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Tainted
Recognizing,
Understanding,and Repairingthe Filters of Life
Chris MacKinnon
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Tainted: Recognizing, understanding, and repairing the filters of life
Copyright 2011 Chris MacKinnon, touchtheskye.org
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
Cover photo istockphoto.com/Albilda
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version (ESV). Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament
copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New
Testament copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version
(Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference
Bible, Copyright 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
Scripture quotations noted NCV are from The Holy Bible, The New Century
Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991. Used by permission of Word Publishing
Scripture quotations noted NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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table of contents
1. Living on Autopilot 52. Filters 93. How it Works 144. Life Happens 185. Been There, Done That 226. Choices that Last 277. Tainted 348. Ground Rules 399. Taking Action 4410.Ananias 51
Conclusion 56
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5
one
Living on Autopilot
What made you decide to purchase or borrow this
book? Was it the title? Maybe the cover is flashy and got
your attention. Did you read the back of the cover, or
maybe these first few pages? For whatever reason, you
decided this book was worth the time to read it.
Hopefully you havent changed your mind.
The simple task of choosing a book in a bookstore or
library belies a process that revolutionizes our lives. It
occurs each time we face a decision, think a thought,
move in action, and experience daily life.
Youre likely thinking that there cannot possibly be
any process that your mind or heart goes through each
time life happens. It would take too much time. And how
could it happen without you taking notice?
The first part of the answer would be that it is, for
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the most part, subconscious. It happens when you arent
aware of it. Secondly, it only takes the blink of an eye
from start to finish. And that might be stretching its
length.
Daily Routines
We already know that our minds work faster than
we can sometimes think. For instance, Im typing at
about 50 words per minute. My brain processes each
word as I think it, sends signals through several feet of
nerves and moves muscles and tendons to type on the
keyboard what I am thinking in my head, and I have to
keep on eye on the screen to make sure it is coming out
correctly.
Sure, I had to train myself where to find the keys
that are needed to complete each word, but it all
happens faster than I can think it. The word is usually
half on the screen before I finish thinking it in my head.
When you pulled yourself out of bed and dressed this
morning, did you sit down with a checklist to put on your
socks, button your shirt or zip your pants or skirt?
(Maybe if we did, there would be fewer chances for
leaving our zippers undone.) No, you followed your
routine. You may have even watched the morning news,
spoken with your spouse or ran to the other side of the
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Living on Autopilot
7
house for a belt as you got dressed.
These are some of the normal processes we follow
each day: eating meals, dressing, washing in the shower
or tub, brushing your teeth.
We dont have the time to sit down and think deeply
about these daily tasks of life. Instead we let our
routines guide us on autopilot. Rarely does it come back
to cause trouble later on (except in the case of thosezippers). We are content to allow these automatic
processes to continue day after day.
Not Paying Attention
Of course, there are those times when we engage our
autopilot without even noticing. In those situations, if
left to our absent-mindedness, the results could be
deadly.
I like driving. When Im alone in the car, I turn on
my radio, pray, think, and enjoy the ride. At least one of
those in flight activities has a tendency to put me on
autopilot.
Thinking.
Yes, I can chew gum and walk at the same time. I
can talk on the phone and continue my work on
something around house. Well, most of the time.
But I like to think. On those occasions when my
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brain gets in gear, I dont see the road, I dont hear the
radio, and hopefully my wife isnt in the car trying to
keep a conversation going.
When Im on autopilot in the car, I drive several
miles with no recollection of what happened in the
meantime. I dont wake with a start, having fallen
asleep at the wheel. Thats a completely different feeling.
I just suddenly become aware that the last landmark orturn I remember had to be ten or fifteen minutes ago,
based on what is in front of me when I come to.
If I were to fall asleep at the wheel, or fail to come
out of my deep-thought-induced coma, I could easily
cause bodily harm to myself or, God forbid, someone
else. It is at those times that I understand why we prayfor traveling mercies when we start off on longer trips.
Even this pales in comparison to the dangers that
await us when we allow this phantom process to
continue unchecked in our lives. It doesnt always hurt
us immediately, but it sets the stage for what will or will
not occur in our lives.
Have I got your attention? Are you interested in
what could possibly have so much control in your life,
when you dont even know it is there? Lets take a look.
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two
Filters
What have the last twenty-four hours brought you?
You woke up, maybe after working a night shift or
just before heading out to your work day. Did you get a
chance to eat breakfast before you went out the door this
morning?
