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surroundings

Find A Good Place Inside And Out

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When it comes to having a fruitful life in God, one of the key pieces is the environment that you are surrounded in. We have wrote about this a lot lately and spoke on this topic it at multiple churches. It’s something we need to do, and do each and every day. I want to expand out on that a little bit to talk about the surroundings of you and your life.

I’ll just be honest with you today. If you are not in a spiritually fruitful church, you will definitely find it harder to grow in your personal life than it should have to be. Having a church with a good spiritual foundation and a willingness to work and reach out will produce a multitude of blessings and impacts upon people’s lives. However, more often than not, we are speaking with people that are in environments that are not providing that fresh spiritual revival that should be happening each and every time the doors open.

I’m not one to recommend that people go “church hopping” to be satisfied, so please let me make this clear. If you find yourself in a church where you are not able to grow due to the environment surrounding you, pray first for another place to go! Don’t just start visiting every church that you know; for sometimes our irrational actions will send the wrong messages to people. Ask yourself first in an honest way if you are doing everything you can to promote growth for yourself and for your church. If we can answer that with certainty and hindrances still prove to be in front of you, seek God for somewhere that you can grow (not somewhere you can go). Find an environment where the love of God is fluent and that you are able to be who God has called you to be.

Don’t let tradition and religion destroy your gifts and callings. Continue to strive to do the best that you can, and seek God in a way that when you feel the call to go and be a help to a new church that you are not going based on your emotions but upon the leadership of the spirit. And when the time is right, God will move for you. It won’t be a forced thing, but something that you know that God has performed. If God opens the door for another place for you to grow, God certainly wouldn’t make it a hard situation from where you are going from.

My whole point is this: Seek God first before we act out of ourselves! Find a place where you can grow and not just exist!

What Do They Remember The Next Day?

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THE WORD

Matthew 5:14, 16 – Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Whether you are serving in a church ministry or walking the streets of your hometown, one thing is certain: you leave an impact upon those that you come in contact with. How you bless people goes far beyond your songs and spoken words; in fact it begins from that moment forward as people see you live your life every day. People are looking at you as a witness of God, whether you are active in the moment of obedience or idle at the grocery store. The conversations and actions that we take each day are the very parts and impacts that are left with people.

It is easy to say that if people come to church to hear me speak that the next day they will think of me as that speaker, right? What about someone who never comes inside the building and just talks to you in passing? When they leave your company, what is it that they say about you? Does it include the influence Jesus Christ within you? Is the witness and spirit of God evident in your life? This is something that all of us need to work on more and more as we venture on in life so people can know of the impact God has had on each of us. Remember to be keen to what is going on around you and to always operate in love. Let God shine in your life no matter the surroundings or circumstance. Allow yourself to lead by example and not a worldly spectacle. Lead by what God’s spirit teaches you and not by your own understanding. God’s instruction, as given by the word of God, will never lead us astray. God’s spirit, as given to every living being who will believe, will never leave you comfortless. God’s salvation, as given by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is the message we given by the life we live! Let that message live in you so people will remember God in you!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

Perform an act of kindness that you often overlook (aka open a door for someone; offer to pay for something, etc.). Use the opportunity to simply invite them to the church you attend. It does not have to be complicated to be an effective opportunity! It works!

Consider Your Environments

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Psalm 139:7-8 – Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

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I know people think I made a mistake with the title, but I truly meant to say the word “environments”. As we go about each day, we are in more than just one place in an ideal world. And in every setting are all kinds of things that you have to face. Some of these things might be encouraging to you, and some of them may attempt to pull you down.

If and when you are in control of being able to eliminate the vices and things that are hurting your walk with God, then I suggest you cut them loose. This may mean an item, a person or a place, but it is well worth the sacrifice. Sometimes we have to pay a price to draw closer to God, but it will always humble us and put us in a better place. Try not to think of it as losing things, but more along the lines of gaining better surroundings for God to exist in your life.

It’s a tough subject, but it’s one we have to remember. You’ll be surprised what you will see if you just take a minute to look around. God will help you with this, and you are not alone!

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Put Into Practice:

Examine the day that you just went through today or even the one you had yesterday. Think about all parts of the day that was leading you into a place that was discouraging or disheartening. It could have been a topic of conversation or even something that you may have been doing without even knowing what it would end up doing in the long-run.

Take just one part of anything that you found and dedicate your following day to focusing on not allowing this to occur again. Remove yourself from the conversations or the objects that would hinder you from being in joy or at peace. Begin to pray and seek for the comfort and leadership of God to lead you through the times that we find difficult.