PC3 Devotions

Ephesians 4:1-3 

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

We all know deep down inside what type of person we want to become and what values we hope will define us. These desires must be shared in community. We need accountability. We also need someone who has the guts to ask us, “How are you doing with things? Do some things need to change? What are you struggling with in regards to sin or temptation?”

Why do we need people who will hold us accountable and are willing to speak the truth in love? Coasting spiritually without accountability leaves one vulnerable for their heart to be fooled. Instead of allowing God to examine our motives, we rely on our own heart to judge our behavior. This places us on a slippery slope as the prophet Jeremiah says the “heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Our heart’s inclination will be towards sin and “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” (1 John 2:16). It will always tell us what we want to hear. How often do we tell ourselves, “I’ll just do it this one time” or “”my ____________ doesn’t really affect anyone else?” We are experts at rationalizing our own sin. Sin thrives on privacy and darkness. However, we don’t really hide things, we simply isolate ourselves from others. We need community to reveal the lies we tell ourselves (Proverbs 15:22, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

But, the need for community goes deeper than tackling the deceitfulness of sin. In Ephesians 4, Paul urges his listeners to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called “ (v.1).  This does not mean that we should try to deserve our place in God’s favor. It means that we should recognize how much our place in God’s favor deserves from us. The focus is not on our worth, but rather the worth of our calling. Because we bear the integrity of God’s image and the influence of His love, we must urge one another to walk in a manner worthy of their calling.

The challenge is to engage in such a way where others have access to stir and spur you on to reflect Christ’s heart. But, it’s not just about having people in your life who encourage you. The call is to be this kind of person for others. This begins with being mindful of the mission God has for us and considering ways you can stir others as well. Community requires mutual accountability. We engage with others for the sake of our call.

God, may I see how desperately I need to be known by others. Instead of hiding my true self, may I be willing to be vulnerable. But, help me to not stop there. May I encourage and spur others along with grace and transparency. Amen.

Instead of taking the time to examine our struggles, we’ve become experts at hiding our real selves. Integrity sounds good in theory, but if we are honest, we see it more as an inconvenience. After all, we deserve what we want when we want it. Life becomes more about our immediate gratification than the condition of our hearts.

What it comes down to is a lack of trust in God. We think God might not come through. We take matters into our own hands, and our actions become just reactions rooted in fear and insecurity. With this line of thinking, a steadiness will never be found.

Proverbs 10:9

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

For many of us, integrity and how we live our lives seem so far apart that we think attaining a Godly character is a lost cause. There is so much we need to work on that we don’t have the slightest clue where to start. However, there is hope for our character yet. In terms of integrity, it is about doing the “next right thing.”

What the next right thing is will be different for everybody. Each of us has places in our lives where we are more prone to freak out and forgo our integrity to feel loved, valued, and accepted. Doing whatever it takes to meet those needs almost becomes second nature. Most of the time we act without even thinking. When we allow our lives to remain unchecked, these reflex actions build upon each other and can lead to enormous regret and hurt.

They also reveal our true character and shine light on the things we truly value. The question that we must wrestle with is whether the things we label as our convictions truly match up to our words and actions.

In order for integrity to run through everything you do, it is crucial to understand what convictions you hold. Convictions inform your choices and are fundamental facts that shape your actions. Convictions enable to you to respond to your circumstances instead of reacting to them. They are what you cling to when life doesn’t make sense. We encourage you to take some time today to reflect and journal your thoughts on the following two questions:

1. What do you believe?
2. What do you really believe?

Answering the first question shouldn’t be all that challenging. Write down the convictions that you believe define your life. The difficulty comes in taking the list of convictions you’ve come up with and comparing them against your actions. Do not be surprised if gaps exist between your perceived convictions and how you live in the real world.

Many times the things we think would be a conviction or something we put stock in doesn’t match up with how we truly live. This exercise is not meant to discourage but, rather, pinpoint the places where work needs to be done. It is our hope that when faced with decisions in the future you would no longer choose your reaction based on your insecurities but on your assurance of who you are in Christ.

God, shine light on where my convictions do not line up with my actions. I desire that in the midst of uncertainty I would lean on your strength and the convictions I hold. Enable me to respond to my circumstances rather than react based off my feelings or insecurities. Amen.

