Pause Before You Proceed

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Good morning, good morning, good morning. Welcome to our care less pray ministries. We are in our series, and I'm so excited about it. Today's episode is Pause Before You Proceed. Amen. Theme Learning to Respond instead of react. We will be coming from James 1, 19 through 20. And the word reads as thus Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Amen. Yesterday we talked about protecting our peace and not allowing people to pull us out of our character, amen. So today we're going to take the next step because even when we know we should remain calm, the question becomes, how do we actually do it in the moment, right? How do we stay calm when emotions are high? How do we keep our mouths from saying what our flesh really wants to say, right? How do we respond in a way that honors God and pleases God, right? So today we're going to talk about the power of the pause, amen. Our devotional reading is going to start with. One of the greatest gifts God gives us is the ability to choose our response, amen. Feelings may arrive without permission. Emotions may arise suddenly, but reactions are still choices, amen. Many of our biggest regrets came from moments when we spoke too quickly, reacted too quickly, or acted before praying, right? The enemy loves rush decisions and emotional responses, right? And I'm giving you an example. Like I said a long time ago, one morning podcast, but I remember when someone said I was going into a meeting, and someone said, God said, don't say nothing. Just take it, just listen. I said, Yeah, okay. And they said, No, God said, Don't say anything. I said, Okay, I ain't gonna say nothing. But in the heat of the moment, everything that person said went through one ear and out the other. And I mean, I was going. I'm talking about everybody was in there yelling by the time I opened up my mouth, right? But I want you to know that wasn't right because even when it was over, the person said, didn't I tell you God said don't say nothing? I said, I know what you said, but my flesh was thinking something different, right? So that's why it's so important for us to understand that the Holy Spirit often works in the pulse. And you know, and no telling how the outcome would have been if I would have just sat there in silence, took it like she said, instead of matching the energy in the room, right? So that's why it's just so important to pause. Because when we pause, it gives wisdom room to speak, right? When we pause, it allows emotions to settle, right? The pause creates space for God to redirect our words, right? Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is stop talking. That right there is so, so, so real. Because silence speaks louder than matching energy, right? Silence speaks louder than letting the flesh take over, right? I want you to know it's not saying it's a sign of weakness, it's not saying you're afraid, it's not saying that you're losing control, but because you're allowing God to lead the conversation, it comes full circle with God's characteristics that's flowing through us, right? So that's why sometimes we be typing up emails and text, and we be two hours on that same text and email, and before you know it, the Holy Spirit, like, don't even send it, just let it go, right? So that's why it's so important before sending that text, returning that phone call, before defending yourself, before correcting someone, to pause. To just simply pause. And while the whole situation went on and just pray internally. God, help me in this moment. God, I don't know what's going on. Help me to respond in the way you would help me to respond. Help me to proceed when you're ready for me to open my mouth, but bridle this tongue so I do not speak at a turn, right? Because we want to take that moment in the pause to let God have his way. Amen. Proverbs 15 and 1 tells us a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger, right? Psalms 141 and 3 states, set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. Amen. Let me say that again. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. That's enough for a prayer to say every day, and that will make this world a better place, amen. And another one is Colossians 4 and 6 that says, Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. And when it's seasoned with salt, that means you're walking in seasoned grace, amen. Seasoned favor, seasoned understanding, seasoned knowledge, right? So think about these reflection questions before we pray. What situation have you made worse by reacting too quickly? Think about something of old. It might be something current right now. What situation have you made worse by reacting too quickly? What might change if you prayed before responding, right? That's things we got to ask. And sometimes we gotta say, is God calling me to be silent in my area where I've been defending myself? Amen. That is the kicker that we need to understand. Is God calling me to be silent? Is God calling me into a testing season? That's what we need to understand. And I'm just sitting here thinking about God's goodness, right? Because it's amazing, so amazing, how God has saved us so many times when our mouth has gone haywar, right? No matter where we've been, once it goes haywar, gotta come in and fix it, right? So as we go to prayer about pausing before we proceed, just take a moment to think about God's goodness and how he turned things around when the anger took over before you contacted him to take over. Amen. We have to truly learn when God said the battle's not yours, it belongs to me. We got to learn how to step back and let God have his way. Only God can make the situation better, right? So I am telling you as we pray, think about the things that you would like to see change within yourself and pray along with me, amen. Because we all want to change for God's glory. We want to change for the betterment of ourselves, right? We want to change for the betterment of our surroundings. Because when we truly pause and let God's Spirit take over, people can get transformed by that. Amen. Amen. Let us go to the Lord in prayer on this glorious Saturday morning. Thank you, God. Holy Father, in the mighty and precious name of Jesus Christ, Holy Father, we come before you today just with hoping, open hearts, and humble hearts filled with thanksgiving, Holy Father, filled with wanting to praise your name this morning, oh God, because you just being that good to each and every one of us, Holy Father. God, we're not perfect, but you see us perfect in your eye. So we say thank you, oh God. Honey Father, we thank you for your presence. We thank you for your transformation. We thank you, oh God, for helping us to see the things within us that we need to change. Honey Father, we thank you for your patience toward us, oh God. Because you could be angry at us, but you got patience with us. You got peace with us. You already knew when we was going to act a fool and you still walk with us in peace. And we thank you