Peace And Acting Out Are Not Compatible – Reminder

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:15-16 (NIV)

For 12 years, our Lord has blessed me with great friendships with many brothers in Christ. We had met weekly online via Zoom before most people knew what Zoom was. Those were discipleship meetings. People came and left, but some stayed and became disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord’s presence was tangible in those meetings. He promised to be there when two or more gathered in His name, and He was there because of the miracles we have witnessed.

There was no sugarcoating to make anyone feel better about their sins. But there was indeed no judgment because we were all sinners. We followed the self-disciplines we shared in Daily Cross. Those disciplines were not invented to look good for an article’s sake. The house built on sand will not stand when trials come. Learning to love and expecting nothing in return was always the mission for those meetings.        

Men confess to each other, pray for each other, and share each other’s burdens. There were many tears and joy. It was a safe place to be. Some confessions were private. We used “We” with a capital letter because we were in life together. There were many miracles and healings. Men with hearts changed, broken relationships were restored with reconciliation and forgiveness, injuries were healed, and mostly, guys became humble and gentle by trusting and obeying our Lord Jesus Christ.   

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

We have all seen many Christian ministries and fellowships changed to follow the world’s standard that is all about mental health. They talk about the brain, the frontal lobe and other parts of the brain. They talk about something they do not understand. They teach self-help to focus on the flesh to avoid “HALT” (Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired) so you don’t fall into temptation and act out. Do they know that these are all human emotions and reactions created by God? Without them, we are no different than robots. When we talk about recovering from an injury, we often refer back to a healthy condition before the injury. Where do we go back to if our hearts were not right before? Back to the same deceitful heart?

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” Matthew 15:7-9 (NIV)

Many recovery programs were designed to change behaviour, and the result cannot be permanent. Behaviour change does not equal heart change. Creation needs the Creator, and pottery needs the Potter. The only person who can change our hearts is our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter how tired or hungry you are or if you feel lonely or angry; He will give you the peace you need.

Peace and acting out are not compatible.

Becomelects Ministry