October 11- 16, 2010

Monday October 11, 2010
Mirror, Mirror
Read Romans 8:9-11

Who would not like to be called the fairest or the bravest or the strongest or the kindest or the wisest of them all? Who would not like to wake up every morning and have the mirror give compliments? Too bad that only happens in fairy tales.

In real life mirrors do not praise us; they reveal the truth about us. They do not flatter us, they unveil us. There’s nothing like looking into the mirror to shock us back to reality. In fact have you ever really looked at yourself in the mirror? Several years ago God ask me to look in the mirror. Then He asked “what do you see?” I said okay God. Well I guess I see and okay guy! Then God said to me” pull off the mask you are wearing!” This startled me for a moment and I was frozen standing there at the mirror. Then He spoke again and told me to “pull off the mask you are wearing!”

Imagine what life would be like if we could stop stepping on stage all the time. Imagine if we could simply be real with God, honest with others and up front about the things that are really important to us. What if we could just be ourselves? Simply me! Simply you! Honest about our shortcomings. Genuine with our love. Transparent about our motives. What if we could remove all masks and just be who we are?


Tuesday October 12, 2010
Examine Your Motives
Matthew 7:1-5

Why do we criticize? There is usually some type of insecurity or character flaw in us that we are trying to keep from coming to the surface. There are two types of criticism, there is good and bad. Good (criticism which we rarely use) is insightful and is meant to bring well being. Bad criticism targets a person in the spirit of anger, frustration, impatience and irritation. Why do we criticize negatively? Bad criticism never is to change another. When we criticize we often find that the root is rage and anger and we use it to conceal a flaw or wrong in ourselves.


Criticism causes the person being criticized to feel resentment. When you criticize another's actions or behaviors, especially in a negative way, it arouses feelings of anger and resentment in most people. Criticism causes the person being criticized to justify his or her actions. It is a natural response for one to become defensive when being criticized. The most common form of defense is justification. When one justifies one's actions, they are convincing themselves even more that they are right. This brings the parties further from resolution.

There will be times when you feel that criticisms and complaints are necessary. Ask yourself first, what do I plan on accomplishing by criticizing? Very often the real answer will be "so I can feel better", in which case, the criticism or complaint is not necessary. If you wish to bring about a change in another's behavior, then you must practice the art of changing people without giving offense or arousing resentment. Criticisms and complaints lead to resentment and ill feelings that rarely bring about positive, lasting changes. Learn to control your emotions by practicing understanding and having empathy. By avoiding criticizing and complaining, you will be better respected in both your personal and professional relationships.


Wednesday October 13, 2010
Jealousy Is Not Reasonable
Read John 3:26-30

Though it is often said that jealousy or envy is the greatest form of flattery, when we are jealous/envious, interaction becomes quite tense. Someone who is truly experiencing these emotions is not thinking clearly. They are distracted by these negative feelings and are unable to openly communicate. Suddenly being jealous or envious of someone becomes an obstacle.

People who are jealous are not being reasonable. Whether you are the jealous one or the object of the jealousy, it's an unpleasant emotion that we perpetuate ourselves. It usually stems from a sense of low self-esteem and the misguided notion that we won't be able to achieve all the things we want. Feeling jealous or envious only makes us feel worse than we already do. When we move through the emotions of jealousy or envy we can become angry and rage can be projected towards the person we are envious of. Make an effort to shift your perspective away from what someone else has done and more towards God and what He has planned for your life.


Thursday October 14, 2010
Watch Your Words
Read Philippians 2:14; Proverbs 4:23; 18:21

Complaining is dangerous business. It can damage or even destroy your relationship with God, your relationships with other people, and even with your relationship with yourself.
It’s easy to complain. We likely don’t realize how much we do it. I believe it’s one of the most challenging things to overcome. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining…” (The Amplified Bible). That’s a pretty clear command. And not something anyone can do in their own strength.

Are you speaking life or death? Remember that every word you speak has some kind of effect. Proverbs 18:21 says that our words have the power of life or death in them – the way we speak really does matter. So it makes sense that we should avoid complaining at all cost.
I think of complaining as the enemy’s language. When we do it, we open the door for him to come into a situation and cause trouble. On the other hand, praise and thanksgiving is God’s language. Through thanksgiving and praise we can find freedom.

It’s a difficult process getting to the point of having real freedom. But it’s worth it! We just need to accept that gaining spiritual maturity is going to hurt. Growing up in God is not comfortable. There are times of sacrifice involved. And there will be times when God will ask you to do things and you’ll feel that you can’t stand it – but He’ll give you the grace to do it. Something else that helps me is meditating on scriptures about watching the words of my mouth. Make it your goal to have a constant attitude of gratitude. Resist the temptation to complain and instead praise and thank God for who He is and all He’s done for you. By God’s grace and through His strength, you can overcome complaining and live each day with a thankful heart!


Friday October 15, 2010
Does Gossip Hurt Anyone?
Read Ephesians 4:29, 31-32

Joan the perfect little churchgoer wouldn't be caught dead with the National Enquirer on her coffee table. She doesn't need it. She has her own sources for the "inside scoop" about more local celebrities -- the pastor’s obnoxious wife, the five foot five wavy-haired newcomer whom Juanita brought to church last week, and the latest failing of the pastor she doesn't like.

What's wrong with that? We all talk about what's going on. After all, it's only harmless gossip.

Gossip seldom slows down, it suffers distortion as it passes from mouth to ear. We've all played the party game where the piece of news is whispered at the front of the line bears hardly no resemblance to the initial story by the time it is over with. Further, gossip is nearly always one-sided. It tries a case on the basis of the prosecution's evidence alone. And then, rumors get out of control and the damage cannot be undone. Even though we bear no grudge, we must be on the lookout lest we be sucked into passing the gossip along. Instant recognition of gossip is vital. We should stop the tale-bearer in mid-sentence, if necessary. We ought to challenge our Christian brothers, "Have you confronted the person with this?" To give ear to a nasty tale will not only injure our spirit but encourage gossipers to continue their destruction. We will either be part of the problem or part of the solution.


The Weekender October 16, 2010
God Is Always With You
Judges 6 and 7

Low self esteem comes from a poor self image and means you have no confidence in yourself. Yourself image is based on how you see yourself. Do you think you are a good, reliable, hardworking, honest or friendly person? Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror or do you believe others look better and dress better than you? Low self esteem feeds your negative thinking and causes you to believe the criticism others make of you. Do you take what others say and not speak up? This can cause you to lose confidence so it is vital to end negative thoughts if you want to build your self esteem. We mistakenly compare how we feel with how others behave. Inevitably, most others will behave more happily than we feel. So we conclude that no one else could feel as bad as we do. This creates a vicious circle and our self esteem drops further. Dwelling on the negative is like cancer. It grows and gets worse. It's pretty hard to force yourself just to think differently when you feel so negative.
In Judges 6 & 7, we learn how Gideon was found, cowering in fear and self doubt. He’s hardly a picture of confidence! Gideon, like most who lack confidence withdraws from the world, hiding away from the world. He is a picture of hopelessness in today’s terms; he’s a loser with seriously low self-esteem. An Angel of the Lord finds Gideon hiding like a chicken and calls him a mighty man of valor! The Angel tells Gideon to save Israel,” to go in the strength you have! “I could just imagine what Gideon was thinking. Go in the strength I have, can’t you see I am hiding. God tells Gideon He will always be with him and they would when the battle together.
The great lesson we learn from Gideon is that low self esteem is a hindrance and with God’s help and his belief in all of us we can step up to the plate and accept God-esteem. God’s grace allows you to do the impossible, when it is in his will! If you have a big challenge you need God confidence not self confidence. Most self-confidence evaporates like mist under testing and pressure. But you only need God to believe in you!