Thursday, October 25, 2018

Counselor's Corner: How to Get Out and Stay Out of the Pit





What are your thoughts towards yourself? Do you tend to focus on your faults, mistakes and weaknesses more than your strengths? If you make a mistake do you belittle yourself and call yourself destructive names? Are you concerned about others perceptions about you? Are you trying to get other people out of their “pit” while you are still in your “pit?”



Focusing on your weaknesses will cause you to stay in the pit. This pit is dug by your enemy the devil to keep you down with the hopes you will never climb out.



Not everyone stays in the pit, some get out quickly because they know who they belong to-Jesus Christ, and some get stuck in the pit because they believed all the lies that the enemy whispered in their ears and received the lies as TRUTH!



For the ones who got stuck in the pit BUT are starting to crawl out inch by inch they have learned about spiritual battle. When they come out of the miry, dark pit, they will come out with some dirt and some scars from the climb up but will be a fierce warrior for the Kingdom of God.



When you have been in the pit and you find out how to get out, you never want to go back.



When you have been covered in darkness you crave the light!



Once you get stuck in the pit, it can take years to get out because as you’re in the pit the enemy begins to strip you of all you know to be true about God and His goodness. In the pit the enemy shovels by the truckload all the mistakes, regrets and past failures you have endured. You begin believing in the pit that God’s blessings are for others, and that you are being punished for receiving the very things your enemies are getting.



For some in the pit they begin to wallow in self-pity and learn to become a victim. Others try and reach down to get them out of the pit and they themselves fall into the pit. If someone is in the pit and they are surrounded by self-pity, blaming, and being a victim-you can’t pull them out of the pit; only Jesus Christ can reach down that dark pit and get them out!



If you have gotten out of the pit, be careful of others who want to pull you in the pit with them.



If you are around someone who confesses Jesus Christ as their Savior but they also confess the “woe is me story,” pray that God will get them out of their pit of destruction but you keep moving forward away from the pit.




If you are in the pit and want out know that there will be some warfare in the beginning. This is because the enemy enjoyed oppressing you and keeping you bound from living the abundant life, but when you get sick and tired of being sick and tired-you learn to fight and disarm the enemy at every step. You will need to get up every day suited up as a warrior, and not back down until all of your enemies are under your feet. Decree and declare every day that you have the victory in Jesus Christ and that you will not only get out of the pit but you are staying out for good. Your focus must begin to change from all that is wrong with yourself, and your circumstances.



Out of the pit thinking focuses on what is good about yourself and your circumstances. Getting out of the pit and staying out will require that you know who you belong to and your authority in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has given believers the authority to trample upon snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy-USE THIS AUTHORITY!



You will need to become aware of hidden pits that are secretly laid out by the enemy with the hopes you will stumble in the pit again. Hidden pits cannot always be seen coming, so you will need to know what the enemy has used in the past to throw you in the pit, and when you sense these similar things are coming your way-resist immediately and turn the opposite way.



If you want to stay out of the pit you cannot go after others in the pit, nor try and rescue them from their pit. You want to keep your heart and spirit guarded from anyone who is saying, “Help me, help me,” yet not doing much to get themselves out of their pit. Of course, we should help those who cannot help themselves but this is not what I am referring to here. I am referring to people who have gotten comfortable in their pit, been there for years and want you to get them out while they continue to do things that are destructive.



The bottom line is you can get someone out of their pit, but if they continue doing what they are doing, they will go back to their pit. Each time we go back to the pit, it will get harder to get out. That is why you see many people repeating destructive cycles in their lives and never overcoming them.



Are you ready to stay out the pit and never go back? Staying out the pit does not mean you will never have to face a challenge but it does mean you are believing the truth about God’s blessings and goodness towards you, and you no longer condemn and beat yourself up for your failures, weaknesses and faults. You see yourself now as a daughter or son of the living King. You can give yourself permission not to be perfect, and you can now enjoy yourself. Victorious overcomer is embedded into your spirit.








Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Counselor's Corner: Who Are the Greatest Influencers in Your Life?





Look around at the top five people that you hang around, and in the next year very likely that is who you will become.



 If you are hanging out with people continually who are not motivated, have no goals, make excuses, blame others for their problems or who have excessive habits like spending money or drinking alcohol; their lifestyle can eventually “rub-off” on you. If you are married and hanging out with divorced people or those that live a sexually immoral lifestyle, there is a very good chance you could be negatively affected by your relationship with them. Of course, you can hang out with divorcees who are actively desiring to make their lives in accordance with God. If you are a Christian, and desire to be obedient to the Word of God, hanging out excessively with non-believers or Christians that mix their faith with the things of the world (compromise) can lead you to doubt your faith or perhaps get you to eventually compromise with the things of the world. Yes, Jesus ate with sinners and He even had compassion for those caught in sin, but He did not excessively spend time with those who desired a sinful lifestyle. Jesus had a mission to the sinner, share the Gospel, and share how to be a disciple for His Kingdom. Jesus spent a large portion of His time with His disciples, the ones who were like-minded as He.




Should you never hang out with those who are not the best influence for you, or who live in compromise with the world? No, but they should not be people who you regularly are around. The enemy is crafty and cunning, and just because you believe there is no harm in hanging out frequently with someone who does not have the same morals and beliefs as you do, overtime, the enemy will wear you down with compromise. If you are in a relationship with a non-believer or someone who is not an influence on you, but you are an influence on them (meaning you are seeing real and tangible changes taking place in their life), then continue as God has you to be an example. You will know if the people you hang out with are not influenced by you by their actions and behavior, if they continue to live for the things of the world. You can still be in people’s lives that live their lives contrary to yours, and you most certainly can still love them, but do not have these types of people only in your life. Establishing clear boundaries will be imperative if you choose to hang out with those who live differently from your set of beliefs. Setting boundaries will be especially important in dealing with family members who are non-believers are who compromise with sin.



Be around those who you want to be like in five years. If you do not have those kinds of people in your life, ask God to send you those Divine connections. Who you spend time with influences the person you eventually become.



Who you are with can elevate you as much as it can bring you down.



The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26


Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33



When you develop close relationships with those who reject God, you risk being influenced in a negative way.

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