THE FIVE MINUTE MELTDOWN

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

THE FIVE MINUTE MELTDOWN 

(Galatians 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is … self-control … 

Okay, I’ve got a proposition for you that may seem kind of wild but I hope you will indulge me just for a moment.  I would like for you the next time you have a meltdown to just freak out for only five minutes.  That’s right…just five minutes.  Get all your anger out, say what you want to say, vent till you’re spent, cry, yell, pound your fist, kick the wall, say you’re going to quit, threaten to leave, send you’re mean text, and do whatever else you want to do.  Then when time is up you have to quit all that.  Your meltdown is over.  Now you just go on with your business, be cool, and have a great rest of the day. 

So what do you think?  Sound kind of crazy huh?  Well, you know what I’m trying to do, don’t ya?  Yeah, you’re quick.  You know that if I can get you to put all of your anger and upsetness into five minutes then you will think...well, if I can get all this emotional expenditure down to five minutes, then why not go further and get it down to one minute?  And if I can get it down to one minute then why not just skip my tantrum completely?  He he…I love strategy! 

We all have our way of throwing a fit when things get overwhelming and we feel we are under undo pressure.  We go off and lose emotional control and we say and do things that are not good.  Family members retreat to their bedrooms, our animals hide under the beds, and we are left alone with regret over what was said and done.  You see it’s not just the terrible twos that we have to worry about.  We can lose it at any age given the right amount of circumstance.  But is it worth it?  Do we always have to default to having an outburst (2 Cor 12:20)?  Isn’t there a better way to act when we are angry? 

The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is self-control.  That means we don’t have to give in to how we feel.  The Holy Spirit will restrain us if we yield to His power within us.  We want to lose control but we don’t have to lose control.  We can choose to let the Lord settle us down and to maintain our composure.  All we have to do is step aside, give way to His influence, and then we will mellow instead of meltdown.  Then the fruit of that will be so wonderful we will be glad we didn’t give in.  We maintained our serenity and therefore had the ability to ACT instead of REACT.  Our emotions did not have the chance to take over so we remained calm and collective to deal with the pressure of the moment.  We stayed composed in front of others and so were able to deal with the situation at hand with wisdom and fortitude.  Instead of flipping out we peaced out (Col 3:15).    

So what do you think?  Want to take me up on the challenge?  Enjoy…and tell others about THE FIVE MINUTE MELTDOWN!  (James 3:17) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits… 

Louie 

SO I HEARD YOU WERE ENGAGED?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

SO I HEARD YOU WERE ENGAGED? 

(Isa 62:5) … as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 

So I heard you were engaged?  No way!  That is fantastic news.  This is one of the happiest times of your life.  You have found the person of your dreams and the future is as wide open as the sky.  We are all so happy for you and wish you God’s best.  Here’s some things to take into consideration as you get closer to the altar: 

PREMARITAL COUNSELING – (Exo 18:1) Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you…  Get in contact with the pastor of your church as soon as possible and set up premarital counseling.  This will be a series of sessions focusing on what the Bible says about love and marriage.  Topics will typically include communication, money, Biblical roles of the husband and wife, parenting, conflict resolution, etc.  Then the three of you will go back and forth in discussion about the topic and then end up with prayer.  You would be surprised how many couples have never had premarital counseling.  Don’t let that be you!  Your marriage is important and you want to lay a good foundation.   

WEDDING OR MARRIAGE? – (Col 3:15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…  Wedding preparation can get crazy!  There is so much to do and plan for and you don’t really know until you jump in.  Find a good wedding planner check list and have fun with all the excitement.  Set a budget as a couple and stick to it.  You don’t want to enter marriage in debt.  Also, it is going to get really stressful toward the end and you might be at each other’s throat.  Don’t worry, this is normal.  You can practice how to have a spat and make up!  Take a break when you need to and have some fun.  And remember a wedding is one day but a marriage is for a lifetime! 

DEVOTIONS – (Mat 6:33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Remember to read the Word of God and pray together regularly.  This will set the stage for a solid marriage.  If you’re too busy now then what makes you think it will get easier when you are married?  The man should take the incentive here and be the spiritual leader of the relationship.  Also going to church together and Bible study is essential for your spiritual growth.   Balance out all the material preparation with the spiritual preparation that is needed and watch God bring everything together for you.   

