People have different personalities. They receive, think, respond to ideas or elements depending on how they are made of. Saint Paul said on his letter to the Romans, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."
Who are you for yourself?
What are you to others?
Can we become somebody for someone?
Can we become difference makers?
Here is a psychology test that I got from Mr. Fernando Trinidad that you can try for yourself. Get a sheet of paper (average size), draw your own tree then scroll down to see what you are made of.
The Size of Your Tree
· It indicates how you see your place in the world.
· The more space you take, the more you may be unsure of where you end and the rest of the world begins.
· People who draw small trees may be unwilling to expand their horizons fully.
· People who draw bigger trees may be bursting with ideas, talents, and energy they need to express fully.
The Base of Your Tree
· The lack of a base may mean you feel insecure deep inside and tend to be out of touch with your energy source.
· When some ground is shown, there a sense of self.
· Roots and ground show a firm base in reality, both inner and outer.
The Location of Your Tree
· Left-sidedness means a tendency to hold on to the past and withdraw from the present and the future.
· Centrally placed trees are drawn by people who live more in the present than the past and the future.
· Right-sidedness shows an inclination to escape from the present by always looking ahead of the future.
The Trunk and Top of Your Tree
· It symbolizes the body.
· Any marking on it are related to bodily awareness.
· The top of the tree represents the head or mind.
· People who relate to the world mostly through their intellects usually draw tall thin trees.
· Balanced trees are drawn by people aware of their intellectual, emotional and physical lives.
· Thick trunks with smaller tops are often drawn by those who are more interested in physical and emotional matters than in using their brains to the best effect.
Continuity/Coordination
Ø Where the trunk and branches are continuous, felt messages are getting through from the body to the head, although sometimes we may be unconscious of them.
Ø Branches chopped off usually mean being held back or frustrated by outer events.
Ø Chopped off branches aren’t a disaster – they can sprout new growths, as trees do.
Continuity / Aberrations
· If a line separates the top of the tree from the trunk, thoughts are often disconnected from feelings.
Branches of Your Tree
· Bare branches mean ideas haven’t yet been given expression
· Growth may be dormant for all kinds of reasons - usually because the tree hasn’t yet decided to break into leaf.
Leaves of Your Tree
· Leaves show there is satisfaction and growth.
Flowers and Fruits
· Flowers and fruits speak for themselves and show an abundant life full of interest and energy.
· Too many fruits and flowers may mean a need to prove one’s self.
Things Fallen Off
· Things fallen off are losses or endings.
Others
· Other additions are of personal significance.
So, what are you made of?
Linggo, Marso 11, 2012
Anger Management
Besetting Sin – RESENTMENT
Title:”Love Hurts”
Text: Ephesians 4:29-32
Introduction:
I truly believe that there is no coincidence. I believe that through our leader, God is giving us assignments that are personally for us. It’s like a letter is sent and addressed to me,” To Mr. Jan Michael Palero, From God.” Inside the letter it says,” My child, this is your lesson for this season. Learn, meditate then apply. After doing so, share the truths of My Word.” The purposes of preaching are to command, to correct, and to challenge. This is also not a coincidence that you are here listening to this preaching. By the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I will share to you another serious theme of our topic besetting sin – resentment. I have entitled our study “Love Hurts.”
Webster’s: to be indignant about (anger at something regarded as unfair, wicked, etc.)
to take badly
Synonyms: outraged spirit, bad temper, bitterness, sourness, irritation, wounded pride, vengefulness, envy, jealousy
I. What happens when resentment is allowed in our life?
A. Resentment can lead to sinful actions [Exodus 20]
* Ex 20:3-17: The 10 Commandments (1-4 man’s responsibility & privilege to God; 5-10 man’s responsibility & privilege to himself and to his fellow)
* Ex 19:5: God’s promise to Israel if they will keep His covenant
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:”
>they will be a special treasure compared to others [protected by friends illustration]
>great blessing unto them for all of the earth is His, the goodness & evil are under His watch and control
Response: Ex 19:8 “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do…”
>they will follow ALL the words and commandments of the LORD
24:7 “…All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.”
