Josh Schlotterbeck

A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them. – Proverbs 29:11 (GW)

Once I identified the sources of my pain, I put together a Pain Management System.

It is easier said than done. It’s takes hard work self control and possibly with a side dish of some tears . There was a time when I would be hurt deeply by some things my wife would say to me. They felt harsh, rude and disrespectfull. Even unloving sometimes. And when she said those things, my feelings of rejection would make me bitter towards her and towards God.

Enter my Pain Management System

So here’s what I did:

1. Got a journal
2. Wrote down everything she said that hurt me
3. Wrote down all my emotions following her words
4. Wrote the context of the conversation

Before long I began to see a pattern emerge in our conversations. I began to understand something about my self. The result of my pain wasn’t her words, but an unhealthy approval addiction. I needed to know that Sara approved of me, and when she said things that didn’t agree with me; it translated into rejection.

By filtering my conversations now, I am able to undersand and control my emotions by recognizing their intent for my life. This helps me to maintain composure and respond to pain in a God honoring way.

A good resource to understanding what drives your emotions : The Search For Significance by Robert McGee

This past week during the Crew’s study, we stumbled across a very simple yet important principle.

Percepection → Reception → Reaction

The way in which we Perceive God determines how we can receive Him and that ultimately determines how we respond to Him.

So often it is easy to key in on one attribute of God (usually the one that first caused us to love Him) and forget that there is a vast greatness and wholeness to God. For most Christians in America today, the most common perception of God is that He is our savior and brings forgiveness. Which entitles a believer to forgiveness and “guilt free living.” In other words, “I can do what I want when I want. After all, I’m Forgiven.”

And so many of us have fallen pray to limiting the scope of God’s impact in our lives, because we limit our vision of Him. How do you see God?

Savior?
Personal?
Lord?
King?

It often is reflected in what you call Him when you pray.

The only way to really change the world is to fully immerse your will and your desires into the mind of Christ so that we become an extenstion of His ministry to mankind.  You are the change the world needs, and the best place to start is prayer.

Prayer determines your effectiveness.

The most influenctial and perhapse the most effective Church is the church of the apostles in the Book of acts.  There once was a group of believer’s so committed prayer that resulted in strategic generosity poured out in such a way that socioeconomic barriers melted away. And their love for one another in such a way that bridged the racial and gender divides, and celebrated culture diverences.

These with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.   Acts 1:14

Out of the 28 chapters in the book of Acts, the aposltes are found praying 19 times.  Prayer, in fact was the first thing they did after Jesus ascended into heaven.  Not evangelism, healing or preaching.  Prayer.

Prayer produces clarity.
Clarity produces vision.
Vision prodcues purpose.
Purpose produces a plan.
A plan produces effectiveness.