MOVING FORWARD - pastor mike landry

Nobody likes to be rejected. Consider this example of a lady in our church who received an employment rejection letter from a Public Utilities Company that she never applied to. The Company apparently got her name from the list of references of another person who did apply. I want you to especially notice the last sentence.

Dear Ms W,

We thank you for the interest you have expressed in the General Manager position we advertised. We have received applications from potential candidates who appear to more nearly meet our requirements. We are looking for a strong financial manager from a regulated industry. Finance and accounting experience and education are essential.

If we do not find a suitable candidate to actually employ, we may get back in touch with you, but that seems unlikely at this point.

Cordially, A.N., President

Can you believe it! A rejection letter from a company you never applied to AND being told that you will be considered for the job only if a suitable candidate cannot be found. NOW THAT’S REJECTION.

How is a person to deal with rejection? It’s going to happen many times in your lifetime. You will be rejected. How will you deal with it? Unfortunately, most people let rejection skew their personal measure of their self worth. When that happens, you tend to make “pleasing everybody else” your mantra for life. Talk about pressure. You then set yourself up for major misery.

Let me make another suggestion. Whatever you do, don’t base you self-worth on the opinions of others. It will eventually destroy you. Let you self-worth be based exclusively on your worth in the sight of the One who created you. The Bible very clearly states that you are a person of worth and uniquely designed by God to be productive. In fact, once you enter into a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, it frees you up to live up to your God-given potential. Consider a few of the facts from the Scripture:

• You are accepted by God. Rom 15:7; Eph 1:6; Ps 27:10
• You are valuable to God. Luke 12:24; Isa 43:4
• You are loved by God. Is 54:10; Ps 103:17
• You are a child of God. John 1:12
• You are a friend of God. John 15:15
• You are an heir to what belongs to God. Eph 1:17-18
• You are the light of the world. Matt 5:14
• You are more than a conqueror in Him. Rom 8:37; 2Cor 2:14
• You have the Holy Spirit of God living in you. Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 6:19
• You are God’s handiwork. Eph 2:10
• You have the mind of Christ. 1Cor 2:16
• You are a partaker of the Divine nature. 2Pet 1:4
• You have been chosen of God to represent Him. John 15:16; 2 Cor 5:20
• You are an expression of the life of Christ. Col 3:4

You are SOMEBODY. This doesn’t change just because you experience rejection.

The next time you experience rejection, remind yourself who you are in Christ. Then respond to your rejection by refusing to assume the role of a rejecter yourself and embrace God’s agenda for your life….which includes serving others in spite of their rejection. Try it and see how God begins to heal the wound caused by rejection.

If interested in more, listen to the message I delivered to the Sarasota Baptist Church on May 24, 2009 entitled “Getting Off the Road Called Rejection”.

Labels: jobs, rejection, self-worth

Anger is such a complicated emotion. Some anger can be a good thing. Anger over an injustice may be just what is required to prompt you to right a wrong. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) is a great example of this. But notice, anger is simply an internal signal (an emotion) that begs for action. It still doesn’t guarantee that our response will be honorable or productive.

In fact, our anger over an injustice may actually result in a behavior that is also wrong. Take for example the person who is outraged over the permissive stance of our government when it comes to abortion rights. Bombing an abortion clinic or shooting a medical professional who provides abortion services is not the right response, but certainly one provoked by anger over an injustice.

Anger over an injustice like the abuse of child or the death of a spouse who has been killed by a drunk driver is to be expected and certainly justifiable. But what are we to do when we get mad about those kinds of things? How can we keep from being burned from a response to anger. As someone who has been angry before and responded both appropriately and inappropriately, I’d like to offer a few tips that have helped me to move forward and break free from the acid called anger. I shared a lot more in my morning message on May 18, 2009 at church. You can listen online for free at www.sarasotabaptist.com

HOW TO KEEP FROM BEING BURNED BY YOUR ANGER.

1. Thank God that you can feel anger.

Anger is one emotion of many that comes with our being created in the image of God. Unfortunately, you can’t always trust your emotions because they have been distorted by our sinful nature. But that’s no reason to ignore your feelings. Love, compassion, sacrifice, loyalty are all intricately tied to your emotions. Give yourself permission to feel and thank God for that gift.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Genesis 1:26 (HCSB)

2. Think of anger as a secondary emotion.

The reason you are angry is because something else is going on. Your fear may have prompted your anger. Your pride may have prompted your anger. Your greed may have prompted your anger. Your pain may have prompted your anger. Let your anger be a signal that prompts you to ask another question, “What’s really wrong here? Why am I angry?” Then take steps to deal with the root problem.

“A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man who schemes is hated.” Proverbs 14:17 (HCSB)

3. Limit your exposure to angry people.

Angry people are contagious people. Spending time with them will result in your adopting some of their attitudes and embracing some of their actions.

