(CLICK THE TITLE) Good morning everyone. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. He walks us through all of our trials and knows the outcome before we even make the first step. Give Him your praise. The message today is one I have shared before and now is a good time to repeat it. Let it bless you.
Today’s Prayer
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ~ Psalm 91:11-12.
God, this is one of my favorite comforts from Your Word. I pray and trust that You will command Your angels concerning me, my family, my friends, and their families, that through Your power and Your command guardian angels will be round about to protect us and lift us up so that we will not strike our feet against stones. Please protect us from all harm and evil. Help us remain pure and devoted to You. And for those I know and love who are fighting addictions of various types, I pray that You would give them strength and power to overcome and that guardian angels will protect them and keep them from stumbling. In the name of Jesus I pray and give You thanks, Amen.
Let’s eat.
Check Under the Hood
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. – Colossians 3:8
The scripture you have just read talks about the things that as a believer you should be rid of. The root issue you are dealing with is fear. The physical symptom is control, and when you can’t control, you get angry because of unmet expectations.” These were the words I spoke during a conversation in a restaurant to my friend who was separated from his wife. He described his anger and how he never saw some of these characteristics in his life until he entered this marriage.
Another friend and spiritual mentor once said to me, “Anger is like the lights on a dashboard. They tell you something is going on under the hood. You must find out the source of the problem.” Whenever we have expectations of another person and those expectations don’t materialize, our tendency is to get angry. The source of the anger is often the fear that the unmet expectation will negatively impact us. We fear that our finances, our well-being, our image, or any number of things may be impacted by the unmet expectation. My friend’s wife hadn’t met his expectations in many areas of his life, so then, many times it resulted in harsh words that damaged his wife’s self-esteem. Now, it was leading to a marriage crisis.
Jesus often spoke of living as though we were dead. How can you live as though you are dead? “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11). It is a choice each of us must make. Once you become dead to that which stirs an emotion in you, God is free to change that situation. Until then, you can expect God to allow that situation to remain until you consider yourself dead to the effects of the issue that causes you to struggle.
Is there something that causes anger within you?
Ask God what the source of that anger is. You might be surprised at what you find. Then ask God to give you the grace to consider yourself dead to that issue. You will find new freedom in your relationships and your own peace of mind.
Quote of the Day
There is one thing that keeps many from zealously improving their lives, that is, dread of the difficulty, the toil of battle. Certainly they who try bravely to overcome the most difficult and unpleasant obstacles far outstrip others in the pursuit of virtue. A person makes the most progress and merits the most grace precisely in those matters wherein he gains the greatest victories over self and most mortifies his will. True, each one has his own difficulties to meet and conquer, but a diligent and sincere person will make greater progress even though he have more passions than one who is more even-tempered but less concerned about virtue.
Thomas a Kempis
WITH HOPE AND FAITH
REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
GCKRS HELPING HAND FOUNDATION – THE RELATIONSHIP FACTORY
Thank you Brother. This one was right on time; when we’re together with family and there may be deeply rooted anger or jealousy. We ALL need to check under the hood!
My thought exactly!