In the early years of my marriage, my hubby and I didn’t know how to disagree in a healthy way. We fought. We were so immature. We fussed over the most ridiculous things. One day, during a heated disagreement, he said to me, “Is this the hill you want to die on?”. “What does that mean?”, I asked. He said, “There are things in this life we will have to fight for. There will be hills we will have to take and potentially risk dying on. Always looking to fight the most minuscule things that produce zero fruit, will get us nowhere, though. We will find death quicker than we encounter life. Before we have the feeling to fight, particularly if it’s a feeling to fight each other, stop and ask yourself this, is this a hill worth dying on. I am not the enemy and neither are you.”. That changed my mindset immediately. Did we fail to take heed to that teaching sometimes? Yes. We will always be a work in progress and that’s ok.
I was reminded of this the other day when my children were fighting. They were heated and ready to throw down. I looked at both my daughters and asked them, “Is this a hill worth dying on?”. The thing they were fighting about was being fought in great anger, misunderstanding and selfishness. Plus, they are 7 and 8, and there’s not a great deal of maturity there. Unfortunately, there are adults who are like this. I was one of them. I’m not sure if they fully understood but I decided to continue teaching them this important lesson until they get it.
Sometimes we fight over the most ridiculous things that don’t produce healthy fruit. Either it’s because we are immature, prideful, bitter, angry or everything in between. We can make the excuse, we grew up that way and decide to stay bound in our old ways, or we can choose to live in freedom from such bondage. Yes, you are in bondage when all you do is fight. When all you do is want to get revenge and see others pay for their wrongs, you are the one that is in bondage. You are the problem. If it brings you satisfaction to see others suffer, then you are in bondage. If all you want to do is be heard instead of hearing others out, you are in bondage.
Are you an angry person? Are you constantly bothered? Are you easily irritated over things that don’t really matter? Do you rather live in anger than in peace? Do you rather plot revenge than find a peaceful solution? If yes, you are in bondage. And, my friend, you need to be free today. How?
First, you need to recognize that you are struggling. You need to recognize that you might be the problem. You need to recognize that its normal to be angry but it’s not ok to react every time you’re angry. Being angry isn’t the problem, it’s how you react that matters. You can choose to either escalate or deescalate the situation. You can scream daily at the top of your lungs that your kids are the problem, or your spouse is always the one that’s “wrong.”. That’s your choice. The day you step back and realize that YOU can change your situation by having self control, will be the beginning of freedom. Freedom that is awaiting you. Jesus doesn’t want us to live in such bondage. He died an ugly death so that whoever believes in HIM will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
1. Psalm 118:5- When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place
CRY OUT TO THE LORD!
2. Ephesians 4:26-27- In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY, DO NOT BLURT OUT THINGS YOU WILL REGRET. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU ARE TEMPTED TO. DON’T REST YOUR HEAD ON YOUR PILLOW BEFORE FORGIVING THE OTHER PERSON, JUST LIKE CHRIST HAS FORGIVEN YOU.
3. Galatians 5:13-14- You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
DO NOT LET YOUR FLESH WIN. I KNOW YOU MAY WANT TO BE HEARD AND SERVE JUSTICE, BUT DON’T DO IT AT THE COST OF LOSING THOSE THAT GOD PLACED IN YOUR LIFE. YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE PEACE IN YOUR HEART AND MIND IF YOU CHOOSE EVERY BATTLE TO FIGHT.
4. Ephesians 4:31-Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
GO BEFORE GOD AND ASK HIM TO HELP YOU SEE WHAT YOU DON’T SEE. RID YOURSELF OF THE THINGS THAT HOLD YOU BACK.
5. Matthew 7:3-5 -"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye
DO NOT BLAME SHIFT BUT LOOK AT YOURSELF FIRST. IT STINGS. I KNOW THIS FROM EXPERIENCE, BUT IT’S SO FREEING WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE YOU ARE FLAWED AND NEED CHRIST TO HELP YOU.
