[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Where Do You Hang Out?

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "TONY_at_FloridaHealth" <FloridaHealth21 at verizon.net>
To: <CcHhEeSsTtEeRr at yahoogroups.com>, <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>,
<INTERCESSORS-ALLNATIONS at yahoogroups.com>, "Donna Mae"
<btlg1370 at gmail.com>, "Sharoon Gill" <gill57999 at yahoo.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] Where Do You Hang Out?
Date: 
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:11:36 -0500




Where Do You Hang Out?
http://www.covenantnewsletter.com/index.html

I can remember as a child how I was influenced by those I ran around
with. I wanted to be accepted, and be "part of the gang". I would even
begin to adopt some of their language and mannerisms. Anything to feel
wanted. I suppose none of this is really that unusual. As adults we all
want to feel loved and accepted. This is not a bad thing. It is a basic
human need at any age. Sometimes I wonder if anybody ever was influenced by
my life as I was growing up. If anybody ever wanted to be more like me? But
as I reflect back on how "bad" I was, hopefully that sort of thing never
happened. There is no doubt in my mind that wherever it is you spend most
of your time, is what will influence you the most. That is where your
affection and attention will be. That will be the place that is most
important in your life. We need to be very careful what is influencing our
lives, because that is where our attention and our "heart" will truly be.
God obviously felt that this was very important when he said: 
(Matthew 6:21) - "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also." 

What Goes In, Must Come Out
I noticed that today people are talking about fear and worry in a way
that they never would have prior to 9/11. It is a deep seated fear that
somehow got inside their "hearts" and is finding its way out of their
mouths. Could it be we are spending to much time in front of the
television? Is this one of the places we have been "hanging out"? Have we
allowed the networks to instill a fear in us that has become part of our
lives, and part of our language? Even worse, are we as adults passing this
"life style" on to our children? Will our children "learn" to fear by
watching us? The fact that all this fear and worry is finding its way out
of our mouths should not be surprising. God warned us that whatever it is
we are allowing to get into our hearts (our spirit), will come out of our
mouths. This is a law that God set down. It is not something we can avoid.
You know the old saying....."Garbage in garbage out". Well God said it
first! 

(Matthew 12:34) - "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh." 

If you are hanging around people that constantly talk fear and trash then
that information is getting into your "heart", your "inner man", and
according to God, it will eventually find its way out of your mouth. You
will begin to talk about the same things. You will then have something in
common with your "source",.......Fear! Words of fear and worry are against
God's Word. God tells us over and over again from Genesis to Revelations,
"Do not fear"! After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a
vision, saying, (Genesis 15:1) - "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy
exceeding great reward." 

And he answered, (2 Kings 6:16) - "Fear not: for they that be with us are
more than they that be with them." 

(Luke 12:32) - "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

(1John 4:18) - "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out
fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in
love." 

(Revelation 1:17,18) - "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.
And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the
first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." 

Fearing is one thing. Allowing that fear to get out of your mouth could
change your entire life! 

What harm can it do?
Many christians today live their lives as though they can say whatever
they want to say, and act as though their words will not make any
difference one way or the other. They seem to think that their "words" have
no power, or could never hurt them or anyone else in any way. That's like
poking tiny pin holes in the bottom of the boat that you're in. What harm
can that do? I can gaurantee you that sooner or later you will find out if
you can swim or not. 

If you are a born-again child of God, think about how you got that way.
You didn't think yourself into the Kingdom of God. You had to speak words
of salvation. Think about how powerful those words were. They actually
changed your eternal destination from eternity in hell to eternity with God
in heaven. Now that is what I call "word power". God tells us in the book
of James that what we say can change the entire course that our lives may
be on. 

(James 3:5- 6) - "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it
makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small
spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the
body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on
fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

To go even further, what we say can even extend beyond this life on
earth. (Matthew 12:36-37) - "But I say unto you, That every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned." 

If God tells us to stop all this fear, then we cannot continue to speak
words of fear. If God tells us to Love one another, then we cannot continue
to speak words of hatred, and un-forgiveness. When God tells us "we can do
all things through Christ Jesus," then we cannot continue to speak words
like "there is no way I'll ever get out of debt" or "I'll never be able to
get a job to support my family". When God tells you that he has forgiven
all of our sins and healed all of our diseases, then we cannot continue to
speak words like "I'll probably get the flu again this year like I always
do" or "It doesn't look like I'll ever be healed of this sickness". There
is only one answer to these or any other problems we may be facing, and
that is to say what the Word of God says!. 

(John 6:63) - "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The
words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."

(John 6:68) - "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?
thou hast the words of eternal life." 

(John 17:8) - "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me;
and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from
thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." 
Get Connected!
There is only one way you can begin to speak the Words of God and not
words of doubt which are of this world. There is only one way to victory,
and that is to hang out where God hangs out, and the only way to get there
is through Jesus Christ! 

(John 14:6) - "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 

To "hang around" God you first must be connected to Jesus who is the Word
(John 1:1) and (John1:14). To be connected is to overcome this world,
because Jesus has already won the victory for you. 
(John 16:33) - "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I
have overcome the world." 

Being connected to Jesus is like an apple branch that is connected to the
apple tree. As long as the branch stays connected to the tree then it is
able to partake of all the "goodness" that is in the trunk. The branch
needs nutrients from the ground so that it can not only stay alive but
produce much fruit. By staying connected to the trunk is like being
connected to the ground itself. It receives everything it needs to thrive
and produce. 

