Study With Me - Chapter 19

Hello everyone!

It's a blustery day here in the NW and we have seen more snow in northern Oregon than they have seen in 20+ years. I'm enjoying it but I am not out in it. So lets look at the next chapter.

If you are coming here for the first time, I am hosting a study using the book "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyers. Click the button on my side bar to go to the intro or join in anytime.

Study With Me - Chapter 19 - Wilderness Mentality #4

I can't help it I'm just addicted to grumbling, faultfinding and complaining.

Well that pretty much sums it up for most of us, pack up we can go now. :) Sad but very true, we are addicted to grumbling. We don't like this or we don't like that. And if you don't think you grumble, listen to what comes out of your mouth. Because sometimes even when we think we are being good, we are only being controlled, not good.

After reading this chapter again (probably for the 4th or 5th time) I realized there are at least 3 areas that need to be in check.

First of all and I think most importantly, we need to make sure our thoughts and attitudes are in a positive track. This is so important because what we think on we will act on eventually.

This is where the second area comes into play, our body language. We can be a witness, bad or good, with our body language. Don't think for a moment that how you act without saying a word does not get noticed by those around you. I know it's easy to see the the obvious when someone slams a door or stomps off, but what about when we do the heavy sigh every 30 seconds or the scowl when we look someone else up and down and don't know anyone saw us do it. What about the pout because we didn't get our way. What about the refusal to participate in group activity, just because it is not your thing. God showed me sometimes we just need to be grateful receivers, whether it is our thing or not.

The third area I think comes into play is our mouth. What we say is what we speak into existence for our life. Remember God created heaven and earth with words.

Lets read James, it is such a good reminder for us all. (This is the New Living Translation.)

James 3
Controlling the Tongue

1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
True Wisdom Comes from God 13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, nonspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

This chapter in BOTM (as with all of them) is such a good reminder for me that I need to be thankful in all things. That how I act can be a turn off or a turn on to my heavenly Father. If I seek to draw people to him, then I need to act in a manner that will cause others to want what He has to offer.

I got a nice compliment once. A friend at work asked me how my weekend was, and I said "It was great, how was yours?" She said "Lynn you always have great weekends!" That was so nice to know that I was portraying a positive outlook to the point it was noticed.

In all of this as a reminder to myself and to all of you. Watch what you meditate on, watch what you do and how you act, and watch what you say. Others are watching and what you do will affect them positive or negative. But most of all what you do will affect you, because God and the enemy are always watching too. Don't give the Devil even a crack to enter into your life. So with that being said, we need to look at our life, family, jobs, homes, children in a different light.

I used to have a post-it note on my desk for a reminder "K.M.S." It stood for Keep Mouth Shut. which is good, but it's not enough. If I am still grumbling and fault finding inside, eventually I will break down and blurt it out. What's in a mans heart will come out of his mouth. So I think I need to come up with another post-it, something to do with doing an attitude/heart check.

Father God help us! Help us to quit fault finding and pointing fingers. Help us to be more accepting of others and things that are not our way. Most of all help us to be more like you with mercy and grace and compassion for our fellow man. Help us to pray in faith for the things and people we feel need your guidance instead of ripping them to shreds. And Father have mercy on us when we fall short. In Jesus name, Amen

Have a very Merry Blessed Christmas everyone. Not sure when I'll post again could be later today may be tomorrow, or next week. I haven't been on a real schedule with this like I wanted to but that's okay. God Bless you all.

Lynn