The Negative Challenge

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hldude33

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Apr 28, 2010
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“The Negative Challenge”
By Zach Wood
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Paul talks to the church in Ephesus and encourages them to be careful in what comes from their mouth when they speak. Paul is clear that nothing discouraging or negative should come from them and it’s an encouragement for us as well.

Here is the two-fold challenge to think, pray about and put into action everyday. The first part of the challenge is: Be negative-free for at least one whole day. For one day, don’t say anything negative to anyone or about anyone or anything. This is a difficult challenge for us because we’ve become accustomed to this so often in our lives each day.

The second part of the challenge is: Encourage others often. It seems so easy for us to go through our days and not be encouraging to other people. We often get so focused on things we don’t like and people who annoy us that we forget that people need encouraged. When we are treated wrong by someone, it’s very hard to be nice back to them because we feel wronged. We feel they don’t deserve to be treated nice in return.

This is a challenge I feel so many of us need in our lives. Often times, we get so negative and it becomes something we do without thinking too much about it. We complain and talk discouraging toward others without realizing how much we are doing so. If we want to be Christ-like to others and share His love with a lost world, we must be more aware of how we talk toward others and focus on being uplifting with our words.

This challenge is “The Negative Challenge”. Being negative-free and encouraging others often. Are you up for it?
 

rockytopva

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Dec 31, 2010
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1. Spiritual Light - Love, warmth, faith, hope, charity, joy, goodness, peace...
2. Spiritual Darkness - Hate, cold, fear, depression, sorrow, greed, evil, war...

I have defined the darkness as the opposite of light and have used opposite terms to describe the darkness. There is a third that is neither true light or true darkness, and that is the flesh...

3. The Flesh - Ego, sex, filth, witchcraft, anger, strife, divisions, heresies.

I have heard that the flesh and the devil are so akin that it is hard to discern between the two. I do not mean heresies as doctrinal, but a spirit of heresy whose motives are egocentrical. In other words, they are thinking of doctrine without the aid of the Holy Spirit and the ends are always cold.

“The Blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll.” - Muddy Waters

The blues also had another baby which is the genre called 'Funk.' We have the origins of the word 'funk' from the African Kongo language, or Kikongo, which means, "Bad body odor."

Being negative has its origins in spiritual darkness. Especially in music. We need to be filling our ears with praise and hope related things... Which are the opposite of negativity. As far as melancholy, depression and negativity consider the trouble that the children of Israel suffered because of it.

Numbers 11:1-15

1 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.
3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.
4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.
8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

In which... All of these things are for our examples... That we be not consumed with crying and complaining, as was with the children of Israel. If I ever approve of anything in the Charismatic church, it is the focus on praise. We need to continually praise the Lord!
 

Floyd

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Feb 28, 2014
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In which... All of these things are for our examples... That we be not consumed with crying and complaining, as was with the children of Israel. If I ever approve of anything in the Charismatic church, it is the focus on praise. We need to continually praise the Lord!
Rocky.


Yes; praise of Him who is our Redeemer is worthy; as He is the only Worthy One!
The flesh is so evident in church groups; true appreciation and particularly praise "in spirit and in truth"; is becoming rarer!
Floyd.