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Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)
John is not saying that we should not love others, the Bible clearly tells us that we SHOULD love others (Matthew 19:19, 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Luke 10:27). He is saying that we should not be SO in love with the world that it comes between us and God. John is saying that we should not love the WAYS of the world or the world SYSTEM. We should not think as the world thinks. The world’s priorities should not be our priorities.
John then specifies the things of the world that he is warning about:
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Lust is not merely a desire for something; it is the illicit desire for anything out of God’s will for our life. It is wanting what God does not want us to want.
The ‘lust of the flesh’ is the powerful physical desires that can cloud our thinking at times if we don’t keep them in check. The only sure way we have of conquering these lusts is through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we are controlled by God, we will be able to resist temptation (I Corinthians 10:13).
The ‘lust of the eyes’ consists of lusting after things in our mind. We see them with our eyes and, although we may never physically possess them, we mentally dwell on the possibility.
The ‘pride of life’ means attributing all the things we have, our success, our possessions, our health, etc., to our own abilities and power. It involves not thanking God for the things we have (Romans 1:21).
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Many people spend all their time and energy building chasing fame, success, wealth, and a host of other pursuits. All of these will either be lost or the person chasing them will die and leave it all behind. The bottom line is that all those things are temporary. The Bible says that it is wiser to invest in permanent things (Matthew 6:19-20).
A right relationship with God is forever.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Seeking to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to help them become “transformed by the renewing of their mind.” Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
A good witness isn’t like a salesman, his emphasis is on a person rather than a product. A good witness is like a signpost. It doesn’t matter whether it is old, young, pretty, ugly; it has to point the right direction and be able to be understood. We are witnesses to Christ, we point to him.
Conscious business is centered in the heart instead of the ego. To become a conscious business owner is to be committed to finding a positive solution for everyone- customers, vendors, and the business owner, to treat everyone with respect and kindness, and to focus on providing connection and service along with a great product.
We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our
patterns of thought and behavior.
Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs.
“Come unto to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”- Matthew 11:28
I truly believe that depression is the result of internalized fear. Fear can take many forms such as anxiety, worry, guilt, regret, jealousy, and even anger. Usually we fear a loss or unwanted situation. For example, fear of losing a loved one, wages, health, or even face can cause great anxiety. These situations, if not properly dealt with, steal our peace of mind and well-being.
As Christians, it’s important not to mask or deny our fears. Often we will try to cover our fears and insecurities with faith words. We often put on that Christian happy face and tell others we are blessed or everything is fine, even though there is deep pain in our heart. In solitude, we may earnestly pray and ask God to take our pain away or sing songs of worship and praise, only for that heavy feeling to return again and again.
Though heartfelt, prayer and praise alone may not help in eliminating our negative emotions. Instead of releasing them, they are buried further down into our subconscious mind, where they gnaw at us and weigh us down creating at perpetual dark cloud over our heads.
If we look at this from a logical standpoint, changing our emotional compass is like implementing solutions to a problem that has not been properly identified. In almost all cases, our negative emotions are not the problem but only a symptom of it. The presence of negative emotions is the indicator that something is wrong. Feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, fear, or sadness is our body’s way of saying we are out of alignment with God’s perfect plan for us or His spiritual well-being. If we stop only at the negative emotion or try to eliminate the emotion without going deeper, it’s like putting a band aid on cancer.
Often times people will say, “I feel depressed” and then seek out ways to overcome the depression. Instead of going inward, they look for outward solutions usually in the form of eating, activity, mind altering substances, relationships or whatever they think will make them feel better. It’s no different than a medical doctor prescribing pain medication to mask the symptoms of illness instead of finding the root of the pain and addressing it head on.
God wants us to possess his peace and joy at all times, even in unfavorable conditions. In order to do that, He gave us our emotions as a guidance or alert system to tell us that something has invaded our peace and joy. 2 Timothy 1:17 tells us that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. Anytime our well-being is jeopardized, we must immediately find the issue and eliminate it. Any time we are living in fear, we are not operating in faith, and faith is fuel that sustains the kingdom of God. Anytime we are living in fear, we sabotage and block the blessings of God in our life. We are to walk by faith and not by sight.
Another problem with allowing fear in our heart is that those fearful thoughts and emotions begin to multiply and before you know it you are completely debilitated by them. As the fear grows, you will begin to attract that which you fear most, perpetuating your unwanted circumstances. Luke 6:45 tells us that a good man out of the good treasure in his heart attracts that which is good. The same is true of our fearful thoughts. Job stated in Job 3:25, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (King James Version) When we fear it’s like we create a magnetic hole that attracts the very thing we don’t want. When we are in faith, that hole is filled with the presence of God and leaves no room for anything else to penetrate.
In order to eliminate a problem, you just first identify what the problem is, otherwise you are just shooting in the dark. Below is an exercise to help you to move past the emotion to the root cause and then take it to the Lord for healing. Please do this exercise somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed for a few moments. You will also need a paper and pen to write down each of your responses.
1. Identify the emotion you are feeling and write it down. Although you may be feeling stress, worry, anger, or anxiety, please note that most negative emotions result from fear. Example: I am feeling fearful.
2. Ask yourself, “Where or what is this “fear” (emotion) coming from and then write it down. All negative emotions have a root cause which is often unconscious to us. Usually it comes from a specific circumstance or situation that resulted in a negative thought. Example: They are laying off a lot of people at work and I might be next.
3. If Jesus were present with you, what would he tell you about this fear? Write down what comes to your heart. Be patient, this may take some time. Don’t over analysize. Trust the Holy Spirit in you to provide the answer. Example: He would say, “Fear not” I will never leave you or forsake you. I know what you need and I am able to meet all of your needs. Just trust me. I will see you through.”
4. Close your eyes and meditate on these words of God and let them penetrate your spirit. Take in several deep breathes and with each exhalation silent repeat, “I release this (emotion) fear. I re-establish my trust in God. All is well. Thank you Jesus.”
5. Throughout the rest of the day, if you feel the fear or anxiety arising, reread God’s comforting words to you and continue to declare, “I let this “fear” go. I chose to trust God. All is well. Thank you Jesus.”
6. Repeat as needed until you have fully released the emotion to God and your peace and joy is fully restored.
As you can see, it is when we get our eyes off of the Kingdom of God and onto ourselves and our circumstances that we open the door to fear and negative emotions.
If time permits following this exercise, spend time with God in silence and stillness. This is often referred to as Christian meditation. The techniques used in Christian meditation or centering prayer can help you to gain control over negative thoughts and emotions. Those who meditate regularly quickly distinguish when their peace is being evaded and can easily restore their feelings of well-being and joy. Christian meditation is like preventative maintenance of our spiritual health.
Rhonda Jones is the author of “Detox Your Life Now and Awaken Your Inner Spirit.” A 10 Week Self-Paced Program that integrates Christian meditation with spiritual and practical lessons to get your life in balance and put God back in the driver’s seat. Visit http://www.detoxyourlifenow.com. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com
“Well, I’m just waiting for a miracle.” How often have you heard someone say that? How often have you said it? “If God wanted me to have a new car he would give it to me?. If it’s in his will for me to have a good job he will make it happen” If you’re staring out the window waiting for that shiny new sports car to come tearing up the drive, then you should probably get comfortable, since my best guess is you’re going to be sitting there looking down the road for a long time. By the same token if you are waiting everyday for someone to knock on the door and say “You’re Hired!” you’re probably going to get mighty hungry before it happens.
You can insert here whatever problem or situation you may be waiting on God to take care of. You might say, well of course you can’t just pray up a new car or a new job, but I’m very sick, or I’m believing in God to pay off my bills, or fix my children.. Any one of a thousand scenarios would fit, and there are just as many excuses as to why we are still sitting by the window waiting for God to take care of it.
So if God wants us to be financially secure, healthy with happy secure and healthy children, why is it that we are still waiting? What exactly are we waiting on?
John tells of a man in Jerusalem that was very sick and had been so for thirty eight years. There was a pool there known as Bethesda. It was known that in certain seasons an angel of the Lord would come and stir up the waters. The first person to step in would be completely cured of whatever ailment he was afflicted with. The Lord set up the situation in which the problem of those around could be “fixed” but there was a stipulation that must be met in order to get the miracle the man had spent thirty eight years waiting for. He had to be the first in the pool.
Now Jesus came by the pool one day and saw the man, knowing he had been there for a long time, just waiting on the side of the pool, (looking out the window and waiting) He asked the man, “Do you even wish to be well?” I kinda wonder if Jesus might have been shaking his head thinking, well, I’ve stirred up the waters over and over for you and I’ve sent my angels to show the way to your healing, but you’re still sitting here, just waiting. What are you waiting for?
The man answered Jesus by saying that he did indeed want to be healed, but each time opportunity knocked, or the waters were stirred, someone would step over him and get there first. Someone else always got ahead of him. He complained that there was just never anyone there to put him in the pool.
Are we complaining that if someone else would just do something or the other, the problems in our lives would be fixed? Are we saying, well God of course I want to be financially secure, and I’m waiting on that great opportunity, but you see when it happens, I just never have anyone that will help me take advantage of it first. Then someone else steps over me and I just keep on waiting.
Now the man waiting at the pool surely believed there was miraculous healing powers in the water when the angel stirred it up. After all he had been waiting and watching for thirty eight years and had no doubt seen the many other sick stepping over him and being healed. He believed God could fix his problem but he was never quite ready to step into the water when God prepared it for him. Now maybe he couldn’t walk, maybe he was so very sick and weak that he was just always beaten to the water by those not quite as sick as he. I just believe in all that time, I would have squirmed my way to the edge of that pool, and been hanging on the edge with one finger for the moment God presented the solution so I could jump on it before anyone else could even blink! Thirty eight years is a lot of time to ready yourself for action, when God presents the way.
When the man told Jesus he just couldn’t get to the water. Jesus told him to get up, pick up his mat and walk. Take action!! Get up. He told him to get away from the window and Get UP!
“Pick up your mat.” Clean up your mess. Now my Mother might argue that this is a biblical commandment to make up your bed and maybe it is. Maybe Jesus was telling us to clean things up around us and be ready when I tell you what to do. Pick up your mat and get ready! Get your affairs in order so that you are ready to walk when Jesus says to walk. You’ll notice so far he didn’t say lay there and wait until the water comes to you!
“Arise pick up your mat and Walk!” Step out and start walking. Stop sitting by the window waiting for your miracle to run up in the front yard like Ed McMan with a big check! Start walking. God can’t guide you in the right direction if you are sitting still. You might make some wrong turns, but as long as you are walking God can guide your steps, even turn you around if you get off track.
Stop now waiting on someone else to change so that your circumstances get better, begin changing yourself. Don’t wait and pray that God instructs someone else to put you in the pool, begin praying that God will give you the strength and wisdom required to ‘get in the pool’ yourself, so to speak.
Don’t sit in front of the TV day in and day out waiting on the right numbers to come up in the lottery so that your bills are paid off. Get a job, even if you are flipping burgers, your on your way to paying your debt. Who knows, God could have already stirred the waters at McDonalds and the man waiting to give you your dream job eats BigMacs daily! You just need to jump in the pool to meet him!
If you’re hurting, find someone that is hurting worse and lift them up. There is no greater blessing than to be a blessing to someone else.
The bottom line is, stop looking out the window daydreaming about the day that your miracle appears. Get up, pick up your mess and start walking!
Visit us at http://www.littleseedsoffaith.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Always keep in mind that feeling the presence, of God,
is not the goal of spiritual growth.
Trying to feel the presence of God,
will put you in a self-effort mode,
and it increases your fears,
that you will not be able to “achieve.”
These fears will shut you down inside,
that it will become more difficult for you,
to be opened up to God,
so you can receive His presence.
If you don’t feel God’s presence don’t
worry about it.
Get your heart to believe,
that by reassuring yourself,
that feeling His presence isn’t the goal.
The goal is to stay close to God
and to enjoy the refreshing from His presence,
by faith.
An uplifting poem brought to you by Cynthia Kiteley Lee, CEO, Christian Home Business Association, Inc., a registered nonprofit organization that provides Christian entrepreneurs with business, financial and spiritual help. christianprosperity@gmail.com
Sometimes it is tempting to look back at the “good old days,” when life seemed simpler and safer.Here is an anonymous woman’s account of how she “warshed” clothes in the good old days in the Ozark hill country. I think you will find that it will help you to count your blessings.
1.Bilt fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.
2.Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3.Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water.
4.Sort things, make 3 piles; 1 pile white; 1 pile colored; 1 pile work britches and rags.
5.To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water.
6.Take white things, rub dirty spots, scrub hard, and then bile.Rub colored don’t bile just rinch and starch.
7.Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and starch.
8.Hang old rags on fence.
9.Spread tea towels on grass.
10.Pore rinch water in flower bed.
11.Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12.Turn tubs upside down.
13.Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
