Between faith and the
battles of the mind
Odilon Massolar Chaves
===============================
Copyright © 2025, Odilon Massolar Chaves
It is allowed to read, copy and share for free
Article 184 of the Penal Code and Law 96710 of February 19, 1998.
Books published in the Wesleyan Digital Library: 630
Books published by the author: 701
Translator: Google
All glory to God!
Odilon Massolar Chaves is a retired Methodist pastor, with a doctorate in
Theology and History from the Methodist University of São Paulo.
He is married to RoseMary. He has two daughters: Liliana and Luciana.
His thesis dealt with the Methodist revival in England in the eighteenth
century and its contribution as a paradigm for our days.
He was editor of the official Methodist newspaper and coordinator of the
Theology Course.
Copyright Statement: These files are in the public domain and are derived
from an electronic edition that is available on the Ethereal Library of
Christian Classics website.
Rio de Janeiro – Brazil
===============================
·
Introduction
·
Gideon and the battles of the mind
·
Jonah, between foolishness and
mission
·
Tearing down the walls in Zacchaeus' life in Jericho
·
Elijah, between the power of God and depression
·
The influence of temperament on Ana's decisions
·
Healing the wounds and restoring peace, love and joy
Introduction
Between
faith and the battles of the mind" is a 37-page book that deals with the
struggle of biblical characters to overcome their internal difficulties,
Some men and women in the Bible didn't just have spiritual battles. The
worst enemy was not on the outside, but in the mind, on the inside.
Wesley said well that we have two enemies, the internal and the
external. The inner is the flesh and the outer is the devil.
Someone has said that our biggest battlefield is in the mind.
In fact, "at all times we fight constant battles between the
rational and emotional mind. Our paths are traced precisely according to our
choices, which, in turn, are made according to the thoughts of the rational
mind (part of the brain that has the ability to critically analyze facts and
the emotional mind, in which feeling and humanization predominate)".[1]
"Between Faith and the Battles of the Mind" is a book that
reveals the internal struggle that many men and women of God faced in the past,
as reported in the Bible.
These are situations that many sincere Christians face even today.
Studying about their lives and how they faced difficult situations, this
book intends to bring light to the internal struggles that so many go through
so that we can overcome and live a better life.
May the Holy Spirit enlighten your life as you read this book.
The Author
Gideon and the battles of the mind
Basic Text: Judges 6:11-14
Often, we attribute to the devil the
difficulties we face and even our defeats. But it is not always the devil who
is to blame.
It is also possible that there are within us
what we call today "self-saboteurs" who can be the main cause of our difficulties
to win the fights and conquer our dreams.
What is self-sabotage?
Sabotage is the deliberate damage to roads, means of transport,
industrial installations, military, etc., for the interruption of services. Its
origin comes from France, where the word "sabot" means clog and in
the past, workers worked wearing clogs.
In protests against the boss, they threw clogs over the machines to
damage them, hence the term became known with its current meaning.
Your Biggest Enemy Could Be Yourself: Self-Sabotage
Self-sabotage occurs when we create obstacles and obstacles to the
accomplishment of our tasks, objectives, goals, and even our dreams. This
generates great delays in our lives in the most diverse areas.
How to Beat Self-Sabotage
1. Identify the saboteurs inside you
- The critic - criticizes himself and others;
- Perfectionist - never good;
- Anxious - always wants new things;
- Avoidant - throws everything for later, makes excuses not to do it;
- Victim - thinks they act against him, wants everyone to feel sorry for
him;
- Low self-esteem - "I won't make it".[2]
2. Face the saboteurs. Decide to beat them
"Unless you confront and
weaken your own internal enemies, which we call saboteurs, they will do
anything to plunder any improvement you can achieve."[3]
3. Saboteurs lie. Try to listen only to God's purposes in the Bible
for your life
Angel said to Gideon, "The Lord is with
thee, a mighty man of valor" (Judges 6:12).
Wesley
commented, "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto
him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
Be
with thee - That is, help thee against thine enemies.
A man
of valor - To whom I gave strength and courage for this purpose."[4]
But the self-saboteur does not recognize himself as a mighty man: "If the Lord is with us, why has all this befallen us?" (Judges 6:13).
