TENDERNESS 2

I had an interesting lesson the other day .

I was required to lead prayers as we began our service, which was a great privilege. But because it was the second service, I also had the responsibility of helping set the house in order by asking those who were not joining the service to exit the auditorium.

Some chose not to move, so I began leading the prayers and continued with the service.

Later, my leader called me aside and said, “Next time, have people move out and let everyone else who remains be active in the service.”

It was a simple correction, but as I thought about it, I realized how often we talk about being corrected without considering how we receive correction.

Sometimes correction comes, and our first instinct is to explain ourselves.

'they weren't listening

And before we have even considered what was said, we are already defending what we did.

But I found myself thinking about tenderness.

Perhaps one of the ways we know that a heart is becoming tender is by how it responds when it is corrected.

A tender heart doesn't mean you never make mistakes,it means your heart remains malleable when the mistake is revealed.

A tender heart remains teachable

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TENDERNESS

There was a time I was asking the Holy spirit to teach me how to be tender as a woman. So He did , and we began unpacking little heart issues 🤗

And as I searched the Scriptures I found these two scriptures ;

✨I will give you a heart of flesh Ezek 36:26

✨A contrite heart You will not despise psalm 51:17

It began to dawn on me that tender working begins on the inside before it ever becomes an outward expression.

A tender heart is a heart that is easily moved towards God. It gravitates towards what pleases Him. It is willing to be shaped, corrected and made malleable by the hands of God as the Potter .

Tenderness is first an inner working ,the positioning of the heart to incline towards God's character and eventually to live that out loud.

So, we began by looking at the fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5 which is the outward expression of what has taken root within.

And one thing I found interesting is that Scripture calls it the fruit of the Spirit, singular,not fruits because these virtues are meant to function with great dependence because they are of the same spirit.

      ✨Where there is love, kindness follows

      ✨where there is faithfulness,self control remains

And perhaps this is where tenderness begins to make sense.

Tenderness is not simply being soft spoken or agreeable. It is the outcome of a heart that has been continually yielded to the Spirit of God.

It is what happens when the character of Christ begins to shape the way we respond to God, to ourselves, and to others. 

Tenderness is what happens when the Spirit is given room to shape the heart and the shaped heart eventually speaks, moves, loves in the way it is shaped . 

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EXPECTATIONS PT 3

PATIENCE IN THE WAIT 

I was going through a deep disappointment because I thought what I was expecting would have worked out by now. I had imagined the outcome, trusted that it would happen, and when it didn't, I was disappointed.

Until I took it to God.🤷🏿

And in that place, I felt Him ask me a question: When you set out on this journey, why didn't you engage Me?”

That question became the beginning of this three-part series.

Because as I sat with God and examined my motives , I realized that what I had been expecting had, in part, come from a place of selfish ambition.

Not because God doesn't intend to give me what I desire, but because the foundation of my expectation was wrong.

In Part One, we established that our expectations must come from God. He must be both the source of our expectation and the One we trust to bring it to fulfillment.

In Part Two, we saw that:

Expectation flourishes in the heart that fears God, refuses comparison, and faithfully follows His way.

And now, in Part Three, we come to another important part of waiting:

PATIENCE.

the hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

Prov10:28

Hope is not merely wishful thinking that something will happen,biblical hope is placing our expectation in Someone—God.

It is looking to Him with confidence, trusting that He knows what He is doing, even when we cannot yet 'see' the outcome in totality.

And this is where patience becomes so important.

Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and it is a great virtue in the life of a believer. God calls us to wait; not vainly, not anxiously, and not hopelessly, but with hope in Him because the hope of the righteous shall be gladness.

Many times, we want to rush the process.

We want things to happen according to our timing. We can even become frustrated with God because He isn't moving according to the schedule we have created in our minds.

But patience says:

“God, I trust You enough to let You decide and in that patience becomes active trust not passive resignation. 

