TUESDAY 7TH AUGUST 2018 MORNING PRAYER DEVOTION
SCRIPTURE READING:- JEREMIAH 20:7-18
TOPIC:- NEVER RUN AWAY FROM YOUR REALITY
TEXT:- JEREMIAH 20:7
Most often, we find excuses to avoid the realities we know are present within ourselves. The fear of facing our own fears leads to a self defeating behavior. Rather than looking within, we focus on the outside world and the externalities that we rather blame for things going wrong. But when it comes to looking into ourselves, we want to run, and continue running without looking back.
Avoidance of searching within for the answers to challenges and errors in our life can be a great stress, leading to compounded problems that become more difficult to overcome. Learning how to stop running away from yourself can make all the difference between a life either that speed along without you, or a more contented life that has you in greater control.
The most easily remembered example is Hagar. This was the maid brought from Egypt who was given an opportunity to become Abraham’s mistress and mother of his first son. Her behavior changed against her senior mistress, Sarah, then she ran away when the later dealt severly with her, until she was sent back to face the reality. See Genesis 16.
Jacob also did the same by running away after cheating his brother, Esau. He too saw the reason why he needed to face the reality by uniting back with his brother. See Genesis 27 and 32.
Four suggested ways to face your reality instead of running away from it:
1. Take time off to think things through: when everything has started to go wrong in twos and threes and you feel incapable of dealing with it all. It’s a life signal of the need to stop and reflect. Break away from your rushed routine, which is often used as a coping mechanism to avoid dwelling on any issue that are too painful, ugly or difficult to confront. These issues will still be there no matter how tired, busy or seemingly indispensable you make yourself. At the level of your subconscious, these issues will soon crop up to be met with again and again, interfering with your regular level of functioning until you finally face them. If you’re over-committed, it’s likely you’re also under-performing in a number of ways, and that hurts both you and those depending on you.
2. As crazy as this might sound, write yourself an apology note: this will reinforce the respect you need to have for yourself to be able to face the internal challenges. It will also help you to acknowledge that you are human and can only manage so much before your inner needs deserve attention. The self apology is a great way to let yourself know that you are entitled to make mistakes, and as equally entitled to learn from them. Seek to be the best that you’re capable of being and acknowledge that means, knowing yourself a lot better.
3. Acknowledge the problem or patterns of problematic behaviors: be honest with yourself. Think things through and look at your own life from the perspective of a third person. While it may seem a little odd at first, the more you aim to watch your life from the viewpoint of someone neutral, the more you’ll piece together patterns. Learn to laugh a little at the self that keeps trying in spite of the odds stacked against repeating negative patterns.
4. Be brave: looking into the weaker side of our person takes great strength. Because you have to face things about yourself that you either dislike or don’t truly understand well. However, to explore your own weaknesses sets you up to develop good character. This isn’t about berating yourself for the weaknesses you discover. It is about acknowledging their existence and then seeking ways to either learn to live with them or to build up more of your strengths to ensure that the weaknesses do not lead you. Most importantly, smile at your mistakes and learn to laugh at yourself, for the silly things you do. A lighter look at yourself will allow you to act and behave less rigidly with others, on account of their own mistakes, as well as freeing you from being hounded by perfectionism.
Please beloved, never you run away from your reality, face it squarely. Because light will come at the end of the tunnel, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Prayer Points:-
1. Oh Lord my God! Help me to face any situation that comes my way henceforth, in the name of Jesus Christ.
2. I receive strength to face any situation that comes my way successfully, in the name of Jesus Christ.
3. Since quitters never win, I’m a winner henceforth, in the name of Jesus Christ.