(John 15:1-4) - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He
cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that
does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are
already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I
will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in
the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

As you can see from the scripture above the same is true for the
born-again child of God. If we are willing to "stay connected" to Jesus
(who is the vine, and also the Word), then we will be connected to God who
is everything we need to thrive and produce in this world. As we continue
to "hang out" with God, we will begin to talk like him, and act like him.
Just like when you hang around the wrong people you begin to take on their
mannerisms, and act like them. Well the same will be true when you stay
connected, or "hang out" with God. You will begin to have the very mind of
God through Jesus Christ! 

(1 Corinthians 2:16) - "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he
may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." 

Yes we as God's children should have the very mind of Christ himself. In
every situation in life we should "think" and "act" as Jesus would. The
only way that will ever happen is if we are willing to spend time in the
Word of God. Remember that Jesus Is The Word. To many of us are like "tea
bags". The only time we ever "get religious" or run to God's Word is when
we are in hot water. It should not be that way. God wants us to be at
peace! He wants us to be happy! He wants us to be healthy! And most of all
he wants to reach other people through us, through our lives. He wants
others to "see him" in us! Why does God want all of this for you and me.
It's simple. He Loves Us! When Jesus was suffering on the cross for you and
me, that was God proclaiming to the world. "I love you, and I have come to
set you free!" Just as he did with the Jews in Egypt by using Moses to set
them free from the bondage of slavery, he has set us free from the bondage
of sin and the "curse of the law," (Deut. 28), through Jesus Christ! Come
out and be free. Enjoy life. It is a God given blessing. 
Who, me?
Yes you. You are anointed to live this life in victory! Can you believe
that! When we stay connected to the Vine (Jesus), then we are able to do
all things because we are anointed. 

(Philippians 4:13) -"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens
me." 

This is telling us that even if we were persecuted for talking about
Jesus Christ and found ourselves in prison for doing that, which by the way
is what the apostle Paul was talking about in this scripture, we are still
able to overcome. Because we are anointed to overcome, we also have the
ability to do "all things". How does that happen? As the scripture above
tells us, it happens "through Christ". Christ means "the anointed one and
his anointing". So every time you see the name Jesus Christ. It means
"Jesus the anointed one and his anointing". When you are connected to the
Vine (Jesus, the anointed one and his anointing), then guess what. You are
also anointed! 

(1John 2:27-28) - "But the anointing which ye have received of him abides
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing
teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath
taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him;
that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed
before him at his coming." 

To Abide, Or Not To Abide!

That is the question. So what is the purpose of all this "abiding in the
vine" stuff? Why is it so important that we do that? What difference could
it possibly make if we didn't abide in the vine? Before we answer those
questions, let's get one thing straight. To abide somewhere means to stay
put. In other words that is the place where you "hang out". It's a place
you would rather be than any other place. So why is it so important to
abide in the vine? Have you ever noticed what happens to something if you
don't continue to take care of it. Let's use a garden for example. When you
first plant the garden, it looks really great. If you don't continue to
water it during dry spells, Fertilize it so the plants will grow and
produce much fruit, Weed it so the good plants won't be overrun by all
those ugly weeds, You end up with a garden that is "not exactly" the type
of garden you had in mind when you started. It's still a garden, but not
capable of producing much, and in the end will most likely be "plowed
under" all to soon. This principle is true with just about anything in this
world, and it is certainly true with God's children. 

(John 15:5-6) - "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can
do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is
withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned." 

We are the branches connected to God by the vine, Jesus Christ. God wants
us to grow and prosper in his wisdom and knowledge. He does not want us to
"wither up" and become basically useless. He wants to take care of us so we
don't become like that garden we just talked about that was not cared for.
So how could we become like that garden or like a withered branch that men
gather and cast into the fire? That happens when we don't hang out where we
are supposed to hang out. When we don't abide in the Word of God we remove
ourselves from the vine. It's not God's fault. It's ours. It was our choice
to allow other things in this world to steal our time with God. As a result
you "dry up"! The part of the scripture that says, "men gather them, and
cast them into the fire, and they are burned.", is talking about God's
children that spend more time in worldly things than the things of God. The
world and it's ways eventually catch up with them and they are consumed by
this world. That could be an early death, or some other disaster that the
devil has been planning for them. He (the devil) looks for God's children
that are not abiding in the vine. Those that have strayed away from the
flock. They are the ones that are vulnerable to the devils attacks. 
      
(1 Peter 5:7- 8) - "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for
you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 

You Want Me to Produce What?
Ok, let's get down to business. By now it should be obvious that God
wants us to produce "fruit". But what is this fruit he is talking about?
Exactly what kind of fruit should I be producing? Remember what the Word
said, "without him you can do nothing". So this "fruit" is not a product of
your own intellect. It has nothing to do with how smart or for that matter
how dumb you may think you are. It has nothing to do with how much
education or lack there of you may have. It has nothing to do with going to
church every Sunday. It has everything to do with that gift of God who is
inside you. The one that came to dwell inside when you got saved, the Holy
Spirit of God! The fruit we are talking about will come from the Holy
Spirit that is dwelling inside you. 

(Galatians 5:22-25) - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk
in the Spirit." 
Can you imagine living a life that is full of (love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance). Sounds
peaceful doesen't it! Yes as you continue to stay in the Word of God,
(abiding in the vine), you will begin to find yourself thinking, talking
and acting like the Word. Remember that the Word is Jesus Christ. You will
begin to conform more to God's way of thinking and doing things than the
worlds way. You will actually find out what God's will for you in this life
really is. 
(Romans 12:1- 2) - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what
is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." 

Go ahead and grow some fruit! Find out that there is another way to live
this life. A life in the Spirit! 

(John 10:10) - "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly."