Dealing with Feeling Angry

     The tragic Boston Marathon bombing this week elicited righteous anger all across this country. And rightfully so. This kind of anger is not sinful in and of itself. Ephesians 4:26 says, "Be angry and sin not." NASB When someone has committed an injustice against another person or even us, this is sinful. When someone is raped, we should have righteous anger. When someone is sexually abused, we should have righteous anger. When there is human trafficking, we should have righteous anger. When someone tries to control us, we may feel righteous anger. You get the idea. When we have righteous anger, we need to pray, ask Christ to live through us and respond as God leads. However, our response to righteous anger will never lead us to act sinfully in a way that displeases the Lord.

  Another kind of anger is sinful anger. This anger has many faces such as bitterness, resentment, rage, unforgiveness, the silent treatment, all kinds of abuse, unresolved fear and more. A 23 year old man I've known since he was a baby has been in anger management but has never dealt with his inner anger. He is currently incarcerated because all of the counseling he has been under has never gotten to the root of his problem. You see, anger arising from our past must be quelled by facing our anger and forgiving those we are angry with including ourselves. You would be amazed at how many people we counsel at Grace Life International who have self-hatred. Ephesians 4:31-32 says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven us." NASB

  Forgiveness is something most Christians know they need to do but few understand how to do it Biblically, such that, it really heals their hearts. It is probably one of the greatest hindrances we help people work through so they can experience Christ in them as their Life. Time does not permit me to write about it in this space, but I will say that when we forgive Biblically, we must tell God how each person and event made us feel, then tell Him we forgive that person though usually they do not deserve it.

  When we have sinful anger, we also need to confess that sin to God and receive the forgiveness that is already ours in Christ. Even those who do forgive from their hearts Biblically, often leave this part out and wonder why they still don't have peace.

  Another reason for anger, that I should mention here, is that which is a consequence of biological issues such as exhaustion, some medications, untreated clinical depression, and some illnesses. The solution to this is to get our body healthy as much as we possibly can.

Giving up our rights can also be a powerful weapon in defeating sinful anger. We share the Biblical basis for this in our counseling and ADT every week resulting in great freedom for individuals and marriages.

  If you have a habit of experiencing and expressing sinful anger, please get help! You are hurting and rejecting people you love and are offending many as well. Please call us for a free counseling consultation whether live or by Skype. 704-522-9026.

Live Free in Christ, 

Mark Maulding, President and Founder


www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding

Dealing with Feeling Depressed

   The first time I remember feeling depressed was when I was playing in a high school basketball game and I looked into the stands only to discover a girl I was dating was with another guy. I didn't have a very good game that night for some reason!

   The last time I remember feeling depressed was about a month ago when my youngest son was dismissed from his Christian university because he was convinced God had led him to "sacrifice" his brilliant intellectual ability by not studying. Yea, I know that sounds strange to many people but it's a long story for another time.

   Depression is something everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Did you know that many of the great characters in the Bible experienced depression? Here are a few; The Prophet Elijah, Hannah, King David and the Apostle Paul. There are also some other well-known people who struggled with severe depressions such as; Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther, James Taylor and Charles Spurgeon.

   Sadly, most Christians don't want to talk about depression because they believe that if they trusted God enough, they would not be depressed. That is not necessarily true in all situations.

   If you identify with a majority of these symptoms, you are experiencing depression.

1.  Ongoing feelings of sadness or irritability.
2.  Loss of interest or pleasure in activities.
3.  Changes in weight or appetite.
4.  Changes in sleeping patterns.
5.  Feeling guilty or worthless.
6.  Inability to concentrate, remember things or make decisions.
7.  Fatigue or loss of energy.
8.  Restlessness or sluggishness.
9.  Thoughts of suicide.
10. Unexplained or heightened physical pains.
11. Intermittent or prolonged anxiety.

   I have at some point in my life experienced the different types of depression that I am about to list. Maybe you have too or you know someone who has. 1. Non-biological. 2. Biological.

