Think Again!

72 • Think Again: Transformation That Yields a Return on God’s Investment

Rather than show compassion for people stuck in their own strongholds, we typically respond poorly to their pain in three awkward ways: 41 • Retreat (avoid them, not knowing what to say) • Refer (send them to a professional, feeling inadequate to know how to help) • Reprove (criticize them or provide pat answers) Because each believer is an ambassador of Christ, a priest of the Most High, there is a better way than retreat, refer, or reprove . Knowing there is good buried deep in every person, just waiting to be released, we can deliver Jesus’s grace and healing. Instead of descending into their pit of despair with a scalpel and a scowl, you can shout out to the wounded person, “I am on my way down with a flashlight! Hold on, we can get out of this pit together! You are going to be fine!” Instead of “retreat, refer, or reprove” we can embrace, enlist, and release . By delivering Jesus’s living water, we can calmly embrace their pain, enlist ourselves to go through trials with them, and release them to their potential. Instead of wagging a finger saying, “Let me give you some advice” we can open our arms saying, “It’s going to be ok, I believe in you.” Because of Jesus’s potential, we offer hope, comfort, and encouragement to others confused by the accuser’s lies and schemes. Even when we don’t have all the answers, we can delight in others instead of recoiling in disgust. We can help other believers find their gifts and calling so they can be all they can be. Because Jesus is our source, we come with living water of deliverance and joy, not condemnation and fear.