Sleep Aids

Don't you just love little kids, who can sleep almost anywhere?  Their bodies demand rest and, well, they just "konk out", as the expression goes.

The other day I ran across an article that listed the worst medications for ongoing human health.  The number one offender was sleep aids, not the occasional use, but the continual use of those in the person's life.  Do you find that shocking?  I did!
Now, full disclosure:  I have never used a sleeping pill.  We all have our physical challenges, and that is just not one of mine.  Believe me....I have others!

Occasionally, though, I do have trouble getting to sleep; or, I wake up between 3-4 a.m. and can't return to sleep for an hour or two.  I was reminded of this last night because I chose to read some psalms before going to bed.  I wasn't sleepless, just "hungry".  Afterwards, I went right to sleep!

The Psalms are promises from God to His people. They are not some sort of "magic charm" or "magic pill".  The promises found there pertain only to those who worship Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus, who Jehovah God gave so that we could enter into a righteous relationship with Him (Father). Could it be that God is stealing your sleep in an effort to draw you to Himself?  Have you settled your soul in Him?  Have you chosen Jesus Christ as Savior?  If not, I urge you to do that today.  Go here for guidance, in settling that life-changing matter forever:

http://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-main-thing.html

There are various other reasons for sleeplessness:  physical pain, grief, worry, anger, etc.  And, honestly, there are Psalms that are great to help us Christians "re-center" and re-focus our hearts.  It would be impossible to mention all of them in one, mere blog post.

But, since this is a personal devotional blog, here are some I read last night or have found helpful recently to help me sleep.  I'm not going to reproduce all of the texts here.  Take a short tour through these on your own and bookmark those which resonate with you currently.

Psalm 17, particularly verses 1-3 and 15

Psalm 4:8

Psalm 3, particularly verses 3-5

Psalm 121, particularly verses 3-4

Psalm 139, particularly verses 7-12

Psalm 62, particularly verses 5-8

Psalm 116:7


So, these are just a few that you might find a comfort on those late nights.  I am a "morning person" and, very tired from a long day tend to see things more bleakly than I do in the morning.  Even if you are not "sleepless in (your town)" you may need some encouragement.

My suggestion, Christian, is to build yourself a bank of favorite scriptures that you can read at night before bed. (There are others which are wonderfully comforting but are not in the book of Psalms.) Put them beside your bed and feed your spirit nourishing food before you turn out the lamp.

Rest well, my brethren!  Sleep in the peace of Your Savior!

Father, thank you for deep, healing, restorative sleep.  Thank you for Your Word, in which we find the true peace that enables us to turn it all over to You and rest.  I appreciate how, in my life, You clean my brain out overnight, as I rest, so that in the morning I can awake refreshed and ready to face what You bring into my life each day.  I dedicate this day to You, O blessed One-and-Only!  With love, in Jesus' name, amen.

What Are You Chasing?

I always have difficulty in this blog when I am "between books".  First starting out, I just sort of blogged on important topics, at least, those I believed to be important.  Then, I began to flounder for daily inspiration, and so began the discipline of working through a book of the Bible at a time.  That has worked well for me, and I hope it has for you too.  Always, though, between books, I sort of get into this funk that is akin to eating a beautiful plate of food.  I am a one-at-a-time eater, by and large.  That is, I don't like to mix my food up on the plate, and I eat one food before moving on to another.   So, it applying that habit to Bible study, when I finish one delicious food, I am confronted with choosing another!

I am supposed to move on to Colossians, but just don't have the "appetite" for it yet. There is a theme, a biblical truth, that is resonating with me right now.  So, I am going to "go there" and satisfy that hunger.

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  

Matthew 6:33 

The key question Jesus is asking in these verses is: what are you seeking?  

That is...what are you pursuing?  What drives you?  What are you chasing?

How does one pursue the kingdom of God anyway; and, if one is a believer, how does one pursue His righteousness?  Don't we have His righteousness already, if we are His?

Lots of questions....

First, yes, those who believe in and trust Jesus Christ as Savior have His perfect righteousness "credited to their eternal account".  (The fancy, theological word for that is "imputed".)  Romans 4:22 is the reference here, where Abraham is used as an example of eternally-saving faith.