4. Recognize your potential: you were made in God's image
The angel knowing this insisted, "Go in your strength and deliver Israel out of the hand of the
Midianites" (Judges 6:14).
Wesley comments, "I have not sent thee—I hereby give thee the command and commission for this work. God
prepares men for his work, it is a sure evidence that he has called them to it.[5]
5. The self-saboteur insists on putting difficulties and doubts
"Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least
in my father's house" (Judges 6:15).
John
Wesley commented, "It is poor - That is, weak and
contemptible.
The
minimum - either because of his age, or because of his aptitude for such a big
job".[6]
6. Believe you can. Let God use you
"The angel insisted on defeating the saboteur: "Since I am with you, you will smite the Midianites as if they were
one man" (Judges 6:16).
Wesley says, "As a man—as
easily, as if they were all but a man."[7]
7. Desire to change your thoughts
The angel's insistence begins to weaken the saboteur and bring results: "If I have now found favor in your sight, give me a sign that it is
you, Lord, who do for me" (Judges 6:17).
8. Recognize that God can speak to you and that you have value
When this happens, the saboteur is weak or already defeated.
"Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord" (Judges 6:22).
9. Don't let the saboteur come back
"And Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord, and said, Woe is
me, Lord God! For I saw the angel of the Lord face to face" (Judges 6:22).
10. Understand that only the Lord can fully defeat the saboteur. Ask the
Holy Spirit to clothe you.
"But the Lord said to him, 'Peace be with you! Do not be afraid!
You shall not die" (Judges 6:23).
Wesley said, "Peace be with thee - Thou shalt receive no harm for this sight; but only peace, that
is, all the blessings necessary for your own happiness and for the present
work."[8]
"Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon" (Judges 6:34).
Wesley explained, "The spirit came—inspiring him with extraordinary wisdom, courage, and zeal to vindicate
the honor of God and the liberty of his country. The Hebrew is, The Spirit
of the Lord clothed Gideon; he put it on like a robe to honor him; He
dressed it as a coat of mail to put a defense over it. Those who are well
dressed are so dressed."[9]
And Gideon "did as the Lord had told him" (Judges 6:27).
Gideon was a great winner against the Midianites. With 300 soldiers, he
defeated thousands of Midianites.
The "ratio was 450 Midianite soldiers for every Israeli
soldier."[10]
And when the Israelites wanted to make him a king, he did not consent,
but did something worse. He asked the Israelites for "gold from the
Amalekites. There were 135 thousand gold bracelets and with that gold he made a
shrine for worship. In Judges 8, verse 27, it says: 'Of this weight Gideon made
a priestly epho, and he set it in his city at Ophrah, and all Israel committed
fornication after it; which became a snare to Gideon and his house."[11]
We can overcome external enemies, but we cannot belittle the internal
enemy, the flesh, which needs to be crucified.
By the grace of God, by sanctification and walking in the Spirit we will
crucify the flesh and be more than conquerors.
Gideon's story is a wake-up call for all Christian leaders.
Jonah, between foolishness and mission
Common Sense is the quality of a sensible person (reasonable, prudent or sensible).[12]
Is it possible for God to call someone to serve the Kingdom who lacks common sense?
Let's look at the case of the prophet Jonah. If we look closely, God tried to deal with the prophet who had some absurd ideas:
·
To think that I could
flee from the presence of God" (Jn 1:3);
·
Asking sailors to
throw it overboard (Jon 1:12);
·
To have disgust
because the Lord repented of destroying Nineveh (Jon 4:1-2);
·
Ask the Lord to take
your life (Jn 4:3);
· To have compassion on a plant and not to have compassion on the inhabitants of Nineveh (Jn 4:6-11), etc.
From these above-mentioned data, we see that Jonah was not with normal reasoning according to the biblical pattern.
The Lord always tried to bring him to reason: "Is this anger of yours reasonable?" (Jn 4:4).
On another occasion, the Lord said to him again: "Is this anger of yours reasonable because of the plant?" (Jon 4:9).
Jonah was not well, for he answered the Lord, "My anger to the death is reasonable" (Jon 4:9).
"To consider someone a reasonable person was equivalent to saying: 'he is a good person, sensible, serious, measured, understanding and thoughtful, who avoids extremism'.[13]
The Lord's argument was logical: "You have compassion on the plant that has not cost you labor, which you have not made grow; who was born in one night, and perished in one night; and shall I not have compassion on the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people...?" (Jon 4:10-11). We see here that calm dialogue is necessary.
