#5 – Don’t Make Me Angry!

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“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.” Psalm 145:8

I grew up around an Uncle that was known for his quick temper.  He could be happy and jolly and if one word or action was done that he didn’t like, he snapped.  He would go into a fit of anger.  He would slam things around and say mean things.

I was extremely shy growing up and it seemed about the time I would feel comfortable around my Uncle and be myself, I would make him mad by not talking loud enough, not talking enough, ask for something that he thought I didn’t need or just being in his way.  This didn’t help me in the shyness department.  Needless to say, it made me shut down even more.  I was fearful to be myself and talk in front of him as well as others.

I don’t like being around angry people.  I knew a Pastor who was the same way.  You never knew when he would like or wouldn’t like something that was said or done and he would be very cold and mean spirited at the drop of a hat.  Whenever I was around him, I would be so fearful of talking and being myself.

Do you know anyone like that?  Do you find yourself being that way towards others?

In thinking about being slow to anger, I’ve thought about myself.  I have been guilty of getting angry and reacting immediately instead of thinking about the situation and conducting myself as Christ would.

Do you have something that sets you off and are quick to be angry?

One of my “issues” is rude drivers.  We live in an area that is going through an oil boom.  The traffic is crazy!  I’m amazed at how people drive.  The one thing that can cause my blood pressure to jump up is people going through a yield sign and never looking to see if someone is coming.  They just drive through and look straight ahead causing others that are merging in to miss their turn or slam on breaks while they do their thing.  Yes, this gets on my nerves and I have had to give myself a huge talking to.  It isn’t worth getting upset; just be calm and let them go on.  No, don’t try to speed up and jump in front of them and go really slow (who me?)  Don’t wave at them like they are idiots as you pass them up.  Don’t slap your head so they can see that we are bugged by their rudeness. (where did I get those examples?)  I now think positive and tell myself getting angry isn’t worth it.

One other thing that causes the wrong kind of anger for me is people that gossip and murmur… especially, in the church.  After serving in full-time ministry and then serving in a women’s ministry for several years, I’ve heard and seen a lot.  I’ve seen people destroyed by gossip.  I’ve seen people hurt by hateful words.  I’ve actually seen ministries hurt because of someones jealousy and felt the need to try to destroy.

If you get in a situation where you feel anger, be sure that your heart is right before you say or do anything.  Spend some time in prayer over the situation before you make a decision of what to do about that thing that has made you so angry.

Yes, there are many things to be angry about, but what matters is how you take care of it.

“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.” Psalm 145:8

I want a heart like His.

I want to be slow to anger!

*click here to see the main page with links to the rest of the series on Having a Heart Like His!

 

#4 – Is Your Mercy Showing?

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In continuing along with our 31 Days of Having a Heart Like His, we will now talk about Mercy!

What do you think of when you hear the word, mercy?

I think of the old western movies where someone is about to be shot point blank and the person on the ground is yelling, “please, have mercy on me!”  In the old westerns the end result could go either way, depending if it were the good guy with the gun or the bad guy.  My eyes were usually closed at this point waiting to see if the gun went off or not.

I hope you have followed along this journey with me of making over our hearts to be more like our Savior’s heart!  In case you are new to this series, here is a list of what we have talked about so far: (click on each one to go to that post)

A Changed Heart

A Loving Heart

A Compassionate Heart

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34

When you read God’s Word, you will find many scriptures to show God’s amazing Mercy!  Have you seen how many references there are to God’s mercy?  I hope you will take the time to check it out.  You can go to www.BibleGateway.com and type in the word, mercy and all the scriptures will pop up for you to read and then you can mark your Bible of those that speak to you in a special way!

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.” Psalm 6:2

Here is the dictionary definition of the word, mercy:

Mercy:  Kind or forgiving treatment of someone who would be treated harshly.

Kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation.

If you have come to the point in your life, where you realized that you needed a Savior and you asked Him to forgive you of your sin; He then, in all of His mercy forgave you regardless of where you’ve been, what you’ve done, the things you’ve said or thought.  He had mercy on you and me and saved us for a literal hell.  We will live eternally with Him when we close our eyes for the final time.  Not only that, as we go through this sometimes crazy and scary life, He is with us every step of the way.  How thankful I am that He had mercy on me and has walked through some very troubling times with me. He has given me the strength to hold my head up and continue on to live a changed life!  I know you feel the same way in your life, too!

“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us….” Titus 3:5

So, how are we doing in having a heart of mercy, such as His?

Do you look on other’s and think:

They don’t deserve for me to even speak to them!

That person deserves to be homeless, look how lazy they are!

They hurt me for the last time!  I will never give them the time of day!

I’ll teach you a lesson, never will I forgive you!

That’s it!  I’m writing down everything you’ve done to me and then I will use it against you the first chance I get!

Even if you ask for forgiveness, you won’t get it from me.  You don’t deserve forgiveness!

They made their choice, they deserve to live like that!

*can you add some things to the list?

Wow!  Those are harsh, aren’t they?  Truth is, we may actually think those things.  We may not say them, but we think it!  Ouch!

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you.” Psalm 86:5

Who is it today, that you may need to have mercy on?  You may need to speak their name out loud or write it down in your prayer journal.

Ask God to give you a heart of mercy!

There may be another action you need to take in order to prepare your heart for this assignment of having a heart like His!

For me, I will be deleting a file folder of some emails that I received from someone that was wanting to hurt me with their words.  They did hurt.  They broke my heart.  They made me mad at first and then I was hurt.  So their job was successful!  I have saved those emails thinking I would use them against them someday if needed.  I also thought I may want to read them again to remind myself of who they are!  I never received an apology for those words.  But, today, they will be deleted and forgotten.  I’m thankful for a delete button!

I want a heart of mercy!  Do you?

“Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

#3 – A Heart of Compassion!

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“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.” Psalm 145:8

 

 

Do you have that yearning desire to have a heart like His? We talked about having a heart of love in our last post. Today, let’s talk a little bit about compassion. I don’t think there is any way to get around not having compassion on others, when having a heart like His!

 

Oh, how thankful I am, that He had compassion on me and sought me out and saved me from my sin. My life changed completely that day at the age of 14. My hopes, dreams and desires changed. I now had a Savior to lean on during those times of feeling abandoned, lonely and confused on who I was and what I was to do with my life.

 

Now, 45 years later I can look back and see how He ordered my steps and the blessings are beyond comprehension. Yes, there have been things that have happened that I thought would be the end of the world to me; betrayal, hurt, confusion, etc. I honestly believe that having a heart of compassion is one of the things that can keep you from growing cold and distant.

 

When other’s hurt you, if you could look on that person with compassion instead of anger (easier said than done) it will help. Compassion for someone who has come to the place in their life where they have allowed coldness into their hearts so much that it doesn’t phase them to hurt others with their words or actions.

Looking at our world and all the trouble that is going on, we can look on with compassion. Be ready, because compassion usually leads to action. When you have compassion on someone or something, you will probably want to do something about what you are seeing. That is a good thing! What are you involved in or support due to you having compassion for that issue or person?

Have you been somewhere and you saw something that broke your heart? Did you reach out and try to help? It could be the only thing you can do is… pray for that person.

Many times I have been out and about and have noticed a child being mistreated by an adult or the situation just didn’t look safe or healthy. I always begin praying for that child that God would intervene and protect.

How many times do we get annoyed at the person on the corner asking for money. Instead of being angry and making fun of that person, it would be a good thing if we prayed for them and have compassion on their lives that they have come to such a low place to that is what keeps them going each day; begging for money.

When traveling through areas of the country, you will usually see businesses on the highway that attract those that don’t have any morals or respect for women. I usually pray that it would go out of business somehow, someway. I also pray for those that are working in such a place to have a change of heart….that someone would be able to reach them and show them a better way to make a living. I pray for the patrons of such a business. Seeing things like that makes my heart hurt and angry, but I always try to have compassion on the people that are in there.

