Author: watchstandpray

218 – Assume Is a Compound Word

Questions about God, heartbreak in romance and family, disappointment in a new school or job—many of our problems go back to our dissatisfaction because of things we assumed.

Humans are assumption machines. We even assume about assumption—that we don’t assume as much as we do. Communication breakdown, verbal abuse, Satir’s “blamer mode”—these also begin with assumptions made about what another person assumes. When we stop assuming, even for a micromoment, it is as if we enter a light-filled zen void of “nothingness”. We assume because we are uncomfortable with the silence associated with “not having an opinion”. Calming your nerves, being less reactive, shutting your motormouth at “quiet time”, being that oasis of calm in other people’s storms—that all stems from comfort with silence—and silence is devoid of assumption.

If you want to calm your insides, learn to not assume. Assumption is, itself, a way to distract from the silence.

If you aren’t always ready with your sword, what will happen? Will you survive? Dropping your guard feels dangerous. “Not knowing” the answer to every question feels like you’re not prepared when, actually, it prepares you to receive, learn, understand, and perhaps even contribute. It’s hard to do surgery with shaking hands.

So, drop the busyness and the caffeinated distractions; begin with your assuming. God is much easier to not be angry with when we drop all of our made-up assumptions about Him. Relationships go much more smoothly when we begin with the assumption that other people are not so stupid that we don’t need to take the time to understand them.

One of the biggest problems in tech support—operator error—is clinically proven to occur less frequently among people who don’t throw away the instructions before reading them. (Not actually clinically proven, but let’s just ‘assume’ that it doesn’t need to be.)

Good theology leaves assumption at the door. The ultimate theological question is not what we assume about God, but what God sees in us. Pain will advise us when we make assumptions of our own. One of the best commands God ever gave Israel was to be still and know, not to be noisy and assume.

217 – Let Action Shout at You

The louder voice of action shouting down the quiet voice of words serves as a common reminder to act wisely and charitably. But, the stronger teaching might impel us to listen to the actions of others more carefully than we listen to their words. If we learn the art of listening to action, we might quickly improve our ability to speak the language of action more fluently. Human language and friendship works the same way: Listen first.

If we listened action more than words, politicians wouldn’t get away with lying via “effort”. Bad companies wouldn’t be able to cover their tracks with deceptive marketing. And, we wouldn’t spend as much time arguing with friends.

Think about the times your friendships have been strained by conflict. The neighbors won’t control their dog, it barks everyday, and one day bites. A simple conversation in the beginning makes sense. The neighbors make a promise to control the dog, but don’t. More conversation isn’t the answer. Their actions spoke, but too many follow the foolishly well-worn path of over-beaten dead horses. Take a hint. Get the message. The neighbors aren’t going to control the dog. Get wise before someone gets bitten.

Religious, social, and sales organizations speak the same “action” lingo. From leader to pawn, when people announce through their actions that you don’t agree, don’t go to committee; hold one, single conversation, then move on. Your response could include taking a witness, but no more than once.

When the pastor won’t preach Jesus without preaching tithes for himself, two days is more than enough time to converse and get out—and certainly more than enough reason to make your reasons public. If the MLM won’t focus on sales through competitive prices, but keeps promoting “sales tools” to help win the uphill battle that those inflated prices created, take the hint: You’re not selling soap and kitchenware; you’re selling a set of self-perpetuating teaching tools.

Criminals know that wrong is wrong. People don’t take dishonest action because they haven’t listen to you enough; they take dishonest action because they don’t care about others. Hear the shouts of action, then let your own actions respond: gentleness once, witness, then act.

216 – Deliverance and Providence by Standing Your Ground

Sometimes, not always, God delivers and directs His providence by means of us standing for what is right. As king, David constantly fought off Israel’s enemies—who were trying to reinstitute Satanic human sacrifices. Jeremiah told the king that Jerusalem would fall, but was rescued from the pit and spared by Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel wouldn’t stop praying—if he had the lions would have eaten him for sure! Stephen spoke the truth, even while he was being stoned, and Jesus greeted him in an open vision during his martyrdom.

