Ladies ~ 6.) Building, improving, and maintaining relationships and effective communication. Are you angry, controlling, bitter, timid, easily swayed, or intimidated? Did you realize that how you respond or react to disagreements and conflict reveals your heart? “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Pro. 24:10). Just as gold is tried in the fire, so are our hearts and attitudes tried in affliction. Sometimes our attention is distracted with the wrong things in life so that we are unaware of the useful lessons that the Spirit is providentially orchestrating around us. Clearly He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). “All things” includes the conflicts and trials that we face. When we are preoccupied with ourselves and how every little thing pertains to us we will find that our strength is small when we meet with trouble and conflict. When we walk independently of the Spirit we will be apt to view every negative thing that comes into our lives in a self protective and defensive mode rather than in meekness, humility, and grace. When “meekness, humility, and grace” are brought up many will misinterpret their true biblical meaning and suppose that we are to be ‘milk-toast’ or timid in our dealings with sin, conflicts, and disagreements but that is not a right view of any of these godly attributes. Instead these speak of the believers yieldedness to the providential orchestration of events that God allows into our lives at any given time. MEEKNESS is evident when one submits their heart to how the Holy Spirit would have us feel, think, or respond rather than letting loose to sinfully react in our falleness. HUMILITY is setting self aside as we instead yield in total agreement to the Spirit’s will - esteeming others more important that ourselves (Phil. 2). GRACE is offering undeserved kindness to others as you face whatever is going on. Sometimes people see something in their lives that needs work so they set out to change and work on fixing those bad behavioral traits, sins, weaknesses, and attitudes. If you are prone to anger you may try hard to think before you speak and not let that anger show or come out. If you are prone to timidity you may strive hard to stand up and say something next time a conflict arises. While it is certainly a good thing to work on improving - we need to remember that merely washing the outside of the cup or platter will not produce transformation of heart. This is why ‘turning over a new leaf’ seldom works. Christians need to go to the Lord in prayer and repentance when we fail in our dealings with others. We need to saturate our hearts with the washing of water of the Word so that we can be cleansed from within. After all it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. If we want to handle trials, conflict, and disagreements in a God honoring way we need to yield ourselves to the Spirit from the inside out. When we yield we surrender our hearts and lives in joyful agreement to give Him the right of way….to use us as He sees fit. Instead of seeing things from our own perspective we view things as they pertain to glorifying God and being used by Him. This is a supernatural walk that only comes through prayer and taking in the Word on a habitual, intimate, and steady basis. Our flesh is weak - we need to continually meditate on God’s Word or we will not walk in the Spirit. Homework - 1) The next time the fire of conflict (no matter how small it may be) comes into your life (even at home) evaluate what God may be doing to purge or purify your life and use you to build and edify (instead of tear down) that other person. Evaluate - what means more to you - this person that ushered the conflict into your life and the work that the Spirit is trying to produce, or you? 2) Sacrifice some serious quality and quantity time to spend alone with the Lord in prayer & reading. Don’t allow yourself to procrastinate. Prayer is you talking to the Lord (lining your heart up to Him in humility), reading is the Lord talking to you (transforming your heart to obedience) we need both.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 10:43:06 +0000
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