If you joined the majority at work this morning, what
was your commute like? Did you take the bus or train?
Public transportation can be easier on the wallet, but
when we are told about its positive points, the unique
smells and wait times are often overlooked.
Maybe you braved the roads to work today. How was
rush hour this morning? Did you lose your temper at all?
What about that maroon sedan driving ten miles per
hour under the speed limit. Did she get to you this
morning?
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Do you like to start your day in silence, or with the
radio or television going? Did you catch up on politics?
How about sports or entertainment news? I wonder if
your spouse remembered to put the coffee creamer back
in the fridge this morning.
Sounds like youve already had a full day, and were
just getting started.
Ignorance is Bliss
How many times did you stop and consider all of the
ins and outs, all of the implications for your present and
future, of each experience that life dropped in your lap
this morning? You didnt? Not once? Why do you think
that is?
Sure, you may have chosen which pants went with
what tie, or which blouse would bring out your eyes, but
did you really think very hard about it? Or think back to
that little sedan that cut you off this morning. Did you
consider what her situation might be today, or just that
she dared to get in your way when you had your own
place to be this morning?
If we stopped and analyzed every possible outcome or
reason for each circumstance of life, we would be locked
in inactivity. There just wouldnt be enough time in the
day. By the time youre supposed to be finished with a
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Filters
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stack of paperwork for the project due at the end of the
week, youd still be stuck processing the third story on
the early news show.
What we need, what we have, is a system to help us
determine what requires our attention and our action.
We dont have to turn it on, it is always there. It works
every time some stimulus enters our life.
There is a subconscious filter system through whichevery moment of your day is processed. Each thought,
action, word and experience is pushed through,
analyzed, sifted, and sorted before it is deposited in your
heart and mind.
You Already Use Them
Filters are nothing new to us. They are all around us,
and we use them in various parts of our physical lives.
Odds are fairly high that you benefited from the use
of one in the first fifteen minutes of your day today.
Every cup of coffee is made by pushing water past little
granules of ground up coffee beans, kept out of your mug
by a filter.
Houses are built with filters in the heating and
cooling systems. They keep allergens, bacteria, mold and
dust particles from circulating throughout your house.
In an age of pet allergies, food allergies, asthma and
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T A I N T E D
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other health concerns, we are glad for the filtration
systems in our homes.
If you drove a vehicle this morning, you should be a
fan of filters. Your fuel passed through a filter. Oil to
keep your engine running smoothly made use of a filter.
Our vehicles, like us, need air to breathe. A clogged air
filter will cause problems in your cars engine.
Maybe you picked up a bottle of your favorite brandof spring water instead of coffee this morning. Did you
take a look at how many times the manufacturer filters
that water? It rarely comes straight from the source to
the bottle. Who knows what kind of extra minerals and
nutrients might be in the bottle otherwise?
Disposable or Irreplaceable
Filters are all around us, but their value is often
understated. My work experience includes time in the
hotel service. Coffee filters are thrown away throughout
the day as the front desk keeps fresh java available for
guests. In our cars we throw away and replace our oil
and air filters with each oil change.
As you read the first pages of this book there is a
good chance that you may understand the concept of a
filter in your life, but because of your previous
experience with filters, you consider it unnecessary
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Filters
13
information.
Just like the filters in your vehicle, they are small
and seemingly insignificant. Sure, they help; but do you
really pay attention to them? Isnt that the job of your
local service station?
But you cannot switch out the processes of your mind
like you can a number four cone filter in your twelve-cup
coffee pot. Due to its important place in our lives and thefact that it cannot really be replaced, it becomes
extremely important for us to take note of the filter that
is working in our lives.
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three
How it Works
What does it mean to process our thoughts, actions
and life experiences through a filter?
As you go through life, this filter helps you decide the
potential of each action and event. It determines
whether something is good or bad. It serves as a quick-
read lie detector telling you what is true or false. Space
is reserved in your brain for memorable experiences
while forgettable ones are pushed out.
Consider the use of filters in the various arenas of
your life. Some are used to help us flavor or color
elements of our lives. Coffee wouldnt be so tasty if it
came with a cup full of grounds. On the other hand, to
run water over coffee beans doesnt result in very savory
stuff, either. We need that filter to help get the parts
that we want while holding off the stuff we dont.
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How it Works
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An air filter in our home heating and cooling system
works the same way. Air is pushed through the filter,
while allergens, dust, bacteria, and a host of other
impurities are caught by little fibers, keeping them out
of our lungs.
