How Many People Actually Think?

 “One college professor said, “5% Think… 10% Think they Think… and 85% Don’t Think at ALL!” After 20 years at the College level of Teaching; that seems an accurate description.”

Proverbs 16:1-3
“The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”

How many of us “think” we “think” when, in fact, we really do not. We say, “I believe”, this or that, but have based our belief system on what others have said to us, that we tend to have an affinity for anyway, which is why we are unmovable and steadfast when challenged to evaluate what we believe.

It is understandable that we would remain steadfast when we have looked at both sides of an issue and have based our decision on the facts and evidence, rather than on the opinions of others no matter how prestigious, however it makes little sense that we would take a (strong stand), simply because we like or are comfortable with an idea.

Psalm 37:23-24
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”

Is it little wonder that since our opinions are based on cultural mor’es and personal guilt patterns, we would operate from these standpoints rather than the Word of God and trusting the Holy Spirit to enlighten.

Most people will do what is comfortable, taking the path of least resistance in the living of their lives.

Our problems of guilt have to do more with the expectations of the culture around us than with a personal decision to obey God. Even as believers in Christ we tend to place the opinions of our culture, OFTEN, above that which the Bible proclaims is truth.

When we question all that confronts us, through prayer and Scripture study, we will notice that most of what we were taught was, in fact, not Biblical, but cultural.

Psalm 40:6-8
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, ‘Behold I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.”

What Should You Do When a Narcissist Turns Your Friends Against You?

We are Living in the Last Days, it is a Challenge

Why do I warn others about the last days' mentality mentioned by God in 2 Timothy 3? I do it because this mentality touches our lives every single day. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 

1 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

We must endure the insults and misunderstandings of the world on a regular basis as born-again believers.

When we are secure in the Lord we can rise above the antics of others through the love of Jesus Christ. We do not have to respond to insults or return insult for insult.

The devil's favorite tactic is to poke at us until we blow up in anger, then he has effectively removed our witness for Christ.

It's a very strange phenomenon that a mean person pokes, the believer responds in kind and those watching only see the response of the believer. They don't seem to notice that the bully provoked the problem.

In order to avoid being provoked by bullies, we must be so secure in the Lord that we feel the sense of needing to defend or explain ourselves.

Proverbs 26:4-5

"4 Do not answer a fool [a]according to his foolishness,

Or you will also be like him.

5 Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves,

So that he will not be wise in his own eyes."

When a Christian group says they are going to "take back the rainbow" they are responding back to the wicked man who is attempting to provoke them into a fight.

When we say things like; "they are not going to get away with that without a fight", we are responding to the bully with a worldly passion that detracts from their life in Christ.

The only two times we saw Christ respond in anger was when the religious leaders were claiming to speak for His Father but were hypocrites and did not know His Father. The other time was when the money changers were defiling His Father's house by making it a house of merchandise while fleecing the people.

When Christ was personally reviled He answered not a word, or simply spoke the truth.

We must always speak the truth when led by the Holy Spirit as well as remain silent when led by the Holy Spirit. We do not have to answer everything that happens.

When we feel driven to answer back in defense of ourselves it is a sure sign we are still self-focused.

When we are Christ-centered we do not feel a need to be defensive when the attack is personal. People who attack to be superior are not secure people, they are fragile and must gain any sense of value through the tearing down of others.

Answering these people does not change them, they are not to be reasoned with, they are to be avoided while praying for them.

The heart of someone who elevates self through demeaning others is too far broken for any reasonable response to help them, it must be Christ Who changes their heart. We are not responsible to make every bully understand anything about us.

Bullies often accuse us of the things they are doing and we are not. They judge us according to their own heart not according to ours. In fact, they do not see our hearts at all, they only see a target to be oppressed.

Matthew 7:2 "For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."

The bully wants special treatment above others, they do not want others to have the same respect they expect.

Matthew 7:12 "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

We can pity the bully, they are deeply troubled while trying to dig themselves out of their misery by making others miserable. They are never joyful and do not possess hope beyond being superior to others.

Isaiah 29:20 "For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off."

When we love Christ we love to elevate others above ourselves, we love to serve and we have no desire to be superior to anyone.

Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

What a joy it is to know the Lord, walk in His ways without a need to feel superior. We are most blessed when we bring joy and happiness to others.

Hallelujah!!!!

Taking Back the Rainbow?

There is a movement now to "take back the rainbow" from wicked people by using it too only to represent God's promise to mankind. There is a problem with this movement that struck me.

If you fly a rainbow flag to "take back the rainbow" the world doesn't know the colors are different, they will assume you are on the side of sin. Since God never told us to fly a rainbow flag to represent Him, we can leave it alone and fly no flags at all.

The problem with physical symbols is that the symbol becomes the focus instead of Christ. Never at any time in the church age did God tell us to use symbols in our proclamations or our worship.

Satan is very clever, if he can get Christians to "react" to things he can confuse the unsaved into believing Christians support that which God hates.

We make a bigger and clearer statement by not flying a rainbow flag than if we tried to "fight fire with fire." God does not need us to take back the rainbow, He knows who belongs to Him and who does not. Getting into a spitting war with the unsaved does nothing productive.

If we want to bring the gospel we should be using words, not symbols. We should have conversations rather than amulets to convey the message of the cross.

Romans 10:17

"17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

God gave the rainbow to those upon the earth at a particular time in history, it was not a flag it was a real rainbow that meant something important. We are never told to reduce that amazing miracle to cloth in a flag.

God gave us the words in the Bible, these are what we must use to convey His gospel to the world.

When we use the ways of the world in a tit-for-tat war to fight the world we have reduced our witness to a battle rather than a witness.

Just something to think about! Just saying!

Be Comfortable!

Be comfortable with people misunderstanding you.... God will allow it so that your ONLY HOPE will be in Jesus.

Be comfortable with people slandering you...
God will allow it to remind you He ALONE knows your true character.

Be comfortable with people not knowing your side of the story...

God will allow it to remind you He alone SEES IT all and judges all.

All this is allowed to humble you and keep your perspective on HIM.

~Gideon Yilma