Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #12, Part Three

Journal My Prayerful Thoughts and
Seek the Answer and Direction in God's Word
So, how did you do with implementing the SW that encouraged you to reflect on a recent time when you felt alone?  What did you discover when you wrote down the thought and feeling that was connected to that lonely moment?  And when you Googled the words: “I will never leave you,”  how did the Scripture that you chose speak to you, as you wrote down the one thought and one feeling that it stirred up inside of you?  Did you draw any new conclusions about how you thought and felt about being alone after seeking God's Word?

Many of you who personally know me would describe me as being strong and courageous, and I would agree, but I would qualify that strength and courage as being characteristic of what has developed inside of my head as a result of what God’s Word has taught me.  There was a time, early on in my life, and through most of my thirties, when I often appeared outwardly strong and courageous, but it did not match up with the feelings of hopelessness and loneliness that I felt inside.

Joshua 1:9 is an example of the verse I so often hear the Lord speak to me: “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The more I picked up my Bible, opened it, read it, meditated on it, studied it, researched it, and then journaled or wrote about a specific verse, the more I believed it and internalized it.  It became a part of me and it was a reflection of God’s Truth at work in me.

We have frequently talked about the symbolism of the rose as I have walked you through the teachings of my CHGs.  Early on in  my teaching, I mentioned how the rose is my logo for my business, Home Touched.  It symbolizes the personal touch I bring to my clients, and through the years, the rose has also come to represent much more:

♥ The rose is a reflection of God’s love for me and for you.
♥ The rose symbolizes the fruit that God wants to produce in me and in you.
♥ The rose reflects the personal touch that God gives to me and to you as we continue to grow in lessening the clutter in our lives through Him.

When I have talked about the rose, I have also referred to its STEM, especially when I made reference to CHG #10, which tells us to become rooted and balanced in God’s Space, Time Energy and Money.  The rose is a reflection of who we become when we are rooted in Christ.  CHG #12 is about bringing you full circle into recognizing that God created you because He chose to love you.  In return, it is God’s ultimate desire that you will choose to know Him and love Him. When we make the choice to love, we are saying that we commit to doing life with one another.

“The Rose” by Bette Midler, represents the song that the Holy Spirit has consistently used with me to talk to me about CHG #12.  As so often happens when I write these blogs, the song I’m writting about comes on.  As I write this paragraph about “The Rose” and include the web site for you to view and to listen to, “The Rose” starts to play. (My mother had turned the radio on so that she and my Dad could listen to music while they worked out in their pool).  I told my parents that I had just written about the song that they were listening to in my blog teaching for CHG #12.  As I have said before, these kind of happenings are not coincidences but God incidences, and they point us to the only True God who is alive, real, and so very present in our lives at all times.  He is the God who has no beginning and no ending.  And when we choose to be in relationship with Him, and do life with Him, He will reveal Himself to us in very personal and touching ways!  
When I was first entered into my love relationship with the Lord, God would consistently use this song to remind me that I was like a seed, and through the love of His Son, I would see myself becoming a rose, His rose.

Our greatest clutter in this life is the clutter that is the result of not knowing that we are loved.  And it is my prayer that that the clutter healing teaching over the past year and a half has helped you to recognize the seed you have wanted to plant so that you too can know that you are a rose that is blossoming through the eyes of God.  He loves you and so do I.

This posting concludes my clutter healing teaching and writing for Red Wednesday's Wisdom.  I close by writing out an example of my prayer request for healing, followed by God’s Word of hope, love and truth, and then the answer I heard when I listened to God’s Word.  I hope it speaks to you as being the greatest romance story that ever was or ever will be!

My Prayer Request for Healing
Lord there are times when I find it so hard to know who I am.  How do I get to know me?  How do I identify my own thoughts and feelings?  Please show me how to open the door to mind and heart so that I may know myself and know who you are as well.  So often I feel as though I am in a battle between my ego self and my spiritual self.  How do I learn to fight this war that is rising within me?  I want to know who is going to fight with me so I can win this war!

God’s Word of Hope, Love, and Truth
(Song of Songs 7:1, 5-6, 10, and12)
Young man says:  “How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O queenly maiden.  Your rounded thighs arelike jewels, the work of a skilled craftsman….. A king is held captive in your queenly tresses.   Oh how delightful you are, my beloved; how pleasant for utter delight!”
Young woman says:   I am my lover’s, the one He desires.  Come, my love, let us go out into the fields and spend the night among the wildflowers.  And there will I give you my love.”

The Answer I Heard When I Listened to God’s Word
You are God!  You are the God of love, the God of intimacy, the God of romance, the God of sensuality, the God who created us to be beautifully made male and female.  You are the God of marriage and the God who wants to be married to each one of us.  Your Word is the sword that I must always have in my hand to win the war!  When I write my prayerful letters of love to You, I am reminded that my pen is that sword, and I believe that you write back to me through your Word.  Your Holy Spirit and Holy Word guide me to know who you are and who I am.   Thank you, Lord, for loving me with such a fighting passion to be the winner you created me to be!!!

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #12, Part Two

Journal My Prayerful Thoughts and
Seek the Answer and Direction in God's Word
What revelation came to you as you implemented your SW by picking up your Bible, opening it, reading it, meditating on it, studying it, researching it, and then journaling or writing about the word “sword” as it related to Ezekiel 21:1-17?

First of all, I want to say that revelation can come to you when implementing any one of these actions.  As long as you are seeking the Truth, which is found only in God’s Word, you will eventually experience the surprise and excitement that comes from being in relationship with The Divine as He gives you the answers and direction for your life.   

Over the years, I have learned what the “sword” means based on my own reading, meditation, studying, research, and journaling, as it relates to the Scriptures.  Throughout the Bible, the sword has literally been used as a weapon of war to armor one’s self.  And in Ezekiel 21:1-17, the sword also symbolizes God’s concerned judgment for the people He loves.  It represents the careful decision that God must make as He considers the clutter of Israel’s continual and deliberate disobedience. 

Sword = Armor
Sword = Judgment

The Book of Ezekiel is found in The Old Testament, and compared to The New Testament, The Old Testament can be very dry and hard to understand, but I assure you, if you read just a little bit at a time, and do it daily, you will begin to grasp the history, the teaching, and the marvel of what God wants you to learn through his Holy Spirit.  When you meditate on God’s Word, study it, research it, and write down your thoughts and feelings about it, you gain revelation, intimacy, and the answers and direction that come from seeking The Lord and His Word.   

In my research and study of God’s Word I consistently refer to:
♥ The King James Study Bible
♥ The NIV Study Bible
♥ Different editions of The Life Recovery Bible

I love what we are told about the sword in Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of God is alive and powerful.  It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.  It exposes our most innermost thoughts and desires.”  (The Life Recovery Bible, 2004 edition)

Sword = God’s Word 

Do you ever feel like you are all alone and that there is no one fighting for you or coming to your rescue?  It’s important to know how you feel and to express those emotions, but feelings are not to be your guiding force.  Remember how we have talked about your feelings being secondary to what you think?   Too often, our thinking is not based on Truth, and therefore your feelings are not rooted in the Truth.  Here is the Truth about feeling alone:  you may feel you are alone but the Truth is - you are never alone.  From The Old Testament to The New Testament, God constantly tells us that He is with us and that He will never leave us or forsake us.  Google the words “I will never leave you,” and you will see all the Scripture references that come up to affirm this Truth.  Jesus is your Savior, and He is the only one who can take away your loneliness and rescue you.  His desire is to constantly save you from the death and darkness of sin in the life you are living right now and in the one to come.  Jesus is your personal Warrior.  Jesus is your personal King.  And Jesus always wants to go to battle for you and aid you in cutting through the clutter of your everyday life.  He wants to walk by your side, guide you, and make Himself known to you.  All you need to do is to open the door and let Him in.  All of the 12 CHG’S are about lessening the clutter in your life so that you can experience the healing and presence of God Almighty forever!  Jesus holds the sword in His hand, and He will not put it down until his work has been completed!

Sword = Salvation

The sword for me has great personal symbolism.  I think of my pen as a sword.  My pen symbolizes God’s Word at work in my hand.  My pen is the sword I use to journal and write down God’s Word.  And I then use that pen, that sword, to share and express my thoughts and feelings with God, just as He has done for me, in the writing of the Scriptures.  What does this process of journaling/writing do to me regarding God’s Word?

