Read the transcript of Negativity Fast Tips - 3 tips to live unoffended at God
You were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Sin came into the world, and you bore the consequences. Jesus came and took your place and reversed the curse, and offered you his yoke that is easy and his burden that is light. You're a child of God. Creation longs to be revealed. You are a living light. Don't conform but be transformed so you can have peace and joy and hope at all times and in every situation.
Here are three tips, and really quickly.
Negativity Fast Tip 1 to live unoffended at God
Tip number one is to know that you can live offended at God. If you don't think you can live offended at God, and I tell you you're living offended at God, and you're put your arms up like this and say, "God wants to take my husband. You can take my husband." Yeah, your emotions betray you. Your emotions tell you what you really believe.
Listen, if you are not able to spend that quiet time alone with God and rest in his presence, if you are not in the word and letting the word read you, and you're standoffish, then you're probably living offended at God. For me, when I get ticked off at people... Generally, it's people in my city that don't drive the way I think they should. When that happens, I ask myself if I have been spending time alone with God and what's keeping me from it. I realize I might be upset because I expected to be doing something that I thought God wanted me to do, but that door got slammed in my face, or it never came about, or I did everything I needed to do, and nothing good came out of it.
My Story of living offended at God
I learned this when I left a church that I loved to move to New Zealand because I felt that's what God wanted me to do. We made the announcement to our church that we were leaving, and about two months later, my dad was diagnosed with Bulbar ALS. Bulbar ALS starts in the back of your brain and moves through your body. Essentially, it stops your ability to speak, swallow, and then breathe. It's a disease from the pit of hell, and usually, people have about 18 months to live after being diagnosed. Though some live longer, which is awesome because God is so good. After all of this, God didn't heal my dad. I went through what people call a dark night of the soul for a few years.
And part of that was not having the language to describe what I was feeling towards God. Because he's God, I'm not; he's the potter, I'm the clay. Yay me.
Negativity Fast Tip 2 to live unoffended at God
Tip number two is to recognize the signs that you might be living offended at God. The signs for me include not being able to be in His presence or in His Word or avoiding getting close to Him. When that happens, it's time to check: Am I living offended at You?
And tip number three: Know the tools to stop living offended at God. What are those tools? They are confession and repentance. I've made three choices in my life:
I will...
...not give God credit for the works of the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
...treat all hardship as discipline, knowing He will work it together for good.
...worry about nothing; pray about everything; and thank Him in all things, knowing that this is His will for me in Christ Jesus.
Negativity Fast Tip 3 to live unoffended at God
It's not about painting a rosy picture of things or avoiding the reality of life. It's about taking the crap of life to God and reading the Psalms and saying, "God, why have you forsaken me? How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?"
Most of the Psalms are Psalms of Lament. These Psalms pour out the heartache and then turn to praise. We need to learn the power of lament—the power of personal lament.
Really, if you're feeling offended at God, it's tough but say, "Okay, I confess I'm living offended at You. Help me not to live offended at You." Then what? You go to the Psalms and read until you find one that resonates with how you feel. Camp out there for a while until you see that God can handle that pouring out of emotion.
God can handle your honesty about how you feel because our emotions tell us what we truly believe. They are excellent tools but terrible masters. We let our emotions rule us when we ignore them or push them aside or claim it's not theologically correct to feel a certain way.
Remember:
Know you can live offended at God.
Know the signs that you're living offended at God.
And know the tools—confession and repentance—and learn how to lament.
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
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Read the transcript of Negativity Fast Tips - 4 tips to not judge others unfairly
You are created to walk with God in a garden in the cool of the day. Sin came into the world, and you bore the consequences. Jesus came and reversed the curse and took your place, offering you his yoke that is easy and his burden that is light. You are a living light. You're a child of God. Creation longs to be revealed. Don't conform, but be transformed so you can have peace and hope and joy at all times and in every situation.
