CWW Week 22 – Day 3 – Breaking The Chain

Still working through themes of the book Conquering The Dragon Within by Marvin Moore.

Todays theme is Breaking The Chain Of Resentment.

Scripture.

Ephesians 4:31 [NKJV]

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”

This verse is part of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he encourages believers to live in a manner that reflects their new life in Christ. Here, Paul advises against harbouring negative emotions and behaviours, advocating instead for a life characterised by kindness and forgiveness.

I am challenged; and I’m glad that I’m challenged.

Why am I glad? Because in this I know that my character is being developed.

In my extensive career in aviation, I spent the best part of four decades strapped into the cockpit of a Boeing 737 in most of it’s variants. Thirty two of those years were in command. I knew that aeroplane inside out. I knew how it behaved and I caught most of it’s warning signs when it was placed in testing situations.

But there was not a day that went by when that wonderful bird didn’t teach me something. I learned something new every single day. I promised myself that the day I stopped learning about her I would quit. My career didn’t end the way I wanted it to thanks to vax mandates but still, on my last flight she taught me a lesson or two.

While it was always nice to fly in clear smooth skies; I must confess that I loved the challenges of those stormy summer evenings when I would have to navigate my way through walls of angry thunderheads. I loved the challenge of landing in sometimes almost zero visibility. I wanted to be the very best pilot I could be.

I no longer fly, but I still know that the challenges of my walk with Jesus are for my own benefit and growth.

Dealing with resentment is just such a challenge. This is a strong chain that I need to break.

While I resent the oppressive governing of my life by over bearing elected and non elected officials; I can put that in a different box when I pray the serenity prayer. I know that as William Wallace said in the movie Braveheart, “They can take away our lives but they will never take away our freedom.” If we have the right attitude to life, our freedom can never be stolen from us, we can only give it away.

Why? Because my freedom comes through my identity in Christ and the only way that can be taken is by surgically removing my heart.

It’s the personal relationships, and day to day ‘interactions with others’ kind of resentment that I can struggle with. You know the kind I mean. Those people that you just don’t want to talk to. They cut you off on the freeway or push ahead of you in the line at the supermarket. Those people who seem to suck the life out of you and change the climate of your day.

I am triggered by those in my life that I perceive are just taking advantage of me. That the relationship is all take and no give. My intolerance of such people turns into resentment and that’s what can keep me awake at night as the Holy Spirit stirs inside my mind to the point that I can’t sleep. That’s why I got out of bed at 2am to write this devotional. Thank You Papa.

I have learned that we need to be careful what we pray for because it always comes with a challenge you may not want to participate in…..But I do. Just like I know that when the sun comes up I need to go for a walk to get some exercise, when it is then is that I will mostly want to go back to bed.

Michelle and I have spent weeks agonising over a certain resentment that seemed to be growing all on it’s own. One little hiccup ferments in the crock of our thoughts and we form a belief that needs to be fed as we look for more evidence that we are being ‘taken for a ride.’ Frustration builds day by day to the point that all the things we stand for become hypocritical. Sayings we often use like ‘No Judgement Beyond this Point’ and ‘Tell The Truth Faster,’ and ‘The only time we should ever look down on anyone is when we are helping them up,’ all seem to have a hollow ring to them.

We are called in our Christian walk to be better than that. Yes there are some people you need to walk away from because they are toxic in nature. Scripture warns us of this in Proverbs 22:24-25

“Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.”

Likewise allowing people to walk all over you is not good either as you enable bad behaviours.

We walk a fine line when it comes to building resentment. If we don’t deal with it our serenity will be given to it and we all lose.

Resentment is often triggered by stress and frustration and this is a clear indicator that we need to hand much more over to Jesus who tells us in Matthew 11:30:”For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

This is a great contrast to the acronym for the word busy from where most of our stress emanates. B U S Y?…Burdened Under Satans Yoke.

We can break the chain of resentment by strategically seeing it as our problem and it must be solved. We may have to walk away or, we may just have to change our attitude. What are we telling the world about our faith when we carry the burden of resentment.

Jesus of all people should have harboured huge resentment. He was a giver of love, compassion and salvation, and He was murdered for His trouble; and what were among his last words from the cross?

‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’

Some people will challenge us. Some will drive us crazy if we let it get out of hand. But ultimately the ball is in our court and we must return serve one way or the other. 

‘People only drive us crazy because, after all, we give them the keys.’

It all gets back to God’s amazing grace doesn’t it?

Of course there is another target of our resentment and that is our resentment of ourselves. But we’ve already discussed that when we talked about the other R word that is the Remedy to all of this.

Repentance.

Questions.

1. Do you allow busyness to put a roadblock between you and certain people?
2. Are these people here to challenge you to learn more about your own flawed character?
3. Can you let go of resentment and let God carry you for a while? 

Prayer.

Dear Lord, Papa God.

There is so much that I need to learn on this journey. Help me to take a searching and fearless moral inventory of my character. Papa, strip away resentment and break the chain of it that binds me to the devil who flourishes in my imperfect thoughts of others. Please grant me the discernment to make better choices and teach me to live in the fruits of the spirit. For this is my prayer in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a great day with Jesus.

Graham Hood