Puppet or Clay?

We read in Isaiah 64:8 but now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

God is the potter and we are the clay. We are shaped and molded by our life’s experiences. The experiences God allows to occur in our lives that make us into the vessel He has created us to be.

Notice the use of the word allow. God doesn’t make things happen in our lives but He does allow things to occur. In Job chapter 1 we read the account of Satan walking to and fro in the earth. When God asks Satan if he has considered his servant Job he basically responds are you kidding me. Job doesn’t serve you for nothing. You’ve placed a hedge of protection around him, his household, and everything around him. You’ve blessed everything he touches and cause it to increase.

Well that same hedge of protection is also around you and me. Yes things touch our lives just as they did Jobs, but these things when we come through them, and yes we do come through them make us stronger, give us a testimony to help someone else and believe it or not work together for our good, because we love God and we are the called, according to his purpose as we read in Romans 8:28.

Oftentimes when we are in the midst of going through we don’t know how we will make it through yet alone how what we are going through could possibly work for our good.

Years before my mother passed I always thought if anything ever happened to her I would not survive. We were very close. We shopped together, had the same taste and enjoyed each other’s company. We talked to each other on the phone every day.

In The last few months before her death she was in and out of the hospital. My two sisters and I took turns caring for her. We were with her when she took her last breathe. One of the last things she asked was that we keep our family together. Little did any of us know what was soon to occur. Both my sisters and I now live in the same subdivision within walking distance of each other and are closer than we have ever been.

When we allow the things that occur in our lives to shape and mold us we become stronger. Contrariwise when we allow the things that occur in our lives to adversely affect us the enemy has us just where he wants us.

Have you ever seen a puppeteer skillfully manipulate his puppets? He pulls the strings and maneuvers the puppets as he chooses. Satan tries to do the same thing with us, but he can only do what you allow him to do. It’s up to you to choose how you react to what you encounter and experience in life, whether your reaction is spiritual or carnal.

It’s only human for your initial reaction to be carnal because you are reacting based on emotion. Once the emotion has passed your reaction should be spiritual as you recognize that in the flesh there is nothing you can do.

A carnal reaction enables the puppeteer, Satan to manipulate your emotions, prolonging your victory.    

We also read in Jeremiah 18:4 and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. The Potter is willing and able to reshape you, to smooth out the marred places, to remove the flaws…are you willing to let Him?

As we read in Galatians 5:16 this I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Are you yielding to the puppeteer or to the Potter?

 

 

How Do Your Thoughts Affect Your Actions?

We often read and hear that the battlefield is in the mind. The thoughts that we receive in our mind work two ways. When we experience happy or good thoughts they bring us pleasure. For example if we think we are getting a promotion or salary increase before we physically receive it if we think that it is coming  we anticipate and expect it.

Contrariwise when we hear bad news it also affects our mind. If we are told it’s possible our services may no longer be needed, we may be in jeopardy of losing our job or income it has an adverse effect on us. We begin to worry. We are concerned about our financial obligations, our family, how long it will take before we are employed again. If we believe this will happen and choose to take the opportunity to start a business of our own we wonder if we will be successful or how long it will take for our business to become profitable.

Neither of these are facts only thoughts. But both statements come with expectations. What happens if the outcomes are not what we expect?

What happens if in the first example rather than the expectation of receiving a promotion or a salary increase you are told you may be in jeopardy of losing your job?  Suddenly what you expected has been turned upside down. Rather than planning how you would spend a possible salary increase you begin to worry about making ends meet as well as how long it will take before you are employed again.

What if rather than the expectation of a possible job loss you are told a new position may be coming available? Rather than trying to determine how long your savings will last and how quickly you must find employment you feel safe, comforted, no longer worried.

The change of a thought can change your mental and emotional state. Of course the thought of losing a job will adversely affect you but it’s a thought. Neither of the statements were facts.

Too often we allow thoughts rather than facts to alter our thinking. There is nothing wrong with thinking about how you would spend or save extra money if you were getting a promotion but you wouldn’t actually do it without having the money in the bank, or at least you shouldn’t.

If there are rumors that you may lose your job they are only rumors. Of course you should always be budget conscious and have an emergency fund when possible but you should not panic based on a thought.

We read in Matthew 6:31-33 therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, What shall we drink: or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father Knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If the only person that knows everything told you not to worry would you still worry? Well that is exactly what God is telling you. Don’t worry about rumors or things you cannot control. In other words meditate or think on things that you know are true and speak of those things as Asaph said in Psalm 77:12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.