DON'T TURN A MISTAKE INTO A HABIT

I was thinking of going one way with this post but then it would come off as "why couldn't you say that to that person's face" type blog. Been there done that. Don't do blog's off conversations...especially if you feel "some kind of way" about it. I've learned that the hard way. By the way, those blogs are still up.

A mistake is defined as an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong. Everyone make mistakes. If you say you don't, that leads me to a question, you know where liars go? The point is though not to continue to make the mistake. You learn from the mistake and not do it again. Get away from what started the mistake. Stop turning the mistake into a habit. Once it becomes a habit can't really call it a mistake any more, it's just a way of life by that point. The Bible says, in James 4:17, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." In other words, if you know better but continue to do what's wrong, it's a sin. As my sister tells me on a constant, I never listen but she continues to say, "Get your life together, Daniel." Your name may not be Daniel, but you get me?

Don't be one of those, "you know the devil's busy" type people. If the Devil is busy, then get busy getting closer to God, and get busy resisting the Devil. If your excuse is "the devil is busy" that's like saying "the devil made me do it." Flip Wilson is dead, so let that excuse die with him. The Bible says in James, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Now changing the subject completely, I've been seeing all over Instagram, post talking about surrounding your self with the right people. Surround your self with good people. Takes me back to a mens meeting I was at, and my pastor at the time said that everybody needs at least 4 people around him. Using for an example the story of the lame man seeing Jesus from Mark, "And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay." Anyway, it was like post after post on Instagram about surrounding yourself with the right people. I'm thinking I haven't found that group of people yet, but I'm not giving up. I'm not big "it's a sign" type of guy, but I do believe God has ways of telling you something. He used a donkey and a rooster in the bi-ble to get a point across, so...

Guilty by association. Can't surround yourself with just anybody. Can't let everybody in your friends circle, whether we talking online or off line.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE MY SHEEP, WHY AREN'T YOU FOLLOWING ME?

“You say that you are my sheep, why aren’t you following me? You say that I am your shepherd, why aren’t you following me?” “I told my sheep to visit the sick and to take the stranger in. When you see someone who’s naked, you throw wool to cover their skin. And you say I say I am your shepherd, why aren’t you following me?”

You got everybody claiming to be a Christian, but don’t want to follow. You got everybody claiming to be a Christian, but don’t want to live it. You see most of the entertainers that receive awards thank God, yet don’t want to follow.

“Why aren’t you following me?”

 Jesus wants you to follow him. Everybody can praise him. The Bible says, “Let everything that have breath, praise the Lord.” So if you’re breathing, you can praise. But being a Christian is more than praise. Don’t get me wrong, being a “praiser” is important. When praises go up, blessings come down. Like a parent that God is, he wants to be praised to perform. But how many people are praising but not following? Those secret habits that we can’t break, or should I say, don’t want to break, whether we know it or not, is hindering the way we live as a Christ follower. When we should be seeking God, when we should be seeking Jesus, we’re stuck in our habits. When we should be waking up thanking God for another day, we’re waking up stuck in our habits. We shout on preachers saying, “Jesus is a habit breaker.”

“And you say that I am your shepherd, why aren’t you following me?”

 We know who can break the habit, but we’re not following him. Some entertainers know where their gifts and talents come from, but refuse to follow him. We say amen when we hear, “Without God, we can do nothing. Without God, I am nothing.” Yet refuse to follow. Sheep follow the shepherd. Goats have to be pushed. Goats have to be forced. What are you a sheep or a goat?

“You say that you are my sheep, why aren’t you following me?”

 Many big brothers are annoyed when their little brothers follow them everywhere. Many big brothers try their best distance themselves from their little siblings. So we claim to be Christians, right? As Christians we have the best big brother ever. God is the father, Jesus is the son. Jesus, the son of God. As Christians we are adopted into the family. Therefore Jesus is our big brother. He is our shepherd, and he’s welcoming us to follow him. We got to stop with the secret habits. We got to stop getting away from people to get our habit in, whatever that habit may be. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Now if we want the habit broken, we can’t continue to entertain that habit. You know what gets you off. You know your weakness. If you can help it, don’t entertain it. Circumstances happen, believe me, I understand that, but that’s not an excuse. You may have to literally walk or run away, listen to music, read the Bible. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in prayer, but praying while you’re in the mood to do whatever your habit is won’t do any good because your mind isn’t in the right place. I know what I’m talking about. You’re in the mood. You’re a couple of seconds away from doing what you know is wrong. So while you’re 99% in, you try to pray. After you open your eyes and get off your knees, you still end up doing the habit. Why? Because your mind wasn’t on God. Your mind wasn’t on Jesus. Your mind was on the habit. God will keep you in perfect peace if you keep your mind on him.

“When my sheep hear my voice, they come running to me.”

Sheep knows the voice of their shepherd. So the question comes who are you listening to? Are you a sheep or a goat? What are you a sheep to? Who are you allowing to be your shepherd? Who are you following?

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Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty