Organizing the Inside 365 Days
Empowering Christian Women To Get Organized and Discover God's Plan for Their LivesArchive for Discipline
Organizing the Inside – Day 283 Embrace the Truth, Even If It Hurts
2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. 4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. 5He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest. 2 Chronicles 13:2-6 (NIV)
When you are trusting God, His Word is encouraging. Asa knew the Lord and had sought Him in the past. He entered into battle against the Ethiopians and because he’d turned to God for help first, God defeated the Ethiopians and gave Asa and his army complete victory. Asa took heart when the man of God brought a word from the Lord. He then became even more determined to rid the land of detestable idols. Asa established a system around the things of God. He was also open to receive the counsel of godly men; for a time he chose to honor God. When we surround ourselves with a support system of godly people who know how to pray and hear from God, we will be more productive and at peace. As a result of his willingness to obey God, Asa and the people of Judah experienced many years of peace. God looks for committed people who will do things His way. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9a (KJV)
When you aren’t trusting God, His Word (the truth) makes you angry. Asa made a huge error after trusting God for many years. He reasoned within himself and decided to form an alliance with an ungodly king. He took the riches from the temple to use as bargaining power to get what he wanted. He no longer went to God as his source. It is never a good idea to seek alliances with the ungodly. Sure there are ungodly people who may seem successful and by the world’s standards perhaps they are. Look at Asa, he knew the Lord and had experienced great success when he followed God’s ways and trusted Him. Once he began to reason within himself and go outside of God’s plan, the word from the Lord which exposed his sin made him very angry. (2 Chronicles 15:8 and 16:7) Many Christians make the same mistake by not putting God first; then they get angry when God sends the uncompromising message of truth and exposes their sin.
God uses His Word to discipline us.
God uses His Word and His people to send us the truth. When He disciplines us we must yield and not get angry. Joyful are those you discipline, LORD, those you teach with your instructions. Psalm 94:12 (NLT) His Word not only guides us (staff) it also disciplines us (rod), which brings comfort because we find confidence in knowing God is there with His Word. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
Always embrace the truth it’s there to help us grow. When God tells us the truth and exposes our mistakes we should be grateful instead of getting angry or rebelling. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. Deuteronomy 8:5 (NLT) Surely God sees the “big picture” and knows us better than we know ourselves. He also has our best interest at heart. We must develop a greater sensitivity to the things of God. Be quick to seek Him before making decisions and be humble enough to admit when we’ve messed up. Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” Hebrews 3:15 (NLT)
Organizing the Inside 365 Days 