HEAVENLY INCLINED...: CHRISTIAN ATTENTION SPAN DEFICIT...

Thanksgiving for the LORD's Favor

Psalms 138 (A Psalm of David)
1/ I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2/ I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3/ In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4/ All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5/ Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
6/ Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7/ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8/ The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands... AMEN!!!

One CANNOT earn GRACE, it is HIS own ESSENCE; a gift, still, IF one claims to be IN HIS GRACE, we ARE to, or, OUGHT to, be reflections of that GRACE! 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1, tells us not to take HIS GRACE in vain! This means, living in LOVE, morality, ethics, virtue, righteousness, and, spiritual improvement, TOWARDS, spiritual maturity, WHILE, visibly BEING as LIGHTS, beaming OF *GOD*, beckoning the world, TO THE LIGHT! Righteousness MEANS, conduct in conformity with *GOD'S* WILL, and, "Be HOLY because I AM HOLY!", therefore, indicating that knowledge, wisdom, and, effort, DO, apply TO the righteous!!! NEVER forget, we were grafted in, and, if we do not bear fruit, as a dead branch, we will be pruned out, just as were, the natural branches!!!

We are not saved by works, instead, works PROVE HIM in us: they identify HIS own...

IF I claim ONENESS with *GOD*, through CHRIST JESUS, I am DEAD TO THE WORLD, THUS, LIVING as HIM, which is, hopefully, witnessed IN, and, THROUGH, my every thought, action, and, reaction; MEANING, I am, THROUGH CONSCIOUS application OF THE WORD, HIS COMMANDS, HIS WILL, REFLECTING righteousness, not, merely, FAITH! I become, the TRULY FRUITFUL branch, of THE VINE, the TRUE member of THE BODY/THE CHURCH, CHRIST JESUS, and, TESTIFY, then, GLORIFY, BOLDLY, BY my thoughts, actions, and, reactions, HIS name, because, HE IS WORTHY, and, IN HIS LOVE, has SHOWN me, how I OUGHT to exist, to which, I eagerly, adapt, and, comply!!!

MATTHEW 5:48...
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect

1 PETER 1:14-16...
14/ Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
15/ but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
16/ for it is written, "Be holy because I (am) holy."

ROMANS 12:2...
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Conduct, in conformity to *GOD'S* WILL, marks the righteous; it is NOT because of guilt, or, ancient Laws, but, because of LOVE; LOVE for *GOD*, self, then, others! CHRIST JESUS gave us Commandments to live by, of which, the first is to LOVE *GOD*, with all of your mind, heart, and, soul; the second is, to LOVE one another!

LOVE COMPELS us to LIVE IN HIM, through conduct which conforms to *GOD*; in other words, morality, ethics, doing good, and, being good, and, ever striving to improve the spirit! It is about REFLECTING THE TRUTH, for ALL to bear witness to, FOR, and, TO HIS GLORY, RADIANTLY SHINING OF HIS POWER, GRACE, and, MERCIES!!!

It IS ALL ABOUT LOVE, baby, all about LOVE!!!

MATTHEW 4: 17...From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

JOHN 14:15..."If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

NOTE: I do not intend to preach, rather to reach; to stir up, awaken, to inspire, and, bring forth, in discussion, that which is, perhaps, dormantly existing in the heart of hearts, thus, little, or, no, sugar coatings, just THE WORD of *GOD*, the TRUTH, along with some of my thoughts. And truth is, I am reminding myself always, as I practice these reminders, in the best of my abilities, and capacities, while RELYING on THE LORD to lead me on that narrow PATH---> MATTHEW 7: 14: "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it... TO *GOD* BE ALL GLORY...

CHRISTIAN ATTENTION SPAN DEFICIT...

How is your attention span???

According to Microsoft Corp., the average American's attention span is 8 seconds, just one second shorter than a goldfish! It seems that most of the people in our country are SO busy online, and the phone, they have an attention span deficiency! It is suggested that if you cannot read a whole paragraph in one sitting, perhaps digital distractions make it hard to pay attention for long periods of time, and so, if one can't focus, try spending less time on the computer, and/or phone...

Many a Church leader is pondering the attention span deficiency, and most are probably challenged with it also! HOW can we FOCUS on *GOD*, HIS WILL, and BEING HIS reflection, IF we are NOT able to FOCUS enough to study, learn, know, and utilize what HE has cited us to???

This is an area WELL worth thinking about, and correcting, BECAUSE DISTRACTION IS a tool of the enemy, and IS being employed all across the board!!!

It is foolish to think that we CAN be so wrapped up in gadgets and SERVE *GOD*, effectively! Listen, I have been on the 'net for a long time, and for a number of years, I was SO wrapped up in social media, and all else so involved, that I was getting close to being useless! It was taking up so much of my time, and energy, I would find myself scrambling to do everything else I needed to do, and often, it was not done well! No one complained to me about my addiction, or time, but I guess *GOD* spoke to my heart, thus my senses, and I rid myself of all social media, pronto! I have not looked back, and am all the happier for doing so, though I admit, I miss some of it! I am not saying that we should totally avoid gadgets, and so forth, instead that we should place priorities in correct order! *GOD* first, Family second, work, and so forth!!!

Distractions REMOVE us from *GOD*, thus what else is important, and you can't deny it, the digital age HAS taken over! It is so bad, at Family gatherings, even funerals, electronics HAVE to be on! C'mon!!!

DISCIPLINE HAS to be in place in order to KNOW *GOD*, to build on HIM, to SERVE HIM, and others, and to REMAIN strong, and steadfast! We are wise to challenge ourselves to be disciplined, especially in our walk with THE LORD! It DOESN'T come easily to us, and yet, IS imperative to maintaining our footing on THE PATH!!!

Just recently, thanks to a hack on a dating website, many thousands of Pastors were revealed to have succumbed to temptation; some of these actually, used the services, cheating on their Spouses! This past weekend 400 resigned or were terminated, or placed on leave, and several committed suicide! My point is, that IF DISCIPLINE were in place NO website could lure anyone away from THE LORD! We HAVE to know HOW in FAITH to BE FAITHFUL, in which case, DISCIPLINE is paramount! Discipline HAS to be in place at ALL times for the enemy IS busy, yep he is! The Internet IS a danger just waiting to happen, IF it is NOT used correctly! AND LOTS of people HAVE been ruined, have died, and much more because of their time online!!!

THE CHURCH IS BEING SHAKEN, doesn't anyone understand? And if our leaders are not existing in THE LORD, according to HIS WILL, succumbing to the flesh, then it is OBVIOUS that DISCIPLINE is NOT part of the teaching process! NO, discipline does NOT come easy to us, and when we THINK we are safe, we are even less so!!!

Listen, I grew up on my own, pretty much, and I had a LOT of harsh, lasting lessons to learn about Discipline, which only in the past decade or so, REALLY melded in my heart, THANKS BE TO THE LORD, who allowed me to experience some pretty heavy challenges in order to LEAD me past myself! It ISN'T easy to always be disciplined, but like anything else, the more we do it, the more it becomes second nature!!!

Discipline, hence, self-control ARE antidotes to distractions, and temptations!!!

The digital age IS damaging relationships, from *GOD* all the way through! It is VERY rare to go anywhere and NOT see most people on some sort of gadget, NOT paying attention to people, conversations, and certainly NOT nurturing relationships! IDOLATRY IS ANYTHING which is MORE important to us than *GOD*, and if no one can see that our present state of existence IS a form of idolatry, then the leaders OUGHT to be explaining, and teaching THE TRUTH about such!!!

The internet, and gadgets certainly DO HAVE some usefulness, but it has gone far beyond that! People get downright nervous when they can't be online, on social media, or have their latest phones in their hands; they get testy, and are bored to death to spend quality time with others, and participate in one on one! I KNOW, I used to be one of these, but I made a strong, and clear decision to eliminate this CONTROL over my life, and have NOT looked back! I LIKE the FREEDOM from the binds that held me captive, I REALLY DO!!!

HOW can one STUDY THE WORD, and LEARN what is necessary TO REMAINING IN THE LORD, if their attention span is less than 8 seconds long???

We MAY be in the final days, I cannot say, ONLY *GOD* knows the moment of reckoning, and TRULY we MUST be ready for what is to come, which one can only know about, IF they study THE WORD, and REMAIN IN THE LORD! Distraction IS taking more than some away from THE LORD, and anyone who denies it is just not thinking right!!!

In a second, the great tribulation may begin, and if more than half of the population of the world is engrossed in worldly matters, there won't be KNOWLEDGE, nor time for them to heed, let alone be protected from what IS to come! This IS worth thinking about, indeed!!!

BE BUSY IN THE LORD, and MATTERS ABOVE, not in the world, worldly things, and worldly ways, for in such IS danger of every kind, and we HAVE been told, and taught why!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2015