It is fully trusting God to do what He has purposed to do, in His way and in His time. 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Prov 3:5

Sometimes the hardest part of waiting is surrendering our understanding of when.

✨We know what we want.

✨We may even believe God can do it.

✨But can we trust Him enough to leave the timing in His hands?

He is not confused about your future,He is not late.

He is not trying to figure things out as He goes. He's got it all together.

He is sovereign.

So, while you wait, don't allow impatience to make you take back what you surrendered to God.

Don't let disappointment convince you that you have to make things happen fast for yourself .

✨Wait.

✨Trust.

✨Hope.

And let God be God.

Because sometimes the miracle is not only in what we are waiting for, but in who we become while we wait.

Teach your heart to wait on God.

What He does, how He does it, and when He does it are all safely in His hands.

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EXPECTATIONS PT 2

In Part One on expectations, we established that our expectations must originate from God. He must be both the source of our expectation and the One who brings it to fulfillment.

Today,let's look at this scripture,

for surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off — Proverbs 23:18

This wise saying gives us a beautiful assurance: our God given expectations will surely come to pass. Yet this promise is not isolated from its context because the preceding verse says;

let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long - Prov 23:17

The fulfillment of our expectations is closely connected to the condition of our hearts. Solomon warns us not to allow envy to take root but instead to remain in the fear of the Lord continually.

Why? Because envy quietly corrupts the heart. It replaces joy with resentment and gratitude with comparison. Once envy is entertained, it is only a matter of time before it begins to shape our words, attitudes, and actions. Envy becomes the root from which bitterness grows, and bitterness is something Scripture commands us to put away (Eph 4:31).

Our expectations, therefore, must not be influenced by what we see others receiving . They must be shaped by the fear of God. As we keep our eyes fixed on Him not looking to the right or to the left we remain anchored in His will rather than being distracted by comparison.

Verse 19 of the same continues;

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way Proverbs 23:19

The heart must be guided. Left to itself, it naturally drifts toward comparison, impatience, and discontent. But when guided in the way of the fear of the Lord, it remains steadfast, trusting, and with a living hope.

Holy fear continually directs the child of God to fix their gaze on Him alone. It teaches us that His timing is perfect, His promises are sure, and His plans for us are never delayed by the success of another.

When our hearts remain free from envy and firmly planted in the fear of the Lord, we rest with confidence, knowing that our expectation shall not be cut off.

The progression is from the posture of the heart (fear the lord) verse 18 gives the promise and assurance of it's fulfilment and in closing the responsibility to guide the heart .The three must remain in harmony

EXPECTATIONS

The literal meaning of the word expect carries with it the idea of looking forward to something good. To expect is to anticipate an outcome, usually one we believe will work in our favor.

Expectations, then, are the inclinations of our hearts toward an outcome we hope for. Yet disappointment often comes when the source of our expectation is misplaced and we ask God to fulfill desires that He never planted in us.

For example, jealousy may become the source of our ambition. We may desire success simply to outdo someone else or prove ourselves superior. 

While God delights in blessing and promoting His children, He is not interested in validating jealousy. Instead, He first deals with the heart, teaching us that our identity and elevation are found in His love, not in comparison with others.

But here is what God is saying 

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62:5 

As short as this verse is, it reveals two profound truths.

✨First, David reminds his own soul to wait. The soul, if not anchored in God, can easily become impatient and anxious. Anxiety creates room for fear, worry, and intrusive thoughts. Waiting is not passive; it is an act of trust that keeps the soul steady.

✨Second, notice that David does not say his expectation is merely in God; he says his expectation is from God.

There is a difference;

The word from speaks of source or origin. David's expectation did not originate in his circumstances, his abilities, or even his own desires. It originated in God. Because God was the source of his expectation, David could wait with confidence, knowing that the One who gave him hope was faithful.

When our expectations are born from God's heart, we no longer strive to force outcomes. We learn to trust His timing, His wisdom, and His purposes. God becomes both the source of our expectation and the One who faithfully brings His will to pass.

