Give Up Being Right
It is more important to be nice than to be right. Christians struggle with this a lot. They want to get into debates with atheists that only show the world our anger, not our love. Jesus said, "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if ye love one another." NOT by proving to the world that we are right and they are wrong. That has turned many, many people off to Christianity. Many Christians want to judge the world, but Paul said directly that we are not to judge the world or anything in the world.
Paul says in 1 Cor. 5, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?"
Those outside the body of Christ do not know better as they are have not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We are to think of them as children who are LOST, not as "heathens." What did Jesus feel when he saw the people? He felt overwhelming COMPASSION towards them, and to Him they looked like sheep without a shepherd. We cannot hold non-Christians accountable to our standards, as they are slaves to sin. We were all slaves to sin by nature. They literally cannot help it.
All that we as Christians can do is PRAY for those who are lost, not insist that we are right and that they are wrong. That won't get us anywhere! You can try reasoning with people from the Scriptures as Paul did in Acts. But argumentatively insisting that they are wrong will not win souls to Christ, but will only push people farther and farther away from God. "Do not judge or you too will be judged." We cannot insist that we are right. We are not God. So give it up. God is the judge of men's hearts, we are not.
Give Up the Need for Control
A great and very true quote is, "If you do not have control you will become controlling." I thought of this a lot the year I was a teacher. We ARE meant to have control of something, and that something is OURSELVES. The problem is when people are not able to control themselves they, for whatever reason, seek to control others. Controlling people are very insecure people. They seek to change in others that which they WISH they could change in themselves. Another good quote, "We hate in others what we hate in ourselves." Have you ever analyzed why certain traits in other people irritate you? If you do not like pride in someone else, could it be that you do not like the pride in yourself? If you do not like someone else's inability to control their eating, could it be that you do not like your own inability to control what you eat? Instead of looking inward, as we ought to, we look outward at what is wrong with others. What did Jesus says about this? He said we are to first remove the plank from our own eye before we can remove the speck from someone else's eye. Do you have a plank in your own eye? Have you ever looked at your own eye? "Know thyself," Shakespeare said. May we all look inside before we try to look outside and seek to judge or control others.
Give Up Blaming Others
What did Adam do as soon as God pointed out his sin? He blamed Even. What did Eve do? She blamed the serpent. And what do we do? We blame each other for our own sins and our own faults. What if we took responsibility for our own choices instead? What if we recognized that we alone are in charge of ourselves; our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions? What if we recognized that we are the only ones to blame for any wrong that we do? How would that change our lives? We need to recognized that other people are not responsible to "make" us happy, we alone are responsible for our own happiness. Also, other people cannot "make" us mad, we make ourselves mad, because we have expectations that the other person failed to meet. If we did not have those expectations, we would not be mad. If we never communicated those expectations, the other person cannot be at fault for not fulfilling them. The first step in the salvation process is taking ownership for our own sins. The first step is realizing that we are the ones at fault. It is not anyone else's fault. We need to stop blaming our own sin on the way our parents raised us, or on our teachers, or on our friends, or on any other outside influence. We need say before God, "I was wrong. I have been wrong many, many times. Will you forgive me?" But that cannot happen until we recognize that we alone are to be held responsible for our own lives and our own actions. May we all come to truly see ourselves, as God sees us, and stop hiding behind others. And I pray you will take that step to ask God to forgive you if you have not already done so. Amen. :)
Give Up Self Defeating Self-Talk
Satan whispers in our ears all day long, lies, lies about ourselves and others that he wants us to believe. But don't let him in. Most people do take the bait and they start to believe these lies. Lies that say, "I am worthless." "No one could ever love me." "I will never do anything with my life." BUT DON'T BELIEVE THEM. That is not of God and that is NOT the truth. God says to you, "YOU are my child. I love you. I have great plans for you. I am always watching over you and I will NEVER leave you." But often times we hear Satan as a yell and God's voice as a whisper. Which voice will you listen to? Don't let Satan win in the battlefield of your mind. Don't shoot yourself in the leg before you even begin the race. Remember that you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you and you are more than a conqueror! Don't give up. Always believe in yourself. Always believe that the Spirit in you can accomplish great things in your life. :) Scripture says, "He who began a good work in you is faithful and will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." God is carrying you. God is working in you. So take up the shield of faith and call Satan out on his lies. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan He verbally said verses to counteract Satan's temptations. We can do this as well. Don't believe the lies. Believe the truth, that God loves you, and He will always love you, no matter what! :)
Give Up Limiting Beliefs