♥ I witness the reality of God’s Word truly giving me life and breath .

♥ I get to see how God’s Word works as a double edged sword to cut through my soul and my spirit.

♥ I can feel God’s Word piercing and penetrating the deepest cells of my body.  And on a very personal note, I have seen the positive results of how that gets manifested in my own blood work ups.

♥ God’s Word helps me to humbly expose my most innermost thoughts and desires.  When I look at all the men who were inspired by God to put a pen, a sword, in their hand and write, as reflected in the 66 Books of the Bible, I am so grateful for how their writing provides me with the armor and protection that I need to face each day.  Every day I need the sword of God’s Word to fight the enemy.  And every day I need God’s Word so that I can fight His way rather than my way. 

Isn’t it an awesome thought to ponder upon and to then realize that we truly are never alone?  God is always warring for us; He is never against us!  

Sword = Pen

Your SW this week is to reflect on a recent time when you felt alone.  Put the pen (a sword) into your own hand and then journal or write down a thought and feeling that was connected to that moment.  After doing this, Google the words: “I will never leave you.”  Choose one of the Scripture references that you are drawn to and then write down the thought and feeling that it stirred up inside of you.  How would you describe what you thought and felt about feeling alone compared to what you thought and felt after going to God’s Word?  Caution:  Do not judge your thoughts or feelings.  Simply be honest with yourself about what you thought and felt.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #12, Part One

Journal My Prayerful Thoughts and
Seek the Answer and Direction in God's Word
In bringing closure to CHG #11, I asked that you honestly examine the one issue that has had the greatest potential to enslaving you in relationship to addictive personality, alcoholism, caffeine/sodas, depression, drug abuse, eating issues, pornography, smoking, sugar/substitutes, or identifying an issue that was not listed but is a challenge for you_________.   With that in mind, what was that one enslavement issue that you most identified with at this time in your life?  And of the 11 CHG’s that have been presented thus far, which one did you choose in being most helpful to setting you free from the hold of that enslaving issue?

Historically speaking, over the past 14 years, my most significant reoccurring enslavement issue has been related to my passion for drinking coffee.   For most of those years, I have been at peace without the coffee, but there are those month to month stretches where I am triggered into thinking about how much I miss the taste and comfort of that brewing aroma. I tell myself that I can do it in moderation, but unfortunately, I fall back into that trap of excessiveness, followed by a restless spirit, because I know that this is not healthy for me or what God wants for me.  Unequivocally, I know that my physical health has been far better off, because of the warning I heeded many years ago that said, “Put a lid on it!”  The message came to me while serving on the prayer team at my church.  I “happened” to glance up at the huge church screen that was in front of me when those words flashed before me as a cup of coffee without a lid was also being displayed.  Though that short written and visual memo was intended for the large congregation of coffee drinkers, who were being reminded on how to prevent and minimize accidents, I had the innate understanding that the cautionary implications of this message had a far deeper meaning for me personally.  Through my spiritual eyes, I knew I had witnessed God's written handwork.  God was bringing me revelation and telling me that it was time to stop the coffee drinking.  The moment to be honest with myself had arrived. I needed to admit that the physical symptoms I had been experiencing were related to my excessive coffee use, whether it was caffeinated or decaffeinated.

As a nurse, God’s cautionary warning gave me the kick I needed to do some further investigation into the potential side effects of too much coffee.  I quickly discovered that the symptoms I was having were undeniably related to my coffee consumption, and there were additional and more serious side effects that would surface, unless I did indeed put a lid on it.  Here is the indelible and everlasting imprint that God had written on my heart; “I am the great Physician.  I will always care for you and be concerned about you when it comes to the details of your health – spiritual and physical.”

CHG #3 is the CHG that is always the most helpful one for me to implement when I am in my weakened state of wanting what I do not need.  I constantly ask God, through prayer and journaling, to help me in being freed from the hold that coffee drinking can have on me.  And as I write this post, I know that having someone in the flesh that I can be accountable to is so encouraging and very helpful .

Looking back at that church screen message that said, “Put a lid on it,” I hope you can see how the power of writing or journaling can lessen our clutter, as it has for me by lessening the clutter of my physical health.

Reflect on the words in CHG #12 that say:

“Journal My Prayerful Thoughts and Seek the Answer and Direction in God’s Word”

What does CHG #12 imply as being the root cause of clutter when this guideline is not applied? 

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not journal/write down what I am thinking or praying.

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not seek answers in God’s Word. 

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not seek direction in God’s Word.

Therefore, when I journal my prayerful thoughts and seek the answer and direction in God’s Word, I lessen my clutter, and this brings healing to me.

Journaling = Writing

Journaling/Writing helps me to see more clearly what is inside of my head or heart.  It can include my ideas, thoughts, feelings, messages, and prayers.

In some of my first teaching, I talked about how less is more, and this plays out when it comes to our communication, be it verbal or written.  Fewer words can bring more clarity and less confusion, and this also gets reflected in our words of prayer.  Your Orientation SW was the start up to introducing you to the process of journaling/writing as I encouraged you to use one word responses.  SW can be thought of as very simple way to pray as thoughts and feelings get identified.  

♥ When I journal/write things down, I am less scattered and more balanced because I am conserving my STEM:
Space
Time
Energy
Money

It can be as simple and practical as writing out a list of  “to dos”, a grocery list, or errands to “run” and the order to do them in.  Imagine the savings in just your gas usage when this is done.  

♥ When I seek for answers in God’s Word; this reflects the importance of God being the number one relationship in my life.  Therefore, God’s Word is my first resource to any question.  I still seek and respect man’s input, but my ultimate decisions and answers are based on what God tells me.

♥ When I seek direction in God’s Word, I am gaining not only information but revelation as well. I love the following acronym that tells me what the Bible is for:
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving
Earth

This acronym truly says it all; God’s Word gives me instruction to my direction.

The Scripture to support CHG #12 is from Ezekiel 21:5, “My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished.”   

What does Ezekiel 21:5 imply as being the root cause of my clutter from the perspective of what God’s Word says?

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not have my sword in my hand.

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not finish the work I have started.  

Therefore, when my sword is in my hand, and I use it until my work is complete, my clutter will be lessened, and this will bring healing to me.

What could I possibly mean when I say that my clutter builds up when I do not have my sword in my hand?  How is having a sword in my hand going to lessen my clutter?  First of all, CHG #12 is the last CHG, so it is going to challenge you to go a bit deeper into studying the Scriptures so you can get the answers, direction, instruction, and revelation that you go seeking for in God's Word. When I go to God’s Word daily, I supernaturally go deeper into my relationship with God as well.  I am applying CHG #9 by making the decision to actively seek God and accept the entire Bible as His Truth, not just parts of it.  This also reflects the teaching that went with CHG #2 that tells me to “Love The Lord.” So, I pick my Bible up, I open it,  I read it, I meditate on it, I study it, I research it, and then I journal/write about it.

In my researching and studying the word “sword,” I discovered that the sword is not limited to just the weapon of a warrior.  Go to The Life Recovery Bible and look up Ezekiel 21:5.  You will see that this verse is within the chapter segment that is titled, “The Lord’s Sword of Judgment.”  Just by examining this title we see that the sword is about judgment and it is the Lord who possesses it.  Continue to read on and you discover that God is the spokesperson, and He is giving a cautionary message to Ezekiel for the Israelites.  This chapter segment is about the clutter that comes out of doing things our way and not heeding the words of warning that God gives all of us over, and over, and over, and over…..  Just remember those precious people in your life who hear you giving them those same kinds of warnings over and over and over.  God is doing the same thing with all of us no matter how old or young we are.  The warnings are for our good and not for our destruction, but if we continue to go it our way, rather than His way, then we face the consequences of our choices.

