A need to talk about others is a reflection of what’s going on inside of us! -EL

It’s that time of year when we look to the cross with more intensity and appreciation to reflect upon all that our Father sacrificed, all that Jesus endured before getting to the cross, on the cross and even afterwards as He descended into hell to pay, once and for all, the debt for us despite us. Why? So we may dwell with Them when we finish our race here on earth.

Thanks for joining me today for Wednesday’s Word and our Coffee Hour! Grab your Coffee, journal and your Strand of Faith and join me for what I pray will be a knot-worthy sharing for you in your faith journey!

Have you ever said you’ve forgiven someone for an offense only to find that the next time that anything that even remotely reminds you of it, resentment, re-ignites the flame of un-forgiveness? Of course, it was all in the name of “just sharing,” right?

And what about challenging circumstances: when something comes up that reminds you of your current dilemma and frustration takes the reins of your thoughts and runs like a champion thoroughbred, do you ever realize that before you know it, everyone knows about it? And suddenly that little hill of a trial becomes a mountain!

If there’s one lesson I seem to be forgetting more than I’m getting, especially lately, is that the more I talk about a problem the bigger it gets until I no longer see the Cross!

Oh, don’t you ever feel like your mind and heart need to be spiritually, scripturally sanitized? That’s what is so awe-inspiring about His Word, because it not only sanitizes, but revolutionizes the soul and brings all that was accomplished on the Cross back into focus.

In the beginning of this week, I used this same verse to talk about gossip, but then He gave me this life application as it relates to faith-ing through our circumstances. What a beautiful way of saying let go, let God, and gently but quite firmly reminding me that I don’t need to keep adding wood to my tough circumstances by talking about them – in the name of venting. Sometimes we can get so caught up with venting that we lose sight of all that was done on the Cross to provide, protect and prevail over each and every one of our circumstances and relationships!

Let’s have some fun with the NIV version of this verse, Proverbs 26:20a:

Without wood a fire goes out – think about it; can a fire burn without wood? Of course not! This part of this instruction is telling us to minimize what we tend to maximize, and it can be applied to relationships and circumstances!

Maybe it’s time to minimize what I tend to maximize, and keep my eye on the Cross!

Oh, the beauty of scriptural sanitization and the power of His Words to us underlined with the gift of grace, all to bring us closer to Him, not push us away.

He loves you and me so much, He died for us!

Kim-Evinda