Last week, I shared the first installment of a great article published on Crosswalk.com by author/speaker, Donna Jones.

If you missed it, go back and check it out. Here are the next several signs:

3. Your child speaks or acts disrespectfully to authority figures.

Bad attitudes often show up in unhealthy behaviors toward those in authority (think parents, teachers, and coaches). It can present aggressively, through verbal confrontations or ongoing conflict. More subtly, it can show up passively: A child ignores instructions or uses a disrespectful tone of voice.

If you notice any of these behaviors, it’s important to correct your child’s perception of authority—beginning with how he or she relates to you. Parents do their kids no favors when they criticize authority figures (like the other parent), give instructions they allow their kids to ignore, or permit their child to speak disrespectfully.

When our kids were tweens, they would sometimes speak in a tone my southern grandmother called “sassy.” It’s tempting to punish this type of behavior, (and sometimes, it’s needed) but often, a more effective approach is the “do-over.” Do-overs allow parents to teach a child right behavior rather than merely disciplining wrong behavior. When my kids gave me the “sassy tone,” I calmly told them to speak to me again, with a respectful tone of voice (Full disclosure: some days they had to repeat themselves a dozen times). Did it drive them crazy? Yep. What parental correction doesn’t drive a 13-year-old crazy? But it also developed a respectful attitude toward authority.

4. Your child gives up in the face of adversity.

Let’s be honest: It’s just plain hard to be the one who doesn’t get invited, doesn’t make the team, or can’t succeed no matter how hard she tries. Miserable events produce messy emotions. Count on it, and show grace in the midst of it. But if your child can’t bounce back after grieving the loss, you may have an attitude issue on your hands.

When our youngest didn’t make the soccer team, she was stunned—the disappointment stung deep. I wanted desperately to make the pain go away. The sounds of her sobs behind her bedroom door nearly broke my heart. After a day or two moping around the house, she surprised us with an announcement that she was turning her attention to cheerleading instead of soccer. Her sadness over the closed chapter morphed into anticipation of a new one. Resilience was born.

If your child hasn’t yet developed the ability to bounce back, you can help. Here’s how: Allow a period of grief. Help your child ask, “What’s next?” Show them that a new chapter doesn’t begin unless an old chapter ends. If necessary, get your child the help she needs to do better the next time around. Attitudes shift when we teach our child to get up rather than give up.

Guys, I want you to know that even after you’ve finished raising your kids, and if you have grandkids, you are not off the hook. I have 11 grandkids, so this article is very helpful. Have a great week.

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte D.D.
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Written by Dr. Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 11 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Numbers 5-8 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: “Worry is watered down fear.” – Pastor Chris Thompson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

 

 

The other day when I was walking by our company copier, I saw this article laying there. I picked it up and it was one of those “too good not to share” articles.

Our Barbara’s Place Director, Dr. Lynne Jahns had printed it for a seminar she is doing this summer. It is written by speaker/author, Donna Jones, and published on Crosswalk.com. Here is the first installment.

Let’s face it: No parent wants to raise a child with a bad attitude, but somewhere between the ages of zero and 18 every child has one, which means every parent must deal with it. Ephesians 4:23 tells us “Be made new in the attitude of your mind.” Clearly, God cares about our attitudes. But does having a bad attitude constitute being a child with a bad attitude? What’s the difference? And how do I know if I’m raising a kid with attitude issues?

Not every child who has a bad attitude is a child with a bad attitude. For instance, a child having a bad day differs from a kid with a bad attitude. One is temporary, the other ongoing. One is situational: Change the circumstance and you’ll change the attitude. The other is systemic:

Change the circumstance and the attitude stays negative.

Still, having a bad attitude can result in being a person with a bad attitude, if not dealt with properly. How do you know if your child is sliding into the murky waters of major attitude issues?

Here are 10 signs you are raising a child with a bad attitude:

1. Negativity is the norm.

All kids are negative sometimes. After all, what kid delights in cleaning his room or eating his vegetables? But if your child’s attitude is consistently negative, you must examine the root. This means asking some hard questions: Is your home filled more with criticism or with praise? How often do you complain? Can your family members move from seeing the worst in a situation to finding the best? Does your family regularly express gratitude? How often do you laugh… or even smile?