But what happens if you can't help from judging people that you don't think have common sense? But here's the thing. I can go from one conversation with somebody telling me, "If people only had common sense," and then go right from that conversation and talk to somebody else. And if people only had common sense, they would be talking about opposite sides of the same issue.
I have never had anyone get mad at me because I hold a different opinion than them. That only happens on social media. It doesn't happen when you're face to face, and you're genuinely interested, and you're asking questions not to put down, but to understand. People will not get angry at you if they hold a different opinion than you. And we need to pray for our leaders because, my goodness, how can you make a right decision? You can't.
That being said, I have said some things over the past two years that I wouldn't say in public and that I have had to apologize for because I have judged other people since their common sense is not my common sense. I have judged people because they should know better and they're not acting like they know. I've judged people. You know, you've been there, right? It's just not me, right? Please tell me that's right because my goodness.
Ephesians 4:9
Let me read Ephesians 4:9. Don't use any foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Are you quick to pass judgment on somebody else's servant? Who are you to judge somebody else's servant? Oh, yeah, but the Bible says I'm to judge. If Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn, are you condemning?
Listen, the Greek word for judgment is 'Krino', which means to discern or to decide or to condemn. You can discern and you can decide. That is all in scripture, whatever it says, judge for yourselves. You're going to judge angels. That's to discern and to decide. But Jesus didn't come into this world to condemn. That is John 3:17. He didn't come to condemn the world, but that through him, the world might be saved. So there's a difference between knowing right and wrong, good and better, and the best and condemning someone. Don't use condemnation; that's the tool of the enemy. You're agreeing with the enemy when you use condemnation when you use guilt trips, when you shame people into modifying their behaviour.
Negativity Fast Tip - 1 to not judge others unfairly
Am I doing that now by saying it that way? The first tip is to check your fruit. According to Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Are you living these out when you're talking with people? James 3:17 says that wisdom from above is first of all pure; it's peace-loving; it's gentle at all times. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere. That's what people need to see; that's the fruit they need to see. And you can judge and still have that fruit.
Check your fruit; that's the first tip.
Negativity Fast Tip - 2 to not judge others unfairly
The second tip is to remember the rule. What's the golden rule? Every major religion has it. The negative is don't do to others what you don't want done to you. Jesus is the only one who said, "Do unto others." He put the emphasis on action, not just refraining but actually doing good unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Negativity Fast Tip - 3 to not judge others unfairly
The third tip is to humble yourself. Go and read all of James 4:6-10; it talks about humbling yourself. Do you know the difference between conviction and condemnation? Conviction gives you a way out; we are convicted when we sin; we should feel convicted. Condemnation says we are what we do; because you have sinned, you are a sinner, with no hope for redemption.
Negativity Fast Tip - 4 to not judge others unfairly
The fourth and final tip is that we can't do this without the Holy Spirit. Transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit; He's the one who transforms us. It's not just changing our behaviour or thoughts but being empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish every good work prompted by faith. And that is really key in all of this.
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
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Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
In times of uncertainty and confusion, the story of King Jehoshaphat in the Bible offers a compelling narrative of seeking divine guidance when faced with overwhelming challenges. His story teaches us that when we don't know what to do, turning our hearts towards seeking the Lord can lead us towards clarity and purpose amidst life's toughest decisions. Learn more in Seek the Lord when you don’t know what to do
Read the notes of Seek the Lord when you don’t know what to do
When you don’t know what to do, trust God enough to seek Him.
Have you ever had a time or a season in your life when you found it was easier to blame God for the problems you face than it was to trust Him for His answers?
Our first father did that when he used the excuse “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
So you might say, we come by it naturally.
We might think we’re too spiritual to blame God for our problems. After all, “He’s the potter, I’m the clay. I can’t tell the potter how he can form me.”
BUT
Do you seek Him always or do you withdraw from his presence?
Do you have that sweet time of prayer, or do you leave with less peace than you came with?
Do you have a vibrant relationship with the maker of the universe, or do you go through the motions and hope nobody notices?
I’ve found 5 main reasons why we may not seek the Lord or always seek the Lord.
I’ve
I asked ChatGPT “As a gifted wordsmith to come up with a 5 letter word to describe why we don’t seek the Lord always using the 5 words I’ve come up with, with permission to change the words so they work in an acrostic.” The word it came up with is BLAME.
And thus was born - in minutes not months - the tool:
What’s to BLAME when I don’t seek the Lord tool
B - Blindness - Ignorance
L - Loftiness - Arrogance
A - Assumption - Misplaced Trust
M - Mateyness - Familiarity
E - Error - Offence
B - Blindness - Ignorance
Psalm 53:2-3 God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!
What is seeking? How do I do it with my whole heart?
We talked about this last week. To seek God with all of your heart it involves your decision, with your emotion and with your actions. If you were here or you watched it later online, you are no longer ignorant of what it means to seek the Lord with your whole heart.
I quickly mentioned the 12 benefits of seeking the Lord and the 14 ways I see in scripture to seek the Lord (I didn’t have these in the notes)
14 ways to seek the Lord
By praying to Him. Jeremiah 29:12-14a
By praising and worshipping Him. Psalm 22:22
By serving Him. 1 Chronicles 28:9
By doing good. Psalm 34:12-16 ,Psalm 24:4-6
By not doing bad. Isaiah 55:6-7
By confessing and repenting when you don’t do good or if you do do bad. Isaiah 55:6-7
Information is only as good as the transformation it helps facilitate.
It’s what you do with the information that will lead to knowledge and wisdom. It’s up to you to act on the information you have and seek Him and live.
1 Timothy 2:4 NIV …wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Do I know how and why to seek the Lord?
If you do, great. But if you know how and why but you’re honestly not… and it’s not because Blindness - Ignorance, it might be because of Loftiness or Arrogance.
L - Loftiness - Arrogance
Psalm 10:4 The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead.
Isaiah 65:1-2 NLT “The Lord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name. All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.”
What’s the antidote to arrogance?
Humility.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly.
Humility comes through confession and repentance. It starts with agreeing with God that not seeking Him is sin, then choosing to seek with all of your heart continually.
Am I too proud to seek the Lord?
If you are, confess and repent. But maybe it’s not Blindness - Ignorance or Loftiness - Arrogance. It could be Assumption or misplaced trust that keeps you from seeking God always.
A - Assumption - Misplaced Trust
Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
What’s the antidote to Assumption - Misplaced trust?
Testimony.
Testimony that reminds yourself that God is the trustable one.
Psalm 9:10 (NIV) Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
If you feel you’d rather trust what God has entrusted to you than God Himself. Then the tools of Confession and repentance will help you. He is a jealous God and will have no other God before Him. It doesn’t make sense to trust in the creation and not really trust in the Creator.
Am I trusting in anything or anyone more than I am trusting in God?
The good news is when we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If Blindness, Loftiness, or Assumption aren’t the reason your not seeking the Lord, it could be Mateyness or familiarity.
M - Mateyness - Familiarity
Mark 6:1-6 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Familiarity can lead to contempt will lead to unbelief and that will stop the miraculous.
What is the antidote to familiarity?
Curiosity.
Proverbs 25:2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.
How do you stay curious?
Remember the
4 L’s of curiosity
Let go of your need to be right.
Learn to be present in the moment.
Listen to understand not to respond.
Leverage questions to understand better.
Use the 4 L’s of Curiosity to deepen your awe of God. Find some of the answers for your questions in the Bible, but learn to trust Him when questions have no answers.
Trusting Him when questions have no answers is faith.
Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Am I too satisfied with my knowledge of God?
Don’t lose your awe of God. If you have, the tools we have are confession and repentance. Confess to God that you that you’ve become too familiar and maybe that’s why you haven’t seen too many miracles lately. Then get curious about Him again.
E - Error - Offence
Matthew 11:2-6 HCSB When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent a message by his disciples and asked Him, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.”
John was Jesus’ cousin. He had declared Jesus the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But he was in prison and the Messiah was supposed to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. So he asked his cousin if He was the one of if they should wait for another.
It’s an honest question. One that shows his doubt.
Hosea 5:15 I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
The antidote to offence at God is confession and repentance.
You will never confess and never repent if you’re too spiritual to think that you can ever be offended at God.
Your emotions show you what you really believe. If you know you’re not always seeking God with your whole heart - and none of what I’ve said makes any sense in your situation - offence is the place to go.
Zephaniah 1:6 And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek my blessings.”
Am I living offended at God?
Don’t let offence lead to unbelief.
Does this really matter?
Yes.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
Because most of us don’t always seek the Lord always. And when you realize you aren’t you should know what to do. Because if there’s a time where we naturally seek the Lord it’s when we don’t know what to do.
However, when we don’t know what to do can also be a time we blame God for our trouble and we let our ignorance, arrogance, assumptions, familiarity or offence get in the way get in the way of seeking Him.
Today I want you to know:
When you don’t know what to do, trust God enough to seek Him.
Can I pray?
That was the pre-message, not the message. If you’re timing the message you can reset the timer to now.
Jehoshaphat
Today we’re moving on to the story of Asa son, Jehoshaphat. We’re going to be covering 2 Chronicles 17, 18, 19 and 20. I won’t be reading all of it, but I want you to see what seeking the Lord meant for Jehoshaphat.
I want to preface this story by saying in contemporary antiquity this story has very unique elements. What I am saying is “People are people.” Not how they’d like to be portrayed, but how they actually are. This is unique.
You don’t get this insight from almost contemporary Assyrian texts or later Babylonian and certainty earlier Babylonian or Egyptian. Hittite - I haven’t studied. It’s only been translatable since 2009. What I’ve read in translations, these stories are unique. What I’m saying is when you see the personalities in this story, you only get that in this book. It’s ancient and it is amazing.
2 Chronicles 17:3-6 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father’s early years and did not worship the images of Baal. He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel. So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.
Tell - Ahab alliance, Baal prophets; Jehoshaphat was a bit like his father Asa - he didn’t seek the Lord to have the alliance with Ahab, but he’s not like his father in that he wanted to seek the Lord once he was in the alliance with Ahab. In case you’re wondering. Ahab is the king of Israel married to Jezebel, who had all those encounters with Elijah .
2 Chronicles 18:6-7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.” The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
Tell - Set up for Miciah
2 Chronicles 18:14-17 When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?” Micaiah replied sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for you will have victory over them!” But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?” Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’” “Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.”
Tell - What Miciah saw in heaven, slapping face, promise, Ahab ruse - fate When Jehoshaphat returned…
2 Chronicles 19:2-3 Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. “Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” he asked the king. “Because of what you have done, the Lord is very angry with you. Even so, there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asherah poles throughout the land, and you have committed yourself to seeking God.”
Tell Jehoshaphat appointing Judges
Then he faced a situation that he didn’t know what to do. Jehoshaphat was consistent. Remember his father, Asa - later in his life, decided to use his own wisdom and political clout and he ended up not even seeking the Lord when he had a foot disease, but only the physicians.
I don’t know why Jehoshaphat didn’t seek God about making an alliance with Ahab, but he sought God during it. And in the middle of the battle that killed Ahab, he called out to God and He delivered him.
Then he got word that three armies were on their way to attack him. Because he had been seeking the Lord, he knew he had to seek the Lord.
You and I might have taken offence. We might have tried to explain to God that we had appointed good and godly judges, that we had encouraged the people to return to God, that we had removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles. We might have had to pity party. We might have had a good lament.
But he had been seeking the Lord, so he knew he had to seek the Lord.