>they will be obedient of ALL the commandments and laws
The commandments or laws of the LORD are purely righteous and holy. The law came from the perfect God; therefore His commandments are also perfect, unblemished & unspotted. James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Two of the attributes of God were mentioned, righteous and holy. The doer of the law then must possess these attributes also; the person has to be righteous and holy. Since the law is perfect because it were given by the perfect God, the standard of obeying it is also perfect, full obedience is a must. Israel was confident of themselves that by their own capacity, ability, understanding, reasoning, wisdom they can fulfill the whole law. They were confident that they are righteous, holy, and perfect enough to follow all the commandments. But their wisdom is foolishness unto the LORD. 1 Cor 15:56 “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” They did not see that the law was a mirror for them to see how filthy they are that they cannot be fully obedient to the law. The law was and is being used to see that man is very sinful. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” He cannot collect his good works to have his way to heaven because the things that are good for him are actually evil unto the LORD. God wants man to have faith in Him, total dependence in Him. Man’s way to heaven, his relationship with God and even fellowship with God is only possible if he has faith in God, that these are only possible if God permits it. And what God means is the faith or trust that the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross is the good work that God the Father can only accept.
By the law we can see in ourselves adultery (relationship outside of marriage), fornication (forbidden or not allowed sexual intercourse), uncleanness, lasciviousness (excitement in disgusting things), idolatry (anything that takes you away from God), witchcraft/sorcery (practice of the occult arts under the power of evil spirits, or demons), hatred (to regard with less love), variance (state of enmity), emulations (to equal or do more than others to obtain carnal favors or honors), wrath (violent anger), strife (intellectual or physical quarrel), seditions (local or limited opposition to civil authority), heresies (fundamental error in doctrine or religion), envyings (feeling uneasiness at the superior condition and happiness of another), and even resentment. All of these are clearly seen when we look at the law of God, we often offend God. Resentment can lead to more sinful thinking and then turning to actions.
Ex 20:17 ”Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” To covet is to wish to have the possessions of others. Lusting of what others have in material (TV, car, house, cell phone, gadgets, etc.), in emotion (happiness, joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment, peace, success), in social (relationships that a certain person has), in intellect (knowledge, wisdom, ability, skill). It goes simply beyond admiring (paghanga) someone else’s possession, relationship, emotion or thinking, “I’d like to have one of those,” or “I’d like to experience that.” Coveting includes envy – resenting the fact that others have what you don’t. Your spirit outrages, you’ve got bad temper, bitter, sour, irritated, vengeful, envious, jealous of what others have that you don’t. God knows, however, that possessions never make anyone happy for long. Since only God can supply our needs, true contentment is found only in Him. Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” You have to first delight yourself in the LORD and then He will give you the desires of your heart, because if you are first delighting yourself in the LORD then your heart will be desiring for what is delightful for God. That is why your need now is the delight that you experience with God, our need, God Himself. Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” You must seek first the kingdom of God, His righteousness, holiness, His perfection; and the Supplier will give all your need. [3 friends]
The Lord wants us to learn contentment, to trust God for whom He is. He does all things that glorify Him, which pleases Him. Isaiah 53:10 talks about the attitude of God the Father towards God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is written, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…” The scourging, the bruises, the mistreatment, the grief and pain on the cross, becoming sin for us of the Lord Jesus Christ were pleasing to God. Romans 8:32,” He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” It glorified God when He gave His Son as an offering for our sins. We can be contented that the God who is present anywhere, knows all things (things past, present, and will come), powerful than anything or anyone is self-existent, self-sufficient, sovereign will wisely work together all things with goodness, holiness, justice, mercy, grace, and love. And that He will always work in each individual’s life like that for eternity for He never changes.
When you begin to covet, try to determine if a more basic need is leading you to envy. For example, you may covet someone’s success not because you want to take away from him, but because you would like to feel as appreciated by others as he is. If this is the case, pray that God will help you deal with your resentment and meet your basic needs.
