- from thebricktestament.com
Kelly Minter is teaching a series on fear & anxiety at church. I have always appreciated her sincerity and earnestness in the few interactions that I have had with her. She is one who is seeking hard after God. She referred to Numbers 13-14 last Tuesday night.
It still boggles my mind to think of how the nation of Israel questioned the promise land of Canaan. Despite all that they had gone through: freedom from the Egyptians, the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, a pillar of fire/ cloud leading them through the desert, they were still gripped by fear and doubt. Kelly brought up an interesting point that despite all of God’s faithfulness, because of the slavery and bondage that they had experienced in the past, it had paralyzed them to move forward with confidence in God. (If I am mis-remembering her words, I apologize in advance.) Their past blinded them to the blessings ahead of them.
I so often mislabel, cast judgment, take offense and criticize people in my heart because I am unaware of the past that they have lived. Unbeknownst to me, there are old wounds or insecurities left unhealed, festering, percolating and ready to spill forth. And all I know of that person is the crumminess or annoyance passed on to me in some shape or form. How much am I blinded by peoples’ past, so that I cannot see the image of God in them? How much of my own past is not enabling me to look beyond myself?
Help me Lord to have a heart of compassion, forgiveness, tenderness, strength and mercy to overcome my own insecurities. Fill me with wisdom and discernment to know what is holding me back, in order to move forward with people. May I learn from those who have gone before me and be filled with gratefulness.
My own heart has been broken by the pain my own fear, clumsiness, ignorance, and stress has caused. And I also am foolishly judgmental towards those who are so like me. We need a spiritual overhaul, the Holy Spirit is the only one who can work through us to make the change. You see, it isn’t our own hearts that improve, our hearts are hopeless, it is Jesus Christ living His life in us that extends grace. That is everyday salvation, Jesus showing us what our hearts look like without Him, then showing us what we look like with Him in control as we surrender our “do as we please willfulness” to Him; for us to so give over all our rights to Him, and watch Him transform our lives, and so make us look good to others, and continue to teach us that the good stuff that comes out of our lives, is truly Him, and that we must always give Him the glory, honor, and credit for anything good in us.
bring every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