Defeating The Serpent

We are in a spiritual battle. Our country and the world are divided into ever-broadening ways. Half-truths, misinformation, propaganda and “conspiracy theories “ are multiplying and permeating and also growing channels of communication. It’s as though “the prince of the power if the air” has taken control. This is a battle of information. This is a battle of competing reformations. How can we wade through all the confusion? How can we “stand” in such a time of this?

People who isolate themselves from God and His fellowship of believers are playing into the age-old strategy of divide and conquer. Satan knows about this tactic and uses it often. A person or believer, on their own is easy prey for him.

When this happens, we can expect to face a ruthless cunning enemy. Satan and the enemies of God’s people can smell weakness and vulnerability. To then it is like blood in the air. To the. It is prey and easy picking, like a lamb straying of its pen, like a straggler wandering from the heard.

1Samuel 11, talks about the Kings of the Ammonitems who was severely oppressing the tribes of Gad and Reuben. He would poke out everyone’s right eye and allow no one to rescue them. Here we have a broader picture of Satans’ strategy to enslave people.The Kings name was actually name Nahash. What parent would name there child Serpent? Maybe parents who worshiped the devil or parents who liked snakes. But it was most likely given to him after his birth because of who he was.

What is Satan’s strategy based on the circumstances of Nahash. This picture of how Satan attacks us.

If Satan can get us to settle for less than God’s best, such as what he did with Ruben in the Bible. Then Satan has us in a vulnerable weakened position.

Doesn’t that seem like what he’s trying to do in America trying to get us to settle for less.

Spiritual Shortsightedness.

When we are very shallow spiritually. We don’t see the big picture. When God took the slaves out of Egypt in Exodus 1:10, into the wilderness with an objective of a lush land of blessing. They had no desire or perception about what God was doing. Therefore, they settled for less than God’s best.

Is this what happening in our World today? We have not taught our children how to settle only for God’s best. Or to know Him as “The Great Messiah” who can do the impossible.

Don’t act in a faithless way by choosing ease and comfort. When we choose a life of comfort instead of conquest in Christ, we set ourselves up to be conquered by the enemy.

Now it’s true that following God and His plan can be difficult times. But It’s always worth it. God allows difficulty in our lives to build strength for such a time as this.

Yes, Satan can sneak in and attack you. I always know I’m doing something right and about get stronger in the Lord when he hits my weakness, he hits my head with headaches be it puts me down. Or an old injury that hasn’t bothered me in years will give me pain.

When we settle for less Satan attacks us. We should put on Jesus and make no provisions for the flesh.

Satan is a bully. He is a master of bluster. He can himself look pretty scary at times, like in America we are being bullied ( Conform to the Evils of America or you will be called a racist, terrorist terrorist).

Like the fear that’s being spread today on media,social media and other places people are shrinking like ants.

Have we forgotten how God had defeated Israel’s enemies, like King David with the stone he killed Goliath.

Satan seeks to blind us even if only partly. Ignorance is the strategy of Satan. If he can keep us ignorant of God’s truths, God’s resources at our disposal, or anything in God’s word, he has us at a great disadvantage. And what we don’t know the truth of Satans defeat and that he is a loser, we are more likely to cower in fear.

The truth is we have the power to defeat Satan by virtue of Jesus in our lives.

What is Faith?

Faith is believing what you want to believe, yet cannot prove.

Many people, including some Christians, live with this definition of faith. For some it feels liberating. It means being able to believe in anything you want to believe. No explanation is required, indeed no explanation can be given; it’s just a matter of faith. For others, such a definition is sickening. Embracing faith means you stop thinking. As faith increases, reason and meaning eventually disappear. No explanations can be given, and none can be expected. Living in faith is living in the dark.

For both groups, the problem is the same. By starting with the wrong definition of faith, they have asked the wrong question, are dealing with the wrong problem, and so have ended up with the wrong answer. Faith is not wishful thinking. It is not about believing in things that do not exist. Nor does it make all things believable or meaning impossible.

So what’s the right definition of faith? Hebrews 11:6 says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is simply defined as knowing that God exists and that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Perhaps the best word that can be used to translate is the Greek word “pistils” usually translated faith is the word “trust” or “trustworthy.” Would if you told a friend that you have faith in her. What does that mean! It means two things. First, you are sure the person you are talking to actually exists. And second, you are convinced she is trustworthy; you believe what she says and trust her character.

