Archive for the 'Scripture' Category

Pride.

There are lots of different kinds of pride. Pride in your children. Pride in your country or your alma mater. All of these kinds of pride can be healthy…in moderation. But the kind of pride that God speaks against in his word is nothing like those “feel good” types of pride. Pride is one of those sins that we tend to just gloss over and not fret too much about. In our minds, it’s not quite the same as murdering someone or committing adultery. But the thing is…it IS in the same group. A “sin is a sin is a sin” in the mind of God. All sins separate us from Christ and require repentance. In the following passage from Mark, Jesus is speaking about what is inside of you…and how it can defile you. He lists all of these horrible sounding sins…and then WHOA! He throws pride in there…along with envy, slander (gossip), and foolishness. I think that we tend to trivialize these other sins…and yet they are so completely destructive if we don’t stop them in their tracks.

And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

Mark 7:20-22

Right now, I’d like to focus specifically on pride. I was recently given a wonderful resource from Revive our Hearts/Nancy Leigh DeMoss…it’s a study on pride vs. brokenness (or humbleness) and it details the many differences between the two. It’s been such a life changing study for me and I wanted to pass it on to you.

Here are just a few of the comparisons:

Proud people focus on the failures of others…broken people are overwhelmed with the sense of their OWN spiritual need.

Proud people have to prove that they are right…broken people are willing to yield the right to be right.

Proud people claim “rights” and have a demanding spirit…broken people yield their rights and have a meek spirit.

Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated…broken people have a sense of their own unworthiness; thrilled that God would use them at all.

Proud people feel confident in how much they know…broken people are humbled by how very much they have to learn.

Questions to ask yourself…evidences of pride:

• Do you look down on those who are less educated, less affluent, less refined, or less successful than yourself?
• Do you think of yourself as “more spiritual” than your mate or others in your church?
• Are you quick to find fault with others and to verbalize those thoughts to others? Do you have a sharp, critical tongue?
• Are you driven to receive approval, praise, or acceptance from others?
• Are you uncomfortable inviting people into your home because you don’t think it’s nice enough or you can’t afford to do lavish entertaining?
• Do you become defensive when you are criticized or corrected?

I have been so convicted by this study…it completely brings my focus back to Christ. Jesus Christ is the only reason I am not condemned by my failures. He has saved me and I owe everything to Him. With that in mind…how could I ever think that I have any “rights” in my life? How could I ever look down upon someone else…knowing that I am nothing without Christ?

Now…all of this may sound so “defeated” and not “empowered” in the sense of the word that our world uses it. If you watch TV or listen to any sort of media, you will hear that it’s ALL about you and that YOU have control over everything in your life. You pretty much ARE GOD. This is the ultimate in pride.

But God desires for you to be confident and beautiful and amazing…but He wants you to be confident in HIM, beautifully made by HIM, and live an amazing life with HIM and for HIM.

In studying “brokenness”, I have migrated into studying what the Bible says about love and mercy. When your focus is on loving others and showing mercies to others, it’s much harder to be full of pride.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

He has showed you, O Man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

And my very favorite…you have to read this 3-4 times to really get it into your heart:

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand it’s own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record or when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. … There are three things that will endure — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7,13

Wow. To live a life of love…that’s what I want! To show mercy and to be broken in Christ. How I long to be those things! It is ONLY by the Holy Spirit’s power in my life that I could even dream of grasping at them. I am so thankful that God uses circumstances in my life, the people I am surrounded with, and His word to gently teach me in these areas.

This is my prayer today…

LORD! I desire a broken spirit…a spirit of love. Clean out my critical spirit. I don’t want it anymore. Let me look for love and peace in every situation. Make me overwhelmed at every moment with a sense of my own spiritual need…not anyone else’s. Let me see all others as better than myself. Help me to deny my selfish desires and be motivated to serve others. I have nothing to offer except a life that flows through Jesus. I have so much to learn. I am not concerned with being “right”. Help me to be humble and slow to correct others. Give me a teachable spirit…one that longs for your Word and your truth. I love you Jesus…and it’s in your name I pray. Amen.

As I look back through my past prayer journals…I see a definite trend in things that I struggle with. One of those things is my mouth. It seems over and over throughout my life that my mouth has gotten me into trouble. Starting when I was a teenager Boy, was I sassy. And on into my 20’s, my mouth kind of stayed with me. I don’t think I thought I was ever hurting anyone directly with my words, but even the TONE of voice I may have used toward someone, or a bit of sarcasm falling on sensitive ears…they all have negative effects. It carries over into my relationship with my family as we discuss topics that we may not all agree on and I really want to get my point across. It carries over into my marriage…when I let my mouth speak to Matt before my mind/heart has caught up to it. It carries over into my relationship with Bella…when I can all too often get frustrated and use an impatient tone with her when I’m in a hurry to get something done.

I could make excuses all day about why I am the way I am. I’m “passionate”. I’m “outgoing”. I have “strong opinions”. But the truth is, Jesus doesn’t care about the excuses. His standard for our speech is so much higher than an explanation of “why I did it”. I’ve read that the “mark of a spiritually mature woman” is that she has tamed her tongue. Oh…LORD!! How I long to be spiritually mature. I want all of my words to be only WISE & KIND! I want my words to be GENTLE!

Words are powerful. They have the ability to tear families apart. But they also have the ability to mend broken hearts and relationships. They can completely rip away at someone’s self-esteem. But they can also be used to encourage and support. Jesus had MUCH to say about the words that come from our mouths.

Proverbs 17: 27
He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

James 3:2-12
For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well. And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell.

For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord^, and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Proverbs 21:23
Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
Keeps his soul from troubles.

James 1:26
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Just a quick glance through these verses is enough to make me fall to my knees! Our words CONTROL our lives, set the tone for our day, and give credibility to our faith. The last sentence of the last passage is so convicting…if my mouth is speaking from the abundance or “overflow” of my heart, what is truly in my heart? Have I let Jesus come completely in and wash away all of the negativity, anger, envy, impatience…?

“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it?” How often have we been speaking harshly/”cursing” to someone in our immediate family and when a stranger or friend comes near, we start speaking “blessing”? When we switch back and forth like that, what does it say about our character? And about our relationship with God?

I know without a doubt that when I have neglected my spiritual life and my time in God’s word…my mouth starts to get sassy. I start to speak with negative words and with harsh tones. The inward “words” I allow myself to think are affected as well. When I am in God’s word consistently, HIS words fill my heart. HIS words come to mind in a hard situation. HIS words bring LIFE.

I want to start examining my speech with a fine-toothed comb…weeding out anything that is not pleasing to Him. I only want to say words that are wise and kind…and most of all, spoken with a gentle spirit. It’s not human nature to be those kind of things all the time…so it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that I will be able to accomplish it. Sometimes I physically have to “bite my tongue” to stop from saying the first thing that comes to my mouth. It’s definitely an exercise in self-control….that’s why it’s called TAMING the tongue. A rule we try to live by at our house…”don’t ever say the first thing that comes to mind. Or the second. The third thing is usually the best.” And of course, you could just not say anything at all…and that’s ok. It gives your heart time to catch up.

Speak truth today. Speak wisdom today. Speak kindness today. Speak gentleness today. You’ll be amazed at the change in your family life/relationships and ALL of the situations you encounter.

I’ve never been someone who just blends into the crowd. I am extremely outgoing. I’m confident. I talk to strangers…at length. I’m passionate about A LOT of things. I have a three-year-old who dances everywhere she goes while singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” at the top of her lungs. Pretty hard to go unnoticed with that last one. All of those things are fine with me. It’s who I am. But prior to dreading my hair, at least I LOOKED like everyone else on the outside, even if I was a little crazy on the inside.

These days, it’s pretty clear that I am not like the others. And when you look different, people seem to stare more. It’s very strange to go from being occasionally noticed, to having people blatantly gawking at you. I can understand it though…because before I had dreads, I would totally stare at people who had dreads. Because I WANTED dreads! Of course, it’s a little hard to determine what is in people’s minds when they are staring. Do they want dreads too? Do they know someone who has dreads? Are they wondering how a white girl got her hair to knot up like that? Were they judging me because I looked different?

Which brings me to my next point. Judgment. Picture yourself walking through the mall or the grocery store. You see someone who looks different than you or who may be acting different than you. Is your first reaction to comment out loud to your companions? Maybe a comment about how silly that person looks? Or how obnoxious they are acting? Maybe you’re not with anyone, but you still think it and you inwardly roll your eyes as that person walks by.

We’ve all been there. If you haven’t ever judged someone by their appearance…I really don’t think you’re human. Is it truly possible to just look at someone and acknowledge that they are different, but not judge them? Is it truly possible to just look at a person for WHO they are inside and not what they look like on the outside? Is it truly possible to see a SOUL instead of a BODY? I think so. But for me, it won’t happen without letting Christ control my mind.

When I see something or someone that is different…especially if they happen to be rubbing m the wrong way, the reaction of my flesh (a.k.a. sin nature) is to judge. My mind is usually not filled with loving, uplifting thoughts about that person. That can only come when I am abiding with Christ and HE is the one controlling my thought life. When He is in control of my thoughts, HIS thoughts come through first and mine get thrown away. When my thoughts align with Christ’s, I think first of how that person’s day has been, what kind of things they’ve had to deal with, and the kind of hurts they have experienced in their life. I look at them with a more gentle spirit and I recognize things in them that I myself have struggled with in the past or things I am still struggling with, but don’t want to address. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus offers a reminder in our dealings with others:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”.

Judgment has an entire industry. Just look around as you check out at the grocery store next time. Gossip magazines are a great tool to help you judge others. “Brittany shaves head!”. “Paris in jail!”. Is your first thought…”she deserved it…” or “what on earth was she thinking? She’s crazy”. Or did your heart hurt for Brittany as she struggled with the whole world watching? As Paris cried out for her mother…did you laugh at her or feel her pain with her? Jesus showed nothing but love and mercy to ALL people. He broke bread with prostitutes and tax collectors. He rebuked those who were judgmental in their thoughts toward others. It doesn’t mean that they won’t have to experience the consequences of their sins or that they should continue on that path. But He looked at them with LOVE first. Next time you want to pick up one of those magazines…think about the thoughts it causes you to have and what purpose they have in your life. Is an industry based on gossip and judgment one you want to support with your money?

It’s not always strangers that we judge…we judge those closest to us. Our friends, our family…those we love the most. Think of how different your group of friends could be or how different your family could be if the only words from your mouth to them were edifying and uplifting…only allowing thoughts of grace or forgiveness to come into your mind and out of your mouth as you speak about them or to them. I know that all of you have probably experienced deep hurts in your life…and they often come from someone close to you. It is possible to judge the situation apart from the person involved. It’s hard, but you can.

I had the pleasure of meeting a young man named Donnie last January and he had these things to say on his blog about learning to not judge others.

“…so i have developed an exercise. we’ll call it a spiritual discipline – that, if applied to my lifestyle every few days or weeks, will strengthen my ‘higher self’ or ‘new man’ or ‘bad a**’ or whatever it is that cooperates with the Spirit of God (i.e. unrelenting generosity & compassion). it’s called “people watching“. i know we all do it. some of us even watch people watching other people. but this is maybe a bit different because of the intention – in the same way one could eat a big mac for nourishment or only for entertainment. so the intention to cultivate is this: no partiality. meaning, that as i am watching big/small, dirty/clean, sober/stoned, rich/poor, pretty/ugly people… i am doing so with the intention of seeing value in each one that i focus on. breaking subconscious habits of finding people less than. i am confronting automatic response patterns and prejudices that come up, for example, when i see an anarchist and just want to write him off as an angry lost soul. first, i have to acknowledge that i really do feel this way and then try to move into projecting/thinking/praying only good things for this person – as well as asking the Great Spirit to help me out with my crusty, impatient tendencies to be closed jerk. basically, asking for help as i work towards becoming a more merciful, understanding person. and we all know that life is a lot better when you are hanging out with someone like that. things feel on time and you feel as though you are actually a unique and interesting person.”

When those judgmental thoughts enter your mind…”capture” them and submit them to Christ. When you let negative thoughts run rampant in your mind…the outcome is always bitterness and a hardened heart.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).”

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).”

You will be amazed at how different your entire life can be if your thoughts are focused on the GOOD things, not the bad…in people, in situations, everywhere. This is not just a Christian philosophy…people of all faiths can embrace this concept and choose not to judge. Set your mind…and have eyes of mercy.