Appreciate

Here's a topic that we never really learn the answer to until we are in a place where we have to.  That usually follows right after a separation or ending of something or someone in our life.  But before we can appreciate it we have to miss it, and before that we have to take advantage of it, or some sort of  continuous disrespect.  It's kinda funny when you think about it, when we expect something then we really don't respect it, and when we assume we can control it then it fly's away.

The problem is, we let our emotions get in the way, we haven't completely forgotten about our past as Jesus said we should, and our pride overshadows all of the teachings we have received.

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

When we model Christ then petty differences, judgmental moments, and condescending spirits do not block our vision when it comes to appreciating others for who they are.

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Peace

It's not something that can be manufactured or created, but it is something that can be believed.   The very act of having peace is so ethereal that the only real way to experience it is through a quiet mind.  You can experience it through someone else and that can rub off on you, but that usually only lasts as long as that person is around.  Some people think that when a stressful situation goes away that you can finally experience some peace, which is true in a superficial way, but if the problem happens to  return the peace is replaced by the stress.

Peace is simply a byproduct of something greater, having complete joy in your heart is the only way to defeat stress and maintain peace.  There are thousands of ways to get stressed out, but only one way to have peace in stressful situations, and that is to have a peaceful mind.

You can try it on your own, but giving your problems and your life to Jesus Christ is the simplest way to release all that stress at least from your mind.  The problem may still be there but you view things differently now and are at peace with it.

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Sorrow

If you think about it, sorrow is really only in our mind.  Other people have sorrowful situations that don't really affect us, particularly if we aren't aware of them or their problems.  The only time other peoples sorrow effects us is when we are personally connected to them in some fashion.   We are sorrowful when things don't work out the way we planned which is regret, as well, we hurt when people we love are hurt which is sorrow!  Regret is internal and sorrow should be external!

A two edged sword is sorrow!  The worlds interpretation with no God in it is sooo focused on self that sorrow can overtake us if we are ignorant to its effects.  Our sorrow can be from things we have done or we let others do to us.  The only way we can keep sorrow from consuming us is to face it head on and put it in perspective.  The Bible is clear on how to do that.

2 Corinthians 7:10  "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

That makes it pretty clear!  Empathy for others aside, personal sorrow is a weakness in our thinking and regret means we are aware of it.

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Conduct

Poor conduct is lying, stealing, revenge, infidelity, dishonesty, neglect, gossip, sloth, injustice, self hatred, and many more!  By incorporating these in your daily thought life & activities, you are worsening your final state.  Addictive & compulsive behaviours live in that group of traits.  The more of these you do, the less good you will be inspired to perform, and the less people want to be around you.

Psalm 112:5  Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.

Living a life free of the above behaviours gives you more time to focus positively on the individuals in your life.  It gives you more rest, peace of mind, energy, and over all happiness.  People don't mind being around you because you make them feel good about themselves.

Chemically speaking, if you put acid into acid, it only becomes more acidic and damaging, and much harder to get rid of!

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Stubborn

You can try and deny it, but addictive & compulsive behaviours are a part of everyone's life.  They are not restricted to drugs and alcohol, and can be as heinous as anything you can imagine.  Or as miniscule as doing nasty little things behind someone's back to try and get even.

From God's perspective, one act is no worse than the other, but rather is the motivation in someone's heart that is the deciding factor.  By this perspective; spitting in someone's coffee is no worse than physically putting them in hospital.  Anything you have in your heart to harm someone is an "Addictive & Compulsive" behaviour.  That's what we'll be judged on; "not the physical act, but the intent to do wrong". 

Psalm 81:12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

The Bible says that the only way to stop this addictive & compulsive behaviour is to forgive and then you'll forget.  Lets be addicted to forgiveness instead.

Simply put, the behaviour remains because you refuse to stop trying to get even with others.

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The Start

A defining point in a person life where you have finally had enough of the supposed better life, one of addictive and compulsive behaviours, where you do things out of anger, revenge, gaslighting, theft, sex, substance abuse and the list goes on. 

This is the point when life starts to improve, you sleep much better, not looking over your shoulder, mealtimes with friends and family, relaxing and having fun during the evenings instead of a dark sinister lifestyle.  The greatest thing is your past is forgiven completely and you have a new start from today.

Ezekiel 33:12   If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation.

When people fall back into a debaucherous lifestyle you are also given a brand new start, but in the wrong direction!  The whole point of living free from all those things, is to avoid them.

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Gaslighting

Ever worked with someone who found fault with everything you did?  Tried to condense you and your efforts into a smaller container?  You are the victim of something called gaslighting!  If every addict was to look deep into their history they would probably find traces of this behaviour that was manipulating them due to their open honest lifestyle.

People with little sense of a societal norm prey on the unsuspecting as it bolsters their confidence that they are truly in control of their ever-so-small world.  In reality, they are small children in big people shoes.  School yard bullies!  The Bible tells us about them in:

2 Peter 2:9 ...the Lord knows how to rescue the Godly from trials, and hold the unrighteous accountable... NIV

Realizing that gives the open and honest person who may have compulsive or addictive behaviours the power of knowledge to defeat those who try to impose their compulsive and addictive behaviours on you.  You are no longer the victim of a victim.

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Idolatry

Ever wonder why you think the way you do and get into situations you never thought you would?

Well in reality, an idol is something that steals all your time, uses up your brain power with you trying to get more of it.  It can be anything: our hobbies, striving for money or fame, crime, thought life, addiction, co-dependency where you can't be away from someone, and even things like worshiping the moon.

So let's look at what the 1st commandment is talking about?  Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other God's before me"

The Bible gives us clear instructions on how to live a stress free life, but if we don't take the time to understand that it is there for us to grow with, then we will fall into strange habits and thoughts.

 

Colossians 3:5  "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

I know it sounds easier than doing it because our pride can get in the way!  But I promise that if you do try it you will be rewarded.

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Consistency

Being consistent in our thoughts and actions can be a challenge with our life the way it is right now.  Not knowing that consistency is an important building block in a person's life is one thing, but when you mix shady or questionable behaviour with that confusion, then all hell breaks loose.  There's suddenly no standard, every day is a new concoction of other people's control over our life.  Addictive and compulsive behaviours start and can completely control us .  Then every unstable thing you do becomes your new personality, and people question your validity.

Colossians 1:21  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

When you give your life and all it's quandaries over to Jesus Christ, He sorts out the trash from you and your most valuable attributes.  Our mind is washed clean of our past and He polishes our best features.  Now the biggest concern is for us to avoid the detriments of the past and stay grounded in the word of God.

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Rebellion

Causes us to be taken captive by the negative things we let into our life.  Why do we keep having problems in our life over and over again?  Without God, we have to willfully not do the crazy things we do and constantly fall back into it.  With God's help we give it away and He takes it from us...buuttt... occasionally we choose to go back to the filth we left.  We are supposed to live guilt free once He takes our sinful behaviours away.

Ezekiel 21:24   “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.

Captive by our habits and others who are stronger in their sins than we are in our resistance of it.  That's why we need God in our life. 

Think about how small our stupid habit would look to God who created the world!

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Fruitless

Knowing that we should be clearing out the destructive idols, habits, and thoughts in our life, and not doing it are basically slapping God in the face. Each of us cannot deny that we are prompted consistently to live an upright Godly life.  That some of the things we are doing, we know are wrong, but we do them anyway.  We may even trick ourself into feeling good about our erroneous decisions saying, "I did it my way".   This is fruitless and will not last!

Ephesians 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

What will happen when it all comes down to the decisions you make on a moment by moment basis?  If you can't see it already, this world is coming to an end!  We will each be held accountable for every decision we made, for every questionable action we committed, and for every person we led astray by ignoring those promptings. 

We don't know the time or the hour when we will face our life of questionable choices, but the time is coming, so give your life to Jesus Christ now.

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Spirit Led

It's easier to convince yourself that you are "led by the spirit" than "not led by the spirit". 

When you think you are being led by the spirit, then you physically have to ponder all the events leading up to a decision you must make.  It's like performing a checklist or following a bunch of laws in order to have something happen.  This can have disastrous results.  This is because the goal is about "me".  You question if God even hears you!

Galatians 5:18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

When you truly are led by the spirit, events happen and have remarkable results, and you wonder how it all took place.  You didn't have to do anything, no checklist, no book of laws, and no real thinking about it.  You just followed a small voice in your head that led you on a good and rightful path.  The goal, as it turns out, was to help someone else.  You walk away dazed yet amazed!

Being Spirit Led is more about acting in the moment, and less about large plans well in advance.

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Cover Up

When you live a life of questionable behaviour, going against societal norms, in defiance to others, breaking the law, and putting yourself first, you are the opposite of truth.  Truth exists to guide us in the right ways, but by living those ways and professing to be the opposite is like simply covering over filth with a beautiful rug.  Eventually the filth will stain and ruin the rug.

When you live like that you become critical of others.  Your own guilt becomes the filth under the rug.  You try incessantly to heap guilt on others in order to avert other peoples gaze on your own debauchery.  And occasionally you can trick others into seeing that you are an angel of light and they will willingly do your dirty work for you.

Exodus 23:1 “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness."

False prophets must cover over everything about them because their life is usually a sham.  This is why the Bible talks about wisdom and to test everything.  It doesn't say heap guilt and ask others to lie for you.

But soon the veil will be torn.

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Legal

Everyone has a theory about the Bible, people on both sides say either the Old or New Testament no longer apply or cancel each other out.  Reality is, those people that avoid religion are judged by the Old Testament and those that accept the New Testament want to live their life by the Old Testament.  If you're avoiding it, then you've heard about it!

Galatians 5:18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

If you live under the Old Testament only then you will never live up to the list of rules in it, so you are under the law.  If you accept Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit as the head of your life then Grace fills your world and suddenly living according to the Old Testament becomes much easier, simply because you want to try, not because you have to.  Then, if you fail any of the laws, you know you are forgiven.

Incidentally, those people who have never heard that there is an Old or New Testament cannot be judged, because they have never had the opportunity to accept or avoid the Holy Spirit.

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Expose

We judge others, others judge us: but its always from wrong motives.  God has a wonderful way of allowing us to come to grips with our own shortcomings.  Occasionally though, we need correcting because our actions are a bit off base. A Godly friend can gently bring our faults to our attention, which is much better than a harsh encounter, because hard resets hurt.

1 Cor 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

There's a big difference between correcting and judging, correcting means you actually care about the person.  Judging, you may or may not care, but you lack compassion and understanding to relay an important life saving message.  That's what God will judge.  Spending your time talking about someone instead of talking to them has long standing effects on God's day of judgement.

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Thoughts

Our thought life is the GPS for the next action we take.  GPS is wonderful when its accurate and they are getting better all the time.  But we don't have to follow the direction it tells us to take which can land us in difficulty.  Getting through life is much like that, our GPS conscience tells us things and if we ignore it, then we wind up in difficulty.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

When you say "NO" to everything, you become stuffy, old, and miserable before your time.
When you say "YES" to everything, you become gullible, weak, and exhausted before your time.

God wants you to take everything to Him and find out what thinks.  The Bible is our GPS to get us through life.

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Flesh

Not the kind we have on our body, but rather a way of thinking.  When a person is deep in their addiction or compulsive behaviour, this is called living in the flesh.  Our mind is totally controlled by our repetitive actions, and the furthest thing from our thinking is God and His plan for our life.

Roman's 8:7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

We think we are free living under our curse because we get to do what we want, but in reality we know that we are trapped in a hell-hole of despair, hurt, and lies.  We lie to others & ourself saying "it's not that bad", but deep down we are sickened by our plight.

The other option is giving your life to Jesus Christ, secretly praying, asking Him into your heart and allowing Him to clean you up.  May have to follow a few rules but it is infinitely better than the way you are now.  After a while you will find that your old lifestyle will start to make you sick just thinking about it.

Try it and see for yourself!  No one needs to know, it's just between you and Jesus.

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Condemnation

Something we receive, give, and occasionally believe.  It's no better than cancer.  Cancer rots your flesh, but condemnation rots your soul if you let it.  If you're a person who struggles with faith, religion, God, or even believing that you're not good enough, then condemnation can sink you if you're not strong enough. 

Some people wield condemnation or guilt as a way to control others, in order to make themselves feel better.  Passing judgement, hurling insults, or magnifying your mistakes are common ways they beat you into the ground.  They may even try to convince you you're not worth anything.

Acts 15:11  No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

The Bible tells us that each of us are God's masterpiece.  If we choose to listen to others when call us  trash then we will always carry that burden, but if we denounce all condemnation against us then their words become pitiful in our eyes! 

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Belief

Most people don't spend enough time looking things up to see why they believe in something.  It's when an article comes along or someone has an interesting story, that we adopt that line of thinking without testing it first.  That is the basis of alot of false religions & addictions believe it or not.  We are fed a line that something is actually good for you and we believe it simply because we have no other response or haven't spent the time looking it up for our self.

1 Corinthians 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

When we just take hearsay and false doctrines and build a complex belief system for ourself, then we have created a lie that we can follow.  No wonder the world has so many problems and so many people have a life that is short of a living hell.

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Sanctify

Most people don't know what that is!  It's when you believe in something, finally understand it completely, and give your whole life over to it.  It's doing everything in your life to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.  You might still fall at times but your heart is in the right place and want to live wholesomely.  People respect your commitment and you become sanctified.

The opposite of that is an addictive or compulsive behaviour that runs your life, you have no say, basically out of control, and death or destruction is near you all the time.  Your loved ones suffer the most.

1 Thessalonians 4:4-5  Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. (MSG)

The difference is obvious;  living for God and serving others v/s serving self over all others and ignoring God.  The first one leads to life and the other leads to death.

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Stumble

Everyone trips up at some point, makes huge mistakes, or goes against wise council.  We then have to pay the price!!  This is especially true with compulsive or addictive behaviors. Slipping back into questionable habits and relationships.  We need to separate ourself from addictive behaviors first.

When you put the trust of your life in the hands of someone who genuinely cares about you, and wants the absolute best for you, life becomes far easier to live.  Just think, if you knew someone like that how relieved you would be.  Someone who could basically snap their fingers and your problems would go away, or at the very least turn your problems into something so small that you forget about them.  His name is Jesus Christ and He is willing to do that for everyone who comes to Him...yes even the worst offenders.

Psalm 37:23-24 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; ²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Ask Jesus into your life to lead you.  Try it...I dare you!

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Layers

We can believe in the existence of something and still not believe it could be real in our small world. Recovery exists, but not all people believe that it exists for them. They don't see a way out of their trauma-style life so they don't put any faith in release from their own bondages.  This is the second layer that prevents people from true healing.

The layers we heap on ourselves that tell us that we cannot be released from our addictive and compulsive behaviours are barriers that keep us from dealing with our real problem.  We find ourselves wasting valuable time trying to fix the layers rather than the underlying problem.  A lot of people give up entirely because it's too hard to fix the layer, when all they have to do is look under them to find the real problem.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice

I know it's comfortable to not look under the layers.  But if our behaviour causes more trouble than we can bear, then all we need to do is find enough courage to look and we will find our real self.

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Wandering

Like trying to find something in the dark, we wander through life without direction.  We don't know what's right for us and if we don't spend time looking & studying for it, then anything that comes along becomes acceptable.  This is how addictive and compulsive behaviors start, and really bad habits.

1 Corinthians 10:23  “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

The Bible gives us guidelines to follow and the commandments are there to steer us in a more positive direction.  Simply being disobedient and ignoring them means we have made the choice that we know better, based on our limited perspective of the world as we see it.  Addictive & compulsive behaviors can be changed, but when talking about Heaven & hell, mistakes made based on ignorance in this case would be irreversible. 

Pray for the wisdom to see the differences. . .

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Restoration

We can walk around blinded to the truth in all situations if we are willing to avoid anything that resembles the truth.  If we are afraid to even approach revealing our weaknesses, then darkness is our comfort, because we avoid the light.  Concealing the truth is simply lying, as avoiding healing is simply lying.  Living in darkness is living the lie.

Acts 9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Finally realizing that most of our actions are based on living the lie, is when the light of the truth starts to creep in.  It can be emotionally painful, but when the light of God becomes greater, than the darkness we surrender to in every situation, is when we are truly released.

Suddenly joy replaces gloom and our smile becomes more genuine.

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Deceptive

When we step away from the virtues in the Bible we are left with the opposites of that way of life.

Bible               World
Purity           -   Lust
Abstinence   -  Gluttony         You have to be brave to display the ways of the Bible known as Grace.
Generosity    -  Greed
Ethics            -  Sloth
Forgiveness   -  Wrath            You have to deploy deception to display the ways of the world.
Kindness        -  Envy
Modesty         -  Pride

Deception is exhausting as you always have to cover your tracks and plan all the details of your next attack.  You have to try to anticipate your victims reactions, set traps for the unsuspecting, and manipulate innocent bystanders to do your dirty work for you. 

Grace is resting in the Lord knowing full well that He has your back covered, that traps set for you  will be sprung on those who plan them, encourage others, and pray for those who are locked in the beliefs of the world's deceptions.

The greatest correction to take place is to realize what you really are in the eyes of God.

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The Principle

Not everyone likes you!  It's hard to take a statement like that if you are continually doing things to try to win people over to accept you.  It's an addictive behaviour that stems from abandonment, or some other childhood detriment, one that's never really been dealt with.  So when we are rejected, then falling back into our choice of poison in life, is easy.  Repeated rejection sets in place the blueprint for our life.  Repeated picking up our bad habit is; just a bad habit of picking up the habit.

Once you realize that some people will accept you, others won't, and still others just don't care because they have enough on their plate, then you can start to expose the root of addiction.

Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

The principle should be; give all your worries to Jesus Christ and stop worshipping the idol of your addiction!  In the long run it doesn't matter if people like you or not, but rather if you trust God.

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Action

You can tell when someone has finally decided to stop a life of addictive and compulsive behaviours, of lying, cheating, stealing, drug and alcohol use.  Their demeanor changes, the facial expressions are softer, verbage is not so demonic, and they are absent from the usual places you would find them.

You can say through your own determination that you are done with that lifestyle, but it's always in your view and you're are always on edge.  It shows in your brow, words, and your actions, that it is ever so close to you still.  Fighting that behaviour with all your might!! 

James 2:17  "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead".

There is an easier way.  Truly releasing that lifestyle and being free from the magnetic draw of its attraction can be easy, but only if you release your control over life.  Think back to a time when you were stressed about a task and someone with knowledge about it came and did it for you, and how relieved you were after.

Giving your life to Jesus is just like that, except He will fix your problems for you, if you choose to turn away from them.

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Motive

Everyone has motives!  People do things because they have motivation to do it in order to gain something.  If what we seek after is upright and honorable then all is well, it's when we have to resort to scheming that all things fall apart.  If scheming or manipulation is part of your motive, then you are already on a slippery slope into addictive behaviours.  You wind up using people for your own personal gain.  If you liked the outcome the first time you rely on tactics like that, then you are hooked.

Scheming, manipulation, drug use, alcoholism, thievery, prostitution, lying, rape, embezzling, and many more....All have the same motivation, to treat people like objects to be used and cheated.  God hates that!

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

If we don't know what is acceptable in society, then we certainly won't know what's acceptable with God.  Coming to a realization of our actions starts with messages like this, just speaking the truth.

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Appearance

We may not see anything wrong with the sketchy things we do in public or in front of our family and friends.  They may be questionable behaviours, out right illegal, or completely morally deprived.  It doesn't seem to matter to someone with an addiction or compulsive behaviour, because the feel-good-temporary-fix seems to be enough to get us through the day.  We look like a fool to everyone with common sense, but to us that doesn't matter.

That thinking can only come from selfish motives, or thinking we are less than everyone else around us.  We deceptively tell ourself that we "don't care what other people think"  or "it doesn't matter because I'm not worth it anyway". 

Both of these statements are straight out of the pit of hell.  Tricks to get us to believe we are destined to be what we currently are and not what we could be!

Proverbs 18:14 The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

If you believe the voices in your head, that you are less than a magnificent creation of God, then your spirit is crushed. . . . but only as long as you believe that.   

 

You see; what you believe you are is what you are.  The key is believe!

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Oppression

People try to be more important than everyone else.  It's not really greed, it's more like envy or fear.  People with a strong demeanor who are weaker in communication skills can oppress others very easily and they may not even know why themselves. 

The mind gets excited when it receives a Dopamine shot from our metabolism and this happens when we achieve something.  Like athletes or actors, or when everyone applauds you for a job well done.  That shot basically affirms who we are and what we do.  Problem is, people can become addicted to it.  That's when we need to stand up for ourselves to stop their Dopamine fix at our expense.

Titus 2:15 "These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you."

That's what Jesus did!  He didn't let anyone trample on Him or talk down to Him.  He stood His ground in the face of adversity all while respecting His opponents.  Mind you He is God incarnate and has all the answers, but it is a beautiful example of what we can do simply by following Jesus' teachings.  And stopping oppression against us.

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Genuine

It's something quite a few people know nothing about.  It's not a skill you learn in school, or something to purchase over the counter.  Unfortunately, through tough life experiences we learn to avoid being genuine because we can be taken advantage of.  For some reason we think a tough uncaring outer skin is appealing! Really??

1 Corinthians 4:7   For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it? 

In reality it all stems from being prepared for the next attack, the next attempt by someone to hone in on our territory.  I'll show them!!

The Bible does carry with it; ways of communicating, ways to disagree nicely but firmly, and solid ways of leadership that win others over, rather than beating them down to defeat. Only problem is, you say you don't have time to read it.  That's a missed opportunity!

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Trickery

Being tricked does not feel good, but truth be told, every person with a bad habit, hang-up, or addiction, is being tricked daily, hourly, minute by minute.  That's what keeps you doing what you are doing.  If you hate your disorder then you are believing the lie that is keeping you there.

Maybe you don't believe you're worth anything, or you think your habit is actually good for you, or you can't see a way out, or you've given up trying, Jesus Christ thinks you are cool but just a bit messed up right now.  Whatever the reason you have, it is the perfect lie that you are continuing to believe.  God deals harshly with lies, but also heals those afflicted by them.

3 John 11  ".....Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God."

Making a physical choice to step out of your situation and step toward God is a solid first choice and a big one, especially if you can't trust anyone.  Despite what others say, God would much rather see you healed His way, rather than you to see you perish your way.

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Secret

Secrets cannot be kept if we:

• don't have control of our tongue.
• don't care for others feelings.
• are trying to please others.
• have no self worth.
• are malicious.
• are envious.
• hate.

Secrets should not be kept if it:

• is greedy
• is self-serving
• deceives others
• degrades others
• destroys reputations
• is scheming in nature
• is filled with hatred for another

Matthew 6:6  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Secrets are either black or white as the heart is either good or evil.  Sometimes we may not know the difference!

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Acceptance

It's required by all of us in order to be a whole person.  As much as we would like to shut ourself off from the world and the negative vibe that keeps us recoiling every time we hear it, from a healthy mind standpoint it's dangerous. 

It's funny but if we put others first in our thinking then the image we build of what's going on around us changes.  We start to see others that are hurting and lashing out because they can't handle the stress in their life.  They are just as confused as we are at times, and we happen to be in the place when they let it out.

Luke 6:35-36 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

What we need to do is change our thinking to one of concern for others, then our problems start to minimize.  Maybe you are just the person they need to talk to at that moment.  Interesting!!

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Negativity

αρνητική  Ever have someone walk into the room and everyone cringes because of the negativity about to ensue?  Or maybe that's you?  Negativity is the result of unresolved hurt! 

People who don't harbor a grudge, who don't have a bad conscience, and are willing to talk openly about their problems very rarely have a reason to be negative.  Bottling up that hurt only creates pressure that will blow eventually.  It comes out in anger, envy, and all sorts of childish behaviours.  It causes us to gossip, slander, hate, and play tricks on people.  Devious thinking that causes us to cheer when someone fails.  It's hard to even be around them!!!

But someone who brings high spirits and good news into the room, then our spirits are lifted and we don't feel so bad.  Or we hate them for being so happy, because we know we can't be like that.

Romans 10:15  . . . . “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Life can be difficult enough without negative people in it.  Why not try being positive for one day?  It may seem weird at first but over time you do feel much better about life.  Try it!!

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Tongue

Ever lied, said something harsh or vindictive and then wondered why you said it?  You're not alone.  It is a common affliction among all nationalities, men, women, children, young, or old.  It results from a stressful loose connection with the heart and mind, and the tongue is the vent to relieve the internal pressure.

The heart & mind in their natural state are carnal, simply storage devices.  Our families and society train our hearts and minds up to the way things are done around us.  We adopt that and basically we know no other way!  When we interact with others, read books, find spiritual influence in things, we start to see a different path. 

James 3:7-8 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Through hardship that we bring on ourself, we learn to control the tongue, but more importantly, bond the heart and mind together so the tongue becomes under our full control.  Discuss this with Jesus Christ to find out how!

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Craving

садржај   It can cause us to let down our guard & wander away from sound thinking into an experiential type of lifestyle.  Experiencing things is good and not wrong by any means, but what I'm talking about is what will entrap us.  Our conscience is our guide.  If we give into one questionable way of life, then the rest are now acceptable all because we did not heed the warnings in the Bible.

Psalms 106:14  In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test.

It goes on to tell us that they made a golden calf for worship, fell to disease, were rebellious, and finally swallowed up by the earth!  Uncontrolled cravings lead to lust, the perfect setting for an addiction or compulsive behaviour.  It all starts with complaining, envy, lust, greed, and a false sense of entitlement.

We have to remember that we are where we are because God lead us there to grow us, or we forced God's hand and he gave us the desires of our heart!  Either way we are meant to be content where we are.  Read the warnings, take everything to God, and wait for His timing.

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Compulsive Behaviour

예수 What does that even mean?  There's a fine line between psychological and spiritual interpretations.  The old adage: "if you love something then set it free, if it comes back then it is yours, if it doesn't then it never was".  Showing a true undying love for something is different than Compulsive Behaviour. 

Undying love means you want the best for it and will be willing to set it free for the betterment of the thing you love.

Compulsive behaviour usually needs to entrap the thing you love for the betterment of yourself.

It's all motive driven based on our upbringing. We only do what we know and won't do anything different until we learn how to do it.

Romans 8:5  Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

So its the difference between receiving a gift versus lusting after it.

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Shamed

躕 Ever done something wrong and felt bad about it?  This is good!  It's when we have case-hardened our conscience so that we no longer feel any remorse for our actions that addictive and compulsive behaviours start.  When we blank out peoples feelings, ignore laws, lie to cover up our crimes, and assume the plunder from our victims is rightfully ours, is when we are closest to death. 

Question: If we live a life like that and were to die today then we have no way to try to repair the damage we have done.

GOD HAS A PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WHO WON'T EVEN TRY!  But He abundantly blesses those that that do.

Romans 2:16  This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

The worst bout of shame would be to stand in front of God knowing you never even tried!

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Desires

They can help us or harm us.  A healthy desire shows you are alive and active which most people are.  We may all differ in our tastes but the desire to have those thing is honorable.

But not everyone is like that.  When we have addictive or compulsive behaviours things like "honor and healthy" go out the window and they are replaced with "self-centered and greed".  There's nothing honorable about wallowing in your own self pity and you have to be very greedy with your motives. 

We have to remember that God is a very generous God and gives you the desires of your heart.  It's not good when our desires don't line up with God plan and we refuse to accept His teachings;

Psalm 81:12  "So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices."

Our own devices and desires can and will label us unless we change our habits, and to do that, we need to deal with our hurts and hang ups!!

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Chasten

Addictive and compulsive behaviours usually result from no chastening when we were growing up or over the top chastening to the point of abuse.  Either way it breaks our thinking, causes us to think waaaay outside the box, and gives us license to rebel, or be so totally confused that we simply don't know what's right!

Healthy chastening by someone who loves us helps us set acceptable boundaries for ourselves.  This solid thinking given to us at a young age helps us to avoid extreme situations because we know there will be consequences for our actions.

Proverbs 29:17 "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire." 

If you've never received that teaching then you are on your own, but only until we get tired and hand our life over to Jesus.  God will still need to chasten us and as long as we don't rebel then God can still straighten us out.

 Hebrews 12:7 "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?"

Chastening or hardship in our life is hard to understand....but it is soooo true!!  (so there's no need to get depressed or angry)

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Harm

Is either physical or psychological.  It can be demoralizing or medical.  We have to wonder why people enjoy harming others.  Why wouldn't we all just want to live in peace?  There are really only 2 reasons; Greed or Unforgiveness.

People take from us or we take from others; that produces greed!  Others have what we want or think we need,  so we break the laws of the land or the law's of God.

We can't forgive others and others can't forgive us; that produces revenge and anger!  We do our best to harm others for their acts against us, so we break the laws of the land or the law's of God.

The Bible says in Roman's 13:10  "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

It also states that the leaders & governments are put in place by God, so if we break the law's of the land then we are breaking the laws of God!   In the end that will really harm us.

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