Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim BurtWhen was the last time your character was tested? This morning? Last night? Yesterday or sometime last week? With your spouse? With your kids? With your boss or co-worker? On the road on the way to work? One thing is for sure. Our character is tested more often than we care for!We all hope that in difficult times that test our character, the right thing comes out of us. But, no one really knows what will come out of themselves from-pressure from adverse circumstances until the moment comes. It's in that moment of time that your true temperament will show. It's at that moment that you will quickly discover if you are going to pass the good-character test. Your mouth and actions will either leave you with a passing or a flunking grade. If the pressure stays on long enough, the real you will come out!
Before giving my life to Jesus, I never thought about these things. I probably didn't care much about what I was like under pressure. Cursing, getting angry, and yelling at others was what I considered normal. When I became a Christian, I learned that God had a better way and that developing godly character was a part of it, and so I began to work on personal change.I changed in many areas of my life when I became a Christian, but when it came to my temperament under pressure, change came much slower than I desired. Over time I learned that how I responded under pressure had everything to do with my heart and its relationship to faith, and trust in the Lord. It's easy to say you have a close relationship with God and that you trust in Him. If you think your relationship with God is strong and good, yet you crumble and become an emotional wreck that falls into panic, temper, rage, hopelessness, and quitting, that's your alarm that you have work to do in the development of godly character.Intimacy with God is built through the development of sincere faith in God's words and promises to you. When you have strong faith and respond to a negative situation with godly character, then Isaiah 43:2 will become true for you! It says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame scorch you." Wouldn't you love for this to represent your temperament when under fire?When you are under fire, it can be hard to think clearly and remember that God is there with you. If you momentarily pause in those times and pray, you will quickly notice that the Holy Spirit is trying to help you. Not only does He speak to you from within, but you’ll often see Him trying to reach you through someone or something to support and encourage you. I've learned in these times, to keep my mouth shut and know that the Lord is there to help me. His grace is always sufficient.As we grow in our faith, trust, and confidence in God, we might hope to look like and emulate Paul and Silas, who, next to Jesus, showed the greatest of all responses under pressure. They had just been thrown in prison for preaching the gospel.
Acts 16:24-26 (KJV) "Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed."
When Paul and Silas worshipped God from a sincere heart, knowing He was with them in the midst of their pressure and adversity, God supernaturally delivered them. The story goes on to say how Paul led the prison keeper and his family to the Lord through this demonstration of godly character under adversity.God is trying to help us all change so we can respond in a godly fashion when under pressure and adverse circumstances. Supernatural deliverance and help most often manifests at times like that. We need to learn to respond by faith and trust, and if we do, then victory will, more often, be ours!Psalm 31:7 (NLT) “I am overcome with joy because of your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.”In His love,Pastor Tim BurtIf today's Fresh Manna was a blessing to you, please hit the "LIKE" button below! And if you'd like to tell me why, I'd love to hear from you! Click here: FreshMannaFeedback
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