Stop feeding the Monkey!

As we go through life, we will all experience trials & tribulations.  The outcome from these experiences often times, is worry, fear or rejection.   If I’m not careful, I can hang on to these overwhelming feelings and begin to carry them with me throughout life.

Maybe it’s something that happened in my childhood, that I’ve been hanging on to for years.  Or it could be something that I’m uneasy about right now.  These events can begin to mold and shape us, if we’re not careful.

For me, the reference I get, is that of a monkey that’s riding on my back.  When I worry or dwell on the problem;  I’m feeding the monkey.  As the monkey grows, his appetite increases and he desires more food.  All the monkey wants is more food!  The problem with the monkey is that the more we feed him, the more food he wants!

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.-Proverbs 12:25

I usually take my monkey (worry) with me every where I go.  I want to make sure that people know that the monkey is there, so I tell people about him.  They begin to take notice and think to themselves; “How long is he going to carry that monkey!”

Maybe it’s something that happened in my childhood, that I’ve been hanging on to for years.  Or it could be something that I’m uneasy about right now.  These events can begin to mold and shape us, if we’re not careful.

My advise to you, is to “stop feeding the monkey!”  Instead of carrying a monkey on your back, try carrying the cross.

This worship song from Hillsong, paints a great picture of what we’re to do.

Christ died for all the junk that you’re carrying around.   Give it to him so that you can walk in freedom!

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.-1 Peter 5:7

Life change happens, when I stop feeding the monkey.  If there’s no food, the monkey goes away.

 

The worst thing you’ll ever hear!

I never thought much about this, until I read this verse in the Bible.

When you think about the answer to this question, your mind probably goes to the death of a loved one.   Someone close to you, that has a special place in your life.

Not that this wouldn’t be a hard thing to accept, but there is something far worse to hear!

One day, we will take our last breath here and enter into eternity.  The Bible says that we will spend eternity in one of two places.  If we decide to live in darkness here (without Christ), than we will spend eternity in darkness (apart from Christ) as well.

Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’

But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws’                   -Matthew 7:21-23

My prayer is that you would live in light!   You have no idea what you’re missing out on, because you’re living in darkness!

The Lord has put people in your life to rescue you from your sin, so that you would come into a relationship with him and have eternal life.  Surrender while you still have time!   Don’t  harden your heart and believe the lie that you can do it at another time.  We don’t know when we will take our last breath, so we need to be prepared.

This by far, is the worst thing you’ll ever hear!

What’s my name?

How many people do you encounter during the course of your day?   Out of those, how many do you know by their first name?  Out of those, how much do you know about their personal life?  Where did they grow up? Where do they work?  How long have they worked there?  Are they married?  Do they have children?  What are their hobbies?  What’s their story?

I’ve found that one of the keys to building solid relationships with people, is to build rapport with them.   A great way to do this, is by asking them questions.   As they answer these questions, you will eventually find common ground.   That’s when the magic starts to happen.

Think of the one person who you would consider to be your best friend.  How did you meet?  What was it that attracted you to them?   You probably discovered some common ground and the relationship blossomed from there.

I believe that God orchestrates many of the people who cross our paths on a daily basis.  We could very easily pass them by without taking notice, or we could stop and introduce ourselves and possibly become best friends with them.

Being in outside sales, I’ve made it a goal to get to know every person , in every one of my accounts on a first name basis.  Not only that, but I want to know about their personal lives as well.  Learning their name is the first step, to building the relationship!

They say, that people love to hear their name.  The power of the relationship, starts with knowing their name.  Our walk with God, is the same way.   There is so much power when we use his name.

I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.  You haven’t done this before.  Ask using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. -John 16:23-24

As we get to know him, the relationship starts to form.  The more we learn about him, the more we desire to be like him!  Eventually, we become best friends and want to spend more time with him.

I welcome your comments below….

Fitz

 

Do all things unto the Lord

What’s one thing you can do right now, that will have a HUGE effect on your day?

Your perspective on things , has a lot to do with how your day plays out.  Some people dread going to work and can’t stand where, or who they work for.  If that’s you, keep reading….

The Bible has a lot to say, when it comes to work.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people. -Colossians 3:23

Wow!  That kind of puts a new perspective on things, doesn’t it?  Think about how many things we do, during the course of our day.  Now, think what it would be like if we did those same things, as if we were working for the Lord.  Mundane, menial and trivial tasks, take on a whole new meaning.

When I read this verse, my mind immediately went to my job.  The key word in this scripture is the word “whatever”.  That means anything that we set our mind to do.  That could be mowing the lawn, taking out the trash, dealing with an upset customer, etc.

Think about it from your employer’s point of view.   If you adopt this one little strategy at work, your employer will definitely take notice.   Who knows where that might take you. There could be a promotion for you, right around the corner!

What’s the one thing that you despise the most about your job?  The next time you do it, reflect on this verse.  I promise that you’ll have a new perspective!   There’s definitely a paradigm shift, when you consider it this way, isn’t there?

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. -Galatians 6:4

I welcome your thoughts, comments and opinions below….

Fitz

 

 

 

What gets you going?

How do you start your day?  What gets you going in the morning?  None of us look forward to the annoying sounds are alarm clocks make.  We usually pick the most annoying sound, because we know it will wake us up!

