Ruled Spirit

“[He that is] slow to anger [is] better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Pr 16:32 AV)

Anger isn’t the only emotion that can get out of control.  Any emotion to which we are prone can get away from us.  In our proverb, it is anger.  Anger is an effective motivator to accomplish a task.  The problem with unabated anger is the damage is leaves in its wake.  Anger is monocular.  It hones in on one and only one goal.  What it cannot see are all the peripheral effects of being so singularly focused.  Having shared all that, that which we want to consider is the ruling of the spirit.  What is that?  How is it accomplished?  What does it look like?  Are feelings permitted, and to what degree?

To rule here means to have dominion over.  It means to cause to rule.  The spirit is that which gives animation.  It is our outward manifestation of who and what we are on the inside wherein it pertains to personality and emotional expression.  It is that part of us that expressed life of the soul and body.  To rule the spirit is to control how we express or manifest what we think, feel, or desire on the inside.  Now pay attention here.  The degree of what we are on the inside will force itself to the surface.  In other words, Solomon is not saying we can feel as deeply as we wish on the inside as long as it does not show on the outside.  That is not good.  Those feelings on the inside will work themselves out in one form or another.  This is why people who bottle up their emotions suffer physical consequences later on.  The problem isn’t self-control.  The problem is Self.  Thinking, feeling, and desiring are all expressions of who we are.  People become dependent on outlets for their emotions, thinking, or desires that are less harmful, but it doesn’t address the root problem.  The root problem is permitting the thinking, feeling, or desires to begin with.  Self is not disciplined.  It is simply refocused.

So, what is the answer?  God!  Not just the person of God, but the promises from God.  Peter writes, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2Pe 1:3 AV) Either we believe this or we don’t.  Our belief doesn’t change this.  All that we need is given of the Father.  What we must think is found in His word.  Anything above the authority of the word of God only leads to harm.  God has given us all the answers to our out-of-control emotional expression.  The comfort and contentment we seek are found in His word.  All the desires God permits are found in the scriptures.  Prayer, faith, and an intimate walk with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit will meet all our needs and help discipline the spirit.  Ruling the spirit is one of the most important things we can learn.  Just because we can feel, think, or want doesn’t mean it is good for us.  Just because we feel, think, or want doesn’t mean we are helplessly victimized by them.  No!  Ruling the spirit is the key.

Divine Intervention is a Matter of Perception

“And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2Ki 6:16-17 AV)

Syria had come against Israel, and because the blessed Seer warned her king, the nation could evade a war she could not win.  The king of Syria believed a spy was among them, but it came to his attention that the man of God was the voice in the ear of the king of Israel.  It was discovered where Elisha was abiding.  The king of Syria sent forces to completely surround the city.  His intent was to destroy it with Elisha also being among the dead.  At the time, Elisha was training a young prophet.  That young prophet was understandable gravely concerned for their situation.  Elisha took his young student out of the gate of the city and prayed that God would open his eyes to the reality of the battle that lay ahead.  Now note that the young men’s eyes were opened, and as they were, the angelic forces arrived.  Rather, the forces of God were already present and staged for the battle.  Experience and faith gave Elisha the spiritual eye to see the reality of the situation.  It took prayer for the younger man to see it.  What this shows us is that divine intervention is not a logistical problem.  It is a perception problem.  God is there.  God is here.  God is everywhere to work on behalf of those who love and trust Him.  We simply need to see it.

A common theme in stories of the thriller sort is a cat burglar who must evade several layers of security to catch the prize.  Or, the adventurer and treasure seeker must solve a labyrinth of traps designed to protect the valuable artifact.  One such scenario is the laser beam security feature.  Many beams shoot across the room and picked up by sensors on the opposite side.  They come from all directions and at all sorts of angles.  The character must stretch and bend to avoid breaking a beam.  If even one beam is broken, then he or she is trapped and apprehended.  The problem is, the beams cannot be seen.  That is where a can of fogger comes in.  A light mist or fog is blown over the room, and all the beams can be seen.  It is not until an agent is added that assists the character in seeing what he or she cannot naturally see.