To be sure, some people’s temperaments are more prone to see the glass half-empty. Tweens can be moody. Preschoolers will pout. But attitudes are more caught than taught. It’s difficult to raise a positive kid in a negative home. Make it your goal to cultivate an environment of positivity and you’ll likely see attitudes improve.

2. Your child complains, whines, or pouts. All. The. Time.

Like a constant “drip, drip, drip” these habits wear on our last nerve. But here’s the important part: Not only do these habits drive us crazy, they are meant to. Complaining, whining, and pouting push our buttons, often driving us to give in to our children’s wishes, wants or whims, even when we know it’s in their best interest to say “no.”  When these attitudes and behaviors show up in your child (and they will!) you must resist the temptation to cave.

When our kids hit the tween and teenage years, we could count on hearing at least one child complain over what we called “family fun days.” Years earlier, these weekend excursions were met with delight, but when time with friends trumped time with family, getting everyone in the car with a positive attitude was about as easy as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. What my husband and I planned as family fun felt more like family feud. But we didn’t cave. “Trust us. You’ll have a great day” became our go-to line. It wasn’t easy, but the dividends paid off. Our kids did have a great day (most of the time), our family bonded in ways that only happens by spending time together, and our kids learned bad attitudes don’t get positive results.

I trust this first installment was helpful. I will share the rest in the next several weeks with you. Parenting and grand-parenting is an awesome responsibility, isn’t it?

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte, D.D.
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Written by Dr. Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 11 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Numbers 1-4| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: Of all the things in the world that stink in the nostrils of men, hypocrisy is the worst. —C.H. Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” – Romans 8:26

 

 

“It’s faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living.”      ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Faith and enthusiasm both require objects. To be sustainable, you must know ‘what your faith is in’, and ‘if it is trustworthy.’ As the answers to these questions emerge, an ‘enthusiasm’ for that which is faithful and true will grow.

A quick warning about enthusiasm… the opposite is also true, that if you are enthusiastic about something that is not true and does not match reality, it will leave you worse off than at the start and more disillusioned than before.

So, I say dig deep, go beyond the surface platitudes and ‘work out your ‘foundation’ in fear and trembling’ for we are not messing around with what to eat for lunch, but the direction your life will take and it’s ends.

I promise you this, if you dig deep into God’s Word you will find the answers you seek. You may not like what you find because it contradicts all that you ‘wanted’ to believe, but if you go through the ‘crucible’ of change by applying God’s perfect Word, you will know truths that will anchor your faith in every storm and develop an enthusiasm that can and will carry you through all of life.

Dig deep into God’s perfect Word today, casting off all that has kept you from being what our God has desired for you.

Choose wisely.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)

Praying 4 U

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-5| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “We must dig deep and encourage ourselves in the Lord.” – Crystal McDowell

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“Hear a just cause, O Lord, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.” Psalm 17:1

 

“The more guilt and shame that we have buried within ourselves, the more compelled we feel to seek relief through sin.” ― Brennan Manning

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
~ Isaiah, oracle of Jesus, in Isaiah 61

Oh beloved, it is true.

There is something about us that is nearly as bad as our sin. We are, each of us, once made alive in Him, terribly sensitive to our failure(s). And some of this is good. But some of this is terribly bad for us.

Shame.

Now, before any of you brothers go off and think that i am saying otherwise, read this first. Sin is a terrible idea. The very wrath of G_d is revealed against it, for those who choose to stay in it. But, even here, the truth of the problem presents itself.

However, G_d is different than us. Utterly. Completely.

His ways are so much higher than our ways as to put our ways of thinking, if you will pardon the pun, to shame. So yes, the wrath of G_d is revealed against our sin. But not because He is angry about some sort of misbehavior. No, G_d sets about destroying anything, anything at all that will keep us away from Him.

He has already destroyed death. He has already set us free. He has already brought comfort to our mourning. He has already poured the Oil of His Very Own Spirit out onto us, and worked it into our formerly dead soul. He has crowned us with the wreathes of His own victory on our behalf. He has already planted us within Himself that we might bear much fruit.

So, His wrath is something different. His wrath is, in this life, the rage a Father would rightly feel against those things that will bring hurt to His child. His wrath is that which would destroy the things that destroy us. And His wrath, on That Terrible Day, will be His righteous bewilderment at our rejection of His Great Love.