“Don’t make friends with an angry man, and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” Proverbs 22:24-25 (HCSB)

4. Remind yourself that you are not God and cannot know everything.

To prevent an inappropriate knee-jerk reaction you must take a step back and try to see the bigger picture. Some hills are not worth fighting over. Sometimes a delay will give perspective.

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

5. Refuse to get even.

Revenge always leaves you feeling empty and dirty. It may feel good immediately but produces long term regrets. You want to always take the high road. A clear conscience is like gold. Don’t give it up for a moment of pleasure. Plus, you can count on God to deal appropriately and judge effectively every injustice.

“Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.”Romans 12:19 (HCSB)

Fear is such a crippler. Psychologists tell us that our immediate and natural response to fear is usually to “flee from it” or “fight it.” We either run for our lives or resist it. Either way, these responses don’t deal with that which triggers our fears. We simply postpone the remedy until the next time…or the next…or the next time.

Fear has a way of seductively robbing us of confidence, love, purpose, and the ability to trust God. We can’t afford to allow fear to rob us of the life we were created by God to live. Time is too short!

I suggest we look at the emotion of fear as an alarm that is telling us we are in the middle of a test. This test is intended to stretch us, mature us, and strengthen us. In fact, when we are afraid, it’s time to get excited. We are about to take a giant step forward…if we pass the test.

The New Testament puts it this way,

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith reduces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 HCSB)

Unfortunately, because these kinds of tests require endurance, change, and risk, we often allow our fears to short-circuit any progress with a knee-jerk response to run or fight. We’ve got to add some time between the feeling of fear and the knee-jerk response.

So, what are we to do? That’s where faith comes in. Faith is not another feeling to replace our fears with. Faith is a commitment to know the truth and act on it. The truth will disarm most of our fears and empower us to successfully live out and pass the test. The secret to dealing with our fears boils down to making time to identify the truth and then move in that direction. This is a strong argument for spending time daily meditating on and reading the Scriptures. A regular diet of Scripture saturates your mind with truth that can be tapped into when fears appear.

As long as we realize that fear is a feeling and not a master that must be obeyed, we can move forward. Knowing the truth will set you free!

One more thing, there is a fear that is healthy. It’s called the “fear of God.” Actually, the Bible says,
Why is this kind of fear healthy? Because the fear of God indicates that you know the truth about God and are acting on it. The fear of God, therefore, becomes a descriptive term of one who is exercising faith in God. So there you have it - FAITH is the remedy for FEAR.

“It is the most natural thing in the world to be scared, and the clearest evidence that God’s grace is at work in our hearts is when we do not get into panic-mode…The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.” Oswald Chambers

I learned a lot about fear in a recent study on the emotions and shared more in a message entitled, “How to Combat Your Fears with Faith” on May 10, 2009 at the church I serve. I encourage you to listen to it by listening online at http://www.sarasotabaptist.com/resources/archived-sermons.html?view=studieslist

Labels: faith, fear, fear of God, Test

I picked up a number of tips on how to deal with depression as I studied the life of Elijah in chapters 17-20 of the Old Testament book of 1Kings. I also preached about the results of my study on May 3rd in the church I pastor. I thought I’d pass on some of the highlights to you. You may know somebody who could use the encouragement.

HOW TO FALL IN THE HOLE CALLED DEPRESSION:

1. Having unrealistic expectations. (1Kings 18)
2. Living like you are invincible. (1Kings 18)
3. Obsess over criticism. (1Kings 19:1-3)
4. Isolate yourself. (1Kings 19:3)
5. Push yourself to the point of exhaustion. (1Kings 19:4)
6. Keep comparing yourself to others. (1 Kings 19:4)
7. See yourself as a martyr. (1Kings 19:10, 14)
8. Neglect your physical condition. (1Kings 19:5-8)
9. Make poor choices.

HOW TO CLIMB OUT OF THE HOLE CALLED DEPRESSION

1. Take care of your body (eat right, sleep enough, get a physical) (1Kings 19:5-8)
2. Talk to God about your frustrations. (1Kings 19:9-10)
3. Pay attention to what God has to say. (1Kings 19:11-12)
4. Allow your encounter with God to change you. (1Kings 19:13)
5. Begin filtering your thoughts with the truth. (1Kings 19:14, 18)
6. Live proactively with purpose. (1Kings 19:15-16)
7. Cultivate relationships with godly companions. (1Kings 19:21)

HOW TO TALK TO GOD ABOUT YOUR DEPRESSION

“Dear God, You have said that my body belongs to You and that I need to take good care of it. Please help me to balance my schedule so that I get enough rest and eat right. Also, place medical professionals in my life who will help me to thoroughly care for the body that You have so intricately made.

I commit myself to being brutally honest with You. I know that You won’t condemn me for having awful thoughts or feelings. I also commit myself to listening to what ever You have to say and I plan to adjust my thinking and actions to fit in with what You say is true.

I also commit myself to living a proactive, rather than reactive life that includes learning from others who also want to please You. I will now look to you to adjust the way I feel to match my love, commitment, and trust in You.”

Labels: depressed, Elijah