Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."
When I first got these words this morning....Battling the Bulge...I knew it had nothing to do with weight, well, not the kind of weight we mostly think of when we hear that remark. But, getting ready for work, I left it alone. A few hours later, at work, the Lord gave it to me again and I knew I had better take a short break and get a paper and pen, listen to Him and write it down.
Our spirits, what are you weighing your spirits down with. All the things you read, watch, hear....if it is not of God, leave it alone. Keep those things clear of your spirit. Learn to know what is of the Lord. How do you do this? Read His Word; read the Word of God. Let the Word of God filter your thoughts, what you see, what you hear from other people, from the news, from the world. Even people in the ministry....self appointed and God appointed. We are all human. You have less to worry about with God appointed ministers, teachers than the self appointed ones. I don't believe this needs any more explanation. You will know the difference. But even they, the God appointed, sometimes get the Word wrong. But words of the heart will be taken by the Lord and used, changed through His grace and flow out to glorify Him. You will know when words come from those with a heart filled with love for the Lord speak and those with a heart filled with self glory speak. But I rabbit trail here....
When you begin to feel such a heaviness, when you feel that weight begin to overtake you....worship the Lord. Begin to worship the Lord with all that is in you. Let the joy of the Lord come down to you as you worship Him. Let that joy begin to lift your spirt up as it removes those things that are heavy upon you. The weight of all those things that have accumulated in your spirit that is not of God will begin to fall away when you are worshiping the Lord. Cast out all fear in the Name of Jesus. Fear is a weight that can drag you into the pits of despair. It is not of God.
Doubt in your spirit....fight that bulge. Faith and doubt are opposites and these two do not attract. Faith is of God and doubt is the enemy's tool. Ask, the Holy Spirit will show you what you are fearing, why you are fearing it and He will show you, once again, that you can rely on our God, you can trust Him completely.
The bulge of our spirit can be easily removed. When you give complete control of your will, your spirit to our Lord, the bulge of confusion, doubt, fear, uncertainly, despair is easily shed. Gloom, doom and despair talkers. The Lord has told us of the trials and tribulation that is on the earth, He has shown us in His Word, the battle of good and evil in the heavenlies that takes place each day. He has told us that His enemies will be our enemies when we follow Him. We do not have to dwell in the place of projected doom that the news, the government, and even some ministers constantly talk about. The Lord would not have us ignorant of facts, but He does not want us to dwell on them. In John 16:33, Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world". The Lord wants us to think on good things.
Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Let the Word of God be your filter to the things of this world. If it does not line up to His Word, it is useless, it will only weigh you down. If the words you hear tend to cause fear and distress with no encouragement for your heart, your mind, don't listen to it. Turn it off. The things of our God are not a burden. Whenever the Lord tells us something to caution us, He tells us not to fear, to trust Him, to have faith. He is our Shield, He is our Strong Tower. He will cover us, He will keep us unto Himself each day, everyday. The things of God are not a burden, they are light, they are love, they are life.
04-21-12
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