A very dear friend of mine recently prayed that God would free me from the filter of past hurts. She prayed that Jesus would heal me from wounds made by individuals I had once trusted and that I would no longer view myself through the eyes of anyone but my Heavenly Father.
My friend is very wise and knows me well; she knows the rejection of my past and the pain which went with it. She prayed, I believe, as the Holy Spirit led her to pray. She prayed these things so when someone says or does something which reminds me of a past pain I will be encouraged. She prayed these things, so I would not be prompted to sift other’s words and actions through my skewed and faulty filter of past sufferings.
But “how” do I get to this place of not analyzing everything said or done to me when it triggers a feeling of past pain or rejection? I take my friend’s prayer into consideration, and I begin to ask God to free me from the former filter by changing how I screen other’s words and actions. I begin to ask God to change my filter to His. (John 15:12)
As I continue in the Word my heart and mind begin to change as the Holy Spirit works in and through me. My filter begins to change. I can trust God to heal old wounds and to help me better understand current situations and people. I can begin to see how my Heavenly Father sees not only me, but the other person as well. (Phil 2:1-4)
My filter changes from a past, egocentric view to a more unselfish and Spirit-led perspective. When I allow Jesus Christ to lead my thoughts, feelings and emotions I am better able to sift other’s words and actions through His loving filter instead of my own narrow-minded view. When I do this, I can look at others more compassionately.
What a change we would see in our world today if we all asked God to change our filter to His. Maybe your filter is not the filter of past rejection and hurt; maybe it is a filter of deceit and being let down. Maybe it is the filter of abuse or alcoholism. The point is, we each have a history. We each have filters we screen life through, but when our filters are skewed by things contrary to God’s Love and His Word, we need to pray for His filter and not our own. We need to pray for His eyes to see other’s as He sees them. (1Thes 3:12)
“Heavenly Father, I thank You for friends who pray with and for me. I thank You for the wisdom You provide to me through Your Word and through others You place in my life. Lord, may I remain in Your Word and seek a change of filter from mine to Yours. As I have been encouraged by my friend, may You provide me opportunity to pay that encouragement forward to someone else. I praise You and I thank You for Who You are and how You see me; I thank You for Your truth and Your love. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”
WITHDRAW weekly devotional
Author Kami R. Lobner
“Writing has always been a gift to me from God. There is no better avenue for me to communicate the true depths of my inner most thoughts and feelings. I was encouraged by my family and friends to write…anything…but to just write. So, I prayed about what to write and felt a calling to write daily devotionals. God has used my gift to put on paper what His Scripture means to me; my hope is that what I write hits a chord with those who choose to read the devotionals. I often include a short prayer in the devotionals I write. These prayers are meant to encourage and perhaps challenge us to pursue God’s Presence through scripture reading, meditating on God’s Word, bible studies and fellowship with other believers.
God has been good to me and to my family. I sincerely hope something God led me to put on paper provokes a thought in you or perhaps is that “little thing” you were needing to hear. None of these writings are from me, but from God and His gentle guidance to put thought and prayer on paper.
May God truly bless you!”
