“Judge not.”

No Biblical phrase has been more overused (or abused).  Was Jesus actually saying we should have no discernment?  What actually DID He mean and how do we steer clear of breaking His commandment?

Here are the 8 signs of judgmentalism and how we overcome it in our own lives:

It’s everywhere. 

Congressmen being shot.  Angry racists driving cars over human beings.  States threatening seriously to secede from the “United” States of America.

How did we get here and what is our way out?

40 million adults in America suffer from some type of anxiety disorder. Millions more face routine worry and anxiety about the day-to-day challenges of life.  Finding peace of mind becomes the goal of every day. 

Of course, we know that chronic worry can be symptomatic of a deep underlying issue in your soul.  We should also not belittle the amazing results medical treatment has done to relieve anxiety. To me, however, we sometimes wear a worry “filter” about everything.  

What are some simple ways to get free from worry?

We are all human.   We set goals, we envision success.  What do you do when it all comes crashing down? I recently experienced a deep disappointment.  My ninth grandchild went to heaven in his 7th month in the womb.  His middle name was my name.

It was sudden.  It was unthinkable.  The pregnancy was perfect.  My daughter-in-law had to deliver that child and my son had to bury that child.

Disappointments are real and, unfortunately, unforeseen.

What are the secrets to managing disappointments?

It’s been tough this week to watch piles of clothes, furniture, appliances, and TVs out in front of every home on my street.  It’s dark.  It’s difficult. 40,000 homes are under 4-8 feet of water.  Nine megachurches are totally flooded.  Not one church had services last Sunday.

Jacob was in a dark place.  Running from his brother, he found a rock to sleep on.  There, in a dream, he saw God. (Gen 28)

How can you find a blessing in a dark place?

It seems we have all been a little shellshocked.  What a summer.  Terrorist attacks and campaigns.  Shootings and tension.  Now, it has come home to me more than ever.  I have lived on Bethany Church’s North campus property for 53 years.  I’ve never seen anything like what happened there this weekend.

How quickly your world can change.  From a calm, lazy summer Thursday afternoon to 25 inches of rain and emergency evacuation.  I was speaking in Austin, Texas, Saturday when I got word from Melanie that she had grabbed our vital documents and loaded a boat for higher ground.

Here are some helpful thoughts to think when you are in a personal disaster like this: 

It’s crazy.  The images of carnage.  The blatant anger.  The hurt and frustration.  The escalating conflict and animosity between races and with authorities.  What is the solution?  “Hesed.”

Here are some practical ways we can show God’s “hesed”:

I hate cruise control.  I hate it but I love it.  But I hate it.  It is so limiting.   It requires me to go only at a certain pace.  I love it because I can relax and just ride.  I hate it because I want to get there ahead of the guy in front of me! In our world today, everyone is in a hurry.  Patients are dying in hospitals because of the haste to move on to the next patient.  Everyone is on the move.  We are squeezing every second out of one activity to pour into the next one.

Think about these things when you are galloping toward your next ferry that is about to pull out:

“The problem with being deceived is that you are deceived.  If you knew you were deceived, you would no longer be deceived!”  Leaders get blindsided.  They didn’t see something coming then it hits them. 

How do you protect yourself from a blindside hit that can scar you for life?

Against his parents strict orders, a little boy was sliding on his wood floors at home without his socks.  A splinter lodged in his foot.  He tried to ignore it, butafter several days of hobbling his mother demanded he slip his sock off.  There, she saw the truth.  She gingerly pulled the splinter out and he began his healing process. Do you have a splinter in your foot?

You may be walking around with a “splinter in your foot.” A relationship wound can come through many avenues:  rejection, sexual abuse, manipulation, or deception.  The question is, will you continue to act as though it’s not there?  Or, will you let God shine His light on that wound and put it on the road to healing?

Here are some ways I have seen people deal wrongly with a wound:

There is huge energy behind the apocalyptic movement right now.  With four blood moons, ISIS, and Iran’s nuclear deal there is a feeling of imminent disaster in the air.  How is a fellow to live? What should be our posture at a moment in history where it seems entirely possible Christ could return?

I have developed a philosophy of the end-times that has kept me on track:

I was blown away last week when I had the privilege to view the smash hit movie, “War Room.” It rocketed to number ONE in the American box office! As I walked out of the theater, the thought came to my mind, "This movie is going to start a movement of prayer in every church in the nation."

I learned the power of spiritual warfare when I had only been married for two weeks and headed off to Africa as a missionary.

In my two years as a missionary in West Africa, I learned some basic principles of spiritual warfare: