Rebellion vs. submission. Everyone makes a choice when responding to authority in their life. There’s really no middle ground. Either you’ll choose to submit to God and the authority established in your life, or you’ll rebel. No middle ground means that you can’t choose to submit in one authority area and rebel against another.
So, what does rebellion look like? Let’s begin with the definition. Watch the Facebook Live here.
Don’t stay bound up in judgment. Loose yourself and others with these steps. Remember, say them out loud.
We are the problem. In Thinking Christian, I suggest, “When we have not offered a faithful digital presence, it is, in part, because we did not have a good idea of what it meant to offer a faithful ‘analog’ presence.”
We have always had a problem with greed. We seem to want the wrong things for the wrong reasons, thereby losing any reasonable grip on what it means to choose God over greed.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that exaggerated spectacles like Vegas and the gossip-column-framed-as-investigative-journalism have something in common: they wouldn’t exist without us.
Our desires begin to form us spiritually through economic systems in which we are, to one degree or another, willing participants. Greed often results in the accumulation of wealth. The fact that greed often results in wealth, however, should not blind us to other objects of greed.
Greed, we might say, is about the incessant pursuit of something deemed so valuable that obtaining it pushes out gratitude and contentment. We no longer “seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness” but set it aside to chase what has become the object of our misdirected desires.
Our desire to be fulfilled by something other than God, overreach God-given boundaries in pursuit of our own aims, and set agendas for God that relegate him to second (or third, fourth, fifth, etc.) position reflect the sort of self-centeredness that allows greed to flourish.
While Paul may rejoice at the spread of the gospel even when it is motivated by selfish ambition (Philippians 1:15-18), he isn’t endorsing selfish ambition.
Greed is rooted in our unwillingness to take direction from our Creator so that as we identify the objects of our desire, we give ourselves over to reflect those objects rather than God’s glory.
Arguably, even our most legitimate desires, when left unchecked and redirected by God, can limit our ability to love God and neighbor.
If we (individually or collectively) allow our desire for virtues, such as truth, justice, accountability, holiness, unity, or love, to overshadow God, we offer a false picture of Him to the world.
In our portrayal of God, He begins to look more like us. We suggest that God conforms to our desires and serves our purposes.
When decisions about what to say and when to say it are conditioned less by slow, deep, Spirit-led discernment than on what will drive page views, greed rules the system.
When we consume such messages and, through our likes, shares, views, and downloads, request more of the same, greed becomes a natural logic.
They supply because we consume, and we consume because they supply. There is no particular end toward that which we are aiming for because “accumulating more” means we never have enough.
But what are we greedy for? It seems we are greedy for the security that comes from stories that confirm our beliefs, reduce or eliminate ambiguity, and remind us that there are people out there who are far worse than we are.
We are greedy for information that reinforces our experience, allows us to go about our day-to-day activities, and confirms our preferred understanding of God. Media, even some Christian media, can form us into the image of something other than Christ.
Christians seem willing to accept such an assertion when it comes to pornography, violence, or other such vulgarities, yet we don’t often consider the idea that other forms of media are capable of distorting reality and cultivating misdirected desires.
If we become greedy for such media, we may find that we have engaged in a sort of idolatry in which the god presented in the media becomes “real” while the real God is increasingly lost in the noise.
To put it differently, greed does not have to involve an increase in material goods. It can also involve the accumulation of information that allow us to live comfortably.
As theologian Jürgen Moltmann notes, while wanting to be like God is only one side of sin, “The other side of such pride is hopelessness, resignation, inertia, and melancholy…Temptation then consists not so much in the titanic desire to be as God but in weakness, timidity, weariness, not wanting to be what God requires of us.”
Here’s a good rule of thumb to know if it’s a reason or an excuse…every reason MUST have a resulting action. A reason takes accountability. Excuses shift blame.
You can have RESULTS or EXCUSES, not both. You get to choose. Here are some tips for how to stop making excuses.
Excuses are character flaws in us. They are an expression of justification for failure to do something.
People who tend to make excuses view the “reason in their mind” as an uncontrollable event that justifies why they can’t do or complete something.
A reason EXPLAINS but stays in control and reroutes someone’s actions.
What’s the difference between a reason and an excuse? Here are some examples.
EXCUSE. “I don’t have time” to exercise is an EXCUSE.
REASON. “I have a broken leg” is a REASON for not exercising.
EXCUSE. “I can’t afford to spend money on my health” (as the person drives through Starbucks, a fast food joint, goes on a shopping spree, etc.) is an EXCUSE.
REASON. “I don’t have a job right now, so I can’t afford that” is a REASON.
EXCUSE. “It’s too expensive” is an EXCUSE.
REASON. “I have self-doubt in my ability to follow through” is a REASON.
EXCUSE. “I don’t have time to take care of _______” is an EXCUSE.
REASON. “I’m not taking care of ______ because I am overextended/not managing my time well and need to adjust my commitments/priorities” is a REASON.
Reasons become excuses when they are used to avoid responsibility or to be accountable. It’s a heart issue and a character flaw.
If you want to know if or how much you or someone else places importance or priority on something, take note of the excuses.
“If we don’t want it bad enough, we will not execute change in our lives.” Donna Alexander
Yes. We can have hurdles, challenges, and obstacles to navigate and negotiate. But MANY “reasons” for not executing are, in fact, not reasons.
A little truth bomb today. My friend posted the quote below on her social media, which sparked my little conversation with the Holy Spirit and this article about the difference between an excuse and a reason.
“If you want it bad enough, you’ll put away all of the excuses, and you’ll do whatever it takes. If you want it, you’ll learn, you’ll create, and you’ll be patient as you put the effort n. If you want it, you will find a way to make it happen.” Sylvester McNutt III
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for the riches of Your kindness, mercy, and patience, knowing that Your kindness has led me to repentance (Romans 2:4). I confess that I have not extended that same patience and kindness toward others who have offended me. Instead, I have held anger, bitterness, and resentment in my heart. During this time of self-examination, I pray that you would bring to mind all the people that I need to forgive so that I may do so now (Matthew 18:35).
(Begin writing down the names that come to mind, then continue the prayer)
Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ, as an act of my will, I choose to forgive the following people:
(Continue down your list. Take a moment to pause and ask Holy Spirit if there’s anyone else. Then finish the prayer.)
Lord, Thank you for setting me free from the bondage of my bitterness. I also pray that if I have offended others, You will bring to mind only those people I need to seek forgiveness and the extent to which I need to seek it (Matthew 5:23,24). I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
Note: I use the “I choose to forgive and release” phrase in everyday life so that I don’t leave a door cracked for the enemy to set up camp. I follow it up by thanking God for setting me free from the bondage of bitterness.
I may have to say it several times in one day, for weeks, or even months, but I do this until I no longer feel angry. If I think about the offense and it stirs a familiar emotion or response, I say it again. It really does work!
Was this article on unforgiveness and bitterness helpful? Check out my other inner healing and freedom articles.
Persecution Live 