It is the same with Paul the writer of Hebrews talks about faith in God. Faith is knowing that God is real and that you can trust God’s promises. You cannot trust someone who isn’t there, nor can you rely on someone whose promises are not reliable. This is why faith is talked about as the substance of things hoped for and as the evidence of things not seen. Both words carry with them a sense of reality. Our hope is not wishful thinking. Faith does not make God real. On the contrary, faith is the response to a real God who wants to be known to us:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other;

besides me there is no God.

I arm you, though you do not know me,

So that they may know, from the rising of the sun

and from the west, that there is no one besides me;

I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5-6)

Every sense the church began, the refrain has always been the same: Come, believe, follow the light of the world. It has never appealed for people to leap into the dark; no such invitation is found anywhere in Scripture. Instead, we are called to step into the light. The Christian Gospel is not a message that revels in ignorance. It is the revelation of God in the person of Christ, so that we might know there is no other. The Christian is called to see things as they really are, and not as she would simply like them to be. We trust in a God who has been revealed to us in the Son and the Spirit. We believe because God is real.

What Do Tough Times Say About You?

It’s one thing to have a bad day yet quite another to fall on tough times. These are the days when it’s hard to get out of bed, not knowing how you’re going to make it through the day. Or what the day will even bring. These are the days when it feels like the world is crumbling around you and your so weary you feel like you’ve been hit by a two by four by the time you go to bed.

Many of feel weary and low because what is going on in America right now.

Yet, these are the times that shape character and show what you’re made of. So what do tough times say about you?

Unfortunately, for most of us, there comes a time when we all experience a major setback. Whether we’re confronted by personal tragedy, faced with a serious financial crisis, or struck by an uncontrollable event, these are the times that will test your spirit.

Everyone reacts to these situations differently. Some people get angry, feel sorry for themselves, and cast blame, other people remain calm, create an action plan to move forward, and look for a trace of light in the dark skies ahead. The fact is, the way you respond to these situations in the short term can impact your long term happiness.

George S. Patton said, “The test of success is not what you do when your on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”

I Pastor told me once: it’s okay to be angry, it’s what you do with that anger.

Take that anger and put in to good use through your prayers.” God wants prayers from your heart. To that anger you feel into your heart and pray them out.

Character Matters During Tough Times

  • Be positive. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people.
  • Remain Calm and Levelheaded. Count to ten. Try to make decisions based on fact rather than emotion.
  • Accept Support. There are wonderful people who care about you. Don’t shut them out, or worse take your problem Luton them. They’re trying to help.
  • Learn From You’re Past. Have you faced a similar situation in the past? Or maybe someone older has faced what you going through. Ask them. Apply the learned lessons or heard from others. There’s no need to suffer things twice.
  • Face Reality. Don’t run away from your problems. Run toward it. Accept reality as it is, not as you want it to be.
  • Own The Problem. Don’t waste precious time and energy making excuses or casting blame. More forward rather the dwelling on the problem.
  • Make Tough Choices. Don’t procrastinate or hold out for the perfect answer; there may not be one. Identify your options and create a plan of action. You’ll gain more from moving forward in a deliberate fashion that from running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.
  • Set Priorities. Don’t treat every option or activity equally. It’s smarter to do the important things rather than to complete every item on your list
  • Built Momentum. Big problems are best solved in small pieces. Tackle short-term items to achieve wins while you address the root cause.
  • Remaining True To Your Values. This is no time to comprise your integrity. Listen to your conscience. You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life.
  • Be Loyal. Don’t throw anyone under the bus to safe your hide, putting the needs of others first may supply the positive energy you need to move forward.
  • Find An Outlet For Relaxation. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Identify ways to relax and reduce stress. That will help you complete the mission with your sanity intact.
  • Be A Leader. There are times when real learners show their character. Lead by example. Be the first to “take a hit” before asking others to do the same.
  • Never Quit. A man or woman is not finished when they quit.
  • Keep The Faith. When nothing seems to work faith and prayer does.
  • Learn From Your Experiences. Make sure to learn from the experiences. You may have to apply this lesson another day. One thing this teaches us is that life if filled with “ups and downs,” so make the most of the “in- betweens.”

From Tough Times To Good Times

Believe in yourself. This too shall pass. This isn’t the first or the last time that you’re going to face tough times. If the situation is within your control, do something about it; if not, accept it for what it is and try to make the best of it. You survive the last time you faced a crisis, and you will this time as well. Remember, it’s not going to get better by sitting around. In fact, left unattended, smack problems often become bigger ones.

It’s easy to look like a star when times are good, but when times are tough, your true character comes into full view. Be strong. Don’t compromise your integrity; don’t lower your standards; and above all, don’t quit. You’re better than than that. You owe it to yourself to overcome the problem, as you have so many times before.

