Welcome back. We've been talking
today about the critical heart,
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the critical spirit.
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And if you feel
like, Wow, that's me!
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Don't be discouraged.
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Don't listen to the lies of
the enemy, or any of his shame
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or condemnation that
he wants to give you.
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God wants to set us free.
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He wants to give us the mind
of Christ, the mind that esteems
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other people as
better than ourselves;
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The mind that focuses
on the needs of others,
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and gives of
ourselves, even sacrifices,
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if need be, for them.
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We're talking today, with our
application, we're going to look
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at three different aspects,
three things that you can
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look at this week.
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First is our thoughts, second
is actions, and third is words.
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The story is told of a
young couple newly married.
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They bought a new house.
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And when they moved into that
house, the first morning they're
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eating breakfast
across the table.
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And the wife
looked out the window.
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And she saw the neighbor
hanging laundry on the line.
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And she said to her husband,
What's wrong with that lady?
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Doesn't she know
how to clean clothes?
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I need to teach her how to wash.
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Those clothes are dirty.
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Her husband sat back, kind
of smiled, and said nothing.
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The next morning
they ate breakfast again.
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And the wife said,
What's wrong with that lady?
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She doesn't know
how to clean clothes.
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I need to teach her.
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Those clothes are dirty.
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This went on for
some time, maybe a week.
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And then one morning the
wife looked out the window.
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The neighbor was doing
wash again, and was hanging her
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clothes on the line.
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And the wife said, Somebody
got to that woman and told her
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how to clean clothes,
because they're clean now.
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And the husband said, I got
up early this morning, honey.
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I washed the window.
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Isn't that amazing?
what God can do in our
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hearts, and in our lives?
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You see what it was?
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It was the thought.
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It was what was over the window.
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Those clothes
weren't dirty at all.
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It was her own perception.
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So 1. Look at your thoughts;
how you perceive other people.
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2. Look at your actions.
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Think about maybe an
area of someone else's life,
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someone maybe that
you feel critical against.
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Think about a need
that they have, and ask God,
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Could I go out
and meet that need?
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Maybe you have children,
or you don't have children,
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but the person you're
feeling critical against,
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they don't manage
their kids very well.
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And you think, I wish
they would discipline.
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You could offer to go and to
babysit, without offering any
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suggestions, without saying,
You could do this different.
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You could offer to just go
and help that busy mom out.
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Maybe they struggle to
provide food for their family.
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And instead of you
saying, What's wrong with you?
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Go out and get a job.
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You could buy
groceries and leave them off
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at their doorstep.
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Maybe they constantly
complain about their ailments.
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You could simply sit and listen
to them instead of saying,
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I'm tried of hearing
you talk about your issues.
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Maybe they
always seem discouraged.
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Drop them a card
of encouragement.
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And 3. Is words. Work to
speak words of encouragement to
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someone else instead of...
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Ask God to put a
check in your spirit.
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So just before you're about
ready to say something critical
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or demeaning to someone else,
instead ask God to help you
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speak words of encouragement.
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My father-in-law, Pastor Daniel,
does a great job with that.
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Dad is incredible at encouraging
and supporting other people.
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And I know that that
might be an inherent gift,
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but it can be learned as well.
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So practice
words of encouragement.
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Next week we're going
to discuss a jealous heart,
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and I hope that you
will be with us for that.
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In conclusion our Scripture,
as always, is Romans 15:13.
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Now may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace
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in believing, that
you may abound in hope,
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by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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