Sep 20, 2017 |
By Beckie Lindsey @BeckieLindsey_
It amazes me how I can go from praising the Lord while singing along with Christian music in my car, to yelling at the person who cut me off—almost simultaneously. But sometimes I react and then regret.
The second half of the scenario plays out like this: The driver who angered me speeds by, oblivious to my plight. The music begins to fade into the background and finally disappear. Now I’m left with an onslaught of negative, harassing thoughts like, What kind of Christian are you? You’re such a phony! A loser. “Real” Christians don’t have short fuses like you! When are you going to get better with this issue?
Beckie Lindsey: Condemnation vs Conviction
A lot of believers hear condemning thoughts, and some even think it’s God. My friends, that is a LIE!
God will NEVER tell you what a sorry loser you are.
I can prove it, too. Look at what Jesus had to say:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ” (John 3:17)
As Christ followers, we must be able to discern what we are hearing in our minds: conviction from the Holy Spirit or condemnation from an unholy spirit.
Listen, this is super important because many of us waste valuable time wallowing in condemning thoughts that center around self. This is a major tactic of the enemy to keep us focused inward rather than upward on God and outward on our mission to a lost world in need of hope. We cannot offer hope to anyone if we have lost hope ourselves.
Condemnation renders us out of commission
to accomplish the Great Commission.
WHAT IS CONDEMNATION?
1: CENSURE, BLAME 2: the act of judicially condemning.
Condemnation comes from Satan. It is an attack designed to accuse and tear you down. Revelation 12:10 refers to Satan as the accuser of the brothers and sisters.
Condemnation continually points out what a failure you are, and how badly you’ve messed up. But the biggie is this:
Condemnation shows you the problem without offering a solution.
The Bible tells us “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
WHAT IS CONVICTION?
The Bible refers to conviction as godly sorrow. We will feel grieved in our spirit, but the grief leads us to the Father.
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10
Condemnation says, “You’re such a failure!” Conviction says, “Come to me and I will forgive you.”
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18
The Holy Spirit will convict us when we sin. And that is a good thing because sin is a problem. Sin separates us from our holy God. Conviction feels a bit like an uncomfortable separation. A godly sense of sorrow. Along with godly sorrow comes the hope of forgiveness an opportunity for teaching and correction.
Satan will condemn and guilt, showing us the problem. God lovingly convicts, showing us the solution that leads to repentance. I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of this…a lot. My prayer is this article served as a reminder of God’s wonderful nature to convict, forgive, and correct.
CONDEMNATION
Guilty
Depressed
Ashamed
Accused
Blame
Shows only the problem
CONVICTION
Godly sorrow
Teaches
Hope
Points to the Father
Helps
Shows the answer
When we mess up (and we will) and the negative thoughts begin (and they will too), we must train ourselves to STOP and ask, is this teaching me and pointing toward forgiveness? Or, is this accusing and showing me only the problem?
TWEET THIS: Will you allow God to work through you instead of allowing the enemy to work on you? @RealMojo68 @BeckieLindsey_
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Beckie Lindsey is an award-winning writer, poet, freelancer, and blogger. She is the editor of Southern California Voice, a division of One Christian Voice, LLC., a national news syndicating agency. She is the author of devotions, a devotional study journal, and the upcoming YA novel, Beauties from Ashes. She and her husband Scott have three adult children, two adorable cats and live in California. Learn more about Beckie at beckielindsey16.com.
Sep 17, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
So often the world says we can’t do this or we shouldn’t do that, and if we try, it has to be a blood bath competition.
The Bible says, softly, we can do all things. But we do these things through Christ, who will give us strength.
When we focus on the Father-Son-Spirit Trinity, our souls learn to recognize that while we can do all things, it’s not always advisable. With true faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. We can do what we once thought impossible.
His strength can also come to us as we don’t do something. His strength can refrain us from losing our tempers, feeling negative, or reacting badly. His strength in us is welcome to transform us into being the person He created us to be. Even at times when we believe we are creatures of habit, that we can’t change, that we’re no good. Or the times we feel stuck, unguided or misdirected.
When we’re not sure we have anything to offer, we can offer ourselves to Him, and let Him lead us.
“For I can do everything through Christ
who gives me strength.”
