Baptist City Blog

Genesis 32:6

Jacob found himself in a situation that he hoped would never happen. That situation was that Esau was coming to meet him. Jacob had successfully avoided this situation for years, but now the thing that he feared was about ready to become reality. His brother was coming to meet him with four hundred men, and the only thing that Jacob could think of was that he was coming to kill him. Jacob’s problem was that he thought he could avoid his unresolved issues, but he found out that unresolved issues must be resolved for you live a peaceful life. There are four lessons that must be learned to resolved unresolved issues.

First, unresolved issues have a way of coming back. What situation comes to your mind that you have not resolved? Just like Jacob found out that unresolved issues have a way of coming back to reality, you will also find this out at some point in your life. The worst thing about unresolved issues is that you live with that fear in the back of your mind. You may be able to successfully hide it for years, but it will eventually come to the forefront if you don't deal with it. Living in fear of your unresolved issues coming to light should motivate you to deal with them sooner than later. Until you decide to deal with them, you are going to have to live with the fear that they are going to come back at the most inopportune time.

Second, don't manipulate the issues, but resolve them. Jacob tried manipulating his issues, and he was successful for years, but eventually he had to face them. You may be able to cover up your issues so that nobody knows about them, but one day they will come back. Manipulating them while you have the power to manipulate may give you temporary peace, but one day you will lose the power to manipulate. Deal with your issues instead of manipulating them.

Third, change starts with you. You need to come to grips with what you have done and start changing yourself. You must never wait for the other person to deal with the issues. You need to take control of what you need to change. I believe Esau was trying to get the issue resolved once and for all. He knew it was not healthy for he and his brother to live at odds, so he made the first step to come and resolve the issue in a right manner. Don't wait for the other person to resolve your issue. Instead, take the uncomfortable step and dealing with it by changing yourself.

Fourth, admit your wrong and try to make it right. When Jacob met his brother, he did everything in his power to try to right what he made wrong. When you attempt to resolve unresolved issues, admit your wrong and don't try to massage a response from them. It is more important for you to be right than it is for you to get them to right what they have done wrong. Admit what you have done, and do everything in your power to make it right.

Resolving unresolved issues is simply done by choosing to face them now. It will be uncomfortable, but it will give you the peace of mind and lift the pressure knowing they are resolved. Settle whatever issue it is that the Holy Spirit has brought to your mind through this devotional so that  you can live at peace the rest of your life.