Distractions From God

Drop it. Welcome to the first episode of Renewed Mindsets. Each time we meet, we'll be diving deep into the basics of what it really means to be a Christian and how to implement that into our walks so we can live a Romans 12-2 life, not conforming to the world, but transforming our minds to understand the will of God. It's informative and fun, but, most importantly, it's biblical. Let's go, boys. Hey, this is Renewed Mindsets. I'm Rick and I'm excited for you to start hearing about all the things God has been revealing to me about His Church and His children, that's, you and me. Today, we're talking about the things that distract us from God. He is a good and smart master and he made me this color so that I make talk squirrel. You just may be surprised to find out that you've allowed some of these into your own life, just like I was. We're going to be studying out of Proverbs, chapter 13, verse 25. The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. Alright, I can't tell. We are going to be talking about distractions tonight. Not only just distractions, but the distractions that occupy the majority of our time. That doesn't come automatically with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that's not something that you automatically get when you're born again. That's something that I got because I used food for comfort. I used food when I was bored. I ate food just because I was watching TV or reading a book or sitting outside watching the birds. Because, you know, I did that all the time. There's more to this verse than what's on the surface, and it sounds like it's about food. The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. That sounds like he's talking about food, but let's look a little bit off to each edge of it and talk about some of the things that we're involved in that occupy the majority of our time. For me, it was food. What about Amazoncom? How many of y'all like shopping? Jan's spending them straight to the poor house? Yeah, women be shopping. Oh, my numbers just dropped by half. Amazon has so much cool stuff and they deliver it right to your front door. Before I sold my house, I had packages coming every day. I was bad about spending money on Amazon, but I sold my house and bought an RV and now I don't have room between me and the cat and all this podcasting equipment on the kitchen table. I don't have room for anything, but shopping can be a problem for people. What's another one? You're one of you. Jen Xers is going to get this television. We grew up in the eighties. If you wanted to watch a show, you knew what night it came on, what time it came on. You sat in front of that TV on Friday because you wanted to see David Banner turn into the Incredible Hulk just to hear that piano tune at the end of every episode. Don't you love it? So we've got a few things here food, shopping and binge watching TV, because that's what we do now. We don't sit up and wait for the show to come on. We just click on Netflix. We find a show we want and we'll sit down and watch a whole season in one sitting. That's fun. We've all done it. I've done it. I've done it way too many times is the problem? A lot of time spent sitting in front of the TV. Let me tell you something about people who occupy their time with foolish endeavors like that overeating, overindulging, spending too much money, shopping, having sex with multiple partners out of marriage, watching TV for hours on end. Those are ungodly people. Oh, I hope I didn't offend you, but I'm going to tell you, if you're really and truly born again, you won't have time to sit and watch eight hours of television in one sitting. You might have time to overeat. I've seen a lot of fat Christians. That was my case. The fact that I don't eat much. Now, that's just me, but God can take care of all that. But the problem with the ungodly is that they're governed by their hunger, their desires, by what gives them pleasure and the goal, which is to eat all the food or to buy all the stuff, or to have all the sex or to watch all the TV. The goal can never be reached. You end up just wanting more and more. Without God, our hungers will never be for him. God made us in his image and we all have the desire from birth to know him, to search for him. If someone hasn't put you on the right path from childhood to know that God exists and that you need to have a relationship with him, to get to know him, then you're going to fill that desire, that want, that void that is in your spirit to search for God. You're going to fill it with something good. When I say fill it with something good, all four of those things that we talked about are good. Food is good, shopping it's good. Sex is good. Sex was made by God. Watching TV is good, but all of that done in excess is not good. Our flesh is like a grave just begging for one more. Please, sir, I want some more. I don't even know what that's from. Yeah, I do. The obsession that we have for these things ruins the experience. I mean, I would go through the McDonald's drive-through and order four hamburgers, fries and a large coat and sit and eat every bit of it until when I was finished I was sick to my stomach. I had packed so much food in. There was nothing enjoyable about that. It's not enjoyable when you spend all your money on stuff from Amazon and then it comes to time to pay the bills and you don't have any money left. We end up stop loving what we consume and we just love consuming. I'm telling you it's selfish, it's obsessive and it's a perversion. If you're having sex outside of marriage and you're having multiple partners and that is never you're never fulfilled, you're never satisfied because you keep going back. That's lust and that's what happens when our appetite for love can't be satisfied. It's a trap. Telling you it's a trap. It's a trap laid by the devil to keep you from following God's will. The devil perverted sex into something that God can't even stand. But God's people avoid that trap by wisdom. And where do we get wisdom? From the word of God we read today out of proverbs. They could rename the book of Proverbs the book of wisdom, because every bit of it is just wisdom. It's chock full of wisdom. God's people are always satisfied because we quit looking to the world to satisfy that hunger. We no longer listen to the groanings of our belly or we no longer listen to the groanings of ourselves Self. You need to look that up. You need to study it. Basically. What it boils down to is Jesus Christ said if anyone would follow me, he would deny himself. Pick up his cross daily and follow me. I used to hear it, I taught it, I preached it and I never got it. Deny yourself means to take who you are, the good and the bad, your wants, your desires, your hate for something or someone, everything you are handed to God and say Lord, I trust you with my life. Change me into who you'd have me be. Romans, chapter 12, verse 2, says Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When you are truly born again and you hand God yourself and say I trust you with this, he begins to transform your mind. You're a change from who you were to a new creation. And it's amazing, people, I'm telling you. It is so amazing to live life full of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the devil we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So we're back to food, and Jesus was not just talking about bread. He's talking about the hungers that we have, the desires that we have. They can all be satisfied through the word of God. People open your Bibles, read your Bible, study your Bible. So what are some signs that you're distracted from God's will? What are some red flags? Well, I got a few red flags. First of all, if you feel pressure to compromise, you know sometimes we cloud our judgment by pointing out the benefits that can come from doing things our own way, like it's okay to cheat on our taxes if we're using the money to fulfill our dream of owning our own business or even supporting a mission trip. Yet God's Word instructs us to pay the government its due. It's in Mark 12 17. Or your friends might encourage you to attend a party that your parents wouldn't approve of. After all, it's not wrong to have a little fun, is it? Yet God would have them honor their parents by staying home. That's in Ephesians 6-2. See, our perspective is limited by our humanity and it's tainted by our desires. God doesn't have that kind of limitation. He sees the end from the beginning. Proverbs 14-12 says there is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death. Trusting God with our dreams and priorities, it's not hard. We just might not understand his reasoning or his timing, but we do have his promise that he works all things together for good of those who love him. That's Romans 8-28. Another way of knowing is if you feel burnt out. God knows how much time we have and he knows our physical limitations. In the words of Psalm 103-14, he remembers that we are dust. Burnout is not part of God's plan. It's actually a warning that something on our to-do list is not from him. Now. God's not going to offer a lifetime of leisure, but he promises to refresh and rejuvenate us as we serve him. Now. This is a big one. Look at yourself and answer this Do you have a pattern of broken relationships? You know, it's really sad that God's people are more often known by what they're against than what they're for. Jesus came to earth to seek and to save that which was lost. That's Luke 19-10. And the Father has given us a ministry of reconciliation. Our words and actions should reflect God's passion to bring others into his kingdom. If our opinions or our methods get in the way of our ability to proclaim the gospel, it's a signal to rethink our strategy. You know, the Bible has a lot to say about how we interact with other believers, and we're supposed to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. That's from 1 Peter 3-8. And it should be our goal to promote unity among the brethren and with others. Here's another one that's all too common today Pride. Proverbs 29-23 warns a man's pride will bring him low. We don't need to look too far to find proof. You know, we set out in pursuit with a humble heart, with the best of intentions, and then something changes along the way and as what we're doing starts to produce results and recognition, we find that our focus starts shifting. Instead of trusting God's provision, we end up relying on our own self, our own resourcefulness. Instead of aiming to serve others, we seek only for their approval. The apostle John wrote in his third epistle to a beloved friend named Gaius, who quietly served the Lord by extending hospitality to traveling preachers. Now, rather than being consumed with his own needs or accomplishments, gaius used his gifts for empowering and equipping others For the sake of the gospel. We need to do the same thing by being humble, opening our hearts and our hands and our homes to those that God brings across our path. And another one is shame. You know, feeling ashamed about something we've done or thoughts we've had is a good indication. We need to search our heart for sin. Adam and Eve hid from God after they ate the fruit from the forbidden tree. Moses killed a man, hid the body and then hid from Pharaoh when his anger got the best of him. And after the Israelites captured Jericho, achein stole some of the plunder and hid it for his own gain. Anything that causes us to avoid the Lord's presence or accountability does not belong in our life. The solution could be found in Romans 12, too. It says Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. When you become a Christian and receive the Holy Spirit into your life, you become a new creation. If you're calling yourself a Christian and that sinful nature hasn't disappeared, if it's kind of coexisting with this new identity in Christ that you think you have and you think you have to make a choice between following Christ or feeding that fallen nature, you need to step back. You need to talk to your pastor because something is definitely wrong. You should be cultivating habits that align your heart and mind with Christ. Choosing to renew our mind will draw us closer to God's Word and His presence. And finally, a way you can know is if there's a reluctance to change. You know, sometimes God's plan for us involves letting go. In Hebrews 12, paul encourages us to lay aside every weight and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. That's in verse 1. The Greek word for weight can also be translated as burden. There are times when God gives us a burden or a responsibility for a while and then it becomes our responsibility to transfer that burden to someone else. And if we're not careful, what was once a yes from God becomes a no. Evidence for this is all throughout the Bible. You know, after leading his people out of Egypt and through the wilderness for 40 years, god instructed Moses to step aside and let Joshua guide the Israelites into the Promised Land. David dreamed of building the Lord's temple, but he followed the Lord's instructions and handed the project over to his son, solomon. Elijah spent the last years of his life preparing Elisha to take over the ministry of prophecy in Israel. And you know, when Jesus' ministry began to overshadow his own, john the Baptist welcomed the transition. He must increase, but I must decrease. That's John 3.30. When God places that final period on a chapter in our life, it doesn't mean that he's finished with us. It just lets us know that he has a new assignment for us. But in order to say yes to what's next, we have to be willing to reconsider our priorities and prepare for future growth. The Bible says serve the Lord without distraction. That's 1 Corinthians 735. But separating the good things from the best things can be difficult. While you're praying over a new situation and seeking God's counsel, ask Him to help you weigh the costs and benefits. You can ask yourself the following questions to help you get started? 1. What does this cost in terms of my time or other resources? What would I have to quit doing to do this? 2. Who or what would benefit from my involvement? Will it glorify God or someone else? And 3. Where will this decision lead me six months from now, five years from now? Will it bring me closer or further from a life that God wants from me? This world is filled with distractions and demands on our time, but these things should never keep us from determining in our minds to wholeheartedly pursue a closer walk with God. Each day, we have work to do, we have chores to perform, we have responsibilities to bear, but, like Martha's sister, mary in the Bible, we also need time to sit at the feet of Jesus, fellowshiping with Him in Bible study and prayer. If we want to break out of our rut and move forward, we need to find a balance by aligning our priorities with God's purposes. Go to church, find a pastor, find somebody who loves you, find a church with good people who will cover you. It will change your life. Time is short. You've heard it. We're in the end days. Now's the time for this to happen. And now Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy from Rick Uhaas, before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away from them and you have their shoes. Well, that's it for the first episode of Renewed Mindsets. My prayer is you learn something today that will help you grow as a child of God and become more like Christ. If you enjoyed the show, do me a favor and tell someone about it. Your recommendation goes a long way towards influencing them towards the truth. You can listen to all past episodes at our website, at RenewedMindsetscom, and also wherever you listen to podcasts. While you're on the website, click the gray microphone button at the bottom of the page and leave me a voicemail. I just may play it on a future show. May might will, it's all the same thing. The intro and outro music for the Renewed Mindset show is Are you Ready? By Floodgate From the album Are you Ready? Copyright 2002, offbeat Ministries Inc. Floodgate can be found on Apple Music and iTunes. Music used with permission. And now a two-minute devotion on our scripture of the day, proverbs 1325. The godly eat to their hearts content, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry. This verse offers hope, but still it's kind of sad. Most of us are not happy to know that the stomach of the wicked goes hungry. Admittedly, it's not that God doesn't care about them or isn't interested in them. It's just that their choices lead to certain consequences, and sometimes it's just really painful. Yet so many of us know that our greatest spiritual lessons often come from the most uncomfortable situations. When I really do get sick and tired of being sick and tired, there are real answers for my inner and outer struggles. While the righteous aren't perfect, they have made a true connection with God. They come to understand that His plan is better than anything they're able to put together. Of course, that doesn't mean they have it all together or get everything they want, but the God with whom they are now in a conscious relationship does help and guide them daily. Consequently, they eat to their hearts content. This is an appropriate translation, but if we get too literal we might miss the message. The verse doesn't say the righteous eat till their stomachs are stuffed, but till their hearts content. It's less about their stomachs and more about their souls. That's a big difference. So now we can choose which phrase of this verse we want to live in. I'm pretty sure you know where I'm hanging. Until next time. I'm Rick. I love you, see ya.