Non-biological depression can be caused for a number of reasons such as difficult circumstances like a surprising illness, performing to measure up instead of resting in your righteousness in Christ, rejection, unforgiveness, unyielded rights, not understanding the gospel of grace, spiritual oppressions, prolonged disappointment, failure and more. At Grace Life International, God works through us each week to provide live and Skype counseling for people who are depressed. For more info, visit our web site at www.GraceLifeInternational.com or call us for a FREE consultation at 704-522-9026.

   How can you deal with non-biological depression? The best thing you can do is to resolve the spiritual conflicts within you - most often with good grace-based Biblical counseling.

Biological depression is such that counseling, prayer or setting your mind on Biblical truth will not alleviate it. As a doctor friend once told me, "You can't think you way out of this kind of depression." Some of the reasons for biological depression include illness which changes the body chemistry such as a stroke, some medications, drug or alcohol abuse, extreme fatigue, hormone imbalance, and heredity.

   What can help with biological depression? Thank God that we live in a time when there are both natural and traditional medications that can help people who have this kind of depression. See your doctor to discuss your options for this kind of treatment. And listen Christian - there is no need to feel guilty or ashamed if you need to take a natural or prescription medication for depression. Would you feel this way if you had to take thyroid medication? Of course not. So why feel guilty or ashamed about taking medication for biological depression?

   Most of all, pray for God to heal your depression and to guide you to the best counseling or treatment for you. 2 Corinthians 7:6 says, "But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us in the coming of Titus." NASB

Live Free In Christ,


Mark Maulding, President and Founder

www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding

Dealing with Your Negative Feelings

    None of us like negative feelings including me!  But if you and I are honest, we all have more of them than we would like.  After asking for input from people on Facebook about what feelings they would like for me to write about, I am beginning a series called "Dealing with Your Negaive Feelings."  Each week we will tackle one negative feeling and how we need to deal with it to overcome it.

   If you want another good reason to deal with your negative feelings, read this excerpt from a recent medical study.

   "Dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body, a new Ohio University study finds.  Researchers discovered that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose.  The study is the first time to directly measure this effect in the body. 

   The study showed that those people who focused on a stressful event, the levels of the inflammatory marker continued to rise for at least one hour.  Compared to people who thought of more relaxing events, the marker returned to starting levels.

   More and more, chronic inflammation is being associated with various cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, as well as cancer, dementia and autoimmune diseases."

 Read the entire article. 

   Our wise Father loves us and wants us to live free from negative thoughts.  Just look at what He writes to us in His love letter, the Bible. 

   "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter.  Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Philippians 4:8

   I look forward to our journey together in the next few weeks as we look at "Dealing with Your Negative Feelings".   And please pass these on each week to family and friends you care about whether you receive this through GLI's e-devotion or my blog. 

Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding

Easter Reminds Us We are Not Orphans

   Occasionally I live like I am an orphan.  I sometimes wonder if my Father will show up for me when it matters.  Does anyone relate?  For example, I just piloted a new conference different than our Grace Life Conference called, "Foundation4Transformation".   

   When I recently did the first one, I wondered if very many people would show up, if I'm being honest.  Guess what God did?  He packed out the room!  

  It just goes to show that I need to constantly be reminded that I am a child of God, not an orphan.  Easter can bring this to the forefront because through the resurrection of our Life, Jesus Christ, we remember that we have been raised with Him with a new creation identity.  Ephesians 2:6 says, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." NIV  Our resurrection with Christ proves that we are no longer orphans.  We are sons and daughters of the Living God!

   This Easter let's rejoice in Jesus' conquering death, sin and satan because of His resurrection; and may it give us a needed jolt to also celebrate our unshakable identity in Christ.  Here are a few reminders of who we are in Christ as sons and daughters of God.  These are taken from our GLI bookmark which we freely given to all who have received faith in Jesus Christ.  They are all taken from the New American Standard Bible for accuracy.

I'm Accepted:  Accepted by God-Romans 15:7, Righteous-2 Corinthians 5:21, A Saint-Ephesians 1:1, Complete in Christ-Colossians 2:10, Not Condemned-Romans 8:1, Forgiven-Colossians 2:13.

