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Six (6) steps through difficulty – #3

February 23, 2013 by Fritz

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo

Difficulties put focus in the wrong place — how I feel, what I didn’t get, what they did to me, why God didn’t meet my expectations! The “I”, “My”, and “Me” focus gets nowhere peacefully.

Psalm 37 gives six(6) action steps to getting out of that swirl and moving on to something better. First on the list is letting go of the burn.1 The second act is deciding to trust God by getting up and doing the right thing.2. Third step:

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” — Psalm 37:4

This one comes with a lovely promise! Who is going to give me what I really want if I don’t? God.

Doing this means several things. It means relinquishing both the control and the result to God. It means putting focus on him and what he wants, and it means being pliable. The word translated here as “Delight” literally means to be soft, pliable, delicate.

What if my heart’s desires are selfish, vengeful, and ungodly? If we are pliable God can change that and mold our hearts to desire what is good.

The ancient philosopher, St. Augustine, living in the first century discovered this very thing and wrote the famous line, “Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.”

Step #3 – Let your heart be pliable in God’s hands.

— fritz
1. Step #1 – Fret not, 02/21/2013
2. Step #2 – Trust and do good, 02/22/2013

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Six (6) Steps Through Difficulty – #2

February 22, 2013 by Fritz

trustEveryone goes through difficulties. There are, however, six(6) steps to successfully endure — “Trusting God” is the second (not the first1) step.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed” (Psalm 37:3)

Trust, in this verse, is translated from the Hebrew word meaning “bold”, even “careless”.

Not a command to feel bold but to do good boldly. Feelings may be absent or even negative but choosing to get up and do the right thing is the act of trusting in the Lord.

This means if you have a job get up and go to work faithfully. If you have a family get up and be there for them — that’s trusting God, a choice, an act of faith, the second step to enduring difficulty.

Step #2: Trust in the Lord and do good.
– fritz
1. Step #1: Fret not, 02/21/2013;

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Six (6) Steps Through Difficulty – #1

February 21, 2013 by Fritz

FlameWritten by real people with real problems the Psalms provide proven truth in the midst of uncertainty.

Towards the end of his life David wrote,

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not see the righteous forsaken…” (Psalm 37:25a)

That very Psalm begins with six action steps proven to carry God’s people through trial:

Step one: Fret Not

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb” – Psalm 37:1-2

The hebrew word translated here as “Fret” literally means to glow with heat, blaze up from anger, to burn, be incensed”.

People cheat, worse, they cheat us! Some know how to game the system to their advantage and our first reaction is heartburn. The Holy Spirit’s first instruction is to let God put out the fire.

This begins with a decision on our part that God knows the facts and will step in at the right time. A pastor friend of mine was fond of saying, “We judge ourselves by our motives and others by their actions”. God knows and judges rightly. He is still on the throne.

Our first step is to let go of the burn.

— fritz

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