Staying Positive In A Negative World

Negativity seems to be surrounding us everyday.

There’s always seems to be something new and a scary that hit us everyday. Negativity also hits us at work with layoffs, benefit cutbacks and other decisions that affect our personal income.

People on the street don’t wave or say hello like they used to. Smiles are few and far between. Masks seem to alienate us from each other.

For many, the negative world has become the “new world.” It doesn’t have to be this way. When you know how to stay positive in a negative world. You take the control back from the darkness.

We can decide to be happy. We can decide to speak to people and be the light in the darkness.

We are called in Matthew 5:14 to be the light of the world. A city, that is set on a hill that cannot be hid. We need to start being that light. Light overcomes darkness.

With so much information coming our way it’s easy to get and keep a negative perspective and easily becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

If all we focus on are the dark moments in a dark world it slowly saps our hope away. If we only see darkness that is what will show in us is darkness.

A change in perspective is all it takes to turn negativity into positivity. Instead of looking for and expecting the negative seek to turn the negative into perfection. Which still exists within the imperfection of our world today.

I choose not to focus on the negativity of the government, media or anyone else that is trying to shove hate and evil down my throat. I choose instead to focus on the positive outcome I can provide in my life.

I can still treat everyone I meet on the street with dignity and respect. I can help the needy, I can still take a friend out to lunch and buy. I can still choose to help the elderly with their groceries in the parking lot. By helping them lift things into their car or return their carts and save them a few steps.

Start to watch the helpers who provide sanity in a disaster. Watch for the young parents who stand in the middle of the crosswalk to teach their children that to stay safe walk in between the painted lines.

Times and seasons change but that doesn’t mean the good people in America have too.

My Father, my husband and my son has fought for the freedom of America. I will not stand by and have to government dictate hate and evil to me just because they have more money and think they know what right for America.

When you begin to see positivity in other people you more apt to do something positive.

Yes there’s a nasty virus out there, but I will not live in fear. If I die I know I’m going somewhere better than here.

So how do we seek the good moments out when the world seems so terrible.

  • Avoid negative influences. Look for the best in people and point out those points. Even if you meet someone so dark that your heart hurts. Have you ever not particularly cared for a person? What would happen if you started saying something nice about them every time you seen them? What do you think would happen? They would more than likely feel more positive. Right.
  • Give thanks in all things, begin to look for the good things in your life. And thank Jesus for them.
  • Be content in your circumstances o matter what they are. Looking at what others have and wanting it. Example; there’s a person in my life right now that has a great job, great cars, a nice house and all the toys to go with it. But she do not have love in heart, like I do, she would never help a stranger who was in need. She lives for herself and herself alone. I sure would like all the things she has, but I’d rather have what I have a heart to help people, some great friends. And an Amazing Church family. I would much rather have what I have instead of what she has.

Begin to focus on the positive and avoid listening to the negative media, there are plenty of other positive news sources out there in that negative world they are trying to shove down our throats.

Winning The Battle Inside Your Mind

The foundational assumption that we often make when listening to our negative thinking is that our inner critic knows what it’s talking about. The truth is, our minds feed us messages that range from mild embellishments “My boss doesn’t like me” to outright lies “I’m not qualified to do anything.” This doesn’t mean that’s there’s something wrong with us. It just means we’re human, and that we have to be particularly cautious when tuning in to our inner monologue.

Once we realize that the negative thought grabbing our attention might not be true, we have the power to combat it. Fighting against our own thoughts swiftly and decisively demands focus and discipline, but it’s a practice we can develop anytime negative thinking gets in our way.

Prove Yourself Wrong

One of the best ways to enter combat is to imagine yourself as a prosecutor and your negative thought as the defendant, in court he/she is guilty, and you know it. But their pleading not guilty and sticking to their story. Your task is to get the judge to hear your side. So when the negative thought shouts out. “You’re not good at anything, because… and fill in the rest of that sentence with the strongest piece of evidence you can find:

“I am good at something because I can type and do secretarial work. I am a good communicator and can successfully do things my boss needs me to do and do them accurately and swiftly.”

You get to the point. Bring your best version of a tough lawyer to the courtroom and convince the judge that the negative thought doesn’t deserve his attention. After all the judge is you. And once you convince yourself, you can get back to whatever you’d rather be focusing on.

Battle The Confirmation Bias

There’s one important and rather unfortunate catch to this courtroom metaphor: The judge has been bribed by your negative thought. What I mean by that is the judge is naturally leaning toward his side of the argument at the start. In order to win the judge over, you need compelling, emotionally charged evidence. The judge will listen to you, but you really have to win him over.

We’ve all had this experience. As soon as a negative thought enters your mind, such as “I don’t that lady,” it’s really hard to get rid of it. This tendency for our minds to tightly grab hold of this initial belief we have about something-is what psychologists call the confirmation bias. Even if there is good evidence right in front of us that this lady possesses some high quality characteristics, we easily discount that evidence, or forget about it quickly. Our tendency is to confirm our original position. We’re not all fair judges when we evaluate our view of ourselves and the world.

This making fighting back a tough job. But the good news is that each time we fight a negative thought, such as “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing at work,”with strong evidence like this “I deserve to be here because….’ we chip away at that belief. The day that we no longer believe we don’t deserve to be here we release the grip on the confirmation bias. It may take time, but the freedom of an un-persecuted mind is earned through persistence.

And if you really are feeling stuck overcoming that grip of your negative thought and just can’t prove it wrong, sometimes an outside perspective helps. Seek out a trusted advisor- anyone from a friend to a counselor whose advice you really respect- and ask for their respective. Assuming they don’t hold the same negative belief, they’ll be free f the confirmation bias that’s holding you back and might help you identify a way past it.

When I was in the negative thinking mode from my past experience. I had to find a friend that wild tells me positive things for quite a long time before I learned todo it for myself.

Reframe With A Silver Lining

Sometimes our negative thoughts are so vague and general that they’re hard to fight back with evidence. When you wake up and think, “Today is going to be so terrible,” a better strategy for combatting is to reframe. Pause and recognize that inherent pessimism is that thought. The truth is, you have some control over how you tell the story of this day as it unfolds, and even if you’re going to face some challenges along the way, you have the ability to interpret what they mean to you and how you might learn from them. Try to imagine a specific person you admire for their approach to life ( like your grandmother or grandfather) and when they catch themselves thinking a negative thought that’s getting in their way but is too ambiguous to take to court, Imagine how your grandparent would handle it. For example, they might say, “Today is an opportunity to really see what I’m made of.”

Getting stuck in pessimistic assumptions about what might happen is a pain. Seeing the possibility in a situation is motivating. Optimism has power and when optimism is package together with the evidence we use to disprove our negative thoughts, we find ourselves with very capable boxing gloves ready to jab back when those pesky negative thoughts take a swing at us.

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The Value In Being Alone

Many think aloneness is a negative state of being. The world doesn’t help us with this notion either, being alone often carries a social stigma, implying isolation, and being on the outside of everything.

This perceived sense of aloneness seems to imply that being by yourself is not volitional, or a choice we make but rather an imposed state where a persons not socially engaged in the way that is somehow expected. Furthermore, it may imply that there is something actually wrong or defective with a person who remains alone.

I had a lady from work ask why have yo never gotten married. I laughed and said I am married, then Why are you always alone? When I explained how he was in a war and had isolation issues. She understood. I have just learned how to be alone and enjoy it.

Unlike being alone, loneliness often implies that you are looking for someone or something that you feel you need in order to feel secure and happy. For some, loneliness may be a chronic condition where your own company is never enough; where spending time with yourself may produce anxiety, panic attacks or depression. For many the perceived solution to keep this fear away is to make sure that you are always in the company of another.

Of course, loneliness is not “one size fits all.” As with anything, there may be varying degrees depending upon your personality and life experiences. For example, loneliness may be experienced by some as a painful reminder of a previous loseas or abandonment-feeling rejected, not cared for or unloved.

Although aloneness and loneliness are often thought of as the same thing, they are not. Learning to be alone may be initially scary, but once mastered, it serves as the cornerstone for development and growth as a human being. There’s so much to be gained from learning to rely upon and more importantly, to trust your own inner voice as the best source for your own guidance.

Being alone allows you to drop your social guard giving you the freedom to inward-thinking. You may be able to make better choices and decisions about who you are and what you want without outside influence. Often we are swayed by the thoughts, feeling, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior of those in our immediate sphere. You may ask others for advice and opinions, but ultimately, confiding in yourself and making up you own mind about what you want to do will lead you into the life that’s best for you.

I have my friends but it is a small group that I do things with. Not many people know that I am kind and have a heart of gold. Because too many think there is something wrong with me. I say “If they can’t take the time to find out why I am the way I am, it’s their loss not mine.

Learn to be alone, it just may be the best thing that ever happened to you.