Pout

I am in a foul mood so I'm attempting to avoid all people. I'm not certain that I will be able to quench my sarcasm - my default behavior when I'm in 'a mood'. Doesn't happen often, but when it does it tends to dominate for awhile. Does any of this resonate with anyone? Do you ever get in these moods? For me, it really is never because of someone else - what they did/say or didn't do/say. For the most part people have nothing to do with this state. The other mood qualification is that I have little to nothing in terms of control/influence IN the situation. And that, dear reader, may be the crux.

Seriously, how are you when you can't/don't have any influence in a situation. You may or may not have a resolution to (fill in the blank) but you definitely have no say in ithe ultimate action. This is incredibly frustrating. But it does define living (not life). There are times and areas that we won't have an ability to 'DO' anything and it is up to us to react properly and, trust me, pouting doesn't work. Knowing that these times do descend, have any of us develop the proper way we can respond? Doubtful. Part of this is because this really relates to our character and attitudes. What do we do about those qualifiers in/on our words and behaviors?

I suspect that somewhere in the midst of the mood, we really do know what we should do/say... it just isn't what we want to do/say.  Yes? For those of you who are mature and don't sink to these times, bravo. In the back of my mind I know that if I act in a way I shouldn't then I'll end up having to repent. Which is why I tend to avoid being around other people.

OK, I've vented, which has gotten me ...??? Yup. But how do I go about changing my mood. I think any of us who (occasionally) go through these times have developed our own answer. For me it starts with apologizing to the Lord. He had to listen to my moan. Then I try and take a good look at what triggered this so that I develop ways to proactively respond if it is ever repeated. Typically I've discovered that it rarely is just 1 thing, it's the pile up of emotions and thoughts that I put on the 'back burner' to be addressed... later. But haven't. However, my primary method is to remember scripture and who I am becoming. what the Lord has and continues to do for me, the blessings I can live in. 

   "Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

    who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in

    Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for

    Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be

    holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in

    His sight." [Ephesians 1:3-4. AMP]

Good Heavens! And the reason I'm in a mood???????

Poverty Mentality 3

A number of years ago I wrote a post on this subject and then some years later, updated it. Now, I'm revisiting this subject again because I think it applies to the here and now. Just HOW are we spending our lives? How do we 'budget' our time, our talents, our resources, whatever is in us that we can offer in our world? Do we 'save for a rainy day'? Most importantly, do we look at poverty from more than a financial mindset? Perhaps you have a poverty mentality but only in certain areas in certain times? It does tend to taint other areas however......

The big question though is 'why'? Why would you think that way about yourself and your Lord? Didn't He say He came to bring life, and life more abundantly [John 10:10]? Have you not accepted His provision? Are you trying to do everything by yourself... your way? And how's that working? Let's face it - we do considerably better and more effectively when we are in partnership with the Lord. Besides, read again what He teaches us:

  "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that

   a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you

   can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the

   branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and

   organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a

   thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on

   the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at

   home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and

   acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes,

   when you mature as my disciples." [John 15:4-8, MSG]

(And yes, I do quote these verses often from the Amplified or Message versions. I do so because they are applicable in so many contexts and we sometimes forget to apply what it is we actually do know.)

Back in 2011 when I first discussed poverty mentality I was attempting to 'dialogue' with the reader on how they felt, thought, acted on this mindset. I said:

   "Poverty means lack; scarcity or dearth ... Granted that poverty is typically
    referencing the lack of money this is a limiting perception.  ... 
    When you look at the definition of 'mentality' you discover that it is the mode
    or way of thought. So what is poverty mentality and what is its impact?
    Coupling the two definitions - poverty mentality is your view, your thought
    about lack, related to you.   ...

    However, a poverty mentality may have absolutely nothing to do with reality -

    it's your perception of your reality. And from that perception comes your

    behavior - if you believe yourself in lack then you will act poor. For some people

    it's based in fear - not the fact of today but the fear of tomorrow when lack
    may define your situation. Again it may not have any relationship to reality...
    it's the 'possibility', in this case.

    A poverty mentality impacts everything you do and say. It tells you that you

    lack, and you can't do anything to correct the situation - you were, you are,
    and you always will be in poverty. That sense of hopelessness is pervasive.
    Listen to the words of those who believe themselves poor and see if you don't
    sense the helplessness in the words they use. With some it's anger - that they
    have been dealt this hand - it isn't right, it isn't fair.

