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Especially for the Guys - Becoming Christ-like! I wanted to share with you something that God has showing me and we talked a little about the last time we were all together. I have struggled most of my life in a reactive type emotional way because of wounds that set me up to live in a shame based indentity. If Judy didn't treat me how I thought she should treat me I would become angry and react in negative ways towards her, developing walls of bitterness that would cause her and I both pain and a lose of oneness. Remember what I was saying about how God needs to be our security and He needs to be our identity as we die to ourselves and ask Him to live in us and through us. I found a great text that I wanted to share with all of you that sums this up very nicely. 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV) "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." Praise God my competence doesn't come from anything that I do of myself however I have alot to do to in choosing to die to myself or carnal nature and ask Christ to live in me and through me.This is a moment by moment baptism that empowers Christ to live in me and through me. In my past I have been very co-dependent on Judy and what she did or didn't do had a large effect on my my feelings. God is showing me that my competence and security comes first from Christ and then with that power in me I can then agape love my wife as Christ has told me to do. I know longer expect Judy to do certain things and I can overlook my perceieved wrongs that she does to me and be free of bitterness,walls and self-pity. I haven't arrived yet however am seeing amazing things happen in this area as I seek to die to self on a moment by moment basis. I encourage you to give 100 percent to God and allow your security and competency to come from Him. This has allowed me to be the man that Christ wants me to be with the supernatural power to agape love my wife as Christ loves the church but remember that this works as long as I am able to use my will to choose to allow Christ to live in me and this means moment by moment surrender of my will to His power. I care about each one of you and am praying for you this week. I am looking forward to our monthly meetings where we can pray and discuss important biblical principals and how they will help in our relationships. Love, Tom