If you are reading this and you have not made that personal decision to accept and follow Jesus, your quest for righteousness begins there.  Without Him, you can go no further.  He is both the Source and the End-Point of "saving grace, through faith".

Once that is settled, then, Believers:

....what does it mean to "chase righteousness", to pursue it, if we already possess it?

Proverbs 15:9 says this:

"The Lord detests the ways of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness."

Second, Believers, this is not going to be a popular thing to say.  You have been warned.

It is not possible to seek, pursue or chase after the kingdom of God apart from seeking, pursuing or chasing His righteousness in this world.  Truth and righteousness are the foundations on which His kingdom are built.

Pursing righteousness is not popular these days.  It is often mis-labeled as "legalism".  

Admittedly, there is a fine line.

But, I would like to make the case to you that our country, our families and our churches are in the messes they are in because we Christians have "laid down" in the battle; as a whole, we no longer pursue righteousness.

What we do instead is to pursue "love" or some namby-pamby, sissy form of love that is weak.

True love is not weak.  It is supremely strong, because it is grounded in truth and righteousness.

Or, we pursue "unity", which is great, if it is grounded in truth and righteousness.  More often, however, it is a deceptive, false unity, driven by weakness of purpose, lack of courage, and the succumbing to a "go along to get along" attitude.  By allowing the enemy small (seemingly insignificant) victories, we may have "lost the war" in America, in our churches, in our homes.

Here is an example:

Shopping at Target

I don't have to say any more, do I?  Most of you who read this blog are aware of the stance this store has taken against righteousness and decency.  Now, stories are emerging of cross-dressing men going into Target restrooms and making videos of women during their private moments. 

https://www.afa.net/action-alerts/we-warned-target-this-would-happenand-it-did/

I ask you to consider your response to this situation.  Are you still shopping at Target?

Oh, you can think of many reasons why it is okay to shop at this store, even if there are other alternatives.  Spare me.

The only real question is: are you going to take a stand, or not?

This is just one example, which you may think is a ridiculous one.  I submit to you that it is not; rather, it is highly illustrative.

Christians have, in most cases, lost their will to battle for truth and righteousness.  Instead, we seek after "all these things", regardless of what they are, and most of them are "good things"!  Be assured of this, Believer, what you chase is what you will catch.

We have "got it backwards", according to God's Word!  Notice how our verse begins:

"Above all"...

Father, I need, we need some honest, self-examination in light of Your Word today.  In response, may we have Your truth and Your righteousness, the foundations of Your kingdom, in the forefront of our minds at all times, even when it is "unpopular", even when we find ourselves standing in the minority, as Christians will increasingly be in this seductive, modern culture.  May Your righteousness be what we seek after, as we desire to further Your kingdom.  In Jesus' name, amen.

At All Times

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” 

Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)

One of the three Greek words for friendship is “phileo”, from which our city of Philadelphia is named.  Friendship is a double-edged sword.  A true friend loves at all times, the Scriptures say.  This was one of the first Sunday School verses I was ever taught.

“All times” means in happiness and in sorrow, in abundance and in need, in sickness and in health, in bewilderment and in joyful amazement.

Day before yesterday I finished studying Philippians; and then, yesterday, honestly, I was too busy to write a post, as the day was consumed with the team’s preparations for a church-wide “dinner on the grounds” to honor our pastor and his family.  There has been a supernatural degree of upheaval at our church recently.  Because of this, it was very important for the church family to join together and love on our pastor and on one another.

God showed up.

Rarely, have I had the opportunity to, first of all, have such awesome and true friends.  Every single one of my pastor’s family members, from the very youngest to the most senior, sets my spirit ablaze!  It is my privilege to co-minister with them all, to pray for their ministries, work in their ministries, financially support their ministries because, they are “the real deal”.  I know that God has amazing plans for each and every one of them, and I just pray to continue to have a part in what He is going to do.  (Romans 8:31)

So!  A party for nearly 500 people…outside at a public park!  You know, there is a time to plan and to coordinate and to request help and …. to just then step out of the way. 

This week’s topic at The Loft is “Still”.  (You can find The Loft at leahadams.org) We can plan and plan and then be anxious over our planning.  (I prayed Philippians 4 a lot yesterday!  Again, God had me in His Word exactly where He needed me to be…)  But, things go best when we obey His leading to exercise the gifts He gave us, and then still ourselves to simply “let God be God.”

There were miracles last night.

First of all, the main entrée was hotdogs, which we invited Sunday School classes to donate.  Our church runs approximately 700 in worship in recent months.  About 450 hotdogs were donated, and only about 200 people had rsvp’ed to the event.  We were laughing about all those hotdogs!  But, you know what?  Like the loaves and fishes, less than 30 “dawgs” were left over.  God knew how many we would need.

I went through the food line last and was still able to fix myself a hotdog and a full plate of food, plus dessert!

Did I mention this event was held outside?  In mid-July?  At 5:30, it was 95 degrees.   By the time the event began at 6:30, though, the shade had overtaken the area, with a gentle breeze had begun to blow.

And, at the end, when the last speaker was sharing about deep, decades-long friendship and the closing prayer was being prayed, the wind whipped up as if the Holy Spirit Himself was blowing through the souls of the people as they stood to bless this precious group of loved ones. (Numbers 6:24-26)  I believe He WAS there, blowing through our hearts throughout the evening.

Miracles occurred in hearts.

“Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the heathen.  I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

Abba Father, when we seek Your will, to align our meandering wills with Your perfect will, and when we follow You in obedience, then it is time to step out of the way and be still…to be still and watch You do Your marvelous, spotless, grace-filled miracles.  The greatest miracle of all is how You love us with a love that will never be fully understood by us, because it defies our human capabilities.  I am not only grateful for how You have loved me, but more so for how You have given me the opportunity to love others, in Jesus name.  May Your name be praised, today and through all of eternity. Amen.

Strength and Glory

With some degree of humor and amazement I often discover that wherever I am in my study of the Scriptures, God asks me to "live it out" in my daily life.  That place is now at one of the most often-quoted Scriptures ever, Philippians 4:13, 20 (NET) - - -

13  I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.

20  May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 13 has spawned such platitudes as, "If He called you to it, He'll bring you through it," which...depends on what you mean by "through it".  Jim Elliott, who was killed by native peoples in the jungles of Ecuador, while there to spread the gospel, was taken on to Heaven, after all.

Between verses 13 and 20 Paul is speaking to the Philippians further about more mundane and logistical matters, culminating in the lovely promise of verse 19.

So, if God leads us to a difficult task, will He see us through it?  Will He give us the strength to complete the task?  What about when the task appears to be a failure?  What about then?

Verse 13 is a comfort to me, and especially so this week and next.  Both weeks present entirely different challenges, all of which I believe God has called me to.  But, last night, as I lay sleepless at (and after) 1:00 a.m., I prayed, "Lord, I cannot get through these next 11 days alone.  If you don't help and strengthen me, I won't make it."   The Power Principle here is to not depend on our own paltry "strength", but to tap into and rely on His.

My situations over the next few days are "episodic".  By the end of next week, things should have "settled down".  Some of you are in long-term crises, such as caring for a chronically sick spouse. My second cousin died last week of ALS.  Over the past year, her husband was in a long-term crisis of care for her as her health precipitously declined.  These situations require God's supernatural strength as well.

But, really, should we not be living this way, even in the day-to-day and seemingly hum-drum?  My friend was telling me that she asked God yesterday for something mundane, and then felt guilty for it because she didn't need to "bother" Him with something so ... plain.  But, our God of the Glorious and Stupendous is also the God of the Smalls.  He comes to us in the cataclysms as well as in the quiet.  He is concerned with every, "minor" detail of our lives, and wants to be God of all, every single iota.  He loves for His children to ask!  And, His gifts are there for the asking and taking. What

The reason I was meditating on verse 13 as well as verse 20 is that, often, these critical situations to which God calls us, these challenges, were not in our plan, the short-term or the long-term.  But, they were in God's plan, the overall plan which will bring Him glory.  Earlier, Paul was talking about being in need and being in abundance.  In both situations, he had learned to be content because, in the tough times, he leaned on Christ's strength as sustenance and as power source.  And, he KNEW that whatever befell him, it was for the glory of God.

When, as Christians, we combine these two scriptural truths, we are then allowing ourselves to be used mightily for the kingdom of Jesus Christ, during our time here on earth.

Paul's final word in Philippians is "Amen", a word which means, "let it be so".  It is a word which aligns our will with Father's will, a word which signifies agreement, between Christians who pray corporately and between child and Father, in individual prayer.

