Friday Fight 29 - Renting or Owning

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF29.

We all have times in our lives when we endure hurt. Not referring to the continuous pain caused by a declining marriage or watching an illness consume a loved one, but a sudden betrayal. So what happens when this person you love and trust blindsides you with words or actions that hurt, we're shocked, right? Let's look at what can happen to our hearts when this happens.

Renting or Owning?

No, I'm not referring to the housing market! What happens to our hearts when we're hurt? We immediately feel betrayed and want to take a step back to process. We know isolation only increases our pain, and God calls us to forgive, but maybe they aren't sorry, or we aren't ready, allowing time to pass. Now use the metaphor of renting or owning a home; I have personally done both. Unless you are the one receiving rent, there aren't many benefits to it other than convenience. But, on the other hand, owning brings rewards for years to come and becomes a long-term blessing.

Imagine a heart after this betrayal, with a piece called anger now renting space. We aren't collecting any benefits from this rental space; it's quite the opposite. When we house anger, we block the opportunity for love and joy to reside. Once anger is there, expansion is easy. It may be a small piece at first, but over time it consumes more space. Christ wants to own our whole heart, but He can't if the area is already rented.

How does darkness work? Once anger is stable, it invites other dark friends, and together they consume our hearts. And then, over time, bitterness joins in.

How do we fight? Remember that not forgiving stunts our spiritual growth, leaving us unable to move forward. God's peace cannot reside in the space we are renting to anger. To live in peace, we have to deal with conflict quickly.

We all have conflicts that blindside us, but letting too much time pass allows anger to rent space for free! Once all settled in, it will rob us of our joy. Allow God to own your whole heart and not let darkness rent or rob us of anything.

James 1:19-20

Pastor Shannon

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