Our outside agent is experience, the word of God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot see what God is doing without the eyes of faith.  For the young man to see, all it took was the prayer of a man with great faith.  Elisha had seen God to great things.  Things beyond belief.  He has seen God bring a young man dead for hours, if not days, back to life.  If God can reanimate a corpse, surely he could rescue them from an invading army.  Our faith may determine what God will do.  There is enough biblical evidence to make that point.  There were times when the lack of faith hindered what God was prepared to do.  But that is the key, isn’t it?  God is not less of a God because we do not believe.  God is not any less present because we have limited perception.  Those angelic chariots were on the hill surrounding the enemy, regardless of the young prophet’s perception to see them.  God is always there.  He is willing to act on behalf of those who trust in Him!

A Choice To Think On God Sweetly

“My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.” (Ps 104:34 AV)

God will be one of two things to us.  Either He will be a executing judge or a loving Father.  Either He will find us guilty and condemn us to a devil’s hell to be tormented day and night forever and ever.  Or, He will be a Father who loves and pities us.  Either He will sit upon His throne and execute final judgment.  Or, He will be involved with us, bringing us unto Christlikeness.  But He cannot be both at the same time.  Our view of God may be tainted, but that doesn’t change who He is to us.  We may think that God disapproves of us to the point that He is willing to disown us.  But He cannot.  We may think He has forgotten us like those who perish, but He has not.  We may feel as though God is far from us, but if we are His children, we are only a prayer away.  The writer is thinking upon who and what God is to him.   He makes a choice.  He chooses to think fondly and gratefully upon the person and nature of God.  It is a choice he makes.  He chooses to think on the truth rather than on his perception.

Life is not easy.  No one had a perfect father.  Some had better than others.  But no one had a perfect one.  Some had no father present.  Some had a father who was always there.  Some had a father who was never loving and affirming.  Others had fathers who were their greatest fans.  Some had fathers who abused them.  Others had fathers who would go to the ends of the world to protect and provide for them.  Some had fathers who didn’t care how their children ended up.  Some had fathers who invested the time and wisdom to mentor their children into responsible and healthy adults.  Some had fathers who never wanted anything to do with God.  Others had fathers who loved the LORD with their whole hearts.  No two families are alike.  No two fathers are alike.  Earthly fathers vary.  They are of different quality and quantity.  They change over time.  Some for the better.  Some for the worse.  Our earthly fathers may disappoint us.  They may even leave a few scars behind.  It is no wonder that some carry baggage throughout their lives from the ruin left in the wake of a hateful or absent father.  To remember them with sweetness of memory is impossible.  But our God is not that person!

Our God is always the same.  Depending on who and what we are will determine our relationship with Him and our perception of Him.  But He can never change.  We may not understand why He does certain things or why He has allowed other things.  But that does not change who and what He is.  Maybe we don’t understand why our prayers were answered contrary to our wishes or why our hopes and dreams didn’t turn out.  But that doesn’t change who and what God is.  Maybe we wonder how close or distant He seems.  But that doesn’t change who and what God is.  Maybe our lives are not where we thought they would be, or that somehow, the LORD did not figure it the same way we did.  But that doesn’t change who and what God is.  God may not always be what we want Him to be.  God may allow things that hurt rather than heal. But that doesn’t change who and what God is.  How we choose to think upon Him is a matter of faith.  Either we remember God for what He says He is and see manifestations of what He says He is, or we choose to trust our own perception and reasoning.  Either way, that doesn’t change who and what God is.  The Psalmist chooses to sweetly think of God.  He chooses to be grateful rather than anything else.  He makes a promise to his own heart that as he lay down to sleep, he will recollect all the good that has come from God and all the bad from which He delivered him.  How we choose to think on God goes a long way in how we experience life.

Divine Consideration

“Like as a father pitieth [his] children, [so] the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we [are] dust.” (Ps 103:13-14 AV)

Every parent has done this.  We have forgotten how fragile our children can be.  Whether we were rough-housing and an injury ensued, or we said an unkind thing that our child took very personally, we forget just how human we are.  God does not.  And the reality that He is who He is yet does not forget the nature of our existence is a miracle in and of itself.  It is verse fourteen that truly speaks to the heart this morning.  When we consider just how big God is and how inconsequential we are, it should strike us with awe that our Creator knows and remembers just how small and frail we are.  Just imagine a God who is so large that all the created universe cannot contain Him.  That is what Solomon tells us.  Not imagine how small we must be in comparison.  Much like a scientist who would look at a single-celled organism, we are infinitesimally small in comparison to the LORD.  Yet, He takes pity on us.

A humbling thought is how much our Creator regards us and treats us with respect.  He does not need to do this.  He is God.  All honor and respect go to Him.  As Creator, He can do as He wishes with what He creates.  When it comes to sentient beings like mankind, he regards our low estate.  He sees us exactly as we are and treats us with love and respect.  That is mind-blowing.  A delicate touch is necessary for certain tasks.  The artist who works with Japanese rice paper needs to be delicate.  A craftsman working with centuries-old ceramic as repairs are made works slowly and patiently.  The zookeeper who is tasked with managing a rare and delicate butterfly will do all he or she can to create an environment where the creature can thrive.  A baker making a souffle will watch it carefully.  He or she does not allow for any vibration lest the souffle fall.  A house of cards goes up patiently and slowly.  There is respect for that which is weaker and more fragile.

We can take great comfort in that the God of all things sees us as the delicate and fragile beings that we are.  He knows exactly what we are made of and what we can tolerate.  The promise of pity, however, only applies to those who love Him and obey Him.  He withholds more than we can handle because we fall upon our faces toward One who is infinitely greater.  When we show the respect due our Creator, then He remembers our frame and takes pity.  What a great God we serve and love!

Sin and the Sin of Unbelief

“And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou [art] a man of God, [and] that the word of the LORD in thy mouth [is] truth.” (1Ki 17:24 AV)

Many speculate that unbelief was the sin of the widow that she believed caused the near-death experience of her son.  That might be close.  While during a time of divinely sent drought and famine, the LORD sent Elijah to a widow woman.  This widow had only enough meal and oil left in her house to feed her and her son.  She was gathering sticks to make this food when Elijah commanded her to fix him a cake from what she had first.  He promised that while she did, her meal and oil would miraculously perpetually sustain.  She obeyed, and the LORD provided.  The Bible is silent on how long Elijah was with the widow before her son fell ill.  The scriptures use the term ‘many days’.  Suffice it to say, the miracle of perpetual supply could not be discarded.  Yet it is said she had a heart of unbelief.  This is supported by her profession of faith above.  There was something she was missing even though she lived in the present reality of a miracle.  I can understand this.

There are those saints who believe that when it comes to God’s grace, there are limits based on past sin.  I have ministered to many who refuse to believe God’s grace is infinite.  They hang on to some sin of the past that limits their belief in God’s mercy.  They believe God is gracious enough to save them.  They may even believe God is merciful enough to do some things.  Yet they hang on to their guilt as would rather assume God’s grace is limited rather than hope in an eternally gracious God.  More times that one would think, I have sat in my office with someone who was so despondent that they didn’t think God would answer.  The were in a perpetual state of self-destruction that refused to call out for mercy because they truly thought there was none left.  All one has to do is to read the book of Judges to understand just how merciful God is.  We have all been there.  We have messed up to a point that we think God will never forgive.  We begin to think we have worn out the red carpet of mercy and grace.  We think that God did some miracles in the past, but the mistakes of the present are simply too much for God’s grace to overcome.

When we look at the widow, we see someone who was hanging onto guilt over sin.  She did not believe Elijah could raise her son.  Or, better yet, she believed he could, but probably wouldn’t.  Why else would she call for him?  If she truly believed God’s grace had run out and all she could hope for His a never-ending supply, then why call the prophet of God?  Obviously, she did what she knew was the only thing to do.  She called for the man of God, knowing that he could resurrect her son.  As to whether God would do it or not, that was a completely different story.  We are not advocating that we act in presumption toward the grace of God.  Not one little bit.  If we are presumptuous, then there is no grace to be had.  On the other hand, if we are truly desperate and acknowledge our faults, God will manifest His grace and mercy toward His children.  He can do no other.

Hungers Change

“Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Mt 5:6 AV)

What a promise!  For those who know the LORD and hate sin, this is for what we pray.  We are tired of the old man having his time with us.  We are tired of losing battles.  The flesh is beyond a mere annoyance.  The heart is our worst enemy.  The devil and the world pale in comparison to the wickedness that dwells within.  The Holy Spirit attempts to convict and empower.  But more times that we care to admit, our choice falls on the wrong side.  Paul knew of this battle intimately.  Even toward the end of his life and ministry, he sorrowed after his failures.  His flesh gave him more problems that he cared to recount.  He called this battle the body of death.  It was a daily and constant struggle between righteousness and selfishness.  So, the saint lays his head down each and every night begging God to radically change him into the perfectly righteous child He deserves.  He dreams of heaven wherein righteousness dwells.  He speaks of his glorification wherein the LORD will permanently transform him into the image of His holy Son.  All the battles seem easier to bear when seen through the promise of eternity!

