Hurt and pain. They are the unwelcome passengers on our road trip of life. After all, when you follow God, you are supposed to have life and life more abundant, right? So, what happens when you find yourself in the midst of a situation you perhaps created but can’t control? A situation that hurts you deeply?
You might be able to relate to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were happily going on about their lives serving God and landed smack dab in the middle of a fiery furnace as a result. Much to everyone’s surprise, they were not burned up by the flames. In fact, they walked out of the furnace without a hair on their heads singed and didn’t even smell like smoke. Unimaginable! We may not have been thrown into an actual furnace, but we have certainly walked through the fire. Maybe people we thought were friends stabbed us in the back. Maybe our marriages or relationships have been in trouble. Maybe people we’ve trusted have talked about us badly. Maybe we’ve been disappointed when something didn’t go our way. Maybe we’ve been hurt by situations beyond our control. Maybe our lives are currently filled with pain. I wish I could say I have not smelled like smoke after walking through the fire. Instead, I’ve probably been pretty stinky. I smelled of smoke because I allowed the stink of situations, betrayal, or other people’s bad decisions to cling to me. I’ve allowed fear to overwhelm me, bitterness to overtake me, and hurt to hold me back. How about you? Imagine coming home to a house filled with smoke. How would you begin to remove the smell of smoke from your home? According to the trustworthy world of Google, there are five simple steps to follow. Surprisingly, we can adopt these same five steps to remove the smell of smoke from our lives. After looking at these, we can maybe begin to remove the smell of smoke, and presence from our lives. We may be hurt. But we do not need to be held down by our pain.
One time, I was tasked with making popcorn for my siblings during a movie night. Unfortunately, I blew past that very thin line between perfect popcorn and a burned mess. Not only was our snack ruined, but the whole basement smelled horrible. I unsuccessfully tried to fix the stench by spraying air freshener. The basement just smelled like flowery, burned popcorn. Yuck! Instead of getting rid of a bad odor, air freshener simply tries to cover it up but often magnifies it. An odor eliminator is different; it doesn’t mask the smell or add to it. An odor eliminator completely absorbs the smell and removes it. Many times, we may try to use an “air freshener” in our lives to mask the smell of smoke. We feel disappointment, hurt, fear, and anger. Instead of eliminating those negative emotions, we cover them up. We slap on a happy face, and we “fake it ‘til we make it.” We may look good on the outside, yet on the inside we are a mess. Yes, sometimes we need to walk by faith, not by sight, and move forward even when we don’t feel like it. We can’t keep that up for very long, though. Unless we let God work on our inside to get to the root of the issue, the smell of smoke will eventually overtake and consume us. Thankfully, we have the ultimate odor eliminator readily available to us. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” In order to eliminate the smell of smoke from our lives, we have to allow God to absorb those things we worry or fret about - those feelings which are keeping us overwhelmed, hurt, or angry. Giving our cares to God doesn’t mean we give them to Him then take them back at the first opportunity. We have to let go completely and trust them to our Heavenly Father. Philippians 4:6-7 shows us how: 1. Don’t worry about anything. 2. Pray about everything. 3. Tell God what you need. 4. Thank Him for all He has done. When we follow those actions, the peace of God shows up. His peace takes up residence in our hearts and minds and eliminates even the most stubborn smell of smoke from our lives.
Air purifiers remove contaminants from the air. To purify means to free from undesirable elements. When we walk through the fires of life, it is vital to refuse to allow our circumstances to contaminate our minds. It can be tempting to dwell on the negative things that have happened to us, to wallow in our hurt and disappointment. If we are not going to be held back by the hurt, we have to purify our minds, thoughts, hearts, words, and actions. That’s easy to say, but how do we actually accomplish this? First, we recognize we are not fighting a battle of flesh and blood. It is impossible to use natural weapons to fight spiritual things. We must use the tools found in the Word of God to defeat the enemy that comes against us. Is there a better time to buckle the belt of truth around your waist than when you’re in the midst of hurt? When in pain, it is helpful to take some time to sit down, examine scripture, journal what I know to be true about God, and contemplate what I know to be true about me. You might be surprised at the amount of clarity the Holy Spirit will give you when you’re searching God’s heart for that truth. Second, we have to learn to take every thought captive and examine it to see whether it is from God or not. Paul encourages us to purify our minds by “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NKJV). We have to ask ourselves: Is this a thought that lines up with God’s Word? Is this something I should allow myself to think? If I continue to think on this, will it have a positive or negative result? Philippians 4:8 gives us the standard for the only thoughts we should allow in our minds by fixing our “thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Any thought that doesn’t meet these criteria has to be removed quickly and replaced with one that does. The purification process takes effort; it involves discipline and dependence. A huge step in healing will involve the purification of our minds, thoughts, hearts, words, and actions. Purification continues to grow our confidence and provide us with peace.