This coming week, your SW is about picking up your Bible. Open it, read it, meditate on it, study it, research it, and then journal/write about it as it relates to the word “sword” in Ezekiel 21:1-17.  We will then talk more about it next week.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part Four

Act by Responding Verses Reacting
So, what one word did you identify as ensnaring you into becoming reactive?   For me, the word was pride, and it had to do with knowing some uncomfortable information that I knew the person I was listening to did not have.  Initially I reacted to what I heard, by saying, “Our lives are more intertwined to that situation you are describing than you know.”  Now that may not sound reactive to you, but the second it came out of my mouth, I had to humbly admit to myself that it was a “knee jerk,” prideful, reaction to information that only I was privy to.  If I could have deleted what I had said, I would have responded by simply continuing to listen with attentive ears and eyes, while remaining silent.  The confidentiality, that someone else had in me, could have been compromised and at risk as a result of my “know it all” pride, and that had the potential to create a lot of relational clutter.  Fortunately, a phone call distracted our conversation, and I was very thankful for the hand of God that put my mouth at a standstill and prevented any further conversation on that subject matter.  Hopefully, you can see from what I have just shared with you that our reacting can be hidden or subtle, and that is why we can often be deceived by our own character, unless we are willing to take personal responsibility for honestly looking at ourselves from the inside out. 

With addictions so rampant, I want to briefly address the clutter that builds up in individual lives, families, friendships, and the workplace as a result of them.

What is an Addiction?
Addiction = Reacting
Addiction = "Quick Fix"
Addiction = Excess
Addiction = Destructive Habits

Addictions are “stinkin thinkin.”  They are rooted in lie based thinking, which all of us have been addicted to at one time or another. Consequently, we all need God to heal us from our “stinkin thinkin” by renewing our thinking, and replacing the lies we believe in with the Truth of God’s Word and His Son, Jesus.

Addictions enslave us and they are representative of anything outside of God being our “Quick Fix.”  Think of how often we all react to wanting a “quick fix” that takes over, consumes, and can even destroys us.  It can be what we crave with respect to what we:

♥ Eat - sugars, fats, carbohydrates, junk food, artificial foods and preservatives
♥ Drink - sodas, caffeine, juices, diet drinks, alcohol
♥ Smoke  - cigarettes, cigars, marijuana, crack
♥ Medicate with – prescriptive and non prescriptive drugs, and over the counter remedies
♥ Look at or hear – TV, internet, movies, shows, magazines, books, music, radio 

We can often be deceived by thinking or believing that our craving will calm us, comfort us, or makes us feel better.  It may for a while, but eventually the desire becomes so great that we think we cannot live without it; that thinking directly affects our behavior, and it causes us to become increasingly more reactive and cluttered up by the craving.  Addictions make us BUSY: Being Under Satan’s Yoke!  We are wanting too much, moving too fast, and working too hard and long!

When I talk about ADD or addictions, I always refer to them as being symbolic of a squirrel.  Study a squirrel’s behavior, and you will see just how squirrelly they are as they scurry back and forth in scattered motion.  Realistically, they do have the ability to move slower and with purposefulness, which is reflective in their balanced tight rope skills on electrical lines, but that is not their preference.  Watching squirrels can give you insight into what it can look like and feel like to be living a life with ADD or addictions.  I know firsthand how it has looked and felt to be scattered, impulsive, confused, in constant motion, going somewhere, but really going nowhere. I know all too well the frustration, anger, distraction, and perfectionism.  I could go on and on with the symptoms.  But here is the hope - it is possible to overcome the clutter of ADD, addictions, stress, cancer, or whatever the disease or disorder is labeled as.  How does that happen?   It takes place when I make the decision to be attentive and respond to God’s call: I focus my attention on The God who heals.  God’s Son Jesus, is always standing in the gap for me and for you.  Look to Him for guidance, listen to Him for direction, and open yourself up to being rescued by Him, and then follow His lead, because He is coming for you!

This week, your SW is to consider which one of the following enslavement issues has had a hold on you: the addictive personality, alcoholism, caffeine/sodas, depression, drug abuse, eating issues, pornography, smoking, sugar/substitutes, or other_______.  Of the 11 CHG’s that have been presented to you, which one is the one that will most help you to being set free from this hold?

For more than 2 years, I have been sharing my teaching with you in regards to “The 12 Clutter Healing Guidelines.”   In my next posting, we will be closing in on the 12th and final CHG.  Do you have an idea as to what that CHG might be?  Here is a clue; I have constantly been using it as I have shared these past couple years with you.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part Three

Act by Responding Verses Reacting
I hope you gained a deeper insight about who you are, as you considered how you thought and felt about The Lord coming into your life, the factors that have caused you to feel grief, the root cause of why you have reacted rather than responded to life, and the change you wanted to make in an attempt to respond verses react to life.  

I can only reinforce what I have shared with you in the past as being my experience.  In my grief stricken desperation of loneliness due to my divorce, I initially reacted with yelling, clenched fists, and excessive drinking and smoking.  There was blaming, fighting, and a list that could go on and on, but here was the bottom line: I had come to the end of myself, and I wanted to be rescued.  I could no longer do life on my own.  So in the midst of my reacting to the pain and chaos, I also began the long journey of learning how to respond to my grief by making the one biggest change and decision that I have ever made, I turned to God.  Gradually, I came to accept His Son, Jesus, as my Lord (husband and guide) and Savior (He saves me from all kinds of disasters).   Over time, I can honestly say that my life became less complicated, less confusing, and less disorganized.  My path and direction became more clear and simplistic.  I learned that I was never forsaken or alone, and that I would always be loved and nurtured by God Himself, His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit.  God is the only One who can ultimately guide me, save me, and heal me in this life and the one to come.  And though I have always had a tendency to react to life, I am learning to respond to it.  With God’s help and direction, through His Holy Spirit and  His Holy Word, I am a work in process. 

CHG # 11, Act by Responding Verses Reacting, represents the spiritual force that drove me to develop The Clutter Class Curriculum.  It has been a very personal and heartfelt driving force in response to ADD, Addictions, and the hidden and secretive issues related to my divorce.  My passion and desire was to find healing and freedom from these very enslaving issues.  “The Twelve Clutter Healing Guidelines” came out of that desire to be healed and freed.  These guidelines are Holy Spirit inspired, and they are void of drugs being the first line of defense, as well as being the answers and approach to anything that builds up or piles up in our lives.

ADD, addictions, stress, whatever the dis-ease, it’s all clutter!  CHG #11 is about taking responsibility for what happens in my life.

The clutter of ADD:

1.      From a medical perspective, ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder, and since the 1970’s there has been much controversy regarding this disorder.

 

      What is a Deficit? 

 

Deficit = Lacking  

Deficit = Incomplete  

Deficit = Absence

Deficit = Shortage

2.      From a spiritual perspective, ADD stands for Accountability Deceivement Disorder. And when the Holy Spirit put these words on my heart, I was truly humbled.  It was a turning point for me and a whole new way of looking at me and others.  It meant that my focus was to be on me first, rather than on someone else.  I needed to pay attention, look, and listen to my own thoughts, feelings, and behavior, just like Micah 1:1-3 was teaching me to do, before addressing issues with another.  To this day, I am challenged to be responsible and honest about me.

Humility is the character, reflection, and Spirit of God, and it is that one word that began to change me and continues to change me.  Humility is the one word impetus for the clutter healing curriculum.  We are healed and freed when we are open to being humbled. Humility is God.

What is a Deceivement?

Deceivement = Ensnare

Deceivement = Snare

Deceivement = Misled

Deceivement = Lies

 Remember how our clutter is directly related to what we think, and therefore, what we believe?

This week our SW is to think on the following scenario:

Consider the different reflexes that our body automatically makes.  They are the involuntary ones that we have no control over.  An example is the “knee jerk” reflex which is an automatic involuntary reaction to the tap of a hammer to our knee.  When we act by reacting, we are just like that “knee jerk” reflex.  We are reacting automatically without voluntarily thinking.  It is an example of walking in our flesh.  When we act by responding, we are consciously and voluntarily slowing down to think first and then act. It is an example of walking in the Spirit.

This week, think about that one word that stands out as being reactive in you.  Here are some examples of what is often shared: anger, rage, aggravation, yelling, silence, hurt, intimidation, fear, sarcasm, pride, criticalness, judgmental, disobedient, defensiveness, and unkindness.  Then ask God to help to you to become more attentive to being humble and more accountable to responding with humility.

Next week we will delve more into the clutter of addictions.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part Two

Act by Responding Versus Reacting
For those of you who may not know, my brother Jeffrey was in a serious motorcycle accident, and on August 24, 2013, he went to be with the Lord.  For that reason, there has been a delay in my blog teaching.  I wanted and needed the time to grieve and process the many different emotions, thoughts, experiences, lessons, and connections that his death held for me.  

I have often expressed that I do not believe in coincidences, but I firmly believe in the God-incidences of life.  So, keeping that thought in mind, I want to honor my brother’s memory and our family’s love for him with the song that has accompanied CHG #11 since 1999.  It became popular in the early 90’s.  I have listened to this song hundreds of times, and without fail, I am moved to tears for the meaning it has in my life at that time I take it in, and that has happened once again. Please get yourself comfortable, sit back, and relax. And as you do, reflect on the verses from Micah 1:1-3, that support CHG #11. Focus your mind, ears, and eyes to the following lyrics, and then click here  for the angelic sound of Mike and the Mechanics, and their song, The Living Years.  After you have pondered upon the lyrics and music, consider how the last verse in Micah speaks to you about the Lord’s coming.

Every generation, blames the one before
And all of their frustrations, come beating on your door
I know that I’m a prisoner to all my father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage to all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

No crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thoughts
Stilted conversations, I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
You say you just don’t see it, he says its perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement, in this present tense
We all talk a different language, talking in defense

Say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear (as well as you hear)
It’s too late (it’s too late)
When we die (ooh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye (we don’t see eye to eye)

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
And it’s the bitterness that lasts
So don’t yield to the fortunes
Sometimes see is fate
It may have a new perspective on a different date
And if you don’t give up and don’t give in you may just be ok

(So say it say it say it loud)
Say it loud
Say it clear (oh oo say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear (as well as you hear )
(Because it’s too late it’s too late)
It’s too late when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye (we don’t see eye to eye)

Our SW from August 21, 2013 was to read Micah 1:1-3 in its entirety. Then we were to put CHG #11 into practice by paying attention, listening, and looking at what Micah 1:1-3 was telling us in light of the Lord’s coming.  When I examined these verses, in other words, paid attention to them, listened to them, and looked at them, I was first taken in by the title, Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem.  Grief  has certainly been the word to describe what I have gone through over this past month.  And as I gravitated to this word, I also felt a special closeness and identification with the Lord in terms of His character.  Like me, God’s Word was showing me that God has a history of grieving for the people He loves and has created. The exclamatory words – “Attention!”  “Look!”  “Listen!” are messages that come straight from God.  And in the context of these verses, God is grieving over His people who are also going to grieve as a result of their refusal to respond to Him by giving Him their attention, looking to Him for how to live, and listening to His words of wisdom, since after all, He is God.

The people of Samaria and Jerusalem are no different than you or I.  We have also chosen to not trust God or obey Him at times.  Eventually, and sometimes sooner, and sometimes later, we face the consequences of our choices.  If you are a parent, you know all too well the heartache and grief that you deal with when faced with a teen or adult child that continues to choose the path of destruction or the young child that consistently and defiantly disobeys you.  That’s how God feels about each and every one of us.  Destructive and painful life styles can be avoided or changed, but for whatever the reason – for whatever the thinking might be, the focus is on self rather than God.  And the motive is to get what I want rather than what I need. 

“The Lord is coming!” (Micah 1:3) 

Oh my goodness, the vast reality of what those four words entail!  The Lord’s coming has, and always will be, about God being a patient, compassionate, and loving Judge.  God is a judge that cares so much for us that He will confront us with our destructive, cluttered- up, sinful living that can cause not only physical death but eternal death as well.  God is a Judge who offers an escape route to rescue us, if only we would choose to return to Him and live out the dream and purpose He has for us.   But, there are those of us who will react to this message with rejection, as portrayed in the song, The Living Years.  Though it is about a relationship between a father and his son, it could be representative of any relationship that reacts to not accepting or considering what is being said , and thus the clutter begins – blaming, frustrations, bondage, silence, disagreements, defensiveness, quarreling, bitterness. and anger.

CHG #11 is telling us that our clutter will lessen if we respond to life rather than react to it.   How do we do that?  I will make it simple. It is in Micah, and it is in the lyrics to The Living Years. It all boils down to just one word.  LISTEN.  Listen to God’s Word and listen to those He has sent to you on His behalf, and then finally, listen to one another.

