Tag: Psalm 37:8

Fret Not

Published on by amylinnea2 Comments

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. Psalm 37:8

Would you agree anger is usually a result of not being in control?

Your spouse’s actions, your child’s reaction, someone bumps your car on the road.

When we are not in control, we tend to get angry.

And when we are angry, we become anxious.

And when we are anxious, we sin, which is evil.

That’s what Psalm 37:8 reminds us.

Filling our head with anxiety invites fear – the fear of not being in control the next time.

Almost like we throw open the door, allowing fear to walk right into our mind.

And when fear walks in, he tends to take over. Like take over everything.

Allowing our mind to walk with anxiety comes back to control.

When we are not in control, simply stated, we don’t like it.

Everyone likes to be in control.

Control of the home’s temperature, television choices, dinner menu, division of chores, and more.

When we are not in control of whatever it is, anxiety is born.

If not removed immediately, anxiety can grow as a thorn in your flesh, infecting not only your current mood but beyond.

Anxiety that has taken root in your flesh affects other areas of your life.

Why?

Because fear, which is the root of your anxiety, likes to take over completely.

You begin suspecting others when suspicion is not necessary.

You start to anticipate the worst when the best is yet to come.

Psalm 37 reminds us God wants His children to refrain from anger and worry. He knows it leads only to evil.

And now you do as well.

So what should we think of instead? Whatever is pure, lovely, honorable, and just. Philippians 4:8 reminds us of that.

With God’s help choose to focus on pure and lovely things. Your mind will not worry. Nor will it fret.

Ask God to fill your mind with His thoughts. His wisdom. His peace.

Ask God to remind you of His faithfulness.

He’s always helped you more than you realize.

Give things afresh to Him today, allowing Him to bring you His perfect peace.

Photos by Jason Rosewell, Maksym Kaharlytskyi, & Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Fret Not Your Pretty Head

Published on by amylinnea4 Comments

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. Psalm 37:8

Jesus never fretted.

He knew He was completely loved by His father.

Accepted.

Cherished.

Why do we fret?

Yes, because we hold onto things, not giving them to Jesus.

But why do we hold onto things?

Is it because we do not believe God truly will take care of us?

Or that He loves us unconditionally?

Or that we are His beloved?

Jesus was fully human, so his temptation to fret and worry was real.

Like it is for us.

But He knew His father would always be there for Him.

He knew.

Suffering on the cross was the only time Jesus was separate from His Father’s presence.

So, that leads me back to us.

Sinful humans who stubbornly hold onto life’s woes when we know it drags us down.

We must continually make a conscience choice to obey.

To obey God when He says to fret not.

Command your mind to obey.

Tell your flesh to back off.

Purpose your mind on the promises of God.

Test them.

Remember His faithfulness.

And every time your worry rises up again, picture it as an ugly weed.

And yank that thing out.

Photos by Colter Olmstead, Shabnam Bakhshaliyeva, & Emily Wade on Unsplash

Anger? You betcha!

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. Psalm 37:8

Is it OK to be angry?

Yes.

Is it OK to be upset?

Yep.

Is it OK to be full of anger?

No.

Is it OK for anger to dictate my emotions?

Heck no.

Is it OK to dwell in anger?

Absolutely not.

There is a difference between allowing yourself to be angry and dwelling in anger.

When something terrible happens, it’s OK to become angry.

It’s an emotion. Perfectly natural.

Jesus became angry.

God has been angry.

It’s OK.

BUT when anger moves from simply a reaction to an emotion that dictates my actions and moods, it’s not OK.

You cannot allow anger to rule in your heart.

If anger dictates your actions, you are a nasty person.

Not someone anyone cares to be around.

If anger rules in your heart, you are bitter and full of rage.

Angry people spread their poison to anyone within earshot.

They believe life is terrible and all hope is lost.

They want revenge and will do or say whatever they feel in the moment.

Angry people don’t care if or when they hurt other people’s feelings -because they themselves are hurt.

Wounded people can become angry if they allow anger to dictate their emotions.

Wouldn’t it be almost comforting to be angry?

Is it justified?  Yes, sometimes, it is.

But we can choose life or we can choose death.

We can choose to be victims or we can choose to overcome.

We can choose to let anger rule our emotions or we can become an example of humility.

What did Jesus choose to do when He was faced with the injustice of the cross and stood before His accusers?

Jesus would have most certainly been justified to feel anger.

He would have been justified to become sarcastic and tell those false accusers a thing or two.

Instead, He chose to be silent and choose life.

If Jesus would have succumbed to anger, He would have changed history.

When we are in the midst of injustice, we can choose anger or we can choose to be like Jesus.

We can choose life.

Let’s be honest.

It’s fun to be angry.

It’s WAY more pleasant to plan revenge then wait and pray about our response.

Keep quiet? Are you kidding?

An eye for an eye, right?

 When we are slow to respond in a bad situation, we allow God to work through the details.

He might have us react in an entirely different way than we planned.

He might have us use strong words.

He might have us quietly observe.

He might use us as bold expressions of His love.

But we will never know how He wants us to respond if we continually respond in the flesh only as we want.

Photos by Japheth Mast, Jason Rosewell, Caleb Woods, & Leo Rivas on Unsplash