I'm Significant:  God's Masterpiece-Ephesians 2:10, Chosen-Ephesians 1:4, God's Treasure-Matthew 13:44-46, Seated in Heaven - Ephesians 2:6, A New Creation-2 Corinthians 5:17, Designed by God-Psalm 139:13-16

I'm Loved:  Dearly Loved-1 Thessalonians 1:4, Beloved-Romans 1:7, Loved by the Father as Much as He Loves Jesus-John 17:23&26, Christ's Friend-John 15:15, Hidden with Christ-Colossians 3:3, Can't Stop God's Love for Me-Romans 8:37-39

    "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!" -1 John 3:1 NIV

   May this Easter be a beautiful reminder of how Jesus' resurrection changed you from an orphan to an incredible child of God!  Would you pray now and ask God if you tend to live more like an orphan or His child?

      

Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding

Are You Really Righteous?

   When my oldest son was in the 10th grade, concern arose because it seemed as though his growth was stunted.  He was the smallest guy in his class of a couple hundred.  There is nothing wrong with being short if God has made you that way for His glory.  Yet, my wife's brothers are all as tall as I am.  So we were scratching our heads wondering if there might be something wrong.  I took him to see a Doctor of Naturopathy.  After our consultation, the next week he prescribed two supplements for him to take that Spring.  The results?  When school started the next fall, he was one of the tallest guys in his class!  Apparently his body was missing some vital ingredients to cause it to grow as God had designed.

   In the same way, many Christians today are stunted in their spiritual growth.  The writer of Hebrews in chapter 5 verse 13 informs us of the reason for this.  It says, "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." It seems clear that the missing ingredient is the lack of the Biblical teaching that God has made you as righteous as Jesus Christ.

   This is apparently no small issue as the Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, spends all of Romans 4 and 5 making it clear that God has turned every sinner into a righteous person through faith in Christ.  This is a "super food" ingredient for our spiritual growth!   Have you been taught that you are righteous through faith in Christ?

Yet, even if you believe that you are righteous in Christ, you may still need to overcome some common deceptions.  Taken from our Grace Life Conference, here are some ways people may be deceived.

   1.  God's righteousness is a robe covering me.  God has covered me with a robe of righteousness implying He can't look at me as a sinner.  Answer - It is true God has given me a robe of righteousness but under that robe is a righteous new creation.

   2.  The blood of Christ covers me.  Underneath His blood there is still something wrong with me.  Answer - I thank God for the blood of Christ because it has so washed me that I have been regenerated according to Titus 3:5.

  3. God only sees Christ in me.  This implies that God cannot look directly at me because I am a sinner.  Answer -  God certainly sees Christ in me but He also sees me because I am a new creation.  Also, Jesus is not me and I am not Jesus but we are united with each other.

   4.  Christ is My Filter.  God hides me behind Christ so He doesn't see me because I am a sinner.  Answer - The finished work of Christ has resurrected me as a new creation whom God can look directly at.

   5.   I have Positional Righteousness.  God sees me as if I'm righteous, but I won't really be righteous until I get to heaven.  Answer - While we are certainly positioned in Christ, this deception communicates that God is faking Himself out . The new birth is very real.  It is not an illusion.

 6. Forgiveness equals righteousness.  God's forgiveness makes me righteous.  Answer - Forgiveness only removes my unrighteous acts.  Yet, forgiveness does not make me righteous.

   Several years ago, after hearing these deceptions, a pastor who was at one of our Grace Life Conferences exclaimed, "I knew I was saved but I didn't know I was that saved!"  How about you?  Have you believed any of these deceptions which are stunting your growth?  If so, are you willing to go to God now and tell Him you agree with Him that you are righteous whether you feel it or not?

Suggested Prayer:  Father, I agree with Your Word, that Your Righteousness has now become my Righteousness.  I choose to believe this regardless of what satan, the world, my feelings, my performance or others say.  In Jesus' Name,  Amen.

Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

Does God Really Accept Us Unconditionally?

   In our ministry, we have asked many Christians, through the years, if they grew up feeling loved. The majority have answered in the affirmative. The next question, though, is often answered differently. Let me ask you that question. "Did you feel accepted growing up?" Think about that for a minute. I am not asking if people said they accepted you. The question is, "Did you 'feel' accepted?"

