Paved-Over Problems

Paved-Over Problems

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Ron Hutchcraft, and the Scripture is Ephesians 4:26-27  In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

 

The news reported that a paving crew on an interstate in Pennsylvania found a dead deer in their path and they did not remove it and just paved right over it! No one could see it now, but they sure felt it!  It may seem unbelievable that people actually paved over an obstacle in the road, but it happens all the time in human relationships. Instead of dealing with a conflict or a problem, we just pave over it. But everyone is still going to keep hitting that bump in the road, and it is going to keep causing problems until you get it out in the open and get rid of it.

 

God has never been a fan of paving over problems. Throughout the Bible, He consistently tells us to do quick repairs, to deal with things while they are small, to face issues rather than burying them. God recognizes there will be times when we get angry, but there is a way to keep that from becoming a hurtful sin. Do not pave over the disagreement or the hurt. Deal with it right away while it is small, before you stuff it and give the devil something he can turn into bitterness and resentment.

 

Confront in a building up way; not a tearing down way. First, gently explain how you feel, recognizing that your feelings might be wrong. Let them explain what they meant to say or do - often understanding eliminates the issue. Extend to that person who hurt you the same undeserved forgiveness that Jesus extended to you. Then work together on steps that can help you walk together in harmony from here.

 

The things you have tried to bury are like ticking time bombs or toxic waste dumps. The longer you wait to deal with them, the bigger and deeper they will grow. Peace at any price usually means just war postponed...and bigger than it would have been if you had dealt with it sooner.

 

Champions, have a great day!-David Vining

Blaming Others

Blaming Others

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Larry Richards, and the Scripture is Genesis 3:12 The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. 

In Mastering Personal Growth, Gordon MacDonald asks the following question:  Am I blaming others for the things that are my own fault, the result of my own choices? 

This question is important because we have a way of rationalizing our behavior. Sometimes we blame our husband or wife for our sin or unhappiness. Many blame parents, teachers, Satan, or God. But listen to Job 36:13-15 (The Message): Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance, always blaming others for their troubles. . . . But those who learn from their suffering, God delivers . . . .

Other people may complicate your life, but remember—as we stand before God, we are responsible for our own behavior. Acknowledging that, with confession and repentance, brings healing.

As long as a person blames others or God for trouble that he or she brings on him or herself, no healing can take place. The first step toward getting out of trouble is to admit that we are to blame! And the second step is to seek forgiveness.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Intimacy or Blessings From God

Intimacy or Blessings From God

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is mainly by Andy Stanley in his book, Louder Than Words, but the last paragraph is from Larry Crab.   The Scripture is Romans 11:35 Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?

 

You have probably known someone in your past who pursued a relationship with you for all the wrong reasons.  Once you got close to that person, you realized he or she had a hidden agenda.  Do you remember who that felt?

 

How do you respond, internally, to a person like that?  Do you open up and become more transparent?  Of course not.  You become cautious, and you suspect actions and motives.  You rehearse old conversations and think, So that is why he said that.

 

Think a minute.  If your interaction with God is focused primarily on getting something from Him, what does that say about your relationship?  You are not coming to Him on terms that warrant a relationship of intimacy.

 

Still, God listens to our self-centered prayers.  Sometimes He actually grants our requests.  But as long as we see Him only as a means to our ends, we will never experience intimacy, and we will never truly know Him.  For this unique depth of relationship is reserved for those who respect Him, trust Him, and are willing to communicate honestly with Him.  It is withheld from those who dishonor Him by treating Him like a mere vending machine.

 

From Larry Crab:  We approach Jesus the way a child approaches a weary Santa Claus in the mall, who for the hundredth time asks, What do you want for Christmas?  I wager no child has ever pressed close to Santa s chest, looked up into his eyes, and said, You!  I want only you.  No child believes having Santa join him for dinner could bring more joy than watching Santa stack presents beneath the tree.  Do we want the blessing of a better life more than we desire to draw near to Jesus?

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Love Is Willing To Wait To Give

Love is Willing To Wait To Give

 

The first part of this excerpt is from Tim Stafford, and the rest came from several sources.  The Scripture is Song of Songs 2:7   Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires, and Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure. . .

 

There is a LAW OF SEX built into your body that says:  Onward!  Couples go from holding hands to kissing to caressing to intercourse.  At every point, their bodies urge them on.  And once they have reached a certain level of intimacy, it is extremely difficult to go back.  If they want those good feelings, they have to press onward.  Going back to just kissing, once they have gone beyond, seems unexciting.  Making love for the first time breaks a psychological barrier.  And amazingly easily, if you have had sex before, sex begins again.  Surveys indicate that few people who are sexually involved with one partner, are then able to be keep sex out of the picture in the following years.  A lot of people end up with a sexual history that takes hours to tell.  They just keep going with one partner after another.  Each time, sex got easier, each time it meant less. 

 

Too many people abuse the love word in relationships and use it as manipulation or to get an ego rush by hearing those words said back to them.  Love is willing to wait to give, but lust cannot wait to get. Ultimately, love is a commitment of the will, not just a feeling.  Infatuation is a feeling that does not stand over the test of time. 

 

Jesus dealt with sexual sin very compassionately, and the sin that He dealt with most harshly was the sin of self-righteousness and pride.  None of us are getting to heaven on our own record of righteousness, but only on Jesus perfect record of righteousness when we trust in Him.  1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

The Enemy

The Enemy

 

The short excerpt is from Ron Hutchcraft, and the Scripture is Ephesians 6:11-12:  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

Several years ago, there was a blockbuster movie called Independence Day, and it was about an alien invasion of Planet Earth. As this alien force moves across the world, the American military throws its most sophisticated weapons at it, but they cannot stop it. Even the White House gets destroyed, and the President barely escapes with his life. Other countries try to resist with their military, but no one is even close to a match with this invading force. Well, something very interesting happens. The world s leaders begin to wake up to the fact that suddenly they all have a common enemy and it is not each other anymore. Allies and enemies begin to work together to defeat their enemy, and sure enough, they win big!

 

If that movie had a moral, it had something to do with uniting to beat an enemy that threatened them all; an enemy that no one of them could have ever beaten alone.

 

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood.  Think of someone in your family there is a conflict with right now, or someone in your church or your ministry that is driving you crazy. Put their name in that verse. My struggle is not against ______.  Your struggle is not ultimately against them, but it is against the devil.

 

The one who is trying to drive a wedge between you and that family member or fellow believer is none other than the prince of darkness himself. But he wants you to think that they are the problem instead of him, and we play right into his hands when we allow ourselves to focus on our differences, on our wounded feelings, on our turf, on our frustrations. 

 

In that movie, until the forces of earth realized that they were up against a common enemy, they fought separately and they lost. God is calling us to wake up to our common enemy and to do whatever we have to do to remove the walls and fight together.  We have battled the enemy separately long enough, and it is time we come together to win what we could never win alone.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining