ClydeStyle

Tag: heal

  • Peace and war is a crossroad for Christians

    One of the great principle concepts in Christianity is the notion of dealing with kindness, those who would oppose you.

    Why would someone do that, you ask? Well, the biggest benefit is spiritual, and if that matters to you, then keep reading. If it doesn’t, then I apologize for posting content that you’re not interested in and check back next week.

    But this week, I want to bring an understanding to the concept of heaping coals of fire on someone’s head. Paul wrote this in Romans 12, but it is an actual quote from Proverbs 25:21-22 and the end principle is that God will reward you!

    But don’t get too excited about the reward because it’s not like a dollar amount or some secret blessing that no one else gets. But the reward is a state God puts you in. This state is where every child of God should want to be. Can you imagine what it’s like to reach a stage of complete peace with God. All alien sinners are at war with God, whether they know it or not. You become the opposite of that when God gives you peace.

    Now, what do you get peace in exchange for? Great question. God observes you dealing with a person who has become your foe. The text translates this word as enemy. In the Greek, this word for enemy represents all scenarios/kinds of enemies. The one used in our Romans passage would be your foe, and that is someone who may have even been your close friend before, and something happened. More than likely, this person is/was a Christian that has allowed trouble to overtake them.

    This means that they once had a relationship with God. They may even think they still do. See, the problem is that uncontrolled anger is so blinding. A brother or sister in Christ can do something to you and cause you to be on the verge of hating them for what they did. We do this unaware of how it ruins our relationship with God.

    When this happens, we are to essentially cause remorse to happen in their heart. That is what heaping coals of fire on their head means. This action should strike a chord in their heart when  they are treating you like an enemy and you are treating them like a friend…still.

    As they go through trouble, you become the helping hand that heals their pain. God has promised to make us “peace buddies” with him when we do this.

    At some point in our Christian walk you will be faced with challenges. Are you ready to arrive at this crossroad? Are you ready to have your love for God tested? Get ready! It’s coming! And for some reading this now, it is already here!

  • Leave your bitterness behind

    Some things need to be left in last year. The “newness” of the New Year is preserved in our excitement to go forward with great anticipation.

    Bitterness tends to start slow and stay very long. It slips up on you and haunts you. From moment to moment, bitterness can creep in and change your mood, make you irritable, and steal your joy.

    Bitterness is when you suffer a disappointing experience or you have been treated unfairly. Bitterness is the feeling you get as you continue to be angry about it.

    Many people are living with their bitterness. America gives you a lot to be better about. There are some who believe that certain politicians are making laws against them. Some believe the government is giving away the good jobs to immigrants. Some believe in multiple conspiracies that will negatively affect their life. Some believe the criminal justice system is unfair. Others believe there is systemic racism that has greatly affected their growth. Still, others believe religion has harmed them, and you can’t trust the police.

    Whether these things are true for you or not doesn’t matter, the point here is that all of these things would cause bitterness. So the following are three steps to help with your bitterness.

    1) Put a price on your time and energy. It is extremely unproductive to continue repeating what has happened or sharing it with folks who haven’t heard. This doesn’t change the experience, it only keeps you married to it.

    2) Confront to source. If someone has wronged you, it may be time to tell them how you feel about what happened.

    3) Ask yourself why. You need to know why this is important to you. Why you can’t get past it. And why didn’t you see this coming.