Pain is a Warning Sign!
Get yourself right before you try to get someone else right!
Being transformed into God’s Image is a lifelong process. It involves the million little choices we make, moment by moment, every day of our lives.
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Luke 16:10
There are basically 2 ways to cope with any Trouble or Pain.
You can either IGNORE it or FOCUS on it.
It’s the same with any problem in life. *Some people RUN from their problems. Other people FACE them.
Stop here and ask which one do I do the most of? RUN! Or FACE!
*The irony of this choice is that people who RUN from their problems seek RELIEF, but end up in more PAIN.
* People who FACE their issues experience pain, BUT end up relieved.
Let’s take a look at an example!
Imagine you had a recurring stomach ache day after day.
* You could ignore it in order to avoid
the inconvenience of going to the doctor, the cost of the prescription, and the discomfort of the colonoscopy.
### But the fact is that a recurring
stomach ache is a sign of a health problem that NEEDS YOUR ATTENTION. And if you don’t give it your attention, it’ll end up being a BIGGER inconvenience, costing MORE money, and causing you MORE pain.(This was cancer for my friend this last year once he went to doctor after all the pain for a year)
####A problem doesn’t go away because you run from it; it GETS WORSE.
The EVENTUAL cost of dealing
with it escalates. Your stomach, for example, will continue to ache until you finally say, “Okay, I’ll deal with this.” ##Then, and only then, will you get relief.
You see, we get exactly the problems we need in our life to fix the things
about ourselves that need fixing.
In other words, your current crisis is not
coincidental.
* It wasn’t just bad luck.
** It’s like a stomach ache; it’s reflective of a problem that needs correcting.
* It’s a sign that you have a weakness that needs work.
And, if you ignore it, the pain will increase until you finally say, “Okay, I’ll deal with this.”
Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who Suppress The TRUTH by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
An example of Suppressing The TRUTH by asking a person some questions about his past!
I asked,
*”Is this your first marriage?”
“No,” he responded, “It’s my third.”
*”Do you have children?”
“Yes,” he said, “But I’m not on speaking terms with them.”
*”Are your mom and dad still alive?” I inquired. “Yes, but we had a falling out 7 years ago,” he explained.
This went on and on until he revealed a clear history of failed close personal relationships.
In other words, he had stomach aches (failed relationships) throughout his entire life, but he ignored( Suppressed The TRUTH) every one. It was always someone else’s fault.
And here we go again. Another failed
relationship. And it will continue until HE fixes the problem WITHIN HIMSELF.
OUR Problems and Pains situation is, more times then not, reflective of some inner work that YOU have to do too.
* If you don’t do it; you’ll find yourself in this same situation again.
* It may not be with the same problem, the details may not be immediately
recognizable, but I promise you that the pain will not relent until you deal with whatever it is about YOU that’s bringing this stress into your life.
What’s the real Stronghold?????
Deal with it!!!. Don’t run. Don’t Suppress The TRUTH any longer!!
If we feel things are so wrong in the world most of the time, Usually if we are honest with ourselves- something is wrong with ME.
Therefore, if I am sensible, I shall put Myself right First.
Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
*Get yourself right before you try to get someone else right
The worst suffering occurs when you run from your suffering.
*It’s not the snake bite that’s the problem; it’s running from the snake that pumps venom to your
heart…that’s the problem.
You know quite well, deep within you, that there is only , a single power, a single salvation…love your suffering. Do not resist it, do not flee from it. Give yourself to it. It is only your aversion that hurts, nothing else.
The worst pain comes from avoidance. The healing Power is ATTENTION.
The only way out of your suffering is THROUGH IT.
The problems in each of our lives are like fingers pointing toward answers to your most crucial questions.
*They are transformations trying to happen. They’re birth pains.
*Let the birth pains come! It’ll hurt, but that hurt is a path to your healing.
*The question for you is: What’s your
fixing?
*What can YOU do to improve the situation?
Don’t say that time will make this go away or try to surpress the TRUTH with your head buried.
***That’s a cop out!!!
There are basically 2 ways to cope
with our problem and pain. You can RUN or you can FIX by bringing the Truth to the Lord and ask Him for help.
Get yourself right before you try to get someone else right.
As I write and gather these words, I too had to look at myself and ask God for help because we all make mistakes-all have troubles-all have pains and need to search for the TRUTH in ourself and then renew our minds in Christ! Then by putting our Faith and Hope in Christ we will find Victory-Peace-Love-Freedom!
*God wants us to be holy according to his word not to be judges to others!
*Easy to be prideful in what we’ve overcome instead of focusing on what we are working through..
* Truth without life isn’t really truth and love without truth isn’t really love.
*We judge others by what they do, but judge ourselves on our intentions.
*We are all equal at the foot of the cross.
*We are called to be a family, not just a group of individuals!
Eph 4: 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.
*Authentic community – speaking truth in love… Shallow community doesn’t have truth.
*The Word will keep me in Holy Alignment with God’s Spirit and Truth. It is the Word of God that I need to shape my attitudes, therefore my actions will be a living legacy of the character of Jesus Christ.
* What is my mind yielded to?
Yes it matters! Infinitely so!
John 8:31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
You CAN get over your past. But you canNOT change events that already occurred.
**The good news though, is that you
don’t have to change the past in order to get over it.
*** What you have to change is the MEANING of the past. (Renewing of the mind)
Lord, help me to be humble about my own sins. Open my eyes to my own deception. Let me see myself as You see me, so that you can heal me and set me free from bondage. Thank you for the warning signs that show me what I need to spend time on. Help me listen to You for the proper guidance through it. Teach and show me TRUTH that I may bring You Much Glory Lord!
* Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think(renewing your mind). Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2. Amen!