Proverbs 16:32

32 Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Since God takes our anger seriously, the time has come for us to quit making excuses and justifying our anger. Some of us need to put to rest the tired line of “that’s just the way I am” to describe our anger issues. Trying to explain away our freakouts is just a crutch. By making ourselves out to be the victim, we don’t have to take responsibility for our actions. How often do you catch yourself saying “if my wife would…if my boss would…if others just…” It’s always someone else’s fault. But here’s the thing.  Regardless of how justified you might feel about your outburst, no one else causes you to be angry.

Someone else’s words or actions just serve as a context where the current state of your heart rises to the top. These circumstances serve as a revealer. As we’ve learned over the past week, the cause of our anger lies deep within us. Normally, it is our ingratitude, impatience, pride, selfishness, or desire to control. We have a choice to respond to every circumstance we face. We can either take the easy road and let the anger flow or we can utilize this circumstance to transform our character.

There will be some who feel they have no choice in the matter. A circumstance presents itself, and before they know it, they’ve blown up in anger. This speaks to a lack of self-control as well as the failure to take the time necessary to tend to your heart. We need to be proactive about change, so today we want you to be honest and identify the trigger points of your emotions. I’ll ask it again: what makes you angry? Only you know where you are most vulnerable to grow angry and resentful. Isolate those reasons and ask God to reveal the depth of your sin in this area of anger.

When you are aware of your trigger points, you have a leg up in responding differently. If you feel your temperature rising, ask yourself, “Why am I getting so angry? Am I angry because I’m impatient, lonely, selfish, or feel disrespected?” If you are, don’t act on those emotions. Stay in control even when you are angry. Then take it a step further by taking the focus off you and your situation and place your attention on the other individual and God.

Ask yourself questions like, “What would it be like to be on the receiving end of my anger?” and “How would God want me to respond in this situation? Would my response bring God glory?”  Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not foolish enough to believe you will always go through this mental checklist in every situation, but attempting to ask these questions on a consistent basis gets us into the mindset of taking a hold of our anger.

Maybe for you the take home point from this week’s devotionals is the need to ask for forgiveness. Numerous people who you truly care for were caught in the path of your hurtful words or actions. They were the unlucky victims of your freak out. For you, this means putting your pride aside and seeking forgiveness from those you hurt.

Pride is a funny thing. When you are all alone, your pride enables you to justify your behavior. In your messed up mind, anything and everything can seem logical. However, when you expose it to light, those actions you once thought were completely justified seem silly and childlike. This goes back to the need for community.

Sometimes all it takes is verbalizing your anger to others for you to see the error of your ways. Imagine if there was no place to hide. All of you anger issues, both the verbalized and the stuff that you bury deep within, are suddenly visible for all to see. What would you do? I bet you’d get a whole lot more serious about changing things.

The intent of coming to grips with your anger is not to turn you into some softie pushover who always has a smile on his or her face. In fact, we need more Christians who have passion and emotion. Sadly, we waste most of our energy and focus over insignificant and selfish desires while ignoring the things over which it’s worth getting angry. Anger can be an emotion harnessed for good. We want you to fight, but fight for the things that matter. Get angry over your own sin. The injustices of the world should also get your blood boiling.

We are called to righteous anger (Psalm 7:11 and Mark 3:5). Stop wasting away your days bitter, angry, and resentful over issues that don’t matter in the long run. Get mad about the right things. Use this anger to produce change in the world.

God, may my heart break for what breaks yours. Instead of getting angry over things that inconvenience me, enable me to harness my anger in ways that bring your glory. Amen. 

Statistics show that more than 60% of people lose their temper at least once per week. These stats should get you angry because you know the other 40% of respondents are not being honest. Each one of us has buttons that, if pushed correctly, amp up our emotions and cause us to freak out. These triggers have the ability to set us off on a path of destructive words, thoughts, and behaviors if not dealt with properly.

When you are angry, you should take notice. Why? Because anger serves as an indicator of disarray happening within your heart. Our anger is a gauge of what is taking place on the inside. Jesus confirms this point. In Luke 6:45, Jesus says, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Later on in Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus takes it a step further. Take a moment and consider these words found in Matthew:

Matthew 15:18-19

18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

To understand anger, we have to look at our heart. Proverbs 4:23 encourages us to guard our heart because it serves as the “wellspring of life.” What is taking place within our heart when we get angry? There are numerous reasons our emotions get all amped up: feeling our “rights” have been violated, frustrated over our current circumstances, not having control over a situation, our pride getting hurt, feeling misunderstood, being disrespected, or someone blocking what we desire.

At the core of all these reasons is the fact that you wanted something and didn’t get it. James 4 tells us that the source of our quarrels and fights “come from the evil desires at war within you.  You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” Kill seems like a pretty harsh word. But in Matthew 5:22, Jesus placed the anger you hold towards someone on the same playing field as the sin of murder. The Bible says we shouldn’t take our anger lightly. It is no wonder, then, that scripture also urges to not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26) and to put all anger away (Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 4:31).

Selfishness, ungratefulness, and impatience define our anger. We get angry when we don’t get what we want and sometimes think we deserve. This places us on shaky ground because people who feel they are owed something walk around with a chip on their shoulders. The longer we let this anger fester the more it clouds our judgments. Proverbs 27:4 compares anger to a flood in its power to destroy and harm.

Other parts of scripture go as far as saying anger kills the foolish man (Job 5:2). How? By consuming our thoughts and dictating our actions which tend to bring with it all kinds of sin (Proverbs 29:22). Getting angry rarely solves problems and, in fact, tends to produce more conflict and trouble (Proverbs 30:33). Losing our cool only makes things worse because we tend to act like fools (Proverbs 14:7, Ecclesiastes 7:9). The anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires (James 1:20).

Yet, Paul, the writer of Ephesians, expects us to experience anger.  He understood that emotions are God-given. Paul is more concerned that his readers understand how to manage their anger, and from his perspective the key is not allowing it to get wedged inside your heart. In other words, cut it off at its source as quickly as possible.

Instead we are commanded to be slow to anger (James 1:19, Proverbs 16:32). Yes, patience in difficult situations does bring peace and perspective (Proverbs 14:29). But that is not our main purpose for being slow to anger. During those moments of patience, we are reflecting God’s heart (Exodus 34:5, Numbers 14:18). The kindness of God, seen through His being slow to anger, is what allows us to repent. We get rid of anger and bitterness through the difficult act of forgiveness, which is both an event and process. We must forgive just as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32).

Understanding the love God has for us is critical in helping us process through our anger and tense situations. We want so desperately to control our own world and have everything fall into place. We desire to be the one who dictates our path and our direction. In a way, believing we are in control of anything is foolish. God is in complete control and holds everything together by His hand (Psalm 103:19, Romans 8:28). He controls the laws of the universe, the tides of the ocean. Our very existence depends on Him. We can rest in the fact that the one who is in control of everything loves us deeply. This helps us from agonizing over trying to control every situation or fuming with negative anger over our current situation.

God, may I not take my angry lightly. Help me to confront the real reasons I freak out and get angry. Enable me to see the deeper issues taking place within my heart. Shine your light on these areas. Expose them for what they are. Amen.

James 3:3-18

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Our words have enormous power. They have the ability to heal and encourage just as much as they do to cripple and destroy. The only thing words can’t do is be neutral. Burned into our memory, either for good or for bad, words stay with us for such a long time. For some the words of a loving parent or mentor spurred them on to greater deeds while for others hearing they were “unlovable,” “stupid,” or a “screw up” have plagued them for years.

Words uttered in the midst of a freak out can quickly lead us into situations in which we do not want to find ourselves. The imagery James uses to speak of this direction is a bit and rudder (v.3, 4). Both are very small items, but both have a profound impact on one’s direction. Even though it is easy to underestimate their power, our words control the direction of our entire body.

We might feel it is no big deal that a few words spoken in anger escaped during the heat of the moment. However, what started as a small spark (a momentary freak out) can quickly turn into a raging fire (v.6). These words can ruin a relationship for years to come. Just like a fire that has raged out of control, there is often no way to reverse the damage your words have caused.

We can get ourselves into trouble with our mouths.  But there is something happening deep beneath the surface that often goes unnoticed. Scripture is very clear in saying that our words reveal what lies inside the heart (v.14-16). It is only normal, then, to want to hide your condition, whether it is poor self-esteem, anger, envy, depression, pride, or a host of other crippling conditions. Yet, as hard as you might try to hide your condition, in the heat of the moment it is brought to light through your words.