for that, honey Father. We thank you for your mercy that met us this morning when we woke up there, oh God. We thank you that you are a God who speaks, a God who guides, and a God who gives wisdom freely to the ones who seek it. James 1 and 5. God, we thank you, oh God. We thank you, oh God. We thank you, oh God, for teaching us the power of the praise. We thank you, oh God, for that. God, we thank you for being in the middle. We thank you, oh God, for being with us. We thank you, oh God, for the touch. We thank you, oh God, for the transformation. We thank you, oh God, for not leaving our side. Honey Father, we just want to pause right now and ask you to teach us how good it is to pause the power of the pause, the glory in the pause. So often, Heavenly Father, we want immediate answers, we want immediate reactions and justice and understanding. But Heavenly Father, help us to remember that wisdom is often found in waiting. God, you said it in your word that when we wait, when we slow down to just listen and not speak, it could turn things around. Help us, oh God, to be quick to listen. Quick to hear your voice, oh God. Quick to hear what others are truly saying, quick to discern what is happening beneath the surface, oh God. Honey Father, make us slow to speak, oh God. Help us to bridle our tongue, oh God. Help us not to be controlled by our emotions. Help us not to speak when we're full of anger, oh God. Help us not to speak from hurt, oh God. Help us not to speak from pride, oh God. Help us not to speak from frustration, oh God. But teach us, oh God, through the blood of Jesus Christ, how to speak from wisdom, oh God. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Holy Father, teach us how to speak with your grace, your mercy, your favor, your love, your forgiveness, Holy Father. There was many a times when our emotions had rose up before our faith had a chance to even respond. But God, we could turn around and look at how you respond to us. And it's totally different how we respond to people in this world. And God, please forgive, please forgive us, oh God, but not responding the way you have told us and taught us to respond, Heavenly Father. But God, right now, in this moment, if anybody feels misunderstood, they feel like they've been attacked, they feel like they've been disrespected, they feel like they're just trying to defend themselves. Holy Father, they're trying to prove a point. Help them to remember that's the flesh. That's nothing of you, oh God. Help them to remember that that's the flesh trying to get them out of the character and the transformation that you put before them, oh God. Let them know that in those moments, they got to remember that you're right there. They just gotta call on your name, oh God. Help us to be reminded of your words because they carry so much power. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not won't. Cast your curves on Jesus. Amen. God, help us to be remembered of your word. Remind us that one careless moment can damage relationships, opportunities, and testimonies that you have spent years building, Heavenly Father. Help us to place holy pause, sanctified pause, heavenly pause between our emotions and our actions, oh God. Honey Father, help us to pause when anger arise, when frustration and stress arise, when offense and misunderstandings arise. Help us to pause, oh God. Holy Father, you study your word, set a watch. It's so powerful. Set a watch, oh Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips, Holy Father. God, that's what we're asking for right now. Honey Father, stand guard over our mouths, oh God. Guard our words and our tone and our attitudes and our responses, oh God. Do not allow us to speak words that wound unnecessarily, Honey Father. Do not allow us to release words we will later regret. Do not allow temptation to take over because the flesh said, go ahead, say you're gonna feel better. God, we want to walk in spirit every day, oh God. We know some days we're not gonna be able to control it, but 99% of the time we have all kind of control. Help us to control our response, oh God. Heavenly Father, let wisdom speak louder in the quiet more than our emotions, oh God. Help us to choose peace over proven a point, oh God. Help us, oh God, to choose that peace. Peace, oh God, which surpasses all understanding. Help us to discern when we are being baited into conflict, Heavenly Father. Help us, oh God, to recognize the distractions that was designed to distill our joy and our peace, oh God. Give us eyes to see beyond the moment. Give us ears to hear the Holy Spirit. Give us hearts that remind us that you are good all the time, and all the time you are good. God help us because we need you each and every day. We can't make it without you, oh God. We can't fight without you, oh God. We can't respond without you, oh God. God, give us the discernment to remain quiet as you fight for us, Helling Father. Creating us a clean heart that means so much in the word and renew that right spirit within us, oh God. That helps us to seek understanding before reaction, oh God. God, speak for your servant to listen, oh God. We want your spirit to lead us, oh God. We want your word to guide us, oh God. We want your wisdom to direct us, oh God. We want your peace to rule our hearts, oh God. God, we thank you in advance for this victory that we're getting right now. We thank you in advance, oh God, because we come in agreement with peace. Peace which surpasses all understanding. We're coming in agreement that we will no longer act a fool and let people get us out of our characteristics, oh God. We thank you for every argument that's going to be avoided, Henny Father. We thank you in advance for every relationship preserved because we was quiet and you put a gate before our mouths. God, we thank you for every testimony that's being protected. We thank you right now for growing us, maturing us, and providing for us, Heavenly Father. God, thank you. Thank you, oh God, for the change. Thank you, oh God, for the pause. Thank you, oh God, for the wait. Thank you, oh God. We ask all these things in your powerful, holy, and matchless Son's name, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Let me say this before we close out. Tell yourself this when something is going on. I will not be ruled by my emotions. I will not be ruled by my anger. I will be led by the Holy Spirit of God. I will choose wisdom over reactions. I will choose peace over conflict. I choose obedience over impulse. Why? Because I got a father who cares about me, a father who comes and sees about me. A father who is transforming me. So I want to bring glory to his name. I want him to be pleased with my response and my pause. Amen. Think about that. Pause. Give God the glory. Give God a chance to tell you what to say. Give God a chance to respond on your behalf. Give God the chance. Amen. God cares, I cares, and somebody else cares too about you. Have a blessed Saturday smile and rejoice and just walk in peace. This is I Cur. Let's pray Ministries.