My Moment of Truth

 

There’s an important and often neglected part of life. I believe our knowledge in this area is a key to our success in life. This part of my life is called self-awareness. I think if we know ourselves we can have a huge advantage in life and probably be further along in life than the majority of people. However, we can often find ourselves lacking in this area.

One area that we can identify when we are self-aware is our strengths and weaknesses. I find that it’s important for us to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses. This can help us to improve in certain areas and capitalize in others. I think this could make a huge difference in our lives.

There’s a book called StrengthsFinder 2.0. In this book there is a good test you can take online. It will basically tell you at the end of the test what your top 5 strength areas are. The descriptions of each strength are really pretty accurate. You can kind of end up feeling like the test is almost ‘reading your mail’, so to speak. I took this test and I found it to be quite helpful. I guess you could say it helped me become more self-aware, or the things I was already aware of it kind of just confirmed for me. My top five strengths in order were, intellection, restorative, individualization, empathy, and achiever. So, Intellection wasn’t a total surprise because of my tendency to be a deep thinker. This is definitely something that helps me in writing my blogposts so that I have ideas to write about. Restorative, according to their definition means that a person is good at finding a problem and what it takes to resolve it. Individualization means a person can identify strengths and weaknesses of each individual in a group and how each can work together most effectively. Empathy is pretty self-explanatory, in that it means a person can sense another person’s feelings and see things from their perspective. Achiever just means hard worker and gets satisfaction from being productive. But these are just to explain how knowledge of this can help me capitalize on what I’m really good at.

So, these are just examples of my results. Notice it doesn’t tell me any of my weaknesses. I guess if they did they would have to call it WeaknessFinder 2.0. And I’m sure I would be more reluctant to share those areas with you.

So, if we can capitalize on the areas we are strong, we can pursue areas where we have better chances of being successful. Of, course we need to shore of our weaknesses as well, and in that way we can become a more well-rounded person.

 

…Let’s go deeper

I believe knowing ourselves is not only an area we should be concerned with, but one in which God is concerned with as well. While it’s important to know our strengths, it’s important to know our weaknesses as well. In 1 John 3:19-22 it says, “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” See, if we can know our hearts, this is one of the greatest things. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” So, there is one person who knows our hearts. And if we want to know our hearts, we can ask him and he will show us areas in our hearts that aren’t right. We can also know where our hearts are right. We can know if we’ve truly forgiven someone else and have no animosity towards them. We can also know that God has forgiven us like described in 1 John 3:21. This gives us confidence, when we know God has forgiven us.

Work-related injuries Injuries sustained at workplaces can be treated by using Kamagra pill taken one per day and not by involving 2 doses in a period appalachianmagazine.com viagra price of time. Occupational therapy focuses on removing mental disorder of working as well as non working. canada cialis levitra There are a lot of possible solutions for this condition but not canadian viagra 100mg appalachianmagazine.com all of them are applicable to anyone with erectile dysfunction. The most vital thing is that you have found two tender spots. levitra 40mg 2 Corinthians13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” This verse tells us to examine ourselves so that we can know that we are in the faith. This is an important truth. Part of this is explained in 1 John 3:19-22. Another part is explained in 1 John 2:3-5: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” So, this makes it pretty plain to us how to know if we have a true faith.

1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” Finally we know that when we have fallen short in areas of our lives, God is there ready to forgive. Jesus is our advocate with the Father. This is the comfort we have. He will not only help reveal to us our hearts but forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 3:19-22 it says, “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

2 Corinthians13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

1 John 2:3-5: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

 

I was thinking lately about the importance of communication. More specifically, communication in the important relationships we have. Communication is a major part of our lives. We do it every day and how we communicate, and how much, has a huge impact on our lives.

The persons we communicate with the most are generally the ones that are closest to us. Our parents, kids, spouses, and friends. So, in these instances it’s imperative that we keep the communication lines open. Think about how much our communication has to do with the quality of our relationships. Really, if we don’t communicate, then there’s not much of a relationship there. Also, communication is one of the main means of connecting with other people. When we feel like we are effectively communicating with others is when we feel like we are connecting with them. If we feel like they understand what we’re saying and they feel like we understand what they’re saying is when we connect with people. I think feeling like you’ve been heard by someone else is a huge thing. If you don’t, you feel isolated.

Probably the most emphasized communication point is that between husband and wife. You hear a lot of experts talk about how important it is for married couples to communicate. I would agree. I think the reason it is emphasized so much is because it may be one of the main reasons for relationships falling apart. People just stop communicating and then things can slowly dissolve. Communication seems to be the lifeblood of a married couple.

I know that communication is a challenge for me. At least, verbal communication is challenging. I probably feel I can communicate more effectively through writing than I can through talking. I know most people are probably the opposite. I’m the type of person, though, that needs time to gather their thoughts. Writing seems to do that better for me than talking. I guess, in this day and age that can be a good thing for me. There are so many more opportunities to communicate through a text message, email, or chat message. So, whether through talking, or writing, we can find ways to effectively communicate with those closest to us.

I have found myself needing to be more effective in my communication. There are always friends, or even family members, you haven’t talked to in a while. Life gets busy and you just tend to lose contact. It’s important, though, that we make the effort and take the time to communicate. That way the relationships we have meaningful and lasting.

 

…Let’s go deeper

Communication with other people in our lives is important, but even more important is our relationship to God. We have a God who delights in us and wants us to communicate with him. If you look in Jeremiah 33:3 it says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” My Mom has called this verse God’s phone number. I think that’s an apt description for it. God is asking us to talk to him. He wants us to communicate with him on a daily basis. The same principle applies here as our relationships with other people. We talk to God more and he talks to us. And as we talk to him more we become closer and we also get to know him better. He also says he will reveal things to us. Pretty cool.

Solutions viagra sale online for Invitro fertilization are available and fertilization is made possible through various techniques such as medications, surgeries etc. Include lot of click my pharmacy viagra without prescription organic foods, whole grains and vegetables are ideal food. Strictly speaking, an aphrodisiac is any substance that, when applied buy viagra pill to the scalp in a topical solution, it blocks only local DHT production in the scalp. Only one deeprootsmag.org order levitra dose a day is required and recommended. Communicating with God not only helps us stay close to God, it also gives us the opportunity to let him know our requests. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” See, even in these verses God is showing that he wants us to seek him. This is because he is our source. We need to not forget that. Once we get our eyes off of him we end up in trouble because we start looking to other things. Those other things can never provide for us what he can.

So, at the heart of all this is relationship. We can see this is in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The context this verse is written in, Jesus is talking about us not worrying about having enough in this material world. So, he is saying that we need to seek him first, and his righteousness, and he will take care of these things for us.

So, at the heart of these verses is relationship, and at the heart of relationship is communication. See, it all kind of comes back around. So, don’t be afraid to just talk to God throughout the day. Talk to him even about the little things. Include him in everything you do. Keep the communication lines open and your relationship with Him will grow.

Jeremiah 33:3 it says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

 

There’s an important principle in life. Well, there are many important principles in life. This one is pretty basic, yet, no less important than others. That principle is called ‘Keeping our commitments’. I’m sure everyone has had experience with this. And we’ve all been on the giving and receiving end.

I had an experience with this not long ago. Well, it was long ago that I started but, I guess, not that long ago when I finished. See, I have a friend of mine who owns a business. He had just recently ventured out on his own into the exciting world of entrepreneurship. However, he thought he needed some help in getting his business established and building it into a successful enterprise. He had just recently read a book that he was excited about. But, while the book was exciting and chock full of valuable information, he felt that the enormity of this book was such that it made it difficult to implement.

So, he requested my assistance. He probably thought I had more free time since I was single and he was married and had kids. He asked me if I would be willing to go through the entire book and break it down into an outline form and summarize its basic main points. And I don’t really know why, but, for some reason, I agreed to this. I guess I didn’t know what I was getting into. Maybe I was intrigued by it at first. I got a pretty healthy start on it and then I kind of hit a wall. I got distracted by other things. He, at some point, asked how it was going. I think I was discouraged at the time, but I told him I would finish it. Well, I’m kind of embarrassed by this, but it took me about 4 years to get through it. I think at the end I just decided I was going to finish it because I said I would. I think he had probably all but forgot about it.

Anyway, when I told him I had finished the outline he was pretty surprised. I think he was a little impressed, too, because I actually finished it after all that time. But not too impressed since it took me so long.

So, what did I learn from this? Well, I learned that while it was important that I kept my commitment, I probably should have finished it a little earlier. Actually, a lot earlier. But at the end of it all, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me when I finally finished. I felt like it was then that I could finally move on and start something new. I guess that’s the relief that a fulfilled commitment provides.

 

…Let’s go deeper

There’s a verse in Matthew 5:37: “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” This is a good verse to remember whenever we are making a commitment to do something. In the verses preceding this Jesus is telling us not to swear by anything but to just say ‘yes’ or just say ‘no’. When I read these verses it makes me think of people who sound so convincing when making a commitment but then don’t follow through. They may say things like, “I Swear, I’ll do it.” Jesus is saying to us, “Just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. And then, if we say ‘yes’, we should, of course follow through with that.

