Crown or Cancer Podcast

A worthy wife is a crown for her husband,
    but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones. – Proverbs 12:4

Am I a crown or a cancer to my husband? Crown or cancer to those around me? Am I a healthy thing or an illness?

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806754/episodes

Colossians 3:7-8

Colossians 3:7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 

Before you get on your high horse remember, you once walked in these things too. You’ve got to love Paul, because his writing keeps you humble or should keep you humble.

He’s saying in prior verses before this one that we should put to death whatever in us is worldly, because God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient—those who are practicing these ungodly things. However, before you point your finger at how bad off someone else is, remember you once walked in these things too. Not only that, but you walked in these things when you were living in them. In other words, you didn’t just dabble here and there, you were in it.

Colossians 3:8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 

Now you must put away those worldly desires and ways of life. It won’t be easy because we’re so used to being surrounded by these things. Yet, we can be encouraged. If Paul is telling us to put them away, that’s because they can be put away. But how? The Power of the Holy Spirit will enable you to put away worldly desires and replace them with godly desires. It will take some work. It will take saying no to familiar things. It will require discomfort. But it can be done and it will be worth it.

Conquer Evil

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. – Romans 12:21 NLT

This statement seems easy enough right? Don’t let evil conquer you. Hopefully, most people wouldn’t want that to happen. Certainly, a Christian wouldn’t want that to happen.

If we look through this chapter in its entirety it’s about using your spiritual gifts, serving others, and loving and living in harmony even with your enemies. It’s about choosing kindness rather than revenge when we feel entitled to the latter.

Sin is evil. Any time we’re choosing to disobey God’s will, we’re sinning. So when we opt for revenge, we’re giving evil room in our lives. When we don’t use our gifts to glorify God but for selfish ambition, evil just gained a little more influence. Choosing hurt over harmony is not conquering evil with good.

Let’s not box evil into demonic activity and witchcraft. Evil isn’t just human sacrifice or mass murders. As hard as it is to stomach, those aren’t the only things that are evil. Evil is sin in general. Sin is against the will of God. So we must conquer evil in all its forms with the truth and goodness of God all the time.

After all, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).

Why Lord?

Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy? You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered. Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts. But as for me, Lord, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered!
Jeremiah 12:1‭-‬3 NLT

Can’t you just feel the agony of Jeremiah? Don’t you relate? I find myself often wondering, why? Why Lord? Why are the wicked doing so well?

I even spoke with my grandmother last night, and I said I don’t know how these people sleep at night. In an instant I thought, but who says they’re sleeping? They actually may not be.

We don’t know the demons these people face in their days. And God is still just and will allow justice to be served. We just have to be patient.

Jeremiah asked questions that any person who is trying to live right would have. What’s going on God? I’m trying here and they’re living for selfish gain and gaining. How can this be!?

But I’m mindful that the Bible tells us to not grow weary in well doing. We aren’t to fall into comparison of how much better we are compared to others. All of our righteous deeds are like filthy rags before a perfect God.

In the next few verses we see God’s response to Jeremiah’s questions. But today I just want to leave us with Jeremiah’s point of view. And I want to acknowledge that God is fine with us respectfully asking questions. He’s the one with the answers. And He also wants us to respectfully listen to His response because it’s not always what we want.

Soon we’ll see how He responds to Jeremiah’s genuine questions.

The Company You Keep

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

Beware of the company you keep. If iron sharpens iron, then what does a dull tool do? It either doesn’t perform its task or makes it harder to complete the task. It’s the same with the people we surround ourselves with.

People are either making you better or worse, and you have to choose if you want to let them bring you up or down. You have to ask yourself if you bring someone up or down too. Bad company corrupts good character.

I love that verse in 1 Corinthians. When I finally realized what that verse meant, it was like a light bulb.  While we should hope to have a positive influence on someone, it doesn’t mean that they won’t have an influence on us. We have to be wise enough to know who God is calling us to, and who He is calling us from. We may want to help everybody, but we may not be called to help everybody.

After all is said and done, the big question is who are you? What type of company category do you fall under? My big point is that I want to make sure I’m not the bad company and that I’m not the dull tool. How about you?

Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

Looks Can Be Deceiving

We are so appearance driven. It’s hard not to be. We live in a society where everything essentially tells us we should be. Get the car. You’ll look good in it. It’s a status symbol. Buy the big house. Pack on the makeup. Buy the distracting outfit. It’ll complete the look. And we don’t do this with just our appearances and others’. We do it with situations.