Other filters are used to sort and organize various
items into manageable bites and piles. A coin sorter is a
filter that works in this way. Some of us separate ourrecyclables, collecting paper, glass, cans, and plastic,
each in their own container.
We dont usually even notice the results of our
filtering process. We are too busy living life to take in
the analysis of it. But what we also fail to notice is how
each filtered event or action piles up in the variouscollecting points of our hearts and minds.
Take a Tour
We just mentioned the coin sorter as an example of a
filter. Have you ever stopped to think of how a coin
sorter works? It pushes coins through a system of holes,
sized from smaller to larger, each one made just a little
larger than each coin it wants to sort. Each time a coin
passes over a hole made for a smaller coin, it is sped
along to the next size. Lets use a nickel as an example
and follow its route through the sorter.
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T A I N T E D
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Our shiny little Thomas Jefferson easily passes over
the holes made to catch dimes and pennies. Its not even
close. So it runs smoothly along, but the margin gets
smaller each time.
By this point if a handful of mixed coins were
dropped into the sorter, only the nickels and quarters
would remain. As the next hole approaches, our nickel is
speeding along without a care, but that hole was madejust for him.
It falls through the hole and drops into a receptacle
where he finds a stack of other Jeffersonian friends. As
the nickel drops, the quarters continue past overhead, on
to the final leg of the sorting machines track.
Size Matters
We mentioned bottled water in an earlier chapter.
Companies like to inform the public how many times
their water is filtered before bottling and distribution. In
these cases it is safe to assume that they use a series of
filters that become finer and harder to pass through
with each step of filtration.
What are the chances that the water would be more
purified from step to step if the company only used
identical filters each time it was filtered? Would it
contain fewer particles after five runs than it did with
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How it Works
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the first one? It isnt likely that anything new would be
caught as the process continued.
What if the filters were finer in each round of
filtration, making allowance for smaller particles with
each passing of the water? Now the water will contain
fewer contaminants as it completes each part of the
process.
Danger Ahead
That all seems basic enough, doesnt it? You might be
thinking, Youre talking about coins and water. But
how does that apply to me?
The experiences, actions and thoughts of life run
through our own internal filters just like the coins and
the water. Are you curious enough to find out what that
looks like?
Before we look at an example, I want to offer a quick
note of warning. So far this has been really basic, but
now were going to start getting personal. Take a
moment to prepare yourself. The next few chapters may
get messy.
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four
Life Happens
One of the ways filters work is to sort the input that
comes into our lives. It starts off broad and basic, then it
analyzes in greater detail at each step of the process.
Here is a very personal example that parents with
school-aged children will understand. Im not saying it
has worked just like this in my house, but I wont lie to
you and say it hasnt, either. Heres a glance at the
practical side of what this discussion is about.
The alarm goes off and you drag yourself out of bed.
You dont have anywhere to go, but your kids do. Today
is a school day, and the next thing to do is drag them off
to bed.
The next twenty minutes is filled with piles of
clothes to put on, breakfast, teeth brushing, hair
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Life Happens
19
brushing, and maybe you were able to put on a pot of
coffee for yourself.
Did you ask your kids what they wanted for
breakfast? If you did, you may have realized that they
each wanted something different. Some of us might have
made that move yesterday, so today we decide to give
them each a bowl of cereal instead of opening that can of
worms. Your filter is already showing signs of wakingup.
As your eldest child is getting her shoes and coat on,
she informs you that you didnt fill out the permission
slip needed for the field trip her class is taking today.
Its the first time you have heard about this trip, not to
mention the required permission slip. Did I mention thatshes had it in her book bag for a week? And, oh yeah, it
costs fifteen dollars.
How do you think this revelation is filtered when it
hits your system? Lets take another imaginary trip
through this filter we have talked so much about.
The first step is the Conscious-Unconscious Filter.
Here your brain determines whether this stimulus
requires immediate action, or if it is something you can
chew on and come back to later. It heard need and
today and partnered them with the shrill panic in your
childs voice. This is something to deal with right away.
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T A I N T E D
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If you are like me, your filter might malfunction here
first thing in the morning, but youll quickly catch up.
Next your daughters request is on the fast track to
the Family Filter. She has a speed pass through the toll
booth that decides between family, work, church, and
personal items. There doesnt seem to be any detour or
pile up here today.
As we come up to the Details and Options Filter,several gates line up one after another. Each one asks a
question to help you along. Can I just keep her home
today? Where is this trip to? Do we have to pay the full
fifteen dollars? Can we afford fifteen dollars? Do I even
have fifteen dollars in the house? Does she really want to
go? Will she benefit personally or academically from thistrip? Is this something that we as parents want her
exposed to? Cant I just keep her home?
The Reaction Filter determines how you will respond
to the request. Are you going to be rational or impulsive?
Will you be calm and cool, or is your cool headed out
the window?Finally, the Action Filter provides what your next
step is. It helps determine what you are going to do to
resolve the issue . . . before the school bus arrives.
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Life Happens
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Reality Check
What do you think? Does that sound far-fetched?
Which sections does your system tend to work overtime
on, or to skip entirely? And just how long do you think it
took a loaded request from an eight-year-old to work its
way through your series of filters? A blink of an eye? A
half-second maybe?
How much do you think filters impact your life now?
Hopefully you are coming to see that they are quite vital
to our daily lives. They process in a flash what I took
twenty minutes to think about and write out by hand.
We cannot live without our filter systems. Neither
can we trust them all of the time. Unfortunately, like all
of the other filters discussed this far, the filter in our
heart and mind can run into trouble, causing problems
in precious areas of our lives.
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five
Been There, Done That
Before we take a look at what it means to be
tainted we should find out why our filters are in the
shape they are in. Why do we process life the way we do?
Where did that programming come from?
If you are reading this book in a public setting, take
a look around you. How many of those standing in the
same coffee shop, riding the same bus, who are sharing
what seems to be the same experience as you at this
moment, have shared every moment of your life?
The answer should be obvious: none of them. Only
you have enjoyed (or not) each of the moments of your
life. Every thought and action, vacation to work day,
learned behavior or skill, has piled on top of the other to
build the man or woman that you are today. For better
or worse, only you are you.
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Been There, Done That
23
Logically, then, your filter is shaped specifically for
you, by you. Chances are you have not shaped it
deliberately, taking stock of each notch and thread, each
level of filtration. Still, it is true that your life has
shaped your individual filter.
There are five primary influencers when it comes to
the shaping of our filters. In this chapter we will discuss
the first two. These involve what happens to and aroundus on a basic level. The other three relate to our personal
choices and habits, and are covered in the next chapter.
Personal Experience
Maybe it sounds a bit too elementary, but our filters
are influenced by our personal experience.
Each situation you face in life will be duplicated.
Some of these will reappear infrequently, others on a
daily basis. How each experience affects you and how
you respond to it will be part of the filtering process each
time that situation returns.
What does it mean that each situation will reappear?
The details are not always the same, but the daily ins
and outs of life are repeated time and again.
Every day that you go to work, you have to decide
whether or not you will do what is asked of you. Will you
strive for excellence today, or will you take a short cut?
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With each decision, you set a precedent for the next
occurrence of the question. Eventually your responses
will be programmed by the actions of your past. As you
choose to cut corners, youll spend less time debating the
issue when faced with the same situation.
Think about some of the experiences in your life that
you face on a regular basis.
On weeknights you have to choose between stayinglate to finish a project at work or spending a couple of
hours with your children before they have to be in bed.
You could be saving for a family vacation this
summer, but instead you purchase a high definition,
widescreen LCD television with a Dolby surround sound
system and a Blu-Ray player.What? Youre not worried about that vacation? Oh,
youre going to put it on the other credit card. Play now,
pay later, right?
What about some of the more churchy applications?
Like how on Sunday mornings you have to decide if you
really want to get up and go to church.Are you going to listen to what the pastor says this
time, or are you just going to doodle on the back of an
offering envelope?
The last time you told that altar worker what was
going on in your life she managed to have it spread all
around town before the evening service. Should you
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Been There, Done That
25
really go and ask her to pray for you again?
Our personal experience colors our filter before
anything else. It sets precedents and prepares our
system for the routine of life.
Experiences of Others
Because God designed the heart of man for
community and connection, we are affected by the
happenings in the lives of others. Each life in your
sphere of influence serves to shape your personal filter.
If you think you are immune to the lives of others, I
would ask you to consider how often we ask for input.
When was the last time you asked a friend what book or
movie they recently enjoyed? Have you ever looked to a
friend for a restaurant recommendation? Maybe you
recently enjoyed a night out for dinner and asked the
person across the table, What are you having?