These next verses are some of my favorite Psalms. The verses are these: Psalms 37:3-5: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.” If you look in this series of verses you can see a kind of progression. You see that you trust in the Lord and he meets your needs, you delight in the Lord and he gives you the desires of your heart. Then going on to Psalm 5, it says that, then, we commit to him and trust in him and he shall bring it to pass. What is the ‘it’? Well, I believe this can apply to most of the things we are asking God for in prayer, according to his will. But not only that, when you look at the context these series of verses are in, I believe it’s also referring to our ultimate reward. It’s interesting to note, too, that the word ‘commit’, here, means to ‘roll your way onto the Lord’. That means that you trust your path to him. So, we are going his way and not our own. I just want to reference one more verse here that just came to me. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” I think this coincides well with Psalm 37:4. God shows us that when we delight in him, he delights in us and he wants to give us the desires of our hearts. But not only that, as we get closer to him, his desires will become our desires. What an amazing thing!
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2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” This is Paul’s statement at the end of his life. This was his result because he had followed the verses above. The end result of his commitment. He was able to make this statement at the end of his life. What a great statement to be able to make, and the one, I think, we would all like to be able to make at the end of our lives.

Matthew 5:37: “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Psalms 37:3-5: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.”

Isaiah 1:19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”

2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

 

We all think in different ways. However, there are certain types of thinking that each of us subscribe to more than others. One of these types of thinking would be maybe called ‘Either, or type thinking’. Maybe, another way to put it is ‘black and white’ type thinking. This is where a person sees things in terms of being completely one way or completely the opposite way with very little room for anything in the middle. I would definitely put myself in this category.

Well, so what are some examples of this type of thinking? Well, I guess this can be best illustrated by showing extreme examples. Let’s say that, for instance, you’re a business owner and you know you should work hard at your job and be diligent. You know that’s true. So, every day you go into work and you work as hard as you can. You work so hard that you work 12 or more hours a day up to six days a week. However, you have a wife and family at home and because of your hard work they get neglected. You’re a good provider, but your family never gets to spend any time with you. Or, let’s say you do the exact opposite. You spend so much time with your family that you neglect your business. You just show up at your business when get around to it. Then, in this case, your family life might be good but you’re not making any money and, therefore, not providing for your family. So, you can see neither one of these end up being good scenarios. We can see that there is probably a balance here. We need to be diligent in our work, but not neglect our family in the process, and vice versa.

I’ve often had this pattern of thinking myself. I have found that, when I examine it, I often think in these terms that ‘if everything’s not alright, then nothing’s alright.’ See, that’s the perfectionist in me. I want everything just perfect. This was often the reason why I would procrastinate in doing homework in school. Like, doing a term paper, for instance. I didn’t want to do it because I was afraid it wouldn’t turn out just the way I wanted it to. The reality is nothing ever turned out the way I wanted it to. So, this wasn’t very rational thinking. But at some point I had to do the work. Sometimes I might redo a lot of what I just did. I finally realized, though, that I had to just do the best job I could and let go of the idea of it being perfect.

The above are two different scenarios. But both are examples of ‘Either, or type thinking’. Both scenarios don’t end up well either. One of the greatest understandings we come to in life is when we realize that you have to find a middle-of-the-road path. So, in those cases, which is true? Well, in the first case, you should be diligent and hard-working and you should spend adequate time with you family. In the second case, I should have done the best I can with my homework and not procrastinated, and yet realized that it’s never going to be perfect.

So, in either case, both sides of the equation are true. They just blend together, though, they don’t oppose each other.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

 

So, how does the Bible apply to this? Now understand that, when I’m talking about ‘black-and-white type thinking’, I’m not talking about right and wrong. Right is right and wrong is wrong. So, I don’t want to get the confused. However, balance applies to how we approach different areas of our lives.

Let’s take the first example I gave about a man providing for his family, as I think it is a good one as applies to the Bible. The Bible does say in 1Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” So, we can clearly say that the Bible teaches us to be diligent in our work to provide for the family. That’s true. However, the Bible also says in Ephesians 5:28-29: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:” Well, we know that a husband can’t fully love his wife if he’s always at work. So, while he does need to provide for her welfare monetarily, he can’t only do that at the expense of everything else. So, what are these verses then? Well, I would call them guidelines.

Often times we see people who aren’t Christians criticize the Bible. They will say that the Bible is full of contradictions. Well, what they are referring to as contradictions are really guidelines. Think of it this way. Let’s break this down in really simple terms. Say, you’re driving down the road. You have the solid white line on the right that tells you not to go too far to the right. You have the dotted line on the left telling you to not go too far to the left. Now, you wouldn’t call these contradictions, would you? So, neither is the Bible contradicting itself. You see, just like when you’re driving, you know if you cross the dotted line in the middle of the road you could end up hitting an oncoming car. Also, if you cross the solid line to the right you can end up in the ditch. So it is in our everyday lives. We don’t want to get out of balance with any of these things.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” So, we can apply this verse to our lives today and the example above. There is a time to go to work and earn a living and there is a time to go home and spend time with your family and your wife. It’s always good to examine these areas in our lives to see if we might be getting too extreme, or out of balance somewhere. In this way, we can avoid ‘Either, or type’ thinking.

The asymmetrical face is a different clue that there may perhaps be no physical or verbal abuse but the other partner too feels unsatisfied and distracted. australia viagra Notwithstanding, viagra online djpaulkom.tv will be more expensive than the generic versions of drugs. Relapse, substance abuse, behavioral best prices cialis problems, anti-social acting out, low self-esteem, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness are removed as the perceptions and thoughts have been transformed. why not try this out cialis samples Both procedures are performed in an outpatient area, such as falling on your back or being hit in the market. 1Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

Ephesians 5:28-29: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”
So, how does the Bible apply to this? Now understand that, when I’m talking about ‘black-and-white type thinking’, I’m not talking about right and wrong. Right is right and wrong is wrong. So, I don’t want to get the confused. However, balance applies to how we approach different areas of our lives.

Let’s take the first example I gave about a man providing for his family, as I think it is a good one as applies to the Bible. The Bible does say in 1Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” So, we can clearly say that the Bible teaches us to be diligent in our work to provide for the family. That’s true. However, the Bible also says in Ephesians 5:28-29: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:” Well, we know that a husband can’t fully love his wife if he’s always at work. So, while he does need to provide for her welfare monetarily, he can’t only do that at the expense of everything else. So, what are these verses then? Well, I would call them guidelines.

Often times we see people who aren’t Christians criticize the Bible. They will say that the Bible is full of contradictions. Well, what they are referring to as contradictions are really guidelines. Think of it this way. Let’s break this down in really simple terms. Say, you’re driving down the road. You have the solid white line on the right that tells you not to go too far to the right. You have the dotted line on the left telling you to not go too far to the left. Now, you wouldn’t call these contradictions, would you? So, neither is the Bible contradicting itself. You see, just like when you’re driving, you know if you cross the dotted line in the middle of the road you could end up hitting an oncoming car. Also, if you cross the solid line to the right you can end up in the ditch. So it is in our everyday lives. We don’t want to get out of balance with any of these things.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” So, we can apply this verse to our lives today and the example above. There is a time to go to work and earn a living and there is a time to go home and spend time with your family and your wife. It’s always good to examine these areas in our lives to see if we might be getting too extreme, or out of balance somewhere. In this way, we can avoid ‘Either, or type’ thinking.

1Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

Ephesians 5:28-29: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

 

I was recently thinking about love. I guess, just the nature of love. It’s an interesting thing. In some ways, hard to explain and hard to understand.

We see all kinds of examples of love in our everyday lives. We see the love between parents and their kids, the love between husband and wife, and just love between friends, and love between other family members. When I was contemplating love and its characteristics, though, I was thinking about one thing in particular. You see, we have all these people in our lives that we love—the ones that we know. However, there are billions of people that we don’t know on the Earth. And, yes, while we do love them in the general sense, our care and concern for them isn’t on the same level as the people closest to us. Why is this? I mean, the other billions of people on the Earth that we don’t know aren’t any less important than the ones we do know, right? I was contemplating the reasoning behind this. I came to the conclusion that the reason we love those people we’re closest to is because they are the ones with whom we’ve formed emotional connections. I know, self-evident, right? I think, though, there are certain realities that present themselves as you examine this further.

I was thinking about this and that’s why I came to the conclusion that love isn’t logical. Now, don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting that it should be. But you think about it and you see all the examples of love in life: the husband who selflessly takes care of a sick wife, the parents who sacrifice and save to provide for their kids’ welfare, or a friend who helps another friend move to another place. Probably one of the greatest examples of love in this world, though, is a parents’ love for their children. Generally speaking, parents love their kids and they love them regardless of their actions or even whether that love is reciprocated. So, why would these people sacrifice for others without any return benefit? Why give and give when you don’t know whether it’s going to be given back, or even if it’s going to be appreciated. Well, there’s just one answer—Love.

See, this is what I mean by saying, “Love isn’t logical.” If you look at it purely from a logical perspective it doesn’t make sense. But don’t get the mistaken impression that I’m saying love is against logic. What I’m merely saying, what I believe, is that love transcends logic. It can’t be understood on that level—that level of logic. Love is something that is heart understood. It can’t be head understood. This is why I believe love is the greatest thing.
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So, what do you do with this? What is the good of this knowledge or understanding? Well, there are many things, but one thing in particular. Since we really, only love the people we know, I guess my suggestion is this: get to know some more people. Get to know some more people and in that way you get to show your love towards them. Make a new friend by reaching out to them. You can offer them help, or advice, or just a cup of coffee. People notice and respond to acts of friendship. There’s an even greater example, though, than the ones I just shared here.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

There’s a pattern we can see in specific groups throughout society. This pattern creates an environment where all members of a group begin to think alike and there is very little, if any, critical thinking being practiced. This happens, often, more easily than we think. Many of us fall prey to this due to our need to fit in, or to not make waves. This pattern is known as groupthink.

