Greetings!

Here we are . . . nearing the end of this blog centering on “How To Stay Sane In An Insane World.” If applied, this four-part prescription will help us achieve that goal! Let’s do a brief review of the previous three components that we’ve already covered.

1.     Casting down imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
2.     Getting our minds renewed (Romans 12:1)
3.     Speaking the Word of God (Joshua 1:8)

So, we’ve cast down our imaginations, and we’re taking authority over those thoughts that are exalting themselves above the knowledge of God. We’re also getting the Word of God in our hearts and coming out of our mouths.

This is so important! I tell Christians, “You ought to be speaking the Word of God even if you don’t believe it.” I want you to believe it, but everybody has something coming out of his or her mouth; it might as well be the Word. If you speak the Word of God enough times over and over, you’ll actually get to a place where you believe it! So just keep speaking it! When you’re sick, and you don’t believe you’re healed, just keep speaking the Word! If you say it enough times, you’ll start to believe, “By His stripes I’m healed”! Speak the Word! You don’t have to believe it at first. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word! Keep saying it; keep saying it; keep saying it!

Sooner or later, a switch will get flipped that will cause a light to come on, and you’ll say, “Whoa, I really believe that!” Jesus said that when you believe in your heart, confess with your mouth, and do not doubt, “You shall have that which you say”!

Okay, I know you’re waiting for point number four in the prescription, and it is found in Philippians 4:8. Paul says . . .
 

“⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

 
Here’s the standard of judgment. All you have to do is ask yourself, “Are the thoughts that I am thinking . . . right now . . . true? Are they just? Are they pure? Are they lovely? Are they of a good report? Are they virtuous thoughts? How about right now? Are you thinking good thoughts? Are they praiseworthy?

We need to take time to judge our thoughts. You know, if we would actually do that, we wouldn’t say half the things we say. One of our big problems is that we talk before we think. Stuff just comes out. Do you ever wonder where that stuff comes from? Anybody else ever experience that? You might say, “Well, that’s just the way I am.” Well, yes, that’s why you need to change! I love ya, honey, but that’s exactly what Paul’s talking about and why you need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

I’ve shared with you before that this one little instrument right below my nose has caused most of my problems in life, and it’s not a mustache. It’s a big mouth. When I got saved and called to preach, I learned something. God impressed on me that I could either use it for good, or it could be used for evil. I can slice and dice people with my mouth and not even think about it! I used to hear the following when I was young, “You should have been an attorney.” Others said, “You should be a politician.” Then I got saved, and they said, “preacher.”

See, the ability to use words is either an asset or a deficit. It has come with great expense and inflicted tremendous pain and injury. Our mouths are capable of blessing and cursing. They can bring forth life on one hand or death on the other. They can be filled with sweetness or bitterness. A lot of times it doesn’t even take a deliberate act on our part; it’s almost automatic.

Next week will be the last blog in the series, “How To Live Sane In An Insane World.” I pray you have a great week ahead.  Keep the points above in mind by repeating them over and over until they come back to your remembrance effortlessly.

Grace and peace,
pg

How To Stay Sane In An Insane World, Part 6

As you may know, Vickie, Zachariah, and I just returned from a brief visit to the United States. We so enjoyed getting to see many of you while we were there! At the same time, it’s wonderful to be back to the island nation where God has planted us: the Dominican Republic.

I’d like to continue with the spiritual prescription that we’ve been talking about. If you’ve missed any of the “recommended treatment,” you may find the preceding portions in the posts below. 

Number 3 in the spiritual prescription is found in Joshua 1:8. If you’ve been around any length of time, then you ought to be very familiar with this passage:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

“This Book of the Law (the Word of God) shall not depart from thy mouth.” In other words, that’s what is flowing from your lips no matter what situation you’re going through, no matter the insanity that surrounds you, or no matter the potential frustration that you’re facing. The Word of God is what’s coming out of your mouth. The Word of God can change any situation, but you have to begin to speak it with faith and stop living in fear. It’s by faith that you’ll accomplish the great things that God has called you to do, not by fear, not by intimidation, but by faith!  

The verse goes on to say that we "shall meditate on it." May I remind you that “meditate” means to “ponder, to think about, and to hold something in your mind,” but it also goes on in the original definition stating, “to mutter to oneself in a low voice.” Why is that important? Many times we’re muttering, but we’re muttering the wrong thing! Scripture says that we are to mutter to ourselves in a low voice and when we do so, we’re supposed to be speaking the Word of God! Why? Because faith cometh by hearing just as Romans 10:17 says.

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Did you know that if we say something long enough and repeat it enough times that we’ll begin to believe that it’s true whether or not it is? The media knows it! If this is true of those who are worldly, how much more so when you hear yourself say it over and over and over? What’s God saying? He’s saying that we ought to be repeating what He has said until we get to a place of believing it! The more we say it, the more prone we are to believe it. Why? Because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!

You must learn to feed your faith and starve your fear. We get it backwards and are constantly feeding our doubts and fears, even by the words we speak and the thoughts we’re thinking! Many times we’re responding to situations exactly the way the world does, or the way we used to, and then we come away feeling bad about it.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night and hearken to do all that is written therein.” Be a doer and not a hearer only, because if all you do is hear it, but don’t do it, you deceive yourself. Self-deception leads to schizophrenia, mental illness, and derangement; basically, you’ll drive yourself crazy! Is this making sense to you?

God, in His infinite wisdom, leaves nothing open to chance. He spells out the necessary steps for us to live prosperous and healthy lives.

Thank you for joining me today, and I look forward to passing along Number 4 of the spiritual prescription. Until then, be blessed, and I’ll be in touch next week.

Grace and peace,

pg

How To Live Sane In An Insane World, Part 5

Last week we looked at the first part of a spiritual prescription to help us get our thinking straight and lined up with the Word of God. If you happened to have missed it, the prescriptive verses were 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Hopefully we’ve all been taking advantage of casting down imaginations and taking every thought captive! This week, I want to cover Part Two of our spiritual prescription: Romans 12:1.

  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

We had kind of a funny little thing happen recently with Zachariah. We were reading his children’s Bible with him, and we came to a particular Old Testament passage where it was talking about how people brought “piles of cows” as an offering to the Lord. Zach said, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! They brought ‘piles of cows’?” I answered, “Yes, Zach, that’s what they did.” He said, “Does that mean that they brought cow piles as an offering?” Depending on where you’re from, you may or may not know what those are. We then had to explain to him that they didn’t bring cow piles, but piles, or lots, of cows.

Thankfully, we no longer need to bring that type of offering, but the Word tells us what God is looking for. Paul said we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Have we done that? Are we doing that on an ongoing basis? What kind of offering are we bringing to the Lord?

Do not be conformed to the world! Do not let the world act as a magnet and draw you in and make you the same as it. Let me ask you a question. Are the Church and believers acting as though they’ve been conformed to the world, or are they behaving as thought they’ve been transformed by the renewing of their minds? I look at so much of what is going on, and I see such conformity with the world.

Many times, I have to stop and ask, “Why?” It truly is the result of not being transformed. The word “transformed” comes from the Greek word, “metamorphoo,” which is directly related to “metamorphosis.” Is it any wonder that today’s Christianity in many circles is very shallow? I believe that is the result of a very shallow message that lacks the power and ability to bring transformation to the human life. Why is that? I believe it is because the message is not centered on the Word; therefore, it lacks the ability to bring transformation.

In many instances, the Church looks and acts like the world and says, “Can’t we just all get along?” Before you know it, we’re all holding hands and singing, “We are the world.” We want to be accepted by the world, but Jesus said, “I’m sending you like lambs into the midst of wolves.”

You’re not of the world, but you’re in it, so you’re to be different! We need not be ashamed of being different! You are unique; you are a peculiar people; you are God’s own chosen race, His holy priesthood! You’ve been set apart by God in order to bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever! That is the purpose for which you exist! Be not ashamed or afraid of it. My friends, since the Word says we’re not supposed to be conformed to the world, then we need to be transformed, and Paul said that is the result of getting our minds renewed.

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,” means a total renovation, a complete change in the way that we think. What can begin to make us think so radically different? A knowledge of the Word of God and allowing it to take its place in our lives!

There you have the first two parts of the spiritual prescription that will help us change our thinking. As I mentioned previously, this four-part “medicinal remedy” should be administered three times daily until the “patient’s” thinking comes into alignment with God’s Word.

Grace and Peace,
pg