He called a fast and he called an assembly. And in that assembly he led a prayer that you and I may need to pray at times.
It talks about the greatness of God. It talks about the promise of God. It doesn’t real problem they are facing.
Read
2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV) Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
What if?
What if you and I knew how to seek the Lord when we don’t know what to do? What if our default was to not blame God for our circumstance but to draw near to him so he could draw near to us?
Jesus did say to “Seek first Kingdom and his righteousness.”
We are going to have bad news. In this world we will have trouble.
What if you wouldn’t fear bad news, even when it comes?
That’s what happens when we seek Him.
Jehoshaphat’s response to this impossible situation gives us a tool we can use when we don’t know what to do.
2 Chronicles 20:13-26 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
Big assembly. Wonderful prayer prayed. Everyone is standing there waiting with anticipation. What would be God’s response?
He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”
How many agree that’s a good word? We used to wait to hear someone prophesy a lot more than we have done more recently. There’s a pregnant pause that can be so terrifying because if the one who God has given a word doesn’t speak, there are others who cannot stand the silence and will blurt out whatever’s on there heart. What if Jehaziel waited with his word and someone spoke out their own saying “run away!” Most people don’t think about those things, but I do. We know the word was from God because look at the response.
Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout. Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”
Except maybe at Jericho, this is the first time the praises went before the army. Think a drummer standing in the line during the US civil war. Now have everyone except the drummer take a few steps back. Enemy at the front. Person making the most noise in between. This is what’s happening real time.
Yet what happened in the natural is so crucial for us in the spiritual. We’ll get to that in a bit.
At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
They did their part. God did his part. That’s the dance we’re all in. Well that, and he empowers us to accomplish every good work prompted by faith.
King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
When you don’t know what to do, trust God enough to seek Him.
How to TRUST God to seek the Lord when you don’t know what to do tool
T - Take time to wait for the Lord 2 Chronicles 20:13
Have I taken the time to wait for the Lord?
R - Remember to listen for your encouragement 2 Chronicles 20:15
Have I waited long enough to get encouragement from Him?
U - Understand you need to obey 2 Chronicles 20:16-17
Will I obey what He tells me to do?
S - Surrender fear - Praise before the victory and show gratitude before the blessing
2 Chronicles 20:18-21
Do I praise Him before the answer?
T - Thank God for what He does! 2 Chronicles 20:25-26
Do I rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances?
If Yes to all, then you TRUST Him.
Challenge
Jehoshaphat’s Epitaph…
2 Chronicles 20:32-33 Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors.
When the leader seeks the Lord there is some blessing for all of us. But you can’t outsource seeking the Lord, it’s for each of us to do.
When you don’t know what to do, will you trust God enough to seek Him?
Seek his face always 1 Chronicles 6:11
You can’t remain offended at Him. Confess and repent and ask him for help so you’re not offended again.
Read the transcript of 4 tips not to crush others with negative words
You were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. But sin came into the world, and you walked with consequences. Jesus came and took your place and offered you his yoke that is easy and his burden that is light. You are a child of God. Creation longs to be revealed. You are a living light. Will you live light?
But what if?
What if people don't know you as a Christ-follower because of the words that you say? Listen, this is what Ephesians 4:25-31 says in translation: "Stop telling lies. Let's all tell our neighbours the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, be willing to use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And don't bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour.”
Let nothing come out of your mouth that isn’t for the encouragement of others
Wow. Let nothing come out of your mouth that isn't for the encouragement of the person. Only let encouraging words come out of your mouth. How many think that's all you ever do? I don't want to lie. Yes, I try very hard to let nothing come out of my mouth that doesn’t build up others, and I'm learning. I am getting better as I practice this. My solution when I was younger was to intimidate people, get in their face, and make them do right. I learned it's not worth my peace. So we're going to do what we're going to do; we're going to get it done however we can. It's not worth my peace.
I have come up with four tips on how to only let encouraging words come out of your mouth, and these are things that I try to follow.
4 tips for a negativity fast from negative words
The first tip is to control your thoughts. What does Proverbs 4:23 say? "From the abundance of your heart, the mouth speaks." Remember, your heart is the seat of your decision-making and your emotions. So what is abundant in your heart? What you think about, what you feel, and how you act—that's what's going to come out of your mouth. It isn't a matter of getting a list of dos and don’ts; you need to think about those thoughts you let into your head.
The second tip is to think before you speak—think, right?
T - True. Is it true (Ephesians 4:15)?
H - Helpful. Is it helpful (Colossians 4:6)?
I - Intelligent. Is it intelligent (James 3:13)?
N - Necessary. Is it necessary (James 1:19)?
K - Kind. Is it kind (Titus 3:2)?
This applies before you speak or before you post.
The third tip I have for you is you need to know what gossip is and avoid it. If you're not part of the solution or part of the problem and you're talking about it to someone who's not part of the solution at all—that's gossip. If someone starts sharing with you and you're not part of the solution or problem, instead of joining in, just say, "Not my circus, not my monkeys." Ask yourself, should I be involved? Should I know about this?
The fourth tip is to be led by the Holy Spirit. What does Galatians 5:25 say? "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Jesus only did what he saw the Father do; he said what he heard the Father say. We don't see him gossiping or tearing down others; we see Jesus as our example. The Holy Spirit empowers us to accomplish every good work. If Jesus leads you to it, the Holy Spirit will empower you through it, and God will be glorified in it.
Next Steps
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
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You were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Sin came into the world and you bore the consequences. Jesus came and reversed the curse and took your place and invited you to take His yoke that is easy and burden that is light. You are a child of God creation longs to be revealed. You are a living light. Don’t conform but be transformed, so you can have peace and joy and hope at all times and in every situation.
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Live LIGHT Academy has books and courses and resources and community and coaching to help you not conform but be transformed so you can have peace and hope and joy at all times and in every situation.
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Daily Live Casts on How to Fast from Negativity. Check out the material I’m using and sign up for free at https://revtrev.link/tips
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Read the transcript of the best tip to rise above discouragement
You were created to walk with God in the garden of the cool of the day, but sin came into the world, and you bore the consequences. Jesus came and took your place, reversed the curse, and offered you his yoke that is easy and his burden that is light. You're a child of God. Creation longs to be revealed. Don't conform, but be transformed, so you can have peace, joy, and hope at all times and in every situation.
But what if you're discouraged?
There is a verse in Ephesians 4 that helps you to know how to take a fast from negativity. If you go to https://revtrev.com/realme , you can print off your personalized identity in Christ. We are all going to have times when we are discouraged; it's part of living in a fallen world. Jesus promised that in this world, we would have trouble, but he's overcome the world. Paul even insisted that those who get married at this time will have trouble. It's not about avoiding trouble; it's about how you're going to get through it.
David lost everything at Ziklag; the city was destroyed. He and his men returned to find their wives and children had been taken, their goods stolen, and their buildings looted. Everyone was discouraged and bitter in their hearts, and they even talked about stoning David. But David strengthened himself in the Lord, and that is the number one tip when you're discouraged—you need to strengthen yourself in the Lord.
How do you do that? The Bible has given us ways to strengthen ourselves in the Lord, including praise and joy, the word of God, waiting expectantly on the Lord, praying in the Holy Spirit, and receiving encouragement from others. It's not a choice to get discouraged, but it is a choice to stay discouraged. What we do to get out of discouragement is to praise Him in the storm, before the answer comes, before the battle is won, and before we go into battle.
It isn't cognitive dissonance; you need to engage your whole heart. Choose to praise with your mind and your actions—raise your hands or do whatever it means for you to praise God in that moment. Have the emotion that comes when you praise God for who he is, not just for what he's done. It's way easier to praise God afterward and natural to thank him when good things happen. But in the middle of it, we do have to choose to give Him praise with our whole heart.
Praise and thanks are two things we need to do with our whole heart. And praying in the Holy Spirit—Paul says that speaking in tongues builds up the person who's speaking, so pray in tongues if you have them and seek them if you don't. Strengthening yourself in the Lord involves these active choices and practices.
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
Read the transcript of 4 tips to change a negative environment
You were created to walk with God in the garden of the cool of the day, and sin came into the world and you bore the consequences. And Jesus came and took your place and reversed the curse and offered you his yoke that is easy and his burden that is light.
You are a child of God. Creation longs to be revealed. You are a living light. Don't conform; transform so you can have peace and joy and hope at all times and in every situation.
But what happens if you're in a place that drags you down? Yes, you're in the world, even though you're not part of it. And so you need to know what to do in a negative environment. A toxic person might be in your home, someone in your church, or definitely someone in the workplace, maybe even a neighbor. If you're not safe, you need to put up boundaries. You need to remove yourself from unsafe situations. But you can be in a safe situation and it still be a negative one.
So what do you do? Well, guess what? You can do it. You can change the atmosphere. I've got four tips for you here today.
Four tips to fast from Negativity and Change your Enviroment
The first tip is that you need to realize that you are the light. Jesus is the light of the world, and he calls you the light of the world. And the darker the night, the brighter your light shines. It is a reality here that you can change the atmosphere of any room you walk into. You can make a difference just by being the you that God created you to be.
You can be the person of reason, the person of peace. Listen, you can have peace at all times and in every situation. And the peace that you have, you can share with others. You are the light.
The second tip I have for you is to remember that you need to stay connected to the light. The light is Jesus, right? He is the light of the world, and he calls us the light of the world. It's his light we reflect, much like the moon reflects the sun's light. We shine his light to the side of the world that's away from the sun. If we're not connected to the light, there's no way we can be the light. If we're not plugged in, we can't shine. So stay connected to the light.
How do you do that? You want to spend time in his word, spend time in prayer, spend time in his presence, meditate on his word, do those things that you did at first. And sometimes, yes, it takes confession and repentance. Confession is agreeing with what God says about you. If he says that he's always with you and you're not feeling the connection with him, you need to repent and say, "God, I want to get back to that first love." Brother Lawrence, a 13th-century Carmelite monk, practiced the presence of God. If you've never read his book, it's a short little book. Search for it and download it and read it.
His practice was about recognizing God's presence in every moment of his day-to-day life, not just during prayer or fasting but also while doing mundane tasks like washing pots, where he felt God's pleasure upon him.
Really, this is the third tip: work as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as unto the Lord." You're working for God, not men. It doesn't matter if your boss doesn't appreciate you or if your spouse is grumpy today because what you're doing is unto the Lord, and God loves you and blesses you for it. When we learn to practice God's presence and be aware he is here now, feeling his pleasure on us, we truly work as unto him.
And then number four: change what you can change when you can change it. Sometimes confrontation is necessary – we'll talk about how to do that properly in another live cast about how to fight with honour. But if a situation can be changed with a simple conversation, seeking truth in love and honouring that individual, do it when you can. The Holy Spirit will guide you into when and how to take action.
You are a child of God meant to impact the world around you, your everyday world. There are people around you that no one else can reach but you. God has carefully designed your authenticity to reach them effectively.
Live LIGHT Negativity Fast - Move from toxic negativity to life-giving positivity with 47 days of reflections and Devotional and Community. https://revtrev.link/fast
Live LIGHT Above the Negativity Course - Move from being easily regularly frustrated, usually feeling busy, often afraid or easily angered to having peace at all times and in every situation. https://revtrev.link/bless
Live LIGHT Tips and Tools to fast from Negativity - Are you looking to make a difference in the attitudes and actions in your everyday world? Get these Tips and Tools to help you Fast from Negativity https://revtrev.link/tips
