Romans 12:2 (GW) says "Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants - what is good, pleasing, and perfect."
If you want to fulfill the call of God on your life, I can tell you right now that you cannot live according to the world's standards. Let's be honest, the world we live in doesn't focus on things that are good for us or pleasing to God. Many people only live for themselves, having no kind of compassion for others. If a sacrifice is needed to be made to help someone, many people withdraw. Loving people will usually involve a type of sacrifice. Look at Jesus. He sacrificed His life so we could all be forgiven. That is some serious love right there! In this verse we are told to "change the way you think." The ERV version says "let God change you inside with a new way of thinking." The TLV version says "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." A new way of life will involve a new way of thinking. That means you have to let go of the things that are keeping you from moving forward: bitterness, resentment, the "chips on your shoulder", gossip, slander, unforgiveness, and any other kind of negative emotion. Romans 12:12 says that we should be patient when we have troubles. Talk about a new way of thinking! I don't know about you, but before I really starting following God, being patient in times of trouble was not part of my character. I'm so grateful that He has worked with me in this area. I can say with confidence that every day I am one step closer to where I want to be and one step further from where I used to be. Transformation is a slow process, so I encourage you to stay strong and be determined to never give up. There were times in my life when God told me "It's time to give that up" and I wanted to negotiate with Him saying "But God, it's not that bad. I mean, it's not like I do it all the time. Come on God, really?". LOL. There is no negotiating with God! Always remember that whatever God tells you to put away, it's for your own good. Don't be rebellious and choose to live life your own way. If you do, you're only setting yourself up for failure and missing out on what God has in store for you. Make a decision to change the way you think today!
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Romans 14:10 (ERV) says "So why do you judge your brother or sister in Christ? Or why do you think that you are better than they are? We will all stand before God, and he will judge us all.”
It's sad to think how many Christians pass judgment on one another. I'm aware that it's not just Christians that gossip, but the thing is, we should be aware of the dangers of it and how much God hates it. We are supposed to be walking examples for the lost to see! Proverbs 6:17 lists prideful eyes as one of the things that God hates. Daniel 4 talks about King Nebuchadnezzar and how pride had overtaken him. His prideful spirit led God in making him live with the wild animals and eat grass like an ox. This went on for seven seasons! He became wet from dew. His hair grew long like the feathers of an eagle, and his nails grew long like the claws of a bird. WOW! I remember God dealing with me on this years ago. Within a year of working with the company I'm at now, I was assigned head of store for three months while my manager was on maternity leave. When she returned, I was promoted to a higher volume store. Let me tell you, I became very full of myself. I had the attitude that no one could tell me anything because I (thought) knew it all. God had to bring me to my knees. Let me tell you, it was not a fun experience. It was rather humiliating. Don't ever, ever, ever think more highly of yourself that you should. People are so quick to judge before getting to know a person. Everyone is going through something that we don't know about. Judging others is not walking in love. Would you want someone passing judgment on you before getting to know you? We see someone with a nice car and we assume they're stuck up. We see someone with blue or pink hair and we assume they're weird and from other planet. We see someone in all black and assume they're gothic and worship evil spirits. Whoever you talk about, you're talking about God's creation and I can assure you that He doesn't appreciate it. If you don't have something good to say, then don't say nothing at all. Matthew 7:1-5 (GW) says "Stop judging so that you will not be judged. Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you. So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer's eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to another believer, 'Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,' when you have a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer's eye."
I remember reading these verses for the first time a couple of years ago and receiving the revelation from God, "You don't like being talked about? Then don't talk about other people." It was seriously a slap in the face for me. I would get so mad when I heard that I was the center of people's gossip, yet I was doing the same exact thing! Gossip is Satan's tool. Prayer is God's tool. I've made it a habit now to go to God with my problems instead of other people. If you have to tell someone, be sure it's someone you can trust and will pray for you and with you. Since we all communicate one way or another, whether it be through talking, emailing, social media, or texting, we need to be aware of the words we speak. I honestly recommend keeping a verse close by that talks about the words we speak. It also wouldn't hurt to have today's verses alongside too. Words do hurt! Proverbs 18:21 says "The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings." What are your words bringing? Are you ready to accept what they bring? If your words are judgmental, full of bitterness, complaining, and every other negative thing, you can expect harsh consequences. Verses 6 & 7 say "Fools say anything to start arguments. They are just asking for a beating. Fools hurt themselves when they speak. Their own words trap them." Are you asking for a beating? Judging others is not walking in love. We are always wanting people to change, but we choose to gossip and complain about them and not pray for them. God doesn't answer complaints. How many things have you had to ask forgiveness for? I'm sure it's quite a lot. I know it has been for me. So what right do we have to sit and criticize other people? We don't have one. Are you going through a hard time dealing with someone who is "out to get you?". It's that person who is trying to start trouble with you, who has nothing better to do than to start drama, put you on blast all over social media, stomping your name in the ground at work or to friends and family, and so on. I want to share some scriptures from Psalm 37 that has helped me and I believe will help you as well:
Psalm 37:2 says about evil people, "They are like grass and other green plants that dry up quickly and then die." Verse 5 says "Depend on the Lord. Trust in Him, and He will help you." It says many times that the wicked shall be destroyed! * The beginning of verse 9 says "The wicked will be destroyed..." * Verse 17 says the same thing, "The wicked will be destroyed, but the Lord cares for those who are good." * Verse 20 says "But evil people are the Lord's enemies, and they will be destroyed." * Verse 22 says "...Everyone He curses will be destroyed." * Verse 28 says "...He will destroy the families of the wicked." I want to end with Verses 39 & 40. "The Lord saves those who are good. When they have troubles, He is their strength. The Lord helps good people and rescues them. They depend on Him, so He rescues them from the wicked." My friends, evil WILL NOT prevail over good as long as God is on your side. So don't you dare feel hopeless in whatever situation you're in because whoever comes against you WILL BE DEFEATED AND DESTROYED!!! |