   One of the deep God-given needs of the human heart is to feel accepted. Acceptance is the unconditional part of love. It means that when someone accepts us, there are no conditions upon that acceptance. We can't mess it up by making a mistake, committing a sin or failing.
   There is no human being in our life who can meet this for us completely. However, God is able to accept all those who are in Christ. The question is "Why does He accept us?" Is it simply because He is kind, merciful and full of grace so that He overlooks our faults and sins? While He is all of these and more, there is another very important reason. He accepts who we are in Christ. It is because through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, He has made all of us who have faith in His son, 100% righteous!

   What is righteousness? It means to be right, to be perfect, and to be perfect in character. God's righteousness is the perfection of all of His character. Amazingly, through our faith in His Son, God removes the unrighteousness of our past, present and future sins. He also replaces the identity we were born with as being a sinner, with a new creation identity of being righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it this way, "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Wow! Do you see the divine exchange which occurred? Jesus Christ became our sin on the cross and we became as righteous as God! That is, God gave us His righteousness in exchange for our sin. Which one do you focus on more? Your sin or God's gift of righteousness?

   God's gift of righteousness is the reason He can can accept you. How much of God's righteousness did He give you? 80%? 95%? No! He gave us 100%! This has made you 100% acceptable to Him! You can't diminish that gift of righteousness by sinning nor increase it through obedience, because the basis of this gift is not based on our work, but Jesus' work.

   This is why we have peace with God. This is why we can come before Him boldly without fear of rejection. This is the reason we can be intimate with God.

   I urge you to take a moment and tell the Lord you believe it. You may not feel it nor see it being lived out in your life as you would want it to be, but in believing it by faith, you will be in agreement with God's Word, which is our final authority for what is true.

You are loved! Believe it. Receive it. Live in it.

Live Free In Christ, Mark Maulding, President and Founder



www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

Something Wrong with You or are "Some" "Things" Wrong with You?

   When we first started Grace Life International in 1995, our Vice-President was meeting with a man who had ADD. He spent quite a bit of time describing how bad it was and how it was negatively affecting his life. The Holy Spirit prompted our VP to ask this great question. "Do you have ADD or does ADD have you?" This person still needed our help, but it was keen discernment revealing that he was allowing his ADD to define his identity.

   Similarly, we have "some" "things" wrong with us. Sometimes they are a condition like ADD, fibromyalgia, trauma, depression, addiction, pride, self-effort, a struggling marriage, loneliness, perfectionism, worry, impatience, rejection, self-condemnation, performance based acceptance and more. The question is do they have us or do we have them?

   In Christ, we do not have "something wrong with us" because we are complete and perfect in Christ. Colossians 2:10 says, "in Him all the fullness of deity dwells and you have been made complete in Him." NASB Hebrews 10:14 echoes this in a more powerful way stating, "Through one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those whom He sanctified." NASB God has fixed what was wrong with us when He crucified our identity in Adam and raised us up with Christ with a new creation identity as a child of the living God!

   There are two deceptions we need to be aware of. One is believing we are defined by what we do, who we know, what we have, illnesses, what has happened to us, or what others say about us. One man said at one of our Grace Life Conferences that his parents had raised him to believe he was better than everyone else. A lady once said she has been told her entire life that she would never amount to anything. These were defining moments for each.
   A second deception is believing that because we know who we are in Christ, we don't have any thing wrong with us. We do and it is called the flesh. The flesh has desires which have been or are patterns of coping with life apart from dependence on Christ in us. Do you know what yours are? Here are some of mine: superiority, self-pity, discouragement, legalism, fear of rejection, performing for acceptance, depression, and having to be the best to feel important. I am thankful that I don't follow those patterns very much anymore. They have been replaced with the patterns of Christ living through me instead, which has gotten my focus off of me and on loving God and people. But most of all, though I have "some" "things" like these which are wrong with me at times, I don't have "something wrong with me" because God took care of that already when He exchanged my old identity for my new identity in Christ.

   How about you? Do you live life thinking "there is something wrong with me" because of fleshly patterns? Or, do you stand firmly in your identity in Christ while realizing and admitting you still have "some" "things" wrong with you at times?

   Why don't we all take a moment right now and ask God which of these ways we tend to live our daily lives, then respond to whatever He says to us?

You are loved! Believe it. Receive it. Live in it.


Mark Maulding, President and Founder


www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding