We Need Other People!

Some years ago, as I struggled with my illness and battled with a tenacious depression, I had some very mature and wise people in my life who could not figure me out. They wanted to have the answers. They wanted to find out how to fix me, but they will tell you today that they were perplexed. But in spite of their frustration and limitations, they did the right thing: They kept loving me. And, fortunately, I did the right thing: I let them.

See God in Circumstances

See God in Circumstances

I don’t always like my circumstances. But I am learning that God would not allow them if they were not opportunities for me to do something more important than I would have been doing without them.

What looks to me like something that is hindering the work of God (like Paul’s thorn in the flesh) is often a vehicle God plans to use for one of his patented surprise attacks. Change your mind about circumstances.

Simply Listen

I remember a man who stopped me once after a church service to tell me some of his troubles. He was not happy with some of the developments in his life and seemed to believe that telling at least one person how he felt would give him some satisfaction. I listened for some time as he described some decisions he had made that resulted in much difficulty.

Your Trump Card

According to The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, here is the definition of a trump card: “the suit designated as having precedence over the others. In general, it is something capable of making a decisive difference when used at the right moment as in ‘The prosecutor played her trump card by calling a surprise witness.’”

There have been more than a few times in my life when I did not like the hand I was dealt. It looked like there were too many things against me, and I found my unreliable emotions taking a dip. But in those times, I have learned something. I have learned that God has given us the ultimate trump card.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Most of us quite naturally think that joy comes when we feel strong; when we have done well and when things work out as we think they should. If we are feeling weak, uncertain, ill-prepared, disappointed, guilty or hurt, it hardly seems that joy could be in our hearts at the same time.

But consider a verse in Nehemiah. This verse comes after the people have been listening to Ezra, the priest, read to them from the law of God over several hours. As they hear it, they are weeping, apparently realizing their failures.

Christian, I Hear You

A few days ago an old friend shared with me what he had been reading from Psalm 143. Two days later as I was encouraging another friend, I turned to the words that had been shared with me, and again the power of Scripture was seen. Moved by this result, I decided to spend time every morning for a week focusing on this passage.

Raise the Volume

Sometimes a mind change is made quietly as you contemplate Scripture or as you pray or maybe even as you work or drive your car. You confront your circumstances, take note of your faulty thinking and decide to lock your mind on to God’s thoughts instead.

But sometimes I find that the only way to make a mind change is to be loud and passionate.

This week I went to a place to pray and as I began, I was constantly distracted. I know we have all had that experience. We want to connect with God, but there are all kinds of things going on in our minds. As I paid attention to those distracting thoughts, one thing was clear: It is hard to admit, but they were all about me. They were about how hard something is for me. They were about how unfair some things seemed for me. They were all about how others could not understand me.

Now I suppose I could have quietly said, “Tom this is not good. You need to adjust your thinking.” But these thoughts seemed not only wicked but insistent and determined. It seemed no quiet response would do. Thinking immediately of Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, I blurted out with considerable force:  “Out of my sight, Satan! These are not the thoughts of God but the thoughts of men!”

My explosive response seemed to be just what was needed. The “what about me?” demons ran for the hills. I was freed up to focus on God, his calling and his provision. Some of the things that try to lodge in our minds can only be expelled with force, power and maybe even considerable volume. When this is needed don’t hold back.

Focus Scriptures

Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew 16:23