In a similar way, shame is a mindset that is nearly as bad as how short-sightedly we view G_d’s wrath. It is an approach that comes straight out of the lowlands of our flesh.  And shame over our sin (as opposed to a robust rejection of our old man, and his ways), is only bound to take us right back into more falling short of His glory.

Can we see it?

Shame is a fleshly reaction to sin. Shame is the irredeemable reaction to the failure of our irredeemable flesh. And, since it is fallen, the flesh is not going to give us a good answer about how to handle our sin. Rather, flesh will always try to add a little more effort. And, when that always fails (it will ALWAYS FAIL), will default over to self comfort…

And further, since flesh is lazy, it will often take us right back into the behavior over which we originally had the sense of shame. How crazy is this? And you, dear reader, may think this fool of a writer is missing it. But, take a moment and consider: How has shame ever truly helped you (or me) move beyond sin in our own lives?

So, yes: Sin is a terrible idea. Sin separates us from G_d. Sin eats away at our peace. Sin pulls us away from our true identity. But, the answer is not a fleshly and shameful response to our flesh and its shameful behavior.

Rather, the response must be from a much higher place – the place of The Spirit – where we are already one with Him. For, in the spirit, we have begun to know just who we are. And, in knowing that we are already planted by Him, in fields that will bear eternal fruit, we have no need for feeling far away and hiding in our shame. Nor do we have to listen to shame’s idiotic cries for us to try and bring the same destructive “comfort” to ourselves, that shamed us in the first place.

Tonight is your night, beloved. Time to face your failures the right way: the way of The Spirit.

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala Doulos is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 69-71| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Shame is a soul eating emotion.” ~ Carl Gustav Jung

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 6:40

 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” – Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

When looking at the opening verse for today, theologian Pastor John Gill thought that the phrase of ‘standing at the door’ may be expressive of the near approach, or sudden coming of Christ to judgement. That His knocking may signify the notice that will be given of it, in order to wake up those in a general sleepiness which has seized all professors of religion. That the hearing of His voice will be in the appearances of things and providences in the world. That opening the door shows the readiness for the coming of Christ and when He comes in He will find hearts with grace on them, His righteousness upon them, ready to be taken into the marriage chamber so that He may shut the door on the rest and leads those who were ready to the fountains of living water (or something along those lines.)

And I will not dispute this interpretation from this fine Baptist preacher, nor will I go into any deep discussion about how the church of Laodicea was the worst of the Seven Churches, neither will I even consider going into a thought process of “End Times” with today’s verse. However, I will say this…that door goes with you. And, if there was a perfect illustration of what I am talking about with that statement, it is the story of Zaccheus, “Le Gros Fromage” of tax collectors in Jericho…and all the people in the House went “HUH?”, now turn to Luke 19:1-10, read it, and let’s continue, shall we?

Jesus shows up at Jericho and, as usual, there is quite a crowd around Him, but there is this small guy named Zaccheus that wants to see what this Jesus is all about. He runs ahead of the crowd and climbs a sycamore tree to get a better look. Now the thing to note here about Zaccheus is that he is considered a traitor to his own community because he was lucky enough to collect tax revenue for the Roman Empire, so if he falls outta that tree NOBODY is gonna care…but Jesus does. “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5b). Knock, knock…if anyone hears My voice and opens the door? What do we read in verse 6? “And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly.”

The door to Zaccheus’ heart was with him when he climbed that sycamore tree and maybe, just maybe, he had heard about Jesus before He arrived at Jericho. Zaccheus knew who he was to people of the community he lived in (I bet they vocalized it every time he went to go collect the Roman tax from them) and I would venture to say that Zaccheus hated what those people saw him as on the outside of his heart. When Jesus beckons him to come down from an unsafe place the first thing Zaccheus wants to do is repent. “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9a) and since Jesus has become a guest of Zaccheus, there is gonna be a meal. I wonder what it was like for Zaccheus to pass bread to Jesus, then have Jesus pass it back to him? Hmm…. anyway.

Yeah, I know that may have been a stretch for some of you who think that what is read in the Book of Revelation is meant for futuristic events, but for me it was about the door. Jesus has said He is “the door of the sheep” (John10:7-9) but that is when we become His and enter into His rest. WE still have to open the doors of our hearts and let Him in so He can take us to that place of rest.

No matter where we go, the door of our hearts go with us. Once Jesus has made His place in our hearts, we need to remember that many will come knocking wondering what is about our “house” that brings us peace. Now it may take an act of courage (and for some of us an Act of Congress) to open our doors, let them in and show them to the One who brought us that peace, but none the less we shouldn’t and we can’t keep Jesus Christ locked up in our little world. Yes, Jesus made a pit stop at Jericho and found an opened door, but He had to keep going onward to Jerusalem. There was something that needed to be done. I wonder if Zaccheus tagged along? Hmmm…

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 2-3| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The message of Christ lays hold upon a man with the intention to alter him, to mold him again after another image and make of him something altogether different from what he had been before.” — Aiden Wilson Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” – 2 Kings 6:17

 

 

 

I believe it is an army of soldiers, dedicated to Jesus Christ, who believe not only that He is God, but that He can fulfill every promise He has ever made, and that there isn’t anything too hard for Him.” ~ Dawson Trotman

Man’s problem is his desire for autonomy. We want so desperately for all of this life to be about ourselves. This desire is so great we will risk everything for autonomy, even our eternal souls. Think of the lies we believe about our origin, worth, and destiny. Consider the blind faith necessary to claim that we are all the product of unguided time and chance? No, this life is not about us, but about the One who created us and to Him belongs all the glory.

Yet, in Our God’s loving-kindness, He has created us to participate in love, as well as all the other aspects of His image and divine nature.

God has provided everything necessary for us to do this (2 Peter 1:3). But it must be done in accordance with His perfect design. This is because He is Holy. We are not messing with trivial things here and we should choose wisely how we proceed. The idea of God is Absolute Perfection… a consuming fire that burns in intense purity. It is not a question of God being right, but that He is the very definition of right, truth, justice, beauty, goodness, fortitude, faith, hope, and love.

Therefore, there is but one way into participating in His design and that is through the “Door” of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life, no one comes to the Father (Absolute Perfection) but by Him” (John 14:6). This is why Jesus said, “you must pick up your cross and follow me”, And Paul amplified that by stating, “I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives within me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”(Gal 2:20)

You want to meet the need of the hour? Do you wish to know ‘happiness’ as in contentment in this life? The answer is not found in the pursuit of autonomy, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Lay down your own will and pick up His, by faith, and you will be participating in Our Heavenly Father’s extraordinary love, and it will set your heart free.

Choose wisely

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

(1 John 4:9-10)

Praying 4 U

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 5-9| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Adoration is the spontaneous yearning of the heart to worship, honor, magnify, and bless God. We ask nothing but to cherish him. We seek nothing but his exaltation. We focus on nothing but his goodness.” – Richard J. Foster

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” – 2 Kings 6:17

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” –  2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

Is it possible to be scared to death? During the January 17, 1994 earthquake that hit the Los Angeles/Northridge area, over 100 people literally died of fright, according to Robert Kloner, cardiologist at the Good Samaritan Hospital in L.A. His research has shown that excessive fear can cause sudden cardiac death. In many cases, the terrorized brain triggers the release of a mix of chemicals so potent it causes the heart to contract so fiercely it never relaxes again. Sounds like one do-zee of a Charlie horse, don’t it? Guess this may be why Paul needed Timothy to be strengthened in his faith before he took over the church in Ephesus.

Because Timothy comes from a heritage of faith, a faith he personally possesses, Paul also encourages him to use his spiritual gift in his work at Ephesus. Throughout 2 Timothy 1:5-14 Paul will weave different themes together, all intended to encourage Timothy. As Paul should know, the Ephesians were passionate about their goddess (Diana) and the business of selling her effigies to this phony goddess’ believers. But before I end up slamming a group of people I’ve never met, let’s look at five things we can glean from this passage of Scripture.

1. Paul identifies himself with Timothy. Paul was with Timothy when Timothy received his gift [“the gift of God.”] The plural “us” continually associates the two: God gave us a spirit of power and saved us not because of our works, but because of his grace; the Holy Spirit too lives in us. Just as God gave Paul a spirit of power, called him to suffer without shame for the gospel, saved him to a life of holiness as a teacher of that gospel, and gave him the assurance that he would keep Paul safe, so also God has done, and will do, the same for Timothy.

 

2. Paul calls Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel or of Paul himself (v 8). Paul is fully convinced that God can keep him safe and is therefore not ashamed (v 12), and neither should Timothy be.

 

3. Paul encourages Timothy by calling him to share with him in suffering for the gospel (v 8); Timothy’s suffering is not simply to be endured or viewed as a deterrent.

 

4. Paul reminds Timothy that God has not abandoned him in Ephesus, but rather will empower him to do the work. The call to suffer with Paul for the gospel is “according to the power of God” (v 8), the same power that can keep Paul’s “deposit” safe until judgment day (v 12). Likewise, as Timothy guards what God has given to him, he is to do this not in his own power but through the Holy Spirit that lives in him (v 14).

 

5. Finally, the description of the gospel itself serves as an encouragement to Timothy. The gospel to which Timothy is called to suffer and of which he is not to be ashamed is the very gospel that declares the salvation of God and a call to obedience, based not on human merit but on God’s grace, the possession of which was Timothy’s before time but is now revealed through Christ. No matter how difficult the situation becomes in Ephesus, Timothy can draw encouragement from a proper understanding of the gospel message.

Verses 6-14 not only afford a personal look into Paul’s heart and his relationship with Timothy, but also provide a paradigm of the nature of Christian encouragement. Timothy is to hold fast to Paul’s gospel, characterized not by bitterness and quarreling but by faith and love. Since God can guard what Paul (and Timothy) has entrusted to him, Timothy should be able to guard what God has entrusted to Timothy, as always, through the power God gives him by the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we can find ourselves in “earthquake” moments but with the “Pauls” in our lives, we can endure attacks to our faith a lot easier than if we just went on our strength. It is my hope that you have been encouraged to day to seek out a Paul as a go to in your daily walk. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003), is married to his wife Kathy, has two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 42-46| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The Christian doctrine is a trust committed to us; it is of unspeakable value in itself, and will be of unspeakable advantage to us. It is committed to us, to be preserved pure and entire, yet we must not think to keep it by our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; and it will not be gained by those who trust in their own hearts, and lean to their own understandings.” — Matthew Henry

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious that gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 1:7

 

 

“Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.”

– Psalm 54:4 (NKJV)

There are no problems quite like “difficult people” problems, are there? Sometimes I would rather shove a broken plastic fork into my right eye than deal with difficult people, but when one claims to be a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the fork idea can only remain as a comical footnote in a Freedom Fighter. I also have a regular job that is full of difficult people who assure me that it is better for me to clean the sludge from the bottom of a waste water evaporator unit that handles 350 gallons of dirty shop water than to give them audience. So, when it comes to the daily grind of my every day, difficult people can be the road bumps that really didn’t need to installed…ever.

Scholars say it may have been anywhere from 18 months to 20 years that King Saul pursued David. Maybe it began with 5 stones that were picked up to slay The Giant instead of wearing that over-sized armor that set the guy off. I know Saul wasn’t too cool with hearing “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” (1 Sam 18:7). This king even hurled a spear at David while he was trying to ease his unsettled spirit with a harp…toys in the attic don’t even describe how difficult it was for David to deal with King Saul. The history of this pursuit can be found in 1 Samuel and you should go check it out yourself, but what I would like to focus in on is a little song that David wrote called Psalm 54.

David gives us a perfect example of what we should do when we are faced with difficult people—pray!! “Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them” (Psalm 54:1-3). David acknowledges that YHVH was not in the minds of his enemies before they all sought to destroy him. It just may his way of saying to YHVH “Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.” Coolness!

“Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth” (Psalm 54:4-5). In these verses, David not only acknowledges that YHVH is his defender but he reinforces what is written in the first verse of Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” David also points out that the wrong that is being done will backfire on those who are against him, and that his integrity would win the day… like when the coyote tries to catch the road-runner in those cartoons of old!! Beep-beep!!

