Wednesday, March 5, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: 2 Peter 1

Have you ever been hurt by someone who never apologized or resolved the reason for hurting you? How did that make you feel? Have you ever wronged someone, but your pride prevented you from apologizing? Or maybe, you have secretly sinned and not sought forgiveness from the only other one who knows—God.

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “hurt people hurt people.” When we have unresolved issues from bad life experiences, they build up over time and resurface in the form of unhelpful words from unfiltered expressions of our temperament.

Eventually, something or someone will trigger that pent up anger or guilt, causing you to spew forth weaponized, offensive or defensive words that hurt those around you. Unhealthful words flow naturally from unresolved sin in our hearts, because our temperaments respond differently under pressure.

So, how do we relieve that pressure to avoid unhelpful and unhealthful rants?

We need to learn to understand the why behind the what.

Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Once we know our own temperament, our strengths and weaknesses, and are able to pay attention to our stress indicators, it’s easier to understand what is going on inside of us. And as we extend this knowledge to the people around us and learn and understand their temperaments, strengths and weaknesses, and stress indicators, it enables us to see why something is being said or why we are thinking about speaking out in anger. Gradually, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it becomes easier to control our reactions and be more thoughtful and compassionate in our daily encounters.

God created each of us with our own unique temperament and personality, but it is up to us to understand our own hearts and use our words the way God intended—in love, kindness, and positivity. Armed with this knowledge, we can speak helpful and healthful words into all of our relationships.

Questions:
Are you harboring unresolved hurt or sin?

Have you taken the temperament assessment?

Next Steps:
If you haven’t already, take the temperament assessment to determine your color. Learn more about your strengths and weaknesses and your stress indicators. Encourage those around you to do the same, and learn their colors to better understand their stress indicators.

Take time to remedy past unresolved issues. Try to see the why behind the what before speaking unhelpful or unhealthful words.

Prayer:
Father God, I want to get my heart right with you and with others. Help me forgive those who have hurt me in the past and present. Please forgive me of my sins against you and others and help me to forgive myself so that I can move forward with a heart ready to speak helpful and healthful words. Guide me in understanding what makes up mine and others’ temperaments, so that I can see the why behind the what. Thank you for creating me with my own unique temperament. Help me to learn to use it responsibly. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Ephesians 4:29
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

This post was written by Ned Miller, a Findlay attendee, and regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.