Okay, here is Isaiah 34-35 in a sentence: God will restore fully one day, and he fully renews today. But what do we do with this principle we have learned about God’s character. It’s great that he is a God of restoration one day, and very comforting that he is a God of renewal today. But what do I do with that today…tomorrow morning…Thursday night?
Most importantly, make sure the inner man gets your first and foremost attention. Be a person who focuses on what matters most -- the heart. That's the battle you have to win! Don’t stress as much about your face; do something about the heart! God will one day handle the restoration, so relax! Yes, do what you can, but calm down and “be OK with the DK.” And while you’re waiting for that day, let him handle your renewal today! Quite frankly, if we would spend as much time and money on the inner man as we do on the outer man, we’d have church full of renewed warriors ready to stand against the wiles of the devil and the gates of hell!
In addition to concenrating on the innner man and letting the outer man have our secondary focus, here are some other things we can do or attiudes we can adopt:
1. Don’t blame. Blaming God, or others for that matter, for current conditions is not only unbiblical and quite illogical, not to mention very untheological, it is simply foolish. Blaming only lengthens the road to recovery and is a very external action; it's an "outer man" rseponse. Instead, believe in God and watch what faith can do to you even in the middle of situations that are less than ideal. Thats how the inner man responds -- in faith towards God!
2. Don’t complain. Instead, learn contentment and the ability to compliment. After all, we are in the Valley of In-Between, so make the best of it, eh? Multiple times in the New Testament Paul urges us to "do all things with thankfulness" and "without grumbling or complaining." What's hard to understand about that? I have fouind that voicing the exact opposite often helps me fight through the temptation to complain. That why it's good to compliment the second you feel like complaining. Take the road less traveled!
3. Don’t look backward in regret; look forward in anticipation, especially to the day of restoration. The past will only be a ball and chain to your best "moving forward" efforts. Yes, learn from it, but don't lean on it. Leaning on it has a way of "velcroing" itself to you in a way that isn't supportive at all.
2 comments:
Thanks for the encouragement Todd. Since, we live in a society that is entirely focused on the outer man, it takes diligent daily focus to make sure that we are more concerned about the inner man. Even in the Christian circle, the outer man tends to take precedence. If I had to add a fourth "Don't", I would have to say "Don't give up". It's a lot easier to improve the "outer man", by patching on some good deeds to look like you have things taken care of on the inner man. Focusing on the "inner man" takes more persistence and determination, with the understanding that changing the inner man is a lengthy process not for the faint-hearted
As a mom of two very little ones it's easy to get lost in the madness. To not make time for ourselves in any fashion, whether it be on the outer or the inner-woman. But after finally hitting rock bottom, feeling totally inadequate as a mom and wife and having nothing left to give, I have to stop being lazy about my time with God and put him first. My inner self needs repair and restoration, I pray that others may see that too and make it a priority to put God first in their daily lives. God bless you Todd for speaking truth and never holding back! I have signed up to receive daily devotions from the proverbs 31 website, they have just started a 6 week process to get other women encouraged to read their bible on a daily basis. Thanks again for hitting the heart of the matter!
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