We also tend to offer our experiences to others. We
tell our friends good times we had at the movies, or at an
amusement park. Were also quick to share when we run
across a bad experience, such as poor service at the fast
food place or the auto mechanic.
It is said that our culture has lost the ability to
blush. Some of my friends find out how quickly they can
bring up a subject that makes me uncomfortable. You
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have probably heard the acronym TMI, which stands
for Too Much Information. Sometimes we really dont
need to know the details of what is going on in the lives
around us.
When we are with each other we talk, we share, and
we disperse the details of our lives. As we do so we are
depositing into each others hearts. We should be careful
what we receive from others, and what we are willing toshare.
Isnt it interesting that for all of the recurring
situations of life that come our way, we often fall into
the same traps and fail to learn from our mistakes? If
weve really been there, done that, why dont our lives
show an impact from the experience? Maybe the answer
lies in a few other programming issues we have to
wrestle with.
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six
Choices that Last
In the Garden of Eden, Adam was told not to eat the
fruit from a certain tree or he would die. When it came
to decide whether or not he would obey that command,
he relied on information other than the word of God. Eve
had tasted of the fruit, yet she stood alive before him. He
processed the directive of God through a filter formed
around someone elses experience.
Our filters are colored by our own experiences, as
well as those of the people we allow to speak into our
lives. These are not the only influencers we have,
though. There are three others that are based on the
direction we choose for our lives.
The power of each of these influencers is a result of
some other choice made in our lives. We have chosen a
path for ourselves through each of these choices,
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therefore the landscape of life we travel through is based
on that path.
When you live in Minnesota but have to travel to
somewhere in New England like Boston, you quickly
find yourself in the middle of the debate of whether it is
faster to drive a route that goes under the Great Lakes
or over them via Canada.
If you choose to take the southern route, you drivethrough Chicago, but quickly realize that a lot of your
trip will be across the flat lands of Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio. If you go north, youll mostly travel through
woodland, with the opportunity to see some of the larger
cities of Canada, and the beauty of Niagara Falls. At
some point youll probably think, Why not fly instead?Since the time difference is often considered a
minimal factor, the choice really depends on your
preference. What are your goals? Do you want to avoid
customs and the possible difficulty of traveling through
the French province of Quebec? Are you afraid of the
potential to fall asleep and drift off somewhere in themiddle of Ohio?
It isnt that one is necessarily better than the other,
but that once you have made up your mind, you are
stuck with what each road will bring you. It is the
same with these three influencers.
You have chosen a path. In some cases your choice
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Choices that Last
29
should be obvious if you are choosing to live a life based
on Scripture and in the footsteps of Christ. Those
situations have definitive wrongs and rights. In others it
will be a matter of preference, dream and desire. There
may not be a right option, but whichever you choose will
shape your life and mind.
BeliefsWhat we choose to believe will have enormous
impact on how we view the world around us. These
beliefs are both religious and social. Sometimes they
work together, other times they are opposed.
Those who believe in God live differently from those
who do not. You also have beliefs about how God reacts
to the actions of your life. Is He present in your life or
absent? Does He act in love or wrath, or a combination of
the two?
If you believe in one true God, that Jesus is His Son,
and that there is no other name under heaven by which
we can be saved (Acts 4:12), you will interpret and react
differently to the happenings of this world than many
adherents of other religions.
When you believe that this is your only life for which
you will be rewarded or judged, that you will not be
reincarnated or absorbed into a universal power or
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T A I N T E D
30
simply cease to exist, you will live differently from those
who believe in the other.
If you believe you should love your neighbor, you will
not respond in kind when he backs over your mailbox.
When you understand that you are the light of the
world, you will discuss issues from an angle that may be
contrary to those in your workplace. You will give to the
poor and volunteer for housing projects. You may evenparticipate in missionary work.
You choose your beliefs. Once you have done so, they
guide you through the decisions of your life.
Knowledge and Training
Our interpretation of life is influenced by what we
know and understand. That knowledge does not have to
be formal training, such as college or university. It could
just be the books, magazines and newspapers you read.
It is the input we receive from news media and peers.
We also rely on our formal training. Those who are
trained as electricians will make different decisions than
those who are guessing about how to rewire a socket or
add a light switch to a room. A professional carpenter
will build a kitchen island in a way unlike a guy with my
skills who has an idea and tries to make it work with
screws, MDF, and a table saw.
