IT’S ME, O LORD, STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER

I went on a tirade last night (or a tirage, which is the made-up word my friend Rhonda uses). When you turn the nozzle on that faucet, it starts to pour regardless of how much time you’ve been spending with the Lord. Just don’t turn that holier-than-thou nozzle in the first place. It’s hard to rein it in when you do.

I got on a roll and couldn’t stop listing things that irritated me about certain people. I spouted the things I said they could easily do to change. I was judgmental about the fact that these people were the cause of their own problems. I was opinionated and I was harsh. I couldn’t seem to stop.

Here is the irony. I was opinionated and harsh about how easy it would be for all these other people to change, and yet I was the one who could not find the ability to change the toxic stream flowing from my mouth.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, long-suffering, and self-control. I found myself judging everyone else about their lack of spiritual maturity when I was the person not exhibiting a single one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Let’s look at what Jesus said: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. But you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Why do you worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5, NLT).

Yes, there are some things I can gently and lovingly help others do so they can gain victory in some difficult areas in their life. I’m working to get the logs out of my own eyes so that I can effectively help, minister to, and encourage others.