Broadcasts – Christian Working Woman

It is very common to hear people say they’re trying to “find themselves,” to discover their identity. As I’ve attempted to understand exactly what that means, it seems to be a result of the self-focus, which is indicative of today’s humanistic, post-modern society. And it also seems to be a way of expressing our innermost need to know our individual lives do have some meaning, that we have a purpose in being here. We’re not some gigantic coincidence of nature. That the joy and pain and happiness and suffering and peace and turmoil we experience are all part of some understandable plan. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1 that every person is born with a God-consciousness: For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20). Everyone knows instinctively there has to be a Master Planner, and our existence has to have more meaning than a haphazard coincidence. However, until we know God through Jesus Christ, that master plan remains a mystery. What else is there for a person who doesn’t know Christ except to try anything they can to discover who they are, why they are, and what their existence means. The great news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is we all belong here. No Christ-follower needs to go around looking for an identity. God’s Word gives us clear answers. Once you’ve been born from above, you know you are a child of God, created by him in an orderly, planned process. He knows and cares for you individually. You are important to him; therefore, your life has meaning. As you go out into the world each day, be aware of the people around you who are trying to find who they are because they don’t know Jesus. Be ready to share with them this great and glorious truth, that our lives have meaning when we are rightly related to God through Jesus.

Galatians tells us exactly what the fruit of the Spirit is. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). To answer the question of what it means to “be the fruit,” I want to look at each of them and offer some suggestions of how you implement this fruit in your life. It is the fruit of the Spirit, so obviously it must be a Spirit-empowered endeavor. But it won't just happen unless we as disciples of Jesus Christ determine to “be the fruit” each day. Let's start with that first one: Love. Here's what someone wrote, and I think it is a great way to be the fruit of love: True love needs a personal touch. Here’s a way to show people you love them in an unexpected way. Get a package of blank greeting cards and make a list of friends and family—especially the ones you don’t see often. Write them a short note that shares how much you appreciate them. Send your cards out at random far away from any holidays or birthday. Let the little love note surprise them! Now, that is a practical way to be the fruit of love. And cards have a greater impact than email, so spend a little money, buy a few stamps, and surprise some people with words of love. Next is joy. Joy should be the trademark of a Christian. When you are joyful, your strength increases, because the joy of the Lord is your strength. There is so much negativity and bad news in our world today that if you're not careful, you can let the enemy steal your joy. That's one of his favorite tactics. What's been stealing your joy? Or I might ask, who has been stealing your joy? Whatever or whoever it is, realize it is a satanic flaming arrow coming your way from the enemy, so put on your full armor and refuse to lose your joy. How? Sing good songs all day long. Find the humor in your day. Laugh a lot; laughter is incredibly good for you. Look for reasons to be happy, to be joyful. Now we come to peace. Jesus said he would give us his peace, his unique peace that is strong enough for the toughest circumstances. Have you ever gone to Jesus in prayer and said, “Please give me the peace you promised. I need peace.” I heard a statistic 40% of all people in our country today are in some kind of depression or despair. Have you noticed how many people are searching for some kind of peace? Remember, Jesus' peace is not like the peace the world offers. That peace is a band aid; it seeks to make you feel better with a temporary pain killer, but it just makes things worse. Peter wrote we should seek peace and pursue it. Maybe you need to learn to take peace breaks when your day is going south. Just stop, find an alone spot, refocus your mind on Jesus, quote a verse to yourself and pray for the peace Jesus promised to give you. Pursue peace; go for it. Be the fruit—be peaceful! Forbearance is next in this list of the fruit of the Spirit. We call it patience, and it can be one of the most difficult fruits for us to practice, at least it is for me. But there are so many opportunities in your day to practice patience, and patience takes practice. Pick one situation where you find it particularly difficult to be patient, and start working on it. When you go to the store, stand in the longest line to check out and make yourself wait. Talk to yourself, like: “Just cool it. This is not a big deal. You can wait a few minutes—it doesn't change your life.” Something like that. That is bringing your thoughts into captivity and learning to re-direct your thought patterns. And it is a good way to discipline yourself; to be the fruit—to be patient. Maybe you could use driving as a way for you to practice patience. Be kind to bad or slow drivers. Don’t yell or call other drivers names when you can’t get into the lane you need to. Keep at it until you see a difference in the way you drive and how you feel when you step out of the car. Go, be the fruit! Kindness is next, and we all know what that means, right? No doubt, like me, you're generally pretty kind to people you don't live with, strangers, or people in places of authority. Your words are likely kind and pleasant, but what about the people closest to you? I remember how, before my husband passed, if my words or the tone of my voice were not kind, he wouldn't let me get away with it. He would nicely confront me, and that was good! And you know, that's one way to be more kind—to be the fruit. Ask someone to hold you accountable and not allow you to get by with unkind words or actions. I discovered I simply was unaware that my words or actions sounded unkind. I never intended it but once it was brought to my attention, then I started to notice how quickly I can speak or respond, and how I can come across as unkind. Now that I'm aware, I am much more intentional about making sure my words are kind and sound kind. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). I would guess Paul wrote this to the believers in Ephesus because they needed to learn to “be the fruit”—to practice kindness toward each other. Goodness is next. How do you practice goodness? Peter wrote, for this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge (2 Peter 1:5). Make every effort, he says. Isn't he saying, “Be the fruit”? How many times did you tell your children, “Be good!”? And somehow instinctively they knew what you meant, even at very young ages. Being good is directly connected to behavior, right? You do what is good. Here's an idea of how you can add to your faith goodness. Determine to be a better listener. Who needs a listening ear? I'm not talking about giving counsel or solving problems. Just listening. That is so good and it is so helpful to someone going through a difficult time. And of course, once you listen, you can always offer to pray for that person. That would be very good. Faithfulness is a requirement for all Christ-followers. Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth: Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). Faithful to God—first and foremost—faithful to reading the Bible and prayer, faithful to church attendance and involvement. Faithful to your mate and friends. Keeping promises and being dependable. Would people who know you describe you as faithful or dependable? This is one fruit we can all be, regardless of how smart you are or how educated or experienced you may or may not be. Being faithful is a daily decision you make. Don't promise carelessly. Under promise and over deliver is a very good motto to live by. Then keep a record of all you're responsible to do, every place you're supposed to be, etc., etc. Don't trust your memory. Faithfulness is required—not optional. If this is an area of challenge for you, pray much about it and determine each day to be the fruit—be faithful! Gentleness is next in this list of the fruit of the Spirit. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). And you'll remember our Lord Jesus described himself as gentle and lowly of heart. Frankly, the gentleness of Jesus is one thing about him I truly treasure because when he deals with me—and happens often—he always does so with such gentleness. Do you think of yourself as a gentle person? I don't mean wimpy or timid, but gentle; gentle in your words, reactions, facial expressions, tone of your voice? It is a very lovely fruit, and people will greatly appreciate it when you show gentleness to them. There's not a lot of it in our harsh world today, so be the fruit—be gentle. Self-control is putting discipline and restraints in your life to keep you from harm. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control (Proverbs 25:28). Self-control is not allowing yourself to indulge in things that are not good for you—such as certain food, what you watch on television, what kind of conversations you engage in, etc. I remember a friend of mine, many years ago, was addicted to watching a trashy soap opera every day. She taped it while she was at work and the first thing she did each evening was watch it. God began to convict her of this, and she began to practice self-control. She stopped recording the program. She said it was really hard the first day to walk out of her apartment without turning on the recording, but she exercised self-control and kept it up. That was the beginning of a new vibrant relationship with the Lord, and she has gone on to serve Christ in amazing ways. But it took self-control to turn her back on what she knew was not good for her—for her thinking and her mind—and once she did, it was a marvelous breakthrough for her. By God's grace she broke that bad habit and through self-control, started growing into the outstanding woman she is today. She learned self-control. Is there something in your life that has you in bondage—something not good for you? If there is, I'm certain you can identify it right away. It could be something you watch or read, a place you go, or some eating habits. You can't imagine how freeing it will be for you when you can be the fruit—exercise self-control by God's grace and put that bad habit out of your life. That's my challenge for all of us today: Be the fruit! Memorize this passage from Galatians 5, pray it into your life, put reminders around you, and work on the areas that are the most challenging for you. But don't just talk about it or give verbal consent to the importance of bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Do it! Be the fruit! Paul wrote that against such, there is no law! Nobody can stop you from being the fruit and there is no greater testimony for your faith in Jesus Christ.

I'm examining, “Can this job be saved?” Here's the last situation to consider. Your manager doesn’t know the job, the company, the product, or the customers as well as you do. He is a young man recently promoted to the position, but with little experience or skills to do the job right. He makes a great many mistakes in dealing with customers, violates some company policies (through ignorance), and irritates other departments because of his lack of knowledge and expertise. Frequently he asks you to bail him out, but he never seems to learn and makes the same mistakes over and over. You realize the department morale is rapidly deteriorating, and you’ve lost some good customers because of his ineptness. You feel strongly something needs to be done for the good of the company. What should you do? This is not an easy question, because you're not in authority in this situation, right? And for you to do anything to correct it, it seems you would have to go over your boss's head to higher management. Is that the right thing to do? It's a risky thing to do, to say the least. But on the other hand, for the good of the company and its customers, don't you have a responsibility to do whatever you can to correct this situation? Jesus told his disciples, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). In this situation I believe that means trying to find ways to make things better without overstepping your boundaries or making the boss look bad. I would begin by having a private conversation with the boss, carefully noting some issues have arisen, and offering your help. Perhaps you can even suggest taking some of the workload off his desk, as long as you don't seem threatening. He might really appreciate some behind-the-scenes help because he probably knows he's not doing a good job. A time could come when all else has failed and you believe others need to know what's happening. But that should be a last resort and should be done with great caution, not with a vindictive and critical attitude.

Can this job be saved? For example, take this situation. You are the human resources director for a company that does a lot of business with the government. As a result, you have to complete government forms and abide by government rules in order to secure and keep your contract. Currently, you are required to complete a form which asks if you're in compliance with some of their rules—and in fact, you are not. Policies and procedures need to be changed in order to comply. You turn the forms into the president without your signature, noting the lack of compliance. Instead of agreeing to the needed changes which take time and cost money, the president insists you complete the forms, making up numbers and facts to satisfy the government requirements and sign and submit them. After all, he tells you, nobody will know the difference! You explain you can't do that as a matter of integrity. He is furious, grabs the forms, and says he will complete and sign them himself. What do you do now? The question is, do you have further responsibility to alert anyone that the forms are not correct, or have you done all you can and should do? Certainly, taking this kind of stand could put your job in jeopardy. So, do you make matters worse by any further action on your part? Every situation would have to be carefully considered. In most cases, I think simply refusing to be a part of any deceptive action is where your duty ends. But there could be situations where safety or other bad consequences might cause you to speak up against this illegal action. And it may be true this job cannot be saved. You could lose your job as a result. Peter wrote about unjust suffering, and he said, but if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:19-21). Suffering unjustly for the sake of what is right gets God's attention. It's the same kind of suffering Jesus endured, and he will give you the grace to endure as well. None of us asks for suffering, but if it is unjust, believe me, God will have the last word, and you will receive his favor.

Did you ever work in a situation that seemed like mission impossible? I'm asking the question: Can this job be saved? When you do find yourself working in a very stressful environment, as a Christ-follower, what can you do? What should you do to make the best of a bad situation? Here's another situation to consider. Your departmental manager is not liked by any of the employees. She is very unfair, discourteous to everyone, and in addition, doesn’t perform her own duties well. Everyone in the department talks about her in derogatory ways all the time. Nobody can figure out how she keeps her job. You’ve been part of that malicious talk at times. As a Christian, you’ve now decided you don’t want to be a part of that character assassination toward your manager (even though she deserves it!). How will you keep from getting caught up in this office gossip? What could you do to change the climate? Gossip is a vicious and deadly disease, and once it gets started, it is not easy to stop. There's no question a Christ-follower should never be a part of this kind of malicious talk. In Romans 1, malice is described as wickedness, along with envy, murder, strife, and God-haters. God doesn't take malicious talk lightly; it is sin. Step one is to remove yourself from these conversations. Make it clear you won't participate in malicious talk about anyone, including the boss. You probably won't have to make a statement to that effect; the fact you don't do it any longer will speak for itself. Then use every opportunity you can to change the conversation. Sometimes one person can have a good influence on the corporate climate. Ask God to help you see your manager through his eyes, and reach out to her in some way, with encouragement and support. That kind of action on your part will not go unnoticed by your coworkers. Will it change their behavior? Who knows—it might, but it will certainly make a statement about your integrity and your testimony for Jesus.

Can this job be saved? I'm examining five different job situations and asking: As Christians, what should be our course of action if we find ourselves in such a predicament? Here is today's situation. You have recently been promoted and now work closely with a new coworker who is a single man. He’s very pleasant to work with, and you get along fine with him. However, you’ve noticed your husband is not too excited about this new job, and it seems to be because of your close working relationship with this single man. How can you handle this situation so you don’t lose the promotion but still assure your husband he has nothing to worry about this coworker? I might begin with asking what has caused your husband to have any uneasiness about your working relationship with this man? Is it because your husband tends to be the jealous kind, or have you talked about your coworker so often or so favorably it has aroused his feelings of jealousy? Possibly a change in how you speak of him would solve the problem. If it's a little more complicated than that, you must decide what is more important to you: A peaceful relationship with your husband or keeping your promotion. His fear or jealousy may be totally inappropriate and unfounded, but if that's where he's coming from, you should do whatever you can to allay those fears. Have an honest conversation with your husband. Tell him you are willing to forfeit this job if that's what will resolve this issue. You might consider inviting some coworkers to your home, including this man, so your husband can see for himself that your relationship is purely professional. Above all else, don't allow anything to start to replace your feelings and love for your husband. Don't let the enemy get his foot in this door and try to ruin your marriage. Believe me, many illicit relationships have started just this innocently. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). This is a time to closely guard your heart.

I want to present some job situations that are touchy and difficult, and ask the question: Can this job be saved? If you're a Christ-follower, then God has you there for some good purpose. When I ask the question—Can this job be saved?—what I'm really asking is, “What is the course of action a Christian should take in order to resolve the issue or make things better?” Here's situation number one. You work with a person who knows you are a Christian. And it seems this person makes a point of trying to offend you with foul language and crude jokes. Just today this person told a crude joke in your presence, and when you didn’t laugh, they said sarcastically, “I guess you don’t get it, huh? She doesn’t get this kind of humor.” You were so angry you almost cried. But somehow you bit your tongue, gave him or her a look, and didn’t say anything. What should you do now? Should you get tough and demand they stop it or just keep taking it? First, what biblical principles apply in such a situation? Here are two that come to mind: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God's (Matthew 22:21). Can this job be saved? Sometimes Jesus puts people into our lives who are not comfortable for us and who do offend us, but they're watching how we respond. Anyone who purposely focuses on trying to offend you is more than likely fighting a battle inside, often under conviction, and releasing their inner struggle in unhealthy ways. The question is how can you live at peace with this person never taking a stand against the offense? First, don't see this person as the enemy; look at him or her through God's eyes. Something's going on in his or her heart that causes him or her to lash out at you. It would not be wrong to have a private conversation with this person, asking what can be done to relieve the tension between you, but do so without pointing fingers of accusation. Never be ashamed of your Christian principles—you don't have to apologize for your refusal to take part in those offensive conversations or language. But remember, this person's real problem is not that he or she makes you uncomfortable or offends you; the real issue is this person needs Jesus desperately, and God has put you in this person's life to be an example of Jesus to him or her.

It is a bit of a paradox, I agree, to be both contented and not contented. Maybe it's helpful to say we should accept who we are but never settle for where we are. Have you discovered that when you are not happy with who you are, you inflict great suffering on yourself? It causes you to be envious of others, to resent the success of others, to fight to get ahead of others, to be dependent on the approval of others. All kinds of problems arise when you cannot accept who you are. Have you come to that place yet, where you can truly say, “I like the way God has created me”? Oh, I hope so. It is not prideful to appreciate God’s handiwork in you. Rather it brings glory to God, just as when you appreciate a work of art you bring honor to the artist. Today I want to point out three other areas we need to learn to accept but not settle. Your Gifts and Talents Have you accepted the way God has gifted you? The Bible clearly teaches us each believer has been given definite and recognizable gifts or talents, which are resources to use in serving the Lord. First Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 are good chapters to study if you’re not familiar with these gifts. Once you know how God has gifted you, then accept the role you’ve been given with great joy. The things God has gifted you to do are the things that make you the happiest and bring the most satisfaction. You’ll find great joy when you’re functioning the way God created you to. For example, if you have the gift of encouragement, your greatest joy will be to write notes, help someone out, listen to a heartache—lots of things like that which an encourager does so well. It won’t be a chore or a duty because it’s your gift; it will be a delight. If your gift is administration, you’ll love organizing and doing all the behind-the-scenes things that are so important. If your gift is mercy, you will naturally have a sympathetic heart toward hurting people and find yourself trying to help them. Using your God-given gifts and talents will bring you satisfaction, and you will do those things with enthusiasm and excellence. But here’s the other side of the coin: Never be satisfied with your gifts the way they are. Jesus told a parable about three people who were given talents to use. One had five talents, one two talents, and one had only one. When the master returned and demanded an accounting as to how each one used his talents, he gave strong approval to the first two because they multiplied their talents. But to the man with only one, he gave a grave condemnation because he hid his talent and did not multiply it. You'll find that parable in Matthew 25. What Jesus taught us there is when we use the gifts and talents he has given us, he will give us more. I’ve been amazed to see this in my own life. I’m telling you, years ago I could never have imagined being able to do some of the ministries and new ideas God has allowed me to be involved with. But God is true to his Word, and when we start using the talent we have, God is faithful to give us more and increase our effectiveness. Accept the talents and gifts God has invested in you and then set out to grow them as much as possible. You do that by using them any way you can. Jump in the water and get wet. Often, I’m asked how I began my ministry, which is now heard on over 400 radio stations internationally and reaches out in many other ways. It began in my home in Chicago as a Bible study for five or six women. That Bible study lasted several years, and to this day is one of the sweetest, best memories I have. From that I started a small ministry at my church and became involved in other ministries there, serving in various ways. And much to my amazement, the doors opened. Now we have a much bigger outreach. But it all began where I was—in my home. And little by little God gave me opportunities to develop my gifts. God keeps his word, and he has promised when we are faithful with the gifts and talents we have, he will give us more. Start where you are, with whatever you have to offer, and see where God can take it. You will be amazed. Your Intelligence Another thing about ourselves we need to be content with is our intelligence. There’s no doubt God gave some people more brain power than others. Do you feel like you’ve been shortchanged in this department, and you don’t understand why God didn’t make you real smart? God needs some real smart brainy types, but he needs a lot of us ordinary types as well. Some of you had to fight for everything you learned in school and good grades did not come easily. Others could cram for a test at the last minute and ace it. It may not seem fair, but God has reasons for these differences in IQ. We need to accept who we are when it comes to intelligence. But don’t settle for where you are. Keep pushing the envelope to learn as much as possible. Scientists tell us we use only a miniscule portion of the potential in the human brain. And what I’ve discovered is that when I push myself mentally, my brain power seems to increase. I have a friend who began her college career in her mid-life, while she was working full-time. She always felt like she didn't have what it takes to complete college. She thought she wasn't smart enough, but she discovered she could handle college level classes, she could do well in them, and she was so joyful about what she was learning. She didn't settle for where she was, and by God's grace, she improved her mind and gained knowledge that enabled her to minister more effectively. You may not have the highest IQ around, but you’ve got far more brain power than you realize. Don’t settle for where you are intellectually; become a student and continually work at learning more. You can improve your mind and knowledge whether in school or not. Good reading habits will make a huge difference. And for those of you with lots of brain power, remember that to whom much is given much will be required, so be sure you’re making very good use of all that mental capacity. Your Circumstances Let me mention one last thing where we need to be content, and that is with our circumstances. Paul wrote: I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:11). Have you learned that lesson yet? Just think about the freedom you and I would have if we could truly say with Paul: “I am content with my circumstances.” I think of a friend whom I admire greatly. She worked for Moody Radio in Chicago for many years and is a gracious, lovely, talented woman. Due to a work-related accident, her husband has been disabled most of their long-married life. When that happened, overnight her dreams of what her life would be like died, as she was forced to become a working woman and raise their children, while helping her disabled husband. When I think of the years she did that, I marvel at her attitude. She never complained; she learned to be content amid very difficult circumstances. And even when more family problems were poured on her head, she continued to trust God and accept what was coming her way. Through all the years she never lost heart or gave up or ran away—all of which I would have been tempted to do. Instead, she contributed immensely on her job and improved herself and did the most anyone could do under the circumstances. She comes to my mind as a woman who has accepted the circumstances of her life, yet they have not beaten her into the ground. She has grown, contributed, and made a beautiful life for herself and many others. So often when our circumstances are out of sorts—we’ve got the wrong job, we live in the wrong place, we don’t have enough money, we don’t have good health, or whatever—we are then tempted to waste our lives and squander our opportunities because of our adverse circumstances. If that’s where you are today, I urge you to start praying daily that God will teach you to be content with your circumstances and help you accept what is coming your way right now. But at the same time, don’t settle for life in the doldrums just because the circumstances are rotten. You can live above them and find that those difficult circumstances of your life can lead to growth, service, and joy right in the midst of the problems. Accept but don’t settle; be contented and discontented. I hope you’ll remember you can hold both in balance, because I believe it will help you. It will help you to be more content and appreciative of who you are, just the way God made you, and where your life is right now. But it will also remind you never to let yourself off the hook because “that’s the way you are,” but always strive to be all that you can be for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Do you have some giants in your life right now—some people or situations that are way bigger than you are? Some obstacles you don't know how to overcome? We all have them at times, and I've noticed usually God leads us to fight the giants in our lives in the most unusual ways. It almost always goes against human logic. We must learn to walk by faith and trust the Holy Spirit within us to give us guidance, and then not doubt it when others say “That’s not the way to do it,” or “Nobody has ever done it that way before.” There are times when we should ignore what others tell us. If you remember when Jesus was going to heal Jairus’ daughter, his friends came to him and said, “Don’t bother, she’s dead already.” But Jesus ignored what they said and told Jairus, Don’t be afraid; just believe (Mark 5:36). If you’re facing a giant in your life right now, use your slingshot like David did when he faced Goliath; don’t try to wear someone else’s armor. And ignore those who would tell you otherwise. Maybe the battle is over, and you are victorious. Remember what David said before he fought Goliath: All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give all of you into our hands (1 Samuel 17:47). When your battle is over and God has given you victory, please remember it was the Lord’s battle, not yours, and he gave you the skill, talent, and wisdom to know how to fight and be victorious. Give him all the glory. I think we can all relate to David. Because he was who he was—the way God had created him—and used the skills he had learned, he killed the giant. I hope you'll remember this illustration from David's life to inspire you to use your slingshot—God's gifts in you to do what he has called you to do. Go into the battle without fear, knowing it's not your battle. It is the Lord's, and you can face that giant equipped by God to win the victory.

Did you ever think about this: David had to be able to kill Goliath, because that was the deed which propelled him to eventually become the King. It made his reputation and paved the way for God’s plan for him. But it began in those lonely fields as a shepherd boy, slinging stones from a slingshot day in and day out and learning how to kill big enemies in unconventional ways. When facing Goliath, David was prepared for the job. He used his creative thinking and refused to try to do it Saul’s way, which would have meant defeat. He used his slingshot—a most unlikely weapon, but God gave him that skill to prepare him for this incredible challenge. He could kill a giant with a slingshot. Where are you now? In the fields, all alone, being prepared by God for what is coming? David didn’t know, when he was tending sheep, that God was preparing him to be King. He had no idea. But he did that job well, and while he was doing it, he learned to do other things—like play a harp, write poetry, aim a slingshot well, and tackle an enemy of overwhelming odds. Maybe you’re on the battleground and your Goliath is staring at you, taunting you. Are you tempted to fight in someone else’s armor? Remember, if God has brought you to that battlefield, he has a plan to make you victorious; but don’t get out of yourself. David knew how to stay within himself and not try to mimic others or be intimidated when others told him what he should do or how he should do it. David knew God had equipped him to slay this giant, and he wasn’t afraid to try. It wasn’t a matter of pride or conceit; he just knew he had a skill from God that now God wanted to use. You remember David's brother was angry that David would try to kill Goliath and told him to just go back home. When others tell you can’t do it or to quit or they belittle you in some way, remember David. If he had allowed his brother’s remarks to get to him, he would have turned around and gone back to the sheep. He never would have defeated Goliath. But he was willing to step out even in the face of his brother’s protests and jealousy. If God has told you to use a slingshot, then use it. Don’t let the “Sauls” in your life dictate how you are to attack your giant if you know God has given you directions. Many times, well-meaning people will give us poor advice. Certainly, Saul thought it would be best for David to wear all that armor, but David knew better. A conventional one-on-one sword battle would have wiped David out in a few seconds. Learn from David to use your slingshot for the honor and glory of God.

Use your own slingshot! It comes from David's life. When he volunteered to fight nine-foot Goliath, King Saul offered him his heavy armor and a sword. But David knew he couldn't win wearing someone else's armor. It didn't fit him and he couldn't move in it. Instead, he chose his slingshot—the tool he knew, the skill he had practiced—and he defeated the giant. I have to relearn that lesson often. God gifts each of us uniquely. It's a mistake to try to do what God has called us to do in someone else's armor. It's so easy to look at someone successful and think, that's what I should be doing. But God has given you certain gifts—and not others—on purpose. Don't minimize what he has entrusted to you. Use what God has given you. Do what you do well. Don't try to impress people or copy someone else's style. Every time I've tried to do God's work someone else's way, I've fallen flat. I have to lean into the strengths God placed in me and I encourage you not to underestimate what God can do through you using your own slingshot. Remember, David's skill was developed in obscurity—out in the fields, caring for sheep. In that quiet, unnoticed place, God was preparing him. He practiced with that slingshot until he was an expert. What looked small and unimportant became the very thing God used to bring victory. Looking back, I can see how God used even the hidden seasons of my life to prepare me for what I'm doing now. He wastes nothing. Polish your gifts. Develop your skills. Trust how God has wired you. And then step forward—using your own slingshot.

You remember the famous story of David and Goliath. I think there's a lot we can learn from this story. David visited the battlefield, where the Israelites were fighting the Philistines—and frankly, they were doomed to lose because nobody would go up against Goliath the giant. David was appalled that they were intimidated by a giant, because after all, they were God's people, and God would give them the victory. Finally, King Saul sent for him because David had volunteered to fight Goliath. Of course, Saul was reluctant to let him do this, knowing it was highly unlikely David could. But David insisted and told Saul how he had killed a lion and a bear. He said, The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine (1 Samuel 17:37). Saul relented; after all, nobody else was willing to even try, and then Saul tried to tell David how to do it. “Here,” he said, “put on my armor, take my sword.” David immediately realized he couldn’t use Saul’s armor. I cannot go in these, he said to Saul, because I am not used to them (1 Samuel 17:39). He took them off, found his five smooth stones, got his slingshot in his hand, and faced Goliath. You know the story: He takes aim at Goliath’s head, hits him in the right place, and knocks him out. Then he cuts off Goliath’s head with his own sword, and claims victory. How did David defeat Goliath? By using his slingshot. You don't kill giants with slingshots—right? But that's what David was good at; that’s how he had defeated the lion and the bear; that’s the gift God had given him. David was smart enough to realize trying to do what God wanted him to do in someone else’s armor would lead to disaster. Now, think about some lessons we can learn from this. When you try to do your work to please people; when you try to copy others and do what they’re doing, it's like putting on Saul's armor—you can't do it. But when God has given you a gift, skill, or opportunity, don’t underestimate God’s power in you, doing it the way he’s gifted you. Use your slingshot. It may not be the conventional way to do things, but if that’s how God is leading you, don’t be intimidated by what others think. Go with what God has given you.

Are you happy with who you are? Do you often wish you were someone else or had a different personality? Are you envious of other people’s gifts or abilities or accomplishments? No doubt all of us struggle at times with accepting ourselves the way we are, and sadly some people spend their entire lives wishing they were someone else. Living a life of envy and disappointment in yourself is living in misery. I want to examine learning to accept and appreciate who you are—the way God has created you. I'm calling this “Use Your Own Slingshot,” and that comes from the story of David and Goliath. Off and on throughout my life, I've found myself trying to be what someone else wanted me to be. Do you have that problem too? At this stage in my life, it seems to hit me periodically and unexpectedly. Before I realize what’s happening, I’m comparing myself to others or wishing I were different or trying to be what someone else thinks I should be. Symptoms of this disease are uneasiness in your spirit, feeling guilty about something but you’re not quite sure what, knots in your stomach, and a general sense of gloom and despair. Can you recognize some of these things in yourself? Maybe, like me, it hits you only occasionally, or you may indeed find yourself continually consumed with this disease of not being satisfied with who you are. David found himself in a situation of being urged to be like someone else, but he knew he had to be himself. You remember how David volunteered to go up against the giant, Goliath. Nobody else in the entire Israeli army had been willing to face him, even the experienced fighters. After all, Goliath was over nine feet tall, so you can hardly blame them. David was on an errand to the fighting field, to bring food to his brothers, and he heard Goliath making his daily challenge, which he had been doing for forty days. He was goading them and taunting them. When David heard this, he essentially said, “Why are we allowing this bully to stand there and make threats against the Lord’s army? Why hasn’t someone stood up to him?” His brother, Eliab told him to go back where he came from and tend the sheep. He belittled David and insulted him. After all, he didn’t want to be shown up by his baby brother. But David didn’t let Eliab intimidate him. Even at this young age, you can see the strong faith of David in his God and his confidence that God could deliver them from Goliath.

Do you ever feel pulled in two directions? On one hand, we know from Scripture we're to accept who we are in Christ. We're told not to compare ourselves to others or envy who they are or what they have. We know we were uniquely designed by God, created on purpose, and that we should appreciate his handiwork in us. But on the other hand—if you're like me—you also know there are things about yourself you shouldn't just accept. There are flaws. Weaknesses. Immaturities. We see others who seem to have it more together, and we feel the gap between who we are and who we ought to be. Here's the dilemma: How do we accept who we are when we know we're not yet all we should be? How can we believe we're special just as we are, while knowing we still have so far to grow? It almost seems like mission impossible. It appears to be a paradox with no solution. On the one hand we're admonished to rejoice and celebrate who we are and on the other hand, we're aware daily of our inadequacies and shortcomings. But here's what I'm learning: I must be content with who God made me to be—while remaining lovingly dissatisfied with where I am in my growth. Contentment with my design. Holy discontentment with my development. Or to say it another way: accept who I am, but don't settle for where I am. That understanding has brought me tremendous freedom. I can appreciate who I am in Christ and still pursue becoming more like him. Let's look at a couple of areas where this tension shows up. Your Body Scripture tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God formed us in our mother's womb. He doesn't make mistakes. And yet—when we look in the mirror, do we see his craftsmanship or only the flaws? “Oh, if only my hair were different.” “If only my face were shaped another way.” “If only my body were thinner, taller, smaller, firmer.” Now, tell the truth: Don't we often just focus on the negatives? Our culture has convinced us there's only one acceptable shape for a beautiful body. And we've paid dearly for believing that lie. So many women have harmed themselves chasing an image that was never meant to define beauty. I mean—look at the evidence: God clearly loves variety. Just look around at all the different looks, types, and shapes! How dull this world would be if we all came in the same size, shape, or color. My dear friend, Fran, was barely five feet tall. All her life she was the shortest one in the room. But that small stature became a beautiful tool in God's hands. She was never intimidating. People instantly felt at ease with her. She could make you laugh in seconds. She never met a stranger, and as a result, she was able to authentically and easily talk with people about her faith. Many women came to saving faith because they became friends with Fran. God used her size and personality together in powerful ways. Her height was not a mistake. Your body is not a mistake either. Accept it. Thank God for it. See it as his design. But don't settle. Care for it. Strengthen it. Discipline it. Keep it healthy so it can serve Jesus well. We don't chase perfection, but we do pursue stewardship. Our physical well-being affects our effectiveness. We want to run our race well and finish strong. Very recently I was struck by this passage from Psalm 92: The righteous flourish like the palm tree… They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright (Psalm 92:12-14). As the years pile up, your body goes through changes. But I love the truth that we can still bear fruit even as we age and be full of sap and green. I don’t want to run out of gas. I don’t want to be prohibited from ministry because my body fails me. Now, there are some physical problems over which you and I have no control. But our behavior and discipline largely determine how good we're going to feel, how long we're going to last, how clearly we can think, how fast we can react, how much we can accomplish. You don’t want to settle for anything less than God’s best for you—right? Accept the body God gave you—but don't settle for just getting by, for neglect. Your Personality The same is true of your personality. God does not make cookie-cutter Christians—aren't you glad? Some of us are outgoing; some are reserved. Some lead naturally; others support faithfully. Some are talkers; some are listeners. Each personality carries strengths. The outgoing person makes friends easily. The quiet one listens deeply. The leader casts vision. The steady one brings peace. Now, tell the truth, are you content with the personality God has given you? Do you even know what it’s like? You should, and you should appreciate that personality. My friend, Afton, wrestled with her personality as an introvert. She thought it was a negative flaw she needed to correct. But God has shown her the exact opposite. Her personality as an introvert has incredibly wonderful attributes. She is such a good listener, and she cares so much for others. Actually, she written a book: Living Connected: An Introvert’s Guide to Friendship, which is just wonderful, and it has helped so many women see their quiet personality as a gift from God. For many years I thought my take-charge entrepreneur type personality was a mistake; it seemed to me women shouldn’t be like me. In fact, as a college student I tried once to change my personality. I thought by a set of my will I could be like some other girls at my college who seemed to have more appropriate personalities than I did. I intentionally tried to change my personality. The effort lasted for a few days. I couldn't keep it up, and it did not succeed; in fact, it was a total flop. Instead of improving my personality, I came off as phony and insincere—which of course I was! Eventually, I began to appreciate how God made me. Awkward edges and all. It took me far too long to get there, but as I became more and more contented with how God had made me and appreciated his creativity in me, there was great freedom. Freedom from comparison, from competition, from envy. When you're at peace with who you are, you can genuinely celebrate who others are. But again—accepting doesn't mean excusing. There's much I've had to learn and pray about changing in my own personality—and I still have to work at it. I may be project-oriented, but that's no excuse for being insensitive. I may be a talker, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't learn to listen. Every personality has built-in weaknesses. We don't get to say, “That's just the way I am,” and use that as an excuse to stop growing—to overlook things in ourselves that need to be changed. Instead, we thank God for the strengths and invite him to sand down the rough edges. When you truly appreciate the good in how God made you, you won't be crushed when he reveals areas that need polishing. And I've found God always deals with my personal flaws very patiently and gently. He is a good, good Father and he cares about our feelings. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and his purpose is to transform us more and more to be like Jesus. You can trust him to know how to help you grow and mature in your faith journey.

I've been focusing on the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior. Can I ask you: Of what or who do you boast? Or in our vernacular, what do you brag about? Paul said to the Galatians: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14). Can you imagine what this sounded like to Jewish people of his day? Boasting in the cross? That was unthinkable—and yet it is because of the cross that Jesus was able to purchase our salvation. I have led many tours to Israel, and each time I go to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent those agonizing hours before he was arrested, I am reminded it's not a fairy tale. It's not just a story that has been passed down through the ages. No, the cross of Jesus Christ was real. He suffered a shameful death for me—and for you—so God could forgive our sins. Because of him, we can have the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to us, qualifying us to spend eternity with God. There's something about sitting in that garden, still filled with olive trees, and knowing we are on sacred ground, walking and meditating there where Jesus agonized until his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Where he prayed “Not my will but thine be done,” as he faced the reality of being separated from his Father and bearing in his own body the sins of the world. Each time I come away from that Garden more humbled and more aware of just what it meant for Jesus to give himself as a ransom for many—for me—and to be willing to die on a cross. As you and I celebrate the resurrection of our Lord this Sunday, let us glory in the cross, because without it, we have no hope. Boast about the cross and what Jesus has done for you. Tell everybody you can and why this celebration is so vital and precious to you. And we will celebrate with great joy the fact that the grave could not hold Jesus; death had no victory over him. He arose from the grave. What kind of god dies? Only the true God, the only God, who died so we could live. Let it sink into your mind and heart as you stand in awe that Jesus died for you. Don't ever take this story, this truth, for granted. Understanding the enormity of his death on a cross is sobering and amazing, and his resurrection is reason for great joy.

As we prepare for Easter Sunday, it's important to rehearse again this incredible truth that God, the Son, came to earth to die to pay the debt you and I owed—one we could never pay—for the forgiveness of our sins. And because Jesus died and then rose again after three days, he has conquered eternal death for us. If you have been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, then your debt has been paid, and that is the most amazing truth. Think about the disciples as they were witnessing Jesus' trial and crucifixion. No doubt they could not comprehend how Jesus could come to this end. They believed he was their Messiah, and he would save them from Rome. Instead he came to save them from their sins. But after the resurrection when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they finally understood, and they were changed people. In a statement to the Sadducees, who had just put him in jail for preaching the Gospel, Peter said, The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree (Acts 5:30). Peter points to the tree—the curse of the cross—and says despite their intention to bring Jesus to disgrace, God raised him from the dead and reversed the stigma. Paul went even further to show how the cross became their message. He said, We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). The fact Jesus was crucified was a great stumbling block to Jews in that day. How could their Messiah die and on a cross of all things? And for the Gentiles—those who are not Jews—this idea of a god dying seemed foolish. There were lots of gods worshipped in those days. The Romans had false gods for every occasion. But none of their gods died by crucifixion! That was foolishness to them. The amazing truth is once the disciples understood the purpose of Jesus' death on the cross, that very shameful act of being crucified transformed the disciples and their message, and the thing that once had been so repugnant to them became the thing in which they boasted. And that is what we boast in this Easter season. Don't let this celebration pass you by this year without taking time to remember that Jesus set you free by dying for you and then rising from the tomb. And because of that, you are free indeed!

I hope you're looking forward to Resurrection Sunday as much as I am. It truly is the best day of the year, when we sing the glorious truth that Christ the Lord is risen! But when the disciples expected Jesus to rescue them from Rome, they never imagined he would die—especially not on a cross, which was considered cursed by God. Yet his death was absolutely necessary if any of us were to be forgiven. Even if we could somehow pay for our own sins, we would simply die in them. The price would be paid—death—but there would be no redemption. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, had no sins of his own to pay for, so he alone was qualified to take ours upon himself. He paid the price we could never pay so we could be forgiven and have access to God through his sacrifice. Scripture tells us without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). The cross was God's chosen way for his Son to die—his blood shed, the curse taken, the penalty paid. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). And here is the good news: though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). As we approach Resurrection Sunday, it's the perfect time to deepen our understanding of why Jesus died—and why it had to be on a cross. The disciples didn't understand at first. But once they grasped why he came, saw him risen from the grave, and were filled with the Holy Spirit, everything changed. Their despair turned to unshakable faith in their crucified and risen Messiah, and because he lives, so can we.

Have you ever asked yourself this question: What kind of god dies? Jesus kept telling his disciples he came to die and deliver them from their sins, not from Rome. But they just couldn't hear it. After all, what kind of god dies? If I had been in the disciples' shoes at that time, I'm sure I would have struggled with understanding the Messiah—the one I had faithfully followed for over three years, the one I hoped was going to redeem Israel from Rome—was going to die on a cross under God's curse. No doubt the disciples knew the passage from Deuteronomy 21:23 which says anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. When Pilot ordered Jesus to be crucified, the Jewish leaders were very pleased for they thought this would be the end of this troublemaker and his followers. Surely those pesky disciples would give up after Jesus was hung on a cross. This helps us understand why the disciples went into hiding after the crucifixion and were frightened they would be found out. They were bearing not only the grief of losing Jesus but also the shame and disgrace of the way he was killed—on a cross. A crucified Messiah was not their idea of a hero, a Savior, their hope. And up to the end they just couldn't believe it—Jesus was going to be crucified on a cross? They must have wondered why God sent Jesus to die and why he had to die on a cross. What kind of god dies? With clear hindsight now and the New Testament to explain it to us, we can look back and see why God the Son had to die—and yes, even his method of death, a cross, was part of God's plan. Remember, no one took Jesus' life from him; he gave it. This was all part of God's eternal plan, every detail of his death was predetermined by God. The reason Jesus had to die was because sin has consequences, and a Holy God cannot just overlook sin. The price had to be paid for sin; this is what God declared. He does not ignore our sins, but he makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven in Jesus Christ. Of course, God also never intended for death to have dominion over Jesus, and we will celebrate again his resurrection this Sunday. What a glorious truth!

It's the week before Resurrection Sunday. I hope you have been preparing your heart to celebrate this Sunday, for it is truly the most important celebration for us as Christ-followers. And in preparation, I'd like us to focus on a very unusual question, which is: What kind of god dies? If you or I were given the assignment to determine how the sins of mankind could be forgiven, would we ever have come up with a plan that God becomes man and dies? The disciples certainly had difficulty hearing Jesus when he repeatedly said he had come to die. Even though there were many clues and prophecies from the Old Testament showing the coming Messiah would die, their belief at the time was Jesus was Messiah, and he had come to save them from Rome, not from their sins. I've been trying to put myself in the disciples' shoes as they grappled with Jesus' mission. Clearly Jesus told them, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). He told them he was the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He even gave them an indication of the kind of death he would die when he said, Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up (John 3:14). But they just couldn't hear it because what kind of god dies? Only the true, eternal God would have put this plan in place. To send his only Son who was equal with God the Father for the purpose of dying could only come from the mind and heart of God himself. Then think of this—the way Jesus died was not only the most painful and horrendous way to die, the Jews believed any crucified person was condemned by God. Don't you imagine in those early days following the crucifixion, the disciples must have struggled to understand why Jesus had to die and why he died on a cross. He died this ignominious death, and all along they thought he was from God—which of course he was. But how could he be from God and die on a cross?

Have you ever prepared a really good meal for your kids—something balanced and nourishing—and when you call them to the table, they say, “I'm not hungry”? And then you discover that just before dinner they had potato chips or a bowl of ice cream. Of course they're not hungry. They filled up on something that tasted good in the moment but didn't really nourish them. They spoiled their appetite. I think we understand this so clearly when it comes to food. But sometimes we don't recognize it in our spiritual lives. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry (John 6:35). And in John 4:14, he told the woman at the well the water he gives would become a spring of water welling up to eternal life. In other words, he offers real nourishment. Real satisfaction. The kind that actually fills the deepest places in us. And yet how often do we find ourselves spiritually dull, distracted, or just not very hungry for him? It may not be because we don't love God. It may simply be we've been snacking all day on other things. We live in a world of constant input. Television, social media, streaming shows, podcasts, news, endless scrolling. None of those things are automatically evil. But they can quietly crowd out our appetite for what truly feeds our souls. Have you ever noticed when you spend a long evening watching something that isn't uplifting, it's harder to turn around and open your Bible? Or when your mind has been saturated with the world's values and drama, prayer doesn't come as naturally? It's not that God has moved away. It's that we're full. The Psalmist says, O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). That verse implies something important—you have to taste. You have to come to the table. You have to make room. I've heard from women who realized a daily habit—maybe a show they watched every night, or certain novels they devoured—wasn't helping their hearts. At first it seemed harmless. But over time they noticed their thoughts drifting, their peace shrinking, their desire for God weakening. One woman told me she began praying Romans 12:1–2 each day, asking God to renew her mind and help her not be conformed to the world. Slowly, the Holy Spirit made her aware what she was feeding on was shaping her thinking. It wasn't dramatic. It was gradual. And by God's grace, she made a change. As she removed some of that “junk food,” her appetite for Scripture grew stronger again. That's how it works. Paul wrote in Romans 6 we will be slaves to something—either to impurity or to righteousness. That may sound strong, but it's simply true. Whatever we consistently feed becomes what we crave. And cravings grow. Addictions don't usually begin in dramatic ways. They begin with small, repeated choices. One episode. One book. One click. But over time, what once felt like a small indulgence can start to control our thoughts and steal our hunger for better things. On the other hand, the same principle works beautifully in reverse. When we consistently choose righteousness—when we open God's Word even when we don't feel like it, when we pray honestly, when we listen to music or teaching that lifts our hearts—our appetite changes. We begin to crave what nourishes us. Holiness stops feeling restrictive and starts feeling freeing. Jesus described his living water as something that becomes a spring inside of us. That means satisfaction doesn't just come from outside circumstances—it flows from within. But that spring is clearer and stronger when we're not constantly dumping pollutants into it. This isn't about legalism. It's not about making a list of forbidden things. It's about asking a gentle question: What is shaping my appetite? If I'm not hungry for God, what might be filling me up instead? Maybe it's hours of television. Maybe it's social media comparison. Maybe it's reading material that stirs up thoughts you know aren't helpful. Maybe it's just constant busyness that leaves no quiet space for him. The goal isn't guilt. The goal is awareness. When you remove even a little of the junk, something beautiful happens. Hunger returns. The Word becomes sweeter. Prayer becomes more natural. Worship feels more genuine. And the wonderful thing is this: God is not standing at the table tapping his foot in frustration. He invites us. He waits for us. He prepares good things for us. It can even be relationships that spoil your appetite for God. The people closest to you shape you more than you realize. They influence how you think, what you value, what you talk about, and even how you spend your time. It's worth asking: do my closest relationships stir my hunger for God, or do they quietly dull it? I've seen the power of good friendships. When my daughter was growing up, I was so grateful she chose friends who were steady and wise. Those friendships mattered more than I can say. And the same is true for us. We never outgrow the influence of the people around us. If you're single, this becomes even more important in dating. I know how easy it is to think, “There just aren't any strong Christian men,” or “I can't seem to find a godly woman.” I understand that feeling. But if you fill your life with people who don't love the Lord, it's far more likely they'll pull you down than that you'll pull them up. We begin to compromise in small ways. We adjust. We stay quiet. We don't want to lose them. And before long, we've drifted. It doesn't happen dramatically. It happens gradually. And suddenly, our appetite for God just isn't what it used to be. Sometimes it's not relationships. Sometimes it's ambition. Careers. Recognition. The next rung on the ladder. The dream house. The title. The platform. There's nothing inherently wrong with working hard or pursuing excellence. I've had seasons of career growth that were exciting—travel, responsibility, opportunities. From the outside, it may have looked fulfilling. But I can tell you honestly: every time I thought, “This next step will finally satisfy me,” it didn't. The satisfaction was brief. Then came the next goal. The next climb. And when our minds are constantly filled with our own plans—our advancement, our dreams, our goals—there's very little room left to sit quietly at God's table. Sometimes it's material things. I love beautiful things. Clothes, homes, jewelry, design—I enjoy them. And Scripture tells us God gives us good things to enjoy. This isn't about guilt. But I've also noticed how easy it is for appreciation to turn into preoccupation. How much thought energy goes into what I wish I had? How quickly contentment slips away when I focus on what I don't have? And when that dissatisfaction grows, something else shrinks—my gratitude, my peace, even my desire to pray. Materialism is subtle. It doesn't feel like rebellion. It just slowly crowds out deeper hunger. Sometimes it's known sin. Not dramatic, headline-making sin necessarily. Sometimes it's something quieter—compromise in a relationship, pornography, dishonesty, gossip, a sharp tongue, laziness, bitterness, a negative spirit. When we hold onto something we know grieves the Lord, it creates distance. We may still go to church. We may still say the right things. But inside, something feels dull. Sin promises relief or pleasure, but it never delivers what it promises. And it absolutely spoils your appetite for God. And then there's unforgiveness. Few things close the heart like resentment. When we rehearse what someone did to us, when we refuse to release them, we don't bind them—we bind ourselves. Bitterness always backfires and makes you very self-focused. It's hard to hunger for God while holding tightly to a grudge. And remember, forgiveness doesn't say what happened was okay. It simply says, “I'm trusting God with this. I'm letting them off my hook and putting them on God's hook.” And when you release it, the monkey is off your back, and you experience new joy and freedom. Here's the beautiful truth in all of this: God is not trying to deprive us. He isn't standing over us with a list of restrictions. He simply knows nothing satisfies our souls like he does. We were made to hunger for him. When we fill up on lesser things—even good things in the wrong place—we settle for crumbs when a feast is waiting. If today you realize your appetite has been a little off, don't despair. Don't feel condemned. Just start small. Turn something off. Pick up your Bible and read it. Play worship music in the background instead of another show. Pray and ask the Lord to renew your mind. You don't have to overhaul your entire life overnight. Just get rid of some of the junk food that has cluttered your life far too long and taken up too much space in your heart and in your mind. So often we settle for so much less than what God has for us, and that, of course, is exactly the enemy's plan: to make us satisfied with junk food which then spoils our appetite for God. You will know God and the abundant life Jesus promised us in direct proportion to your appetite for him. But it won't just happen. You have to decide you really want to know God and serve him more effectively more than you want anything else. And then you put a plan in place that gets you there—some spiritual disciplines that will make a difference—like daily structured Bible reading and serious, intentional prayer time each day.

Money problems are crisis points for most of us, aren’t they? Fran is learning how money problems affect every part of her life. Jesus has just reminded her that she has a choice, either to trust him or to panic. Fran mulls this over in her mind. “It’s my choice, you say? Either I can continue to act and react like I’ve done today, or I can refuse to get upset and pray more about it and trust you. But when I feel that panic set in, I just can’t avoid it,” Fran tells Jesus. “Feeling the panic doesn’t mean you’re not trusting me,” Jesus says. “But at that point of panic, you must make a choice either to continue in panic mode or to trust me. Remember, if you go by your feelings, you’ll often be in trouble.” “It brings to mind the verse I learned when I was a kid in Sunday School: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee,'” Fran says. “Guess that’s what you mean when you say I have to make a choice, huh?” “Yes, Fran,” Jesus says, “Regardless of your feelings, if you will set your will to trust in me, you’ll discover the fears subside. And when the fears subside, then you can think correctly, hear my voice, and know what to do. But when fear takes over, trust goes out the window and you’re going to find yourself doing and saying all kinds of things you wish you hadn’t.” “That sure happened to me today,” Fran says, as she re-thinks her day. “I blew up at everybody.” Fran spends a little more time reading her Bible and talking with Jesus and then goes to bed with a quiet spirit. The next day her talk with Uncle George encourages her. He explained she had some options she’d never thought about. She could refinance her home at a lower interest rate and cut her payments by almost $150 a month. He pointed out she could claim another deduction and have an extra $40 to $50 in her paycheck. He also gave her the name of a real estate agent who could give her some good advice on selling her house. As Fran drove home, she said to Jesus, “I do have some options, don’t I, Lord? Thanks for putting Uncle George in my life to help me. Now I just need to know what is the best thing to do.” “Well, Fran, keep praying for wisdom and seeking good advice,” Jesus reminds her. “And keep cutting back on costs, right,” Fran smiles. God deals with all of us through money. If that’s where you are now, learn to trust God, not money. Seek good advice, if needed, and be a good steward. But do not live in fear of the lack of money. God has promised to supply all your needs, and he never fails.

When we’re having money problems, it can cause all kinds of other problems, can’t it? Fran is struggling with too little money and too many bills. She’s thinking of selling her home and has just told her son, Drew, they might have to move, but she said it in anger and haste. “Move to another house? Mom, we can’t leave this house. Mom…” Drew looks at Fran with fear in his eyes, and tears start to roll down his cheeks. She is ashamed of how she has upset him unnecessarily. She releases her grip on his shoulders, takes his hand, and leads him to the sofa. “Oh, Drew, I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she says as she takes him in her arms. He cries freely. “Mom, I don’t want to move. This is our home.” Drew’s fears and anxiety pour out. Hugging him close, Fran says, “Drew, I don’t make as much money as your Dad did, and I can’t afford this house.” “Please Mom, please, don’t sell the house, please,” Drew begs as Fran holds him, unable to answer because of the tears in her own eyes. Later in the evening she calls her mom and talks about selling the house. Her mom suggests she talk to her Uncle George who is an officer at a local bank. Fran dials George’s number and explains her predicament to him. He says he’ll be glad to talk with her, and they plan to meet at his office tomorrow. Fran feels relieved as she hangs up. Somehow it helps just to have someone to talk to who knows about finances and stuff. “I’m glad you called George,” Jesus says to her quietly. “Oh, Jesus,” Fran says rather sheepishly, “It was my mom's suggestion,” She pauses. “Actually, it was your suggestion, wasn’t it? Yesterday you told me to seek advice. Did you see what I did to poor Drew tonight? I really dumped all my frustration on him,” Fran confesses. “Money has power. And it is one of the most difficult areas for my children to learn to trust me,” Jesus says. “Remember, Fran: Money problems are either going to cause you to be worried and frantic, or they are going to cause you to learn to trust me more. It’s your choice.” And all of us have that choice to make, don’t we?

We continue our fictional story of Fran and Jesus, as Fran struggles with not enough money to pay all the bills. Yesterday she said to Jesus, “If I just had more money, all my problems would be solved.” But Jesus replies, “Do you remember, Fran, what I taught the disciples in my Sermon on the Mount? You cannot serve both God and money. Money is a powerful thing, and it can cause you to be its slave.” “Yes,” Fran replies, “but I still have to have money to pay these bills.” Wearily she goes to bed, taking those financial worries with her. At work the next day, her phone rings. “Mrs. Langley,” the voice says. “I’m calling for Dr. Carrow. I wanted to inquire about the bill for Alice’s dental work. It’s past due, and we were wondering when you might be able to pay it?” Fran is stunned as she realizes this is a collection call. “Uh,” she mutters, very embarrassed, “well, I know it’s a little late. I’m sorry. It’s just so many bills have come due this month. I’m sorry.” “Well, when can we expect your check, Mrs. Langley?” the cold voice asks. Fran tries to think, “I’ll try to get a check off this week.” “Then we can expect full payment this week, is that right Mrs. Langley?” he continues. Fran is embarrassed and angry at this whole conversation. She slams the phone down. The rest of the day is pretty much a wipe-out, because Fran can’t think of anything else. Several times during the day, Jesus tries to get her attention, but she’s so wrapped up in her self-pity she is not even aware of his presence. As she's driving home Fran notices her check engine light comes on in her car. “Oh no! That's all I need—car troubles!” Then, as she arrives home, Drew rushes up to her. “Mom, what happened? We can’t get the cartoon channel anymore?” “Oh, Drew, I cancelled the cable service today,” Fran replies. “We can’t afford it anymore.” “What do you mean we can’t afford it? We’ve always afforded it before,” Drew says. “Now, listen to me, son,” Fran grabs him by the shoulders, “I have to cut costs, and we can do without cable television. What’s more, we’re probably going to have to sell the house and move to a cheaper place.” As soon as she says it, she knows she said the wrong thing.

Fran is facing some serious financial difficulties. She is trying to cut expenses and is facing the possibility of having to find a cheaper place to live. “Guess I need to sell the house,” she says, but the thought depresses her. She feels anger start to rise in her just thinking about it. “It’s just not fair,” she thinks, as tears start down her cheeks. Why did Jim die? Why did God take him from me? It’s just not fair!” The sobs start to shake Fran's body, as the pain and loneliness flood her memory. “I understand,” Jesus replies, quietly. “Really? You understand what it's like to raise two kids by yourself?” Fran asks. “I understand loneliness; I was rejected by my closest friends,” Jesus reminds her. “Even my Father turned his back on me as I hung on the cross. I understand because I’ve experienced every kind of pain you have, Fran.” The room gets very quiet, as Fran’s sobs subside. “Lord, I’m so sorry…” she begins, but Jesus interrupts her. “No need to apologize, Fran. You’re complaining to the right person,” Jesus says, as he reassures her of his love. “Remember David in Psalm 142. Why don’t you read that Psalm right now?” Fran opens to Psalm 142, and begins reading: I cry aloud to the Lord; …I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. …Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need…set me free from my prison… Fran’s spirit is calmer as she finishes the Psalm. “Fran,” Jesus says, “since I know what you think anyway, it's good to be honest with me and tell me how you feel. Then we can deal with it.” Fran tries to smile. “David says set me free from my prison; I feel like I’m in a money prison. I’ve got to sell my house, uproot my kids—if I just had more money…” “Fran,” Jesus interrupts, “money is not the answer to your problems.”

Do you ever struggle with finances? Our friend Fran has some important lessons to learn about managing her money. I tell this on-going story as though Fran is having a conversation with Jesus throughout her day, because the fact is, as Christians, we do have his presence all the time. We need to practice it more, and hopefully Fran's story will inspire us to do that. After Fran gets the kids in bed this evening, she says to herself, “It’s the first of the month. I’ve got to pay bills tonight.” One of the toughest aspects of being single for Fran is the total responsibility of the finances, and it’s particularly difficult because there’s hardly ever enough money to pay all the bills. She and Jim had moved into their home just before he died, and the mortgage payment is pretty steep. “Well, what bills will I pull out of the hat this month? Good grief that phone bill is ridiculous. And this dental bill for Alice. All she had was one small cavity,” Fran fumes. “Oh great,” she exclaims, “I’m $200 short this month.” “But don’t forget,” Jesus says to her, catching her by surprise, “I’ve promised to take care of you. You will not be brought to shame, or go hungry, or miss anything you need.” Fran wasn’t aware of his presence until he spoke to her, and then she felt a little defensive. “Yeah, but I still have to pay these bills and that takes money.” “Well, Fran, see which bills could be eliminated or reduced,” Jesus suggests. “Well, this cable TV bill—I guess that could go. But the kids enjoy the cartoons,” Fran rationalizes. “Yes, but they have a lot of good movies, and your mom has bought them several Bible videos,” Jesus reminds her. “Don’t you think that’s enough?” “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just easy for me to plop them down in front of the television when I’m tired or busy,” Fran candidly admits. “But I’ll cancel the cable tomorrow.” Looking through the rest of the bills, she says, “I know I could sell the house and live somewhere cheaper, but…” That’s the one thing Fran doesn’t want to consider. “I love my home, Lord,” Fran says. “Fran, it’s time for you to seek counsel,” Jesus says to her. “Remember Proverbs 20:18: Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance. So, seek some counsel.”

I'm going to talk about money today and specifically how we can be victorious over money—how we can refuse to be enslaved to it. And if you don't know this already, let me tell you if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, he's going to mess with your money. You remember at one point Jesus positioned himself in the temple where the offerings were deposited and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41). Imagine! He intentionally watched people bringing their money into the temple. It was not a private matter with him; he knows where your treasure is, there your heart is also (Matthew 6:21), and he took notice of who was giving money, how much they gave, and how sacrificially they gave. He's watching us, too, and our money and what we do with it is not a private matter with Jesus. We are accountable to him for what we take in and how we spend it. The Seductive Power of Money Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Money is a rival god that seeks to control us by claiming to have the power of deity. It tries to convince us it can do for us what only God can do. It claims to give us security, to give us freedom, to give us power, and to meet all our needs. It clamors for the place in our heart only God can fill. Jesus made this clear in his dealing with the rich young ruler, who wanted to know what he must do to get eternal life. Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). Notice when this young man went away sad, Jesus didn't run after him and say, “Wait, you don't really have to sell everything, just change your attitude toward money.” No, Jesus meant what he said to that young man; he had to be converted from loving and serving money to loving and serving Jesus, and he wasn't willing to do that. It's very easy to be in bondage to money—for it to become an idol in our lives. It has far more power over us than simply its purchasing power. We think: It's mine; I earned it; I depend on it; I need it; I like it! Don't mess with my money! The Dangers of Money How can you tell if money has become your master? Here are some checkpoints: Are you continually worried about money, either not having enough or losing what you have? Is that one of your greatest fears? Do you tend to hoard your money and keep it for yourself? Are you stingy with your money? Do you think of your money as your security blanket? Are you dependent upon money to solve your problems? Do you evaluate yourself and others by their financial status? Are people more important to you if they have more money? Do you make decisions solely based on money? These are some telltale signs money has become our master, and believe me, it can happen to any of us. The spiritual power of money is very strong; that's why Jesus said you cannot serve God and money. We need to be set free from the demonic control money would have over us. It's not unusual to hear someone give a testimony of how God has set that person free from sexual sin or some addiction. Perhaps we need to make it comfortable and acceptable for Christians to confess that they have been seduced by money, and they want to be set free. So, here's the question for you today: Do you serve God or money? That's a heavy question, and a disciple of Jesus Christ needs to face it head on—because Jesus is going to mess with your money, one way or the other. Our challenge is to use the money and possessions God gives to us for good but never let them have power over us. Richard Foster writes: “Rather than run from money, we are to take it—evil bent and all—and use it for kingdom purposes…Money is to be captured, subdued, and used for greater goals. We are called to use money to advance the kingdom of God” (Foster, 1989).[1] We must intentionally learn a new attitude toward money. And the first part of that new attitude is to understand that we are possession-less. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1). Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me (Job 41:11). As a disciple of Jesus Christ, everything you have is simply on loan to you. You are given the stewardship of those assets, but you own nothing, because you yourself are owned by God. You know how your company has labels on everything: Property of such and such company. You're using the property—the desk, the computer, the chair, etc.—but you're using it for the benefit of the company you work for. We need to put that kind of label on “our stuff” to constantly remind us we don't own anything. We are simply entrusted with some possessions and money to use while we're here on earth. In fact, I encourage you to make some labels which say something like: “Property of God, on loan from God, to be used for God's glory,” and then put some of those labels on some of your “stuff” to remind you that you are a steward, not an owner. I'm serious; we must constantly fight money and its design on our hearts, and we need to be reminded that we are possession-less. This is one way to learn to do that, to put some labels on some of your treasured possessions. Then pray this into your life regularly: I am possession-less. I own nothing. Everything is loaned to me by God. I will give an account to God for all that he has entrusted to me. Are you worried about money now? I know many are facing some hard times financially, and I know how easy it is to get depressed about money. But I believe we can use these tough times to learn some very important lessons, and we can come through these days refined like gold. Our challenge is to make money our servant not our master. Here is the most powerful way to do that, as given by Richard Foster in his book, The Challenge of the Disciplined Life: Give it away. Dethrone money by giving it away. Show money you are not its servant; you do not value it more than people, more than God. Foster writes, “It would do us good to find ways to defame it, defile it, and trample it under our feet. “So step on it. Yell at it. Laugh at it. List it way down on the scale of values—certainly far below friendship and cheerful surroundings. And engage in the most profane act of all—give it away. The powers that energize money cannot abide that most unnatural of acts, giving. Money is made for taking, for bargaining, for manipulating, but not for giving. This is exactly why giving has such ability to defeat the powers of money.” (Foster, 1989) How much are you giving away? Some people use the tithe—ten percent—as a measure of how much to give God. If you think that is legalistic, then by all means, don't use it. Give fifteen percent instead! But if you are regularly not giving God at least a tenth of all your money, you need to search your heart, seek God's face, and find out what you should be giving. You will discover the joy of giving. You will discover the thrill of helping others. You will find yourself wishing you could give more. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). The principle of sowing and reaping is that you reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow, you reap in a different season than you sow. If you need money, the first and most important thing you need to do, before you do anything else, is to start giving away at least one-tenth of your money to God. God LOVES a cheerful giver. Do you want to please God? Be a cheerful giver! He LOVES it! Another effective way to make money your servant, not your master, is to: Refuse to let money be the sole determinant of what you will or won't do! When money makes our decisions, we are then servants of money. For example: If you are trying to find a job that pays more money, because you need more money, then money has made that decision. Instead, you need to ask God if it's good for you to find a new job. What will that do to your life? How will that affect your relationships? Can you handle more money? If you want to buy a new car and you can afford it, then money makes that decision. You buy it because you can afford it, and you want it. Perhaps, if you prayed about it, God would say, “Make your car last another five years and send the money you would have spent on a car to the church.” If you believe God is leading you into some kind of ministry, but that would take money and you don't have the money, so you don't move forward into that ministry. Money has made that decision. If God is leading you, you don't decide not to do it based on lack of money. You have to trust him to provide it. As Foster writes: “If money determines what we do or do not do, then money is our boss. If God determines what we do or do not do, then God is our boss. My money might say to me, ‘You have enough to buy that,' but my God might say to me, ‘I don't want you to have it.' Now, who am I to obey?” (Foster, 1989). Learning to see money as a tool God gives you to steward and use and not be controlled by is a lifelong pursuit for most of us. But we can learn to be set free from the control of money by trusting Jesus and giving him the final word on how we spend our money. Again, I encourage you to make some labels that say: “Property of God, on loan from God, to be used for God's glory,” and put them on some of your possessions. The point is we have to learn we are simply stewards of God's goodness. Everything we think we own is truly just on loan from God, and we will give an account of how we used it. [1] Foster, R. J. (1989). The challenge of the disciplined life : Christian reflections on money, sex & power. Harper & Row.

I so often need a second chance, how about you? But you know, sometimes we are very reluctant to give others a second chance, even though we’ve received them from God. Jesus told the parable of the unmerciful servant who asked the king to forgive him for the ten thousand talents he owed. He could never pay that huge debt, so in marvelous grace, the king agreed to forgive the debt and gave him a second chance. But what did the servant do? He turned around and demanded a small debt owed to him be paid immediately, and when his fellow servant couldn't come up with the money right away, he threw him into prison. Jesus was well aware of our tendency to accept his grace and take all the second chances we can get for ourselves but to be very stingy in the way we deal with others. Twila Paris used to sing a song that says “He’ll never give up on you, and neither will I, neither will I.” She reaffirms even though her friend had failed again, she was not going to stop believing and hoping she will accept God’s second chance for her. Who have you given up on? Is there someone you’ve been tough on, when God wants you to give them a second chance and simply return some of the grace he has extended to you? In this parable of the unmerciful servant found in Matthew 18, Jesus teaches us if we aren’t willing to give others a second chance and be merciful to them as he has been to us, then he will withdraw from us the grace and second chance we so desire and need. Being merciful means you forgive someone a debt they truly owe. They deserve to pay the debt, but you let them off the hook. Have you done that lately, or have you been sticking it to someone, judging them for their failures and refusing to let them up off the floor? If you and I want to know God’s blessing in our lives, we must give others a second chance. I hope you’ll live in the glory of the truth that we have a God of Second Chances, because if you don’t need a second chance right now, you will soon. And I trust you’ll be willing to give others that same second chance. Remember, love suffers long; it keeps no records of the wrong done to it; love always hopes and always gives second chances.

Have you read the book of Hosea lately? God gave me a second chance after I went my own way for far too many years, and now he allows me the joy of serving in this ministry. Hosea is a picture of second chances. God told him to marry an unfaithful wife and to keep giving her opportunities to return. Through that story, God showed how he would continue giving Israel chances to receive their Messiah. If you want to see second chances in action, read Hosea. Think of Abraham. More than once, his faith failed, and he lied about Sarah to protect himself. Yet God reaffirmed his covenant with him. Jacob deceived his father and stole Esau's blessing. Yet God redeemed Jacob, and the covenant continued through him. David committed adultery and arranged a murder. Yet through his line came Jesus Christ. God gave him a second chance. And the list goes on—right up to us. Every one of us has failed in some way. If we didn't have a God of second chances, we would all be lost. Maybe you've asked forgiveness for the same sin again and wonder if he will forgive you one more time. He will. He knows our frame; he remembers we are dust. That doesn't mean there are no consequences. Sin has aftermath. But God removes our guilt and allows us to begin again with a clean slate. We should never take sin lightly, but it is a comfort to know our God does not give up on us. Trust him today for the second chance you need.

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Peter. Do you know why? Because despite messing up—several key times in his life—he made a wonderful comeback. And God used him mightily. Peter reminds me that we serve the God of second chances. Maybe you need a second chance, but you might be thinking it's too late. Maybe you've made one mistake too many. Maybe you feel like God is fed up with you and has quietly put you on the shelf. Well, think of Peter. Peter was always making big promises. “I'll follow You anywhere.” “I'll never forsake You.” “I'll never deny You.” “I'll even die for You.” But look at his failures. Jesus actually rebuked him and said, Get behind me, Satan (Matthew 16:23), when Peter gave him completely wrong advice. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter started talking about building memorials—and God interrupted from heaven, basically saying, “Peter, be quiet and listen to my Son.” He stepped out of the boat to walk on water—and sank. He slept when he should have been praying—even on the night of Jesus' betrayal. And worst of all, he denied his Lord three times. When Jesus was on trial, Peter should have stood up and been counted. Instead, he caved. He turned away. He fled. Why would Jesus choose Peter? Because Jesus doesn't look for perfection. He looks for hearts he can restore. That brash, impulsive, big-talking fisherman became one of the greatest spokesmen for Christ and the early church. After the resurrection, Jesus didn't discard Peter—he restored him. He recommissioned him. He gave him another chance. Maybe you've been talking the talk but not walking the walk. Maybe you feel like you blew your testimony at work, at home, or with your friends. Listen carefully: You cannot mess up so badly that God cannot salvage you. Don't underestimate the power of the God of second chances. Remember Peter. And ask God to do for you what he did for him. He's the same God. He hasn't changed. And he loves you just as much as he loved Peter. Get up. Turn back. And go for it.

Have you ever felt like you've made a mess of your life? If you're carrying regret, I hope you'll lean in—because this is for you. Do you remember Rahab? She's often referred to as “Rahab the harlot.” But that's not how God finished her story. He rescued her out of that life and gave her faith and a future. We aren’t told too many details of her early life, but we know she lived a life of sin for many years. But through a series of events, she bargained for her life with the two spies from the people of God, hid them in her home in exchange for protection for her family, and survived the slaughter and destruction of her country. Yes, she had a sinful past. Yes, she made choices she couldn't undo. But when she trusted the God of Israel, everything changed. She was spared. She married into God's people. She became part of the lineage of Jesus. Her name is even listed in Hebrews 11 among the heroes of faith. What a redemption! Maybe you have a past that still whispers shame. Maybe the enemy keeps replaying old failures in your mind. But if you've asked God to forgive you, that sin is covered. He remembers it no more. The enemy will try to hinder and handicap you because of your past. He hopes to keep you mired in guilt and rotten memories. If you’ve asked God to forgive you, your past is behind you. Let God take the guilt of your past, put it under his precious blood, and set you free to see what he can do with you. It’s never too late, and nothing is too hard for the Lord. Your past does not get the final word. God does. And he is still the God of second chances.

For many years now God has given me the unbelievable opportunity to encourage you to believe that God’s Word is relevant to every need of your life. Quite frankly, no one is more surprised than I am to discover God could or would allow me this privilege of starting this ministry. I really blew it big time. After being raised in a wonderful Christian home and accepting Jesus into my life at an early age, after a Christian education and good churches all my life, after much Bible teaching and knowledge, I chose to put God on the back seat of my life and do my own thing, as we say. And for ten long years I walked away from my commitment to the Lord and lived a life that brought no glory to God and damaged my testimony for Jesus. It should remind you we serve the God of second chances. Sometimes I think maybe one major reason God has chosen to bless me with this ministry is to demonstrate his graciousness and second-chance nature. I am living proof that even though I strayed from the narrow road, he has miraculously salvaged me. I want to encourage you to know you serve the God of second chances. The Bible gives many stories of people who, like me, needed a second chance and God gave it to them. We’ll take a look at these people who blew it badly. I believe it will teach us anew never to underestimate the power of the God we serve, never underestimate what he is able to do with any mess we make, and never to give up on anyone else. No one is beyond the power of God's grace. What is difficult for our minds to grasp is God chooses to use the lowly and weak things of this world, and when we are weak, then we are strong. Our world system teaches us survival of the fittest—only the strongest and the best make it to the top, only the most qualified can truly succeed. But God’s system is just the opposite. When we give up on ourselves and admit we’ve blown it, we are then in a position to allow God to move in and do something wonderful with our lives.

We will always struggle to keep God as the center of our worship and satisfaction. Just like the verse in Come Thou Fount says, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love,” I definitely feel that pull. Even as a redeemed child of God, I struggle with my sin nature and will continue to fail and need to repent. While you and I will not be perfect in this life, we can make progress. That's what I'd like to focus on today. How can you and I as Christians seeking to love God with all our hearts, souls, and strength avoid common traps that lead to idolatry? While there are many great ways to do this, I'd like to share three practical tips to fight idolatry that have been extremely helpful in my own walk with the Lord. The first is to develop the habit of spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines are practices we do because they aid us in our relationship with God. The two most powerful spiritual disciplines are prayer and Bible reading. I can't even begin to describe how important these practices have been in my life. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Surely the pattern of this world includes idolatry. Don't you constantly hear messages that call you to put our hope in something other than God? But when I come to his Word on a regular basis, my mind is renewed. I see that thing, whatever it is, I have been placing my trust in is empty and will fail every time. I read about God's character—how he is steadfast, and sustains his people, how his love never fails, and he is powerful. As I pray and confess my need for him and praise him for his character, my mind is renewed and I am less likely to fall into the trap of looking to worthless things to satisfy me. What would it look like for you to prioritize prayer and Bible reading as a regular part of life to orient your mind and affections toward the Lord? The next tip for fighting against idolatry is similar and takes the practice of Bible reading a step further. I have found it very helpful to spend time meditating on God's character. Now the word meditate in our current setting can often mean emptying or clearing your mind and just being present in the here and now. However, Biblical meditation is very different. It is not clearing the mind but actively setting the mind on truth and choosing to focus on that truth and mull it over—to steep in it and consider it from all angles. Remember, even though you and I know idolatry proves fruitless, the pull and want of certain things is extremely powerful, sometimes ridiculously powerful. If you are struggling with a disordered love, something you feel you have to have or hold so dear that it has taken God's place in your heart, if that's you, I would commend you to meditate on God's attributes. As you read your Bible, take time to stop and ask yourself, what is this teaching me about God? What does this show me of his character? And then stop and ponder it. Maybe keep a notebook where you list what you learn about God from scripture. Pray about it. Talk with God about his character. Praise him, thank him, draw near to him. When was the last time you sat and marveled at who God is? It is so difficult to do in a world that is constantly rushing to the next thing! Meditation takes discipline and practice, and I need to cultivate that in my life more as well because it is so worthwhile. A passage that might be helpful to start meditating on is Isaiah 46. That passage provides a wonderful contrast between false gods that vie for our hearts and the one true God. Listen to how verses 1-2 describe idols. Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity (Isaiah 46:1-2). The idols of the world are a burden for the weary. The text paints a picture of someone stooping low because they are so weighed down by their idols. Idols burden the worshippers have no power to unburden but instead lead to captivity. However, the one true God could not be more different. Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared (Isaiah 46:3-5)? Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me (Isaiah 46:9). In contrast to idols, the God of the Bible is described as someone who upholds his people, who carries them in love; he bears their burdens. He sustains his people and rescues them. He brings his righteousness and salvation near to us. As I ponder the goodness of a God who not only sees my need but is powerful and willing to help me, I am less likely to run after hollow substitutes. Meditation on God's character will also fortify your heart. We grow in the habits of prayer, Bible reading, and meditation, but I also think it is important to consider the relationship between idolatry and discontentment. Really, they are very similar. Idolatry is a lack of contentment in the Lord. It is saying, “Lord, I see you, but I want more. I need something else to satisfy me. You are not enough for my soul.” If idolatry springs from discontentment in the Lord, wouldn't it make sense to be active in cultivating contentment in order to guard our hearts? In Philippians 4:13, we find the beautiful and popular verse I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Sadly, this verse is often misunderstood to mean that whatever I want to do, I am able to do because Christ will help me. But that is not what this verse is saying. We can see the true meaning by looking at the context of the verse. What is Paul talking about? He is talking about contentment. He has just said he learned the secret of being content no matter what the circumstances, and it is that he can do all things through Christ. In this context we could even say the verse is revealing that the Christian can bear all things or endure anything through Christ. That means whether my bank account is full or I'm broke, if I have Christ, I am secure. Whether I have a beautiful family or lose everyone I love, if I have Christ, I am rooted in a love that is sure and unshakable. Whether life is easy and comfortable and I experience the riches of God's blessing or every day is painful and suffering seems to come in waves, if I am in Christ, the God of all comfort will minister to my soul and use all things for my ultimate good. Are you content in Christ? Can you truly say, Jesus is enough? Can you declare, his grace is sufficient for all your needs? It is normal if there are times when faith comes easier and when it is hard. Jesus was tempted as we are and knows the pull of our hearts away from the Father. But as you seek to grow in contentment, as you meditate on the character of God, as you take time to be in his word and pray, the Lord will meet you and draw your heart to himself. The words from the song Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus have proved so true in my life and I pray they will in yours too. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” May it be so. Amen.

Presented by Jenn Miller What do you do when you find idolatry in your heart? I think one of the dangers of spending time analyzing a certain sin is it can sometimes leave us with a lot of understanding and conviction of the sin without help to know how to change. I hope you will see the great mercy and grace available through Jesus to all who are caught in idolatry. God cares greatly about the hearts of his people because he knows that what is best for us is to worship him—that is what we were created to do. He is worthy of your praise and jealous for your worship. God reveals areas in your heart that have idolized something above him not to condemn you but to give you the opportunity to repent. Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23)! If you see idolatry in your heart, know it doesn't change God's great love for you. His compassion toward you is still as real today as ever. His mercy and faithfulness are great. So come to God in prayer and confess whatever it is you have looked to for security, comfort, hope, or satisfaction instead of him. Ask the Lord to give you eyes to see his beauty and worth and to draw your heart to love him above all else. God blesses the poor in spirit—those who recognize their need for him and depend on him to rescue them in sin. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, forgiveness is available to all who confess their sin and trust in Jesus as their savior. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Won't you come today and lay down your idols for something so much greater? For Jesus Christ himself. If you recognize idols in your heart, know that through Jesus, you are not condemned but invited to repent.

Presented by Jenn Miller Is it really that big of a deal if I have little idols in my heart? Since we are naturally sinful and are prone wander, why does God care so much about idolatry? These questions are good to think through. Even though idolatry is common in the human heart, the Bible says it is extremely dangerous. In Exodus 20, God commanded his people to have no other god before him. Before giving this command, he described his relationship with the people. He was their God and they were his people. He rescued them and called them into special relationship. Therefore, he cared for them and was rightly jealous when their hearts wandered from him. God cares about you today as well. If you have turned from your sin and trusted in Jesus as your savior, God has chosen you to be his child, and he cares about your relationship with him. He has designed you so you are most satisfied and whole when you worship him alone. Any other worship robs you of true joy and will eventually leave you empty, hollow, and lost. Psalm 115 describes idols as having mouths but unable to speak, having eyes but not seeing, having ears but not hearing. They are incapable of action or service to the worshipper. But then verse 8 says something striking. Those who make them will become like them, and so will all who trust in them (Psalm 115:8). As my heart runs after substitutes for God himself, I actually become less. Idols rob us. This is because idols are the tools of Satan to lure our hearts. Remember Jesus' words in John 10 where he warns us that the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. This is the work of idols. But Jesus has come so we might have life to the full. If you recognize idols in your heart, know that through Jesus, you are not condemned but invited to repent.

Presented by Jenn Miller We've been examining how easily idolatry can slip into our hearts. We looked at how idols keep us from loving the Lord completely—with all our heart, soul, and strength. It can be easier to spot an idol of the heart when it is clearly a sinful behavior or desire. But sometimes we even twist God's good gifts into idols. Numbers 21 is an example of this. It describes a time when the Israelites were in the wilderness and were being bit by venomous snakes. God graciously gives Moses the provision of a rod with a serpent for the people to look at and be healed. But then years later, in 2 Kings 18:4, we find the Israelites burning incense and worshiping the rod with the serpent around it. Do you see what is happening? The people received God's good gift, but then they worshipped the gift instead of the giver. Isn't that so easy to fall into? Augustine taught about “disordered loves”—things that are not bad in and of themselves, but their place in our hearts has become disordered. Anything you desire more than God himself is a disordered love. The good gifts of a spouse, job, beautiful home, health, children, honorable reputation, wealth, or earthly comforts can take too great a priority in our hearts if you and I are not careful. We should receive all of God's gifts with gratitude and joy, but we must hold them loosely and always prize God himself over and above anything else. I pray God will help us properly love all his good gifts in the right order.

Presented by Jenn Miller Idolatry is when we turn to anything besides God for our fulfilment, security, hope, or comfort. John Calvin once gave a great image of the human heart. He called it an idol making factory. Just picture that. In other words, idolatry comes so naturally to us because of our sin nature. And we are blind to idols of our heart. How can you and I identify areas of idolatry so we can turn away from them? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Anything that prevents my heart from loving God completely is an idol. I have found the following questions helpful when seeking to identify idols in my life. First, is there anything you love so much, if you were to lose it, life would just be over for you or you don't think you could go on? If your answer is yes, that thing has probably become an idol for you. Is there something you want so much you are willing to sin to get it? Or do you respond sinfully when you don't get something you want? Those are marks of idolatry. These questions can be hard to ask, but they are helpful in revealing things that have crept into my heart to take the Lord's rightful place. When you love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, you can face any loss because your hope is found only in the Lord. You long to please him above anything else. Sinful behaviors or desires can be idols, but even good things can become idols.

Presented by Jenn Miller We are examining idolatry. Often when I hear that word, I can think of an image or a statue that is worshipped. That definitely falls into the category of idolatry, and most of the examples of idolatry in the Bible are from that category. However, idolatry in our Western contemporary setting can look different. I think it is helpful to look at the 10 commandments to better understand this. In Exodus 20, the Israelites have been delivered from slavery in Egypt and now are entering a covenant as the special and loved people of God. But they didn't know what this looked like, so God gave his people his law. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2-3). Interestingly, before God gives any commands to his people, he reminds them of his love, provision, and the relationship he has with them. And because of that relationship, the very first command he gives is for them to have no other gods. The second command is to have no graven images, but first and foremost God requires his people keep him as their only God. I think this is helpful for you and me as we think about idolatry. Idolatry is when you turn to anything besides God for your fulfilment, security, hope, or comfort. We look to other things as a “god substitute.” If you are like me, it is so easy to fall into this. I can trust God in most areas but then realize I am actually putting my hope in my financial stability for security, or a person for fulfillment, or a standard of living for comfort. Are there any god substitutes in your life today?

It's not a stretch to say lots of people have allowed their smartphones to become addictions, and often far too much time is spent looking at, scrolling through, texting, and otherwise being occupied with those smartphones. When was the last time you left home without your phone? Our phones have become an absolute necessity, a near-constant attachment in our lives. Anywhere you go—in line for coffee, sitting in a waiting room, stopped at a red light, walking on the street—near everyone is looking down at their phones. But can you really call that an idol? After all, these smartphones are handy, and they can be great time-savers. But at some point this helpful tool can and often does have us at its mercy. We don't control it; it controls us. And for Christ-followers we need to understand the enemy of our soul will use anything he can to cause us to pay attention to and spend time with anything other than the Lord. For Christians, idolatry is anything that causes such a strong attachment in our lives—such as a strong habit—that without realizing it, we become addicted. In the case of phones, it's not that we're addicted to it but to the attention it demands of us—the attention that we choose to give it. Our smartphones demand so much of our attention, we may allow it to become not just a useful tool, but a demanding and controlling habit of devotion, and that can start to interfere with our devotion to Jesus Christ. I read once that people do not drift toward holiness. Our sinful natures, combined with the sneaky attacks from our enemy, can easily push us away from the Lord, and without intending to, we find ourselves devoted to something or someone more than to our Lord. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? The warning of scripture is that unless we seek the Lord regularly—daily—for help, then we are opening ourselves to idolatries of the heart and mind. When you think about it, what we pay attention to determines what we think about, and that begins to take over the focus of our lives. Something as small as a smartphone can cause us to think more and give more attention to anything other than things of God. These aren't necessarily bad things, but distractions that take up our time and thoughts. If you pay little attention to the important relationships of your life they will suffer. Being attentive to a person—listening, caring, conversing with them—is how we build strong relationships. As we spend more and more time on our phones, doesn't this interfere with our relationships and create barriers and hindrances to healthy relationships? And the same is true with our relationship with God. If we don't spend time with him and give attention to his Word, to prayer, to fellowship, that can lead to a decline in our devotion to God and to obedience to his Word. We love what we give attention to. I doubt there has ever been any one single development that has grabbed humans worldwide like the smartphone has. I mean, how many apps do you have on your phone? And what is their purpose? To seize your time and attention. To cause you to want something you don't have. To allow wrong worldviews and wrong information to fill up your mind. Who could ever have predicted the impact smartphones are having on people everywhere. I read an article that said, “If an idol is anything that takes our attention and love away from the one true God, then the mass-produced, internet-connected devices in our hands are among the most insidious idols history has known.”[1] As believers, should we just get rid of our smartphones? Is that the answer to its control over us. Well, let's see what Jesus said, and yes, he had something to say about smartphones. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (Matthew 5:29 – 30). Did Jesus mean to literally gouge out our eye or cut off our hand? No, but he uses very strong words here to show we should take whatever drastic action might be necessary for us to break the sins that bind us, the things that are taking our attention away from the Lord and causing us to stumble. If our phones have become a stumbling block in our lives spiritually, we need to do whatever is necessary to take down that idol. In Exodus 34:14, we read: Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Of course, this is not jealousy the way we tend to think of it today. God simply demands exclusive love and devotion from us as his children. When we worship anything else, when anything becomes more important than God, it is an idol in our lives. This is spiritual adultery. God's jealousy is holy, different from our petty human jealousy, because he desires the best for us and knows that idols will rob us of his peace and joy and our fellowship with him. If our smartphones—or anything or anyone else—begin to take our mind off things of the Lord, take time away from reading the Bible, keep us from praying like we should, God is jealous of those things because he knows we're going in the wrong direction. I doubt many Christians have ever thought about their phones as potential idols. So, how can we recognize signs that our phones have become an idol? Well, it begins with an honest assessment of how addicted you might be to your phone. Does it continually interfere with family time? Do you spend as much time with your children as you do on your phone? If you can't find your phone, take a moment to notice how upset you are in the moment. Pay attention to how much stress your phone brings into your life. Count the number of times you pick up it for no good or immediate reason—just because you haven't looked at it in the last few minutes. My guess is if I asked most believers if their phone has become an idol, they would insist that it has not. They would tell me how much they need it for business, for important communications, for safety even. But an honest assessment—paying attention to how you use the phone, how emotionally connected you are to it, how it demands your time—might reveal much more of an addition than you realized. Taking an honest assessment requires that we really want to know about anything handicapping our spiritual growth; anything that has become obsessive or addictive. It begins with an attitude of submission to God in all things and a desire to please him. If you find yourself rebelling against the idea that you could have a phone idol or any other kind of idol in your life or if you are immediately defensive about it, that might reveal that you just don't want to deal with it. I can tell you from my own life there have been and still probably are some small areas where I just don't want to face the music. I don't want to change, for whatever reason. When your defenses go up, and you refuse to look at the control the smartphone may have in your life, this is tell-tale sign you've allowed it to become an idol. Next, pray about it; ask God to show you how he feels about the time you spend and the way you use your smartphones. If there's a problem, the Holy Spirit is faithful to convict us, and I think we all can recognize that convicting, uneasy spirit in our hearts. God never deals with us in guilt, but he certainly convicts us of things in our lives that don't please him. If we don't confess and forsake them, then it turns to guilt, shame, and miserableness! Do yourself a favor: confess your phone idolatry as a sin and tell God you want to change. Then tell somebody what you've done; make yourself accountable to someone you can trust. And keep praying about it every day. In 1 John 5:21, we read: Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. You can't be much clearer than that. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves from idols. When we don't, we're living in disobedience. That means you will need to take some intentional steps toward changing your relationship with your smartphone, if indeed it has become an idol by taking your time and attention away from God and other more important matters. Here are some suggestions about changing your habits and fighting phone idolatry. Use your phone only at certain times of the day for designated purposes. There's no question it can be an effective tool for getting information, communicating clearly, and saving time in many ways. Use it for the good it offers and then work toward having some phone-free time every day—not just a couple of minutes but hours. I promise you, the world will not stop revolving. Your company or organization will survive; those friends or family who are trying to reach you can wait a bit. Screen-free times need to be put in place and make them known to those who need to know. Let me strongly encourage you not to pick your phone up first thing in the morning. Wait until you've had time to pray and read God's Word. Make that the first thing you do, rather than looking at your phone. And this may sound weird, but I suggest you don't read your Bible from your phone—not for that morning time with Jesus. Hold a Bible in your hands; highlight what speaks to you, make notes in the margins, write in a journal. It's nice to have the Bible on your phone when a Bible is not near later in the day, but I strongly urge you to put God's Word in your hands first thing in your day. That will be hard for some people, but I really believe it will make a difference. Your day is won or lost in the morning hours; start your day off right. Let your phone sit unanswered for the first hours of your day. Let me close this discussion by reminding you that spending time with God is sweeter and better than anything you'll get from your phone. The love of God is better than any other love, and you need to continually remind yourself just how much God loves you. Spend time doing that, meditating on God's goodness to you, thanking him for all your many blessings, and casting your cares on him, because he cares for you. Make your phone your servant, not your idol. Use it for good and refuse to let it steal your joy and your peace. — [1] McCracken, B. (2025, December 11). How to Fight Your Phone Idolatry. The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/fight-phone-idolatry/

Has your dream or your project run into some rough patches lately? I can promise you pursuing your vision and your passion will always have times of setback and discouragement, and you will want to give up. When we experience this, we must resist this urge: Resist the urge to quit just because it's getting wicked hard to do something. I don't care how motivated you are or how passionately you are pursing something, there will come a day when you will want to quit. In the forty plus years I've been broadcasting this program, I've had those urges to run away. I think that's what David was feeling when he wrote, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” It's that common urge to just walk away. It's hard; it's not fun anymore; we're running into opposition; people are criticizing us; others are not doing what they promised to do. These things start piling up and we get the urge to quit because it's really hard. I remember a meeting in which we discussed a new project we had started and the criticism that came as a result, and it was especially hard on the one person who had planned and led the project. She had been treated unfairly and harshly by her fellow-believers. It's hard to believe, but it happens! And after all her hard work, this was really discouraging. But I reminded her that we were breaking new ground and following God's leading. I encouraged her not to even think of giving up now, and she didn't! She did the hard stuff. God was in it, and we had to stick it out through the hard times. The Apostle Paul had to resist this urge to quit in hard times probably more than anyone else ever has. And he wrote to the Galatians. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). Let's covenant with God that we will resist the urge to quit just because it's not easy!

