No More Games
(Had some people from new countries that visited the blog: Albania and Portugal!!! Hope you were touched by God and His love and revelation as you read! Please come back anytime. God is love, and He is in love with you, whoever you are! It's amazing, isn't it?)
"Oh the games people play, now. Every night and every day, now. Never meaning what they say, now. Never saying what they mean." These were the words from a song when I was growing up called, " Games People Play."
I've always been interested in human behavior, and so before I even heard the words to this song, I had begun to notice these "games" we all play and had wondered why we play them. Overtime, I've come to understand there are too many reasons to list as to the "why." Off the top of my head, I would say one of the major reasons that we do is for self-protection out of insecurity. But do we really have to try and protect ourselves? As Christians who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but many times choose to respond to others according to our flesh (our carnal ,unredeemed nature) we probably need to protect others against ourself!
Recently, I've come to realize that my immediate response to others does indeed involve "playing games" by either saying what is expected (to try and not harm them, of course) or saying what I think they need to hear. (which is once again my sin nature and human reasoning taking control) But, there are other responses that God has for us from His heart and mind, which are according to truth and love, His mode of operation. We can tap into these, if we listen to His Spirit within us, and cease the ineffective and false game playing. By "speaking the truth in love" His healing and revealing power can flow from us to others.
This usually happens or is revealed to us after years and years and years of game playing, which is all we had known and practiced before we were "born again." After our new birth, He then de-programs our behavior by the healing of our souls and re-programs us according to His Ways, and most of the time this takes longer than we had hoped. It's a layer by layer process.
Let's imagine a before and after scenario for demonstrations' sake.
We are visiting a relative whose spouse has always been a thorn in our side, as he doesn't relent in making snide remarks to almost everyone, usually criticizing or demeaning them. On this particular visit, you are sitting at the table with the relative talking and drinking coffee when the husband walks in the room. He says to you, "Looks like you're doing what you do best. Sitting there and drinking coffee. Don't you have something better to do than that? Is that your purpose in life?"
The "before" reaction, which would be totally from one's sin nature, as you don't have the power to do anything different. By defending yourself you retort back and may say, "What in the hell do you have to do with my life, and who died and made you king over me anyway?" or reacting a little more mildly and socially acceptably, you could act like you weren't offended or hurt and say smugly, "Well, atleast it's non-alcoholic," and laugh it off. Some may think this would be a good response, but it too, is self-protective and nothing is really accomplished by it, except maybe two people "not saying what they mean," resulting in game playing.
O.K. let's use this same example and ask the Spirit of God how to respond to his criticism of you. Since He has shown you that his criticisms are from his own insecurities, you are able to look beyond them and see his need. You feel compassion for the attacks he operates from, knowing that they are just a smoke-screen to take attention away from himself and those needs. He doesn't want anyone to know about them, and so he is always in attack mode. But God reveals this to you, and you get quiet to hear what He would have you say back to this wounded one.
You say unexpectedly from the Spirit of God, "Would you like to join us? I'd like to hear your perspective on things." By completing disregarding the personal attacks, the Holy Spirit through your vessel, saves face for him and offers to draw him close, all the while diffuses the situation and protects you, too. Only God can do that!!!
There becomes no need to play games because He has demonstrated to you in the past and you are now beginning to trust that He will defend and protect you. So, you are free to let Him use you to minister to others. So, instead of "saying what you mean" it then becomes letting Him say what He wants to say to others. Is this not what He means by "speaking the truth in Love?" And what would be the truth in this scenario. The truth would be that the one who was the attacker is loved by God, and He wants him to come to Him and be healed. I'll admit that I have been the attacker many times in my life, and I need that same love and truth imparted to me to help heal me and to set me free from what binds. "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us," comes to mind.
So, are we willing to step aside, trust Him to protect and defend us so that He can speak through us and touch someone with His love? When we become willing to be used by Him in this way, game playing will stop, and the business of His Kingdom will be at hand.
