Dumo the Slump
Sunday’s Monday
I got to tell you this week has been nothing but a blessing from God. Pat and I celebrated our 21st wedding at Myrtle Beach, SC and everything was great. God even arranged for us to meet one of my Facebook friends Tanya Marie Josey Sumner and her husband Alan. Now that was a blessing! We met a lot of new people while we were there, plus we exercised running from store to store, rested in the warm sunshine and over indulged in many restaurants. “God is good!”
God has been dealing with me as of late to expound on the innermost feelings of a dull Christian. Those feelings one may have when not suffering lack or brokenness neither weary from doing good. It is simply feelings of despair or depression; however, some may say there is no real definition ergo they can’t easily be explained. Speaking for myself, I had rather face trial, 1 Peter 4:12 (NLT), dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you, for the simple reason I can recognize a trial and sometimes even see it coming. Which is not usually the case with feelings created within the carnal mind. The bible warns of this in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NLT), do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Which is exactly what Satan is doing when he places disruptive thoughts in our mind and they come so subtle that our body fails to notice they’re collecting over time. This is bad news for an overcomer, as they are consumed brain cell by brain cell with a never-ending hunger for self-absorbed satisfaction. This situation is an ongoing effort for me as I almost or lapse into Satan’s deception on occasion. However, I have good news! “But God” gave us all directions on how to conquer this condition in, Hebrews 6:11-12 (NLT), 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. You got to love the way God has laid this stuff out although in retrospect, I think I felt a little hurt when I was introduced to 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT), the temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Let me explain, my flesh was hurt to find out that I wasn’t the only one to have problems, but my spirit was rejoicing at the fact of God giving me a way out should I possess the wisdom to take it. That tripped me up for a little while, He (God) never promised I would not experience more temptation than I could stand, He (God) promised to show me a way out before it gets to that point, however it is “solely” up to me to take advantage it. This is one of many cases where people teaching half truths and misquoting scripture can and will lead others down a path of destruction. The misquote is God will never put more on you than you can stand, period. Colossians tells us in Colossians 2:8 (NLT), don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. I was a victim of wives’ tales, half-truths and misquotations that would have never surfaced had I not become a follower of Jesus and I know that this has affected my reasoning even to this day. On the occasions that I am down or distracted I read, Romans 8:38 (NLT), and I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. God has the perfect support systems available for this and many other situations which a Jesus follower may happen into. His system is very people friendly, totally people oriented and judgement free. There is no condemnation in God’s recovery of the heart.
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
COMMENTS WELCOME…pal249@hotmail.com…10/21/2018