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Making men MEN again. The David Alliance will help you slay your giants.
Episodes
Monday Jun 12, 2023
Monday Jun 12, 2023
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Colossians 1:1 Paul,
I forgot to tell you next week we have a special guest speaking on integrity, honesty and character taking lessons from his own life… President Joe Biden…
Paul? His past? Writing this letter??? Really???
Deuteronomy 32:23 says be sure your sins will find you out… and yes this is true before we come to Christ and many times true after we come to Christ… but no need to be ashamed.
There is good reason to believe that the Apostle Paul dealt with shame before he came to know christ. It is very typical for a person to exhibit the behavior he did due to unresolved shame. Rigid, extreme, moralist and putting others under the same regime or persecuting them for it…
“Beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: – Galatians 1:13
“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison” – Acts 8:3
“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” – Acts 9:1-2
He was even an accessory to murder at one point in his life! Remember when Stephen was stoned to death by an angry mob, that it was a young man named Saul who held the cloaks of Stephen’s assailants.
Two more examples
Even before Paul’s conversion, Ananias was apprehensive towards him when the Lord commanded him to go to Paul and teach him what he needed to do in order to be saved. He said, “I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name,” Acts 9:13-14.
After Paul’s conversion, the consequences of his past sins were still felt. Some years after his conversion, the Christians at Jerusalem were still wary and mistrustful of him, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple,” Acts 9:26.
WAS PAUL ASHAMED OF HIS BEHAVIOR?
He very well could have been…
Are you? Do you still carry shame?
When a wild bear gets its hand on garbage it will no longer forage for food. If you catch it digging through garbage it will become angry. Why? Experts say it is because the bear is ashamed.
ARE YOU ACTING OUT OF SHAME?
SAY THIS: I am not ashamed of my past because I am no LONGER my past!
When someone loses a lot of weight… and someone notices it… do they get embarrassed are they ashamed?
When someone calls you out on your past… don’t worry, they can’t see all the weight you lost in the spiritual.
You will many times hear a coach regard a great player for one particular attribute… a short memory. You pitch bad, you throw an interception, you miss a strike, you miss game winning shot… you forget about it and move on.
I love that Paul does not start out….
Col. 1:1 I Paul, the guy who was called by Jesus and yes I ransacked the church, and tore down doors, threw people in out in the streets and killed people and even asked for a special dispensation from the high priest to torture any Christians, and I know Im not perfect… but nobody is…anyway I write this letter to Colosse
How did he deal with it? Phil. 3:13, 14
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 3:13-14
Shame is a powerful weapon of the enemy.
Guilt is - I did a bad thing
Shame is - I am bad
A demonic stronghold of shame is - I now must hide and pretend I am someone else… Im defective.
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
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HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE -- p 56
Frank Minirth, M.D. & Paul Weier, M.D.
Dr. William P. Wilson, a former professor of psychiatry at Duke University, has done a great deal of research and writing concerning the benefits of an intimate relationship with God on our over-all emotional health. Dr. Armand Nicholi, professor of psychiatry at Harvard, has also made major contributions in this area. Both Wilson and Nicholi are committed Christians.
In summary, the authors believe there are three major sources of emotional pain:
1. Lack of self-worth.
2. Lack of intimacy with others.
3. Lack of intimacy with God.
Flight fright or freeze… but today lets talk about freeze. It is an involuntary reaction to a perceived threat.
it could be a verbal threat, it could be experienced as you needing to make a decision quickly, it could be a physical threat, or even an emotional threat… but you freeze up… but what does that look like?
The three characteristics of a freeze point: poor at commitment and communication, and either extremely defensive or overly sensitive.
So you are asked to take on a special project at work and it will keep you late on Tuesdays and Thursdays…
A freeze point might mean you say yes… but then don’t keep the commitment
Or it may be walked out in a very defensive manner… “why don’t you ask Jim- he doesn’t do anything around here”
Or the overly sensitive… I guess, I mean it will wreck my time with my kids, and I feel like you are just using me, I already don’t get paid enough… my wrist hurts from to much typing…
Garth… why are we talking about this?
Well it is definitely a problem in todays world… but it is also addressed in scripture.
1. Lack of self-worth.
2. Lack of intimacy with others.
3. Lack of intimacy with God.
The book of Ephesians covers all of this but does so in most perfect fashion.
Ephesians 2:10 says we are Gods masterpiece… that is the self worth piece that is missing.
Then it says All things in our life come down to knowing how much God loves us Eph. 3:16-22 - that covers the Lack of intimacy with God part and finally Ephesians 5:22 - 6:10 covers the intimacy with others part.
But here is what is interesting… the last thing that Paul talks about in Ephesians is spiritual warfare… Why? I honestly believe that until we get a hold of the other three our spiritual warfare is compromised…
if you don’t like yourself and accept yourself
If you have poor relationships
and if you have a shallow walk with God… how can you go to war spiritually with complete confidence?
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
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Years ago when Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show he interviewed
an eight year old boy. The young man was asked to appear because he had
rescued two friends in a coal mine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As
Johnny questioned the boy, it became apparent to him and the audience that
the young man was a Christian. So Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday
school. When the boy said he did Johnny inquired, "What are you learning in
Sunday school?" "Last week," came his reply, "our lesson was about when
Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine." The audience roared,
but Johnny tried to keep a straight face. Then he said, "And what did you
learn from that story?" The boy squirmed in his chair. It was apparent he
hadn't thought about this. But then he lifted up his face and said, "If
you're going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus!" The little boy
was on to something. Weddings are time of Joy.
If you are going to be a Christian make sure you invite Jesus.
Satan don’t care if you read, pray, meditate and play worship music as long as you don’t invite Jesus to the party. You might ask if I am splitting hairs, but I have been around for a long time and I know a lot of people who diligently have a disciplined quiet time…almost every day, time in gods word, time praying, time worshiping… but they never invite Jesus. You might say what’s the big deal…
Let me ask you a question… the last time you had a quiet time (which hopefully was today) if Jesus was actually in the room with you… would it have gone differently?
Oh… yes and amen.
It would probably have started off with you face down on the ground and humbled by his holiness….
Would he have shared some things with you? OH most definitely
Do you think he would have asked you to do some stuff? YEP!
Give some stuff away?
Share with a person that day?
Tell you to pray for a person at work?
Repent?
Ask for forgiveness from someone?
Tell your spouse you loved them?
So we can assume you had a quite time without Jesus if none of those things happened…
Am I being a little to hard on you… I don’t think so.
Why time with Jesus…
First did you know you can be a Christian and never spend time actually in the presence of Jesus… or his Holy Spirit?
Let me put it this way….
Water has absolutely no, nada, none, zero, Zilch, zippo nutritional value - but
life is dependent on it!
You can live completely free from time with Jesus… and I mean even if you read and pray… you can do it without Jesus… but your spiritual life depends on it. There are too many Christians walking around flatlined… no heartbeat whatsoever for Christ and they don’t even know it…
Lets start inviting Jesus to our quiet times, lets start inviting him to our work, our dinner times, our family, our hobbies, our bedrooms, our computer time, our phones, our time with kids….
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
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“Master pets dog, and the dog thinks: He must be God. Master pets cat and the cat thinks: I must be God. Oh the ego of man is a devilish dessert.
But the question is are you the dog or the cat?
In the book Journey Toward God,
Some of you are old enough to remember Richard Daly who was mayor of Chicago
for 21 years (1955-1976). Mayor Daly was known as a rather forbidding guy to
work for. One story goes like this. One of Mayor Daly’s speech writers came
in and demanded a raise. Mayor Daly responded as could be expected. He said m not going to give you a raise. You are getting paid more than enough
already. It should be enough for you that you are working for a great
American hero like myself.” And that was the end of it...or so the mayor
thought.
Two weeks later Mayor Daly was on his way to give a speech to a convention
of veterans. The speech was going to receive nationwide attention. Now one
other thing Mayor Daly was famous for was not reading his speeches until he
got up to deliver them. So there he stood before a vast throng of veterans
and nationwide press coverage. He began to describe the plight of the
veterans. m concerned for you. I have a heart for you. I am deeply
convinced that this country needs to take care of its veterans. So, today I
am proposing a seventeen point plan that includes the city, state and
federal government, to care for the veterans of this country.” Now by this
time everyone, including Mayor Daly, was on the edge of their seat to hear
what the proposal was. He turned the page and saw only these words: “You’re
on your own now, you great American hero.”