CONFIDENCE – (Heb 10:35) Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  During your engagement you may experience some conflicting feelings.  Am I really ready for this?  Will I be a good spouse?  Do I have what it takes?  Will I be able to love the way I should love?  Am I ready for two when I’ve been solo for so long?  Will the in-laws accept me?  Answer all these questions with the one most important question:  Has God called us together?  If He has then fall back on that calling and move forward with confidence.   

Louie 

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

 

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

 

Reading through the dry and dusty portion of the genealogies of 1 Chronicles we come across a welcomed oasis (4:9-10).  The birth of Jabez brought pain to his mother.  No, not just the normal pain of childbirth but some kind of complications added to it.  This experience stood out so much to his mother that she named her child “Jabez” which means “pain” or “sorrow.”  Can you imagine how he felt as he was growing up when people asked him why his name was Jabez? 

 

Sometimes our start in life can bring disadvantages.  Perhaps when we were young something happened that put us on a course of difficulty.  And as time went on we just grew accustomed to things going wrong in our lives.  After a while we just sank down into our lot in life accepting that the script has already been written and there’s no way of changing it.  We just adapted to a life of pain.  But Jabez decided he wanted a better life so he turned to the Lord.  He asked God to bless him so that he could reverse that curse on his life and start blessing others.  Here is his five-fold prayer:

 

THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME INDEED - (Gen 32:26)  And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"

 

ENLARGE MY TERRITORY - (Isa 54:2-3)  "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. {3} For you shall expand to the right and to the left…

 

THAT YOUR HAND WOULD BE UPON ME - (Isa 41:10)  Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

 

YOU WOULD KEEP ME FROM EVIL - (Mat 6:13)  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one…

 

THAT I MAY NOT CAUSE PAIN - (Gen 12:2)  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

 

Is there a dark cloud hanging over your life that needs to be replaced by the sunshine of God’s love?  Then be like Jabez and pray that your pain will be turned into gain.  Jesus took the curse of sin that you might experience God’s loving favor in your life.  Are you tired of feeling like a victim doling out pain?  Are you ready to be blessed and then to be a blessing to others?  Then pray like Jabez and say “Oh, that You would bless me indeed!” God granted Jabez what he requested and He’s ready to hear your request, too.  Then get ready for some changes!     

 

Louie 

 

IF

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

IF

 

(Lev 26:3-4) ‘IF you walk in My statutes…4 then I will give you rain in its season… 

IF.  It’s a small word with a big implication.  It introduces a conditional clause.  If I do this (conditional) then that will happen (consequence).  God told Israel that they would be blessed IF they obeyed His commandments.  But IF they disobeyed His commandments then His displeasure would fall upon them.  But IF they confessed their sins then God would have mercy on them.  You see a lot happens in life when we finally decide what we will do.  Will we go God’s way or our own way?   Maybe to help us decide we need to take a big look at that small but powerful word…IF.   

First, it is important to make a differentiation between the unconditional love of God and the conditional promises He has made.  Our salvation is secure in Christ.  There is no iffyness about that.  But when it comes to life in Christ there are certain conditions placed before the fulfillment of some of God’s promises.  (2 Chr 7:14) IF My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  (1 John 5:14-15) 

God has given all of us a free will.  He loves us so much that He has placed within us the ability to make choices.  He will never force His love on us.  Forced love upon someone is not true love.  It is manipulation and strangulation.  Love loves and patiently waits for the object of that love to respond.  Otherwise there would only be a robotic response which could not be termed true love.   

But if you think about it, having volition comes with great responsibility.  What if I don’t choose when I should?  Or what if I choose wrongly?  There are consequences to our choices.  Think about all the lousy choices we have made in our lives that have come back to haunt us.  If we could only go back in time and change things and make better decisions.  But God is such a forgiving God that He has mercy on us for the wrong choices we have made and will work everything toward the good for His glory!  (Rom 8:28; Psa 130:3-4) 

Thank God that He will help us make the right decisions in life. (Phil 2:13) for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  And sometimes life comes down to certain hard choices that we know we must make.  (Mat 26:39)…“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 

IF.  What a word!  Two letters.  One syllable.  Easy enough to remember.  Sometimes it all comes down to choices.  (Deu 30:19) ... I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.   

Louie