It’s possible that you may even have family members who have made it their mission to try their best to make you feel as useless and worthless as possible. Our first reaction is to get mad, then, we are hurt. Compassion for these people will be one of the only things that can help you deal with the situation. It’s sad that someone would be in a place so dark that they have no hope of having compassion on anyone else. These type of people are so wrapped up in themselves they aren’t able to reach out to anyone with kindness unless it benefits them. They love making other’s feel bad because that is the only way they feel good about themselves.

Don’t lose your compassion for others. If you feel a coldness or cynicism creeping in, take care of it immediately.

*Read God’s Word! Learn who He is and of His compassion on you and me.

*Think positive!

*Think of good things!

*Be careful of the people you are around. If you hang around compassionless people, you will probably be the same very soon.

*Ask God to give you compassion.

*Get involved in a ministry or organization that is helping with a situation or issue that has tugged at your heart.

*Next time someone hurts you, look at them with compassion instead of anger!  (at least give it a try)

 

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-9 

#2 – A Loving Heart!

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The first thing most people will say about God is usually, “God Is Love.” You can find those words printed on just about everything. I’m wondering if we get immune to the words, “God Is Love.”

 

 “…for God is love.” I John 4:8

 

God  loves us, even in our sin. As a matter of fact, He loves us so much that he sent His own son to die a horrible and cruel death on the cross, just to prove to us just how much He loves us. He also loves us so much that He gives us a choice. We can either accept His love or not.

Isn’t it amazing to know that God loves us right where we are, just how we are. I’m also thankful with  the thought that He loves us too much to leave us where we are. As we learn and grow in God’s love,  we begin to love others and take care in the way that we present ourselves in order to show just what God’s love did for us.

How’s your heart in the love department?

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love…” Galatians 5:22

 

It’s easy to love those that love us and are easy to love. It’s easy to love those that look good, smell good and say nice things to us.

What about loving those that we have a pretty good idea they aren’t too fond of us? It’s hard isn’t it? They hurt and they want other’s to hurt us. They are happiest when we don’t feel any type of love from them or anyone else.

Loving those that can’t do anything for us may be a challenge. How can we show love to someone that has nothing to offer us? Do we even have to have a reason to love someone?

 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

 

Did you know that we can show love just by the look on our face, the tone of our voice, the words we use, our time? We can even show what kind of love we have by the statements that we make on social media.

How long must we know about God’s love and how much He loves us to be able to have love naturally flow from our heart? Do you immediately know when you have done something that you know didn’t show God’s love?

Did you make it right? That’s the hard part, isn’t it?

When we have a changed heart, we will have a convicted heart when we don’t show God’s love to others.

Is this something you need to work on today? I know I do! I want A Heart Like His, I want a heart full of love for those that God loves!

We might need to mention what the opposite of love is… hate.

Do you have hatred in your heart?

Someone not too long ago made a comment about how they didn’t like someone and they couldn’t stand them! When I mentioned the word hate, they said, “hate is such a strong word, I didn’t say hate.” I said,” if you don’t love someone, you hate them, right?  “Oh, no, I just dislike them, and I can say anything I want about them.”

So, when you dislike someone, how is that different than hate?

That gets us to this, do you have a heart full of love…..or hate?

Which do you want the most of?

 

Is there something you need to take care of today? If you are like me, the answer to that is, yes!

 

*Ask God for forgiveness for having hatred in our heart.

*Ask someone to forgive us if we have hurt them with our hate.

*Ask God to help us love the people that we have a hard time loving.

*Fill our minds with loving thoughts.

*Spend our time with positive thinking.

*Read God’s Word and let Him speak to us about anything that our heart may be lacking when it comes to loving others.

*Take our issues to God.

*Get over ourselves and live life without always worrying who loves us and who doesn’t.

*Show others how much we love them!

 

A Loving Heart is what I want, how about you?

Click here to go to the beginning of 31 Days To A Heart Like His

#1 – A Changed Heart!

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In order to begin, 31 Days to Have a Heart Like His, we have to start at the beginning and that is with a changed heart.

 

Has there been a time in your life when you gave your life to Christ?

If so…you changed. You became a child of God!

 

For some of you, it may have meant a change in lifestyle, a change in the way you talk, dress, think and live.

