Heres the second half...more good wisdom. MORE PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS To Keep Your Heart Free of Offense and Strife in Tense Moments! Hope this is helpful.... if yes, please share it... Here we go. Lets start with #8 8) LEARN TO BE FLEXIBLE. You must develop the ability to adapt to a changing environment. Conflicts often arise when a change occurs in schedule or priority. Change is unavoidable in life. Anything that remains stagnate all the time is either dead or on the verge of dying. Tell yourself that change is not always bad, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you become more flexible. 9) BE FORGIVING WHEN OTHERS ACT UGLY. When someone rubs you the wrong way and you’re tempted to get offended or upset because of that person’s flaws, remember how often God has had patience with your own flaws and faults. Before you become too condemning, put the situation in the right perspective. Ask yourself, Have I ever acted ugly or spoken an unkind word? Chances are that you’ve done the very same thing to others that this person you’re upset with has done to you! Speak to your emotions when you’re tempted to get offended or to get into strife. Remind yourself to accept others just as Jesus Christ has freely and graciously accepted you. Romans 15:7 says, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” How did Jesus receive you and me? Did He require perfection of us first, or did He take us just as we were at the time we came to Him? Praise God, He took us just as we were, with all our attitude problems, defects, inconsistencies, and blemishes! Since you’ve been saved, have you ever done anything to disappoint the Lord? Have you ever allowed yourself to act in a manner that was unbecoming for a Christian? Have you ever entertained ugly thoughts or accusations about someone else? Yes, of course you have. Yet Jesus has never cast you away or become so disgusted that He’s disowned you. According to Romans 15:7, we are to receive each other just as Christ has received us. That means we need to do a lot of forgiving and overlooking in life! I strongly advise you to quit focusing on the faults and flaws of others, and start concentrating on how to be more forgiving and merciful. If you give mercy, you’ll receive a harvest of mercy in your own life. Take the route of mercy, and you’ll never be sorry. Believe it or not, there are times when you’re supposed to shut your eyes to what you saw that other person do and just let it go! If you give mercy, you’ll receive a harvest of mercy in your own life. If you’ll take this approach to life, you’ll have a lot less emotional disappointments and problems with your nerves. Just give people the same forgiveness and mercy you want others to extend to you. 10) ASK YOURSELF: WOULD I WNAT SOMEONE ELSE TO RESPOND TO ME IN THE SAME WAY I AM RESPONDING RIGHT NOW? When my flesh wants to rant and rave about an injustice it thinks has been done to it, I am tempted to be very bold and aggressive with my offenders. This is usually the time when unkind words are spoken or extreme statements are made that get all blown out of proportion. When I am tempted to get upset, I ask myself, If this situation were turned around and someone was upset with ME, would I want that person to react to me in this attitude? Of course, the answer is no! Ask yourself, Do my attitudes and actions reflect the esteem and honor I would like to receive from others if the situation was reversed and I was the recipient of a deserved rebuke? In Philippians 2:3, Paul tells us, “Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” When dealing with another person, always go the route of preferring and esteeming that person better than yourself. As you do, you’ll rarely speak an unkind word or allow your flesh to rant and rave . Ask yourself, Do my attitudes and actions reflect the esteem and honor I would like to receive from others if the situation was reversed and I was the recipient of a deserved rebuke? 10) WHAT WOULD JESUS DO IN THIS SITUATION? Jesus went to the Cross and died for those who hung Him! He could have called 12 legions of angels to come to His defense; instead, “...he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). Is it possible that you need to keep your mouth shut and follow in the steps of Jesus this time (see 1 Peter 2:21)? Most often it is better to go the way of the Cross and allow God to be your Defender. Of course, you must deal with problems when they arise, especially if they are of a severe nature. But never forget that God is a God of justice. Let Him be the Defender of your dreams and ideas. The Holy Spirit may show you other ways to shut the door to resentment, offense, bitterness, and strife. If you will listen to Him, He will show you how to circumvent the attacks the enemy tries to wage in your soul against your family, friends, and fellow workers. If you refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit, you can expect grudges, resentments, hostilities, animosities, and anger to begin building up inside you with every unresolved conflict and added offense. In the end, your bitter, angry attitudes will separate you from the people you normally get along with and dearly love. WELL... WERE THESE HELPFUL TODAY? If so, could you comment below and let me know! Maybe like it or share it with someone else. Put a lot of work into this one to be a help to others and I pray its been a help to you... RICK RENNER BY THE WAY... at renner.org there is a section called LIFE QUESTIONS where I teach a whole series on STRESS... if you havent heard it, I think you should try to work it into your devotional times. The teachings are short, to the point, and really helpful! -- take a look!
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 15:34:41 +0000
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