When NOT To Give As Good As You Get

How many times have I returned a harsh communication with a harsh answer, I wonder? How often have I responded in like kind when someone snapped at me or made biting comments towards me? What is the number of times that I've repaid spiteful conversation with spite, or gave a person as good as the negative attitude that they gave to me?

If you've ever in your life been an average person, you too would not be able to count the number of times that you responded in the way that an angry person responded to you.

This bad habit, however, can be converted. Learning to replace this flesh-based, useless behavior with useful, spirit-filled responses is the key. We can learn the value of and utilize the spiritual tool of replying to wrath with soft words. What usually happens when we react to strife-laden attitudes? We usually experience more of it, from the person and within ourselves. The opposite of this, says a quiet little scripture in Proverbs, is "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

I don't know what led me to consider this scripture early this morning. In doing so, I found one answer as to why this principle works: We often possess the insight or knowledge needed to respond to a stressful remark with an soft answer. When we do, our answer shows the person that we care about him/her.

Because we are able to perceive something about the person or the situation, we are able to address that in our response.

Sometimes the person knows that we have spoken to something unsaid, sometimes not. It's similar to looking beyond the outward appearance into the spiritual realm. There is often something else behind the words that are being said and the harsh manner. When we respond in like kind though, it shows that at that moment we are self-centered, or centered in our flesh, rather than in our reborn spirit.

One reason that we often give as good as we get, rather then utilizing a soft answer, is because spiritual evil influence can target our flesh and hit it's mark. Evil influence, whether towards someone else or towards ourselves, cannot target our reborn spirit. It hurts when someone yells, or snaps, or bites our heads off. It is not fair when someone speaks to us in a disrespectful manner, or treats us like we are unimportant. It can be damaging to our self-image, self-worth and self-esteem to be talked to with disdain, disregard and a lack of compassion. All of this warfare takes place in the flesh.

Recognizing these facts, however, and continuing to react in kind will not improve our ability to build our spiritual self-image, self-worth or self-esteem.

Reacting in kind harms our ability to improve. It accomplishes little, if anything. This is because our fiery, flesh-based responses rarely address real issues or change circumstances. When we understand this truth, we are able to allow our responses to be transformed.

When we see value in becoming humble enough to ignore verbal slights and attacks, and move beyond them in that moment, our responses will change. Often, it takes allowing what you know about the person, and maybe a situation, to rise to the surface of your consciousness at that moment. It takes peering into the response and the person, which is the same as moving beyond self. But how in the world can I do all of this in the short space of time when I am attacked, you ask?

All of this can be done in a split second, just as a biting response can be formed and made in a millisecond.

In order to reply with a soft answer, we may have to sometimes appear as if we are not fighting for our rights. When we allow that and use the soft answer, often the anger, stress, annoyance, snippishness and fear that motivated the person is disabled and disarmed. In that moment, we will find the person responding with a lot less malice than before, if not without any.

Walking in the spirit can become habitual, just as reacting in the flesh has been. We can re-learn how to respond with soft words, and enjoy more peaceful communication, and peace within. When we receive and understand valuable truths, we change the way that we think. When we change the way that we think, our behavior follows suit.

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

(Proverbs 15:7 KJV)

    The lips of the wise spread knowledge; Not so with the heart of fools. 

(Proverbs 15:7 WEB)

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

(Proverbs 15:1 KJV)

 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

 (Proverbs 15:1 WEB)

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,....

(Romans 12:2 KJV)

 And be not conformed to this world: but be reformed in the newness of your mind,....

 (Romans 12:2 DR)

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Scripture Taken From Bible Study Tools: http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?q=wrath&c=pr&t=kjv&ps=10&s=Bibles

4-Point Prayer Day: Extra Communication With God

Today is 4-Point Prayer Day for me. I'll get on my knees 4 times today, in addition to my regular Open Line of Communication with God. Why am I doing this? Because the additional actions of reverence and submission to God go a long way to boost my faith and reception.

I believe that one of the main reasons that we feel that our prayers are not answered is because we don't know how to receive. Practicing a day of getting on my knees 4 times is a jump-starter and rocket-infusion of spiritual positioning. I am making an extra effort to get into position to communicate with and receive from God. I am readying myself to grab hold of whatever it is that I need in order to advance to the next level of my spiritual walk. This puts me in a position to also receive into the natural, that which I've asked for and am believing God for in the spiritual.


Like fasting and other special activities before the Lord, 4-Point Prayer Day is not something that I will be doing often, or every other day. I want to preserve the power of this event, and not allow it to become a stagnant and boring habit. I'll do it as I feel the need. This process was given to me in my spirit a few weeks ago. I'm excited to now begin practicing it.

God bless your prayer life to reach

new heights of effectiveness!

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Image Graphic Credit: Wake Up To Jesus http://wakeup4jesus.blogspot.be/

With Faith

If you have received this week's post via email or maybe feed, you may not be able to see this video by Kutless, titled What Faith Can Do.

Follow the link to the blog so that you can be inspired by this great song, which has the lyrics displayed also.

Just another reminder that it is your growing faith that will carry you through to all of the wonderful blessings that you are believing God for.

Without faith you cannot stand firm and wait, expecting what he has already sent your way.

Faith is necessary to obtain what you have asked God for.

You can tell what you have faith in by what you do each day.

If you say you have faith that something great is going to happen in your life, and you don't find yourself doing little things to prepare for it, you don't REALLY believe it. If you don't REALLY believe it, you can't receive it. So the question to ask yourself is this, If I have asked and confessed that I believe that God has heard me, and that this thing is done in God's spiritual world, why am I not preparing to receive it in my natural world? Why am I going about each day as if nothing is coming? Why am I having to ask God for the same thing over and over again, if I really believe that it is done?

It is easy to grow your faith. Ask God to increase it, and then obey as he prompts you. He will make sure that you will feel the prompting when he does it. It will be up to you to respond and obey.

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because God is pleased when our lives reflect health, wealth, happiness, joy, peace, compassion, love, long-suffering, goodness and meekness, under all circumstances. These things bless us and elevate us above the darkness of this world. God is happy and pleased when we are living with his best and growing into more of his best, every day, no matter what our circumstances are. These things can be received only through faith.

Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. 

(Mark 9:23, NKJV)

Belief is the same as 

F * A * I * T * H.

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Scriptures taken from: Bible Study Tools

Good Thinking For Good Things

I read this encouraging devotion in a Guideposts booklet titled Courage: Finding Your Strength In Troubled Times:

One of the most powerful traits in human nature is that when you maintain a mental attitude of trust and faith-when you hope, dream, believe, pray and work toward God's assurance-you will create conditions in which every good thing can come to you.

It reminds me of the popular belief that 

like attracts like.

It is also the inverse of misery loves company, Murphy's law and garbage-in-garbage-out. There are many passages in the Bible that encourage the growing Christian to surround himself with positive-thinking people, in other words to be equally yoked. The Bible also teaches us that within the realm of faith, Murphy's law does not and cannot exist. It is not true that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Another important principle that the Bible promotes is that in studying and thinking upon good things, we input them into our hearts. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, or

good-things-in-good-things-out.

Our words always get their cue from what is in our hearts.

The Bible also alerts us that in determining to think good, positive, healthy thoughts, we are maintaining a mental attitude of trust and faith in God's ability and love for us. As a result, our thoughts and words will create the future that we desire; whether tomorrow, next week or next year. In essence, we will be opening the door and paving the way for God's goodness to come in and flourish.

Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

(Proverbs 4:23 KJV)

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

(Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

 

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Resources:

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Quote Credit: (c)2008 Peale Center for Christian Living Guideposts Outreach GuidepostsFoundation.org

Scriptures Taken From: Bible Study Tools, http://www.biblestudytools.com/proverbs/4-23.html

Ask For Courage To Hold On

Some challenges and trials just seem to be too severe to continue enduring. We're not sure how to handle a particular situation that is unfair, depressing, painful, distressing or even devastating. We wonder why it is happening. Like with Job, some may come to say that we've done something wrong, or offended God in some way, but Job had not committed any wrong that justified his suffering. When we honestly can't think of an offense that we may have done, we are once again puzzled and depressed about why this agonizing situation is happening to us.

Sometimes, we feel guilty about past thoughts and deeds, and wonder if we are being punished for them. If we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all that He did to pay the price of sin for us, we know that God does not punish us. When we remember the absolutes of the Gospel, we again wonder why we are going through this. We again ask why is it happening.

We understand that though we've been forgiven by God through Jesus' sacrifice for us, often we have to live with the consequences of past deeds. Sometimes we can make them right and enjoy smooth sailing regarding those deeds, and sometimes not. God does not always prevent or alleviate the reaping in this earth of what we sow. If this is not the case, reaping for sowing, regarding a particular trial, then what is it?

The truth is that there is often no answer, that we could ever find in this world, for what we are suffering through. Sometimes we are not given an answer when we ask God why. It has been said that some answers will not come until we are with God. Of course, ironically it probably won't matter then.

Whatever the cause of what you are going through, if you believe God and His Word, you will want to hold on through it all. You'll want to endure until the end of the trial; because often there is a special blessing in it for us. There is often the growth to be had that we need in order to receive the higher up blessings that we desire. And the end will come, one way or another. God has ordained an end to suffering I once heard someone say. I believe that. Whether your trial is mental, physical, emotional, social, financial, etc., it will not go on longer than God allows. It is to the Christian that all things work together for good. It is to those who believe that God takes hard and difficult things and turns them in to something good.

Dear Lord: Bless this reader with courage to hold on to faith and to endure what you have allowed. Help him to stand firm and obtain the blessing that this trial will provide. Give her the wisdom to discern between what you have allowed and what circumstances are not of you. Bless him with the knowledge to end any trial or challenge that is not ordained by you. In Jesus' name I ask. Amen.

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Keep Growing And Flowing

I know that you are committed and faithful about seeking God's face. You are faithful in drawing nigh to him. You don't seek counsel from those who don't love the Lord. You refuse to practice the un-Godly ways of unbelievers. You don't socialize with those who scorn the Kingdom of God.  You delight in the things of God, and you meditate in his Word day and night. You work out your salvation with fear and trembling every day. Because of this lifestyle, you are like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that brings forth fruit in it's season. Your leaf shall not wither, and whatever you do shall prosper. You are on a roll, in God and for God.

 

You will run across others who desire for you to be bound, as they are, because they have not advanced as you have. They will want you to be fearful, as they are, because they are still living in fear. They will want you to draw back, as they do, because they can't move forward in their faith, or lack of faith. Don't buy into it. Don't receive it. Allow your faith, your God-given insight and your power through freedom in Christ to reign. Don't turn back. Don't be drawn back. Keep pressing forward in studying and learning. Rivers of living waters flow from your belly, but that water is only for those who will partake of it, as God ordains.

As you continue to be filled with blessings, you will bless. Flowing waters of blessings from God in to you. Flowing waters of blessings from God out to others who are ordained to receive. Don't allow those who can't receive from you to stop your flow. Get wisdom. Get understanding. Protect your relationship with the Lord.

Dear Lord: Send anointed friends and associates to those who are growing in you everyday. Close the hedge of protection around your servants who obey you, and who prove daily what is your good and acceptable and perfect will. We thank you for only allowing the appointed ones to get through to close fellowship with them. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Psalm 1:1-3

Romans 12:2

Philippians 2:12

John 7:38

Proverbs 4:5,7

Proverbs 16:16

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Scripture References: Bible Study Tools

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