How to Avoid Intimidation

If you as an individual are to achieve what the Lord desires for you the following things need to be kept in mind.

Don’t listen to pessimists. They were defeated in their minds and therefore, unwilling to even make an effort.  That is where most people lose their biggest battle.  The “I can’t do it” complex defeats many people.

Who is your biggest opponent?  Who defeats most of your good ideas?  “You” are your own worst enemy.  The “It won’t work for me” syndrome causes many good ideas to be stillborn, dead on arrival.

A U.S. Chamber of Commerce study made in a recent year revealed that 48.3% of the people who ventured into business on their own went out of business in one year.  Dr. Dorothy Stanton was given a government grant to study the causes why.  After months of study she reported that 85% of all businesses failed because of “anticipated failure.”

Pessimistic people going into a task have failure built in. That is, it is built into their thinking.

Some have a size syndrome that causes failure. Size is relative. A teen walking in a mall with a seven foot college basketball player heard a passerby say, “I wonder how tall he is?” The teen turned and said, “I’m 5’ 4.”  

Two individuals heard the story of David and Goliath including their size. One responded thinking look how much bigger Goliath is than David. The other said, look how much bigger the God of David is than Goliath.

Look at life through God’s lenses. See things as He sees them. He will never give you a task to do that is bigger than the grace He will give you to do it. 

To be all you can be, listen to realists. Dr. Carl Roger spent years engaged in an interesting study.  He researched the question of what makes people succeed.   Why do winners win?  His conclusion is significant. He discovered an amazing secret:  Winners are never surprised to win! They have confidence.  That being true, it must conversely be true that losers are never surprised to lose.

For the Christian, there is an added dimension. A pessimist and an optimist see the same thing, but reach opposite conclusions. Don’t get infected by negative thoughts. 

The God factor in matters changes the equation. Prayerfully seek His mind regarding all you undertake. Once you are persuaded what His will is, optimistically throw yourself into it with reckless abandonment praying all the while, “I believe. Thy will be done.”

Be Not Dismayed

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed.” Joshua 1: 9

Moses had died. What an intimidating moment. The foreboding country and the formidable city of Jericho lay ahead of Joshua. If that were not enough he had a band of whiners to lead.

Under those frightful conditions it is little wonder God said to Joshua, “….don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed….”

Those conditions would cause anyone to be afraid. That is bad enough, but the fact it leads to being dismayed compounds the complexity. Dismayed is not a word in the working vocabulary of most people. It means to be filled with alarm, apprehension, or distress, a feeling of hopelessness, disappointment, or discouragement, a sudden loss of courage or confidence, and finally to give up and quit. God was saying don’t give up, don’t be dismayed.

Make your prayer these lines from the old hymn, “I’m Pressing On to Higher Ground:”

“My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound, My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.”

Getting back on your “A” game and regaining momentum is often difficult.

There are stimuli that enable us to “be strong and of good courage?” Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the mastery of it. The root is in being consciously aware “…the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Strength comes from within being aroused by concentrating on that fact, believing in it, and obeying God’s word. Your strength is found in the word of God and in meditating on it day and night. 

It is a strength that is lived out by mediating on, believing in, and obeying the word of God. It is strength that comes from an awareness of God’s abiding presence and relying on it.

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for God’s powers equal to your tasks.

Fear is a magnifying factor. Envision any challenge you have and before giving up consider it through the resources afforded in this text. 

Jesus told us His reason for His teaching: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33)

You have been forewarned, you will have tribulation, don’t act surprised when you do, expect it, and respond as instructed in the Posts. If you do, you are unlikely to be dismayed, that is, give up. Instead, be of good cheer.

Embrace and hold onto the truth in Joshua 1:9. Read it again.

When Trouble Comes – And It Will

Into every life some rain must fall – – – it does, and it will even in 2023   

Into every life sorrow must come – – – it does, and will even in 2023.

No one wants pain, grief, sorrow, and difficulty, I surely don’t, but no one is immuned. Therefore, in approaching this new year, expect it and prepare for it.

My deceased friend, Jerry Clower, got news one evening that one of their children was in critical care at the hospital as a result of a bad car accident. He said as he drove to the hospital he kept praying, “Lord help me to respond like I have always encouraged others to in dire circumstances.”

When trouble comes we should accept it as the norm for everyone. We should not live with an expectant attitude, but with the realization it is part of life. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” He forewarned us.

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to.” (I Peter 4: 12)

In proposing the following response to trials, I don’t want to be too simplistic. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1: 2 – 4)

This does not mitigate the pain, but it does give it purpose.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say God won’t give us more than we can handle. That idea comes from His promise He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to respond properly.

Unfortunately there are things we can’t handle. Fortunately He will help us, actually enable us to handle them. He is able.

There is an old hymn with a line that identifies one strengthening principle. It is, “Take your burden to the Lord, and leave it there.” This requires two actions on your behalf. First, taking it to the Lord, and the second, leaving it there. 

Resolve as did Job,  “When I am tried I will come forth as gold.” We, too, need to have this optimistic outlook for the stresses that we face as this will help us triumph through the most difficult of circumstances.

Yet another song gives us constructive insight:

“I must tell Jesus all of my trials, I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me, He ever loves and cares for His own.”

The path of positive perseverance leads though troubles not around them.

Another old hymn asks: “Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? No, there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me!”

The hours of adversity are some of the best times to share Jesus by giving others a live action version of the Bible. A “Woe is me” attitude has never attracted anyone to Jesus. A demonstration of the fact He is able to give strength for the trial has drawn others to Jesus. Live your faith to light the way for others – – – in 2023. 

Return and Renew

Christian ethics are Christ-centered. Our ethical outlook begins with Jesus and His view of life, and controls our ethical outlook. 

It is not based on the fact we are commanded to love, but on a love that commands.  When we hold Christ as our first love, that love commands, that is controls, our world view. The Ephesus syndrome results gradually and subtly.

“Remember” is an appeal to give your head over to Christ.

“Repent” is an appeal to give your heart over to Him.

The word “repent” used here in the Greek is in the aorist tense meaning to have a complete change of mental attitude and has no emotional reference at all.  

The biblical appeal to repent is as often applied to saints out of fellowship as to sinners out of grace. 

The Greek word translated “first” is “protos.” It is a word that suggests they still love, but with a quality and intensity unlike that of their initial love. Is that you? Then now is the expedient time to repent and return to your first love. These imperatives are all part of a single command based on an appeal to remember their first love and how much their enthusiasm for Christ has waned; how much their devotion has diminished.

Might your spiritual life be pictured as ashes on a rusty altar? Such indicates there once was warmth, light, and flame, but which reveals it has been a long time since there was an act of devotion performed there.

When the Holy Spirit is allowed to grip us with a true spirit of repentance we are willing to admit having let other lords besides Him have command over us. We will admit to having left our first love and appeal to Christ to recover us.

In 1632, the favorite wife of Shah Jahan of India died. Her title was Mumtaz-i-mahal, which means “Pride of the Palace.” He loved her so much he set 20,000 workmen to work building a tomb for her in the northern city of Agra. They labored for 21 years on the palace tomb.

As work was begun on the Taj Mahal, the coffin containing the body of his beloved was placed on the spot where the temple tomb was to be constructed. Time after time it had to be moved to allow construction. Soon it got shoved aside and ignored. Shortly thereafter, building materials were scattered around it. Lost in the clutter and pushed aside, it was at some time removed with other items considered trash. When the temple tomb was completed, the body of the one in whose name it was constructed could not be found. 

Spiritually, the same thing happens in the lives of some Christians. Gradually Christ gets moved aside until at last he is lost. Then we who are the temple of the Spirit are as devoid of Him as the Taj Mahal was of the Pride of the Palace. When it happens we must repent and return to our first love, Jesus.

Occasionally this happens collectively in a church. Christ gets pushed aside and is lost in the life of the fellowship. 

The first step away is the great sin of which to repent. However cold or carnal you might have become, it could never have happened without the first small step leading away from your first love. It may have been a small beginning which you can’t even recall that has led to a great departure. That departure may be so great you aren’t even sensitive to it. That makes it all the greater. That departure may even be hard for others to detect because you still wear the uniform, you still have the external performance, the right vocabulary with the right people, but inside you know and you know Jesus knows. 

Therefore, begin at the beginning again.

Go back to the fountainhead of your love — Jesus.

Go back to the fountain of thought about your Savior’s love for you. Return.

Hiding God’s Word in Your Heart

There is a definition of a New Year’s resolution being “a to do list for the first week of January.” Their life expectancy is about one week. Well, belatedly try yet another, the regular reading of the Bible. In Latin such a program is referred to as lectio divino, meaning “divine reading.” Since antiquity doing so has been illustrated by a term used of certain animals, ruminate, meaning “to chew the cud, or turn over in the mind.” Certain animals have more than one stomach. They ingest food, chew it, swallow it, later regurgitate it, chew it again, and go through the process again. Certain animals have four stomachs with which to do this.

First, take a bite and chew it. This is equivalent to first attentively reading the Scripture. Read it slowly so that at all the time you are paying attention to what you are reading. 

The next step calls for chewing on the word, that is, meditating on it.

This requires an undisturbed place of solitude where you can contemplate on the passage giving it deep thought. Mentally dissect the passages phrase or word by word and consider how they apply to you. Make it personal.

Let your emotions come along beside your intellect and consider how it relates to you emotionally. How do you feel about it? Resolve to apply it in your daily life.

Let your own heart interpret the text at this time. This is time spent in personal comprehension of the Scripture, not a deep dive in the text. That comes later. 

A third phase for rumination is study of the Scripture. The second stage being the meditative phase now has added to meditation the study of the word using resources such as Bible commentaries. There are numerous good free commentaries on the Internet. In the search bar enter: “Bible Commentaries.”

This is time to do as instructed: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2: 16)

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. (Psalm 119: 11) 

Don’t only ruminate on the Word as part of your initial reflection, apply it as opportunity presents itself during your busy work day. Reflect on it until it becomes your basic nature, that is, you instinctively apply it. In this way it soon becomes your “go to” conduct even without conscious thought. At that stage in your rumination you will have ingested, and assimilated it. Thus, it becomes your energizing force.

To get started practice these steps using Philippians 4: 4 – 7.