Change Of Heart

Have you ever asked the Lord to help you have a better attitude towards someone, and for one reason or another it seems as if your prayer is falling on deaf ears? There have been times in my life when I have not had a good attitude toward another person and for one reason or another I was unable to let it go. I would ask God to take it from me so that I could just move on. The Lord never seemed like He was answering that prayer. Those feelings and thoughts that truly needed much adjusting seemed to linger and weigh heavy on my mind, until I began to realize that not only was I having a wrong attitude about the whole situation, I was also not doing anything about it. Yes, I was praying about it, but I wasn’t doing anything in the natural to make the situation better. All I was doing by sitting on my heels was leaving the door cracked open just enough for the devil to have a hay day with my thoughts. I began to realize that when my attitude does not line up with the word, then maybe my actions should. There are times when our  attitude about a particular person or situation will not change unless we are busy about doing the right thing first. Our wrong attitudes sometimes simply need the right actions to follow in order to get us out of the rut we have found ourselves in. God does not always answer our prayers in the way we wish He would. I found that for me, in these particular instances, I was praying the wrong kind of prayer. I was praying that God would just take away those thoughts and feelings. God is not interested in rescuing us from our problems when He knows very well that a heart change will not be a result of that rescue. In other words, why would God deliver us from our troubles only to watch us walk right back into the very same trouble He has just delivered us from? He would much rather that we work our way though a particular situation with his guidance all the while learning from from the situation so that a heart change develops. These types of struggles create in us long term results. We will remember the lessons we have learned in the times of hard work. If God just waved His magic wand every time we wanted delivered from our troubles we would never have a reason to change.

Community and growth

I read something thought provoking lately about how God has wired us as human beings. We are wired for community. We need others within the body of Christ to stretch us and help us grow. Due to the fact that we live in a fallen world, we are going to encounter those who rub us the wrong way, and furthermore, we are more than likely going to rub someone else the wrong way as well. This is the beauty of community. It is in the rubbing that iron can sharpen iron. (Proverbs 27:17) Knives will eventually get so dull they are worthless for cutting if they never get rubbed up against the iron sharpener. This is exactly how God has orchestrated the body of Christ. We are designed to be in community so that we sharpen one another. But like a knife, we must be careful not to cut people. Christ did not call us to cut, but rather sharpen.

 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

I am learning to be thankful for those around me who rub me the wrong way, because it is in the rubbing that I am seeing the shortcomings in my own life, and the desperate need to lay those things at the feet of Jesus. Without the irritations I probably would not see these areas that need change. Without these areas coming to the surface, why would I ever change? The truth is, I wouldn’t. I can’t lay a sin at the feet of Jesus if I am unaware of its existence. While I could pray the prayer that David prayed,

The Lord would still have to reveal those things so that I could confess them. The only unforgivable sin is the one that remains unconfessed. So, yes, I remain thankful for the times of stretching from those in the body of Christ because I know that God is “working all things together for good.” Romans 8:28

Call to action

Are there people in your life who rub you the wrong way? Try to look at them through the eyes of Christ this week. Instead of letting that person get under your skin, pray that the Lord uses them to reveal in you the things that need placed at the foot of the cross. Once those things are revealed, confess and move on. The Lord does not place difficult people and circumstances in our lives to watch us squirm. He places those things in our lives to watch us flourish and grow. How can you grow from the irritation?

Lord, thank you that you love us too much to let us remain as we are. Thank you for placing in our lives different people and situations that will cause us to grow. Help us to recognize those moments and those people as opportunities of growth rather than moments of irritation. Help us to pray for those areas of our lives that need adjusting and changed to be revealed so that we can confess those things. Lord, we do not want things to hinder our walks, but when they are there, help us to take care of those things quickly. We ask these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ.