when Satan tries to make you think you haven't forgiven them, pull out that date and remind yourself of the faithfulness of God who walked with you through the healing process.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they sall be comforted." -Matthew 5:4

-Katey Hight

Sneakers & Phylacteries 

http://sneakersandphylacteries.blogspot.com/?m=1

What's Holding You Back?

Ephesians 3: 20-21 states, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Do you believe it? Better yet are you ready to achieve the goodness that God wants to lavish on your life?

When I read through His word I see and feel his promises.  I’m filled with excitement by the truths that God declares he will be able to do in us and through us because of his mighty power. Sometimes, I have to stop and wonder though what’s holding me back from living the life that God has called me too? What are the road blocks that prevent us from receiving, believing, and achieving the goodness God has for us? Let’s take a look at 3 stumbling blocks.

• DOUBT “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  Peter asked God to tell him to come.  Peter got out of the boat and did exactly that.  However, when he saw trouble, turmoil, and trials he lost sight of God’s great power.  How many times do you doubt God’s great power?

• FEAR – For me fear is like a forest. It starts out as an ever so innocent seed. A thought of “I’m a little scared” sometimes it grows from a previous experience. If this seed is not uprooted it grows, it grows into a tall tree, it builds upon itself reaching higher and higher. Eventually one day I look around and find myself in a forest of fear. Its dark, it’s cold, and there is no light. It’s almost as bad as living in a cave. Fear prevents me from living in the light and it hinders me from moving forward.  When I feel my fear factor building in around me I think of David.
  

  “As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.  Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.” 1 Samuel 17:23-24. “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.  Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.” 1 Samuel 17:45-46, 48-49.” 

How many times do we forget that we come against our strongholds with the name of the Lord Almighty on our side?

• LAZINESS - I’ll start that diet tomorrow, I’ll do my quiet time in the morning, I’ll begin researching about new jobs next week when life slows down.  The strong holds of laziness tells us that we can always do it tomorrow, next week, or in a few days.  It calls us to be sedentary.  Life doesn’t begin sitting still and things don’t get accomplished by not doing anything.  

Can you identify your biggest road block? Ask God to give you discerment to recognize it, strength to overcome it, and courage to never allow it to be a stumbling block again for we are God's worksmanship created to do good things which God prepared in advance for us to do. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) 

So long roadblocks, it’s time to pass you by!  

-Rebecca Search

-Originally posted on Rebecca's Blog, Searching for Joy