Bit and Bridle

Do you sometimes need a little extra guidance? Have there been times when you need to be jerked back into line? Have you ever needed to have someone discipline you for getting out of line? Are there times you still need to be turned away from doing harm to yourself or others?

Our tempers can get the best of us sometimes. It may be a time when we feel we have been wronged. It may be that a loved one has been mistreated. It may have been a time when we were upset with ourselves for something we did that we knew we shouldn’t have.

I know there have been times when I have lost my temper. When I was in high school, my Mom could always tell when one of my sisters had upset me. She would come home from work and find my bedroom had been rearranged. Thankfully, I took out my frustrations that way rather than striking out at my sister.

When we become adults, we may find it more difficult to reign in our temper. Yet, we are cautioned by God to not allow our temper to get the best of us. That can be very difficult. I cannot imagine keeping my temper in check if someone serious injured someone I love. It would be like trying to hold back a raging bull.

So how do we keep our temper in check? We can only do so with God’s help. The more we learn to trust God the easier it is to hold down our temper. Why? Because we know that God has everything under control. We trust that it will all work out because God is in the midst of it. Trust in God is the only way to keep our animalistic reactions from getting the best of us.

I pray we all learn to trust God with our entire being. I pray we seek to keep our temper in check. I pray each one of us will control our anger with the help of God and in our trust of him. Trust God. Increase your trust in God. Control your temper. Ask God to help.

Psalm 32:9

Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, 

whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, 

else it will not stay near you.

Happy Hearts

Do you walk around with a heavy weight on your shoulders? Do you feel overwhelmed with concern about your situation in life? Are you trudging along as though walking through quicksand? Are you willing to drop the heavy pack you have been carrying?

We often carry several heavy rocks around in a backpack that weighs us down. That virtual pack carries the sin we fail to ask forgiveness for. We may know be able to identify it. We may feel that something is not right but we do not know exactly what it is that weighs us down.

Our first step is to evaluate what we do or think or say that we know is not pleasing to God. We may identify multiple sins in the process of our evaluation. Once we have identified the cause of our heavy heartedness, we must confess our sin to God and ask him for forgiveness. Perhaps the most difficult step in the process is believing he will forgive us.

The reason some of us will not believe God will forgive us is that we won’t forgive ourselves. Make no mistake, we cannot flippantly say we forgive ourselves not half-heartedly ask God to forgive us. It requires a heart to soul conversation within us. It requires us to have an outpouring of our heart to God and a willingness to turn away from our sin.

But when we finish our self-evaluation, identify what is weighing us down, are willing to forgive ourselves, and ask God for forgiveness, the weight is lifted. Rather than moping around, putting on a façade for others, and carrying a heavy weight, we become light-hearted, have renewed energy, and are happy. So, rid yourself of the heavy weight of sin you carry around.

I pray we all recognize the heavy weight we carry around. I pray we identify the sin we fail to confess. I pray each one of us will forgive ourselves and trust God will forgive us when we ask. Recognize the weight you carry. Identify your sin. Forgive yourself. Ask God to forgive you.

Psalm 32:1-2

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, 

whose sin is covered. 

Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity 

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Special Places with God

Do you have special places with special names for special reasons? Do those places bring back memories? Do they cause you to remember a special memory with someone special to you? Do you remember those places by a special nickname? Do you have places like that with God?

We all have special places with special memories. Most of those memories include special people. It may be where we were engaged to our spouse. It may be a unique summer vacation with our family. We may hold a special place in our heart for a special event for our child.

We can have that kind of special memory and special place with God as well. The Israelites had such a place. Gilgal is related to the Hebrew word that means rolled. Therefore, when the Lord told Joshua the disgrace of Egypt was rolled away or no longer a mark against them, he named the place Gilgal so future generations would remember.

Our special memory with God may be the first time we truly believed. We remember where we were. There may have been someone with us. The place may have a special name, or at least a special name in our heart. We may have a special memory of our child being baptized. Again, we know the place and who was with us.

Though not every day will include such a prominent memory with God, we can recall those memories and make each day special. When we open our hearts and minds to focus on God and open our eyes to see him at work, we may experience more special occasions with God than we expect. So, be open to see and hear God at work in your daily life.

I pray we all remember special memories in special places. I pray we open our hearts and minds to focus on God. I pray each one of us will experience God at work in our daily lives. Remember special memories. Remember special places. Remember special people. Focus on God. Experience God daily.

Joshua 5:9 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

Produce Good Fruit

How hard do you lean into God’s patience and his willingness to forgive? Do you intentionally do things you know you shouldn’t because you know you can ask for forgiveness later? Are you willing to continue to test God’s patience? Or will you give up your sin forever?

We all have a favorite sin (or we used to). We haven’t come to a point of willingness to give it up. Our viewpoint is simple: God will forgive me. After all, we are human and can only be so good. Yet, Jesus does not want to leave us in this state of mind.

In Luke 13, Jesus is speaking to a crowd of thousands. He is generally speaking of Israel as a country, but the concept applies to us as individuals as well. Especially after Jesus has lived, died, and risen again. He warns us that, though God is a God of second chances, his patience is not forever. At some point, time runs out.