Do you live by a to-do list, as I do? Isn't it true that everyone is busy these days? When was the last time someone said, “I don't have enough to do!”? It's far more likely to hear people talk about how much they have to do and how far behind they are. Given our very busy lives, here's an urge we need to resist: Resist the urge to do shoddy, careless work just to get it done! It feels good to check off those duties on your list and sigh that sigh of relief because you got something done! I love it when I can look back on my day and say, “Way to go, Mary; you got lots of stuff done today.” But sometimes I find I so want to get things off my list I can resort to doing a half-way job just to get it done. A simple motto I often repeat to myself is “Do it right and do it now.” Doing something right the first time eliminates mistakes and having to go back and re-do it later. In the long run it is a time saver to do it right from the get-go. And of course, doing it now eliminates that horrible habit of procrastination. I think this urge to get things done is especially strong when we face something we don't really want to do—one of those jobs we'd gladly give up if we could. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). This should be a hallmark in the life of every Christ-follower—that we do our work with all our might. Do you have that kind of reputation where you work? You may not be the fastest or the smartest person on the job, but you can always be the hardest worker, the one who truly strives to do the job well, even the parts of the job which are not much fun! Shoddy work done without attention to details is one of those urges we all need to resist—no matter how busy we are or how much we may not want to get a job done.

Are you a competitive person? I have to confess I am very competitive; I'm a very poor loser. You probably wouldn't want to play Monopoly or Scrabble with me. Now, being competitive can have its positive effects. It causes you to really work hard to win. But it also has very negative effects. I'm examining urges we need to resist, and here is another one: Resist the urge to try to be better than everyone else—to always win. We can't all be good at doing everything, no matter how hard we try. And when we compare ourselves to others out of jealousy or competitiveness, it is a clear indication that something is wrong with our motivation. If I want to do something good or great just to prove I can do it better than anyone else, then it's obvious I need to confess the sin of envy and pride and ask God to purify my heart. This has always been a difficult lesson for me to learn, and I must admit it is one I must continually re-learn. There are tons of people who can do things much better than I do them. That's just a fact of life. Now that doesn't excuse me for being sloppy or not doing the most with what I have. But it also doesn't mean what I do is worthless simply because it's not as good as what someone else does. I've been privileged and gifted by God to teach and admonish people. That's my gift, and I love it. But it has taken me far too long to get to the place where I can hear other speakers and teachers whose skills and gifts are superior to mine and simply learn from them and thank God for their gifts. God doesn't compare you with anyone else. However, he does fully expect you to take what he has given you and improve it. That's what the parable of the talents is all about. It doesn't matter what you start with; it matters what you do with what you've been given. Paul wrote to young Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God which is in you.” That's a prayer I often pray—that I will be a good steward of my gifts and opportunities, but the good news is, I don't have to be better than anyone else. Take it from me—that is an urge to resist.

Can you think back on some things you've done with very good intentions, which turned out to be somewhat disastrous? Here's one of those common urges: Resist the urge to wait for everything to be perfect before you take action. I have examined resisting the urge to launch into something based solely on your emotions. This is the flip side of that urge—and that is the idea that we can't possibly make a move or get anything going until all our ducks are in a row and we have every resource we need to make it happen. Whether it's on your job or in your personal life, seldom will everything fall perfectly in place as you pursue something new or challenging. Sometimes we set up preconditions for moving forward that are either unrealistic or simply an excuse for staying put! I can tell you no matter how much homework you do, no matter how careful your planning process is—and it should be—things will not go exactly according to plan. And most often you have to get going before you have everything you think you need. I remember a few years ago when I was in the midst of guiding a project that needed careful planning. We did tons of planning, including a detailed strategic plan, lots of counsel with wise people, educating ourselves in many ways. But I can tell you God made it clear that we make our plans, but it is him that guides our path. Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). God has ways of showing us his way is perfect, not ours. And we can move forward in whatever we believe he would have us do with confidence that our best plans will no doubt undergo lots of changes along the way. This is how our faith is increased; how we learn to truly trust God, and of course, when we trust him, he is pleased with us. Resist the urge to sit on the sidelines and wait for every “T” to be crossed and every “I” dotted.

Let's examine the five urges we need to resist. An urge, as you know, is a strong desire or impulse. And all-too-often we are victims of our strong desires or impulses—our urges—which take us down the wrong path and cause trouble. We all have them, so I simply want to point out some urges we need to be aware of and by God's grace, resist. Resist the urge to let your emotions and enthusiasm launch you into unwise action. I admit too often this has been my modus operandi. I get a bright idea, an emotional urge, and I think it must be the right thing to do because I feel so strongly about it. And then, without proper thought or consideration or prayer, I plunge headlong into a project that is either unwise or poorly planned. Certainly, we want to be people of action; we don't want to be handicapped by fear of making the wrong move. Walking by faith will take us outside our comfort zones and lead us to attempt things that can only be done with God's help. Following Jesus is never risk-free. But at the same time, the Bible tells us God does things decently and in order, and we need to be cautious not to move too quickly based mainly on how we feel. Someone has said feelings have zero IQ, meaning they may be strong but they're not necessarily smart. Here is one thing I've learned that has helped to curb my tendency to launch into something prematurely, and it's pretty simple: Just sleep on it. It may look like the greatest idea you've ever had today, but a good night's sleep could totally change your perspective. That may mean literally wait until tomorrow, or it may mean keep sleeping on it until you have clearer thoughts and plans. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22). If your plan is of God, it will stand the test of time. Seek counsel from the right people, and of course, mainly seek God's counsel. You can save yourself a lot of trouble and avoid wasted time if you resist the urge to launch into something based solely on your emotions.

Fran works as a project manager for a marketing company, and she is responsible for securing new clients and then managing their projects to completion. We find Fran finishing a conversation with one of her clients. “Yes, Marge, I will do my very best to have that ready by tomorrow. Uh-huh, yes, I understand. Okay, Marge, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Fran hangs up the phone and begins talking to herself, forgetting for a moment that Jesus, of course, hears everything she says or thinks. “I don’t believe that woman. She is going to drive me nuts! Nothing we do is good enough for her. She makes last minute changes and then expects me to work miracles. And she is so rude. I really can’t stand her!” Quietly she can sense the Spirit of God whispering to her: “Did you ever think that I love her as much as I love you?” The thought startles her. “Well, yeah sure I knew that,” she thinks out loud. “You love everybody, Lord. But she’s a really nasty, demanding person. I’m sorry; I just don’t like her.” As these thoughts continue, her mind goes back to a recent sermon she heard. Her pastor said there were people Jesus didn't like, but he loved everybody. He said you don't have to like everybody, but our commandment is to show God's love to everybody. “I thought you have to like someone, then you can love them,” Fran says to herself, “but I guess that's not the way it is with God. The problem is, I just don't know how to do it. There’s just no way I can love Marge. She’s obnoxious!” “Do you want to love her?” again that quiet voice of Jesus catches her up short. “Do I really want to love her? Tell you the truth—not really,” Fran admits. “I guess that’s my problem, isn’t it, Lord? But how can I even want to love someone like her?” Fran exclaims. As she sits and thinks about that, Jesus says to her, “You can want to love her simply because you want to please me. I can help you love her. Why don't you begin by praying for Marge every day?” “Pray for Marge every day?” Fran repeats. “Really—will that make a difference?” Jesus says, “It will make a difference in you, and that's what is important.” Fran determines to pray for Marge as Jesus has challenged her. Now she begins to do the work she promised Marge tomorrow, working diligently to get it perfect, because Marge is very demanding. The next morning Fran is driving to work and praying for a lot of people, as she often does, and Marge comes to mind. “I’d like to pray that lightning will strike her,” Fran says with a grin, knowing she halfway means it. But she attempts to pray for her, “Dear Lord, please help Marge to see how obnoxious she is and change the way she treats me.” Her prayer bounces off the car ceiling; she knows it’s the wrong prayer. “Pray that Marge will change?” Jesus says to her. “That's not exactly how you should pray for her, Fran.” “But Lord, she should change. Her behavior is awful,” Fran defends herself. Her spirit is uneasy. Somehow, she has to get beyond this selfish kind of praying, even though Marge is difficult. She can't change Marge; she can only change herself. “Well, what should I pray?” Fran finally asks. And then she thinks of something she heard on the radio—praying she could see Marge the way God sees her. Praying for a new frame for Marge, a new way to see her, by putting her in a different frame. “Put her in a different frame,” Fran thinks. “I guess I can do that, but she really is obnoxious.” As she drives along, she thinks about that further. “I guess I've had her in the obnoxious frame too long. Maybe I should pray for a new frame for Marge—a new way to look at her.” Even though she feels a little foolish and not totally sincere, in obedience Fran starts her prayer again: “Dear Lord, please help me to see Marge the way you do. And please give me a new frame to put her in. There’s got to be something good about her, Lord. Please show me what that is.” As she arrives at work, she is under a great deal of pressure to get this job completed for Marge, as she promised yesterday. There’s no time for lunch, so she stops at the vending machine for some crackers to munch on at her desk. When she returns there is a voice mail message from Marge, demanding an immediate call back. “Even her telephone messages are intimidating,” Fran says, and she dreads having to call her back. But she starts to make the call. “Pray first,” Jesus quietly says to Fran. She puts down the phone and prays briefly, “Please give me a kind heart toward Marge. Please, Lord, help me to see her as you do, and please give me a new frame to put her in!” With that short prayer, she returns the call. An abrupt telephone greeting tells Fran she’s reached her. “Hi, Marge, sorry I missed your call but everything’s coming along pretty good. We ought to be able to have this ready for you by 4:00 or so this afternoon if nothing unforeseen happens,” Fran explains, trying to sound cheerful and confident. “You mean, you can’t have it before 4:00? What’s taking so long for such a simple report? You people drag your feet over there so you can bill more hours! I could have done it myself by now,” Marge yells back at Fran, and Fran’s heart starts beating a mile a minute. “Remember, you asked for a new frame for Marge,” Jesus reminds her. “She’s still obnoxious,” Fran thinks to herself. “I can’t see any other frame for her.” Jesus says to her, “Fran, anyone this angry has to be frightened.” “Frightened? Marge? What would frighten her?” Fran thinks. “Maybe I should find out.” Fran hears herself saying, “Marge, sounds like things are pretty hot over there; you must be under some tremendous pressure.” “Fran, you don’t know the half of it! They’re trying to take my job away from me and give it to some young chic—save them a ton of money, I guess. They’re just looking for one excuse, and I’m out of here. Yeah, it’s hot over here.” Marge pauses realizing she’s said much more than she intended to. “But that’s neither here nor there. I expect to hear from you no later than 4:00.” And with that the conversation ends. Fran now has a new frame for Marge: Frightened. She works frantically to complete the job on time, and a little after 3:30 she has it done. “Whew, we made it, Lord,” Fran says to Jesus, as she calls Marge. The same abrupt greeting comes as Marge answers the phone, and Fran tells her she has the report ready to email to her. “How many pages is it?” Marge asks. “It’s about 12 pages,” Fran replies. “Took you all this time to do 12 pages?” Marge replies with sarcasm. Everything in Fran wants to strike back at Marge. She killed herself to get this report ready, and Marge can’t even say thank you. She opens her mouth to voice some of her frustration, but she hears Jesus say, “Remember Marge’s new frame: Frightened.” And suddenly Fran can see Marge in this new frame, with fear all over her face. Instead of venting her anger, Fran says, “I agree, Marge, as hard as I’ve worked seems to me like it ought to be about 100 pages. But I wanted to make sure there were no errors and that everything was laid out very clearly. If you have to present this to your management, you don’t need a silly error making you look bad, I figured.” The phone is quiet for a few seconds, and finally Marge says, in a quieter manner, “Well, that’s true. At least you kept your promise and got it to me by 4:00. Send it to me right away, and uh, thanks, Fran,” and with that she abruptly hangs up. “Thanks, Fran! Did you hear that, Lord? She has never before thanked me for anything,” Fran says in amazement as she hangs up the phone. “I guess new frames can help—even with difficult people!” Fran thinks about that conversation. “I didn't say anything to her about being frightened, but I guess the fact that I saw her as frightened rather than obnoxious changed the way I responded to her, and that changed the way she responded to me. Interesting; very interesting,” she thinks with a grin. The next day starts nicely for Fran, thinking she put the latest fire out with Marge, and now it’s back to her normal routine. But about 11:00 Marge calls again and with the same obnoxious tone of voice she says, “Did you really think that report was a finished product, Fran? When I presented it this morning, they asked me a ton of questions I couldn’t answer. It was a half-way job,” and with some further unkind and unrepeatable words, Marge tore Fran’s work apart. Fran’s heart sank like a rock; she knew she had given Marge exactly what she asked for, but now Marge was blaming her for her own omissions and mistakes. Yet how could she defend herself to Marge. She starts to say something, but Jesus reminds her, “Keep your words as few as possible right now.” Often Jesus has taught her when she’s upset, the best thing to do is keep her mouth shut! She mostly listens to Marge who gives her an addendum to the assignment and demands it be ready this afternoon. After she hangs up, Fran says to Jesus, “Lord, I thought we had this problem solved yesterday. I thought Marge was changing the way she treats me. She’s back to obnoxious again.” Jesus reminds her again: “Put her back in the frightened frame, Fran. She is more frightened now than ever. And like a cat caught in the corner, she’s striking out at anyone she can. Obviously, she knows you can’t strike back because she’s a customer.” After some quiet thought, Fran realizes this problem is not going to be solved easily. Marge may never change her ways. But Fran can be victorious in this situation as long as she keeps re-framing Marge and seeing her the way God does. That won’t be easy, but it will be a lot easier than getting upset and angry every time she has to deal with Marge. “Thank goodness I’ve got you, Lord,” Fran says. “I’d never be able to handle Marge without you.” Who is it in your life right now you simply do not like? They may be very unlikable people, but you can learn to see them through God’s eyes and ask God to help you re-frame them and see something positive about them or see behind their behavior so you can understand them better. Why don’t you stop where you are right now and pray for that person? It will start to make a real difference in how you relate to him or her.