The Lord wants to bring us back to our senses. When the subconscious or the unconscious dominates, then it becomes difficult to return to reason. The psychologist C. G. Jung said: "If the unconscious dominates consciousness, a psychotic state will develop."[14]
Psychologist Mônica Genn Cruz talks about the measures we should take in relation to a psychotic patient:
· Pray for God's mercy;
·
Treat him with
respect and affection;
·
Try to get him to
take his medications at home. Medication is essential. It alone can, at first,
get him out of his delirium;
·
If he does not
accept, hospitalization is the last, but the necessary way out;
·
Pray with him that he
will calm down and have peace;
·
Occupy your idle time
with useful tasks in which you feel good about helping;
· In sports, the healing process will be even faster.
The psychologist says: "Those who are able to do activities, along with medication, get out of the outbreak faster."
We should never pressure a delusional patient with our truths. He will always start from the reasoning that is correct and that we are his enemies. The patient's reactions can be radical and absurd.
In a psychotic state, the person starts to live in an unreal world, of fantasies, without conditions to respond in a rational way. This can happen to anyone, especially those who already have a "delusional disposition" within them. That is, she inherited from her ancestors and through the problems of life psychological ailments that created a fertile ground for the development of emotional illnesses.
Because the Lord took great care of the prophet Jonah, we should do the same for people when we realize that they have emotional problems. They need affection and love. The "touch" is fundamental.
The book of Jonah does not give us a final answer. Everything indicates that Jonas did not change his thinking.
But God calls and teaches in His Word how we should behave. He sends the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and says that those who lack wisdom can ask God to give them all.
And yet the Lord did not stop loving him. Jonah was not used in a full way, as he was not fully healed.
Tearing down the
walls in Zacchaeus' life in Jericho
Luke 19:1-10
Joshua and God's people tore down the walls of Jericho by faith and obedience to the Lord: "For six days the warriors went around the city. On the seventh day they made seven turns. During the seventh lap at the sound of the trumpets, all the people raised a great outcry and the walls of Jericho fell and the city was conquered.
Many years later, Zacchaeus was in the same Jericho and had to break down seven barriers, but largely within himself to win his blessing.
Zacchaeus was a man, he carried the accusation of being a traitor and a thief by the people, because as head of tax collector he worked for the Romans, who exploited the people of Israel.
All of this brought low self-esteem, guilt, and a feeling of rejection.
Zacchaeus needed peace and salvation.
Zacchaeus needed Jesus.
But his feelings of
rejection and feeling of sinner were walls for him to come to Jesus and ask for
the forgiveness of sins, the healing of his soul and peace for his heart.
Jesus was going to pass through Jericho and Zacchaeus saw this as a great opportunity, but there were some walls that prevented Zacchaeus from accessing Jesus. They needed to be knocked down once again.
To tear down the walls of Jericho, God's people led by Joshua walked seven times around until the walls fell.
Hundreds of years later, also in Jericho, Zacchaeus had to take action so that the walls of his life also fell.
His actions broke down seven walls:
First wall: Zacchaeus overcame the wall of shame by climbing a tree.
Zacchaeus took a courageous and humble attitude by climbing a tree.
"He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being small in stature, he could not do so because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a wild fig tree to see him, for Jesus was going to pass by." Luke 19.3.4.
Without attitudes we will not win.
Second wall: Zacchaeus overcame the wall of fear by the loving gaze of Jesus.
"When Jesus came
to that place, he looked up" Luke 19:5.
The great love in Jesus awakened him to look at Zacchaeus.
There is an ancient
song that says: "Your wonderful look has transformed my being, my whole
life".
Third wall: Zacchaeus overcame the wall of rejection because Jesus spoke to him directly, strongly, and sweetly.
When Jesus saw this, he said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly. I want to stay at your house today." Luke 19.5.
Jesus is not indifferent to our attitudes.
Fourth wall: Zacchaeus overcame the wall of insecurity of getting closer to Jesus.
It was his long-awaited chance. Jesus called him by name. "Then he quickly came down...". Luke 19.6.
He quickly shows the urgency of his need and his great joy.
Fifth wall: Zacchaeus overcame the wall of his sin that made him close his heart. He opened his house to Jesus.
The Bible says that Zacchaeus and "received him with joy." Luke 19.6. That is, with an open heart, despite the people murmuring, "All the people saw this and began to murmur, 'He has stayed in the house of a 'sinner.'"Luke 19.7.
This could be an obstacle for him to open his home to Jesus with so many people looking at and making accusations.
Zacchaeus went over
all this because he had a great opportunity to rebuild his life and have peace.
Sixth wall: Zacchaeus conquered the wall of the built by greed for money.
Zacchaeus was recognized by the people as a sinner. He said: "if I extorted anyone".
He was healed and decided to give back and donate: "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord! I am giving half of my possessions to the poor; and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I will return four times as much." Luke 19.8
Zacchaeus applied the so-called "principle of restitution," a principle widely addressed throughout Scripture (Exodus 22:4-9; Lev 6:5; Ezekiel 33:14,15; etc). He who has stolen or defrauded another is under obligation to return what he has taken as part of the fruits of repentance.[15]
"If anyone steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for the sheep" (Exodus 22:1).
As a result of all
this:
Seventh wall: Zacchaeus received Jesus' word of salvation by his attitudes, repentance, and opening his heart to Jesus.
The last wall was torn down that prevented him from having access to heaven:
Jesus said to him, "Today there has been salvation in this house! For this man also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:9-10.
Elijah, between the power
of God and depression
Base text: 1 Kings 19:1-8
Pastors
live between the immense possibilities of God's power and our human
limitations.
Sometimes
we are on a Mount of Transfiguration seeing the power of God. Other times, we
are taken into a wilderness to be tempted.
From the
story of the prophet Elijah we learn about the virtues and limitations of the
human being.
The virtues
His faithfulness, courage, and boldness: "Then
Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the Lord
God of Israel lives, before whose face I stand, there shall be neither dew nor
rain in these years, except according to my word'" (1 Kings 17:1).
Their dependence and obedience to God: "Depart from hence, and go eastward, and
hide thyself by the brook Cherith, which is before the Jordan. And it shall
come to pass that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the
ravens to feed you there" (1 Kings 17:3-4).
His self-denial: "Arise, and go to Zarephath, which is of Sidon, and dwell there; behold, I commanded a widowed woman there to provide for you. Then he arose, and went to Zarephath" (1 Kings 17:9-10).
His powerful faith: "For
thus says the Lord God of Israel: The flour in the pot will not run out, and
the oil in the cruse will not fail until the day when the Lord gives rain on
the earth" (1 Kings 17:14).
The limitations
1. Ministering alone brings
emotional and physical exhaustion: "Then
Elijah said, 'I alone have become the Lord's prophet' (1 Kings 18:22).
There is a
very common syndrome these days that has affected many professionals and
pastors. It is the burnout syndrome.
It occurs as a "consequence of the excessive accumulation of stress in
workers who have a very competitive profession or with a lot of
responsibility".[16]
Symptoms
of this syndrome: Feeling tired and without energy almost
always; having frequent headaches; changes in appetite; difficulty falling
asleep; having constant feelings of failure and insecurity; feeling defeated
and hopeless; wanting to isolate oneself from others, etc.[17]
2. Elijah, in the crisis,
decided to isolate himself and wanted to die
Jezebel
threatened Elijah with death, and he fled instead of seeking support from God:
"When he saw it, he arose, and went away to escape with his life, and when
he came to Beersheba, which is from Judah, he left his servant there. But he
went into the wilderness for a day's journey, and sat down under a juniper; and
he asked for death" (1 Kings 19:3-4).
Alone we will have only
negative thoughts directing our life.
We learn from the story of Elijah
1. We must seek out those
who are the Lord's who are in crisis
"And
he lay down, and slept under the juniper; and, behold, an angel touched him,
and said unto him, Arise, eat. And he looked, and, behold, at his bedside was a
loaf of bread baked on the coals, and a cruse of water; and he ate and drank
and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again and touched him, and
said, 'Arise and eat, for the way for you will be very long'" (1 Kings 19:5-7).
Wesley
said, "And it went—He wandered hither and thither for forty
days,' until at last he came to Horeb, which on the direct road had not more
than three or four days' journey. Thither the spirit of the Lord led him,
probably beyond his own intention, that he might have fellowship with God, in
the same place that Moses had."[18]
A word of encouragement, a
spoon of water, a hug, a prayer begins the healing process.
2. In a generation, we are
not the only ones who are sanctified.
Elijah
said, "I alone remained" (1 Kings 19:14). But the Lord said to him,
"And I have let seven thousand remain in Israel: every knee that did not
bow to Baal, and every mouth that did not kiss him" (1 Kings 19:18).
Wesley said, "I
went out - Or, I
reserved it for myself; I have avoided the common contagion: therefore you
are mistaken in thinking that you have been left alone.
Seven thousand - Or, definitely as
many: nay, indefinitely, by many thousands; the number of seven being
frequently used for a large number."[19]
We need to be together as
the Body of Christ. Alone we get sick.
3. The time comes when it's
time to stop or reduce our tasks
"And
the Lord said unto him, Go, go thy way back to the wilderness of Damascus; and
when he arrives there, he anoints Hazael king over Syria. And Jehu the son of
Nimshi you shall anoint king of Israel; and Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel
Meholah you shall anoint a prophet in your place" (1 Kings 19:15-16).
We are not
supermen or wonder women. The Bible says there is a time for everything. We
need to take care of our health. Jesus often left the crowd aside and went to a
place alone. We need to live in simplicity, enjoying nature and the beautiful
life that God has given us.
4. The Lord brings Elijah
out of the eye of the storm and honors him
As Elijah
was, God knew he couldn't be in the eye of the storm facing Jezebel and all her
demons. Eye of the hurricane means being at the center of a problem, of a very
bad situation, being the main victim of a disorder.
Elijah had
already fulfilled his ministry by dismantling all the evil in Israel. In the
end, the Lord honored him and lifted him up: "And it came to pass, as they
went about and talked, behold, a chariot of fire, with horses of fire,
separated them one from another; and Elijah ascended into heaven in a
whirlwind" (2 Kings 2:11).
We live
between the possibilities of God's power and human frailty.
The influence of
temperament on Ana's decisions
Can a temper interfere with a blessing?
Of course it is!
David almost lost his blessing because being a
sanguine, who has emotion on the surface, he was involved in a sexual
situation.
Those who are sanguine easily win people's friendship
because they are affable, communicative, full of grace. This contributed to
David's becoming involved with a married woman, Bathsheba, though.
The prophet Nathan confronted him and accused him of
sins against God, against Uriah (Bathsheba's husband), and against Bathsheba.
David confessed his sin, and God spared his life (2 Sam 12:1-14).
It is possible to have one's tempers transformed by
the Holy Spirit.
The sanguine St. Augustine managed to overcome his
tendencies to sensuality and inconstancy, overcoming the temptations against
the theological chastity of works.[20]
Augustine sought consolation in external pleasures.
Sanguine has its senses very active. Augustine only found peace when he knew
God.
In his prayer "late I have loved you", he
says:
"Late I loved you, O beauty so old and so new!
Too late I loved you! Behold, you dwelt within me, and I was looking for you on
the outside! I, shapeless, threw myself upon the beautiful forms of your
creatures. You were with me, but I was not with you. Your creatures kept me far
from you, which would not exist if they did not exist in you. You called
me, and your cry broke my deafness. You have shone and bright, and your light
has driven away my blindness. You sprinkled your fragrance, and breathing
it in, I sighed for you. I have tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst for
you. You have touched me, and now I am burning with the desire for your
peace."[21]
The Hesed Institute published a video with the title:
"The Sanguine Temperament and Emotions on the Surface", which
addresses temperaments and holiness.
Can we have our temperaments transformed?
Can we go from a desert to a fertile land?
Ana's story teaches that it is.
This text shows how it all began: "And it came to
pass after a while, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son, and called his name
Samuel, because, she said, I have asked the Lord" (1 Sam 1:20).
Hannah's story (means grace) is the story of many of
us. She got married and then saw that she was barren. She was frustrated with
that. At that time it was essential for women to have children. She lived
almost exclusively for that.
We also have dreams, but because of the struggles it
seems that they will never come true.
