Learning how to respond in the right way in every situation is part of growing in Christlikeness and will determine the level of victory I experience in my life, where I see God's promises working effectively in me.
Ps106.33 provides a lesson in responses. Here we see Moses provoked by very trying circumstances and responding in a wrong way which brought severe consequences. Our responses will be in word, thought or action. The nature of the response will be according to how we let the situation affect our spirit (heart, inner man). The Scriptures declare in Proverbs that 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.' Also, 'He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.'
[Num20.7-12, Prov16.32, 25.28]
One of the ways to rule our spirit is to maintain the correct perspective at all times. The moment we lose the perspective God wants us to have, we become vulnerable to attack, like a city without walls and can be affected and influenced in our thoughts and emotions in a way that can bring about wrong responses and reactions with damaging consequences to our lives.
May my perspective always be one that is spiritual not just physical, eternal and not just temporal, and with consideration of how the Lord would walk through those times and circumstances. Then through a total dependancy upon God, when the sponge of my life is squeezed by the pressures around me what will pour forth in reaction is God's grace and the fruit that the Holy Spirit is developing in my life.
[1John2.6]
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