If you don’t have a relationship with Christ or are struggling, He is near and waiting for you to call on His name today. There is freedom when you trust in HIM. There is freedom when you give your life to Him. God is so full of grace and forgiveness. He isn’t done with you. Let Him work in your heart and mind and BE FREE.
-Stacy Hockenbury
I was reminded of this the other day when my children were fighting. They were heated and ready to throw down. I looked at both my daughters and asked them, “Is this a hill worth dying on?”. The thing they were fighting about was being fought in great anger, misunderstanding and selfishness. Plus, they are 7 and 8, and there’s not a great deal of maturity there. Unfortunately, there are adults who are like this. I was one of them. I’m not sure if they fully understood but I decided to continue teaching them this important lesson until they get it.
Sometimes we fight over the most ridiculous things that don’t produce healthy fruit. Either it’s because we are immature, prideful, bitter, angry or everything in between. We can make the excuse, we grew up that way and decide to stay bound in our old ways, or we can choose to live in freedom from such bondage. Yes, you are in bondage when all you do is fight. When all you do is want to get revenge and see others pay for their wrongs, you are the one that is in bondage. You are the problem. If it brings you satisfaction to see others suffer, then you are in bondage. If all you want to do is be heard instead of hearing others out, you are in bondage.
Are you an angry person? Are you constantly bothered? Are you easily irritated over things that don’t really matter? Do you rather live in anger than in peace? Do you rather plot revenge than find a peaceful solution? If yes, you are in bondage. And, my friend, you need to be free today. How?
First, you need to recognize that you are struggling. You need to recognize that you might be the problem. You need to recognize that its normal to be angry but it’s not ok to react every time you’re angry. Being angry isn’t the problem, it’s how you react that matters. You can choose to either escalate or deescalate the situation. You can scream daily at the top of your lungs that your kids are the problem, or your spouse is always the one that’s “wrong.”. That’s your choice. The day you step back and realize that YOU can change your situation by having self control, will be the beginning of freedom. Freedom that is awaiting you. Jesus doesn’t want us to live in such bondage. He died an ugly death so that whoever believes in HIM will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
1. Psalm 118:5- When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place
CRY OUT TO THE LORD!
2. Ephesians 4:26-27- In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY, DO NOT BLURT OUT THINGS YOU WILL REGRET. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU ARE TEMPTED TO. DON’T REST YOUR HEAD ON YOUR PILLOW BEFORE FORGIVING THE OTHER PERSON, JUST LIKE CHRIST HAS FORGIVEN YOU.
3. Galatians 5:13-14- You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
DO NOT LET YOUR FLESH WIN. I KNOW YOU MAY WANT TO BE HEARD AND SERVE JUSTICE, BUT DON’T DO IT AT THE COST OF LOSING THOSE THAT GOD PLACED IN YOUR LIFE. YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE PEACE IN YOUR HEART AND MIND IF YOU CHOOSE EVERY BATTLE TO FIGHT.
4. Ephesians 4:31-Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
GO BEFORE GOD AND ASK HIM TO HELP YOU SEE WHAT YOU DON’T SEE. RID YOURSELF OF THE THINGS THAT HOLD YOU BACK.
5. Matthew 7:3-5 -"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye
DO NOT BLAME SHIFT BUT LOOK AT YOURSELF FIRST. IT STINGS. I KNOW THIS FROM EXPERIENCE, BUT IT’S SO FREEING WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE YOU ARE FLAWED AND NEED CHRIST TO HELP YOU.
If you don’t have a relationship with Christ or are struggling, He is near and waiting for you to call on His name today. There is freedom when you trust in HIM. There is freedom when you give your life to Him. God is so full of grace and forgiveness. He isn’t done with you. Let Him work in your heart and mind and BE FREE.
-Stacy Hockenbury
MGM Resorts International makes strategic change to casino operators
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