Until we realize the value of our words, how they speak to something deeper taking place inside of us, and the impact of what we say has on others, we will be taken down a destructive path and end up in places that we did not want to go.  We need to cultivate the habit of stewardship when it comes to our words. Stewardship simply means to manage.

Controlling our tongues involves more than mere discipline. It is about leveraging the potential of our words to become a fountain of life. In order for this to take root in our lives, we must continually be drawing water from the well of our surrendered heart.  The reality of a trusting, surrendered heart is that we are righteous, and scripture tells us the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (Proverbs 10:11).

The types of words we speak are directly tied to the maturity of our faith (Ephesians 4:15). The whole concept of this is not carefully controlled words that conceal what is really going on inside our heart but words centered on a truth that is rooted so deeply in love that our mouths can be trusted to gush out life-giving water.

God, too often I don’t give a second thought to the power of the words that I speak. They flow out of my mouth with little to no thought. This carelessness has caused many people hurt and pain. Please give me the courage to seek their forgiveness and become more aware of how my speech affects others. I desperately want to experience control over my tongue but realize this is impossible without your grace and the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

When we permit our worry or concern to stay longer than it needs to, dangerous behaviors and results can occur. The longer we freak out the more things spiral out of control. Thoughts that initially seemed harmless and we gave little attention to soon become ones that hamper our trust in God and prohibit us from growing. We are paralyzed by our thoughts. As we learned a few days back, a person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls (Proverbs 25:28).

There is hope that in the midst of any uncertainty we face we can walk securely. We are not defenseless to our scrambled brains. It all hinges on what we see because our perspective shapes our actions. The absence of truth doesn’t really matter until you can make sense of what you see. We must have a way of dealing with the world when it doesn’t make sense and all we want to do is worry. This is why renewing our minds and capturing out thoughts is so critical to our spiritual formation and battle over freaking out.

Captive thoughts prepare one to see correctly. When we meditate on His word, we become well attuned to hear those quiet voices inside of us that are quite simply a whisper from God. Scripture spends a great deal of energy focusing on the importance of conquering our mind: setting our mind (Colossians 3:2), renewing our mind (Romans 12:2), submitting our mind (Psalm 26:2), and preparing our mind (1 Peter 1:13).

Our thoughts and what controls our mind determine the way in which we experience God. Yet, the importance of capturing our thoughts and renewing our mind are rarely stressed in Christian circles and even more rarely practiced as a spiritual discipline. We let our thoughts run wild in our mind with little to no self-control. This, in turn, causes us to struggle to experience an intimate relationship with Christ and trust in Him when our world is thrown off kilter. Worry and the push to control fill the vacuum in the absence of truth.

The struggle over our mind is really a struggle over who we are. Beginning to live in the knowledge that we are His beloved will help us in any struggles that we might face in life. What controls our mind often determines our actions. We become what we set our minds on. The first step in renewing our minds is remembering who we are in Christ. It is crucial we align our perspective with what it is true, solid, good and right. Only then will we begin to realize that God is ultimately in control of every situation we face.

God, often when I am freaking out my mind is all over the place. Help me to renew and prepare my mind for those moments when I am tempted to worry or overact. May I see the situation I am facing through a different lens, one that is guided through your love for me. Amen.

Proverbs 25:28

28 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

If things just went better then I wouldn’t freak out. But, the reality is your circumstances alone will never align in such a way as to prevent a freak out. There are going to be freak out worthy things that happen in our lives. Yet, if we don’t learn how to handle the little things, we’ll never be prepared to handle the big stuff.

There will be some who think freaking out is no big deal. However, scripture tells us a different story. In Proverbs 25:28, we learn that the person who lacks self-control is like a city without walls. In ancient days it was those walls that kept a town safe from intruders. They kept the bad guys out.

So, if you lack self-control, you find yourself at the mercy of whatever happens around you. Without self-control you are defenseless to those attacks of your impulses. You’re susceptible to being taken out by anger, selfishness, drama, rage or revenge.