I don't know if Daly learned anything at that moment. With his great ego
perhaps he did not. But he should have learned that all of us, no matter how
great we think we are, need help. We need advocates who work behind the
scenes to make us who we are.
God has an advocate for you. He is the Holy Spirit.
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, April 2002
-Story of Daly taken from: Journey Toward God, New Community Small Group
study on Exodus (Zondervan), p.33.
EGO
Self reliance, turns into self deception into self destruction.
Prov. 16:18
Pride (ego, arrogance, pride) goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit (someone who is on top and takes credit for it) before a fall.
From ego minded to open-minded.
2. From having no boundaries to establishing & maintaining flexible boundaries.
3. From crashing other peoples boundaries to respecting boundaries.
4. From giving mixed messages to giving clear, concise messages.
5. From "you are" statements to "I feel" statements.
6. From other-oriented to Higher Power-oriented.
7. From fear-driven to motivated by faith love and good will towards others.
8. From a grandiose belief of oneself, to a belief in the creator
9. From neediness for my wants to awareness and attention to true personal needs.
10. From miserable and anxious to joyful and serene.
There are many examples of ego in the bible but the one that sticks out to me as the most profound is Pharaoh when Moses told him God sent him and wanted him to let my people go… a direct order from God.
But Pharaoh thought he was God… so God continued to bring plagues… And you would think that after the - I don’t know 3rd plague Pharaoh would have thought… this ain’t panning out so well… but no he holds steady, this dude is committed and his ego doesn’t just affect him, but the whole nation of Egypt… thousands of families lost their first born due to his ego.
And thats the problem with your ego… trust me, it doesn’t just affect you… it affects everyone around you!
Humble yourself before God, before its to late!
Monday Jun 05, 2023
Monday Jun 05, 2023
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Pete, Ralphina, Danny, David,
Woah, we're halfway there
Woah-oh, livin' on a prayer
Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear
Woah-oh, livin' on a prayer
What is living a life of faith… My guess is most people would assess that a life of faith is one that when problems arise in your life- be it financial, material, health, relationships etc… that a life of faith acts in that moment believing and trusting God… but what if that was the wrong idea of what faith was and how to use it. Let me break it down for you.
Management is the ability to create an expected outcome – garth
Leadership- is the ability to create a picture and environment of the future outcome-Garth
what’s the difference? Management does not see the problem and doesn’t deal with the problem until it shows up… then management try to create an answer and an outcome… hoping that after the fact it creates a new understanding and environment.
BUT… Leadership sees the problem and expects the problem before it gets there and has already started to create that environment so that when it does show up, you and those around you are ready to deal with it.
Yes we need faith in times of crisis… but we also need faith in everyday life.
Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please God without faith… why? Because it says we must be earnestly seeking him. this means always… always seeking to live a life of faith, always seeking to build an atmosphere of faith. Always expecting Gods kingdom to invade earth… the is the leadership mindset of creating an environment before crisis happens… There is no mediocrity in a faith walk… it does not get turned on and off..
Only a mediocre person is always at his or her best.
What do I mean… are you the type of person who didn’t need faith today because there was no pressing need… that is mediocre faith… and thats the best faith you can expect to have.
THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE- PETER M. SENGE (pp.21-22)
Our fixation on events is actually part of our evolutionary programming. If you wanted to design a cave person for survival, ability to contemplate the cosmos would not be a high-ranking design criterion. What is important is the ability to see the saber-toothed tiger over your left shoulder and react quickly. The irony is that, today, the primary threats to our survival, both of our organizations and of our societies, come not from sudden events but from slow, gradual processes; the arms race, environmental decay, the erosion of a society's public education system, increasingly obsolete physical capital, and decline in design or product quality (at least relative to competitor's quality) are all slow, gradual processes.
Are you caught up in the same gradual process of your faith slowly decaying… at one point it had to be pretty impressive and strong… you chose to believe in Who’s Christ was, is and will be to come… but the slow decay of not needing a hyper strong faith filled environment is your undoing.
So how does one create that environment?
Well not to sound to simplistic… but in everyday life you ask yourself what would jesus do? You’ve heard that before right? yea… but asking and then praying and expecting is what creates the environment… but here is the catch… you ask in all situations, not just the emergency. You ask when getting gas, when buying donuts, when talking to your kids, your boss, your spouse, you ask when its time to pass the plate at church, when they ask for volunteers, you ask when you turn on your computer or your television set… YOU….. LIVE…. A ….. LIFE…. OF ….FAITH….
Do this enough and you create a life of faith.
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
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A couple, visiting in Korea, saw a father and his son working in a rice
paddy. The old man guided the heavy plow as the boy pulled it.
"I guess they must be very poor," the man said to the missionary who was the
couple’s guide and interpreter.
"Yes," replied the missionary. "That’s the family of Chi Nevi. When the
church was built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no
money. So they sold their ox and gave the money to the church. This spring
they are pulling the plow themselves."
After a long silence, the woman said, "That was a real sacrifice."
The missionary responded, "They do not call it a sacrifice. They are just
thankful they had an ox to sell."
When we as followers of Christ are asked to do something and we call it a sacrifice I always get a little nervous… was it really a sacrifice?
We know scripture tells us obedience is better than sacrifice…
What I mean is - If I have a neighbor who I have been trying to share the gospel with and I find out they are in need - and I can meet that need regardless of what it is - and I in fact do meet that need - is that really sacrifice? Or am I simply being obedient to the call of Christ.
Maybe a sacrifice in that instance would be to say, not only will I meet that need, but I will help out more the next time I am able to…. I am now sacrificing because I am giving that which I do not yet have - but have promised to do so. Make sense?
SACRIFICE
Edward Banfield (sociologist) said that societies define their values by there outlook of time and the future. The more real the future is the more willing they are to make sacrifices today.
That hits me between the eyes because I must remind myself that I do not know when time ends for those who I share my life with (the people at the gym, the people on my block, the people I work with, the family members who don’t know Christ) so I must be willing to sacrifice now more than ever because time is unknown in my life AS WELL AS THEIRS!
SACRIFICE
Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight
This is supposed to be a true story from the time of Oliver Cromwell in
England. A young soldier had been tried in military court and sentenced to
death. He was to be shot at the "ringing of the curfew bell." His fiancée
climbed up into the bell tower several hours before curfew time and tied
herself to the bell's huge clapper. At curfew time, when only muted sounds
came out of the bell tower, Cromwell demanded to know why the bell was not
ringing. His soldiers went to investigate and found the young woman cut and
bleeding from being knocked back and forth against the great bell. They
brought her down, and, the story goes, Cromwell was so impressed with her
willingness to suffer in this way on the behalf of someone she loved that he
dismissed the soldier saying, "Curfew shall not ring tonight.” Her sacrifice was enough…
How much are you willing to sacrifice to be the gospel and to share the gospel to others?
As we head into the weekend remember what you are called to do - and don’t call it a sacrifice… and also remember what you are called to sacrifice in order to do what you are called to do. Time is almost up!
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
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my knuckles are bloody… I have been pounding on that door for 15 years and my hand is swollen, my knuckles are bloody, my shoulder hurts, my legs are weak… but I kept pounding!
Today is personal…
Luke
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
15 YEARS AGO MY SON went awol in his faith… sure he was coping with me having cancer, more than just once… he got into it all, including getting into jail a few times…
I remember hearing about my sisters kids not serving God and I spoke outlaid and said if my boys ever turn their backs on God I would pray every day, I would fast, I would do whatever it takes…
I have even told God if I can swap my place in heaven for him, I will do it.
if my church is 20k and I lead 1 million to Christ and my own family does not go to heaven - I ALWAYS SAID “COUNT ME A FAILURE”.
So for 15 years… I have been doing just that praying, fasting, journaling…
Journal
fast
pray
never give up
P.U.S.H.
PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS
This past Friday my son who is now 30 came by church to drop off a truck. He walked into my office, we talked, we cried, we prayed and he rededicated his life to Christ. He came to church Sunday and even brought some friends with him. He wants to join the worship team (he’s talented) he told his girlfriend she needs to start to come to church. He has been praying ever day, reading his bible every day, we have been having heavy spiritual talks every day…
But don’t get me wrong I am thankful - but it has taken 15 years… and God as my witness if it would have taken 15 more I still would have gone after it.
V. 7 will not God bring about justice…
The greek meaning speaks of vindication of what has been taken from you.
Joel 2:25 god will restore what has been taken from you , what has been stolen from you by the enemy.
Now that my son is back, I continue to pray that his vindication is a life that now leads 100 of 1000’s to Christ… and the vindication keeps rolling!
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Tuesday May 30, 2023
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Your life is not simply a clock that whines down a series of days, hours, and seconds. Your life is actually a collection of events, and what determines your life in those events is whether you choose to live through them in fear or faith.
Fear and faith are the same thing-
one finds its substance in the things hoped for/expecting
the other, in the things feared for/dreading
Its like any substance Fire… good or bad, Medicine… good or bad, super glue… good or bad
Fear and Faith are simply channels of belief
We have always had fears to deal with in society.
- am I going to meet someone and be happy
- Will my marriage ever be fulfilling
- Can I ever pay my bills
- Fear of old age
- Will my kids quit drinking…
BUT TODAY FEARS ARE INFLAMED WITH THE WORLD…
If you are paying attention, Iran and Russia are threatening nuclear war, a World government movement is growing, a world currency, The WOKE agenda, Israel has more enemies than ever, the US is literally falling apart around our feet. The deep state corruption is more evident than ever and people seemingly more apathetic than ever about it. *Social media has become a panacea
The Bible has 365 verses on fear not… but Fear not sounds a little trivial…
Like when you have a major problem and a friend says don’t worry about it… it will all work out.
But when you understand that the word fear means Hebrew Ya-Rey - affright - “the end of an action”
fight flight or fright/freeze - you do nothing.
SO THE OPPOSITE IS ACTION…
LETS TEST IT IN THESE VERSES!
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING) I will help you.
Hebrews 13:6
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING). What can mere mortals do to me?”
Deuteronomy 3:22
Do not be afraid (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING) of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.
Luke 12:32
(Jesus says), “Do not be afraid, (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING) little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING), I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING). What can mere mortals do to me?
Haggai 2:5
‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING)
Luke 12:7
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; (DO NOT SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING) you are worth more than many sparrows.
FEAR
Power Vs Force by David R. Hawkins, MD., Ph.D.
fearful thinking can balloon into paranoia or generate neurotic defensive structures and, because it’s contagious, become a dominant social trend. ;ear limits growth of the personality and leads to inhibition. Because it takes energy to rise above Fear, the oppressed are unable to reach a higher level unaided. Thus, the fearful seek strong leaders who appear to have conquered their own Fears to lead them out of its slavery.
*MIGHT I SUGGEST A THOUGHT…
NOW UNDERSTAND THIS… YOU WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND A VERSE IN SCRIPTURE THAT SAYS DO NOT FEAR - AND DOES NOT ALSO SPEAK TO THE HEARER BEING THE LEADER…
Take action, lead, do not stay stagnant. People are counting on you.
Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
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Be careful of the friendly friend who wants what’s best for you and hates sharing with your his advice but it’s only for your own good… because they want what is best for you.
Types of invalidation
Assuming your feelings without asking: When someone decides they know how you feel, without actually asking you what you’re thinking or feeling, they may be unknowingly invalidating your experience.
Misunderstanding what it means to validate: Validation is frequently confused for agreement. But this isn’t the case–you’re perfectly able to disagree with what someone is saying or feeling while simultaneously validating their experience as real. To validate what someone is saying is not to agree with them, but to let them know you understand what they’re saying, why they’re saying it, and what emotions or behaviors may have caused them to say or feel it.
Trying to Fix Your Feelings: ...instead of just listening to what they are. This typically comes from a good place or intention, but can damage the person whose feelings are on the receiving end of the “fixing.” This is saying things like “Don’t cry,” or “Don’t be sad.” When someone is saying those things, they mean that they care about you and don’t want to see you in pain. But it is invalidating all the same because you are sad or maybe you feel you need to cry, and there is nothing inherently wrong in either of those things.
Vacuuming Up Uncomfortable Feelings: Similar to trying to fix your feelings, this is when someone tries to eliminate any negative or uncomfortable feelings you may be having. “Come on, it will be fine,” or “It’s not such a big deal,” are examples of this. While the feelings you’re having may be uncomfortable, it is important to let yourself feel them. Trying to suck up any feelings that make us uncomfortable doesn’t actually help us work through them, it just teaches us that some feelings are wrong.
Invalidation can be helpful & painful at the same time. Situations in which it is helpful include when:
→ your facts are wrong. Being corrected with true facts can help you reassess what you are feeling and come at it from a more accurate place.
→ you haven’t considered another view. If the person you are speaking with presents a point of view or idea you hadn’t considered before, it can be an opportunity for personal & intellectual growth.
Judgments are not facts. Just because someone says something to contradict how you are feeling, doesn’t make it true.
Invalidation can be painful for a number of different reasons, and it doesn’t always feel the same. Feelings of invalidation can include:
→ feeling as though you’re being ignored
→ feeling as though you’re being repeatedly misunderstood
→ feeling as though you are being misinterpreted
→ feeling as though important facts are being ignored or denied
→ feeling as though you are being given unequal or unfair treatment → feeling as though you are not being believed when telling the truth → feeling as though your experiences are being minimized or denied
The life of Job, he is surrounded by well meaning invalidators… But what does he do?
Handling invalidation has two core components: being non-defensive & checking the facts.
When you are non-defensive you are able to see that there are other points of view in a situation. And the existence of opposing points of view doesn’t necessarily make one person right and another wrong. Instead it gives us more information about how the people in question process emotion, than it does facts about the situation.
Checking the facts is the other key step to handling invalidation. Do you have all of the correct facts? Are you assuming things based on minimal knowledge? Make sure you know the correct facts. This may change your response, but will help you to validate your feelings once you know all the facts.
In Jobs life we see at the end of the book after having his friends invalidate him, and tell him he must be a sinner to go through such pain from God… Job also makes some inaccurate claims… but ultimately we see God make the final word.
you do not have a universal insight as to everything that is going on and you are not equipped to make that call over me.
It’s the same thing we see when we really look at the invalidators in our lives.
you do not have a universal insight as to everything that is going on and you are not equipped to make that call over me.
Who does? God does. So seek him, ask him, listen and trust. he’s worth it.
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
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Just when you think you got it all figured out… then you blow it - big time. And you run from God in confusion… and he still blesses you, and he still provides for your…and he still instructs you.. and he still pursues you…
John 21
2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
I like to call this Monday morning grace…
You started with a pretty good week that suddenly takes a huge turn for the worse - of course it’s your fault. And when you wake up a week later Monday morning… you would have never expected to be sitting with Jesus over breakfast, being blessed, loved and instructed….
You gotta love the disciples… they tried right? They gave 3 years to this Jesus dude, they trusted him… and now he gets crucified… We think he came back from the dead, but we are just confused… what is going on. So lets do what we do- go back to work. Got back to what we know to do - FISH!
And God comes to them… HE COMES TO THEM!
He does not chastise them, he does not preach to them, he does not ask “what happened? what about following me”. He does’t even question why they went back to fishing… in fact just the opposite.
And in a simple display of grace he not only shows them how to fish, how to be blessed, but has their needs taken care of all along - breakfast is served. Then he talks to Peter and addressed the elephant in the room… Do you love me. he asks this 3 times, not because Jesus didn’t believe it - but rather to reveal to Peter his own heart.
Here Peter in front of a fire relives the scene just a few days earlier where he was in front of a fire in a courtyard outside the high priests house…and for the third time he denied Jesus. Now in this setting in front of a fire with Jesus he gets to experience Gods forgiveness and love for him.
In the middle of giving up… Peter finds himself back at his old job… and Jesus tells him - this is not what I have for you - you are not to fish, you are to feed my Lambs, take care of my sheep and feed my sheep.
But notice Jesus doesn’t say this to Peter, set things right and then bless him, NO NO NO… Jesus pursues Peter, reveals himself to him through financial gain, wisdom, fellowship and breakfast…
Remember Gods kindness leads us to repentance.
Today if you are feeling like you are back to square one… Understand that God is still pursuing you…God is there asking you “do you still love me” Because he sure as heck still loves you