B. Resentment can lead to wrongful accusations [Judges 8:1-3 - read]
The previous event before chapter 8 was the battle of Gideon and the three hundred men that God gave to be with him in his attack against the Midianites. Gideon is the fifth judge of Israel. Israel had no specific leader like they had after Joshua’s death. However, they still had conquests to continue claiming God’s promise of inheritance to them. They did not drive out completely the previous inhabitants of the land; instead, they became forced laborers of the tribes of Israel. This is an offense unto the LORD. He commanded them to make no treaties with the inhabitants of the land and to throw down their altars for they will be a snare against Israel, they will be trouble for them. Nevertheless, the LORD allowed their disobedience. Later we will learn that the LORD is truly sovereign. After the tribes conquered their respective inheritances, they went unto them to possess their lands. They served the LORD all the days of Joshua’s life and also the elders that outlived him. But another generation arose which knew not the LORD, nor the works which He had done for Israel. Judges 2:11-12, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.” The previous inhabitants of the land which Israel had not driven out became testing for Israel if they would continue following the commandments of the LORD. And as we had read, they failed. The LORD though is just, and He doesn’t want His people to continue on being unjust. Judges 3:8,”Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.” God gave Israel to the hands of their own enemies and as a result of the oppression, they cried unto the LORD. They had sought the help of the LORD because of the groaning they are experiencing. That was the mercy of God, and as for His grace, He raised judges to deliver them out of the hand of those that plundered them. He will be with him, all the days of the judge Israel would rest and keep the covenant of God. But when the judge dies, they would return to corrupting themselves, they would again be stubborn, going on their own doings. It has been like this for a while in Israel. They would rest for forty years, go back to their stubborn way, God will show mercy by delivering them to the hands of their enemies so that they would seek for Him, then God will be gracious by using a judge to deliver them out of their oppressor. And the fifth of the judges is Gideon. When they were to attack Midianites, the current oppressor of Israel, the men of Gideon was 22,000. The LORD did not allow this for they may boast of their victory and may think that they have won because of their own number, ability, or skill. The LORD commanded Gideon to tell his men, “Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Gilead…” 10,000 were left. Judges 7:4 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.” To make the long story short, 300 were the men that God told Gideon that will go with him. Gideon and the three hundred men were able to defeat the Midianites for the LORD fought for them. The three hundred men did not do much actually. They held a trumpet, a pitcher and inside of it is a lamp. [Story of the attack]
After they were able to defeat the Midianites, Gideon asked the tribe of Ephraim to finish the job for there were escaping Midianites. The warriors from the tribe of Ephraim are also in the 10,000 men that God reduced to 300. After doing the job, the leaders of Ephraim came to Gideon. [Judges 8:1-2] Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join the battle, but had left them in place to “clean up” the escaping Midianites (“the gleanings”) so they angrily confronted him. [Expound v.1] V.2>(gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim = few grapes left after the harvest; vintage of Abiezer = the whole harvest) [Gideon is an Abiezrite]. Gideon assured the leaders of Ephraim that their accomplishment was even greater than his own clan’s (Abiezer). His diplomatic explanation pointed out that this rear guard had managed to capture the enemy’s generals, thus cutting off the leaders from their army. The men of Ephraim had the most important part of the attack, finishing off the enemy’s leaders. By doing so the enemy’s core military strength lost its power. They killed the makers of the game plan, they killed the brain of the body, and a body with a dead brain is useless. Not every necessary job is a highly visible leadership role. Much of the necessary labor of any effective enterprise is considered by many to be dirty work. But such work is vital to getting any big task done. [church worker story] These are the people we should love and give importance. The people who prepares the place of worship, the people who makes the seats comfortable to sat on, the clean floors that we walk on, the ones who goes to the field and faces all the possible persecutions and afflictions. The people beyond the curtain of the show who make things happen. Engineers and millionaires may design and finance an elegant building, but it is the bricklayers who get the work done. We don’t need to be on the spotlight, to have spectators and applauses of people. Pride causes us to want recognition, the want of being seen that you’re more intelligent, more useful, of being better than others, the lusting of being on the top. That was the aim of Nimrod for building the Tower of Babel and as a punishment God confounded or mixed the languages. Are we content to be God’s bricklayer, or do you resent the work God has given you?
C. Resentment can prevent positive spiritual growth [James 1:1-15]
The book of James was written by James the half-brother of Jesus. It was written for the Jewish nation throughout their dispersions. Today, we can see that this letter is written also to other believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. To some who has meditated on this book of the Bible we can say that this is not milk for a new convert, this is a hard meat for a growing Christian. God is telling us through James to be joyous when we are tempted or in trials. Who can smile when he is afflicted or in pain? That’s hard! But look what nutrients we can get from meat. James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. What we put within us is what will come out in our day of trial. The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is quite true in the spiritual realm. We can gage how much garbage we are taking into our lives by how we react under fire. It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly? Our response will reveal our maturity as Christians. Anyone can act like a victorious Christian on Sunday morning, praising God and all smiles. But what about at home? How quickly will we be provoked there? What will we find that we yet need to be cleansed of? Sometimes God brings us up against little irritating things to reveal the bigger things in us. [toilet not flushed, not quality food door not closed, trip over at something] There is a great temptation to blame another for our reactions. We all like to shift the blame because we don't have to take responsibility then, for our own mistakes and weaknesses. Shifting the blame started, of course, with Adam and Eve. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the devil. God changes us, and then brings even deeper changes. God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of resenting our difficulties, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask him to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; he will stay close and help you grow.
