Purity 361 03/09/2021 Purity 361 Podcast
Good morning!
Many of my friends have gone
through some real storms in their lives in the recent, as well as the distant,
past. Just getting to a place that feels
secure and peaceful can be a major accomplishment. What others consider a “normal
life” is sometimes outside of our experience when we face the traumas of loss,
medical issues, or financial hardships.
But I know from
experience that no matter how out of balance everything can seem when we are in
the midst of turmoil, we can still find moments of peace and serenity.
For me, the Lord’s
presence in my life was a continual source of strength and peace through the
myriad of changes in the last ten years.
I would encourage you all to draw into His presence because where He is
there is an abundance of mercy, grace, and peace.
So keep your eyes open
for those opportunities to appreciate the peaceful quiet stillness and when you
find them be sure to thank God for bringing you there.
This morning’s meditation
verse is:
Luke 2:10
(NKJV)
10 Then the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which
will be to all people.
Today’s verse comes three verses after the birth of
Christ in Bethlehem and highlights an angel’s words to some country shepherds who
were greatly afraid of the supernatural appearance of this messenger who was
bathed in the glory of Lord.
The angel’s words tell us that there is nothing to
fear for their message is of good tidings and great joy for all people. The message that follows is that Christ was
born. The Savior had come to draw people to Him and into His kingdom.
This simple message from the angel re-emphasizes yesterday’s
point that the “good news”, the gospel of Christ was for all people. The angel’s words do not tell us that the
good news is only for some and that others will come to God via some other
religion. Jesus himself would later say:
John 14:6 (NKJV)
6 … “I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
So salvation is exclusively through Jesus Christ
but is available to all people who seek God and the truth of who He is.
But I didn’t really want to harp on that because anyone
reading this blog or hearing this message has presumably placed their faith in Christ.
I wanted to focus on the single word “joy” that the
angel speaks of. The news of Christ’s coming and our accepting Jesus Christ as
our Lord and Savior should fill us with great joy.
As we walk through this world there is a lot we can
be discouraged about. Even inside our churches, we can be drawn into offense by
the enemy resulting in angry and bitter Christians. The problem with these two scenarios is that
our focus has shifted to the world or how we perceive our treatment by the body
of Christ to be less than it should be.
When we shift our focus to the world or to “our rights”, we place the
world or ourselves above God. When you
do that its not surprising you have no joy.
Did you have a whole lot of joy in your life before
coming to Christ when all you did was focus on the world and yourself?
Probably not. My question is: why would you
continue to think about and focus on those things that didn’t bring you joy?
We’ve been born again, and we need to renew our
minds to think in new ways. That’s why I always stress walking and talking to
God or encourage others to bring God into their experience. When we stay God conscious, His presence and
subsequently His joy becomes available to us.
Our salvation should be a constant source of joy
that we can tap into every day. Our maturation
in our faith and our victories over the things that kept us in chains should
also fill us with the assurance of our life in Christ and give us joy.
So focus on the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Seek them by learning more about
them through the Word of God and other Christian resources because when you do
your faith becomes stronger and the fruit of the Spirit grow in your life.
Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit, after love,
in Galatians 5:22. If you’ve come to Christ, you know His love and should be
basking in it. So I encourage you to
thank God for bringing you out of the darkness of not being with Him and to experience
the joy that results when you stay in communion with Him.
I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share
insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters
in Christ with their walk.
Today we will share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Anger:
Facing the Fire Within”
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work:
G. How to Rid Yourself of Childhood Anger
Ask a group of 5-year-old boys what they want to be when they grow up and
the odds are high that more than one will say a fireman. Adults smile at the
endearing aspiration, knowing full well the odds are just as high that the
little boys standing before them probably won’t actually become firefighters.
The struggles and hurts of life have a way of shattering the innocence of
youth, and the anger experienced perhaps by even a 5-year-old boy can affect
him as a 50-year-old man if it is not resolved. Often a direct connection can
be found between present pain and anger and past pain and anger,
dating even all the way back to early childhood. Many of us assume when we
reach adulthood, our childhood pain will magically disappear and no longer
affect us. Surely, the years have suffocated the last smoldering ember,
we reason. However, this disappearing act doesn’t “just happen.” We
must recognize our pain from the past and resolve it, because…
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him,
and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
(Matthew 12:35)
Resolving Childhood Hurts
The
next time anger wells up in your heart, ask yourself…
- “Am I
feeling hurt? “Example:
“The dearest person in my life is rejecting me.” - “Did
I ever have these same feelings when I was a child? “Example: “My father basically
ignored me and strongly favored my brother.” - “How
did I feel when my father ignored me? “Example:
“I felt sad, mad, and rejected.” - “How
did I express my anger? “Example:
“I picked on my brother and was mean to him.”
Face
the anger still residing in your heart because of childhood hurts….
- Ask God to
reveal buried hurts from your childhood. - Ask close
family members and friends to describe what situations seem to hurt you
and make you angry. - Acknowledge
that your prolonged, unresolved anger over past hurts is wrong, even if
you think it is justified. - Take
personal responsibility to overcome your childhood hurts. - Surrender
your hurtful childhood experiences and feelings to God. - Ask
forgiveness from those whom you have hurt or offended. - Forgive
and pray for those who have hurt you. - Pray for
God to purge you of your hurtful ways and fill you with His unconditional
love for others.
If
your heart yearns for love and acceptance, remember…
- Psalm 66:20—“Praise
be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from
me!” - Psalm 32:10—“Many
are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord‘s
unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” - Psalm 36:7—“How priceless is
your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow
of your wings.” - 1 John 4:9-10—“This
is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the
world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins.”
Resolving Childhood Injustices
The
next time you feel the surge of anger over a particular situation, ask yourself…
- “Am
I feeling a sense of injustice? “Example:
“The person I’m dating mistreats me.” - “Did
I ever have these same feelings in my childhood? “Example: “Yes. When my father abused my mother,
my brother, and me.” - “How
did I feel when my father abused all of us? “Example: “I felt angry and powerless to stop
it.” - “How
did I express my anger? “Example:
“I bullied other kids.”
Face
your anger from the past and begin to see how your present anger is connected
to the injustices you experienced in childhood….
- Ask God to
reveal all unresolved feelings over the injustices you experienced as a
child. - Ask your
close family members and friends how they know when you are angry over an
injustice. - Acknowledge
that your feelings of injustice may be directed toward God. - Take
personal responsibility for your feelings of anger at injustice. - Release
your anger to God over past injustices and replace the anger with God’s
peace. - Ask
forgiveness from anyone you have treated unjustly. - Forgive
and pray for those who have been unjust toward you. - Meditate
on how God can use your awareness of injustices committed against you and
against others for good.
If
your anger is rooted in unjust treatment, and you are committed to justice,
remember…
- Psalm 9:16—“The
Lord is known by his
justice.” - Luke 18:7—“Will
not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day
and night? Will he keep putting them off?” - 2 Thessalonians
1:6-7—“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who
trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as
well.” - Psalm 37:6—“He
will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your
cause like the noonday sun.”
Resolving Childhood Fears
The
next time you feel threatened or angry over an unwanted, uncomfortable change
in circumstances, ask yourself…
- “Am I
feeling fear about my future? “Example:
“I’ve lost my job, and I don’t know how I will support my
family.” - “Did
I ever have these same feelings in my childhood? “Example: “Yes, when my parents died, I went to
live with my grandmother.” - “How
did I feel about my parent’s death? “Example:
“I felt angry because everybody else had a mother and father to
protect them and to provide for their future.” - “How
did I express my anger? “Example:
“I was resentful and disrespectful toward my grandmother.”
Face
your anger at God for taking your parents and leaving you with the fear of an
uncertain future, as well as any
other fears you experienced in childhood…. If you have difficulty recalling
your childhood feelings of fear, ask God to bring those memories to your
mind….
- Ask God to
reveal where your fears and insecurities reside. (Be completely honest.)
Do they reside… - —In
your finances? - —In
close family ties? - —In
your good education? - —In
your accomplishments? - —In
what others say about you? - Ask your
current family and good friends if they have noticed times when you have
expressed distress or feelings of insecurity as a result of fear. - Acknowledge
that placing your trust in anything other than God produces anger at Him
when your security idols fail, and you experience fear. - Ask His
forgiveness for your failure to trust Him. - Learn to
place your trust only in the Lord for your security. - Memorize
Scriptures that reassure you of God’s faithfulness. - Begin
developing a grateful heart for all that the Lord has provided, thanking
Him daily for His generous gifts.
If
your heart yearns for security and you desire to rid yourself of fear,
remember…
- Psalm 112:7-8—“He
will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will
have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.” - Isaiah 41:10—“Do
not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous
hand.” - Proverbs 3:26—“The
Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.” - Romans 8:15—“You
did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of sonship.”
Resolving Childhood Frustrations
The
next time you feel anger when your personal efforts are stymied or unaccepted
by others, ask yourself…
- “Am
I feeling frustrated? “Example:
“My associate made negative remarks about my speech at our business
luncheon.” - “Did
I ever have these same feelings in my childhood? “Example: “Yes. When my parents expected me to
behave perfectly and to not express my true feelings.” - “How
did I feel when my parents had these expectations? “Example: “I felt like they accepted me only when
my behavior was acceptable, so I ended up feeling angry and insecure all
the time.” - “How
did I express my anger? “Example:
“I got mad at them and at myself and would bang my head a lot or
scratch my arms.”
Face
your past frustrations from childhood and realize that not measuring up to your
own or someone else’s standards indicates performance-based acceptance and can
be a major source of anger.…
- Ask God
to reveal the buried anger you have toward your parents or others in your
past who frustrated you by accepting you only on the basis of your
performance. - Ask
yourself… - —”Do
I set unrealistic standards for myself?” - —”Do
I tend to stuff my anger?” - —”Do
I need to control people and circumstances?” - —”Am
I a caretaker?” - —”Am
I a perfectionist?” - —”Am
I a procrastinate?” - —”Am
I a people pleaser?” - —”Am
I a workaholic?” - Ask your
family and close friends how they know when you are frustrated. - Understand
that frustration is only a nice-sounding word for the anger that deeply
damages your self-worth and sense of significance. - Understand
that it takes concentrated commitment and great effort to uncover deeply
buried frustrations and root them out of your life. - Realize
you can never earn God’s love, but He loves you unconditionally. - Allow
yourself to feel your anger at being frustrated and ask God for courage to
express your anger in acceptable ways. - Forgive
those who frustrated you in the past and release your anger to God. Accept
the sufficiency of His love to affirm your value.
If
you feel a sense of frustration with life and long to feel accepted and
significant, remember…
- Proverbs 21:3—“To
do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” - Galatians 1:10—“Am
I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to
please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant
of Christ.” - Psalm 25:9—“He
guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” - Lamentations
3:22-23—“Because of the Lord‘s
great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are
new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys:
Anger: Facing the Fire Within.
—————————-more
tomorrow————————-
God bless
you all!
Join our
Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class via the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
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