More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
October 25 - November 15, 2018
Every man struggles with the emotion of fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of sudden disaster, fear of men — fears of all sorts elbow their way into our stream of conscious thought. Yet most of us are conditioned to deny we even have these fears.
most fears handicap men.
Fear and courage are opposites. The dictionary defines courage as the state of mind that enables one to face hardship or disaster with confidence and resolution. Fear is the agitated state of mind that cripples us from looking any further than the hardship itself.
To be afraid is to not fully trust God.
Fear and lack of trust go hand in hand; where you find one, you will find the other.
Since we have been lied to all of our lives by everyone we know, should we be surprised that when we read the Bible, we can hardly believe it is true? Even though the Bible says to “not be afraid” and trust God, we wonder, at least occasionally, if it is really true because we have been lied to all of our lives.
God will give us everything we have ever wanted, in exchange for everything we have ever wanted to get rid of.
“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7 – 8).
Men find trusting God difficult because our experience tells us there is no free lunch.
So then, many men find trusting God difficult because we have been lied to all of our lives; we don’t believe in getting a free lunch; and we have difficulty accepting God’s forgiveness. And men who don’t trust God often find themselves stuck in the Cycle of Fear.
The first step in the Cycle of Fear is reality — we see the wind.
The second step of the Cycle of Fear is our response.
The third step in the Cycle of Fear is the result.
This simple prayer is the fourth step in the Cycle of Fear — the return.
Jesus gives us the fifth and final step of the Cycle of Fear, the rescue.
Step 1 is to feel our way through the fog to the Bridge of Faith. Step 2 is to crawl across to the Cliff of Courage. Step 3 is to submit our circumstances and attitude to God and His will. Step 4 is to wait patiently for God to act.
Occasionally we become angry for a righteous cause, but 99 percent of the time we become angry because we are selfish and impatient.
Because the gospel is true, I have become more patient with each passing year,
We put on a good show at work and our social gatherings, but how you are behind the closed doors of your own private castle is how you really are.
Anger destroys the quality of our personal lives, our marriages, and our health. Angry words are like irretrievable arrows released from an archer’s bow.
His anger problem is a frequency problem.
His anger problem is an intensity problem.
His anger problem is a problem of duration.
Violation of Rights.
Disappointment with One’s Station in Life.
If we are not content with what we have, the issue is not getting more but learning to be content with our circumstances.
Blocked Goals.
When we are blocked from achieving our goals, for good cause or not, we frequently respond in anger.
Irritations.
Feeling Misunderstood.
“Other people don’t create your spirit; they only reveal it.”
Benjamin Franklin commented,
“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.”
Unrealistic Expec...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Pathological/Psychological.
No longer do I concern myself with what others might say about me. Instead, I simply recall the promise of God to each of us who is wrongly maligned: “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest”
Fully 75 to 90 percent “of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.”37
Our anger (and our fear) causes heart attacks, strokes, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, ulcers, and scores of other killer diseases.
Three bits of wisdom reside in this passage. First, control yourself and don’t sin in your anger. Second, never go to bed angry. We should get down on our knees, forgive, and ask forgiveness. Third, when we are angry, our self-control is at risk. The devil may see a crack in the door and find a foothold. Never let the sun go down and remain angry. That’s when anger becomes sin.
First, invite Jesus to guide you every step of the way and give you His power and strength. Second, isolate the reasons for your anger from the list of seven sources of anger in the beginning of the chapter. Ask God to reveal the depth of your sin in the area of anger. Third, ask Him to forgive you for your sin of anger and to change you into an unselfish, patient man.
Steps to overcoming anger issues
Fourth, the next time you feel your blood beginning to boil, ask yourself, “Am I becoming angry for a selfish reason? Am I becoming angry because I am impatient?” If you are, delay saying or doing anything. Finally, go to those whom you have hurt with your anger and ask their forgiveness. (By the way, if you’re not saying, “I’m sorry,” for something several times a day, you’re probably deluding yourself.) If you have wounded them deeply, they may not respond right away. That’s all right. As you change, they will respond to the new you. What could be more exciting than the prospect of restoring
...more
Even if we were not taught to seek independence, which most of us were, our own human nature would pull us in that direction. We want the freedom to chart our own course. We want the power to shape the events of our lives. These are the hallmarks of our desire to be independent. But in our effort to be self-reliant, we often break ranks with God and go our own independent way.
There is an abrupt difference between taking responsibility for our lives and trying to live independently from God.
We are to take responsibility for our lives — no one will go to work in our place; no one will pay our bills. The difference is this: Responsibility recognizes our part and God’s part. Our part is to trust God and faithfully fulfill our duties. God’s part is to provide for all of our needs and well-being. Ind...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
This desire to be independent, more often than not, disguises itself. To all external appearances, our mate and friends think we are on the right track, but we often practice a passive sort of self-reliance. Not open rebellion, but we don’t really seek the counsel of God and often shun His advice — we do our own thing.
The difference between the man who trusts in God and the man who trusts in himself is not in the circumstances, but in his response.
The turning point of our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is.
We all want to live the good life. And why not? What fool would seek out a life of suffering? And God does want to bless our lives with abundance. Yet the Bible also teaches that suffering is part of God’s order. We shouldn’t go looking for it, but neither should we be surprised when it finds us. Everyone is going to suffer. The only decision is whether you are going to suffer with Christ or without Him.
Martin Luther put it this way: “No man ought to lay a cross upon himself, or to adopt tribulation . . . but if a cross or tribulation come upon him, then let him suffer it patiently, and know that it is good and profitable for him.”
Seven reasons come to mind that might explain not only this father/son scene but our own reasons for suffering as well: 1. An innocent mistake 2. An error in judgment 3. An integrity problem 4. A change in environment 5. An occurrence of evil 6. Discipline from God 7. Testing by God
