I’m fully aware that we’re on a journey here on earth.
However, everything I’ve been studying, heard or watched seemed to be pointing to getting back on track so God could do things in my life that are greater than I could ask or think.
For those who want to take the journey
on the road less traveled, we believe it will be a year of spiritual change,
growth and opportunity. It isn’t about
mystics, cults, quests or “spirituality,” but drawing nearer to Jesus Christ so
that His plan for our lives can be revealed and completed.
It’s not uncommon for people to
look back on the year and take stock as to whether or not they had a successful
one. I’m among that lot and did the
same, hoping I would have been farther along than I am in meeting some of my
life goals.
When I was in my study time the
Lord showed me that there were some things that needed tending to if I were to
proceed further and reach new heights in all areas of my life. This would require me to take a look at my
inner thoughts, which are the basis of why and how I do things. If my actions didn’t line up with God’s Word,
I needed to know why they didn’t and what I could do to change my responses so
they would.
I suppose it wasn’t a coincidence
that He started with the letter “A” and continued through the entire alphabet
with things that needed a bit of disciplining in my behavior.
Let me take you back a few days
to where this all started ... Sunday night.
Angry Words
 |
| Angry words can lead to sin. |
As many of you know last weekend
was a pretty big one for us preparing for activities which included a concert. By
the time we got home I was really exhausted and just wanted to sleep. No problem… my husband let me do so.
Early evening I awoke to overhear
a conversation my beloved had with my sister.
In it he was responding to what must have been a question as to how
things went that morning. “Good” he told her, and went into a
little of the details.
Now you would have thought that
was the proper response, and normally I would have said the same thing. Not so. I could feel myself getting upset and
started to shut down emotionally. How
could he say everything went OK when I could hardly sing the first few songs?
Let me explain. About fifteen
minutes into the program, my husband clued me in that I was standing under the
heater vent and that’s why my throat literally went dry. I was guzzling down water (hoping not to
burp) and it wasn’t helping.
He had to take over the
introductions and “howdy’s”, which is usually what I do for him. After I moved to another area my voice came
back and we were able to continue like nothing happened.
So why was I disturbed about what
he said? Here comes another excuse …
That morning I woke up tired and
really anxious (so much so I couldn’t eat anything). Hoping to eat after the butterflies left, I
packed a spoon and butternut squash to eat so I wouldn’t get woozy or
lightheaded.
By the time we got to the
location it got worse. When I told my
husband about my jitters he said it made him nervous, which he wasn’t and
normally isn’t. Great, now who is going
to be the grown-up?
I was embarrassed about a
situation I couldn’t control. To shorten the writing about this undisciplined
action, our uneasiness carried on until 11:30 pm. We weren’t fighting (we were too tired), but
the mood wasn’t right. What a way to end
a day of worship.
I already knew that my inward
journey was about to begin before the New Year started.
Exercising Against Anxiety
& Anger Pangs
 |
| We must learn when and how to respond correctly. |
You’ve heard of growing pains,
well sometimes we have anxiety or anger “pangs” that really want to surface in
situations we can’t control.
What does
that make us? Normal … normal creatures
that have bursts of fleshy feelings like every person on earth has.
Dealing with anxiety, anger and
disappointment is where our inward journey to God begins. It’s one that ranks highly on most people’s
list actually, even if that’s not their usual nature. Generally I don’t get angry, but I can get
ticked off when things get out of my control.
I do have an issue with getting anxious if something doesn’t go like I
planned. Sound familiar?
Being able to get angry and sin
not is really hard, but Jesus says it can be done in Ephesians 4:26. One of my students once said to me jokingly,
that she knew she had to forgive her husband, but wasn’t ready to let go of her
anger. Can you relate to that?
Christ also tells us in Philippians 4:6 that we aren’t to be anxious over anything.
Maybe you’re not like me, but
most of the teacher’s I know tend to deal with this issue more than some
others. Anxiety can easily turn to anger
if it isn’t stopped right away. Seems this is an area that needs work.
Learning to live a disciplined spiritual
life takes practice and work like exercising, but thankfully we have the Word
of God to help us. What I’d like to do in the first part of the year is share
with you the things Christian’s sometime struggle with when trying not to act
out on their anger or anxiety.