~Philippians 4:13 NLT
Frankly, On Faith: We Can Do All Things
When we step away from what we think or feel, and give God room to do what we don’t understand, things happen. When we tell God, “I don’t know, but you do,” and take our hands out of the mix, He has more room to do inconceivably more than we could have imagined.
This week I challenge you to not be led by “stinking thinking” but instead pause and let God show you what He can do on your behalf. Will you let Him?
TWEET THIS: Will you let God conquer your stinking thinking? @RealMojo68 #franklyonfaith
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Sep 3, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
How often do we ask God for something based off what we think we need to get there?
Our life-filter is our own experiences, our own thought processes. But in doing so, we muddy God’s waters. We get caught up in our own mire rather than His refreshing life streams. We try to forge our own path holding old maps so close to our eyes we can’t see where we’re really going.
The best thing we can do is to get out of God’s way, and stop putting up our own detour signs to direct Him. After all, we’re not the architect of this world, He is. He knows which path we should be on, and when we shift focus from us to Him, we’re more able to see it.
God is not a God of the middle man. He’s a God of the end result.
Too often, we live life looking in our fogged-up mirrors. We view the world over our shoulder, based on a distorted glance at past experiences. God is asking us to pick up a clear window and look ahead. To look at Him in front of us, and to invite others to share the view.
God doesn’t care what’s behind us. He only cares that we keep moving forward.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart:
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.”
~Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
Let’s drop the mirrors and pick up a window, and just see how much more of God we can invite others to view with us. Where we see gravity, He sees the limitless universe.
Let’s shift our focus from what we think to what He knows, and see where He wants to take us.
Frankly, On Faith: Where we use a mirror, God uses a window.
TWEET THIS: Where we use a mirror, God uses a window. @RealMojo68 #faith #franklyonfaith
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 18, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
We’ve been doing the Five Things Friday posts for a while now. A start, a stop, a hiccup, but now we’re steady at it. I’ve enjoyed your topic suggestions and comments on these posts.
Recently, someone asked what my five favorite posts on FMD are. Y’all are smart. You already know where this is going. Of course, I could list twenty or possibly a hundred. So choosing my five favorite posts is a bit of a challenge. thankyouverymuchforthesuggestionyouknowwhoyouare.
And I’m betting once I hit “publish” I’m going to think up five other posts that could do justice. Or ten. Or twenty. Or, oh, heck. Just read them all.
But for now, here’s what comes to mind whenever I fondly think of Frankly, My Dear . . . I hope you’ll click through to find why these mean so much to me.
- Life Lessons from Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka: You Have a Better Chance, Because You Want It More.
- My Broken Thumb
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Depression is not a spiritual deficiency.
- Champagne and Supernovas
Frankly, My Dear . . . Effervesce, baby.
- And They Say Getting There is Half the Fun. . .
The Three Writing Amigos. . . and a Photobombing Flight Attendant
- What If We’re Not Drowning?
What If We’re Not Drowning?
Of course, y’all know I couldn’t choose just five. Right? I mean, there were hundreds of posts for me to choose. And can I just say narrowing it down was like the first time I baked those biscuits from Lindsay Reine’s Cookbook. #epicfailure
Having said that, I give you the Honorable Mention:
#EmbraceTheCrazy: Climb the Mountain
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Latch and Climb.
Now it’s your turn: What are some of your favorite posts from around the blogosphere? Are you a blogger? Which ones are you most proud of?
TWEET THIS: Five Things Friday: Frankly, Favorites. @RealMojo68 #franklymydear #amblogging
TWEET THIS: What are some of your favorite blog posts? @RealMojo68 #amblogging
With a full computer and coffee mug,
Happy reading!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 8, 2017 |
by Josie Siler @josie_siler
One of my happy places is way out in the country. It’s located down a back road and you need to go through a gate to get in. Once you’re in you’ll park in a small lot next to everything from motorcycles and jacked-up Jeeps to trucks and nondescript cars.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Choose Your Battles
In this happy place I meet with family, friends, and strangers whose lives are as diverse as their vehicles. We swap magazines, actively engage our surroundings, and learn from the best.
What is this magical place? A gym? A school? Perhaps a gated community? In a sense, all of those answers are correct.
It’s a shooting range!
I know this might sound terrifying to some of you, but I’m a Wisconsin girl and shooting is in my blood. It’s part of the culture here and an absolutely normal part of life. I’ve been shooting my entire life, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really got into training.