II. the High Cost of Anger or Resentment
(Adoption from the book of Dr. Tim Lahaye, Spirit-controlled Temperament)
If a man really understood the high price paid for pent-up wrath or bitterness and anger, he would seek some remedy for it. We shall consider the high cost of anger or resentment emotionally, socially, physically and most important of all, spiritually.
A. Emotionally
Suppressed anger and bitterness can make a person emotionally upset until he is “not himself.” In this state he often makes decisions that are harmful, wasteful or embarrassing. We are intensely emotional creatures, designed so by God. But if we permit anger to dominate us, it will crash down the richer emotion of love. If we start hating a man, we will become his slave. We can’t enjoy work anymore because he even controls our thoughts. Our body produces too many stress hormones in our body and we become fatigued after only a few hours’ of work. The work we formerly enjoyed is now a fatiguing work. Even vacations cease to give us pleasure… the man we hate hounds us wherever we go. We can’t escape his dictatorial grasp on our minds. When the waiter serves us bulalo, crispy fried wings, green mango shake, and halo-halo with leche flan and two cones of ice cream, it might as well be watered rice. Our teeth chew the food and we swallow it, but the man we hate may be many miles away from our bedroom, but more cruel that an slave driver or taskmaster, he whips our thoughts into such temporary madness that our innerspring mattress becomes a rack of torture. Here are the variations of anger: Bitterness, malice, clamor, envy, resentment, intolerance, criticism, revenge, wrath, hatred, seditions, jealousy, attack, gossip, sarcasm, unforgiveness.
B. Socially
An angry person is not pleasant to be around; accordingly, those who are angry, short-tempered, and irritable or sour are gradually taken out of the social lists or excluded, eliminated from the fun times of life. This is a price that a partner is often asked to pay for the anger of his friend, which in turn may increase their anger toward each other and limit what otherwise could be an enjoyable relationship.
C. Physically
Prov 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Therefore, the heart to which the writer of Proverbs referred was not the blood-pumping station we recognize as keeping our body in motion, but the emotional center located between our temples. In order for any body movement to take place, a message must be communicated from the emotional center to the member to be moved. This message is given with lightning-like speed, and we are not conscious of the source from which it originates. If the emotional center is normal, then the functions of the body will be normal. If, however, the emotional center is “upset” or behaves in an abnormal manner, a reaction will be generated through the nervous system to almost every part of the body.
D. Spiritually
The highest price paid of all paid for an angry, resenting, better disposition is in the spiritual realm. Jesus Christ came to give us not only eternal life when we die, but abundant life here and now. That life can only be experienced by “abiding in Him” or “being filled with the Spirit.” No man can abide in Christ or be filled with the Spirit who grieves the Holy Spirit, and “anger, bitterness, wrath, clamor and enmity of heart” grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
Grieving the Holy Spirit limits the work of God in an individual’s life, keeps him from becoming mature in Christ Jesus, and hinders him from being the glowing, effective, fruitful Christian that he wants to be. Churches are filled today with evangelical Christians just like the children of Israel, who never fully possessed their possessions. Continual grieving of the Spirit of God through anger keeps the child of God from enjoying all that Jesus Christ has for him today. This affects the believer not only in this life but in the life to come, for we should be occupying ourselves with the laying up treasures in heaven, which can be done only as we walk in the Spirit. Again we say, the most important single thing to an Christian is that he walk in the Spirit, but to do so he must let God cure his natural weakness of inner anger, agitation and turmoil.
Conclusion:
What could be the basic cause of our anger, of our resenting? We are confronted with an ugly word – selfishness. Although we love to excuse our weaknesses and justify them to ourselves as we nurse our grudges and indulge in angry, vengeful, bitter feelings, they are all motivated by selfishness. When I am angry, it is because someone has violated my rights and I am interested in myself. When I am bitter against someone, it is because they have done something against me, and again I come back to selfishness. Criticism, vengeance, attack, unforgiveness, and evil reporting are always inspired by selfishness. But there are those individuals who are willing to recognize inner anger and turmoil as the sin of selfishness and look to God for the grace, love, and self-control which He promises to them who ask Him.
In our bodies, God has designed defense mechanisms against anything that may harm our bodies. When we get bone infections, respiratory infections or urinal tract infections, we will have fever. Even the first symptom of a cancer may be fever. It is the temporary increase in the body’s temperature in response to some disease or illness. If we have chemicals or bacteria in our system, we’ll be experiencing diarrhea. It is a way for our body to release toxins or other harmful things from our system. Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of an unhealthy stimulus or bodily harm. Individuals experience pain by various daily hurts and aches, and occasionally through more serious injuries or illnesses. Pain is part of the body's defense system, triggering a reflex reaction to retract from a painful stimulus, and helps adjust behavior to increase avoidance of that particular harmful situation in the future.
We have learned from the book of Judges that Israel would enjoy a period of “rest.” At other times, because of Israel’s repeated apostasy, God would bring oppressors to them who would afflict the people greatly. And because of the pain the people were going through, they would “cry unto the LORD.” God then would raise a judge to deliver them out of the oppression, of the pain. Pain became a defense mechanism for anyone to increase avoidance of a particular harm and also to call for help. He doesn’t want us to do evil in His sight, to live that which is right in our own eyes. God wants us to cry unto Him our anger, bitterness, sourness, wrath, malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, resentment so that He would deliver you out of those and turn those to self-control, mercy, grace and love.
Title:”Love Hurts”
Text: Ephesians 4:29-32
Introduction:
I truly believe that there is no coincidence. I believe that through our leader, God is giving us assignments that are personally for us. It’s like a letter is sent and addressed to me,” To Mr. Jan Michael Palero, From God.” Inside the letter it says,” My child, this is your lesson for this season. Learn, meditate then apply. After doing so, share the truths of My Word.” The purposes of preaching are to command, to correct, and to challenge. This is also not a coincidence that you are here listening to this preaching. By the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I will share to you another serious theme of our topic besetting sin – resentment. I have entitled our study “Love Hurts.”
Webster’s: to be indignant about (anger at something regarded as unfair, wicked, etc.)
to take badly
Synonyms: outraged spirit, bad temper, bitterness, sourness, irritation, wounded pride, vengefulness, envy, jealousy
I. What happens when resentment is allowed in our life?
A. Resentment can lead to sinful actions [Exodus 20]
* Ex 20:3-17: The 10 Commandments (1-4 man’s responsibility & privilege to God; 5-10 man’s responsibility & privilege to himself and to his fellow)
* Ex 19:5: God’s promise to Israel if they will keep His covenant
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:”
>they will be a special treasure compared to others [protected by friends illustration]
>great blessing unto them for all of the earth is His, the goodness & evil are under His watch and control
Response: Ex 19:8 “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do…”
>they will follow ALL the words and commandments of the LORD
24:7 “…All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.”
>they will be obedient of ALL the commandments and laws
The commandments or laws of the LORD are purely righteous and holy. The law came from the perfect God; therefore His commandments are also perfect, unblemished & unspotted. James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Two of the attributes of God were mentioned, righteous and holy. The doer of the law then must possess these attributes also; the person has to be righteous and holy. Since the law is perfect because it were given by the perfect God, the standard of obeying it is also perfect, full obedience is a must. Israel was confident of themselves that by their own capacity, ability, understanding, reasoning, wisdom they can fulfill the whole law. They were confident that they are righteous, holy, and perfect enough to follow all the commandments. But their wisdom is foolishness unto the LORD. 1 Cor 15:56 “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” They did not see that the law was a mirror for them to see how filthy they are that they cannot be fully obedient to the law. The law was and is being used to see that man is very sinful. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” He cannot collect his good works to have his way to heaven because the things that are good for him are actually evil unto the LORD. God wants man to have faith in Him, total dependence in Him. Man’s way to heaven, his relationship with God and even fellowship with God is only possible if he has faith in God, that these are only possible if God permits it. And what God means is the faith or trust that the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross is the good work that God the Father can only accept.
By the law we can see in ourselves adultery (relationship outside of marriage), fornication (forbidden or not allowed sexual intercourse), uncleanness, lasciviousness (excitement in disgusting things), idolatry (anything that takes you away from God), witchcraft/sorcery (practice of the occult arts under the power of evil spirits, or demons), hatred (to regard with less love), variance (state of enmity), emulations (to equal or do more than others to obtain carnal favors or honors), wrath (violent anger), strife (intellectual or physical quarrel), seditions (local or limited opposition to civil authority), heresies (fundamental error in doctrine or religion), envyings (feeling uneasiness at the superior condition and happiness of another), and even resentment. All of these are clearly seen when we look at the law of God, we often offend God. Resentment can lead to more sinful thinking and then turning to actions.