May His will, whatever it entails, be worked out in each of the lives of His own beloved, as He gives us His strength to accomplish it.  And, may all the glory for His work in our lives be given to God the Father, forever and ever.

Amen.

The Wealthy

Are you wondering what bread and wine have to do with wealth?
Let me ask you something else:
Are you wealthy?

I asked my husband that a few months ago and was surprised by his answer.  Without hesitation, he replied, "Yes!"  I was surprised because....well, it is a "loaded question".

What IS wealth, and why is it a spiritual matter?  As we wind up Philippians, let's see what the apostle Paul had to say about it.

10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)  11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance. 12  I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. 13  I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me. 14  Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.

Philippians 4:10-13 (NET)

Remember that the apostle Paul was writing this letter from "house arrest".  Although he was a tent-maker by trade, he was unable to "earn a living" while on house arrest for preaching the gospel.  He was, at this point, a working missionary who was unable to work and support himself.  Like all missionaries, he had to either work to support himself or ask for financial support; or, as is the case with 99% of missionaries, he had to ask others to financially support him to some extent.  It appears that this is one of those times when he needed to be pretty much totally financially supported by the small churches he had started across that part of the world.

Still, I'd argue that Paul was one of the wealthiest people who ever lived.  Now, to justify that statement:

1.  Paul knew Jesus Christ as Savior.  In Ephesians 2:7, he referred to "the incomparable riches of His grace".  In other words, the grace of Jesus Christ, which utterly transformed his life forever, was/is priceless.  Nothing is more valuable.  Anyone who has surrendered his/her life to Jesus Christ as Savior is already incomparably rich.  Jesus is "our Daily Bread" (Matthew 6:9-13) and the Bread of Life, "broken" for us (John 6:35).

2.  Paul stated in his first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6) - - -

6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.

In other words, the godliness that Jesus Christ's salvation provides, plus being content with the material gifts God gives, is the best investment anyone could ever make.  These life decisions pay the greatest dividends this earthly life offers as well as guaranteeing eternal reward.  When we "live out" the salvation Jesus has given, we literally "increase our wealth".  Godly living almost always results in material needs being met.
But, then, why is contentment important? Why did Paul add that in here?

3.  Paul realized that godly living would potentially produce material wealth.  He also realized the potential for material wealth to become a trap for the Christian, just as it does for many non-Christians.  What can happen is that people begin to worship material wealth.  Oh, they would not say they "worship" it.  But, if they put accumulation of wealth ahead of their relationship with Christ, letting wealth (and the power it brings) guide their lives instead of God, then that is a form of .... worship, a lifestyle which breed discontent, because no matter how much is gained, it is never "enough".  This is why Paul later on in the 1 Timothy 6 passage declared  "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim. 6:10).  Our love and passion belong to Jesus Christ, if we are Christians, after all.

4.  One last point - - "contentment" does not equate with laziness or envy.  Neither laziness nor envy have a place in either godliness OR in contentment.  God expects us to live out our salvation by exercising the spiritual gifts He gives us.  Our doing so brings Him glory.  We do our best to serve Him faithfully, and He is faithful to supply all our needs.  We trust; He supplies.  We don't look at the gifts given to our neighbors and gripe because they have "more".  What a contentment-killer!
The companion verse to Philippians 4:10-13 is Philippians 4:19-20 - - -

19  And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 

20  May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.

So, I ask you again - - - are you wealthy?  And, if so, are you content with the gifts God has given you?

Father, thank you for meeting all my needs, in every way.   I want to pray specifically for those who do not have a relationship with You through Your Son, Jesus, the only name given to mankind for salvation.  I pray that you will reveal to those who are reading this post and who do not yet know You the great riches that can be theirs through Jesus, as Savior.  Open their hearts, Lord, so that they, too, can be eternally rich!  For those who know You already...teach us about contentment.  Please reveal to us where we have let "the world" with its lusts for money, fame and power creep in.  Remind us of the humility of Jesus who focused on serving Father God, while having no "foxhole" or "nest" of His own.  He was the "picture of contentment".  Mold us more and more into His image, Father!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Win or Lose, It's All In Your Mind

