What is it that winds you up? - Final part

"A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness"                                                           Proverbs 14:29   CSB 

Here is the final stumbling block:

QUEUES

Having to wait in a queue can be a frustrating experience, especially if you have a heavy work load. Again, it comes down to the type of person you are; TYPE A - live life in the fast lane or, TYPE B - have a laid back approach to life. This affects the attitude you take in a particular situation. Let's look at a few:

Traffic lights, whether permanent or temporary can be a pain to negotiate; at peak time they can be manic but during the rest of the day, they can be frustrating to deal with as well. Occasionally, we have normal traffic lights followed by, temporary ones and the queues can mount up with angry motorists edging forward trying to get through the mayhem. Also, let's not forget the intelligent traffic lights, these are the ones that assess the volume of traffic and change accordingly. Often we may be tempted to think that a rabbit is more intelligent that these contraptions. Frustrations mount.

Supermarket Queues. With these, we stand there for ages waiting to reach the checkout only to find, that when it's our turn, the checkout closes and we are directed to another till. All the people who were behind us, now rush forward and we have to queue again. Blood boils.

People who amble along. These people appear to have all the time in the world and walk along the whole of the pavement making it difficult for anyone to get by. They may have no time restraints but when, like us who do, it can be frustrating. All of this and more is forced upon the TYPE A person, while the TYPE B one, has only just decided to start their car. 

In all honesty though, how do you present  yourself here? Do you take it all in your stride (TYPE B) or have you visited Stress City (TYPE A)? The latter of of our text today reads, 'but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness.' Think a moment, when we are huffing and puffing, thumping the steering wheel in frustration, glaring and grumbling about the checkout queues and wanting to run your trolley into the person in front, God is watching you and, so may be someone from the church. Importantly, we may be grumbling to someone that we may later meet at a church function.

Is it worth the high blood pressure or the shame you may cause? Why not work on being more like a TYPE B person.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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What is it that winds you up? Part 2

"Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time."   Colossians 4:5    CSB 

Here is our second, potential stumbling block:

BAD TIME-KEEPING

There can be nothing worse than waiting for someone who agreed to be with you, at a certain time, but they're now 40 minutes late and, there is still no sign of them. You may receive a text saying: Running late but on the way', but that is all.

As ex-military, bad time-keeping is an area that I struggle with. It is in-born that time is important and one should always adhere to this. Even after all these years, it is still a part of my make up, as I am sure other veterans will respect.

Bad time-keeping can mean that, a meal is ruined, a show is missed and a train or bus too. Appointments can also be messed up and a job interview botched. This can all be a stress factor and cause of frustration to the one who is let down. Some people are like this, they never live in the fast or normal lane, which we will call Type A. They are laid back living in the slow lane Type B. Being laid back is ok as long as it doesn't become so laid back that it turns into being laid down

So here we have two types of people: Type A people in the fast/normal lane and, Type B, the laid back lane. So who is in the wrong? No one really but, there has to be a balance. Type A have high expectations of other people, whereas Type B don't really give it a thought, they're oblivious to getting stressed out but, by being so, can cause stress themselves.

Why all this is going on, the world watches. Employers and fellow employees, take note of bad time-keeping. They notice missed appointments and people being late for this or that and, they make mental notes of the Christian's wrongs. Jesus' time-keeping was impeccable, He was neither early or late but, right on time. We need to take this on board. We need to be on time to catch that train; to keep that job interview and go for that meal. But, being on time for these important dates, may have caused unnecessary stress to yourself and others. Allowing a little extra time to prepare, can benefit all, alleviating stress.

Therefore, get the balance right!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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What is it that winds you up? Part 1

"Whatever you do, do it from the heart as something done for the LORD and not for people."                                                                    Colossians 3:23   CSB 

There are many things in life that have the ability to wind us up - what are yours? Over the next day or two, let's look at a few, starting with:

(1)  TRYING TO EVERYTHING AT ONCE

Some people have an in-built desire to do everything at once - the housework, the shopping, planting that bush, cleaning the car and mowing the lawn. There may also be a number of other things that they want to tack on to this list when they've completed the others. Now, this is ok if the person is able to manage it properly. It goes wrong if, someone turns up unexpectedly or the telephone rings, because these jobs need completing, they have been allocated a time each job needs to take and, there is no room for distractions.

When we set ourselves goals that are unrealistic, we may be walking a tightrope that is going to snap; and the snapping may be yourself. Something can go wrong or interfere with your schedule and 'POW", you can explode, letting rip on anyone or anything that has stopped the work.

Now stop just there, is this really God's best for you? Is it a blessing to Him to see you slaving away and getting yourself all flustered and wound up because, the work is not completed? This is not God's best for you so, a few changes need to be made. 

Usually, if we look at all we have to do in any given day, it can appear, an impossible venture. It makes sense to prioritise, putting things in order of importance. Once this has been done, they can be broken down into bite-size manageable chunks. This may sound a time-wasting exercise but, it is actually worth trying. It takes the pressure off you and others who are close by and makes for a more achievable task, giving yourself a more flexible approach.

When one attempts to tackle many things as a whole, frustration, stress and possible anger, can begin to kick in and it then, becomes a war zone. This can make the work a horrible chore which you may resent doing. When we live like this, we often think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Sadly, we quickly see it’s someone with a torch bringing us some more work.

Jesus wants us to do things from the heart as if, we are working for Him. Remember, He would never put pressure on you.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Don't run away - Fight!

"I have taken refuge in the LORD. How can you say to me, 'Escape to the mountains like a bird"                                                          Psalm 11:1-3   Christian Standard Bible 

Have you ever done this - run away instead of facing up to things? It's easy to do and provides a way out. Often, the other man's grass is greener and instead of 'facing the music', it's tempting to go for this. Many have tried this way and realise that it is not. They would love to turn the clock back but, it is too late; they made the choice and have to live with it. You may have made a mistake but this doesn't mean you have to run away, not at all, face up to it and repent. God will honour you for this.

All around us, evil exists waiting to pounce on us, to trick us into making the wrong move. Temptation is around every corner, it hides away until an apt time, perhaps when we're at our weakest, it will then make its move. Take a look at verse 2, 'For look, the wicked string bows, they put their arrows on the bowstrings to shoot from the shadows.' Satan will use people to fire at us under the cover of darkness. This may be in the guise of gossip, where a false image is used to taint our name. They will talk behind our backs but laugh with us face to face. Be careful, not everyone is your friend. Snakes have similar characteristics (1) A deadly tongue (2) They lie in wait (3) Crawl into situations (4) Strike and bite.

Satan will use people to destroy our foundations v3 - our reputation, our honour and our good track record. What, as righteous people can we do? FIGHT - STAND UP- SPEAK THE WORD. Ask yourself, 'If I've taken refuge in God, why on earth would I want to escape to the mountains like a bird? v1. It doesn't make sense.

When we are not in alignment with God, It's easy to become confused and the devil knows this. So even though we may call on God for help - take refuge in Him, the devil will encourage you to run to the mountains - in other words- run away, give up, 'it doesn't work anyway.' Yes it does! Don't listen to lies. Jesus never ran away, why should we? Because the devil knows how powerful you can be with Jesus beside and inside of you. That's why

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Live a Carefree life

"Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."   

                                                                                Philippians 4:6-7    CSB

We have spent a little while within these verses over the past week or so; but, there is so much we can glean from them. One thing that I love is, the work of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He was a great preacher and writer and his sermons made people sit up and take notice. And, they're still doing this today, throughout the world. Spurgeon's interpretation of this verse is worth taking notice of. He wrote:

'Live with that holy carelessness which is the very beauty of the Christian life - when all our care is cast on God, and we can joy and rejoice in his providential care of us.'

                                                                                                                 Charles Haddon Spurgeon

If we adopt a holy carelessness, we can then begin to enjoy our daily lives - 'Carefree'. Sorrow, sadness, pain, problems and worries, usually spring out of ourselves when we face a crisis. However, allowing God's carelessness into our lives, conquers this areas. John 14:27.

To announce that we are careless people may raise eyebrows, but we are not saying this. We are announcing that the cares we have about this and that, are no longer ours, we've handed them to God. 'Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares about you' 1 Peter 5:7. Therefore, we are care-less or in it's correct term carefree.

Imagine shouting out at church or wherever else, 'I will not let that effect me - I couldn't care less, because God has my cares'. It is something that we all need to consider. How many hours a week do you send worrying about your problems? How many steps do you walk - check your step counter? It is pointless to worry about these things, because the worry and the cares remain there. Surely, it makes more sense to pass the cares over to God. Consider breaking down in the middle of nowhere, with no mobile phone, and somebody stopping to offer you some help. Would you receive their help or allow pride to take up its place and wave them on? Yes there may be safety issues involved, but, if there was no other way, it may be a life-saver.

By operating in the 'Careless' mode', you're not being irresponsible, you are being wise. God has all the answers; He offers us all the help we need. Why not receive this help and live a Carefree life!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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'I won't ever become angry'

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in Him I will trust."        

                                                                                           Psalm 91:2  NKJV 

This verse is actually a declaration and when we say it and mean it, we believe it. However, we need to be careful of the times when sin is creeping around. Yes, we have a hedge of protection around us, but only if we keep ourselves in a place of Holiness. If we allow sin to enter our lives then the hedge of protection is breeched and the devil can come in and cause mayhem. For instance, RT Kendall says, 'Will my flesh rule this moment or my spirit?' What RT is saying is if I sin, my flesh will rule, if I refuse to sin, I will remain on the right side of God. 

One of our biggest problems is our reactions. When someone annoys us, it can be difficult not to retaliate, especially if the person offends us or rattles our cage too much. This annoyance can lead to anger and before too long, the hedge of protection is in danger of being breeched. God gave me my own interpretation of anger some years ago. It includes: Aggression, Retaliation, Bad Mouthing and Threatening. These all equate to anger.

AGGRESSION   Whether we are of the aggressive type or not, it is easy to fall into this trap if we are pushed too far.

RETALIATION    We are then led to want to retaliate, 'How dare he say that' etc. Once we verbalise this, we are on the way to:

BAD MOUTHING  This may or may not include some unsavoury language. The thing is, once we have allowed ourselves to get this far, we want to let rip.

THREATENING  Sadly, this is a stage we can fall into, 'If you don't apologise, I will...' This is a threat that has come out of your mouth. It cannot be taken back.

All the more reason why we need to be in control of ourselves. God is our refuge, our fortress and we trust Him. So, if we do, call out to Him instead of taking the walk of doom and becoming angry. You know it makes sense and you may feel that this would never happen to you. Don't be fooled. It will if you're not careful!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Confess God's Word and live it

"But David found strength in the LORD his God." v6         1 Samuel 30.  CSB

David was very troubled. The Amalekites had attacked his camp carrying off their women and children and, David's men were in such a state, they were threatening to stone him. Even though he was very concerned about this, he did something we all should do when we are in crisis - he found strength in God. He remembered how God had rescued him in the past; how He had always been there for him and, never let him down. He gave it to God and, God saved the day, as he always does when we do this. For the whole account, read Chapter 30.

This reminds me of a Christian chorus we used to sing back in the mid 80's. It was written by an evangelist called Isobel Chapmen and the words went like this:

'I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm blessed and anointed and filled with the power of God x2

The Joy of the Lord is my strength, and by His stripes I am healed,

I'm anointed with the oil of gladness and, filled with the power of God

                                                          Copyright Isobel Chapman

The person singing or quoting this chorus is actually confessing God's Word upon themselves. Check this:

'The Joy of the Lord is my strength'  Nehemiah 8:10

'And by His stripes I am healed'  Isaiah 53:5

'I'm anointed with the oil of gladness'   Isaiah 61:3

And filled with the power of God'. Romans 15:13

We need to do this more and more because, we're actually confessing what God is saying about us. If a person is feeling a little depressed and confesses these words, it will be impossible to remain in a depressed state because, the words are 'POWER' they are 'ETERNAL' and they break the chains of satanic power just by confessing them.

As a Christian, The joy of the Lord is your strength; you are healed by the stripes of Jesus; you are anointed with the oil of gladness and, you are filled with the power of God.

But to know this is not enough, you need to digest it and begin to live it and confess it every day. You are an Anointed Person of God - a Special creation made in the image of God Himself. Get up and start confessing it!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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