This makes me think of the scene in the Matrix when Morpheus tells Neo, "You have to FREE YOUR MIND." We all need to free our minds. It was said, "He who believes he can and he who believes he can't are both right." What we believe about ourselves and our lives becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. If we think we cannot do something, then we probably will think our way out of ever being able to achieve it. But if we believe that we can do anything we set our mind to, then we can. Do not limit yourself. Do not say because it has not been done that it cannot be done? What if Edison said that about the light bulb? What if the Wright Brothers said that about flying planes? What if Tim Berners-Lee said that about the Internet? That is something that still boggles my mind, how on earth the Internet came to be and works. You never know what might be possible. The sky is the limit, meaning there is no limit. God created us in his image, that is why we are capable of so much! We did NOT come from an amoeba. We came from God himself. Therefore, never stop believing in what you might be capable of. Jesus said, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can move mountains." Do you believe that? Do you really believe that? I believe Christians today are capable of anything that those in the early church were. I believe we can raise the dead and heal people if we would only have enough faith. One man said to Jesus, "Lord I believe but help me in my unbelief." May God help us all in our unbelief to believe. Amen? May God increase your faith so that you can move mountains! :)
Give Up Complaining
What was the reason why God did not let the Israelites enter their Promised Land? Because they were constantly complaining. They actually said to Moses that they would have rather gone back into slavery than be on their way to the Promise Land! But are we any better? We complain all the time; about our jobs, our family, our cars, our houses, our income etc....I love the verse, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." We are to be set apart, different. We are to be the salt and light of the earth. How? We are to have thankful hearts before God in everything. Any complaining that we do in regards to our lives is complaining against God, for HE GAVE US everything in our lives. They are all gifts from Him. Imagine if you gave someone a gift and they immediately complained about how much it wasn't what they wanted. How would that make you feel? That is how God feels all the time when we are not grateful for what He has given us. And remember, He could take it all away in a heartbeat. So rather than complaining, be thankful, and your outlook on your life will improve greatly. :)
Give Up Criticism
Criticism comes from the thought that we have the right to judge others, but only God alone is given that power. We do not the full story of others people's lives. We do not know their hearts. Therefore, is it not our place to judge or criticize them. Criticism also comes from the belief, "I am better than you, therefore I can criticize you. I have more knowledge, skill, etc." But why do we compare ourselves to others? What is the benefit in doing that? Will any good result from it? No. I love the quote, "The only person we should strive to be better than is the person we were yesterday." Amen? It does not matter if we are better than someone else in something, because there will always be someone better than us in that same thing. Criticism is not loving. It does not build others up, but only tears them down. Scripture says, "Let your conversation be full of grace, seasoned with salt." Also, "So far as it depends on you, live at peace with all men." And, "Make every ambition to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." So rather than criticize one another, encourage one another, and see what happens. :) Guaranteed the world would be a brighter place if we all sought to build each other up rather than tear each other down. :)
Give Up the Need to Impress Others
When we are children it is important for us to seek to please our parents, as God says, "Honor your mother and father." However, when we become adults, we need to put the desire to please or impress people behind us. As adults we come under the authority of God alone. His opinion is to be the only one that matters. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." We are to fear God alone, not people. Anytime we fear people or care what they think too much we need to check if we are idolizing them. Proverbs says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare." Jesus said, "Whoever denies me before man, I will also deny him before my father in heaven." Don't forsake God for people. Don't let people eclipse God in your life. The created should never become greater than the Creator. You are to, "Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, body, soul and mind." Give up on trying to impress others. You probably never will. No matter what you do, someone will have something to say about it. So just give up. Live to impress God alone. His opinion is all that matters. :)
Give Up Resistance to Change
Change is a necessary part of life. I love the quote, "Embrace change; don't be like the dinosaur who couldn't adapt and became extinct." Life is full of seasons and different stages. We cannot stay the same. We have to adapt and be flexible. Many times God invokes change in our life in order to grow us and shape us into the people He wants us to be. Change is not always easy, but it is good. :) So embrace change. :)
Give Up Labels
Labels involve judging a book by it's cover and putting people in a box. Making general statements about people. But each and every person is unique. There has never been anyone like you and there never will be again. We cannot say just because one person was this way, all people will be that way. Let each person show us who they are as individuals. Don't label people. Things can be labeled, but not people. We also cannot label ourselves. If we failed at one thing, that does not then make us a failure. Don't let one action cause you to make a blanket statement about yourself or anyone else.