Waiting teaches the soul that the One from whom it expects is faithful. He can be trusted. He can be depended on.

So, to expect is not simply to hope for an outcome. It is to ensure that the source of your expectation is right. When your expectation is from God, your hope rests not on changing circumstances but on the unchanging character of God Himself.

 Delight yourself in the lord, find great joy in the one who is your source above your need of Him meeting your desires.

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A RENEWED MIND

Over the past two days, we've talked about intrusive thoughts and how to take mastery over every thought. Today, let's look at the renewed mind.

In Philippians 2:5, Paul exhorts us:

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

To let means to permit, to allow, to yield. It is a deliberate choice to submit our way of thinking to the pattern of Christ.

Having the mind of Christ means allowing your thoughts, attitudes, and responses to be shaped by His truth. 

The renewed mind is not the creation of a new mind, but the transformation of the one you already have. It is the process of bringing your thinking into agreement with God's perspective.

The mind of Christ has the capacity to think, believe, and respond in a way that aligns with the Father's will because it is led by the Spirit rather than by the flesh.

Paul expands in  Ephesians 4:22

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 Paul doesn't simply say, "renew your mind' he says 

 "be renewed in the spirit of your mind." 

This speaks of the governing influence behind your thinking , the inward disposition that shapes how you perceive, reason, and respond.

A mind submitted to darkness will produce thoughts consistent with darkness. A mind yielded to the Holy Spirit will increasingly reflect the life and character of Christ.

God's desire is that we be sanctified by the truth.

 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth (John 17:17). 

As we continually expose ourselves to God's Word, believe it, and obey it, our minds are renewed. We stop conforming to the patterns of this world and begin to think from His perspective.

A renewed mind has learned to recognize truth, reject lies, and consistently stay on God's perspective. It is a mind that is continually being shaped by the Word and led by the Spirit over emotions . 

Romans 12:2 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Consistency conformity to the world is proof of unrenewed mind .

INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS PT 2

If you're new here, welcome! Please adjust quickly to the fact that we apparently have devotional sequels. 🤣 Completely unplanned.

Yesterday, we said that intrusive thoughts are unwelcome, uninvited thoughts that desire to settle into the seat of your mind. The remedy is not to entertain them, but to bring them into obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Today, let's go a little deeper into the renewing of the mind through meditation.

Biblical meditation is not the emptying of the mind, as seen in some worldly practices.

 Rather, it is the filling of the mind with God's truth. It is the intentional replacement of lies with truth, fear with faith, and old patterns of thinking with the mind of Christ.

One of the fascinating things about the brain is that it forms neural pathways. Every repeated thought strengthens a particular pathway. The more often you think a thought, the easier it becomes for your brain to travel that route. It's like walking through a grassy field. The first walk leaves barely a trace, but repeated walks eventually create a well worn path.

This is why what you meditate on matters. The thoughts you repeatedly dwell on become the paths your mind naturally follows.

When Scripture calls us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) it isn't merely asking us to think positive thoughts. It is inviting us to consistently dwell on God's truth until our thinking is reshaped by it. As you repeatedly meditate on God's Word, your brain strengthens new pathways that make His truth easier to recall and live from even when an intrusive thought comes knocking.

On the other hand, if we continually rehearse fear, shame, lust, anxiety, or lies, those thought patterns also become familiar routes. The brain naturally follows the paths that have been travelled most often.

So when an intrusive thought comes, don't panic simply because it showed up. Instead, ask yourself, "Does this agree with the Word of God?" If the answer is no, then it does not deserve a seat of meditation in your mind.

Feed the truth, not the lie.

The more you meditate on God's Word, the more familiar His truth becomes not only to your spirit, but also to your patterns of thinking. Over time, what once required intentional effort begins to become your natural response.

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." — Psalm 1:2

The mind follows what it meditates on. So choose wisely what you give a permanent seat in your thoughts. 

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