Here We Go, Again …
One way to do that is going back to the basics of exercising being still before the Lord.
When our soul is “born again” our
flesh nature isn’t. Understanding this, we must break our old
flesh habits that keep us from achieving all God wants for us. This is where spiritual exercising has to
become so strong it overtakes our old way of thinking and doing things.
“Do not waste time
arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for
godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to
come.” (1Timothy 4:7-8 NLT)
Exercising isn’t something on my
top ten list of things to do, and I’d love to use this verse as an excuse not
to do it. However, the apostle Paul wasn’t referring to our physical bodies needing a
workout, but used a comparison to our spiritual body. We all need to keep fit, but in the end all
physical bodies expire. The spirit body
lives forever, and that’s why we need to focus on the spiritual things of this
life and eternity.
A spiritually disciplined lifestyle leads to favor from God and mankind when we submit to His will.
Psalm 46:10 tells us to be still
and know He is God. We need to
discipline our inner life so we can hear direction from the Lord. Christians tend to skip through their life
journey like kids learning very little about spiritual discipline, because we
don’t pause long enough see anything through.
Inward Starting
Point ~ the Heart
 |
| It starts in the heart. |
So what inward changes do we need to make on this journey we call life in overcoming anxiety, anger or discouragement? Here are five things you can do starting now.
1) Start off in the spirit of calmness. This
year let’s avoid getting caught up in the pressures of life that causes us to get angry. Begin the first few moments of the day by spending time with God in prayer and being still before Him. Listen your way to a good day! It may prevent you from getting into trouble.
“You (God) will keep in
perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.”
(Isaiah 26:3 NLT)
2) Avoid being contentious at all
costs. At times we have relationships that are contentious and we tend to act
out in anger rather than see things the way God does. Do a quick “God help” prayer before you say or do anything.
“Devote yourselves to
prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2 NLT)
When you sense something is about
to fly out of control, ask the Lord to reveal to you why you’re feeling
uncomfortable about the situation. When
we don’t pray we give up our power over the situation.
What’s causing you to get angry
or what happened to trigger your anger?
Why are you suddenly feeling anxious or uneasy?
Recognizing these signs will help
you change the way you respond, even if you are angry or anxious. We can’t stop from having moments of anger or
anxiety at times, but we can stop them from turning into sin by not acting on our
feelings.
3) Make positive confessions followed
with proper actions that will lead you to inner peace. The Bible teaches us that out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
If we have a clean heart, good things
will come out in our speaking that lead to God’s blessings.
This isn’t a “positive thinking”
method I’m talking about, but a change of words that brings about outward positive
results. Acting on scripture in
obedience pleases the Lord and keeps us at peace with Him. It’s about strengthening our relationship
with our Savior.
4) Don’t get discouraged over
your progress. Think back on how you
used to respond to a situation similar to this and how far you have come since
then.
The inward journey that we want
to explore has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ and learning to be
more like Him. Second Corinthians 4 verses16 -18 tells us not to give up and get discouraged along the route, because we
are working toward a greater joy than the things here on earth.
We have to remind ourselves that
this is a process and renewing of our mind is something we must do daily. If you slip a bit, don’t go on a guilt
trip. Get back on the right path for
your journey by disciplining yourself in what you’ve learned from the Word of
God.
5) Ask God in prayer to give you a heart
that wants to receive from Him and His Word.
Pray that your heart is trained and transformed.
“Therefore, let all the
godly pray to You while there is still time, that they may not drown in the
floodwaters of judgment.” (Psalm 32:6 NLT)
Remember we are working from the
inside out. Inward to outward
transformation, so it will take time.
As part of the inward journey
changes, make a confession that starting now these are the steps I will make in
taking control over and disciplining my anger and anxiety.
I will have: A spirit of
calmness; Avoid contention; Positive confessions; say I won’t quit; Pray to
receive transformation.
If we are to receive the favor,
blessings and mercy from God, we have to do our part. Challenges reveal who you
really are, so remind yourself that you are doing better. Take joy in knowing that God’s blessings are
already on you to succeed.
None
but Jesus by Hillsong with lyrics
Until next time, may God give you favor for the inward
journey.
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from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture reference was
taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by GatewayBibleImage credit: GoogleImages Creative Common License. Angry Words Image Credit Turning Point Ministries.
