Is it Time to Change the Filter? by Paula Roach

 have the two cutest little boys who happen to love critters of all kinds. It is not uncommon to find a turtle, frog or bug while we are out and about and add him to our pet collection at home. In fact, just today, daddy came home with a new baby leopard gecko that he found at work. So, as of today we are the proud owners of two leopard geckos, two red eared sliders, one tiny frog and one large yellow lab.

The red eared sliders are really cute. They are still just little babies and will actually eat out of our hands. As cute as they are, my affection for them is slowly dieing and the experience of feeding the turtles and playing with the turtles has been spoiled by a very unpleasant scent. As the scent has grown stronger there is now debris and cloudy water. Within a matter of a few weeks the environment of the turtle habitat has completely changed and turtle ownership is no longer a pleasant experience.

The product of the environment has made it quite clear that the time to change the filter in the aquarium is past due.

A filter is a device used for removing, obstructing or eliminating. It's purpose in the aquarium is to provide the best living environment for the turtles (and owners.). A filter for water provides the healthiest water. A filter in our air conditioner provides clean air and a more efficient system.

God GIVES us His Word as a filter. When we filter our choices through His Word, we can experience His best blessings. The  directives given in His Word are NOT a kill joy but rather a filter set up to help us experience MORE JOY. More favor. More hope. More peace. More love. More of HIM!

Sometimes it becomes obvious it is time to change the filter in our own lives simply by taking a look at our environment and experiences!

Ask yourself these questions:

Am I experiencing growth in my relationship with the Lord?

Am I becoming more like Him?

What is my thought life like? What are my attitudes and words like?

Am I experiencing the full, joyful, abundant life promised in the Word of God?

If we are not pleased with our answers, perhaps it's time to take a look at our filter. Do I filter choices through my own thoughts and ideas, others, or am I allowing the Word of God to be my filter?

Take a look at your environment and experiences. Is it time to change the filter?

As you navigate answers to some of the gray areas of life, consider the Word of God as your filter and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you into the abundant life promised. 

(I received these questions from Jeanne Mayo many years ago.)

Gray Area Filter Questions

The following is a series of Biblical principles with which to “filter” gray areas and determine whether or not to participate.

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Principle of Excess…Do I need this? Heb. 12:1  “Lay aside every weight that does easily beset us…”

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Principle of Expedience…Does it have a positive effect? 1 Cor. 6:12 “All things are lawful…but not all things are expedient.” Is this going to help me?

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Principle of Emulation…Is this what Jesus would do? Can I truly see Christ doing this? 1 John 2:6 “If we say we abide in Him, we ought also to walk as He walked.”

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Principle of Evangelism…If I do this, is it going to enhance my testimony to a non-believer? Col. 4:5 “Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside.”

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Principle of Edification…Will it build me up? Having done this, will I be a stronger Christian?

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There are few things in life that are truly neutral: 1 Cor. 10:23 “All things are lawful…but all things are not that which builds me up.”

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Principle of Exaltation…If I do this, will it exalt the Lord? 1 Cor. 10:31  “Whatsoever you do…whether you eat or drink…do it all for the glory of God.”

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Principle of Example…If I do this, will it set the right pattern of example for my Christian brothers and sisters? Would it be an act of love towards them? Rom. 14:13 “Don’t do anything to make him stumble.” 1 Cor. 8:13 “Eat nothing that would cause your brother to stumble.”

Divine Insight by Valencia Anderson

Good Morning! It's been some time since I have posted anything but I have a dear friend, Valencia Anderson, who wrote something I wanted to share with you all. So, here it is...

DIVINE INSIGHT

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."~ Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor

Never forget this truth: "The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend."

Have you ever looked at an image; yet was unable to accurately process what you saw?  You looked, yet nothing registered.  NOTHING. And while your physical eye was taking in an image, your brain somehow was unable to interpret what it was that you actually saw?  Maybe the image was gruesome and so your brain --completely unprepared to digest that picture--refused to compute it? 

I don't know what you're looking at right now.  An empty pocketbook? A negative bank account? A betrayal or broken dreams?  But I will tell you this: it's not what happens to us that shapes us but how we choose to respond to what happens to us that makes the difference.  As Pastor Joel Osteen is quoted for saying,"Be a victor not a victim."  You get to decide. Do you esteem your pain and disappointments over and above your forward progress? The word "esteem" means to to highly regard, to regard highly or favorably. What you focus on will expand.  Thus, if within your mind's eye you have conditioned yourself to see only defeat, misery and additional disappointments, then no matter how glaringly obvious opportunity and favor are, you WILL NOT SEE IT!  However, if you intentionally begin a reconditioning program in which you dutifully begin to "wash your mind" with new thoughts--I highly recommend the Bible--you will begin to experience transformation.  Romans 12:2 says, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."  The word transform means: "to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose." Furthermore, it means: "to change in condition, nature, or character; convert."

Even if the change is slow at first. It's still change. It might be slow, but it will be sure and rock solid if you'll stick with it! 

Like Marcus Aurelius said--and I am paraphrasing for emphasis--you have the power to revoke or take back your divine perspective at any moment.  The choice is yours and mine.  And when you take it back, it is amazing--even miraculous--how much you can "see"...opportunities that were right within your sphere all along waiting for you to seize them!