 

If you were very young when you gave your life to Christ, it may have been a simple change just in knowing and having the confidence in a living Savior and you now will grow, live and conduct your life different than the world has to offer.

 

You may be reading this and thinking, “I don’t think I GAVE my life to Christ, I’ve just always believed there was a God and after all, I live in America, right, so that would make me a believer.”

 

There is a bit more to it than just believing and living in America.

 

God’s Word says:

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*There is none righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10)

No one is good enough to get themselves into Heaven or to earn God’s love.

 

*For all have sinned… (Romans 3:23)

I’m a sinner and you are a sinner. No one is without sin.

 

*The price of our sin is death…(Romans 6:23)

We will pay for our sin in a place called Hell. God sent us His son to pay for our sin so that we could instead go to Heaven to live eternally with Christ and all those that accepted Christ into their lives.

 

*Christ died for us…(Romans 5:8)

God sent His son to die for you and for me because he loves us.

 

*That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

A very simple prayer to pray is:

Jesus, I do believe You are the Son of God and that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. Forgive me. I turn away from my sin and choose to live a life that pleases You. Enter my life as my Savior and Lord.

I want to follow You and make You the leader of my life.

Thank You for Your gift of eternal life and for the Holy Spirit, who has now come to live in me. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen!

 

*Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)

If you called on God through the prayer or a similar prayer in your own words, this verse says, you are saved!

 

If you have been saved for many years or just prayed that prayer a moment ago, you have a changed heart! My heart was changed when I was 14 and oh how thankful I am! If you ever have any doubts, all you have to do is read that verse and ask yourself, “Did I ask Christ into my life and did I ask Him to forgive me of my sin?” If the answer is yes, you have nothing to doubt and no one can take that from you!

 

Okay, now that we have the most important step taken care of, are you ready to move on to do a bit of “heart surgery” and be inspired and encouraged to have a heart like His?

 

I’m ready and I’m excited!

 

I will see you right here tomorrow with our first heart trait, of that like our Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

I would love to hear about your heart change. You can send me an email or comment right here on the comment section. Remember, when you have an opportunity to tell of when Christ made a change in your life, you could be that encouragement that someone needs to read and hear about. Don’t let any opportunity pass you by to share what God has done for you!

 

31 Days To A Heart Like His!

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I’m excited to start a series for the entire month of October on:

                                                          31 Days To a Heart Like His!

I hope you will make this spot a regular stop in your day to get a quick dose of inspiration to have a heart like Jesus.

I’ve always been intrigued by the story of David in the Bible.  David had quiet a life.  All the ups and downs, troubles, triumphs and even having to pay deeply for the sin in his life.  One thing was for sure, he loved God.  The thing that gets me the most about his story, is how he was described in Acts 13:22.

                                                    “A man after God’s own heart!”

I would love to hear God describe me as a “woman after God’s own heart.”  How about you?  How do you want God to describe you?

If you answered yes, then join me this month as we go through:

                                                  31 Days To a Heart Like His!

Something to think about today:

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your heart in being like His?

*1 – Not even close

*5 – I’m working on it

*10 – Confident that I would be described as a man/woman after God’s own heart!

You might be saying to yourself, “I don’t even know where to start in trying to have a heart like His.”  If that is you….you have come to the right place!  Let’s find out together and encourage each other to reach #10 on the scale!

Can you imagine how our world could change if more people would strive to have a heart like His? Let’s begin with you and me.

I’m ready, how about you?

                                                          As in water, face reflects face,

                                                      So a man’s heart reveals the man.

                                                          Proverbs 27:19 (NKJV)

What is your heart revealing about you?

Each day I will have a link for each topic.  You can mark this as your landing page and read and re-read any posts as we go along!

Day 1 – A Changed Heart

Day 2 – A Loving Heart

Day 3 – A Compassionate Heart

Day 4 – A Heart of Mercy

Day 5 – Don’t Make Me Angry!

Day 6 –

Day 7 –

Day 8 –

Day 9 –

Day 10 –

Day 11 –

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Day 17 –

Day 18-

Day 19 –

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Day 31 –