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There are some professionals that have a difficult
time separating how they work from how they live at
home. Is it because they do not know the difference? No,
the problem arises from believing (there it is again) that
training can be so easily turned off. Your mind works as
it is trained to work.
You do not change minds when you change out of
your work clothes into your comfortable ones. Yourknowledge and training will continue to influence your
filter, even with everything that occurs in your home.
Entertainment
Have you ever considered that the entertainment
that you view, hear, read or participate in as training for
your mind? The United States government has. There
was concern whether watching the hit television series
24 was causing military personnel to take risks or use
unnecessary force because they might be trying to act
like the main character, Jack Bauer.
When you watch television and see real people in
real life situations, you program your mind to respond in
kind.
As a husband, when you are working late with a
female coworker and the situation takes a dangerous
turn, your mind will search for programming on how to
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deal with that situation. Wives, when you are at the gym
and a young, fit man walks by, you will consider all of
the options that are pre-recorded in your brain.
So, heres the big question for you: What training has
the entertainment in your life given your mind for lifes
situations?
Ask your spouse to sit with you through your favorite
television show. Let them borrow your mp3 player forthe day. Will they approve of your daily programming?
Do you want their brain to write those responses into
the pages of their subconscious manual?
Consider one more analogy. Imagine you live in one
of the southern states, and you just bought a nice car.
You have a garage to protect your vehicle from hail
storms, windblown branches and the fading rays of the
sun. Living in one of the larger cities, you save gas and
mileage by making use of mass transit.
One day your company calls and says they are
transferring you to Maine. While you were hoping for a
closer opportunity, you know that this move will launch
your career to the next level. Youll be on the fast track
to senior leadership in your company. You take the
transfer to Maine with high hopes.
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Your work and family lives are catapulted by the
move. You have fewer business trips across the country,
youre making more money while getting home earlier,
and every project you put your hands to comes out far
above all expectations. However, your car has not fared
so well.
Youre adding mileage with every day since there is
no mass transit in this town. In the winter you have tobuy studded winter tires to survive the snow covered
roads. Of course, the salt helps, but now its eating at the
body of the car. Potholes and frost heaves mean you
have to replace shocks and struts, maybe a tie-rod end.
And then you find yourself wondering, What is a tie-rod
end? Ive never heard of that before. You must bemaking that up.
We make choices every day that effect our present
and our future. Will I believe in God and the Bible?
What will I do with my life? How far do I want to go in
this company? How much time will I spend with my
family? What will I watch or listen to?Our choices are not split-second occurrences that
self-destruct and have no shelf life. They live on, long
after the moment. They affect our tomorrows and color
the lens through which we see our lives and the world
around us.
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seven
Tainted
Your filter is always at work. As we said early on, we
need them to work, because we couldnt possibly process
everything in our lives without them.
In many of these situations, our daily experiences,
work and training, or our entertainment, we rely on our
filters to hold back evil and harmful elements while
letting the good through. We must be careful to note that
when our filters are constantly bombarded with
darkness and are not given a chance to be repaired or
cleansed, they will break, leak, and allow those things in
that we hoped would be kept out.
Why is this discussion about filters so important? It
is because our systems are tainted. We have allowed the
filters of our minds to fall into disrepair. As a result they
run amuck. We no longer hear or experience life as it
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truly is. Our clogged and tainted filters bend and twist
every word, every deed, and every circumstance that
comes our way.
Emotional Apocalypse
With a tainted filter, our existence goes from being
joyous, abundant, and life-giving, to stressed-out,
destructive, solitary, and filled with confusion.
Our trusted friends sound like they are attacking us.
The pastor always preaches against us. Scripture is
irrelevant, mostly because we dont agree with what it
sounds like it is saying to us. God seems distant because
all of the avenues He is using to reach us are covered in
a fog that leaves the obvious hidden from us.
As our minds play tricks on us, hearing incorrectly
and interpreting wrongly, we lash out. We can no longer
be rational, for we live too far beyond the logical.
Everyday life falls into emotional apocalypse. Our guns
are locked and loaded. They stand by with a hair trigger,
and God help the one that sets them off.
Relationships lie in ruin. Fellowships are shattered
to pieces. Family members duck and hide. Close friends
pull back and wonder what is going on.
Not only does life not make sense to us, but those
used to our company, familiar with who we really are,
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fail to recognize us. Were not the same person anymore,
and it is plain to everyone, everyone but ourselves.
