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"I’m saying that we need to be aware of how the “have to’s” can crush our ability to live like a victor in the middle of the bad circumstances that victimize us all."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 177.
I sure do wish I could view the challenges that come my way as something other than life forcing me to do what I need to do at that given moment. Don't you know how powerful life would be if the things that come against our life could be lived out with the power of a positive attitude.
I'm not saying this to make light of the bad stuff that comes our way. Please be aware that I'm in no way delusional as to the pain and suffering this world can toss at us. It is that I'm gaining an new found appreciation of the fact that when we enlist the power of our inner most being in the middle of bad times, things seem to happen in ways that I just can't fully explain.
Our words have the power to make the power of our souls an ally in the battle with all that is going on in our lives. Our words also have the power to make the power of our souls work against us when bad times hit. It is when we use the words "have to" to describe the things we are faced with doing in a good or bad situation that our souls can actually work against us.
Our behavior is largely controlled by the faculties of our soul. Our will, intellect and emotions are what make it so that we act in ways that are either victor making or victim causing. Here's what I mean by that.
Ever been around someone who is having a really bad day? Their attitude has a way of being so infectious. If they are angry and lash out at you, isn't it so easy to be angry and lash out right back at them? If you don't know this person, it can be so easy to misjudge their actions as hatred or prejudice or evil. Their actions, driven by their soul reacting to their own situations, makes it possible for you to be victimized by their response. Worse than that, your misinterpretation of the motives behind their behavior makes it possible for you to add to that person's belief that they are a victim. The opposite is just as true.
Our actions have the ability to either draw others in or push others away. We can't always control how others will react to us, but we can control how we act in situations that come at us, whether they be good or they be bad. A large portion of that control is exhibited when we choose the words we use in the situations that come our way.
When we use words like "have to" to describe the tasks that come at us in life, we are telling our soul that we are trapped in this place. The soul will do all it can to help set itself free. Even when freedom isn't an issue, our words can make the soul take on a posture that enables our behavior to impact others in ways we never intended.
I've heard it said that they only thing we really have the ability to consistently control is our thoughts. Sure we can control our will as well, but that is so hard to do on a long term basis. My friend, Ken Baugh likens controlling our will to that of holding a beach ball under water. We all can do that but eventually the force of the ball under the water is going to overwhelm us and BOOM the ball will come erupting to surface, splashing everyone around you. Same goes for our emotions. The will and emotions are so hard to maintain over long periods of time.
It is our thoughts that we have the ability to shape and maintain. When our thoughts are heading in a particular direction, our will and emotions are more than happy to follow suit.
Amazing thing is that our words emanate from our thoughts. When we think a situation is filled with "have to" occurrences, we are in a place where our will and emotions are put on alert. It is in that time of heightened awareness that the beach ball of our lives is about to soak all those around us with an eruption of things that threaten to victimize anyone in our vicinity.
Our Bible reading today points out a couple of things regarding our thoughts and the words that might come from our thinking. Check it out with me now.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him,
the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength,
the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God
will be all his joy and delight.
He won’t judge by appearances,
won’t decide on the basis of hearsay. Isaiah 11:2-4 (MSG)
I believe that it is in those times when we are living a "have to" life that we are letting fear take over in our lives. Whether we have something to fear or not, our souls are in a place where they sure think fear is to be fought. Our reading today highlights the only fear that our soul loves. Fear of our Lord is what our soul knows is right. That kind of fear isn't a cower in the corner and fight for freedom kind of fear. Fear of God is a comfort to the soul. It is the power it needs to help us discern the good from the bad that comes against us.
Our reading today uses the word judgement when it comes to our lives. Appearances and the lies this world throws at us are horrible foundations for the kinds of judgement we need to be the powerhouse of a victor God intends. You see, when we judge our lives through the lens of "have to" we are turning loose our souls to fight a cause that might just be the wrong cause. We have to be fighting what God wants us to fight, not what we think is coming against our good lifestyle that we might judge to be a "have to" situation.
God neither creates the evil that makes badness come into our lives, nor does He use that evil to punish us. The thinking behind "have to" living believes that we don't matter to this God that made us. There is a hopelessness in that belief that makes our souls cower in ways that fail to serve us in world changing ways.
The answer to "have to" living is to live in a place of "get to." Nothing empowers our ability to live a "get to" life like realizing that we are not alone. Our scripture points out what makes "get to" living possible in the first place. It is the fact that God's Spirit hovers over us. That spirit brings wisdom and understanding. It brings direction and strength. It instills knowledge and that is what is needed to make the power of living in the fear of God something that makes our souls come alive.
A lot is going to come your way today. Some of those things will make you think that you have no choice but to be where your are. Though there will be little you can do to change you situation, you can change your thoughts. It is when we change our thoughts that getting through what we face something that is filled with a power that is outside our ability to muster up all on our own. It is when we realize that God is right there with us, watching over us, empowering us and cheering us on that our thinking changes in ways that make even the most arduous task a "get to" opportunity for our souls to shine.
That's the epitome of victor living. It is when our souls take on the power of God through the spirit's direction that victor living really takes shape. That shape has so little to do with whether our circumstances can be described as victorious or not. The fact that God's presence is guaranteed for the victor is what makes that person a victor in the first place.
Make today all it can be by taking on all your tasks with an attitude of "I get to...". You may be surprised at how, even the hardships that come your way might be sightings of God in your life for yourself and for all those around you.
Our Bible reading today points out a couple of things regarding our thoughts and the words that might come from our thinking. Check it out with me now.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him,
the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength,
the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God
will be all his joy and delight.
He won’t judge by appearances,
won’t decide on the basis of hearsay. Isaiah 11:2-4 (MSG)
I believe that it is in those times when we are living a "have to" life that we are letting fear take over in our lives. Whether we have something to fear or not, our souls are in a place where they sure think fear is to be fought. Our reading today highlights the only fear that our soul loves. Fear of our Lord is what our soul knows is right. That kind of fear isn't a cower in the corner and fight for freedom kind of fear. Fear of God is a comfort to the soul. It is the power it needs to help us discern the good from the bad that comes against us.
Our reading today uses the word judgement when it comes to our lives. Appearances and the lies this world throws at us are horrible foundations for the kinds of judgement we need to be the powerhouse of a victor God intends. You see, when we judge our lives through the lens of "have to" we are turning loose our souls to fight a cause that might just be the wrong cause. We have to be fighting what God wants us to fight, not what we think is coming against our good lifestyle that we might judge to be a "have to" situation.
God neither creates the evil that makes badness come into our lives, nor does He use that evil to punish us. The thinking behind "have to" living believes that we don't matter to this God that made us. There is a hopelessness in that belief that makes our souls cower in ways that fail to serve us in world changing ways.
The answer to "have to" living is to live in a place of "get to." Nothing empowers our ability to live a "get to" life like realizing that we are not alone. Our scripture points out what makes "get to" living possible in the first place. It is the fact that God's Spirit hovers over us. That spirit brings wisdom and understanding. It brings direction and strength. It instills knowledge and that is what is needed to make the power of living in the fear of God something that makes our souls come alive.
A lot is going to come your way today. Some of those things will make you think that you have no choice but to be where your are. Though there will be little you can do to change you situation, you can change your thoughts. It is when we change our thoughts that getting through what we face something that is filled with a power that is outside our ability to muster up all on our own. It is when we realize that God is right there with us, watching over us, empowering us and cheering us on that our thinking changes in ways that make even the most arduous task a "get to" opportunity for our souls to shine.
That's the epitome of victor living. It is when our souls take on the power of God through the spirit's direction that victor living really takes shape. That shape has so little to do with whether our circumstances can be described as victorious or not. The fact that God's presence is guaranteed for the victor is what makes that person a victor in the first place.
Make today all it can be by taking on all your tasks with an attitude of "I get to...". You may be surprised at how, even the hardships that come your way might be sightings of God in your life for yourself and for all those around you.
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