Can We Trust the Averages?

I understand the need for statistics, sort of, but sometimes it seems almost silly. When we have two people in a room, one is 60 years old and one is 4 years old, normally we would add the two together and divide by the number of people in the room, 2, to get the average.
 
60 + 4 = 64 64 divided by 2 = 32. The statistics would say that the average age in the room is 32. But wait.....that doesn't work because no one in the room is even close to 32 years old.
I guess I... just don't understand statistics. LOL

The question begs to be answered; "how much can we trust the "averages"?

Listen to the Holy Spirit

I pay close attention when the Holy Spirit speaks to me now. I have had warnings from Him, that caused me to cancel what I had planned to do, because the Holy Spirit stirred so strongly within me that I could not rest until I sought His counsel and changed my plans.
 

There have been times when I desired to do something, made my plans, moving forward with it, until the promptings from the Holy Spirit became so intense that they could not be ignored.

 

I had inklings but was unsu...re of what I was sensing, the more I ignored them the more intense the promptings became, then I could do nothing else except obey.

 

After I obeyed, the promptings left, the fear left and great joy flooded back into my soul. I have never regretted obeying when Christ has spoken to me.

 

Hebrews 3:7-11
"7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years.
10 “Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways’;
11 As I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

When we seek the Lord and obey Him, we enter into His rest! Who knows exactly how many calamities we have avoided because we heeded the voice of the Lord.

 

1 Kings 19:12 "12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."

 

The times I did my own thing, making my own plans there was turmoil until the Lord redirected me and then there was peace. I must say though that the "still small voice" didn't seem so still or so small, when those promptings became intense. They felt more like shouting and warning!!!! 

I suspect these promptings were so because God was warning me not to second guess His voice. There was no doubt Who was speaking and there was no doubt as to the peace that returned when I finally obeyed.

 

2 Corinthians 10:5 "5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"

God Provided Physicians

Christ said this:

 

Luke 5:33 "And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick."

 

Would Christ condemn using doctors when He used them as an example of healing?

 

Colossians 4:14 (Paul speaking)
"Luke the beloved Physician sends his greetings"

Focus on God's Will!

Why did Jesus Christ say this to Peter?:

Matthew 16:23 "But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

Peter was a man who loved Jesus and yet Christ spoke to the devil instead of Peter. This suggests to me that the devil can use our mouths when we are not focused on God's will.

Gaining Knowledge to Justify Sin

I am convinced that demonic activity is on the rise all over the world more than ever before. The devils are twisting minds causing people to be hostile to one another. These demonic forces are producing anger in many when there is no reason to be angry.
 
When we are not continually in the Word of God to find truth, we are at the mercy of these demonic forces. Many people believe they are safe because they read the Bible, but in fact their hearts are reading to gain know...ledge they can use to justify their sin or to comfort them when they suffer the consequences of that sin.

Ephesians 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Ephesians 6:10-20
"10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

The Pack Mentality

The "pack mentality", keeps people in control, when someone has a different thought or walks a different road they are culled out for isolation to keep them from influencing anyone else.

We have seen this time and time again, the one that dares to use reason and logic to bring good sense to the things of life, is the one that is despised by those who prefer not to think.

Has anyone heard this phrase in their lifetime, "everyone else is doing it"?

Exodus 23:2 ""You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice;"

Luke 11:29 " As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah."

Acts 13:45 " But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming."

Acts 17:13 "But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds."

The crowds in this world will always follow wherever the prevailing winds blows them, there is no need for thinking or reasoning, just follow everyone else, even if it means going over a cliff.

The beauty of being a believer saved by grace through faith in Christ, is that we are not subject to the prevailing winds, we are free to think with the mind of Christ, reasoning things through to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:6-9 "6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was."

Many people are highly educated in this world and even in the church who think that their education alone will make them wise. The truth is that education does not make someone wise, it merely brings opportunity for pride if it is not overshadowed by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

There are many "educated idiots" in the world. We know this because some of these people are highly educated and still believe the lies about "the big bang theory" they believe started the universe, utter foolishness resides in their brains and rebellion in their hearts, even with all that education, they are made more foolish not wiser.

Then there are those who use the Scriptures to elevate self more than submit to Christ.

1 Timothy 6:5 "and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain."

What should our purpose be in knowing God's Word? We should desire to know the heart of God to be able to worship, trust Him more and be more useful to Him.

Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?"