Genesis
31:2-5 And Jacob noticed
that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been. Then the Lord said
to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and
I will be with you.” So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to
the fields where his flocks were. He said to them, “I see that your
father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my
father has been with me.”
This
last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued in his sermon series based upon the book of
Genesis. He states that even little children feel the stress of relational
battles. Seems that one of the first words that children learn is “mine”. It is
also a funny fact of life that people model what we do. We may or may not be a
trend-setter, but the appropriate response is to go to God’s holy Word for
direction; not false relationship or our feelings. The appropriate response is
always God’s way. The “Information Age” has created more access to data than
ever before, but society is not getting smarter or wiser because of it. It’s
easier to see the way things are now, but faith looks at it all with the view
of how the Lord God wants it to be.
Proverbs
1:7 “The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Pastor
Kyle gave us five guidelines to follow when tensions run high. (1) Stay focused
on obedience. Get back to where God wants you to be. It’s not about or location
or our vocation, but how we live out our faith in worship and obedience to the
Lord; how we faithfully operate where we are. Bottom line: Everything we do is
ministry. (2) Turn to God’s Word for wisdom. The devil does not know our
future, but does knows your past and manipulates us by deceiving us by our
past. Our omniscient Creator Father God knows our future and meets us where we
are at.
Psalm
111:9-10 “He provided
redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and
awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To
him belongs eternal praise.”
(3)
Stay in a place of Faith rather than fear. There is a line set between faith
and fear. Stay above the line, in the place of faith. (4) Acknowledge when it’s
time for a little separation. If a relationship is good then no separation is
necessary. But, when tensions grow, some separation is good for both parties.
(5) Always respond with grace. Sometimes, being accused of deception and wrongdoing
is unavoidable. But usually, there is also a hint of truth in it and that
cannot be undone completely. We lose nothing by showing grace and may gain much
in doing so.
Romans
12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge
you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper
worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Let’s
continue Pastor Kyle’s message on relational battles on the next post.
In
Christ, Brian
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