You may be wondering what groupthink is. Well, I happened to find a really good definition from Psychology Today. Their definition says, “Groupthink occurs when a group values harmony and coherence over accurate analysis and critical evaluation. It causes individual members of the group to unquestioningly follow the word of the leader and it strongly discourages any disagreement with the consensus.” Now, there are a lot of groups we can think of that are like this. There were many in history and also in present day. Of course, the many examples run from the minor to the extreme. And the examples are at every scale. This can happen in Nations all the way down to your local PTA meetings.

There was one job I had a number of years ago. The workers in the company were unionized. Then there were the company men. The union guys were often at odds with the company men. This created a fairly contentious working environment. The thing I noticed was that the union guys were always talking about how they were unfairly treated. So, the union members began to all say the same things and sound all alike after a while. And I can’t really speak for the company guys all saying the same things since there was only 1 or 2 company guys there. I imagine, though, that could have been the case with them as well. Now, both sides probably had some valid arguments. However, while they may have been true in part, they were not true on the whole. What I’ve found to be helpful in these situations is objectivity. Objectivity can be difficult in these situations. Although, it’s usually beneficial to examine the other side’s arguments without a bias. A good question to ask ourselves would be: Are there any areas where they might have a valid point? Also, on my own side, are there any areas where we might be wrong? In this way you can find a more even keel approach to things. You might even get some of the people on your side to think more objectively by presenting your argument to them. I can entirely see now how union and company negotiations are so difficult. People really get entrenched in their way of thinking.

Well, anyway, this is just one of the many examples of groupthink. I’m sure you’ve seen some yourself. The main thing, I think, is to recognize it when we see it. It’s best to just take a step back and say, “OK, am I really taking an honest look at things here?” Otherwise we can end up falling in line with some ways of thinking that just aren’t right.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

Of course, examples of groupthink aren’t just limited to our everyday lives. There were also a number of examples in the Bible as well. One I can think of is in Exodus 32:1: “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” You can see here that the Israelites were all starting to say the same thing. Moses was up on Mount Sinai and since they hadn’t seen him for so long they started to doubt. And because they doubted they didn’t trust God. They decided to build their own god. Often times these things start with one person, or a small group of people, and then it just spreads from there. And then if there is no one there to speak some sense, and stop the tide, it can grow unchecked. In this case it was an egregious affair where the Israelites sinned against God by worshipping and sacrificing to idols.

Lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking cialis no prescription overnight alcohol. Its effect lasts for about 24 hours and it just takes only 15 minutes for the jelly to work. buy levitra robertrobb.com You should value and care each other’s emotions to check out for more canadian pharmacy for cialis give the relation a long way in overcoming erectile dysfunction. In some areas, a soft variant of Eriacta is available, but even this one is very much important for you to know levitra online http://robertrobb.com/2014/10/ the proper strength of the pills before consuming. See, I also want to make it clear that everyone thinking similar, or in line with each other, isn’t necessarily bad. Unity and togetherness can be good things when everyone is thinking and acting in ways that are in line with the truth. The problem comes when a group of people all start thinking alike in ways that aren’t in line with the truth. This can even happen in our Churches. Rumors can spread that aren’t true, or attitudes can spread that aren’t right, and even Bible teaching can spread that isn’t right. One good verse to remember here is 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” See, this can be our guard against wrong thinking in any area of our lives. This verse tells us to, “study to show ourselves approved” unto who? Unto God. That’s right. And not unto man. Then it says, “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” See, when we are rightly dividing the word of truth we can know we are in the truth. So, even when other people may try to lead us astray we can stay in line with God and his truth.
We are not conformed to this world, but we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. So, here we can use what we learned in 2 Timothy 2:15 and apply the word that we have learned to our thinking, and by applying it to our thinking this transforms our thinking and also keeps us from becoming conformed to the world’s way of thinking. Cool stuff, huh?

Anyway, groupthink can sneak up on any of us easily. But as long as we recognize it when it begins and apply the word, like described above, we can effectively expel these ways of thinking from our lives.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Romans 12:2: “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.”

Another good guard against getting led astray by other people is this verse in Romans 12:2: “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.” So, now knowing what we know from studying the word, like it says in 2 Timothy 2:15, what do we do?

 

There are certain people in this world that we often think of as strange or different. Probably the most prominent people that come to mind for you are some people you knew in school, when you were younger. I know, at least, that’s the case for me.

These people are what you would, maybe, call weird. I can probably think of specific individuals in most of the grades I went through who just had the reputation of being weird. Don’t worry, I’m not going to call anybody out here. The funny thing is, I don’t think these people knew, they were weird. Other peoples’ weird was, I guess, their normal. So, if you can’t think of anyone in one of your grades who was weird, then you could have been the weird one. Well, maybe that was your ‘year of weirdness’. I don’t know. Don’t be mad! I’m just kidding! Now that I think of it, I might have had a few years of weirdness myself. Anyway, I don’t want to think about it. But, I guess, some of the people we called weird had to have some sense of their weirdness as much as they were teased. But, we were all teased about something at some point, I guess.

I know we want to think a lot of times that they were just weird with no explanation. Well, that may be the case for some of them, but maybe not all of them. See, some of them might have just been peculiar. What’s the difference, you say? Well, weird is different just for the sake of being different. Peculiar is being different, but for a purpose. So, while some of the people you knew, or now know, are weird, some of them may just be peculiar.

See, I myself, like I alluded to before, might have been seen by some people as weird. I can understand, looking from the outside, why some people may think this about me. I’m not a great conversationalist. So, therefore, I don’t talk a whole lot. But it’s also because I spend a lot of time thinking—and thinking about deep subjects. I was like this all through school. I sometimes wonder how I made it through school. I can remember, in my classes, that I would hardly listen to the teacher. I was always thinking about something else. I guess my mind was saying to me, “Wake me up if this person at the front of the class starts saying something interesting.” So, my mind would just kind of drift in and out, since I rarely had to wake him up for anything interesting. Just kidding. Stay in school kids!!!

These are the things that I think matter, though. The deeper things in life. So, I guess what I’d like to think is that I had a purpose for being different. And, even though other people might not have understood it, there was a good reason for it.

 

…Let’s go deeper

The primary verse I would like to talk about here is a good one. Peter was talking to Christians here. The verse is in 1 Peter 2:9: “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” The main part I was wanting to point out, of course, is where Peter calls Christians peculiar. Like I was saying before, peculiar means we are different with a purpose. I think that’s a good description of Christians. See, we are different, and other people on the outside will see us that way. There are certain things we don’t do, and it’s for a purpose. There are certain things we do, and it’s for a purpose. Our purpose is for us, here on this Earth, to do God’s will. And accomplishing that means we have to be sensitive to his direction and conduct ourselves in a certain way.

This actually leads into another verse: Romans 12:2 “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.” See, this verse actually tells us why we are different. It’s because we are not conformed to this world and we are renewing our minds. So, we don’t do the things in the world’s way, and we don’t think the way the world thinks. It’s because we have a different purpose. A different purpose would mandate a difference in action, wouldn’t it?
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See, God loves us. And because he loves us, he has a purpose for us. He has something for every one of us to do. If you don’t know what that is, then seek it out. Ask God what he would have you to do. He will surely reveal it to you. You will never feel as fulfilled and content as you are when you are living and fulfilling your purpose in life. Just like things we use every day in life are made for a reason, so are you. A wrench was made to be a wrench, a car was made to be a car, and God made you to be you. And you are never fully you until you’re fulfilling you’re purpose.

Maybe you’re reading this and wonder what I’m talking about. Well, if this is new to you then your purpose starts with you committing your life to him. Accept the work his Son, Jesus, did on the Cross for you, by confessing your sins to him. His Word says in Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” So, that’s where it all starts, right there. I can assure you that God has better plans for you than you have for you. Just trust in him and let him lead you.

In closing, I just want to say that I hope this makes some of you feel better about being different from the crowd. At least, different for the right reasons. I guess, as far as I’m concerned, if I ever run in to someone from now on who calls me ‘weird’, I’m just going to respond by saying, “No, I’m peculiar, but not weird.”

1 Peter 2:9: “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

Romans 12:2 “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.”

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

I’ve talked before about how our perceptions often don’t match reality. But what about situations where we may even intellectually know something to not be true but we still try to convince someone that it is. We’ve probably all been guilty of this.

Intellectual dishonesty is something we’re probably all guilty of. We have a viewpoint we like and then we often try to find evidence to support our viewpoint. Even when the evidence doesn’t fit, we may try to make it fit. I’ve actually noticed this happen quite a lot, particularly in political debates. Cable news shows often show where the moderator is arguing with a guest. They have one political view and the other person has another political viewpoint. A lot of times one person will feel they have to make the evidence support the facts in order to make their political point. I’ve seen people do this. In some cases, I may even agree with their political view. Yet, I can tell, if I’m being really objective that the evidence just doesn’t fall in line with what they’re trying to say.

I’m sure you’ve seen these. You know, where two people are talking at each other instead of to each other. The moderator keeps interrupting the guest and the guest keeps interrupting the moderator. You can’t understand what either one is saying. And at the end of the show you wonder why you even bothered to watch and why they even bothered to have the discussion.

Actually, this really bothers me because I think it really hurts your argument more than it helps it. Especially, if the person is on the side I agree with. I wish they would just stop talking until they have better supporting evidence. One thing I also notice in these political scuffles on TV is that no one ever goes away thinking any differently than they did when they walked in. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone in the TV studio at the end of the talk say, “Wow, you made some good points. I’ve really changed my mind on that.” Of course, I understand too, that pride is involved in a lot of that. No one really wants their argument to fall apart on national TV. That would be embarrassing. But I still think there is room for a more honest talk between two people.