Ex 20:17 ”Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” To covet is to wish to have the possessions of others. Lusting of what others have in material (TV, car, house, cell phone, gadgets, etc.), in emotion (happiness, joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment, peace, success), in social (relationships that a certain person has), in intellect (knowledge, wisdom, ability, skill). It goes simply beyond admiring (paghanga) someone else’s possession, relationship, emotion or thinking, “I’d like to have one of those,” or “I’d like to experience that.” Coveting includes envy – resenting the fact that others have what you don’t. Your spirit outrages, you’ve got bad temper, bitter, sour, irritated, vengeful, envious, jealous of what others have that you don’t. God knows, however, that possessions never make anyone happy for long. Since only God can supply our needs, true contentment is found only in Him. Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” You have to first delight yourself in the LORD and then He will give you the desires of your heart, because if you are first delighting yourself in the LORD then your heart will be desiring for what is delightful for God. That is why your need now is the delight that you experience with God, our need, God Himself. Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” You must seek first the kingdom of God, His righteousness, holiness, His perfection; and the Supplier will give all your need. [3 friends]
The Lord wants us to learn contentment, to trust God for whom He is. He does all things that glorify Him, which pleases Him. Isaiah 53:10 talks about the attitude of God the Father towards God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is written, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…” The scourging, the bruises, the mistreatment, the grief and pain on the cross, becoming sin for us of the Lord Jesus Christ were pleasing to God. Romans 8:32,” He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” It glorified God when He gave His Son as an offering for our sins. We can be contented that the God who is present anywhere, knows all things (things past, present, and will come), powerful than anything or anyone is self-existent, self-sufficient, sovereign will wisely work together all things with goodness, holiness, justice, mercy, grace, and love. And that He will always work in each individual’s life like that for eternity for He never changes.
When you begin to covet, try to determine if a more basic need is leading you to envy. For example, you may covet someone’s success not because you want to take away from him, but because you would like to feel as appreciated by others as he is. If this is the case, pray that God will help you deal with your resentment and meet your basic needs.
B. Resentment can lead to wrongful accusations [Judges 8:1-3 - read]
The previous event before chapter 8 was the battle of Gideon and the three hundred men that God gave to be with him in his attack against the Midianites. Gideon is the fifth judge of Israel. Israel had no specific leader like they had after Joshua’s death. However, they still had conquests to continue claiming God’s promise of inheritance to them. They did not drive out completely the previous inhabitants of the land; instead, they became forced laborers of the tribes of Israel. This is an offense unto the LORD. He commanded them to make no treaties with the inhabitants of the land and to throw down their altars for they will be a snare against Israel, they will be trouble for them. Nevertheless, the LORD allowed their disobedience. Later we will learn that the LORD is truly sovereign. After the tribes conquered their respective inheritances, they went unto them to possess their lands. They served the LORD all the days of Joshua’s life and also the elders that outlived him. But another generation arose which knew not the LORD, nor the works which He had done for Israel. Judges 2:11-12, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.” The previous inhabitants of the land which Israel had not driven out became testing for Israel if they would continue following the commandments of the LORD. And as we had read, they failed. The LORD though is just, and He doesn’t want His people to continue on being unjust. Judges 3:8,”Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.” God gave Israel to the hands of their own enemies and as a result of the oppression, they cried unto the LORD. They had sought the help of the LORD because of the groaning they are experiencing. That was the mercy of God, and as for His grace, He raised judges to deliver them out of the hand of those that plundered them. He will be with him, all the days of the judge Israel would rest and keep the covenant of God. But when the judge dies, they would return to corrupting themselves, they would again be stubborn, going on their own doings. It has been like this for a while in Israel. They would rest for forty years, go back to their stubborn way, God will show mercy by delivering them to the hands of their enemies so that they would seek for Him, then God will be gracious by using a judge to deliver them out of their oppressor. And the fifth of the judges is Gideon. When they were to attack Midianites, the current oppressor of Israel, the men of Gideon was 22,000. The LORD did not allow this for they may boast of their victory and may think that they have won because of their own number, ability, or skill. The LORD commanded Gideon to tell his men, “Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Gilead…” 10,000 were left. Judges 7:4 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.” To make the long story short, 300 were the men that God told Gideon that will go with him. Gideon and the three hundred men were able to defeat the Midianites for the LORD fought for them. The three hundred men did not do much actually. They held a trumpet, a pitcher and inside of it is a lamp. [Story of the attack]
After they were able to defeat the Midianites, Gideon asked the tribe of Ephraim to finish the job for there were escaping Midianites. The warriors from the tribe of Ephraim are also in the 10,000 men that God reduced to 300. After doing the job, the leaders of Ephraim came to Gideon. [Judges 8:1-2] Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join the battle, but had left them in place to “clean up” the escaping Midianites (“the gleanings”) so they angrily confronted him. [Expound v.1] V.2>(gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim = few grapes left after the harvest; vintage of Abiezer = the whole harvest) [Gideon is an Abiezrite]. Gideon assured the leaders of Ephraim that their accomplishment was even greater than his own clan’s (Abiezer). His diplomatic explanation pointed out that this rear guard had managed to capture the enemy’s generals, thus cutting off the leaders from their army. The men of Ephraim had the most important part of the attack, finishing off the enemy’s leaders. By doing so the enemy’s core military strength lost its power. They killed the makers of the game plan, they killed the brain of the body, and a body with a dead brain is useless. Not every necessary job is a highly visible leadership role. Much of the necessary labor of any effective enterprise is considered by many to be dirty work. But such work is vital to getting any big task done. [church worker story] These are the people we should love and give importance. The people who prepares the place of worship, the people who makes the seats comfortable to sat on, the clean floors that we walk on, the ones who goes to the field and faces all the possible persecutions and afflictions. The people beyond the curtain of the show who make things happen. Engineers and millionaires may design and finance an elegant building, but it is the bricklayers who get the work done. We don’t need to be on the spotlight, to have spectators and applauses of people. Pride causes us to want recognition, the want of being seen that you’re more intelligent, more useful, of being better than others, the lusting of being on the top. That was the aim of Nimrod for building the Tower of Babel and as a punishment God confounded or mixed the languages. Are we content to be God’s bricklayer, or do you resent the work God has given you?
C. Resentment can prevent positive spiritual growth [James 1:1-15]
The book of James was written by James the half-brother of Jesus. It was written for the Jewish nation throughout their dispersions. Today, we can see that this letter is written also to other believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. To some who has meditated on this book of the Bible we can say that this is not milk for a new convert, this is a hard meat for a growing Christian. God is telling us through James to be joyous when we are tempted or in trials. Who can smile when he is afflicted or in pain? That’s hard! But look what nutrients we can get from meat. James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. What we put within us is what will come out in our day of trial. The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is quite true in the spiritual realm. We can gage how much garbage we are taking into our lives by how we react under fire. It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly? Our response will reveal our maturity as Christians. Anyone can act like a victorious Christian on Sunday morning, praising God and all smiles. But what about at home? How quickly will we be provoked there? What will we find that we yet need to be cleansed of? Sometimes God brings us up against little irritating things to reveal the bigger things in us. [toilet not flushed, not quality food door not closed, trip over at something] There is a great temptation to blame another for our reactions. We all like to shift the blame because we don't have to take responsibility then, for our own mistakes and weaknesses. Shifting the blame started, of course, with Adam and Eve. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the devil. God changes us, and then brings even deeper changes. God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of resenting our difficulties, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask him to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; he will stay close and help you grow.
II. the High Cost of Anger or Resentment
(Adoption from the book of Dr. Tim Lahaye, Spirit-controlled Temperament)
If a man really understood the high price paid for pent-up wrath or bitterness and anger, he would seek some remedy for it. We shall consider the high cost of anger or resentment emotionally, socially, physically and most important of all, spiritually.
A. Emotionally
Suppressed anger and bitterness can make a person emotionally upset until he is “not himself.” In this state he often makes decisions that are harmful, wasteful or embarrassing. We are intensely emotional creatures, designed so by God. But if we permit anger to dominate us, it will crash down the richer emotion of love. If we start hating a man, we will become his slave. We can’t enjoy work anymore because he even controls our thoughts. Our body produces too many stress hormones in our body and we become fatigued after only a few hours’ of work. The work we formerly enjoyed is now a fatiguing work. Even vacations cease to give us pleasure… the man we hate hounds us wherever we go. We can’t escape his dictatorial grasp on our minds. When the waiter serves us bulalo, crispy fried wings, green mango shake, and halo-halo with leche flan and two cones of ice cream, it might as well be watered rice. Our teeth chew the food and we swallow it, but the man we hate may be many miles away from our bedroom, but more cruel that an slave driver or taskmaster, he whips our thoughts into such temporary madness that our innerspring mattress becomes a rack of torture. Here are the variations of anger: Bitterness, malice, clamor, envy, resentment, intolerance, criticism, revenge, wrath, hatred, seditions, jealousy, attack, gossip, sarcasm, unforgiveness.
B. Socially
An angry person is not pleasant to be around; accordingly, those who are angry, short-tempered, and irritable or sour are gradually taken out of the social lists or excluded, eliminated from the fun times of life. This is a price that a partner is often asked to pay for the anger of his friend, which in turn may increase their anger toward each other and limit what otherwise could be an enjoyable relationship.
C. Physically
Prov 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Therefore, the heart to which the writer of Proverbs referred was not the blood-pumping station we recognize as keeping our body in motion, but the emotional center located between our temples. In order for any body movement to take place, a message must be communicated from the emotional center to the member to be moved. This message is given with lightning-like speed, and we are not conscious of the source from which it originates. If the emotional center is normal, then the functions of the body will be normal. If, however, the emotional center is “upset” or behaves in an abnormal manner, a reaction will be generated through the nervous system to almost every part of the body.
D. Spiritually
The highest price paid of all paid for an angry, resenting, better disposition is in the spiritual realm. Jesus Christ came to give us not only eternal life when we die, but abundant life here and now. That life can only be experienced by “abiding in Him” or “being filled with the Spirit.” No man can abide in Christ or be filled with the Spirit who grieves the Holy Spirit, and “anger, bitterness, wrath, clamor and enmity of heart” grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
Grieving the Holy Spirit limits the work of God in an individual’s life, keeps him from becoming mature in Christ Jesus, and hinders him from being the glowing, effective, fruitful Christian that he wants to be. Churches are filled today with evangelical Christians just like the children of Israel, who never fully possessed their possessions. Continual grieving of the Spirit of God through anger keeps the child of God from enjoying all that Jesus Christ has for him today. This affects the believer not only in this life but in the life to come, for we should be occupying ourselves with the laying up treasures in heaven, which can be done only as we walk in the Spirit. Again we say, the most important single thing to an Christian is that he walk in the Spirit, but to do so he must let God cure his natural weakness of inner anger, agitation and turmoil.
Conclusion:
What could be the basic cause of our anger, of our resenting? We are confronted with an ugly word – selfishness. Although we love to excuse our weaknesses and justify them to ourselves as we nurse our grudges and indulge in angry, vengeful, bitter feelings, they are all motivated by selfishness. When I am angry, it is because someone has violated my rights and I am interested in myself. When I am bitter against someone, it is because they have done something against me, and again I come back to selfishness. Criticism, vengeance, attack, unforgiveness, and evil reporting are always inspired by selfishness. But there are those individuals who are willing to recognize inner anger and turmoil as the sin of selfishness and look to God for the grace, love, and self-control which He promises to them who ask Him.
In our bodies, God has designed defense mechanisms against anything that may harm our bodies. When we get bone infections, respiratory infections or urinal tract infections, we will have fever. Even the first symptom of a cancer may be fever. It is the temporary increase in the body’s temperature in response to some disease or illness. If we have chemicals or bacteria in our system, we’ll be experiencing diarrhea. It is a way for our body to release toxins or other harmful things from our system. Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of an unhealthy stimulus or bodily harm. Individuals experience pain by various daily hurts and aches, and occasionally through more serious injuries or illnesses. Pain is part of the body's defense system, triggering a reflex reaction to retract from a painful stimulus, and helps adjust behavior to increase avoidance of that particular harmful situation in the future.
We have learned from the book of Judges that Israel would enjoy a period of “rest.” At other times, because of Israel’s repeated apostasy, God would bring oppressors to them who would afflict the people greatly. And because of the pain the people were going through, they would “cry unto the LORD.” God then would raise a judge to deliver them out of the oppression, of the pain. Pain became a defense mechanism for anyone to increase avoidance of a particular harm and also to call for help. He doesn’t want us to do evil in His sight, to live that which is right in our own eyes. God wants us to cry unto Him our anger, bitterness, sourness, wrath, malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, resentment so that He would deliver you out of those and turn those to self-control, mercy, grace and love.
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