We don’t want to hear that message. We like to think we have as long as we want to repent and turn back to God. Yet, that is a lie Satan is telling us so he might lure us away from God. When the day of judgment comes, we all will stand an answer for our sins. Yes, Jesus will be our intercessor, but will we have strayed so far that we have denied Him?

The Israelites were at that very breaking point. The leadership was denying who Jesus was. Ultimately, they would condemn Him to death. It wasn’t a sudden fall, it was gradual, taking several centuries to occur. We should learn the lesson and refuse to slip away.

I pray we all evaluate our sins and repent. I pray we turn back to God wholeheartedly. I pray each one of us will heed Jesus’ warning and stop testing God’s patience, seeking to be true followers of Jesus. Repent of your sins. Turn wholeheartedly to God. Be a follower of Jesus.

Luke 13:7 “So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’”

Repent of a Judgmental Attitude

Do you compare yourself to others? Do you look at the mistakes of others and think you are better than them? Do you think you make better decisions? Have you seriously considered your own mistakes? How do you think God looks at your judgmental attitude toward others?

We love to compare ourselves to others, even if we won’t voice our judgment. We love to think that we are better than others. No one, I repeat, no one is immune to it. We all do it within our own context. It is especially challenging for us as Americans. Our culture seethes with it.

The Jews of Jesus’ day were no different. They had brought the killing of some Galileans up to Jesus with the implication that they were heathens that deserved it. After all, the Galileans were looked upon as low life’s. Jesus brings up an accident in Jerusalem that killed eighteen Jews. In the eyes of those who lived in Jerusalem, these Jews were much more valuable than the Galileans.

Jesus’ response to both situations was exactly the same. He stated to the Jerusalemites who were questioning Him, was that their fate would be the same if they did not repent. Not that Jesus was saying they would be killed by a falling tower but that they would perish eternally. They needed to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and redemption.

This warning is for us as well. We must stop judging others or thinking ourselves better than others. We must repent and ask God to guide us into a better attitude, one that is nonjudgmental. If we do not, we, too, will perish. When we choose to follow Jesus, this is just of many things we are signing up to do.

I pray we all repent of our judgmental attitudes. I pray we ask God to cleanse us and guide us to a better attitude. I pray each one of us know what we sign up for when we choose to follow Jesus. Repent of your judgmental attitude. Ask God to forgive you. Ask God to guide you. Choose to follow Jesus.

Luke 13:5 “No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”

Facing Tests

What has been your most significant test? What has been your most difficult test? Have you been through times when it feels as though your testing is overwhelming? How have you handling being tested? Have you gutted it out? Have you crumbled? Have you gotten help?

Being tested can be extremely difficult. Depending on what we are experiencing, we may feel like giving up. We may feel as though there is nowhere we can turn for help. But there is someone we can turn to, if only we will decide to do so.

God is always with us and waiting for us to surrender to him. If he is testing us, we are promised that he has provided a way out. He is using the test to strengthen us. His desired result from the test is that our faith is made stronger, that we learn to trust him more.

But we must remember that God is not the only one who may test us. Satan is behind many tests. His goal is much different than God’s. Satan wants us to give up. He wants us to deny God, but holding on to God is and putting our faith in him is the only way to overcome Satan’s tests.

Notice also the Apostle Paul states that the testing we face is common. Though we may think our testing is unique, something no one else has faced before, we are mistaken. That means there is help for us. To find that help, we need to look for it. We need to ask God to guide us to the help we need. Through all our testing, to endure it, we need to hold on to our faith.

I pray we all know the tests we face are common. I pray we know God will provide a way to endure it. I pray each one of us see testing as a way to strengthen us and increase our faith. Testing is common. God will provide a way. God tests us to strengthen us. Hold on to your faith.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Idle Hands, Idle Minds

Do you have a lot of “down time?” Do you find yourself sitting idle a significant amount of time? Does it create problems for you? Have you made leisure time a higher priority than taking care of what needs to be done? Has leisure time become an idol for you?

Having some leisure time is good for us. We need time to rest and recover from our busy lives. Yet too much leisure time can become problematic. We can become lazy. We can procrastinate, putting off what needs to be done so we do what is fun. We can find ourselves in trouble.

There is a saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” When we have nothing to do, we will find something to do. We can replace the word hands with minds. The meaning is the same. It is especially true in today’s culture. All we have to do is observe people and their cell phones. They will often be doing something on their cell phones while they work, watch television, or sitting in a restaurant.

We may think this is new phenomena, but it is not. Though they didn’t have cell phones, the Israelites had the same problem. While wandering through the wilderness, they would find themselves with not much to do when they stayed in one placed for several days. Some of them were tending sheep or cattle, but they were not farming or doing much artisan work. That left them with sleeping, eating, and free time.