I guess objectivity is the key word here. We should be as objective as we can in a discussion with those of opposing views. This is not always easy, of course. But if you want to be able to get someone to see your side, I believe you will have a better chance if you have the facts in your favor. Also, I think it is important to try to realize where they are coming from if you can. This way you can step outside of yourself and you might have a better chance of getting them to see an error in their thinking if you also know their perspective. This can be especially effective if you used to think the way they do. You could probably see how you could be convinced using your same argument.

 

…Let’s go deeper

Now, of course this also applies to talking to those who oppose our Christian views and the Bible. If you read Ephesians 4:14-15 it say, “That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: So, firstly we need to know and have a foundation for what we believe and why we believe it. This way we will have, not only support for what we believe, but we will also not be swayed when someone comes across our path with opposing viewpoints. If you have sound doctrine to back you up you are standing on solid ground. And, as believers, we do have evidence to support our argument.

I think, also, we need to be careful even within the Church in talking to other believers. Even though we are all believers there may be areas we don’t all agree on. Now, if these areas are essential doctrine we shouldn’t compromise on that. Other areas, however, there may be room for debate. We may want to discuss some of these things with each other but it’s probably best not to get so adamant that we cause an offense.

1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” This verse talks about our need to be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that is in us. You see, often times, unbelievers may be able to see something in you that they can’t identify. They know that something is different, though. They may be able to see the hope that is in you. This is the Holy Spirit drawing them near. This is when you need to be ready to respond. And the end of that sentence is important also: ….with meekness and fear. So, we should be humble in our approach to people and also respectful of them as well. I know there have been times when I approached people with the gospel and I went about it entirely wrong. I was so worried about defending my viewpoint that I didn’t even think about how I was coming across. I was expecting antagonism from them and it made me confrontational. It was probably important for me to remember that if they were asking me about the Gospel, that they were curious and genuinely wanted to know.
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Another verse in 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” Again this talks about having solid doctrine and always being ready. We may not know when we may run into someone needing to hear the message of the Gospel. It is important that we adhere to sound doctrine. I’ve seen, though instances where it’s really easy to get off into the weeds in a discussion. You may end up going around and around with the other person and end up going in circles. I think we have to use our best judgment in these cases. If this does happen, I think it’s important to remember to pray for them and also for ourselves that we would know what to say and for God to show us any areas where we could be in error.

At the end of the day, though, it’s important to remember that we can’t change anyone’s hearts. The Holy Spirit does that. So, we preach the word while allowing God to work in them.

Ephesians 4:14-15 it say, “That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

 

There are many things I can spend my time doing throughout the course of the day. However, time being what it is, I have to limit my options to only a few things. If I actually did everything I wanted to do, or everything I could do, there would never be enough time. I have to prioritize and what I spend my time doing and that requires me to focus.

I think we’ve all often contemplated things we would like to do. For instance, some of us would have liked to be an architect or a lawyer but we may not have possessed the skills to either pursue or be successful at those things. We might have always wanted to take a trip to Europe but never got around to it. Sometimes we would like to spend more time on a hobby but the realities of life are such that your family and career take up most of your time.

Of course, we all have to make these choices. There are tradeoffs we make every day. We can’t do everything. So, that’s why I think focus is such a key thing in our lives. There’s an interesting truth in the material world that applies to this idea. I remember when I was a kid and spending time at my grandparent’s house. My grandmother had this big magnifying glass she used for reading since her eyes weren’t that good. My brother and I would like to take that magnifying glass outside and shine it on different things. What we discovered was that on a bright day when we took that magnifying glass and turned it at a certain angle we could get all the light entering that glass to focus on a very small point. And when we did that on a piece of wood or a pile of grass that it would make a burn mark and sometimes, if you’re not careful, start on fire. See, all that light that was entering the glass was being focused onto a very small area. Of course, we thought this was pretty cool.

The interesting thing to note is that without that magnifying glass the sunlight was just normal sunlight. I mean it was illuminating things and providing light to see. That light was so spread out, however, that it wasn’t as effective as it could be. That light didn’t really have power until it was focused. I think that relates to our lives in a lot of ways. We can spend a lot of time doing a lot of different things in life but if we don’t focus then we’re not being as effective as we could be. So, the best thing we can do is focus on the things that are important. Now, stay with me here.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

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I’m not sure why, but I’m thinking of a verse here in Luke 9:62: And Jesus said unto him, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In this verse Jesus was talking about us staying focused on the work God has for us to do. This seems to apply to our lives and the many distractions we have. We can easily get focused on worldly things. We can go about our everyday Christian lives and have a lot of opportunities to get distracted by other people, and things, and activities. If we do this, however, we can easily make a mess out of things. If you think about an old-fashioned plow that gets pulled by a horse it gives a good illustration. The person driving the plow had to really stay focused and keep their eyes focused forward in order to plow a straight row. If the person were looking around while driving the plow they would be all over the place.