Give Up Fear
We are all afraid of something. Not just things like the dark or spiders or heights. Many people are afraid of love and intimacy. Many people are afraid of change. People may fear being rendered powerless in any way. It was once said, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." To conquer fears we must run headlong into our fears. That is the only way that they will be defeated and no longer be able to have power over us. Don't let your fears cripple you and leave you in indecision. Take the bull by the horns. Dive in the deep water and stop being afraid of things. Scripture says, "For you did not receive a spirit of fear but a spirit of kinship and by Him we cry Abba, Father." Also, "God did not give you a spirit of timidity but of power, love and self-control." God also commanded us, "Be strong and courageous for I will go with you wherever you go." Fear is not of God. 1st John says, "Perfect love casts out all fear." If we are trusting God, we are to be afraid of nothing. Nothing. So let go of whatever you are afraid of. Give up fear. Give your fears to God. And He will give you his peace that passes all understanding. :) Amen? Amen.
Give Up Excuses
I love the quote, "There are a million people to tell you why it cannot be done." But do it anyways! Everyone wants to put doubt in your head about the future, about your dreams. But don't listen to them. And don't listen to your own excuses, such as, "But what if....." No one knows what the future holds, neither do you, and you will not know until you live it or try it. Give up on making excuses for why you are not doing such and such thing and just go do it! Live the life you've always wanted, and forget about the excuses for why it may not be possible. Just believe and have faith that God can make the impossible possible. Because He can. :) Amen? Amen. :)
Give Up The Past
A great quote regarding the past is, "You cannot live the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one." The past is in the past; it is gone. Don't let anything in your past dictate how your future will go. Every day is a new day with a new beginning. Also remember, "Anytime Satan wants to remind you of your past, remind him of his future." The only benefit to remembering our past is in recollecting all the ways God has blessed us and come through for us. But anything negative in the past, just let it go. There's nothing you can do about it, except try to do better next time in everything. Serenity comes when we accept things we cannot change. The past cannot be changed. Accept that what happened happened in your past and move on the the future. When Lot and his wife were leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, his wife turned back to look at the city, and what happened to her? She turned into a pillar of salt. Why did God do that? Perhaps to teach us a lesson that when he is calling us to something new, we need to not look back. In order to run a race you have to look forward. You won't go very fast if you are always looking behind you. Live each day as if it were your first. Live each day as if you had a clean slate, because you do. God forgives us the moment we ask Him to. Today is a new day, what will you do with it? You have been washed white as snow, so live like it. Like the rain washes away the dirt and cleanses everything, imagine every day is the morning after a good ,hard rain. Everything is clean, refreshed, and renewed. And never forget that God loves you no matter what is in your past. No matter what you have done, his love for you NEVER changes. It NEVER fails. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. So take heart and have hope! Every day is a new day. May God help you to rejoice in the idea that everyday can be a new beginning.
Give Up Attachment
You never know if whatever thing you have attached to and are depending on will be there tomorrow. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, or anyone we know. If you are attached to yourbank account or money, you could be robbed overnight. If you are attached to your car, it could be totalled in a heart beat. If you are attached to a pet, they could get sick at any time. Do not get too attached to anything in this life, because everything is finite and mortal. Nothing will last forever. The only thing that will last forever is God. You can and should attach to God. But anything in this life, hold it with an open hand. God does not promise that anything we have today we will have tomorrow. So let it go; let go of your hold on it. Let go of your attachment to it. Realize that it is a created thing and therefore it is mortal and finite. Depend on God alone, not anyone else, or anything. If you do this, when something is taken from you it will not wreck your life or emotions. Paul says, "Do not be mastered by anything." God alone is our master, no one and nothing else is, so don't let it be. If it is, it could also be known as an idol. May God help us all to depend on Him alone and nothing else. Amen. :)
May we all live more and more for God everyday! May God bless you! :)
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