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popular opinion

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Do No Evil

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THE WORD

James 1:23-24 – For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I could not be more troubled about how much it seems that evil is ever present around the people of God. I want to ask some questions that will put us in the frame of mind of what I’m writing on today: How hard do we really try to walk away from something we know that we are seeing or hearing is wrong? In all reality we may find the answer is not too hard at all. If something (being the spirit of God) leads you to know that something wrong is going on, and you have the power to make a decision to change that behavior, then it is our responsibility hands down! If we learn to walk with God’s higher standard then they will know that there is something that drives us to be above the temptation of sin. Could we say a witness of the Lord?!? How much do we restrain ourselves from saying things that we should not in a situation where we are affected? Not too much at all. Keeping ourselves from saying irrational things is one of the hardest things to do simply because we feel enabled from our own self-right of justice. If they wronged us, they are going to hear about it, right? There is a difference in doing things in love versus out of spite or with an attitude! You have to always remember that everyone will answer for their actions and that self-control is only truly successful by the quickening of the anointing in you to help you prevent such decisions! How difficult is it to trust God when you feel like that you are surrounded in darkness? It is truly easy if you allow God to do it! We are the light of the world, but God is the fire that burns within! His spirit will keep you each day and never let you feel stale! If you learn to stir up the gifts and callings every day through worship, prayer, fasting, reading, and ultimately obedience then you will begin to unlock something that will (as the old song sings) shun the wrong and do what is right!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

Make every active attempt each day to avoid the evils that you can and pray for God to lead you out of every temptation that would prove difficult for you to walk away from.

Hold Fast To Which Is True

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James 5:11 – Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

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There is a couple phrases related to money and popularity that I would like to discuss:

“Money will always buy happiness” – I have went over and over this, and have often wondered how life would be with the abundance of wealth beyond my imagination. In my conclusions, I have found that money will only purchase a lease on temporary emotions; it will invoke a certain feeling that is enjoyed for a short time but quickly subsides. Placing my life and priorities on the amount of money that I can obtain will only let me down. You can read of so many individuals that made it their purpose and pursuit and still were unhappy! In the long run it does not prove to be satisfactory. The word of God talks about the love of money being in reference to “the root of all evil”. That sounds so negative, but that is exactly what it is when it comes to pulling us away from God.

“Popularity will bring joy to you” – When you see actors, artists, and musicians that go through the rags to riches story, there is always one outcome in the end: the fame finally fades away. Eventually, people are left to what they have aside from the fame and fortune. And for some, this may not be very much. Some people will use anyone and anything to make it to the top, right? By the time you make it there you have lost everyone that you started with to share your hopes and dreams with. This is a very common trend when you see those who are called famous and have ended their lives from having serious depression. The trail they left behind spoke volumes of having such an empty void. As they say, it can truly make or break people in an instant, and is powerful when considering God in the grand scheme of things. When God is not glorified in our lives, and we lay claim to all the good in our life without a “testimony”, it has never failed that in some way there is something through circumstances that lets me know that God gives and takes away. If my whole life’s happiness is basing it on your satisfaction, I could never succeed. The direction is then progressing backwards. We are to always glorify God and to let him be magnified through us by being obedient and doing his will!

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Put Into Practice:

I just want to remind everyone to hold fast to the true things of God. He is the I Am in your life, and if you allow Him to work in you through complete surrender, you will see things begin to marvel before you! My request is that you remember to let God shine through and have the honor where honor is due. If a good thing happened in your life, give God the glory no matter the venue. If God has blessed you financially, give God His portion and be a good steward and not get caught up in the riches of life. Make a difference in how you live and what you do!

Confidence In God Is Of More Worth Than Gold

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Proverbs 3:26 – For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Isaiah 30:15 – For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

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In many opinions, people can be primarily confident from their good works. It is often heard and referenced to that in essence “the work speaks for itself”. Others are confident in themselves simply because they are who they are and do not care about the popular opinion of others. And finally, you have those that have a confidence that speaks volumes about them even though they do not say a word. You can simply just see it all over them by the life they live and the example they lead by.

Regardless of how you want to put up an opinion of what an accurate definition of what a person is confident in, the fact is that people like to put their confidence in something. There are some that put it in objects, while others will go all in on people they trust. It seems like in the day that we live in anymore that the one thing that no one is confident anymore is God. It is not something we really have to debate about; for it is just something you see by the decline of the church and the joy of serving God in those who still are attempting to live a life for God.

If you read anything on this page, catch this part: being confident in God each day will build your faith and reduce your worries and confusion. It takes you away from being focused in areas that you should not be and allows you to devote your love and happiness in a way that it was intended for you to enjoy. I know that life is not always lived in joy, but if you are confident in God joy can be sought after (or sometimes fought for) and found! In the long run, I have always found that it is the prayers and endurance of faith that has brought me through further than anything else where “moth and dust doth corrupt”!

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Put Into Practice:

I know we have all seen the infomercials on television that attempts to captivate us quickly for a quick spend. The principal of those sorts of infomercials is simply this: It is so easy to use and such a small price to pay to get the convenience.

Try to realize that the way God is to you is the same, yet it is free and is without any middle man. You can call out on God directly, even now. I would ask you to try and make a “pitch” to someone who does not know about Jesus Christ and let them know how easy it really is to begin a relationship and how change can begin to work in their lives for their good! I would buy in on that, and encourage you to get out there and do that kind of ministry! That sort of infomercial is called being a witness for God!

Find The Good In What You Can

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Proverbs 12:25 – Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Philemon 1:4-8 – I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient

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With everyday shocks and surprises around the corner, it is very easy to get frustrated at everything going on. It is also easy to simply throw your hands up and give up on your walk with God. In fact, this is the behavior that we are seeing in churches right now in all walks of life. If I thought about it long enough, I am sure I could say that there are plenty of reasons for me to be justified about being upset at situations or even people for that matter. I (as we all have to at some point) have to remind myself that I definitely know better than that. We that are attuned to the leadership of the spirit of God know that we must be faithful even in times of peril and distress.

Consider those individuals in the bible who faced perilous times and that could have given up easily, yet you read that they continued on for the cause of God and made it through. It inspires me to realize what is of more worth to me now. People that get mad at you for no reason whatsoever are just upset people upset for a reason you cannot change regardless of what you do to alter it. Objects that break cannot be fixed are just objects broken regardless of the glue we use to mend them. Ultimately, we must realize that our emotions cannot fix everything and in an upset or distressed state leave our walk with God spiritually disabled. God can fix every circumstance and does not need me to get angry and try to always intervene on my own behalf.

I have to be reminded to be thankful for what I have, for what is going to come, and that things are not worse than they are. When I begin to do that, I take a deep breath and step away from the situation, and finally just let God have my emotions and let him transform me (via the comforter of the spirit) to a person he can use. Big subject matter, but useful if we only but apply it!

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Put Into Practice:

Get out of the habit of thinking of the negative first. Begin to think of the spiritual positives right off the bat, and allow God to unlock a witness through your faith and endurance through tough times. Every time you make it, it is another testimony to find out how good God is!

Find Your Balance In What You Do For Others

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Being in a ministry that requires so much of your time allows you to learn many lessons along the way, and I thought that I would share one today that would help all of us grow together as individuals, ministries, and churches all the same.

There are people that I know as well as people that I do not, but nonetheless my ministry has been called to reach out to all of them with the same love and compassion that was showed to me with no regard to my past or persona. I hope that the church of today turns no one away or treats them differently or would chose one over another. Favoritism is just another one of those things that has to stay outside of the doors and should go and live with the “popular opinion”.

Jesus went to heal the sick and afflicted, reached out to the lost and rejected, and loved whosoever would come to believe. We are supposed to attain the mind of Christ, or in other words, take on that same frame of mind. So whatever need comes across your path, no matter how big or small it may be, we have to meet it with a balance of equal love. Just to put it simply in an example: if you spend 20 minutes praying for someone and two for someone else, those things are noticed; especially if you are a leader or someone that is a person depended on in your local community.

Please be considerate, and never forget the compassion once shown towards you! Do this, and people will take on what they see by the example set in you.

Very big words today, but very important.