Fantastic Friday #908 - Provoke

Provoke

2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips.

3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. Proverbs 27:2-3


How do you deal with a situation where someone is trying to provoke you? This could be a situation where the provocation is subtle and barely noticeable, maybe someone is trying to convince you of something. Other ways can be where someone is intentionally stating something that is controversial to see if you will respond. When people attempted to provoke Jesus, He usually handled it in a calm and soothing manner by speaking truth to the individuals trying to provoke Him. When you gather your thoughts before you speak, that is always a significant deterrent to becoming provoked into saying something that could be taken wrong, or getting into an argument that cannot be won. Remember that God has already won the arguments for us and we just need to remain calm and speak truth. People may try to continue to provoke us, but at least we know with Christ in us we can be responsive and not harsh in our opinion. Avoid being provoked by listening to God and His guide through the Holy Spirit.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #907 - Kind Word

Kind Word

12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, Zechariah 1:12-14

For those of you who thrive on words of affirmation like me, you might get this more than those who do not, but everyone should be listening to what I am about to say. Speaking kindness can take you to pleasant places within your mind and spirit, where speaking unkindness can take you to dark places. Think back to the last time you spoke to someone with maybe an unkind thought or deed. How did you feel the rest of that day, week or period of time? My assumption is that unkindness may lead to other things that you shouldn't have said or done, because the enemy can take that one slip of unkindness and turn it into a series of events that we may all end up regretting later. The enemy wants the unkind words to come out of our mouths, so that he can slide into our lives. Looking at how the Lord our God even spoke to the angel, it was with a comforting presence and this is taking place most of the time with us, we just have to listen. I know that having a positive word spoken to me can have an exponential impact on how my day goes. One small negative word to me can send me down a spiral that impacts others in a negative way. So it can work both ways, the negative word you speak can impact you just as much as a negative word spoken to you. The secret is in how God views us and provides us words of affirmation daily about how we can be close to Him. Take a moment to give words of affirmation to people, and be prepared to battle the words spoken to you that are less than positive.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday # 906

Answer

13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13

Do you find yourself in a conversation where either you or the other person is not fully listening? In these types of conversations, do you find that people or you will answer something before listening to what is said? I know that there are times when I am interrupted in my work environment, and I don't get my full statement out before someone is cutting me off. It can be frustrating and off-putting to have your thoughts not feel heard or understood. There are also times in my own life where I am in such a hurry that I have cut someone off because I didn't either want to hear the whole story or felt like hearing the whole story was going to slow me down. Do you ever find yourself in conversations with God, not listening for what He has to say? Do you ask for something in prayer and just hop up and get going, and not calmly and reverently wait for a guiding word. Not all prayers are answered immediately, but certainly our own answer we give ourselves in our head should not come before God has a chance to respond. We need to stop ourselves from answering our own prayers and reverently wait to hear from God. It may not be in the minutes following our prayer, but it could be throughout the day and we certainly don't need to cut God off from answering something we asked for. Take a moment to remember how it feels to be cut off, and then listen throughout the day, the week, and every moment for the answers you seek.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #905 - Energy

Energy

27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:27-29

Do you sometimes find that you have a real lack of energy? Maybe you are not eating enough, drinking enough fluids, getting enough sleep, or exercising enough. Our body needs fuel to keep it going, and God created all these things to keep our bodies operating at full capacity. Have you ever thought about when you are sick, was there something lacking in your intake right before you got sick? Our bodies are precious creations that require the things that give us energy to function. The same can be said of our energy we have for Christ and following His plan for our lives. When we depart from His Word, the relationships with other believers, and the instruction that church can provide, this can make our eternal relationship with our Father lack the energy it needs daily. It is important that we provide our minds with the energy of wisdom that comes from God, so we can not only be examples of what positive impact God has had in our life, but we can teach others how to gain this energy and power that He provides. God has given us nutrition, it is up to us to use that nutrition for our energy.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #904 - Body

Body

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body. Proverbs 4:20-22

I think a lot about my health these days as I am getting older. While illness can strike anyone at any age, there are things we can all do to fight off the shutting down of our body and its organs. Treating your body as a gift God has given is always a good start. Plenty of sleep, exercise and a healthy nutritious eating plan can always have a significant impact. Do you think of God's Word and the impact on your physical body? When you read about hope in the scriptures, what does that do to your inner soul? Just like the joy of a hug from someone you care deeply about or even a simple touch, that can bring a heart to positive feelings. God's Word can have a powerful effect. Seeing the power of God's love of us and what He can accomplish should all bring us a great amount of comfort. That in turn can improve how our body operates, both mentally and physically. So, do your body a favor, accept those words and your body should feel something.

Have a great weekend.

Matt