Toxic Influences

I wonder if we realize that movies, games, TV, books, etc... are influencing us? We might not think so, but I know that when I first starting watching MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) I was grossed out by many of the things I seen. These days, after years of watching it, I'm like yelling at the guys on the TV. "Punch him in his face, you can take this guy." I have become desensitized to the violence involved in it.

How about the Twilight series? I have watched those and have become a fan of them, I consider myself team Jacob. If you haven't seen them, you don't have any idea what I'm talking about. With the Twilight series we have chosen the lesser of two evils! You will find yourself on one side or the other. You will either be on the side of the Vampires, or the Werewolves. I remember when I was a kid and both of these were considered bad. Now we have come to a place in culture that we will pick sides with the evil that we think is nicer.


Proverbs 25:26 reads "Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked."


I know, I know... it's just a movie or a TV show or a book, etc... But don't let yourself become desensitized. I have three things for you to keep in mind so as not to be influenced. Remember!

1)      A LITTLE BIT OF POISON GOES A LONG WAY.

Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast — as you really are. 1 Corinthians 5:6-7

Paul was talking about sin. I'm not going to tell you that all movies and TV is filled with sin. But just remember the more you watch it, you may begin to be influenced! Just Sayin'! Doesn't take a lot to get people going, my son watched one superhero movie and now he wants to be one. We were watching a show with my daughter and all the sudden she swore, we asked her where she heard such language and she said from the show we were watching. We rewound the video and sure enough there it was, we had missed it! 

1)      JUST BECAUSE EVERYONE DOES IT, DOESN’T MAKE IT RIGHT.

Do not become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops a well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:2 Message

I know at this point you think I'm starting to sound like your mom! But hey, maybe mom was right! Would you jump off a bridge just because everyone else was doing it? Make sure you keep in mind the things that are of God while watching TV or reading a novel!

2)      JUST BECAUSE I COULD, DOESN’T MEAN I SHOULD.

"Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

We have really been given a lot of freedom in Christ! I mean it! You could speed down the freeway at 90 miles an hour and God is still going to love you. I could eat everything on the buffet and God still loves me. You could go into debt up to you ears and still go to heaven. Does that mean we SHOULD do all these things just because we can? No, of course not!

So what we need to do is test ourselves to ensure that we are not be desensitized and moving further from God! 

Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Now you can't just go by what the culture says either. If you say I just won't watch Rated R movies anymore, you will miss some great movies, like "The Passion" yep! You wouldn't have wanted to miss that one, right? And I have seen some PG movies that were questionable, so you can't just watch everything PG. Some movies you will just know, if the title of the movie is "Debbie does your home town" it's not a good one. But sometimes you must be a good judge for yourself and just make wise decisions. You can use this to help!

• AM I BEING ENTERTAINED BY SIN?
• IS THIS PLEASING TO GOD?
• DOES THIS LURE ME AWAY FROM CHRIST?

May God bless you richly as you serve Him and may He help you to make choices that are pleasing to Him.

Toxic Thoughts

Wow, this week has been a little tough. After ministering on how to reject Toxic Thoughts, I find out that one of my best friends past away. Don't you love it when God test your own message on you?


Toxic—anything containing poisonous material capable of causing sickness or even death.


I used to have a huge issue with this, I would go over and over my message and evaluate it. Beating myself up on what I said or what I should have said. And then I would let criticism get the best of me every time! It took me a while to learn that a good message is suppose to stretch the hearer and may even make them angry. The Word of God will either convict or enrage it's hearer, many were saved when Paul ministered but many were angry and wanted to harm him.


We need to learn to guard our thoughts as the Word of God tells us in Proverbs 4:23 and even be able to capture our thoughts as we find in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5! Many are held captive by their thoughts instead of capturing their thoughts and this will hold you back from the greatness that God has for you!


You know you will always find what you're looking for, if you're looking for negative you will find it! A humming bird gets up every morning and goes out looking for nectar and he finds it! But do you know the buzzard finds what he's looking for every day as well, you will find what you're looking for! Ask God to test your thoughts and help you to straighten your thinking!

Yet you know me, O Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter! Jeremiah 12:3

Replace your thoughts with good thoughts!

…the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true… noble… right… pure… lovely… admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Philippians 4:7-8

Once you let this start to happen in your life you will be following the words of Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

You will always have Toxic Thoughts, but what you do with them is the question. Take time to think over your thoughts each day and use God Word to help take them captive.

Blessings and take care!

 

Passion for Ministry

This was passed out by Fernando a while back. Very simple and straight to the point, found it on my desk while cleaning up. Thought is was worth posting!

PASSION

P - Position yourself in the church for a ministry, ANY ministry!


A - Act upon that position. Take action to excel with a positive attitude!


S - Study to show yourself approved before your leaders and peers!


S - Submit to God's will by your obedience to the leaders of your church!


I - Invest yourself into your church through your time, energy and finances!


O - Open yourself up for constructive criticism and wise direction!


N - Never allow yourself or the enemy to come between you and the vision God has given you!


Some can let this be a new guideline for ministry and for the rest of us... let's try and keep this in remembrance as we push forward at JLM Alive!