Presented by Julie Busteed I've been reflecting on some of Jesus' sayings—his proverbs—and I've noticed how often they return to the posture of the heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). That raises an important question: what does it mean to have a pure heart? We often assume a pure heart means doing everything right—appearing polished and put together on the outside. But that kind of purity is rooted in our own striving, and it doesn't work. It doesn't last. It isn't sustainable. Scripture tells us the truth about our condition: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). Have you ever surprised yourself with your own reaction—something you said, thought, or felt—and wondered, where did that come from? It wasn't how you wanted to respond, yet it was real. The human heart is complex, deceptive, and difficult to understand. But when our hearts are turned toward purity, this posture gives the Holy Spirit room to work in us and through us. What difference does a pure heart make in the workplace? It shows up in genuine joy when a coworker receives a promotion or praise. It looks like helping others even when it doesn't advance your own position. It means refusing to gossip, choosing authenticity, and living with integrity when no one is watching. The right heart begins with humility. Scripture often speaks of a broken or crushed heart as a picture of humility. This kind of brokenness is essential, because a hard or stony heart will not submit to God's will. We pray with the psalmist, create in me a clean heart, O God (Psalm 51:10). Jesus promises it is the pure in heart who will see God. And when we invite Christ to dwell in our hearts, everything changes. This is why Paul's prayer for the Ephesians is such a powerful one to pray: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16–19). Oh, that you and I would know this love—love that surpasses everything else—and be filled with it. Press on. Don't be discouraged. The work God is doing in the heart is often slow and unseen, but it is never wasted.

Presented by Julie Busteed Does this sound familiar? “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” While cleanliness is certainly a good thing, this well-known saying isn't actually in the Bible. But Jesus does speak very clearly about what true cleanliness really is. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them (Matthew 15:11). To defile means to make unclean or impure. In the Old Testament, there were many dietary laws about what was permissible to eat. By the time of the New Testament, the Pharisees had added even more regulations, creating an elaborate and often burdensome system of external rules. In this passage, the Pharisees question Jesus because his disciples are not ceremonially washing their hands before eating. But as he so often does, Jesus goes straight to the heart of the issue. It's not about external rituals. It's about the condition of the heart. What you eat does not make you spiritually unclean. What flows out of your mouth—your words—reveal what is already inside. Words flow from the heart. Jesus explains it this way: Out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them (Matthew 15:19–20). That's sobering. There are many proverbs in Scripture warning us about the power of the tongue. James tells us we must learn to tame it, comparing it to the small rudder of a ship—tiny, yet able to steer the entire vessel. In the same way, our words set the direction of our lives. But the tongue is only the messenger. The source is the heart. Ask yourself: What are you feeding your heart? What are you allowing into your mind and soul? Because whatever fills the heart will eventually overflow into your words and actions. True cleanliness begins on the inside. And that's where Jesus longs to do his transforming work.

Presented by Julie Busteed We've been looking at some of the proverbs Jesus said. Here's another proverb from his Sermon on the Mount. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1–2). Those words make me pause every time. I find it easy to assume I'm not a judgmental person. But when I slow down and examine my thoughts—the quiet commentary running through my mind, the subtle remarks I may make—I realize I'm not as innocent as I'd like to think. And that's when confession and repentance become necessary. Jesus isn't telling us to abandon discernment. We are called to think wisely and evaluate situations carefully. There's a difference between discernment and judgment. Discernment seeks truth. Judgment often seeks to elevate self. You and I are not to judge others to build ourselves up. Every one of us has areas to grow. Every one of us has blind spots. Jesus continues with a vivid picture: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye (Matthew 7:3–5). It's such a striking image—a tiny speck versus a massive plank. And yet, how often do I focus on the speck? For me, it's usually the small, internal judgments—the quiet criticisms that serve no real purpose. They don't help the other person. They don't help me. In fact, they only create unnecessary stress and tension in my own heart. Why am I so concerned about someone else's issue, especially when I may struggle with something similar? Perhaps that's exactly why I notice it so quickly. Sometimes what irritates us most in others reveals something God wants to address in us. Jesus' words invite humility. Before I point out someone else's flaw, I need to allow the Lord to search my own heart. Remove the plank. Do the work of repentance. Ask him to soften my spirit. Pray as King David prayed: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139: 23-24).

Presented by Julie Busteed Do you tend to worry about things in the future that have not even happened yet? I know it's easy for me to fall into that mindset. But Jesus clearly tells us not to go there! Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). This is the final verse in a section where Jesus tells us not to be anxious about our lives—not about what we will eat or what we will wear. And what does worrying accomplish? It doesn't add anything to our lives. In fact, anxiety is harmful. Left unchecked, it creates stress that affects us physically, mentally and emotionally. Now, I'm not talking about the nervousness you might feel before a job interview or a presentation—though we certainly can pray for peace in those moments. I'm talking about chronic anxiety, the kind that takes a toll on your body and mind. Jesus points us to the lilies of the field: And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30 NLT) Why do you and I have so little faith! We serve a great and awesome God, and we can bring any and everything to him in prayer. The Apostle Peter encourages us to cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (I Peter 5:7). Worrying is not only useless but is also evidence of a lack of faith in God. When you feel that anxious thought creep into your thinking, replace it right away with truth from Scripture or with a worship song. Replace it with God's truth. Know that he cares for you and knows your needs; you are worth more to him than anything else.

Presented by Julie Busteed Proverbs aren't found only in the Old Testament—and obviously not just in the book of Proverbs. They're also found in the New Testament. Jesus frequently used parables and proverbs as teaching tools. I want to look at some of the proverbs Jesus taught. A proverb is a short, concise saying that expresses a general truth or piece of wise advice. Many of Jesus' proverbs appear in his most well-known message, the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5–7. Jesus says: For where your treasure is there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). I think you and I generally understand what Jesus is referring to here. What you and I value most is where our thoughts and actions are most prominent and how we spend our time and energy. But let's take a closer look at what he means by “your heart.” Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). Heart refers to the center of one's life. It's from this place a person does all thinking, feeling, and choosing. It's that essential to our life. So, yes, above all else we are to guard it. Guard what we hear, watch, say, and do. What is influencing you most right now? If it's not God's Word, then something else has taken center stage in your life. When Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, he's asking us to consider: What do you truly value? What occupies your time and your thoughts? Who or what are you serving? Your treasure might not be money or material things. It could be a relationship, a career, status, security, health, comfort, politics, food, or even our physical fitness. None of these things are wrong in themselves. The problem comes when these things are overvalued—when they are treasured above a relationship with God. That's where you and I can get into trouble. If your heart treasures God's Word and your relationship with him—if you make time with him a priority—your heart will follow. Sometimes you may not feel like putting in the effort. And sometimes it may not seem immediately fruitful. But don't rely solely on your feelings. When you discipline yourself to spend consistent, quality time with Jesus Christ, your heart will begin to treasure that time. Your affection will grow. And your joy will increase—because his joy will be in you.

You may be familiar with this verse from James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God wants us to be wise, and the good news is, he will grant wisdom to us as we recognize our need for it and go to the source of all wisdom, our God. We also know from Scripture the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We want the wisdom that God imparts, not the world's fake substitute. So, this is the pre-requisite: Do you fear the Lord? Do you know and respect the one true God through a personal relationship with his Son, Jesus?  That's where God's eternal wisdom begins. Assuming you do, here are the questions you need to ask yourself often. I believe these questions will help you avoid lots of trouble, keep you from shooting yourself in the foot, as we say, and greatly increase your effectiveness, regardless of where you are or what you're doing. Question #1: Do you think before you speak? How many times have you said something—jumped quickly to give your opinion or your advice or add your two cents—and as soon as you said it, you wished the ground would just swallow you whole? Proverbs 29:20 puts it so well: “Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” I've often said, “I may not be good but I'm fast,” as though it is a good thing to be fast. Well, maybe it is sometimes, but to speak in haste is almost always a bad idea. Note there can be a difference between doing something with haste and doing something in haste. There are times when we do need to act with haste, quickly, for good reasons. David prays in Psalm 70:1, “Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord, to help me.” We often pray for God to act quickly, right? And then later in Psalm 119:60, the Psalmist says, “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” That's the kind of haste we all need. There's no question we should hasten to obey the Lord with no delay. But speaking in haste is speaking without giving it proper thought; speaking without thinking of how it could be perceived by someone else. It is speaking foolishly. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:18). When you choose your words carefully, thoughtfully, not in haste, you can do so much good. Proverbs 18:21 says: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” So, if you want to be wise, ask yourself, “Do I speak words of life or death? Do I think before I speak?” Question #2: Did you sleep on it? The simple old adage, Sleep on it, can save you lots of trouble. A wise person takes time for decisions, big and small ones, because the choices and decisions we make on a daily basis set the direction of our lives. Think about decisions that you regret. I can easily bring some recent ones to my own mind, and when I look back on decisions that didn't turn out so good, it was always because I simply didn't “sleep on it,” didn't pray enough about it, didn't always seek good counsel. Again, from Proverbs 15:22, we read: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Wise people seek counsel from those they trust. Wise people are able to live with delayed gratification, resisting the impulse to go for the immediate reward, the instant answer. How often do you tell yourself just to sleep on it, talk to somebody you trust, pray lots? I love this verse from Jeremiah 6:16a: “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” When you're at a decision point, especially a fairly significant one, stand at that crossroad, ask for God's path, the good way. That's how you make wise decisions that bring soul rest for you. Question #3: Have you heard both sides? No doubt you've watched some courtroom drama, whether real or in a movie, where the defendant seems totally guilty until the defense gets the chance to present the other side. And what seemed so right before now seems totally wrong. Proverbs 18:17 talks about that: “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.” When someone is telling you their side of some story, before you take sides, before you get into gear to take some action, before you affirm that person, find out the other side. Do your own cross-examination and make sure you have the whole truth and nothing but the truth! There's a story in 2 Samuel chapter nine about King David who was on the run because of his son Absalom’s rebellion. A man named Ziba approached him; he was the servant of Mephibosheth, who was a crippled man who truly loved King David. But Ziba told David that Mephibosheth stayed behind in Jerusalem to reclaim his grandfather Saul’s kingdom—in other words, to take David's place—which was a lie. But David believed him and gave Ziba all of Mephibosheth's possessions. When David and his men finally returned to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth came to meet the king. Then David learned that Mephibosheth stayed in Jerusalem because Ziba, his servant, refused to saddle his donkey which prevented him from going with the king, because he was crippled and couldn't saddle it himself. So, when David discovered the other side of the story, he tried to correct his mistake, but there wasn't much he could do. Just think of the harm that is so often done because someone acted before they knew the whole story.  A wise person asks, “Have I heard both sides?” Question #4: Are you reacting or responding? A reaction is usually very emotional and often is full of feelings of revenge or defensiveness. Someone hurts your feelings and you react by trying to hurt them in some way. Someone treats you unfairly and in anger you ventilate your feelings about that person or even to that person. Those are reactions. A response is a delayed reaction, where you wait until your emotions are under control. Let me give you an example of reacting versus responding. Suppose you have a co-worker and every time she opens her mouth, it seems that bad news comes out. This person never has anything nice to say about anyone or anything, and all day long you are forced to listen to her negative chatter. What does that person do to you? If you’re in react mode, this person makes you angry, irritated, and frustrated. Having to listen to all that negative talk starts to make you think and talk negatively. That’s a reaction. It’s your automatic involuntary behavior, which is caused by that external stimuli—a negative co-worker. However, you can decide to respond instead of react. A response might be a smile when she says something negative to you. Or you may say something positive in response to her negative words. That positive response will help to keep you from being irritated and frustrated, and it will offset her negative input by your positive one, which will keep you from getting negative like your co-worker. Another response to this negative co-worker might be that you simply remove yourself from her company when you can, to avoid being exposed to her negativity. Or perhaps just develop a technique of quietly changing the subject! Now, you can see a response takes some self-control and discipline on your part. First, you have to be aware of the fact you have a tendency to react poorly in this circumstance, and then you must have an alternate strategy to tell you how to respond, so that you aren’t reacting. Question #5: Are you judging a book by its cover? We all have a tendency to do this. Someone dresses very differently from the way you dress, someone has tattoos all over their body, someone has a different political view from yours—there are just so many ways that we form hard and fast opinions and ideas about people or about a situation just by the way they look—by what you see on the outside. How many people in your life are dear friends, and yet they look very different from you? They have different backgrounds, different life experiences, come from different cultures, and yet they are dear people you know and love. If you judged them by their “cover,” you might never have become good friends. I think of a person in my church, Miss Shirley, who is now with Jesus, who made it her job to stand at the front door every Sunday and welcome everyone. It was her purpose to find a stranger and make that stranger feel welcome. When I first met Miss Shirley, I wanted to take her to a hair stylist and buy her some new clothes. She did not look like she should be welcoming people at the front door! I judged her by her cover, but I came to know her as one of the most effective people in our church. She was loved by so many, and she welcomed so many people into our church who might otherwise never have connected with us. I wish we had a hundred Miss Shirleys. God used her simple appearance to break down barriers, and she was a powerhouse for the Lord. So here are the five questions a wise person will ask herself often: Do I think before I speak? Did I sleep on it? Have I heard both sides? Am I reacting or responding? Am I judging a book by its cover? Proverbs 3:13 says: “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.” No matter who you are, how young or how old, you can find wisdom and you will be blessed. I believe these five questions will help you.

I've been sharing five lessons for living, which are found in Proverbs 3. Here is the fifth lesson for living, from verses 9 and 10: Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine (Proverbs 3:9-10). Now this one is close to home, because it talks about money, and if anything is close to our hearts, it's our money—right? But please believe me when I tell you your avenue to financial security begins with your willingness to make this lesson a part of your life. And what is that lesson? It is to give God the first part of your money. You may be thinking, But I'm not wealthy and I barely have enough now to make ends meet. I understand that feeling, but this lesson has nothing to do with whether you have lots of money or not. It simply says to give God the first part. Honor God by giving money to him, and then pay your bills. If you wait to give God the left-overs after you've paid your bills and used your money for your own desires, you'll discover you just never seem to have much left-over. The enemy of your soul will see to that! It takes a step of faith to begin this practice of honoring God first with your money, but this is truly the first step to financial stability for a Christ-follower. How much should you give? Think of what you think you can afford and then double it. That's a good starting place. Give God more than you think you can. It's the one place God invites us to test him. In Malachi he says, test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it (Malachi 3:10). God is not promising us financial wealth, but he is promising financial stability and security if we will honor him first with our money. Start where you are—and the sooner the better—and see if this lesson for living is not one of the best principles you've put in place in your life. As my dad said to me so often, “Honey, you can't out give God,” and I promise that is true.