The Apostle Paul warns us not to become idolaters and gives the example of the Israelites in the wilderness. Due to their extensive free time, some of them pursued sexual immorality, which became their idol. God struck down twenty-three thousand of them in a single day (1 Corinthians 10:8). We may not follow in their footsteps in the exact same manner, but we will find something to do when we have a lot of time on our hands. We must carefully consider how to spend that time.

I pray we all evaluate how we spend our free time. I pray we are aware that idle time can become problematic. I pray each one of us use our free time to focus on God. Take time to rest. Evaluate your free time. Do not create idols. Set down your cell phones. Use your idle time to focus on God.

1 Corinthians 10:7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”

Thirsting for God

How would you describe your desire to seek after God? Is it a sporadic yearning that only occurs when you need his help? Is it an inconsistent, even if often, reaching out to thank him and to make requests? Or is it a continual thirst of asking him to guide your through every situation?

We go through different phases of life and relationship with God. We experience stagnant periods and periods of growth. There are times when we feel as though we are walking through a desert and times of dancing in lush pastures. Through it all, we have a choice to make.

As we walk through life, we can choose to seek God in every moment, or we can attempt to go it alone. Going it alone only works for a while. Eventually, we realize we are headed down the wrong path, something is missing, or we need help to get out of a bad situation. Returning to God gets us back on the right path, fills the hole in our heart, and keeps us out of those bad situations.

If we seek God in every moment, being mindful of him being with us, and following his guidance, we discover the abundant life Jesus promised us. Desiring God to be ever present in our hearts and minds, regardless of the phase of life we are in, satisfies our soul. Keeping God as our top priority brings us peace and joy, and we experience the love of God—his grace pours over us.

I pray we all thirst for God in every moment. I pray we desire to have God flood our hearts and minds. I pray each one of us experience God’s love and amazing grace. Thirst for God. Desire Gove every moment. Ask God to fill your heart and mind. Experience God’s love and grace.

Psalm 63:1

O God, you are my God; I seek you; 

my soul thirsts for you; 

my flesh faints for you, 

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

First Thought and Action

How many times a day, a week, a month do you argue with God? How many times do you think you know what’s better for you than God does? Do you ever find yourself wondering why things didn’t go as you thought they would? Have you seriously considered why?

We like to think we know what’s best. We really do. We fail to ask for advice from older and wiser people. We refuse to see things from someone else’s perspective. We even take this as far as thinking we know better than God. How do I know? Been there, done that, and still do sometimes.

I thank God that I have gotten better at listening, but I know I still have a long way to go. I get reminded of that from time-to-time when I take it upon myself to make a snap decision and things go haywire. In moments like that, I imagine God sitting on his throne and chuckling to himself, and saying, “He did it again.”

God has told us through the prophet Isaiah that his thoughts are higher than ours. You would think after making enough mistakes we might let that statement sink in. Yet, we are hardheaded and refuse to give up our idea of control.

There is a reason God’s ways are higher than ours and his thoughts are higher than ours. After all, he is the Creator of the universe and everything in it. He knows everything that is going on. He knows what every person on earth is doing and thinking. He knows what is best because he sees how we fit into his plan, and he sees how others are planning to trip us up. Our first thought and action should be to ask God for guidance in every situation.

I pray we all realize that God’s thoughts are higher than ours. I pray we allow that thought to sink in. I pray each one of us will make asking God for guidance in every situation our first thought and action. God sees all. God knows all. God’s ways are higher than ours. Ask him for guidance.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways 

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Satisfy Your Hunger

Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? What are you hungering for? What will quench your thirst? Do you seek satisfaction? Where are you looking to satisfy your hunger and your thirst? Will you turn from the temporary and seek the permanent? Will you seek satisfaction from God?

Just as we do today, Scripture often uses hungering and thirsting as an analogy for something else. We may say that a team is hungering for a championship. Or that an individual was hungry to achieve a milestone and worked extremely hard to finally achieve it.

Our soul’s hunger and thirst as well. Whether we recognize it or not, whether we admit it or not, our soul has a hunger and thirst that only God can satisfy. Unfortunately, far too many don’t recognize it and some who do will not admit it. They will continue to seek to fill their desires with many earthly things in many ways. They will make excuses for one way not working and try another.

If we are willing to recognize God is the only one who can satisfy our hunger and thirst, our soul’s desire, we can begin to seek fulfillment from him. As we seek fulfillment from God and begin experiencing his blessing through his amazing grace, we experience a fulfillment beyond our imagination.

Just as God promises through the prophet Isaiah, we can go to God with nothing to give and purchase what we need. God seeks only our heart. He seeks only our devotion to him. We cannot buy God’s grace with money nor material things. Yet, when we fully give our heart to him, we realize all that we have belongs to him anyway.

I pray we all take our hunger and thirst to God. I pray we recognize that God is the only one who can satisfy. I pray each one of us will admit God can satisfy and fully give our hearts to him. Take your hunger to God. Take your thirst to God. Know that God can satisfy. Give God your whole heart.

Isaiah 55:1

Hear, everyone who thirsts; 

come to the waters; 

and you who have no money, 

come, buy and eat! 

Come, buy wine and milk 

without money and without price.