What’s With You
Titus 1:10-11 & 15-16 Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 For there are many disorderly and unruly men who are idle (vain, empty) and misleading talkers and self-deceivers and deceivers of others. [This is true] especially of those of the circumcision party [who have come over from Judaism]. 11 Their mouths must be stopped, for they are mentally distressing and subverting whole families by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the purpose of getting base advantage and disreputable gain.
15 To the pure [in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled and polluted. 16 They profess to know God [to recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and [they are] unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.
Whenever my young people act out of character and out of the rearing that I am sure that I modeled and instilled in them, I ask this question, “What’s with you, man or little girl?” At first when I was asking this question it was simply a way of asking what is going on with them, but then I came to realize I was asking a more relevant question about what was with them; what had come to reside in or with them, that was causing them to be who they were presently exhibiting. We rarely realize that when our thinking and behavior isn’t right that we have allowed something to come along with us that is counter-productive to our act right, do right and get right. Often I would look at who my young people had been in association with, who they had spent time around that caused a shift in their thinking and in their behavior that caused them to think unacceptable things would become acceptable. We often miss that what and who we let in will eventual become a part of our character, and our behavioral pattern.
My question to us today is what is with us? What are we allowing to abide in our mind, our spirits and our hearts that is impacting our walk with the Lord, our interaction with people and the example that we should be setting for our families? Many of us have allowed some nasty things into our lives that have us going backwards instead of forward, exhibiting behaviors that we struggled with as a baby in Christ or for some of us these behaviors are all brand new, because the things we have allowed ourselves to be exposed to are brand new, and extremely lethal. When I was a teen ministry leader I used to explain to my teens that when we connect with people in an intimate way before marriage we are not just out of God’s will but we are connecting with everyone that they have connected to and we are becoming subject to the spirits that are on them as well as the ones that are on the people that they have been with. We don’t realize that when we connect with people period, if we are not careful we will find ourselves picking up, their habits, behaviors, thinking and conduct, whether good or bad. Then we are wondering why we can’t get certain things out of our mind or out of our heart, because we have allowed people to speak into our lives that don’t qualify, or we have allowed associations and connections to be in place that are not Godly but carnal, and they are sowing carnal seeds into us and corrupt thinking and behavior. One thing I always encourage is accountability, but not with people that are going to tell you what you want to hear, but with individuals that you understand are appointed by God in your life to recognize what is really with you and call you on it.
Really look inside of yourself today, and ask yourself, “What is with me?” What have I allowed to come into my spear of influence that is affecting my thoughts, my actions, and my conduct? What have I allowed to come in and exalt itself against God’s knowledge, will and ways in my life? Who have I allowed around me that have taken me away from God and what He desires for my life? If we are truly honest with ourselves we will see that the thoughts we have that are negative, the behaviors that we have that are ungodly and out of God’s will and the content of our character and heart that has become corrupt is because we have allowed it to be, we have let things, thoughts and people into our lives that are polluting our pool of thought and our river of life that should be flowing unhindered and untainted as a result of our relationship with Christ. Ask God to open up your mind to His ways, His will and His design for you. With a sincere heart ask Him to remove every person, every influence and every thought that is contrary to Him. Ask Him to truly be with you, and to influence your thoughts, your visions, your behavior and your conduct, to include your speech. Because as the scripture states when we allow corruption in, we are not fit for good deeds and the enterprise the God has prepared for us; in other words we are not fit for kingdom duty or any other duty for that matter!
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