It’s only a matter of time before you freak out and when you freak out you check out. What we fail to realize is the devastation these continual freak-outs have on our reputation and integrity. In our grasping for control, we actually hand over some very important things. You diminish value, you destroy trust and you forsake influence.

Failing to exhibit self-control causes you to check out of your responsibility to influence. You lose the opportunity to influence people at the heart level. You forsake the authority that you have been trusted with by God.

So, how does one avoid freaking out? Instead of blowing up in the heat of the moment, one needs to start “blowing up the moment.” This is simply magnifying the moment up to see what really matters at that precise time. Some will dismiss this step because they think it is an impossible task.

Many don’t think they can think that fast, but the reality is they probably haven’t tried to slow down to see if they can. In those moments, you need to ask yourself a few questions: What is really going on here? What am I trying to control that I can’t? What do I need to control that I can’t?

Sometimes all you need is more time. You must begin to respond to who you are and not what is happening around you. Godly perspectives cause stable reactions. Blowing up the moment is a tool you can use to gain perspective.

It is not an effort to stop time, but rather see time as it comes to us.  It comes moment by moment and while we cannot control what happens to us in those moments, we can chose how we will respond to what happens in those moments by blowing them up.  By magnifying them, we can see them for what they are.

God, I confess my tendency to freak out. In an attempt to control a situation I tend to forsake self-control. I often come to you in hopes you will change my circumstances. Yet, help me to see that you are more concerned with changing my heart. Amen.

Proverbs 15:28

28 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Proverbs 17:28 

28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

Words are a powerful tool that can be used for good as well as to harm. The only thing words are incapable of doing is remaining neutral. No other subject in the book of Proverbs is focused on more than that of the tongue. On average, in every chapter you’ll find ‘words,’ ‘tongue,’ ‘lips’ or ‘mouth’ mentioned five times. These words appear in Proverbs no less than 150 times. King Solomon, the author of this book, goes into great detail about how one’s speech gives a glimpse into their character and heart.

Want to know what a person is like? Solomon suggests listening to the words that come out of their mouth. He understood how our words shed light on our actual disposition toward others and reveal what we’re really like. Jesus confirms this line of thinking in Matthew 12:34 when he says, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

One of the major themes throughout the book of Proverbs is the way our speech is a test of how wise we have become. When it comes to our speech, wisdom is seen through the use of self-control. Solomon suggested taking a ‘less is more’ approach to our tongue. He urges us to be quiet and listen, before a word is uttered from our lips. Unfortunately, many of us take the “speak now; think later” approach to our words.

Anyone who has suffered a nasty case of “foot in mouth” disease understands the beauty of Solomon’s advice. Our thoughts seem to be going in slow motion, but our words spill out of our mouth quicker then the speed of light. As we clumsily attempt to grasp those words and take them back at all costs, someone is left confused, hurt or embarrassed. Our words can quickly lead us into a situation that we do not want to find ourselves in. In the heat of the moment, have you said words you regretted later?

What would happen if you paused and considered the impact of your words before speaking? Imagine the difference if you thought about, or even prayed about, everything you said before you said it. Remember, you can always learn more by listening than you can by talking.

Counting our words teaches us to be conscience of them and their power to either bless or curse those around us. A starting point for taking control of our tongue and becoming stewards of our words is a language inventory. Over the course of today, watch for patterns and trends in your speech.

While recording your findings, reflect on the following questions: Which phrases do you see appear most often? How much do you talk? How do you tend to use your words? Are there certain times of the day or night when your speech gets out of hand? Are the words you use differently depending on the type of people you are around? Are there certain people you tend to blow up at, gossip about or harshly criticize? What emotions seem to drive your speech? Taking a moment to ponder the answer to these questions will help you assess where you are at with this ongoing struggle.

Proverbs 18:2 

2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

Proverbs 18:7 

7 The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

One aspect of wisdom, is seeking wise council, or trying to gain understanding.  It is a realization that we don’t know everything, and do need help.  If we speak before gaining all the facts, or before researching a topic, we can appear to be foolish or ignorant.

When we don’t see our foolishness and others do, they will find ways to avoid us.  This often compels us to try to force things, which often makes things even more awkward and frustrating.

If the cycle continues, we find that all our striving indeed becomes our ruin.  We find ourselves speaking louder and more frequently to gain an audience.  If we don’t intentionally make a change, we will eventually become isolated.

We will lose our “filter”, and become socially awkward by the standards of those around us.   With people all around us, and yet just out of reach, we will become lonely, wondering why no one will spend time with us.   We have then become fools.

By contrast, a wise person is more interested in listening to others, and gaining understanding before speaking.  This person lives in humility, asking God and others for advice.  People like to be around wise people.  They aren’t know it alls, but they know a lot, because they are learners.

They become people that others are drawn to for advice. Yet, learners are quick to point out their real shortcomings.  They find great joy in helping others, and do their best to push others out in the lime light.  God takes great delight in exalting wise people.

Where are you?  Most of us would probably not consider ourselves to be fools, nor wise people.  Interestingly, Proverbs doesn’t even consider a third category.  So by default, if we aren’t one we lean toward the other.

God, show me where you would place me, even if it hurts a little.  Use people and circumstances in the next few days, and speak to my spirit.  We want to be men and women of wisdom; we want to impact others for you.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Your decisions reveal not only what you believe about the truth, but where your hope resides. Whether you realize it or not, you place your hope in every decision you make. Think about it for a moment. What drives your decisions? What do you hope will be the intended outcome? What caused you to act in a certain way?

For some, acceptance has the highest value. For others, they hope that their decision will provide some level of security. The appearance of success, a sense of notoriety, a moment of peace or a feeling of stability. These are just a few of the things we hope we’ll experience as a result of the decisions we make.

Hope always has a focus – a place where we set our eyes. Hope is directional as it points us towards something. There is movement when it comes to hope. It encourages us to move in a direction that is either toward God or away from Him, but it always points us somewhere. One direction leads us to something that cannot sustain (hopes of this world) while the other is where fulfillment is found (hope of God)

Decisions are hopeful and the weight of our hope needs a firm foundation. You have to decide what you will live for and then arrange you life to pursue it.  Often our foundation crumbles under the weight of the life we were made for. It is crucial we have a foundation strong enough to bear the weight of our hope. Consider these words:

Matthew 7:24-27

  ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Our perspective of hope must develop past just feelings or received blessings. Seeing hope from a foundational standpoint occurs when you begin to widen the lens. Where you place your hope shines light on what you believe about God. If God is not trustworthy or has ‘failed’ you somehow, you will be less inclined to place your hope in Him.  Yet, if you see God as the supplier of our every need then you trust in His provision. Both perspectives of God reveal what our hope rests on.

If what you see determines where you are headed then questions involving direction are also needed as we evaluate where we have placed our hope. When we need hope, where do we turn? When we face difficulty, is our initial reaction to turn to friends, family, or even our sheer willpower to get us through this stretch? What direction do our eyes turn when we are trying to make sense out of something life throws our way? Do we look to people, circumstances or other aspects of this life? Is seeking out wisdom even in the picture?

Without having the Truth serve as our foundation, we find ourselves on shaky ground. Our hearts can easily be deceived and alter our perspective our decisions. Scripture talks about when we suppress the truth that we have a darken understanding, futile thinking and our hearts become hardened. Proverbs 17:24 says, “a discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” Keeping wisdom in view is keeping God as your focus.

In Matthew 7:24-27,  Jesus tells a parable that speaks of the importance of building a home on a solid foundation versus a house built on sand. The foundation becomes significant when the house begins to settle as it weathers the test of time. Eventually, the cracks in the foundation will cause the house built on sand to fall apart. The shifting sand cannot withhold the storms of life. There is no assurance, there is no rest and hope at best is fleeting. What your hope is in reveals who or what you are building upon. The reliability of that foundation to support you is displayed through the way we live our lives.

Only one foundation can provide rest and this is of great importance. Rest is the ability to be quiet and confident. It is dependent on trust and assurance, not on personal accomplishment or circumstances. Assurance and trusts are givens, resulting in rest when it comes to hope that is found in Jesus. Some may wonder why God is so concerned that we have hope. It is because without hope there can be no faith. In Hebrews 11:1, we read that faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith springs out of hope.

God, may I see the truth as my firm foundation. May your Word and your will be the cornerstones that I build every decision upon. Thank you for providing me with unshakable hope. Amen.