God commanded Israel to keep three festivals each year. Business owners were required by law to close up shop, prepare a feast, and enjoy themselves. During a feast, it was custom for the wealthy to throw gold and silver coins from their upper story windows, down into the streets where passers-by would collect them as gifts. If the people did not hold to the moral-legal code of Israel’s Theocracy, they wouldn’t be in the streets to receive money showered down upon them. Not everyone had to catch coins to benefit. The poor would, in turn, give patronage to smaller merchants, stimulating the whole economy. It was small, but was compassionate and it helped.

Standing your ground may mean martyrdom, but God’s reward in the afterlife smiles on those who answer His call to die for what is right, just as He smiles on those who answer His call to live for what is right—given to so many more, paid for by the martyrs before.

In combat strategy, your team may need to hold the building until help arrives. In those circumstances, your team is just as much help awaiting as the help that arrives. You have supplies and advantage that your fellow soldiers rely on. If you surrender your ground before your allies arrive, it could cost the victory.

God has already directed His created universe through the divine providence of pathways and currents. Then, His moral code instructs us where to stay and go. This eludes all of us, though less as we grow in wisdom. Moral bearings will direct us to the right place at the right time to receive our needs; be there.

Exodus 12:14; 23:14-17, Jeremiah 32:26-28; 39:11-14, Malachi 3:10

215 – Speak the Truth in Your Heart

Acknowledging the truth can be one of the most difficult things a person can do. We gladly admit what truths we have already admitted. But, one seeing that oneself was wrong has high stakes! We may have stock to sell—or buy. By being wrong, we may need to carry the mental weight of knowing that our own choices caused the loss of thousands, millions, or billions of dollars—dollars which we happen to need right now.

When people live a long life in denial, but then are confronted with the ugly, hideous, enormous truth that grew huge by feeding on neglect, they can meltdown, physically collapsing to the floor, crushed by the mental weight of so much truth that they kept avoiding.

Denial is no way to live. The sooner you confront a truth, the sooner it won’t be able to sweep away your mental capacity to understand it. Don’t let truth swell like a tsunami against you. Speak the truth in your heart quickly, the moment you can find it. Not facing pressure from unadmitted truth, you will stand through storms said to be impossible.

God searches throughout Earth, looking for anyone who accepts the truth. He considers people who are honest with themselves as treasure worth hunting for.

No one can face a challenge without accurate information. Accuracy about our situations is vital. God does not want us to fail in misery. In order to thrive, we need truth. Victory itself will stop anyone who rejects reality. Accordingly, God will not allow you to even begin down any path leading to the greater rewards until you accept whatever truths have every presented themselves to you. God wants you to go down those paths. The question is whether you are willing to scrutinize your own ideas enough to see and maintain awareness about your surroundings as they actually are.

Truth brings light and hope. Truth sets us free. Truth includes that God forgives and redeems and has the highest of hopes for everyone’s future. The price of truth means recognizing one’s own laundry list. But, the price is worth its cost. Anyone addicted to truth can tell you what doors truth can unlock.

214 – Leaders Carry

A good leader carries the burdens of whomever he is responsible for. For Jesus, this meant carrying the punishment for our sin—carrying the Cross to his death. For Deborah as an Old Testament judge, it meant listening to the problems of the people and settling their disputes. For Esther, it meant risking her own life to request an audience with the king of the civilized world. For Noah, it meant building an ark to carry the animals and his family. Good leaders carry.

When traveling in a group, a leader should be last to bed and first to wake. Breaks and naps during the day allow this to work, usually while the group is busy with “fun time” or some recreation that requires fewer members of the leadership team. Even Jesus would steal away from time to time for prayer. He even stole a nap in the boat during a storm since he knew all would be well.

When taking a long walk, carry important articles for other people. A leader should go through the physical training to become strong enough to handle a heavier load. When the leader needs help, he asks for it. This cultivates mentoring future leaders. No leader works alone, but every leader should bring strength to the team.

Many burdens have been carried by leaders without the group ever knowing. Never expect an applause or a thanks. Leading is not for those who like award receptions. Victory for the team serves well enough as the leader’s prize. If the team wins a trophy, the leader is most honored to have it hosted by the team or one of its members.

Much of the work of a leader is preemptive and preparatory. Drafting a thorough plan, memorizing the road map, making and remembering the many lists of to-dos and inventory, keeping track of the money—even though someone else serves as treasurer—a leader must know when and how to act. Never rely on an active GPS as a leader; know the map by heart as both a backup plan for when—not if—technology fails, and as a show of competence and proof that the group won’t get lost.

213 – Happiness Is Proactive

Happiness can’t possibly be about “self”. Humans were made for things that involves others—someway, somehow, somewhere, sometime, we only operate at our best when we’re doing something that involves others.

Happiness flows from the Two Great Commands. Even placing God first—not “instead of”, but “first”—efficiently and quite effectively knocks us down to the right level where life isn’t about ourselves, but about others.

Human happiness can’t be passive. It requires creating good things through cooperative effort. “Consumerism” can’t replace happiness. Like a narcotic, the sneakiest form is “happiness consumption”, favoring and rating things on their ability to “make me happy”. Happiness is only happy as much as it is proactive.

That doesn’t mean meddling and nannying to a point of insufferability. Silence is golden because it includes being considerate of others. But, if “love and happiness” mean ignoring needs of others—whether need be for silence or intervention or encouragement or course correction—then “love and happiness” aren’t.

When tragedy strikes, victims need help; go help them. Send money. Stay out of the way. Report the overlooked truth. Stand witness. Find any way to help. Don’t just sit by yourself, looking for a sliver lining to someone else’s tragedy.

Life has many yeahs and many boos and many glasses of water which can be measured by their contents or lack thereof, but your choice to be happy doesn’t end with gratitude and thankfulness; it only begins there. Never lecture others on their need to find their silver linings on their rain clouds, especially if you are a rain cloud. When you must bring rain and lightning, make sure you shine a doorway of sunlight and a make huge rainbow afterward. When you can truly appreciate the silver linings of life’s rain clouds, you have all the reason you need to be sunshine on someone else’s storm, not just a sunshine admirer.

By all means, enjoy stories, art, and beauty that make you happy. Celebrate and share them with friends. But, don’t stop there. Don’t lose your appetite for helping happiness take over the universe. Of all the moments that make us happy, the happiest moments put a smile on someone else’s face.

212 – Deliverance and Provision by the Right to Seize

Sometimes, not always, God delivers and provides for us by means of us stepping up to seize what He has already offered. Noah had to build his ark. Israel had to work after entering the promised land because the manna stopped once they crossed the Jordan. That’s what a “promised land” is—a place where you can work and keep what you worked for, knowing that you worked for your results, “paid” for it with sweat and tears, and didn’t gain by taking from others.

Provision by way of effort is the goal of peace. It’s a world in which our work is neither stolen by theft nor destroyed by war. By being allowed to have our work pay off, we enjoy the pleasure of working through whatever task we have for the day, knowing it will lead somewhere beneficial—knowing that we will be allowed to enjoy the results since they were earned, not bestowed.

David had to bring in the Temple materials to fulfill his dream of God having a House. His son Solomon had to build the Temple using those materials. The Temple didn’t build itself.

Jeremiah had to put the rope around himself when it was let down. Daniel had to initiate and ask in order to eat the Bible’s healthier diet and to interpret the king’s dream so as to avoid death. In Esther, the attack against the Jews was not rescinded, but the Jews were granted legal permission to defend themselves, which resulted in killing their Satanic enemies and taking the wealth of their assailants.

Many times, especially after seasons of waiting, little to no results, just enough to survive on, inner strengthening, and shiploads of prayer, the opportunity to rise up lands at our doorstep. Then, we must put away the housecoat, don our shoes, and walk out into the world to work. This moment is not every moment nor can it be made into every moment. Annually, this comes for farmers in the springtime.

Spring comes after the season of winter, when roots have grown deeper and the soil sits as soggy as we feel groggy. At the proper time, go into your field and start working.