NEW
Time to take out the trash
Have you been plagued with negative thoughts about yourself and others? As Christians we may not even realize how our wrong thinking is affecting our concept of God. Don't let trashy thinking litter your mind and ruin your life. You need to clean up your "stinking thinking" and take out the garbage.
A little under 15 miles from my home, on Lincoln Highway, is the Crawford County landfill. Every day, a steady stream of trucks drive down the highway from across the area, hauling huge trailers of trash. This landfill is pretty tall, and covers a large area.
Two truths about trash are obvious:
It can cause health problems.
It doesn't leave by itself. On a regular basis, you have to take it out.
The same is true of the trash that accumulates in our minds. If we don't take it out, it can ruin our lives.
We can have trashy thinking about others. Most of us have developed a bad habit of judging other people without knowing all the facts. Jesus plainly warns us: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." (Matthew 7:1 NIV).
When we judge others, we put ourselves in God's place, taking the authority reserved only for him. We forget that other people are fighting their own inner battles and sometimes that conflict shows itself in irritating actions. But if our own behavior is imperfect, why do we expect better from others?
We can remove this kind of trashy thinking by practicing compassion and forgiveness. Only when we treat others the way Jesus treats us will we demonstrate the kind of love he wants us to have.
With his help, we can do this. We can make a little progress every day until we reach the point that we "do to others as you would have them to do to you." (Luke 6:31 NIV)
We can also have trashy thinking about ourselves. Ironically, most of us are even harder on ourselves than we are on others.
Like our nonbeliever brothers and sisters, we also get caught up in our society's culture. Every day, the dominant message it sends is You don't measure up.
Whether it's a women's fashion magazine, a TV commercial about exercise equipment, or an ad for the latest automobile, this daily bombardment tells us there's something wrong with us that their product can fix. So we buy whatever they're pitching, only to find that after a few weeks (or even sooner), we feel as empty as we did before.
We need to take out this trashy appraisal of ourselves and replace it with God's view of us, expressed in his love, forgiveness, and acceptance. One glimpse of the cross is a stunning reminder of how precious we are to Jesus.
We can also have trashy thinking about God. Our most damaging trashy thinking is about God. Maybe we never express it openly, but our actions reveal our beliefs. We plunge ahead on our own because we think God's not trustworthy. We stagger under the burden of guilt because we think he's not forgiving. And worst of all, we feel alienated and alone because we think he doesn't love us.
The best way to rid ourselves of these wrong ideas is to read God's autobiography, the Bible. The Gospels in particular reveal what God is truly like. Jesus tells us, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 NIV)
By comparing our beliefs to the truths in the Bible, we can identify our misconceptions and start to remove them. Taking out these trashy thought patterns takes courage and work. Because old habits are so hard to break, we need to ask God for help.
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is eager to collect all our trashy thinking and take it away "…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12 NIV)
Our success may be spotty. We may backslide. We'll go right back to our old ways unless we consciously catch ourselves and say, "No, that's trash. It's bad and it has to go out."
But even if it takes constant vigilance, this is a clean-up job that's well worth it. There's no better time to start than today.
Until next time, be diligent in your walk with God, and trust in Him and what His word says. He will never steer you wrong. Get out and make a new friend today, show someone you care...but most of all, show God's love to all you come in contact with.
God Bless!
In Christ's Love,
Diane Foreman
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Why do they do that?
Recently I was helping my oldest daughter plant flowers at her house. One of her neighbors is someone that I knew from the church Doug & I attended when we first got married. She was telling me how she enjoyed the articles that I write each issue. I thanked her, and we proceeded to talk about things that had been going on in our life...how she remembers when Kathy was just a little thing. Kathy rolls her eyes and said that she gets that a lot, and just laughs about the comment.
As her neighbor proceeded to talk she mentioned about her health and what all that she had been going through for a quite a few years. I praise God for His healing power in my life and that I have a clean bill of health and am looking forward to so many things in my life. She tells me that her doctor told her that she only has 5 years to live...why do they do that? Why do the doctors tell people that they have so much time to live? I liked her next comment, she said she looked at herself and told the doctor, "do you see an expiration date on me?" I liked that comment. She said the same thing, why do they do that? I told her that it does not matter what the doctor says, it only matters what the God Lord above says, He has a different time table than the doctor does, He has your life planned out for you. Yes medical science and statistics may say this, but God says otherwise.
I told her that it was the devils way of her taking her eyes off of God and focusing on the negative report that the doctor gave her. He doesn't want you to believe God's best for your life. No, he wants to draw your focus off of God, His love, His power, and His deliverance. He wants you to sit around a worry about what the doctor told you. NO, DON'T DO THAT. I have thought about this a lot since our conversation. Praise God I have never had to deal with that report, but many countless others have, and for many this is a devastating blow to them. You have a month, 6 months a year to live...poppy-cock. God has your selected time when you will be leaving your earthly body and going to be with Him.
If you are like this neighbor lady that I spoke with and you have been given an "expiration date", do not be discouraged. Turn to the almighty God, your maker/manufacturer so to speak. The one who knows when your time is up.
This is not the time to let fear creep in. This is a time for faith and determination. Don't loose the vision here of what God has set forth for your life. Don't let the emotion of the report get the best of you. Hold on to all that you have hidden in your heart. There is one thing that has always been true, that God is in control. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us. God has never let you down, so don't start to worry now. He is still Lord of all, and He is watching over you and me.
Reports like these often times leave us filled with a mixture of emotions leaving us confused and bewildered. We can take comfort in the fact that our Lord Jesus understands our feelings and fears in the tough times. It was never God's intention to have his creation-you and me-suffer in our emotions.
The Garden of Eden was to be a sanctuary where every need was met and where there was fellowship with God. Sadly, Adam sinned and brought to the world a life filled at times with pain and hurt. As we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and confess our sins, God forgives us and welcomes us back into fellowship with Him. We are told that He wipes away our tears and turns our mourning into gladness. Psalm 46:1 states that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
If you are experiencing trouble in life, know that you can trust God even if you feel that you can trust no one else. God is still on the throne and in control and He loves you with a never-ending love. He who has begun a good work in you, and in me, is faithful to complete it. It doesn't matter what the circumstances look like or even if things in life seem to go from bad to worse. We can trust our all-powerful God who sees what lies ahead and will guide us through the darkness and uncertainties of the future. I
love that old song that says, I know who holds the future and I know who holds my hand. With God all things are possible. Everything by Him is planned.
Parents who love their child will discipline and, at times, allow the child to struggle in certain things in order to teach and bring the child to a greater maturity. God is doing the same with us as He guides us lovingly through struggles so that we may mature in Christ and become acceptable, holy vessels able to contain the great glory that He wishes to pour out upon us. My friend, God has not abandoned you in your time
of hurt. He is near and allowing a work to occur in your life which, in the future, will bring about a greater understanding, a greater joy, and a greater sense of fellowship with Him.
If you are going through a difficult time today, please pray this prayer with me now.
Dear Father, thank you that you love us and your greatest desire is to see us in good health. Thank you that you have provided, through your Son Jesus, a way to restore our relationship, our health with you. We know that you are in control of any situation we face and that you will accomplish your purposes in our lives no matter what. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I receive your peace. Give me a spirit of faith to see victory in my personal situation today. Grant me a desire to forgive, to trust, and to pray for those who may have hurt me. May you be glorified, Father, as I cast all my cares upon you because I know that you care for me. Thank you Father that I am healed, restored to fellowship, and continue in my purpose and destiny because You are still in control. Amen.
Until next time, trust in Him and believe that He has great and mighty things for you in your life. He will never ever let you down. Be patient and trust in Him, trust in His Word and you will come out on top.
God Bless,
Diane Foreman, Editor
Crawford County POST
