Target Point, Vol. 24 of 31 Today's Verse/Thought: Heart Attacked or Heart Attached
When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and TRUST THE ENGINEER to get you through. Corrie Ten Boom
Life Implication:
As we look at our next key, BRING IT TO GOD NOW, please revisit with me the verse we looked at in Volume One of this series. Ephesians 4:26 and, in addition, verse 27- In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, nor give place to the devil.
To illustrate this principle, I often tell the story of the young man who took my two teen age daughters to an R-Rated movie. To put it mildly, I was furious when I learned of it after the fact. I wanted to grab that kid and tell him in no uncertain terms just exactly how I felt. A good right hook to the jaw might help! That would have been a sure way to give place to the devil!
To make a long story short, it was several days before I had the opportunity. But by then, God had gotten hold of my heart. I brought my anger to God. I had prayed and began to focus on what happened not on the young man involved. By the time I was able to talk with this young lad, I was able to speak to him not only from my own father's heart, but also from my heavenly Father's heart. We talked about integrity and the things of this culture that negatively influence our lives. By the time we were finished, this young man walked away having had positive encouragement poured into his life to help him grow in Christ. And needless to say, he never took my girls to that kind of a movie again.
Life Application:
Do you get furious and upset, acting rashly to a situation? Or is your HEART SO ATTACHED TO GOD (your Engineer) that your anger can lead then to a rational discussion and ultimately to a positive result? Remember, your anger has nothing to do with the other person-it has EVERYTHING to do with you! Don't Let the sun go down on your anger is not a license to go grab the other person before dark! That verse is saying, YOU deal with YOUR anger before the sun goes down. Very important truth!
Make Jesus your Number One Priority. As Rev. Charles Stanley recently wrote: When you make Jesus your priority, you are consciously choosing to live in obedience. He will show you how to order everything in your life according to what is best. Listen to Him. Just as the Lord orchestrated my conversation with that young man, He will orchestrate the concerns of your heart if you BRING IT TO HIM IMMEDIATELY.
Tomorrow In TargetPoint:
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