The Dalai Lama, today's high priest of Buddhism, wrote a book in the late 1990s entitled, "Transforming the Mind". The theme of training the mind is common in world religions, and we see a similar "training the mind" admonition from Paul in Philippians 4:8-9 - -

8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

You may have heard it said, "The battle with sin is won or lost in your mind."  This is why, for example, Jesus pointed out that (in this case, the sin of adultery) the battle with sin is first thought/fought in the mind. (Matthew 5:28)

I find it interesting that, in these verses, Paul is referring to making choices which bring our thoughts into obedience to truth ... not to kindness, or patience or long-suffering or compassion....but first, to truth. The battle for holiness, our personal holiness and in our relationships, begins with truth, righteousness, purity, excellence.  It is only after we practice these that we find God's peace.

Pontius Pilate asked, "What is Truth?" (John 18:38)
There's a lot of false, beguiling teaching out in the world.  It runs contrary to the truth of God and His Word.  These may produce a temporary sense of false peace.  However, neither sin, nor error nor deception produce lasting peace.

The Psalmist says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."  (Proverbs 23:7)  This is not an indictment; rather, it is a strong prediction.  There's a popular expression with technology: "garbage in, garbage out". Basically, this means that the computer does not "interpret" your intent.  If you put garbage into it, you will get garbage out of it.

The human mind is similar.  Examples:
If we surround ourselves with profanity, we will soon find our own speech laced with profanity.
If we fill our minds with violent images, we will find our own mind becoming consumed with violent thoughts.
If we hear constantly criticism, we will become critical ourselves.
That is....unless we take conscious steps to counteract those influences.

4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We tear down arguments, and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

It takes a deliberate act of will to choose true, righteous and true things with which to fill our minds. This is because we are surrounded in this world by unrighteousness.  Satan uses our environment to send flaming arrows into our thought lives.  We can't stop his attacks, but we can certainly repel them and reject them when they come.  Some have said, "It is not a sin to have an impure thought.  But, it is a sin to embrace it and dwell on it."  There have been times I've said out loud, "I reject that thought, in the name of Jesus."  But, actually, I am not vigilant enough.

After emphasizing that the mind is where the battle begins, Paul then goes on to say essentially, "Now that your thoughts are right, practice what you've been taught."  It is very hard to "live out" righteousness, when the mind is full of unrighteousness.  Accordingly, it is very important that we deliberately fill our minds with things that are true, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy.

Our mothers used to tell us, growing up, "Make good choices!" So true!  And, not only in our actions, but especially in our minds.  Resplendent Daughter blog began as a result of my decision to deliberately choose to spend time in God's Word each day.  It is deliberate decision to fill my mind and spirit with truth. Now, God has taken that act of obedience and transformed it into a ministry.  He is so gracious!

So, what is the specific application of these two verses?
First of all, we must take deliberate steps to feed our minds truth and goodness.  "Nature abhors a vacuum", as the saying goes.  If we don't proactively fill our minds; Satan will fill them for us.  This includes those with whom we choose to surround ourselves.
Second, we must be on guard at all times for Satan's attacks, and fend them off with Scripture as soon as they appear.  We must not allow darkness to "set up camp" in our minds.
Thirdly, we must pray for God's protection over our minds and hearts, that He will give us discernment to recognize attacks of the evil one, when they come, to identify error and deception when it appears and go on the offense until the mind has been cleansed and peace restored.  If you are like me, you struggle with this aspect of the resplendent walk.  We need to ask the Holy Spirit to transform our minds!  He loves to be asked.  May the God of peace be with us!

Father, you desire that our minds and hearts be clean, pure and at peace with You.  This, too, should be our desire.  We are continually beguiled by our fallen natures, which resonate with the wickedness we see in the world.  May we pursue righteousness and truth and goodness, and after finding them, constantly fill our minds and hearts with them, full to overflowing.  Give us Your peace, which follows a right heart toward You.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Joy and Crown

What is your conflict style?  It is impossible for us to live without encountering some kind of conflict. How do you handle it?  If you are a Christian, does your faith affect how you deal with it?  Or, do you set your faith aside, to get your way?

Are you an owl?  A turtle?  A fox?  A shark?

