The boy was talking a mile a minute, spewing out every excuse in the book, all while wearing a mischievous smirk. The frustrating thing is that he would have enjoyed the lesson had he not been so intent on playing this role he slipped into on a daily basis. Education requires great teachers, but it also requires pupils who are willing to learn. What kind of pupil are you?
I used to be crippled by fear. Having been a fearful child, and then having been abused, threatened and stalked as a young adult, my filter saw everything through a lens of fear. But then a series of events began to expose the true nature of fear!
With all my deep feelings, I relate well to Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet who is often saddled with the moniker, “The Weeping Prophet.” Here’s what I’ve learned by studying his six pain-filled and personal complaints.
I had studied and learned, but my reaction to a fresh rejection proved that I had only acquired knowledge, not the strength that comes through applying that knowledge. How do I go from knowing the truth beforehand, to actually being able to tap into those truths in the moment of rejection when my emotions cloud over the truth?
We all experience rejection. But sometimes the shame that tries to piggyback on rejection causes us to not talk about it. Many of us just try to sweep it into a corner so we can try to ignore it and get on with life. Eventually, that can catch up with us. Let’s DEAL with rejection!
Is God as generous as you think? And in spite of what you think about God’s generosity, what do your actions communicate that you believe about the heart of your Abba?
Speeding is one of those things that we’ve all done at one time or another. And we don’t generally see much harm when everyone else is going much faster than we are. But the Lord showed me how we often fall into this trap in our spiritual lives too: Thinking that if we aren’t the worst offenders, there’s really no offense at all. How does God see this? Read the full blog post to see a different, perhaps unique, perspective.
Have you ever been all set up emotionally for God to come through, for that breakthrough you can see in your mind's eye to materialize, only to have what looked like the perfect opportunity evaporate before your eyes? Me too. And this is what I felt the Lord told me about those times.