But there must be a hunger for it.  A hunger is not a natural craving.  That is what sin is.  Rather, the hunger for righteousness must be developed.  Remember those days of childhood when we wanted nothing but the sweet?  Cookies, ice cream, candy, etc.  We lived on it.  If it wasn’t sweet, we were not interested.  As we grew older, we developed a taste for healthier alternatives.  An excellent salad sounds a lot better than a sugar-infused main dish.  A good batch of roasted cauliflower sounds much better than brown sugar and green beans.  The savory is more appealing than the sweet.  I was not a fan of seafood.  Frozen fish sticks and tuna were as far as I went.  Any other fish reminded me of my father’s obsession with canned salmon.  But a funny thing happened.  I grew up!  I had stuffed orange roughy, shrimp with cocktail sauce, and some fried clams.  No pun intended, but I was hooked.  Soon I was trying lobster, crawdads, and clams.  I developed a taste for them.  I grew a hunger for them.

Righteousness is contrary to our nature.  If we are to have any hunger for it at all, it has to be developed.  The more we reject sin and strive after righteousness, the more we should hunger for it.  Circumstances from sin are a good way to have a distaste for it.  The key is to grow a hunger for righteousness by continually striving after it.  There is a promise of righteousness for those who hunger for it.  So never stop wanting to do right!

What Works May Not Work

“And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name [was] Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up [his] hand against the king. And this [was] the cause that he lifted up [his] hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, [and] repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam [was] a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.” (1Ki 11:26-28 AV)

Solomon made two major errors.  At the inception of his kingdom, he allied himself in business and marriage with the pagan nations around him.  This came back to bite him hard.  To please his wives, he worshipped their gods and built temples for their gods.  He also built high places of worship which drew Israel out of the temple.  We see his other major blunder above.  His pragmatism nullified his discernment.  He saw an industrious young man who made good on everything he touched.  He governed the ten northern tribes for Solomon and increased the kingdom many times over.  Yet Solomon could not see the pride of his heart.  He could not see that this young, ambitious man would use his drive and success to eventually topple the kingdom.  Solomon’s pragmatism was his strength.  But it was also his weakness.  If it worked, then it must be right.  He married strange wives because it avoided warfare and enriched both Israel and their neighbors.  He employed Jeroboam because he knew what he was doing and his ambition would benefit the crown.  Both calculations were off.  Integrity and character matter more the results.

Ambition can blind the mind’s eye to bigger issues.  How often is this tale told?  So many through the annuls of history have proven over and again that pride in accomplishment often tarnishes the end result.  There was Napolean who invaded Russia but lacked the wisdom to understand how difficult Russian winters were.  Hilter followed suit.  Not content to continue westward, he turned eastward and failed in the same way as his French predecessor did.  This tendency is not limited to military pursuits.  How many famous people have sullied their accomplishments because they could not control other impulses?  Time and again, successful people lose all accolades because of a lapse of judgment.  But what happened to Solomon was more than a mere lapse of judgment.  It was deliberate.  He deliberately chose a more pragmatic rather than principled way.  He chose what worked rather than what was right.  Would he have arrived at the same end?  We will never know.  But what we do know is that Jeroboam split the kingdom and made Baal the god of the north.

I’ll have to admit, sometimes it is easier to plug a hole than to wait in the right situation.  In the ministry, we are tempted to do so all the time.  It is not advisable.  It is better to suffer a need than to fill a need with the wrong person.  Solomon was a very wise person.  Reading the book of Proverbs proves this to be true.  But the thing about that book that people do not consider is that the truths are generally true.  They are not true all the time.  They are patterns that tend to repeat themselves and not absolute laws that are always followed.  They are observations.  They are not absolute.  Proverbs are pragmatic advice that works out far more than it doesn’t work out.  But it is no guarantee.  That being said, one can see how a pragmatic king can make unwise choices.  He compares the odds and makes the wisest choice based on the predicted outcome.  This is superficial reasoning.  What it does not consider are the intangibles.  The things that cannot be seen, like the hidden pride of a subordinate.  Does that mean that pragmatism has no place?  Not so.  It has a major place.  Just not the only place.