“I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good. For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies” (Psalm 54:6-7). And then David concludes this Psalm with praises to his One true Defender!! If you turn to 1 Samuel 23:26-29, read it then see that the enemies of David actually left the mountain that he and his men were hiding out in. Saul and his men were surrounding David, but a Philistine raid turned the table and David gave the praise due to his Defender. David was even afforded the chance to watch as Saul and his men got smaller and smaller as they went off into the distance.

If we were to think about it, difficult people take up a big slice of everyone’s life and if we allow it to happen, they can dominate our thinking and drain our energy. This is why we need to pray—for them. Pray that the constant hostility turn to friendly relationship (easy to type on paper, hard to get the rubber to the road).

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 32-36| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote:“It seems strange to me that we all talk of the glory and delight of heaven where we will be surrounded by the very saints we couldn’t look at or get along with on earth!” — Charles R. Swindoll

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” Philippians 2:16

 

“There’s a part of you – the born-again part, your spirit – that’s dead to sin. That’s why it bothers you now when you sin. The ‘wilderness’ part of you – your soul – is your unrenewed mind, out-of-control emotions, and stubborn will.” ~Joyce Meyer

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” ~Paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Romans 6

OH BELOVED, IT IS TRUE.

Each of us, even when we have begun to walk the path that He has set before us, have moments where we fall far short of the glory of G_d. Oh, we know that we are forgiven. That is not the issue of this entry. Rather, the question is what we are to do about the fact that we are forgiven.

The Christian life, from the outside, or from the inside view of someone who is not yet grown in their walk, can look like a ticket to let us do whatever we want to do. After all, Christ has paid the price for our sins. This is absolutely true. Our sins are forgiven. And we can do whatever we want. But a libertine will pay the price in this life, and on That Day, when we stand before Him to give an account.

So yes, we know that sin has consequences. But, as we grow, something else bothers us about our failure. We don’t like it. We actually begin to loathe our sin. We hate it. And we want nothing to do with it. And this, this growth of His Spirit’s work within us, is where Paul is going in the passage above.

Recently, I was praying in the morning. I had some things to confess. There are still parts of me that I just wish were not there. I am still very able to be impatient with my family and students. I am still very able to be angry in self-righteous ways. I still am very able to lust over nearly anything: a body, an opportunity, an object, or a situation…. I. Want. It. Now.

As I was praying, I was confident in His forgiveness, but I began to feel the shame of my falling short. I began to feel the loathing towards my old man. It is just so tiresome to be a man who GREATLY desires to please my Saviour, and to fall short – so often.

But, then, in one of those special moments – where we get quiet enough to listen – He answers. His sheep know His Voice. It is beautiful. So clear. So real. So true. And He answered me. He said, “You don’t understand just how dead you are.”

The Holy Spirit was simply prompting me back to all the places in His Word where it tells me that the old me is dead.  Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 6:14, Colossians 3:3-4, 1 Peter 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:11, 2 Corinthians 4:11, 5:17 are just a few of the passages.

CAN WE SEE IT?

Dead men don’t sin. Dead men don’t live in shame. Dead is dead – bury it. For our L_RD Christ Jesus has already done this in His own Body. He has taken us (shame and sin included) down into His death. It is gone, and it is done. And the fact that this corpse wants to flop around and act alive sometimes, is no reason to buy into its rigor-mortic twitching.

Again, this reality does not free me to go off and do more stupid things. It does not give me license to sin, any more than electricity gives me a license to electrocute myself. Oh yes, I can give myself the shock, but there is no need. For, the old man within me is dead, and the new man He has made me desires to live in true freedom.

Hopefully this is something we can see. Of course, sin is a bad idea. But, that we fall into it sometimes, and then live in shame are two sides of the same coin. Both are the promptings of a dead man. And the dead need to be left for dead. Then, we are to see who we really are: Alive in Christ, forever, whole, and free. This really does make all the difference.

So, are you bothered by your sin? Good. Confess it. Forsake it. But leave where it belongs: with the dead corpse of your old man. Tonight is your night. Time to understand just how dead you are. This alone will show you just how free you really are in Him.

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala Doulos is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 30-32| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: If Christ has died for me – ungodly as I am, without strength as I am – then I can no longer live in sin, but must arouse myself to love and serve Him who has redeemed me. I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best Friend. I must be holy for his sake. How can I live in sin when He has died to save me from it? ~ Charles Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy. Proverbs 15:30