Flow through me, Lord, and let Your Kingdom come. Amen.
"Oh the games people play, now. Every night and every day, now. Never meaning what they say, now. Never saying what they mean." These were the words from a song when I was growing up called, " Games People Play."
I've always been interested in human behavior, and so before I even heard the words to this song, I had begun to notice these "games" we all play and had wondered why we play them. Overtime, I've come to understand there are too many reasons to list as to the "why." Off the top of my head, I would say one of the major reasons that we do is for self-protection out of insecurity. But do we really have to try and protect ourselves? As Christians who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but many times choose to respond to others according to our flesh (our carnal ,unredeemed nature) we probably need to protect others against ourself!
Recently, I've come to realize that my immediate response to others does indeed involve "playing games" by either saying what is expected (to try and not harm them, of course) or saying what I think they need to hear. (which is once again my sin nature and human reasoning taking control) But, there are other responses that God has for us from His heart and mind, which are according to truth and love, His mode of operation. We can tap into these, if we listen to His Spirit within us, and cease the ineffective and false game playing. By "speaking the truth in love" His healing and revealing power can flow from us to others.
This usually happens or is revealed to us after years and years and years of game playing, which is all we had known and practiced before we were "born again." After our new birth, He then de-programs our behavior by the healing of our souls and re-programs us according to His Ways, and most of the time this takes longer than we had hoped. It's a layer by layer process.
Let's imagine a before and after scenario for demonstrations' sake.
We are visiting a relative whose spouse has always been a thorn in our side, as he doesn't relent in making snide remarks to almost everyone, usually criticizing or demeaning them. On this particular visit, you are sitting at the table with the relative talking and drinking coffee when the husband walks in the room. He says to you, "Looks like you're doing what you do best. Sitting there and drinking coffee. Don't you have something better to do than that? Is that your purpose in life?"
The "before" reaction, which would be totally from one's sin nature, as you don't have the power to do anything different. By defending yourself you retort back and may say, "What in the hell do you have to do with my life, and who died and made you king over me anyway?" or reacting a little more mildly and socially acceptably, you could act like you weren't offended or hurt and say smugly, "Well, atleast it's non-alcoholic," and laugh it off. Some may think this would be a good response, but it too, is self-protective and nothing is really accomplished by it, except maybe two people "not saying what they mean," resulting in game playing.
O.K. let's use this same example and ask the Spirit of God how to respond to his criticism of you. Since He has shown you that his criticisms are from his own insecurities, you are able to look beyond them and see his need. You feel compassion for the attacks he operates from, knowing that they are just a smoke-screen to take attention away from himself and those needs. He doesn't want anyone to know about them, and so he is always in attack mode. But God reveals this to you, and you get quiet to hear what He would have you say back to this wounded one.
You say unexpectedly from the Spirit of God, "Would you like to join us? I'd like to hear your perspective on things." By completing disregarding the personal attacks, the Holy Spirit through your vessel, saves face for him and offers to draw him close, all the while diffuses the situation and protects you, too. Only God can do that!!!
There becomes no need to play games because He has demonstrated to you in the past and you are now beginning to trust that He will defend and protect you. So, you are free to let Him use you to minister to others. So, instead of "saying what you mean" it then becomes letting Him say what He wants to say to others. Is this not what He means by "speaking the truth in Love?" And what would be the truth in this scenario. The truth would be that the one who was the attacker is loved by God, and He wants him to come to Him and be healed. I'll admit that I have been the attacker many times in my life, and I need that same love and truth imparted to me to help heal me and to set me free from what binds. "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us," comes to mind.
So, are we willing to step aside, trust Him to protect and defend us so that He can speak through us and touch someone with His love? When we become willing to be used by Him in this way, game playing will stop, and the business of His Kingdom will be at hand.
Flow through me, Lord, and let Your Kingdom come. Amen.
posted by Patti Blount @ 6:25 AM
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