For most people, once we’re up we head immediately to the kitchen for our morning coffee.   That soothing cup of caffeine get’s our brain firing and prepares us for the day ahead.

Maybe, for you it’s the morning run or going to the gym that gets you going.   The point is, we all have rituals that we follow every morning.  We’re all creatures of habit!

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I’ve noticed lately however that I’m usually awake before the alarm goes off.  The Bible says that God speaks in a still small voice.  This is typically when I receive ideas to write about.

Look! I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.-Revelation 3:20,22

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Romans 10:17

God communicates with us through his word.  It’s when we’re reading his word that he speaks to us.

One of my priorities, is to start the day with the Lord.   I usually head to Youtube and search for music by Bethel or Hillsong.  The music sets the tone for the time that I spend with Him.

Not sure where to start?  The book of Proverbs is a great place to start.  There are thirty-one chapters in this book that are filled with SOLID information about life!  Ironically, there are thirty-one days in the month of March.  If you start today, you can read a chapter every day throughout the month.  Here’s a few verses from chapter one:

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.  Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just and fair.  These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.  Proverbs 1:2-4

Who, doesn’t want these things?

 

Signs

A sign is something that indicates the presence or existence of something else.

Can you imagine a life without signs?   A colleague of mine told me that after Hurricane Charlie hit the Gulf Coast of Florida, that all the signs were destroyed.   Imagine trying to drive through your city, and figure out which direction you need to go, without any signs.

You know what they say about men and following directions.   Ask my wife how many times we’ve ended up lost, because I thought I knew where I was going.

If we’re not careful, the same thing can happen to us in life.  We can go through our spiritual life and pay no attention to the warning signs that are right in front of us.

Our final destination will be one of two places.   God’s plan is for us to spend eternity with him in heaven.  If that’s what we desire, we MUST pay attention to the signs that  He’s laid out before us.  God gives us a free will and let’s us decide which signs to follow.

The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.              Psalm 9:17

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. 2 Thessalonians 1:9

And throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:50

Yellow Dead End Sign during Day Time

Those that will be punished, are those that choose the wrong path or head the wrong direction.

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.  

I believe the main reason people don’t want to repent, is because they enjoy their sin.  They think that life will be boring without it!  Little do they know, that God has a bigger plan for their life!

One of the signs not shown above, is the “One Way” sign.  This sign should be the one sign that we pay close attention to.

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Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 

So, what must we do to have eternal life?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  Romans 10:9-10 

The Bible is filled with signs as well!  Signs that lead & guide us to our final destination.   We can choose not to follow the signs that are there and in the end will wind up lost.

 

Circling the drain

I know the plans Ihave for you declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you, plans to give you a hope and a future.-Jeremiah 29:11

How many of you remember the Scrubbing Bubbles commercials?  The tail end of the commercial showed a bunch of animated bubbles circling around the drain.  IMG_1548

 

If were not careful, we too can experience the same thing.  What do I mean?  Often times, because of circumstances in our lives, we start dwelling on negative thoughts.  I call this “circling the drain!”

The longer we think about the circumstance the more these thoughts enter our minds.  Before we know it, the thoughts consume every part of our being.  Maybe you lost your job, received bad news from the doctor, were injured, etc.  Whatever the case, we begin to listen to the things the enemy tells us, instead of what God’s word says to us.  At this point, worry sets in, which adds a whole new dimension to things.   In the book of Philippians, we read:

Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for what he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which surpasses anything we can understand.  His peace, will guard your heart and minds as you live in Christ Jesus our Lord. -verses 6-7

Are you interested in finding out more about God?   Most of us have at least one Bible in the house.  One of the ways that God speaks to us, is through His word (Bible).   When we read & meditate on the word, he speaks to us.  The first time it happens, we think to ourselves, “Did I just think that?”  Maybe you did, but maybe, it was God.  Rather than “circling the drain”, look up some verses in the Bible that address your situation.   The Bible has an answer for everything that you’re experiencing.  You can highlight the verses that speak to you, and then speak them aloud over your circumstance.

 

Life Change

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.-2 Corinthians 5:17

As Christians, our lives should look different than those around us.   There should be no doubt in their minds that we are Christ followers.   So, what can we do, so others will take notice?  Pray!  Ask God for wisdom.

In addition, find ways to introduce God to those around you.  One of my favorite things to say during a conversation is “Praise God!”   Something so simple, that causes people to question why you said that.  I’ve also peaked curiosity by mentioning something that happened at church last weekend.  Many times, people will ask what church you attend, or want more information about it.  We’re all so hungry for something different, something to fill that emptiness inside us.  It’s funny, as some people’s whole demeanor will change, when they know that you’re a believer.  I’ve had people apologize for cussing around me or saying something degrading.   Glory to God when that happens!

In order for people to see Christ, they have to see something in us, that they don’t see in the world.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.  1 Peter 2:12

Do you live your life on the fence?  Teetering back and forth between the world and Christianity.   I’ve followed Christ for years, and still find myself shifting, depending on who I’m around.

Being in outside sales the majority of my career, I was alway taught that there are two thing you should never discuss.  Politics & religion…. I’ve never looked at Christianity as religion, as it’s teaching is polar opposite.

I’ve always tried to live my life in a way that would cause others to take notice.  Have I got it all figured out?  Nope!  I’m a work in progress… I’m just thankful that I have God to walk me through it!