Presented at 13th Street Church of God, LaFollette, TN
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challenges
Distancing Yourself From The Noise
THE WORD
II Corinthians 6:16-18 – And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
One of the hardest challenges that I have discovered is to find and keep a peaceful walk with God. All the things you hear around you can be so demeaning, destructive and depressing. People that make you think about horrible things can definitely influence you in a way that you never thought possible. I know when I was going through this sort of attack at one point it had almost got the best of me. I am glad to say I overcame! How?
What I would like to shout from the rooftops is a simple reminder that you must remember to make an effort to separate yourself from the verbal/mental attacks if the opportunity presents itself! Do not be overtaken by situations and people that are a bad influence to you. I know that we have to be a light to the world for everyone, but if it proves to be too much for you, take a retreat and prepare (through prayer and fasting) for another opportunity. God always presents great opportunities to witness. The spirit will do the convicting and bring peace for you as you yield with a willing mind and loving heart! Put your spiritual ear plugs in and refuse to be a part of the noise today!
PUT INTO PRACTICE
A great way to understand separation is by the contrasts. Go into a popular gathering place and listen to all you hear. You may find present distractions make concentrating in prayer difficult. In a literal and physical demonstration walk out of the building and go somewhere quiet like your car or home. During that moment observe the peace and how easy it is open up your mind before God in prayer! I can testify that there has not been a time that I made the effort to steal away that it did not help me pray through more effectively and in turn reduced the overall stress in my mind!
Loves Goes Further Than Hate
THE WORD
Luke 10:27 – And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Throughout my life there have been many instances where I wanted to get upset because of some situation and act upon my frustration. It is safe to say that every human being in the world faces this challenge. Let us remind ourselves today that actions and words coming out of our own hatred and anger will not change anything, but in fact turn you away from the love of God. Remember how that acts of love, no matter how great the trials we are facing, have a greater impact than acts of hate. If your act of love is to simply hold your peace after someone worked against you then you must show God’s love and preserve your peace!
This concept of merciful thinking may be hard to implant into our minds yet we recall that the word of God teaches us to deal with persecution by rejoicing in our tribulation. I can assure you that without the strength only received by the joy of the Lord that finding peace of mind will be difficult. In fact, by attempting to interpret this concept within our own ideals we may find ourselves laughing as Abraham and Sarah did as they attempted to believe in their elder ages of what seemed like an impossible turn of events that God had spoken would come to pass (about the birth of their future son Isaac).
PUT INTO PRACTICE
Some of you that are reading this page struggle with your anger more than others; for this reason let me speak to you directly and encourage you: as you are starting on this new path of groundbreaking love to find a spiritual mentor, pastor or counselor to help you with your first few situations. And as you grow in God continue to keep your emotions in check through all the amazing tools that God has given you and you will never be moved in the faith that you have. This is not impossible!