    Poverty mentality is crippling. The problem is that most people do not see an

    answer. Since the answer begins with your view of you and what you can do

    and be, the answer is that you need a different paradigm. The 'how' you
    change is the second step. The beginning is to realize what you are doing to
    you and be willing to change... not the simplest step but the most crucial. The
    rest of the journey isn't easy but this first step is gargantuan for some. What
    do YOU need, to do to begin... "

Yes. perhaps there are areas that you can't change, that define your poverty mentality... BUT you always have the control, the decision about how you are going respond and react. Your attitude does make a great deal of difference and never forget that YOU are more than your circumstances... perhaps there are areas that you can do something about that will change your status. Giving up, giving in... what does that get you? You are always the Director of your life unless you give that control to someone else.

On to the 'Next'?

Do you have a 'what's next' attitude? About 4/5 the way through the current activity/project, do you begin wondering what is just around the corner? Not that you are necessarily finished where you are or expectantly looking for your 'next', but you are beginning your process. This attitude can really relate to just about anything that you are doing. Maybe it's not a restlessness to get on where you are so you can go to your 'next'... but is this hovering around?

Personally... I think there are advantages and disadvantages to this mindset - because, let's face it, it occurs more often than it doesn't. I think I've learned to harness this until the current really is finished, not so sure. I'm one of those planners, organizers so before I go into 'next' I need (not just want) to be sure that I've dotted the i's and crossed the t's on the 'now' first. Because then I can happily move on and begin the prep work for 'next'.

But....... what if you have no sense of 'next', you have no plan, no project, no nothing on the agenda??? How do you handle this? For me, not so well. And this means that I sometimes miss my regroup and refresh times. You do realize that the Father ALWAYS makes time for these times but it is we who have to act on them.? He does. As an obvious example, remember Jesus always took time to spend time with the Father? He did. And that's why we aren't rushing from one thing to another.... or least we shouldn't be.

Do you realize just how important our 'down' times are? Part of it is to regroup, to catch our breath, to decompress, to turn to the Lord and discover what He's trying to teach us, pray, breathe in and breathe out. If Jesus took time for these times so should we because they are the rich times. Those who have been brought up in the old hymns... remember "Take Time to be Holy"? Look at the words. They tell us what is important. 

In all of our running around, and many times it's to be/do what we think the Lord is calling us to be/do...take time. Yes - prepare, plan, organize, and stop. Ephesians 2:10 tells us  

   "For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in

    Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be

    used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths

    which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He

    prearranged and made ready for us]." AMP

Whose workmanship? Created how? For what reason? And the result? Exactly. Read the words don't just skim them. They are for US! There's another important verse to remember which talks about abiding...

   "Live in me. Make your home in Me just as I do in you. In the same way that a

    branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t

    bear fruit unless you are joined with Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches.

    When you’re joined with Me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic,

    the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. 

    Anyone who separates from Me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the

    bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with Me and My words are at  

    home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and

    acted upon. This is how My Father shows who He is—when you produce grapes,

    when you mature as my disciples."   [John 15:4-8 MSG]

These 2 scriptures say it all. No. not ignore your 'next' but stop long enough to know if there is a time set aside before the next.

Words

Do we really understand the power of words? Probably not. I do like words and try hard not to misuse them. This is especially true when I'm teaching or writing. I know the power words have so I don't want to use them lightly... nor do I want them to be used as a weapon against others. The devil, on the other hand, was defeated by words. Jesus said to him - it is written and the devil left... defeated. WE can also do the same thing - we can defeat the devil by correctly saying what the Word says. Of course that begins with us putting the Word in our heaarts so we can defeat the devil.

My thinking about words is based in a number of things - the light in a student's eyes when they finally see the concept and can engage it, the confidence another person experiences when another person says - ahhh, I get it or the smile in another's face when they feel encouraged by what you said. And - not the least of which is seen in the Word - we will give an accounting of every idle word we say (Matthew 12:36). 

Our words to others are impactful... but our words to ourselves are also impactful. Do we really understand the power of words? Doubtful. If we did then we wouldn't be saying such words as - I hate (fill in the blank), that killed me, that you scared me to death, or I can never do that, etc. Whether or not we initially believe what we say, those words are out there and can be used either for or against us. Balderdash! No. Part of the problem is that we don't listen to our what we say. I suspect that if we did, we wouldn't be so casual or cavalier about what we say.

Interestingly enough is that 2 of the 10 Commandments relate to our tongue and our words - taking the Lord's name in vain and bearing false witness [Exodus 20: 7, 16]. When we speak we're supposed to speak truth in love. Do you realize the support you give when you speak (genuine) encouragement? Perhaps it's even more important when you give a word (based in scripture) of correction. Regardless... our words to others makes an enormous impact. Remember how you feel when you are encouraged or corrected. Our 'how' of doing both is important if we want the listener to understand.

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 6 about what God hates and one of them is a lying tongue. We should avoid this at all costs - the price really is too steep. Besides, in the final analysis, what is it we gain?

   "This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never

    been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless

    God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women h   

    made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!' [James 3:9]

Just as we guard our hearts... and minds... we need to guard our words.                            

At the end of the day

[This is one of those in the middle of the night 'inspirations' that occasion the thought that I can already tell that this is going to turn into a blog post. The [] will indicate a side conversation with the Reader as we proceed.]

As you are about to lie down on your bed, or maybe you’re sitting on the edge of your bed, or just as you lay your head on the pillow and pull up the covers… where’s your mind? Perhaps you are prioritizing your ‘to do’ list for the next day or maybe you begin thinking about the should do’s, the hafta do’s, the wanna do’s?, the gotta do’s? Does this enhance sleep for you? Does it deter it until you have some sort of 'tomorrow's plan'? 

[To answer your question... no this is not stream of consciousness or an irrelevant question of the day. Sleep is crucial to our mental and health condition.]

Do you ever have a Worship/Praise song that was part of the Sunday church service stick in your mind? I seem to... all the time. This Sunday we sang 'Shout for Joy'. If you aren't familiar, google the title and you'll see the words. The phrase that seems to play over and over in my thoughts is that I am filled when I worship. I'm not telling the Father something He doesn't already know... but I get to say it.

Soooo, I think I’m going to change my end of the day. To what? I know that I sometimes throw a ‘thank you Lord ...' Kinda lame. Good focus but surely I can do better. So what I’ve decided is to focus on Worship. To be grateful to the One who is willing to continue helping me become... and so much more.

There's a phrase - 'Worship Him with gladness' which set me to thinking. Wouldn't this be a terrific way to end the day? [Yes, start the day too.] So...... how does one 'do' this? It begins and is individualized by each of us - how do we worship? Do we know the difference between when we are praising versus when we are worshipping? Does this make a difference? [I would argue - Yes.] However, as in every spiritual matter - it depends on us: what we've learned, what we do, how we do what we've learned and are we progressing in this? Romans 12:1-2

   "Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present

    your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy

    and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of

    worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial

    values and customs], but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you

    mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and

    ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God

    is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for

    you]." AMP

You did see that you WILL prove for yourself what the will of God is: good, acceptable, perfect.  This is a huge benefit of worship. To me, this means that at the end of the day, I can look back and see how I have learned, understood, applied - judged - the value of my day. The Message Bible phrases this as:

   "So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday,

    ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—
    and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the

    best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture

    that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.

    You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from

    you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging

    you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops

    well-formed maturity in you." 

The Message Bible puts it so spot on - our lives in our world in which we live. And we can worship the Lord who is with us in our day. Worship, however you define this, is a wonderful way to end the day.

'The End'

 We will never know ahead of time when 'The End' will come. Period. I think there are a variety of reasons why - not the least of which is how our focus would change based on this specific knowing. We need to be engaged in our days, we need to be sharing our talents and gifts - we need to do what Jesus did: being about His Father's business. 

If you remember correctly, believers know where we are going. If you've read your Bible you have sufficient information to understand the time you are living in. I guess I will never understand why we should go into 'survival mode' in our time. If God isn't for us (and He tells us each and every day that He is... in so many ways) why should we fret and worry? However, that doesn't mean we need to be ignorant or ignore what's happening in the world nor get upset nor .... The only book in the Bible that states that blessed are those who read Revelation (Revelation 1;3). 

[As an aside... I've always been slightly curious about the fact that an 's' appears to be added to the book's title. It isn't RevelationS it's Revelation. Because John clearly states that it is a revelation of Jesus.]

Throughout the Old and New Testaments there are references and prophecies about the End Times. GotQuestions suggests that over 27% of predictive scripture is related to this subject. One of the more quoted Old Testament scripture: 

   “It shall come about after this [see verses preceding 28] That I shall pour out

    My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

    Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.

    Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

   (Joel 2:28-29 - this verse was quoted by Peter in Acts on the day of Pentecost)

New Testament 

   "Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and

    leading you into error]. For many will come in My name [misusing it, and

    appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the

    Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. You will

    continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened,

    for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. For

    nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be

    famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the

    beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of 

    unprecedented trouble]. [Matthew 24:4-8]

You did see the word, 'beginning'. Jesus told His disciples that no one know when the End Times would be except the Father. [Matthew 24:36-44/ 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 / 2 Peter 3:10...] However, He doesn't tell us to be foolish and He does give us 'sighs' that the end is near. Yet... I don't think this is the emphasis we need to focus on.  

   "Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to

    completely finish His work. Do you not say, ‘It is still four months until the

    harvest comes?’ Look, I say to you, raise your eyes and look at the fields and

    see, they are white for harvest. Already the reaper is receiving his wages and

    he is gathering fruit for eternal life; so that he who plants and he who reaps 

    may rejoice together." [John 4:34-36, AMP]

Remember whose you are and who you serve - trust that you are becoming all that you can be in your day, in your world. Study, understand, grow and keep your eyes on the prize [Philippians 3:13-14|.

 

Seek?!

Are you seeking?  … for? Have you found what you are seeking? Are you in ‘possession’ of what you sought? What are you doing with the results of what you found? Honestly, sometimes we really aren't certain about what we think we are seeking. Since the Father doesn't play games, doesn't tempt, doesn't withhold any good thing (Psalms 84:11) have you gone to Him and asked for help? I am constantly amazed that the last one we tend to turn to is the One holding all the answers. I do this too.

Matthew 7:7-8 makes it quite clear... if we seek, we WILL find. However, that does require us to know what it is we seek. While discovering is one of my favorite things to do and basically without forethought... still, when we are in need, we need to be specific or we may not see what we are seeking. Scripture also tells us 'how' to come, Hebrews 11:6

   "But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for

    whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and

    that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him." 

Logical - yes. Though sometimes the cares of the world and the fight we seem to continually fight causes us to waver. Everything... as in EVERYTHING we do and that we are, is really based in our faith. Without it.... no foundation, and only a wondering 'hope'. That does not define 'abundant' in my world of words. Jesus told us He came to bring us life and life abundantly [John 10:10]

   "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that
    they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it

    overflows]."

Just so there is no misunderstanding: the thief is the devil and the 'they' is us - everyone who has been born again, who has made Jesus their Lord. WE get the abundant life. Isn't that worth seeking? Then again, it has always been ours though I doubt we've taken the time to discover how the Lord defines 'abundant'.

We sometimes forget that God gives us a measure of faith [Romans 12:3], and we can move mountains with our faith [Mark 11:23] and John makes it very clear that it is our faith that pleases the Father and that we will be rewarded. In my world, seeking begins the journey of understanding. And understanding is a firm foundation for our faith. This is merely a quick overview of faith and what it DOES. Faith is a doer. Like love, like being the Lord's Ambassador and workman and so many other qualities - they are action words. 

A founding principle is that we begin with the realization that we must abide in Him.

   "The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise]

    apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing"

That nugget in John 15:4-11 is summed up in verse 5. What first caught my eye was the promise of fruitfulness. Abiding gives us the assurance of fruitful. We have never been tossed out on our own. It is our unity with the Lord that provides our strength to be and do who we are. I would argue that fruitfulness is a worthy quality to seek - and in John we see how we can. Abide.

How does this discussion relate to seeking? It's the foundation, it's the motivation and the activity of seeking. Seeking is how we grow and mature - it's how we begin our journey of understanding. Seeking is a worthwhile activity because Matthew tells us that we we seek and keep on seeking... we will find )Matthew 7:7).