The phrase “this looks bad” comes to mind. And sometimes, I’m not going to lie, it is bad. And sometimes, what looks good turns out to be pretty bad. And guess what? Sometimes what looks bad actually turns out to be good. And God can take what was bad and use it for His good. It rarely is what is looks like. It doesn’t have to look good to be good.

I’m not challenging us to be blind to what’s around us. I’m challenging us to be sensitive to Holy Spirit. I’m challenging us to pray for discernment. Because the more we expect what things look like to be what they are, the less in tune we are with reality. And most importantly the spiritual realities that we need.

I love this encounter with Samuel and God about David. Because God tells Samuel, that what mankind sees is so far removed from what He sees.

1 Samuel 16 ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

If appearances are everything, we will miss the most important things.

Bad in these Walls

Psalm 55:10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city.

This is one of the verses that’s funny, not funny.

It’s like when people say we’re trying to protect our people by keeping the bad ones out. Unbeknownst to them, that the bad ones are some of their people.

Isn’t that the world we live in though? Isn’t that the country we live in in some way? We look at third world countries and try to educate them on what they should be doing. We see Christians persecuted around the globe and point at the disgrace that it is.

Don’t we have homeless people here? Many who are truly homeless. Don’t we persecute Christians here? In this land of the free and home of the brave, can we admit we’ve got some bad things going on within these walls?

The only solution is Jesus. Many will reject Him, and we know that. But another problem we’re facing is that those who haven’t rejected are some of the ones causing some bad within our walls. We won’t be perfect, and I understand that. We live in a fallen world. The world is full of bad, but can we as Christians not be a part of it?

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Jon 17:14-16 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 

It Is What It Is, But That’s Not All

It is what it looks like, but that ain’t all it is. 🙂

What? I know. But that’s as real as I could make it sound.

It looks bad. And a lot of it is bad. I’m not saying its not. Daily, I’m praying for hope and encouragement. I don’t write about being positive because I’ve mastered it. I write about it because that’s what I struggle with. This is how God keeps me accountable and teaches me as well.

It’s bad, it’s sad, but this isn’t all there is. There is a lot going on, but there’s still more. I’m still seeing babies being born. I’m still reading “cancer-free” posts. I’m seeing families investing time together.

People are sick. People are dying, and we all need to be in constant prayer for them and for our world and leaders. However, illnesses are being cured. Lives are being brought into this world. People are crying out to God like never before. And families are actually getting to know one another.

It looked bad before. It looked bad for Lazarus. I mean, dead is dead. But God…

John 11:11-15, 43-44

Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Now, I’m not saying YOLO. Go out and party and forget circumstances and consequences. I’m saying, be cautious, not chaotic. Be at peace, not at panic.

It is what it is, but it’s not all there is.

Focus Shift

It really is necessary to shift our focus. The more we focus on the bad, the more bad there seems to be. Just like when I focus on more good, I find it hard to find the bad.

Now, it’s not like I don’t notice bad things. What happens is simply that I don’t dwell on the bad things so much.

To me, the only way to have this positive, lasting shift is to focus on how good God is. Let’s try.

1. Today was a rough day, but I’m alive. This could become, I’m alive, so today made me stronger.

2. The kids were wild today. Or maybe, I’m so thankful for active, healthy kids.

3. I wish these dishes and clothes were washed. It’s nice to know that if I ask my husband, he’d be willing to wash them. (The latter is the hard one for me. We don’t like to have to ask or tell them do we ladies? That’s on us, not them.)

But I think you get the point. Choose to see God, even when it doesn’t look good. Choose to believe that God can work it out, because He can. And when we allow that shift in perception, something extraordinary happens.

In fact, when our focus shifts, prayer requests become praise reports.

Mission: Think Bad

Satan has a mission. It’s to make you feel as bad as he can, and to make sure you never see yourself as anything worthwhile. He wants you to believe a sinner can never be good enough. You’ve not smart enough, pretty enough, interesting enough, or pure enough. Whatever is enough, you aren’t it.

If he can get you to think impurely, he’s good with that. Because if you’re thoughts are impure, you probably are, and certainly too impure to work for God. And you must be bad, because if you weren’t, why would that thought come to mind?  If you think like that, you won’t be thinking about God using you.

Matter of fact, if he can just get you to think enough shame, you’ll be too ashamed to act. If you can think you’re not good enough, then you’re never try to be better.

Mission: Think Bad is always in place. Mission: Think Bad Enough is Plan B. They are ongoing. As Joyce Meyer would say, it’s a battlefield of the mind. And if Satan can get you to feel like you’re losing there, he can get you to think you’re losing everywhere. In essence, if he can get you to think unworthily, you won’t try to do anything worthwhile.