It is true that struggles can be faced in different
ways because of temperaments:
·
The choleric is
strong and decisive in struggles;
·
The phlegmatic is
more indecisive and fearful;
·
The sanguine faces
the fights with determination and emotion;
·
The melancholic is
more fragile, suffering, defeatist.
Sometimes life is like a desert and we get paralyzed
when we reach our limit. Sometimes we think that God does not love
us, because we do not have what we dream of.
God desires the
happiness of all. We have to have this perspective and discover the roots that
hinder us and what we need to do to be happy. Then it is enough to have the
faith of boldness and perseverance.
Temperaments and attitudes
Temperaments can lead
us to take different attitudes towards problems.
Sarah, for example,
was choleric and sterile. A choleric person is active, resilient, strong, and
often acts like a general.
This temperament is
based on will.
She wanted to have a son and simply said to Abraham,
"Behold, the Lord has kept me from giving birth; therefore take my
maidservant; perhaps I will have children by her. And Abram heard the voice of
Sarai" (Gen. 12:1-5).
Abraham, then, as phlegmatic, who has a tendency to be
submissive, meek, affectionate. etc. followed Sarah's advice and had a son with
Hagar named Ishmael.
Later, when she had a problem with Hagar, Sarah also
simply said to Abram, "And Sarah saw that the son of Hagar the Egyptian,
whom she had given to Abraham, was mocking. And he said to Abraham, "Throw
away this maidservant and her son; for the son of this maidservant shall not
inherit with Isaac my son" (Gen. 20:1-6).
And Abraham, once again, despite being upset by the
situation, followed Sarah's determination.
There was no dialogue. There was a decision.
Hannah had the same problem as Sarah, barrenness.
But Ana was melancholic, a temperament with a tendency
to depression, crying, sadness, affliction, etc.
Ana, then, in the face of Peninnah's provocation,
cried, had anxiety, affliction, did not eat, etc.
Hannah's husband loved and cared for her: "But
Hannah gave a double portion, because he loved her, even though the Lord had
left her barren" (1 Sam. 1:5).
Hannah felt rejected by God because she had no
children and still felt bad because her rival always hurt her: "Peninnah
had two sons; But Hannah did not have them" (1 Sam. 1:2). "And her
rival exceedingly irritated her" (1 Sam. 1:6).
She felt rejected by God and lived hurt, so she
couldn't be happy, even though her husband was a good man and showed love for
her.
Ana suffered and accumulated evils within herself:
"And so he did from year to year; and every time Hannah went up to the
house of the Lord, the other irritated her; therefore he wept and did not
eat" (1 Sam 1:7).
See what Ana felt because of her failed dream:
·
She wept and did not
eat (1 Sam. 1:7).
·
He had bitterness of
soul (1 Sam 1:10).
·
She was troubled in
spirit (1 Sam. 1:15).
·
He lived in anxiety
and affliction (1 Sam 1:16).
These attitudes are typical of a person with a
melancholic temperament.
Elijah, who was a wonderful prophet used with great
faith and power, also desired death.
Jezebel
threatened Elijah with death, and he fled instead of seeking support from God:
"When he saw it, he arose, and went away to escape with his life, and when
he came to Beersheba, which is from Judah, he left his servant there. But he
went into the wilderness for a day's journey, and sat down under a juniper; and
he asked for death" (1 Kings 19:3-4).
But God restored him. The
angel took him to the mountain where God spoke to Elijah.
Ana's decision and blessing
It was only when
Hannah made the decision to no longer cry, but to make a pact with the Lord
that she was able to begin a healing process to fulfill her dreams.
But his temperament
also has positive aspects, selflessness, surrender, renunciation, etc. She then
offered and gave up her son to serve the Lord for life:
"And she, with
bitterness of soul, prayed unto the Lord, and wept abundantly. And he made a
vow, saying, "Lord of hosts!" If you kindly look upon the affliction
of your maidservant, and remember me, and do not forget your maidservant, but
give your maidservant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his
life, and no razor shall pass on his head" (1 Samuel 1:10-11).
Hannah began to
worship the Lord, which is something that the melancholic needs to do instead
of crying: "They rose up early in the morning, and worshipped before the
Lord, and returned, and came to his house in Ramah, and Elkanah met
Hannah" (1 Sam 1:19).
God then blessed
Hannah by giving her three more daughters and two daughters: "And the Lord
visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters; and
young Samuel grew up before the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:21).
Healing the wounds
and restoring peace, love and joy
Isaiah 40:31 cites the eagle as an example of renewal.
The eagle lives an average of 50 to 65 years. Around the age of 40, she is already worn out and makes the decision to change, according to a legend. First, she pecks at the rocks to pull out the beak. After the beak grows, it pulls out its old nails that renewed pull out the old feathers. After about five months, she is reborn and leaves for the renewal flight and lives another 30 years.
We also need to remove the garbage that has entered our interior in these years so that there is renewal of our life.
The struggle of each day, the storms and adversities have brought stress, heaviness, fears, anger, unbelief and hopelessness to many, including leaders.
We are like the Lord's prophets and disciples.
- The prophet Elijah went through depression in the face of Jezebel's threats;
- Peter was afraid of the force of the wind;
- Thomas had incredulity in the face of Jesus' death on the cross;
- John and James were angry and wanted to take revenge on the Samaritans who did not let Jesus pass through the village;
- Mary wept at the loss of her brother Lazarus;
- The disciples on the road to Emmaus revealed their disappointments with the death of Jesus.
You are no different
from the disciples and prophets. We are human.
But to all the Lord who heal and restore love, peace and joy to all.
Jesus promised to heal, restore, strengthen, renew us.
He said, "My peace I give unto you...";
He also said: "I will not leave you orphans, I will return to you...";
The prophet Elijah, who was depressed, was taken by the angel to the mountain.
The Father's purpose is to care for his sons and daughters.
And if you don't feel like a son or daughter, do like the Canaanite Woman who sought the Lord and said she would take even the crumbs from the Lord's table. This faith brought healing to his daughter.
The Lord wants to heal the wounds, restore joy, peace, and His love to your life.
Are you willing to climb Mt.
Are you ready to open your heart for Jesus to come in and restore your life?
He said he would come in and sup with us...
Receive the Word that will be declared now. There is power in the Word of the Lord. Just believe and receive:
- The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall not want. Lead me gently to the still waters. Refresh my soul...
- Rest in the Lord and wait on Him. Commit your way to the Lord and He will do the rest.
- Do not trouble the heart. Believe in God, believe also in me...
- My peace I give unto you. I don't give it as the world gives it. My peace I give to you.
- I waited confidently for the Lord. He leaned over to me and heard my voice.
- Those who wait on
the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar with wings like eagles...
"Have peace in me." In the world you will experience afflictions; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
- Your heart shall rejoice, and your joy shall not be taken away.
- I have called you friends...
- I leave you my peace, my peace I give to you...
Paul, who was experiencing deep disappointment and sorrow, said, "Therefore we do not faint; but even if our outward man is corrupted, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction for a moment produces for us a very excellent eternal weight of glory; We do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, and the things that are not seen are forever" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
Practical attitudes:
We must not let our
anger pass into the next day. We have to forgive those who have offended us.
Every day we need to
confess our sins.
We need to ask daily for the renewal of the Holy Spirit.
It casts all our
anxiety on God. He has taken care of us.
[1] https://palestrafinanceira.com.br/treinamento_coaching
[2] To go deeper:
http://www.felizcomvoce.com.br/os-10-maiores-inimigos-sabotadores-internos
[4]
https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=wes&b=7&c=6
[5]Ditto
[6] Ditto
[7] Ditto
[8] Ditto
[9] Ditto
[10]
https://codigodabiblia.com/2012/11/juizes-71-8-gideao-e-os-300
[11] www.searadecristo.com.br/portal/o-pecado-de-gideao-2
[12] 7. https://brainly.com.br/tarefa/18995171
[13] https://animussemper.blogs.sapo.pt/serei-uma-pessoa-razoavel-701157
[14] JUNG, Carl Gustav. The Self and the
Unconscious. Petrópolis,
Editora Vozes, p.17.
[16] https://www.tuasaude.com/sindrome-de-burnout/
[17] Ditto.
[18]
https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=wes&b=11&c=19
[19]
https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=wes&b=11&c=19
[20]
https://jovensdacruz.com.br/guia-pratico-para-o-temperamento-sanguineo
[21]https://jovensdacruz.com.br/guia-pratico-para-o-temperamento-sanguineo
Comentários
Postar um comentário