God's Heart

"... and seek healing for them, rather than making them our personality."

I’M TIRED OF being offended. I no longer care what you eat or don’t eat (eat whatever you like), how you’re dressed so long as your undies are covered, or if you bling yourself to death. I have only one rule nowadays: Just don’t make me follow. If swimming in the ice pools of Iceland is your thing, you go girl. But don’t expect me to join in. And don’t lecture me.

Being more serious, I’m tired of being offended. I want to be happy. The other day God upset me. Or I was upset with God (more accurate). I can’t, right now, remember why because I’ve practiced forgetting. Which is my point. We have to be aware of our emotions, especially the negative, angry, frustrated ones, and seek healing for them, rather than making them our personality. When we are offended, we should ask God why and “while you’re in there, answering, can you fix it?” So that it doesn’t bug me anymore.

We must lean into the Spirit and lean away from our physical desires which clog our hearing.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

He supports you. Even when what you are doing isn’t directly His will. So many don’t see this, but because God is with them in that moment, they assume He sent them there, He gave them that to say. Seeking His heart requires letting go of yours, even the stuff you’re sure of. Sometimes you have to ask the simple questions. And listen. Does He want you to go there, to agree to attend? Is that method of ministry that you’re familiar with what He’s doing right now? Are you simply more comfortable there, in that place, and in converse, is He asking you to pull back and rest?

Some things we can be sure of. God is not violent. He never endorses violence. He does not condemn people, make critical opinionated remarks, and thereby start arguments (John 3:17;Romans 8:1). He never makes fun of people, at their expense. He will never ask you to “tell all” about yourself or anyone else. Love COVERS sins (1 Peter 4:8). God never gives devils an opportunity to show off. NEVER. This includes when we lay hands on someone oppressed or possessed by one, or if we suspect it. We never create a show. Jesus sets the example. He always told unclean spirits to BE QUIET. The apostle Paul also gives us a definite picture. When a woman soothsayer kept crying out after him, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation,” after several days of this, her making a continual scene, he turned and commanded the spirit to come out (Acts 16:18).

Jesus restored the demoniac to his right mind (Mark 5:15).

Ministry, the word itself, means to serve others. It is not an elevated position so that we are better seen, except in how we display the love of God for people. And that is the bottom line in never being offended by offendable things, never doing our thing instead of God’s. Never getting stuck in a rut, because we think we know what God is desiring of the church and of us, in particular. Memories are wonderful things, but they cannot replace knowing God’s heart.

“Above everything else be sure that you have real deep love for each other, remembering how ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’.” (1 Peter 4:8, Phillips)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com