This morning's passage is Philippians 4:1-7 (NET)

1So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

2I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.4Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 5Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! 6Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Conflict will arise in the best of situations: in that loving marriage, in that loving family, in that loving church, in that job situation, in any relationship into which you pour yourself ("joy and crown").  In the early verses of Philippians 4, we see that conflict has arisen between two godly women of the Philippian church.  And, although we are not told what it was, it was obviously no minor point of contention because it had come to Paul's attention.  In other words, someone had written him about it, and he felt compelled to intervene.  How did he do that?

1.  He reminds them all of their supreme worth to Him, to Paul and to each other.  He calls the believers whom he had won to the Lord "my joy and my crown".  He calls them his "dear friends", his "brothers and sisters".  When we have disagreements, our tendency is to alienate ourselves from each other, but Paul here is admonishing his dear ones to draw closer together in conflict.  Why?

2.  The goal is to find agreement.  Doing so is impossible if one of the parties runs away in avoidance. Doing so is impossible if one of the parties will do anything it takes to "win".   In verse 2, Paul begs the two women to "agree in the Lord".  What does that mean?   It means that each of their competing opinions must be held up to the standard of the Word of God, and that the Lord must govern their agreement.  Godly agreement is based on selflessness and on truthfulness.  Selfishness, lies and deception are tools of the Devil; they never lead to godly resolutions of conflict.

3.  Sometimes, outside wisdom is needed.  There are times when dear ones are so entrenched in their own positions that they prevent themselves from seeing a solution.  In verse 3, Paul appeals to a fellow brother to help these two ladies find a way through the conflict.  These types of situations often arise because the two sides have already ignored others' wants, needs, viewpoints.  This continues into a full-blown conflict, with the two sides becoming more and more blind to the opposing side's perspective and/or resolutions to the conflict.  An intermediary is needed to help one or both sides say, "Oh, I see it (a possible solution) now!"

4.  The importance of reasonableness is mentioned in verse 5.  The word "gentleness" is translated as "graciousness", "reasonableness" in other translations.  Agreement does not mean that one side "gives up" (turtle response) or that the other side "burns it down in order to be right" (shark response).

5.  The centrality of earnest prayer to counteract anxiety and to lead to peaceful resolutions.  I'm not talking about the type of prayer that is prayed to sway opinions.  You have, like me, heard people pray in public in order to lecture people through the praying.  I believe the admonition in verse 6 is for, first, personal, private prayer, and then for one-on-one or small group prayer, in order to draw closer to God, to align our requests more closely with His will, and to thereby hear more clearly the hearts of our brothers or sisters.

6.  The importance of rejoicing in all things.  This is a separate post in and of itself, but rejoicing in conflict is not my idea of a good time.  Not.at.all.  However, when we realize that God uses all things to conform us more and more into the image of His Son, we can even embrace conflict.  Rejoicing in all things brings peace, that supernatural peace which will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

So, we must not run from conflict in our most precious relationships.

I discovered a little tool this morning you might find interesting.  It is not a perfect tool for a Christian, because it doesn't take into consideration the Word of God or the moving of the Holy Spirit in the resolving of our conflicts.  But, it is instructive to show each of us how we tend to handle conflict.  Take it for a spin and see if it describes your natural tendencies well:

http://academic.engr.arizona.edu/vjohnson/ConflictManagementQuestionnaire/ConflictManagementQuestionnaire.asp

The website makes this point, and I agree with it:  no one style is appropriate at all times. Depending on the source of disagreement each can prove to be valuable.  "Is it a mountain worth dying on?" is an appropriate question here.  Note these examples from parenting:
1.  Your child gets dressed for school and did not put the clothes together in a way you would have chosen.  The entire look is modern, but not immodest.  You resolve the conflict more in the line of the "teddy bear" response, because it is not "a mountain worth dying on".
2.  Your child gets into the car with you and does not buckle his seatbelt.  You refuse to move the car until he "buckles up": shark response.  His safety in the car IS "a mountain worth dying on".

Again, love grounded in truth is the standard.

So, there are times when it is appropriate to use one conflict resolution strategy over another.  If, though, we treat each other as our "joy and crown", our relationships can survive our conflicts and become stronger for having made it through them.

Father,  please forgive me for when I have chosen the wrong approach to resolving conflicts in my life, and give me the wisdom to choose the right approach in the inevitable conflicts which arise, so that love and truth will reign.  In Jesus' name, amen.