The enemy will always try to use people or situations in our lives to divert our attention. If we let it, the hurt we experience can take up residence in our hearts and minds, distracting us from fulfilling our God-given purpose. In order to remove the smell of smoke from our lives, we may need more than an odor eliminator or air purifier. We may have to throw on some work gloves, pick up a scrub brush, and do some deep cleaning. 2 Corinthians 7:1 declares our need to cleanse ourselves and pursue holiness. The Message translation says, “Let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.” It’s not a question of whether or not distractions will come. They will. When they do, we have to recognize them for what they are and choose not to let them knock us off course. This spring, I walked through a particularly rough season. Truly, I was walking through the fire, and I was starting to reek like smoke. The final straw came when my car started acting funny, and it started on fire due to an oil leak while I was driving down the interstate. Apparently, some small hole had formed in a coolant line, and the head of the engine cracked, leaking oil everywhere. Insurance was not going to help, and I still had some money left on the loan. Absolutely perfect. At that moment, I realized the tactic of the enemy—to keep me focused on the wrong things. I could either take on the smell of more smoke and focus on the havoc from that little hose, or I could turn away from what I was experiencing and refocus on Jesus. I wish I could say that I immediately took my eyes off what I was experiencing and put my eyes on Jesus. 1 John 1:9 NKJV says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But I didn’t do this. I wallowed in sadness and threw myself into my job. Eventually, I felt like I could go no further with this mindset of trying to do everything on my own. I repented for not trusting God in the midst of my circumstances, and He immediately cleansed my heart. Is there an area in your life where you need to repent? If so, do it now. Let God’s forgiveness give your heart a deep clean.
I’m sure most guys are familiar with the smell of a group of dudes after a sporting event. If you aren’t, you could always join a gym and just walk into the locker room. The smell of sweat, dirt, unwashed clothes, and the one guy that doesn’t use deodorant hits your nose like a brick wall. Growing up, we were all taught to keep ourselves clean. But you might know how you smell after exerting yourself. What would happen if you didn’t clean up after that? What would happen if we only showered once a week? We’d stink, right? The same is true for us spiritually. Ephesians talks about how we can be washed and cleansed by God’s Word. By reading scripture often, we allow God’s words to penetrate our minds and permeate our hearts to keep us free from the smell of smoke. The Word of God has a lot to say about the fiery furnaces we may walk through. Overwhelmed by discouragement? “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT) Overcome with sadness? “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NLT) Feeling overwhelmed? “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) Being attacked? “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:14 (NLT) There is a scripture for everything we face. One practical way to wash yourself with the Word regularly is to find a few scriptures about the peace, joy, comfort, or love you need and write them in places you’ll see throughout the day. Throughout the day, read the cards to remind yourself of God’s goodness.
A few years ago, my family redecorated a room in the house my parents live in. There was a couch that was old and outdated, worn and ugly. So, we bought a cover to make the couch look reupholstered. Could a scrap of new fabric really revitalize that old sofa? When we finished fitting the cover, I was amazed at the transformation. It looked completely different, completely transformed. I couldn’t believe it was the same couch. Sometimes after we have experienced a difficult situation, we might look in the mirror and not recognize ourselves. We see hearts marked by pain, bitterness, grief, and hurt. That’s when we know it’s time for a little reupholstering. We can look to God to trade our stony hearts for hearts like His. God is ready and willing to make a mind-blowing trade, to reupholster our broken hearts. He will remove our stony, stubborn hearts and replace them with tender, responsive hearts. Isn’t that amazing? We might think we can’t forgive, move on, or find true peace and rest. In our own strength, we can’t do any of these things. But when we let God trade our hard hearts for tender, responsive hearts, restoration can occur in our lives. We are made in His image and His likeness, and we have His example and strength to help us overcome any situation in our lives. In order for this to occur, we have to make the exchange. He can’t reupholster our hearts unless we are willing to let go of the old and embrace the newness He offers. We have to be willing to exchange the bitterness, unforgiveness, and hurt which tries to hold us back from forgiveness, restoration, and peace. Will you make that exchange today? All it takes is saying, “Dear God, I know in my own strength, I can do nothing. So today, I ask You to take my hard heart and make it new. Make my heart tender and responsive to Your Word and Your leading.” ““Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT If we have allowed past hurts to permeate our lives and leave us smelling like smoke, we now have the necessary tools to no longer be held back by them. We can also be assured that we will never have to go through the fire alone. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked through the fiery furnace, God didn’t just protect them; He got in that furnace with them and walked beside them every step of the way. The king was astonished there weren’t just three men in the fire, but he was amazed to see four men walking around unscathed. The fourth looked “like a god!” (Daniel 3:25) When we walk through the fires of life, we can have confidence that no matter what we are experiencing, our God is walking right beside us, never leaving or forsaking us. Fiery periods in life are inevitable. The Bible tells us to not be surprised when they come our way but, instead, rejoice when we experience them because those trials make us more like Jesus. He gives us the most perfect example to follow. With all He experienced, Jesus could have retained the smell of smoke. He was rejected, betrayed, doubted, and abused, but the Word says that His life was a sweet-smelling aroma to God. The same can be true for us. What we choose to fill ourselves with is what will come out in difficulty. Are you going to smell like bitter smoke? Or a pleasant smell to everyone around you? In order for restoration to truly occur in our hearts, souls, and lives, we have to take our eyes off the hurt and instead focus on the Healer. Jesus can heal the heart that people broke. He can exchange the pain for peace, hurt for healing, and rejection for redemption. There is no heart so broken that Jesus cannot fix it. There is no life so shattered that He cannot restore it. There is no pain too great that He cannot turn into joy. You may have experienced great hurt, but from this moment forward don’t glorify the pain. Instead, magnify the Savior. Jesus gave His life to set us free from everything that could hold us back. We can walk confidently, knowing we can overcome any obstacle that heads our way if only we lean on Him. Post-Script: When I was editing this, I realized the impact of listening to Christian music while I was struggling in the spring. Nothing else got the focus off of my self-pity and back onto what God was doing quite like worshipping and meditating on the words of these songs. I’ll include a list of some of the most impactful songs I listened to.
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Real Dudes,
Soon we’ll find out who our next President of the United States will be. The country seems pretty evenly split. One party will walk away very pleased, and the other party most likely pretty disappointed. Today I’m reminded of something we can all be United in and look forward to. Try to follow these thoughts…God created a perfect world…it was considered very good to Him (Genesis 1:31). But God’s original design of a perfect world has been tainted by sin / Fallen Man. Because of sin, man has abused God’s intentions for order and design. In particular, God’s intention was to be His creations King, Lord and Ruler. Because of sin, man has in time rejected God in many ways. As a result, He’s allowed us to follow after imperfect leaders. But don’t lose hope…don’t lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). For one day He promises to restore His original order. And to once again be THE one and only King in the eyes of His creation. At that moment we’ll no longer have to experience the effects of sin and the consequences of following / chasing after imperfect leaders. Remember, God is a jealous God. He wants your whole heart. Continue following after Him, and praying for our leaders. Practicing His Presence, Nate He Began as THE King of Kings and Lord of Lords John 1:1 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Revelation 19:16 (ESV) On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Deuteronomy 10:17 (ESV) For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Psalm 136:3 (ESV) Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; Daniel 2:47 (ESV) The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 1 Timothy 6:15 (ESV) which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Revelation 1:5 (ESV) and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood Matthew 28:18 (ESV) And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Acts 10:36 (ESV) As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), He was the Rejected King 1 Samuel 8:5-7 (NIV) 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. He is Still and will Always be THE King of Kings and Lord of Lords 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Revelation 20:11–15 (ESV) Judgment Before the Great White Throne 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Philippians 2:10-11 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In a gotquestions.org article, the author points out some vital “Foreshadowings: The Lord Jesus Christ is seen primarily in two parts of 2 Samuel. First, the Davidic Covenant as outlined in 2 Samuel 7:16: ‘Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever’ and reiterated in Luke 1:31-33 in the words of the angel who appeared to Mary to announce Jesus’ birth to her: ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’ Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant; He is the Son of God in the line of David who will reign forever. Second, Jesus is seen in the song of David at the end of his life (2 Samuel 22:2-51). He sings of his rock, fortress and deliverer, his refuge and savior. Jesus is our Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:7-9), the Deliverer of Israel (Romans 11:25-27), the fortress to whom we ‘have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us’ (Hebrews 6:18 KJV), and our only Savior (Luke 2:11; 2 Timothy 1:10). https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-2-Samuel.html Our Response While Living in this Imperfect World Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. So, in the meantime, the Apostle Paul gives us a nice motivational speech and says……. 1 Timothy 2:1-5 (NIV) I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, [FOR THE PURPOSE] that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, Songs: King of Kings by Hillsong Worship; Lord of Lords by Hillsong Worship; and Ruler of Nations by Victory Worship The Task of a Leader Today is the day where America sets aside time to select its next leader. What are you looking for in a leader? What’s your definition of leadership? If you’re in a leadership position, then how do you lead? Do you have a vision and goal, or are you like a boat without a rudder – just wandering in the sea with no final destination. All good thoughts and questions to mull over in our lives. Below is an article I came across that will hopefully get your wheels turning…and will hopefully provide you with applicable next steps for in your work place, team, home, church and community. Enjoy! Nate Personally, this is my favorite leadership quote, “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” By Henry A. Kissinger. Similarly, another author states that, “Leadership is the ability to lead people to places they could not have gone without you. This is leadership at its best. Leaders see ahead, leaders see things before others do. They are clear on their destination but, equally, they have innate ability to cast a vision. If a leader was only clear on their goal or destination, which they may have great energy and zeal for it, but failed to have people buying into their vision, they are simply running alone. By definition, leadership is others following you. People are following your lead. Leaders – lead. So what does a leader need to possess if they are to lead well? They must have the ability and gifting to cast a vision to the people they are leading. Clear communication is vital in any organization, church or family if people are to move forward. Without a vision, people begin to drift into frustration, disappointment and apathy. Their desire of moving forward begins to wane and perish. If you are a leader – On a scale of 1-10, (1 Poor – 10 Great) how would you rate your vision casting skills? Be honest with yourself – those whom you lead already know how good you are at this! Leadership is the ability to lead people to places they could not have gone without you. Therefore your ability to lead and to lead well is vital for your team. When you examine the great leaders of the past and present, you can see they had/have a strong vision which initially has been transmitted from a personal vision to a public vision for others to lean into. A leader therefore:
To go to new places, leadership is key. To be effective, a leader must also have the ability to balance a ‘No going back’ attitude as well as the ability of ‘reflective action.’ Peter Drucker puts it so well – Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action. The ability to reflect is very powerful. I have found that to be the case in my life. Sometimes a leader might have to re- chart their course to ultimately reach their goal or vision. For instance when driving a car – you know where you want to get to; however, along the way you might meet a road block where you see a diversion sign. It does not mean you won’t get to your destination. You just may need to take a different route to get there. This is the same with our leadership plans. There obviously will be some areas where you can change, but there also will be areas of principle you will not want to change. There is much joy in leadership. True leadership is taking people to places where they could not have gone without you.
Consider the following:
Song: Lead Me by Sanctus Real Integrity...a man of his word, is a man who is regularly in the Word. By Nate Smith
Song: Man of Your Word by Maverick City |
AuthorNate Smith is a husband, a father of 6 girls, grandpa to 3 granddaughters and one grandson, a police and fire chaplain, a pastor, and has a passion to see men grow in Christ. #girldad including granddaughter
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