Warm-Up Day 8: Ready to Clean Out Your PURSEonality?
Everything–and I do mean everything–connected with that old way of life has to go.
It’s rotten through and through.
Get rid of it!
We’ve seen how fixating on other people’s weaknesses leads to accusation and contempt.
How when we spotlight strengths, we learn acceptance and compassion.
No Excuses for Bad Behavior
But let’s be clear: the PURSE-onalities are not intended to help us gloss over bad behavior! It’s not okay to excuse our own weaknesses by saying,
- “Oh, I’m a Sanguine/Expressive, so I can’t help that I talk all the time!”
- “I’m bossy because I’m a Choleric/Driver; just deal with it!”
- “As a Melancholy/Analytical, I’m naturally critical; don’t take it personally.”
- “I can’t handle conflict; I’m a Phlegmatic/Amiable.”
Jesus Christ lived the strengths of all four personalities and the weaknesses of none. Our goal is to become more like Jesus, not more like our worst selves!
Time to Toss the Trash
When we give the Holy Spirit permission, he will expose our “rotten through-and-through” weaknesses.Once we’re aware of them, we give them over to God
…and then take on an entirely new way of life–a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
Ephesians 4:23-24
My friend Kathi Lipp declared May 15 “National Clean Out Your Purse Day,” which made me think me that The PURSE-onality Challenge is really “Clean Out Your PURSE-onality Month”!
All month, we will daily (hourly…minutely…) ask the Holy Spirit to check our spirits (or, in my case, whack me upside the head!) whenever we complain, criticize, gossip, and/or use sarcasm.
Each time we recognize rotten phrases and trashy tones of voice, we’ll have a choice:
- Cling to them, and carry around a PURSE-onality full of trash.
- Give them to God, making room for His new life in us.
What Will You Clean Out of Your PURSE -onality?
(If you do not see an embedded video, click here to view.)
Reflect and Respond
- What does Ephesians 4:22-24 say to you today?
- What are you ready to clean out of your PURSE-onality in May?
- What else has God laid on your heart as you’ve read this?
After going through the warm up week, and giving more thought to those attitudes and habits I might possibly need to change, I have come to the conclusion, that my “gift” of sarcasm–which I practice much like prayer (without ceasing)–may require me to just paint a bracelet on my arm, rather than wear it out changing from wrist to wrist. 😀
Out with the old in with the new and better….stay focused on why God chose me…be happy in him ….quit carrying the regrets, and garbage that brings me down….For he is in me….
All can be good ….I’m ready to focus on what God wants for me …how he wants me to be…use me God help me when I fail to recognize immediately, catch myself and fix it . I can do this with God.
Can’t believe that we’re starting officially tomorrow! I’ve been already trying to do better or pointed out to myself when I complained… This was a very good post. I am to critical too so this totally spoke to me. To bad I cannot see the video. Germany does not let me see it because of the music rights. Oh well, I read the rest! 🙂
Ephesians 4:22-24 says that the old is rotten, wrong, burdensome and I MUST get rid of the old! Out with the old and in with the New!!! I can’t wait to clean out my PURSE – gone is my criticalness and negativity! I just wanna feel good about things again! Overflow of the heart…….
Critical words…towards my husband and children especially. I’m doing some catch-up here to be all ready for May 1, and I am really enjoying the posts!
Shawna
I need to empty anger from my PURSE-onality during May. I still hold onto a wrong that was done, and have been “suffering” through it for 4 years. I have said that I have forgiven, but I am having a hard time forgetting.
God has put on my heart many times to let it go, but it is so hard to trust again. My prayer is that God will give me tenderness and love toward the one who I am angry with.
I have so much “junk” in my PURSE-onality that I don’t know where to start. So I’ll pick one and work on it and then go on to the next one. Thanks for the inspiration.