It is my prayer that you will respond to this week’s SW rather than react to it by rejecting it. I ask the Holy Spirit help you in being able to honestly evaluate how you are thinking and feeling in regards to this week’s teaching.

In one word:
Identify what causes you to grieve.
What sets you off to react rather than respond?
What change can you make to start responding?

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part One

Act by Responding Versus Reacting
I hope that as you considered this past week’s SW, you became more aware of those areas in your life that could be indicative of how you may have a tendency to live with extreme thinking, feelings, and behaviors.  Extreme living can really put one’s body into a state of disequilibrium, and ultimately, it can play havoc with your health - mentally, materially, emotionally, situationally, spiritually, physically, or relationally.  By engaging in some self examination, I hope you were led to seek the Lord’s help because He will always show you how to make  changes that will be less destructive to you while blessing you with a healthier lifestyle.

CHG #11 says: Act by Responding verses Reacting

As a nurse and a believer in the healing relationship of Jesus Christ, CHG #11 has continuously been the driving force that has inspired me to develop a healing model that is representative of The Clutter Class Curriculum. Over the past 14 years, I have devoted much of my life to developing this healing model and curriculum.  My motivation has stemmed from a very personal and heartfelt longing to be healed and freed from the extreme living that I have experienced in my own life since childhood.  Many of the issues that I have faced have been a revolving door of anger, anxiety, multiple addictions, sexual identity, ADD, and ultimately, what is just downright sin.  The Clutter Class Curriculum is a healing model that does not negate the traditional medical and nursing models, but it is an adjunctive health model that is spiritually rooted and inspired by The God of the Bible and His Word.

Drugs are too often seen as the first line of defense, especially when it comes to the emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues that are so common in our culture today.  “The Twelve Clutter Healing Guidelines” are the alternative first choice to drug therapy.  These guidelines are the answers and approach to anything that builds up or piles up in our lives, be it called ADD, addictions, stress, sin, or dis-ease.  IT’S ALL CLUTTER!

CHG #11 is about taking responsibility.  It’s about each of us learning how to respond rather than react to the stimuli that tends to set us off.  When “The Twelve Clutter Healing Guidelines” are implemented, God’s healing and freedom will be experienced.

Let’s examine CHG #11, and see what this CHG implies as being the basic cause of clutter when this guideline is not applied. 

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not act by responding.  In other words, I need to slow myself down to think before I speak or act. (CHG #1)

♥ My clutter builds up when I react.  When I am impulsive or reactive it is because I do not slow down to think before I speak or do. (CHG #1)

Therefore, when I act by responding versus reacting, I lessen my clutter and this brings healing to me.

The Scripture to support CHG #11 is from Micah1:1-3, “Attention!...Listen!...Look!  The Lord is coming!”

What does Micah 1:1-3 imply as being the root cause of my clutter?

♥ My clutter builds up when I am inattentive.  Inattentiveness is often due to being distracted.  There is a need to establish focus, and this goes back to applying CHG #9.  Inattentiveness can also be due to trying to do more than one thing at a time.  Multitasking has no biblical backing at all and goes back to applying CHG #1.

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not listen.  Not listening was addressed in CHG #8.  Both  CHG #8 and CHG #11 are based on Scriptures that emphasize our need to listen with an exclamation mark! God’s Word reinforces just how much our not listening creates our clutter.

♥ My clutter builds up when I am not looking.  Not looking implies that I am not looking at what I need to be looking at.  It can be the need to have direct eye contact with another or to honestly evaluate what I am being blind to seeing.

♥ My clutter builds up when I ignore the Lord’s warnings.  Unfortunately, we can deceive ourselves into believing that we are the gods of our lives instead of God.

Therefore, when I am attentive, listen, and look, while also applying these actions to the Lord’s coming, my clutter will be lessened and this will bring healing to me.

This week, your SW is to go to Micah 1:1-3 and read these 2 verses in their entirety.  Begin to put CHG #11 into practice by paying attention, listening and looking at what Micah 1:1-3 is telling you in light of the Lord’s coming.