AVOIDING CONFRONTATION [DEVOTON] - 31 October 2008

#1 · November 3, 2008, 6:04 am

Quote from Forum Archives on November 3, 2008, 6:04 am
Posted by: feedtheflock_dev <feedtheflock_dev@...>
AVOIDING CONFRONTATION

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. -- Genesis 16:6 NIV

Abram was not a wimp. That's obvious in most everything he did. He led his family across a vast wilderness to bring them to the land God had promised him. He took on five kings and their armies to rescue Lot. And he would go on to do many things that proved his courage and character. But he also had a tendency to wimp out. Remember how he had Sarai lie to the Pharaoh and say that she was his sister to avoid getting killed? Now, once again, Abram was wimping out. He was avoiding confrontation, keeping the peace no matter what the cost. Sarai was on his case about Hagar, blaming him for what had happened, and for Hagar's nasty attitude. Abram could have stood up to her and told her that it was her fault, that none of this would have happened if she hadn't dreamed up her little scheme. But he didn't. Instead, he told her to do whatever she wanted with Hagar… anything to keep the peace.

You have a teenager who has been giving you grief since the moment his hormones kicked in. It seems as though every day it's something else, some other piece of turmoil to keep your life unsettled. Finally, you reach the end of your ability to handle even one more confrontation. So you say, "Go ahead. Do whatever you want. I don't care." Is that really wise? Is that what you really want to do... to let your child do something that could cause him and you untold problems, just so you can avoid any more confrontation? But what if that day had been the day that you would have finally gotten your point across to your son, if you had stood your ground? What if that was his last hit, his final attempt to try you? And what if letting him do what he wants ends up a tragedy? What if you give in and let him go to that party against your better judgment, and he ends up in a car crash because his friend who was driving was drunk? All because you didn't want to have one more confrontation.

God has given us a set of guidelines for our entire lives, guidelines that work. If we get those guidelines set firmly in our minds and hearts... and if we stick with them, they work. It's when we give in, when we avoid confrontation with those around us, when we go against what we know God would have us do that we get in trouble. Taking the easy way out can end up leading us down the most difficult road we can imagine. Think about it.

From www.thisdaysthought.org

QUOTES:

Our prayer must not be self-centred. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay before God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them. -- John Calvin

He’ll work in ways you may not recognize or understand. And He is big enough to do the things you have labelled impossible. He has enough power. He has enough time. He is bigger than your problem. Believe in Him more than in what you may see. Trust in Him more than what you may feel. You can question. He can handle your questions. God is highly confident of His own plans. He can do everything without fail. -- Kathy Troccoli

For more visit http://www.surrender.nl/scom and www.freewebs.com/scoministry

For comments or issues concerning your Christian Life. Email to: [email protected]

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Posted by: feedtheflock_dev <feedtheflock_dev@...>

AVOIDING CONFRONTATION

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. -- Genesis 16:6 NIV

Abram was not a wimp. That's obvious in most everything he did. He led his family across a vast wilderness to bring them to the land God had promised him. He took on five kings and their armies to rescue Lot. And he would go on to do many things that proved his courage and character. But he also had a tendency to wimp out. Remember how he had Sarai lie to the Pharaoh and say that she was his sister to avoid getting killed? Now, once again, Abram was wimping out. He was avoiding confrontation, keeping the peace no matter what the cost. Sarai was on his case about Hagar, blaming him for what had happened, and for Hagar's nasty attitude. Abram could have stood up to her and told her that it was her fault, that none of this would have happened if she hadn't dreamed up her little scheme. But he didn't. Instead, he told her to do whatever she wanted with Hagar… anything to keep the peace.

You have a teenager who has been giving you grief since the moment his hormones kicked in. It seems as though every day it's something else, some other piece of turmoil to keep your life unsettled. Finally, you reach the end of your ability to handle even one more confrontation. So you say, "Go ahead. Do whatever you want. I don't care." Is that really wise? Is that what you really want to do... to let your child do something that could cause him and you untold problems, just so you can avoid any more confrontation? But what if that day had been the day that you would have finally gotten your point across to your son, if you had stood your ground? What if that was his last hit, his final attempt to try you? And what if letting him do what he wants ends up a tragedy? What if you give in and let him go to that party against your better judgment, and he ends up in a car crash because his friend who was driving was drunk? All because you didn't want to have one more confrontation.

God has given us a set of guidelines for our entire lives, guidelines that work. If we get those guidelines set firmly in our minds and hearts... and if we stick with them, they work. It's when we give in, when we avoid confrontation with those around us, when we go against what we know God would have us do that we get in trouble. Taking the easy way out can end up leading us down the most difficult road we can imagine. Think about it.

From http://www.thisdaysthought.org

QUOTES:

Our prayer must not be self-centred. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay before God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them. -- John Calvin

He’ll work in ways you may not recognize or understand. And He is big enough to do the things you have labelled impossible. He has enough power. He has enough time. He is bigger than your problem. Believe in Him more than in what you may see. Trust in Him more than what you may feel. You can question. He can handle your questions. God is highly confident of His own plans. He can do everything without fail. -- Kathy Troccoli

For more visit http://www.surrender.nl/scom and http://www.freewebs.com/scoministry

For comments or issues concerning your Christian Life. Email to: [email protected]

Help spread God’s word, please forward the devotion to as many friends and relatives as possible and encourage them to subscribe free of charge. If this was forwarded to you, you can subscribe by sending a blank email to the following address:

<span title=blocked::http://mail-us.gmx.com/fm07/cgi/g.fcgi/mail/new?&[email protected]>[email protected]

--------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]