We often are like this in our approach to our Christian lives and what God has for us to do. We may have put our hand to the plow but then we get distracted by other activities, or decisions from the past, or even different ideas. And the field of our lives is in disarray because we are going from side to side whenever we keep looking back. When we do this we are not only lacking in effectiveness but we are also wasting time on things and fruitless endeavors. We may be wasting time on thinking on things we wish we would have done differently in the past. This is one important thing. I think we all have regrets in life. But I think there’s a big difference in having regrets and living life in regret. I think we need to remember two things: 1.)Whatever you did you can’t go back and change it 2.)And as long as you’ve learned from it, or made things right, if needed, and changed how you approach things in the future then those are the important things. So, living in regret means that I’ve never really moved on from that thing. Having regrets means I have things I wished I would have done differently but I’m not dwelling on them and I’m moving forward with my life. I’ve forgiven others, and forgiven myself, and asked for forgiveness. I’m looking forward and not wasting my time dwelling on those things.

How did I get onto regrets? Well, anyway, this happens in a lot of our lives. There are countless things that can take our focus on what God would have us to do. The thing I think Jesus was trying to communicate was that we need to stay focused on what is important. The things God has for us to do. He has something for every one of us. We have to put our hand to the plough, though, and not look back. This is how we can keep and maintain our effectiveness for him.

Luke 9:62: And Jesus said unto him, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

We have a certain amount of acquired knowledge we develop over our lifetimes. We learn about life as we go and want to gain more and more knowledge about life, about our field of expertise, about relationships, etc. But how much of what we already know have we really put into practice?

This question gets me thinking about the knowledge I already have. There are certain things I already know. Yet, if I don’t actually do it, then that knowledge is really useless to me. I don’t profit from the knowledge I already have in that instance.

This can also be true in my job. I used to detail cars. One of the things I learned about that job was that you have to find a balance between speed and high quality work. I learned this early on. I struggled to put it into practice, however. I could do a really good job on one car but it might take me all day and, therefore, not be profitable. Or, I could do a really fast job and end up missing a lot of stuff. I would be profitable but wouldn’t be producing a high quality product. So, the trick was to do the best job I could do in a reasonable time frame. Now, it took me some time, but I eventually got faster and was able to produce quality work at a reasonable pace. At first, I would usually err on the side of quality at the expense of speed. Then I started getting faster and I was able to produce quality work within a reasonable time frame. While I was never really fast, I was able to get the job done fairly quickly and still produce quality work.

So, while in this example, I had knowledge of something and was able to implement it, there are areas where we have yet to put into practice what we already know. If we recognize these areas and keep at it, however, we will eventually get to the point that we are exercising the knowledge we possess. Things get easier as we practice them more.

The main idea here is that many of us know much more than we’re putting into practice on a daily basis. So, while we’re daily trying to attain more knowledge, we’re not exercising even much of the knowledge we do have. I think as we start putting into practice what we currently know we would see some changes in our lives. But this is just the beginning.

 

…Let’s go deeper

So, what are the spiritual implications here? Well, the best analogy I can think of is when we are continually eating and eating and never exercising. So, if we keep eating and never exercise we end up being fat, and lazy, and out of shape. So, too, our spiritual lives are similar. We can end up getting a continual diet of the Word. Yet, if we don’t exercise the spiritual knowledge we already have we can become spiritually unfit.

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Some verses that apply to this are James 1:22-24: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Then James goes on to say in verse 25: But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. So, you see two different types of people are described in these verses. The first one is he who reads the word and what he should do but then goes away and forgets to do what he just read. Another thing it says is that this person is deceiving themselves. It’s interesting that this verse describes it like a person looking in a mirror and then forgetting what he looks like when he walks away. When we look in the Bible we can see what we really look like. It will show those things that I am doing and it will also show the things I’m not doing. So, reading and understanding God’s Word is to help us understand ourselves better. In that way, it is similar to a mirror. Verse 25 shows us the other person: the person that reads the Word and then remembers it and goes about and does it. It says this person is blessed. So, this person is living what they believe and not deceiving themselves.

Now, the implications here are pretty huge. If I would just start putting into practice what I do know, I can only imagine the difference I would see in my life as a result. So, if I’m not putting into practice what I already know, I don’t think I should be in a hurry to know and understand more of the Word. I believe as I begin to put into practice what I know that God will show me more. I have found in my life that there were verses of the Bible that I didn’t quite understand, or even maybe thought that I understood. But I didn’t really understand that verse in the Bible until I lived through it in my own life. Sometimes God shows us his Word in action in our lives. I think once that happens we learn things that we never forget.

James 1:22-25: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.