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| Crushed by External Pressure |
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Does it sometimes feel like the pressures of this world are becoming too much for you? Do you feel like you are on the verge of collapsing? How much more can you tolerate before you become completely crushed?
I encourage you to take a few moments to watch the experiment contained in the following video. This is an example of what happens when the pressure from outside sources becomes greater than the pressure within.
As you can see from the rather long video, it is possible for even the atmospheric pressure that surrounds us each and every second of each and every day to be a crushing experience. But the truth of the matter is that the result of being crushed really isn't caused by the pressures that are exerted from the outside. The result of being crushed is actually caused because of a vacuum within. But the good news is that you can become so filled with the Word and the Love of God that no amount of pressure in the world can discourage you.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
God has already promised us that nothing would be too great for us to withstand. So why is it that so many people crush under pressure? Because they are empty on the inside. How do we become so empty if we are constantly taking in information? I believe that the information we feed our brain can either fill us or empty us. The Word will keep you full. But television, and the radio, and the magazines, and the billboards, and the junk mail, and the jokes, and the gossip, and the small talk, and the little white lies; all of these things are literally sucking the life out of us.
We can think on the things of this world, or we can think on the things of the Spirit. Not only can we think on the Spirit, but we think with our own spirit. Or better stated, the spirit of our mind. (Ephesians 4:23) Our spirit has a mind. We can think with this spiritual mind. The bible tells us not to be double-minded. Why would it tell us that if we did not have two minds?
Most of you who will read this know me and know that I am one of the first people to speak of the grace of God and how His love is unconditional. We do not need to do anything to earn the love of God. But we do have the responsibility of renewing our minds. Not to get God to love us. But to keep ourselves encouraged and edified. God is sovereign, yes. But we have responsibilities. We have been commanded to resist the devil. God is not going to do the resisting for us. That was a command. It means taking affirmative action.
I said the "sinners" prayer back in 2000. Was I saved at that point? I firmly believe so. But what I didn't know was that it was my responsibility to renew my mind. I did not know that it was like a big bulls-eye had just been painted on my forehead and the enemy had a great big target to shoot for. Needless to say, things didn't get better for me, they got worse. Some of you have read my testimony and you know the degree of "worse" to which I am speaking. I let the pressures of this world crush me because of the vacuum that existed within.
That reminds me of this passage:
Luke 11:24-26 (NLT)
"When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from. So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
Yes, I was saved. My house was swept clean but it was empty. And the Word, as it always does, proved to be true.
What's the point of all this seem-to-be rambling? Good question. I honestly could go a hundred different ways with this. There is so much on my spiritual mind right now that my brain can't think. I know a lot of people who are struggling with circumstances. These circumstances are causing much pain and discomfort in their lives. What I am trying to say through all of this is that by renewing your mind and exercising the measure of faith that has already been given unto you, that you can can actually exert more pressure from within and begin to crush the things of the world. You do not have to be controlled by your circumstances. You get that faith churning withing you and begin to speak the Word into each and every situation and you begin to take control of the circumstances instead of the other way around. Faith is world overcoming.
I honestly don't feel like I was able to express my thoughts very well in this blog. The message is here but it seems kind of foggy to me. I'll more than likely either delete this entire post and start again after I have meditated on this a little more or I'll be back to do some modifications.
It's not meant in any way to condemn, yet to edify. Perhaps I am writing this for my own benefit as well. I have to constantly renew my own mind. I have turned off the TV, and turned off the radio, and got away from secular books and magazines. I am tired of all the junk that is thrown at us from each and every corner of life. It's tearing us apart and the only way to overcome that is through the Word of God.
That's all I have for now. Forgive me if this seems a little sloppy and poorly written. I feel like I am trying to force out a message before it's time. The fruit is on the vine but it could stand to ripen for a few more days. Feel free to add your own thoughts and or comments.
I love you brothers and sisters.
Michael
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Cheryl |
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March 28, 2008 at 5:43pm |
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| ...have we told ya that we missed ya brother! |
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Deb |
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March 28, 2008 at 6:34pm |
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| I second what Cheryl says...and this is what I pulled out of your blog that meant the most to me...we do not have to be controlled by our circumstances. If you are empty inside, then when bad times come, you will collapse. You need to fill yourself up with Jesus, read the word, soak in what He has to say, pray constantly, lean on Jesus to help hold you up. It is easy to say we are a Christian, but not so easy to actually be one. That takes WORK. |
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Deb |
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March 28, 2008 at 6:35pm |
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| Also, I forgot to mention...I don't watch the videos. I am on dial up and it just takes way to long to bother with them...sorry I didn't get to see it, but I enjoyed your blog! |
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Thanks Cheryl and Doyle and Deb. I have missed you all as well. Greatly.
The video is actually pretty cool Deb. It's amazing to watch that 55 gallon drum completely collapse due to the vacuum that difference in pressure creates. But I know that you get the drift without having to watch some 'stinkin' video! |
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Deb |
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March 28, 2008 at 6:44pm |
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| I kind of figured out what the video was about just by what you have said. I will someday join the rest of the world with high speed...they keep telling us they are going to bring it to us soon. I live out in the middle of no where, and the only choice I have at high speed costs more than I want to pay. So I live with dial up. |
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| I trade high-speed to be able to live in the middle of nowhere anyday! |
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Joey |
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March 28, 2008 at 8:38pm |
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M~ just sooooooooooo glad to have you with us. I'll be easy on ya for awhile. Let you get situated. I have missed you brother o' mine! |
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Gene |
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March 29, 2008 at 9:18pm |
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Cool video. I like the music too.
We did experiments like this in high school physics class. We crushed paint cans doing the same thing. Heated them up, placed them on the window sill in winter. By the end of class - smush! cooooool! |
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