My family met Dirk and Jo of Jasco Defense Strategies at a gun show held at our church. Yes, I said church; it really is part of our culture here! Dirk is a firearms instructor and a dang good one. My entire family took his concealed carry class and we were hooked.
Last summer I took Defensive Handgun 1. This class teaches you how to shoot from various positions including on your knees, leaning back on an elbow, or even flat on your back shooting between your feet. The whole time I was reciting in my head, “Don’t shoot your toe off, don’t shoot you toe off, don’t shoot your toe off . . .”
We learned how to shoot from behind and around shelter, what targets to engage first, how to assess the risk, and how not to get in trouble in the first place. You guys (that’s like “y’all” for us northerners), it was So Much Fun!
Living with chronic illness, shooting can be a challenge. Often it will take me days to recover from a night at the range and sometimes a week or more to recover from a class.
But sometimes in life you have to make the choice to have fun anyway because the joy you get from doing something is worth the pain.
There have been a lot of classes and range nights that I’ve had to miss, but I do everything I can to help my body be ready for fun. I schedule things so I can have energy before and time to rest after because I like it so much. There are a lot of reasons why:
One: It’s a stress reliever. If life is stressing you out, an hour or two at the shooting range is good medicine. I mean, you literally get to shoot your worries away – how awesome is that?!
Two: It’s family bonding at its finest. My entire family likes to shoot so when we all go to the range or take a class together it’s a blast. (Ha, blast!) We get to watch each other improve and celebrate victories together.
Three: It’s a confidence builder. I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything that has built my confidence as much. When you can load and rack your handgun, understand the situation before you, and run a course, hitting every target and swapping mags[1] on the fly, you feel like a million bucks. You can face any problems head on because you just rocked that course and if you can do that you can do anything.
Four: I’m better prepared to live life safely. Let’s face it, today’s world is dangerous. Through shooting classes I’ve learned situational awareness[2]. I don’t walk to the car while playing on my cellphone, I keep my head up and eyes open. I don’t just check my six[3] out on the range; I check my six at the grocery store and in the parking lot. I walk with confidence and my body language shows that I’m not an easy target, even if I am small female. I’m a person who will fight back if necessary.
Five: It deepens my faith in God. I can see you scratching your head, but hear me out on this one. First of all, anything I do in nature deepens my faith in God. I love being in His creation. But beyond that, I’m learning how to be confident in the person God made me to be and learning lessons that can be applied to life and faith. For example, when my instructor gives me a command, I don’t always understand why he wants me to that, but I know that if I don’t obey I could be injured or someone else could be injured. Eventually I understand the “why” but by golly I better obey or I could be in trouble. It’s the same way with the commands God gives us in Scripture. I may not always understand the “why” right away, but I know that God is good and that His commands are for my benefit and safety. If I don’t obey God I’m going to find myself in trouble.
This Saturday I will be taking the Defensive Handgun 2 class and it’s going to be awesome! Do I have any shooting buddies out there? I’d love to meet you in the comments! Let me know what you like to shoot and what God has taught you through shooting.
Not a shooter? That’s okay! I think that any hobby we have or activity we enjoy can teach us something about God. Fun and faith are not mutually exclusive! I’d love to hear about something you love to do and what God has taught through it.
Footnotes:
[1] A magazine is what holds the rounds in a handgun. Rounds are what most people call bullets, but a bullet is only part of the round. The round is made up of the bullet, the gun powder, the primer, and the casing which holds it all together – see you learn things when you take classes!
[2] Situational awareness is knowing what’s going on around you. Be aware of your surroundings and have plans in place for those “what if” scenarios.
[3] Checking your six is looking behind you. Picture a clock: 12:00 is what’s in front of you; 6:00 is what’s behind you. Checking your six is being aware of what happening all around you.
TWEET THIS: Making the choice to have fun is worth the pain. @RealMojo @josie_siler #chronicillness #chooseyourbattles
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Josie Siler
Josie Siler loves sharing God’s gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure. She’s an award-winning writer, a published author, and an award-winning photographer. She can’t seem to separate her two loves so she brings them together each week in a #BehindThePhotoFriday story. Josie is also the Vice President of Broken but Priceless Ministries and the Editorial Assistant for “Broken but Priceless: The Magazine.” When she’s not writing or taking pictures, you’ll find this biker chick riding her motorcycle, reading a good book, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, or shooting something at the range. Learn more about Josie at josiesiler.com.