Renovations Needed
Our filters are tainted simply by use. If they were
never used, they would always be crisp and clean. But
they are used, every moment of every day. They cannot
help but be stained, clogged or even torn in places.
Like a used coffee filter, if they are not replaced they
are susceptible to grime, festering rottenness, and
failure to filter anything properly.
Unlike a coffee filter, though, the filter of our minds
cannot be replaced. There is no slot in the top of our
heads that might allow us to pull out a used filter and
put in a new one.
So how do we change our filter? How do we start
living free with something new and fresh instead of in
bondage to the stained and mired? Scripture tells us to
renew our minds.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
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The Greek word translated here as renewal
actually means to renovate.
My wife and I are fans of a few home improvement
television programs. As a result of watching these
shows, I have learned to appreciate the distinction
between renewal and renovation.
When you renew something, you give it a facelift.
You repurpose it. You take the same structure and form,and you make it look like new. We put a new paint color
in our living rooms. Add some paint and new hardware
to kitchen cabinets. Maybe spray paint your old lamp
stands and put a new, more modern shade on them. Put
new sealant on your blacktop driveway.
But when you renovate something you start bytearing out the old, maybe move some stuff around, and
then rebuild with new materials. You start fresh and
clean.
Your goal may be to totally restructure the living
spaces of your home. Tear off that 3 foot by 8 foot deck
and add a two-tiered outdoor living room with a fire pitand outdoor kitchen. Rip out this wall so our living
room, dining room and kitchen become one large space
for entertaining.
Our internal filters dont just need a washing with a
power-hose. They require something more foundational.
They need to be rebuilt with new material.
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If your plumbing pops a leak, you cant just cover it
over with duct tape and hope it will go away. I know
from personal experience. Tape does not stick when it
gets wet.
When you have holes in your window screens, you
dont just cover them up with duct tape. Eventually that
tape is going to get wet and peel off, and youll still have
a hole there. Mosquitoes and other insects have a way offinding those little holes, making you wish you had fixed
it right the first time.
You need to repair your window or your sliding door
with all new screen material. For a leaky pipe you need
to get a pipe cutter, a small torch and some solder, and
refit the area with new pipe.The filters in our minds need more than a steam
clean or a fresh coat of paint. They need to be renovated.
They need to go through a deeper, more intense process
to come fresh and clean.
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eight
Ground Rules
So, here we are. We are blessed by God with a
system that keeps us running through our day, free from
having to consciously filter all of the situations and
actions of life. But we cannot trust it, cannot fail to
check it or leave it poorly maintained, because if we do
we will run around with a tainted and faulty system
that leads us into trouble. Now what do we do?
Its time to get our hands dirty. We have to make a
plan and prepare ourselves for a journey that never
ends.
Lets begin by looking at a few ground rules that Ive
taken note of while watching do-it-yourself television,
that affect the most basic projects to full size flips.
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Be There
Renovating our filter is not automatic. It does not
have a set-it-and-forget-it feature. Getting it done right
will involve your conscious, concentrated effort.
You cannot take a vacation from your efforts. While
time and strategic choices will allow you to ease back
once in awhile, you cannot check out for any length of
time. You have to be there.
Take Charge
Our hearts and minds are both selfish and lazy.
Selfishness leads us to feel or understand in a way that
seems deserved, appropriate or beneficial. We have wishlists for our homes, vehicles, careers, bank accounts, and
relationships. We dont usually evaluate those lists to
see if they are truly right or not. Instead we take the
stance of, Thats how I feel about it, thats what I want
and its good for me, so it is going to be that way.
Be careful not to let your heart and mind run awayon their own agendas. We must evaluate all of our
feelings, emotions and thoughts in light of Scripture and
Gods working in our lives.
Paul gave us a guideline to help us take charge of
ourselves.
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You say, Im allowed to do anything but not
everything is good for you. You say, I am allowed to
do anything but not everything is beneficial.
1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT
Let me teach you a word I learned in my teenage
years: fickle. When I got to know a pretty girl, I had a
tendency to like her. What teenage boy doesnt have
that problem?
My buddies told me I was fickle, fickle as a pickle
actually, which means that in my heart I constantly
bounced back and forth from one girl to another.
Our hearts and minds are fickle. We need to take
charge and make them obey as God has directed us.
Take Advice from the Pros
I am a very novice renovator. My wife still cringes
when I want or need to get near electricity. Ive never
hurt myself, but I think she has more faith in the clumsy
side of me than the thinking side of me.
Growing up, when I used to help my Dad with new
projects, I learned a valuable lesson. When I dont know
how to do something, grab someone who knows what
theyre doing to help out.
I am friends with a bunch of great people, but there
are only a few I would call to help and guide me,
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whether with home repairs or car repairs.
One television show we watch has a host who checks
in about halfway through the project to see how the
group in charge of renovations is faring. She is a pro, an
expert, who made a living successfully doing what they
are trying to do, usually for the first time.
Now, if it were you and she came in and gave some
suggestions, how likely would you dismiss her thoughts?How often do you think these first-timers follow her
suggestions? Unfortunately for them, they are usually so
determined on their own path that they ignore her.
What pros have you added to your life? Have you
given them a voice to speak into you, or do you really
just hope that they will approve of your own ideas?
It is sometimes difficult to be objective about
ourselves when someone from the outside looks in. It is
easier to throw up our defenses, justify our actions and
decisions, and continue down the path we have made for
ourselves.
Part of this is a failure to recognize that we are one
member of many that make up the Body of Christ. The
rest of the Body is there for us, just as much as we are
therefor them.
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Who are the professionals that we have to allow to
influence our lives? The writers of Scripture are always
a great starting point. There are also many believers
that have gone before us, who walked similar roads and
faced the same struggles of life. No, they didnt have cell
phones and the internet; but they still had to learn to
ignore distraction, set priorities and safeguard their
hearts from traps of sin in their own time.We also have pastors, leaders, mentors, authors,
musicians, and many others who speak into our lives all
of the time. In many cases it is just a matter of tuning
ourselves to the right frequency to hear what they are
saying, and then to take action.
I often tell people that I read and listen to keypersons, not because I dont want to figure out some
lessons for myself, but in order to get a head start. Why
waste time reinventing the wheel when I can begin with
something all ready to go? Then I can focus my energies
on taking it to the next level.
Christianity is not meant to be an individual activity.We are given to each other, parts of the whole. Learn
from the pros, and save yourself some heartache and
trouble.
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nine
Taking Action
Do you feel like you have a handle on this filters
thing? Do you believe that there is something in your
heart and mind, a filter that processes every input and
activity of your daily life? Is it plain how that filter gets
tainted and that there are some serious dangers from
walking around with a stained and broken down system?
Have you have committed to be there as a conscious
part of what is going on? Are you are dedicated to taking
charge over your own heart and mind, and are you open
to the advice of the pros? Its time to unveil the hard
part.
Taking action is always the difficult part. It is where
we prove, time and again, the words of Jesus: The spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
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There are three key steps that will help us renew
and renovate our minds.
Discipline
No, I dont mean to flog yourself with a long, twisted
whip; nor am I asking you to ground yourself to your
room or from the television. The first step to restoring
our filter to its clean and clear state is to take part in the
spiritual disciplines.
Discipline is always the first step, because if we are
not actively pursuing discipleship in Christ, we are
allowing the world to be the primary influence of our
lives, and we forget the voice of God.
John wrote to Christians when he said:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world the desires of the
flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in
possessions is not from the Father but is from the
world.
1 John 2:15-16
What are some spiritual disciplines? Some of them
would be prayer, worship, service, reading or studying or
memorizing the Scriptures, meditation, celebration,
confession, and submission. There are many resources
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that will help you understand and learn how to utilize
the various disciplines.
Here is a truth that should relieve your heart a bit:
You are not meant to master all of the spiritual
disciplines. You may only make use of a few on a regular
basis, and they may not be the same as your spouse, best
friend, spiritual mentor, or your pastor.
Spiritual disciplines are not a checklist to spiritualgreatness or maturity. They are markers on a map that
leads to Christ.
Your map may look different than mine. You may
take regular circles around the discipline of celebration
while I fall back on the discipline of solitude. The path
can be different as long as we are following genuinemarkers that lead us to Christ.
There are seasons in our lives when we will need a
different discipline than we did last season. Not having
to make use of the various disciplines every day doesnt
mean that we can shelve the rest of them and never go
back to them. Chances are that we will need each one atleast once in our lives. Besides, how will you know which
ones are most effective for you personally if you havent
tried them all?
Like a new recruit is prepared and trained in boot
camp with daily disciplines, our minds are trained and
programmed through spiritual discipline. Discipline is
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always the first step. It leads us to the next.
Diligence
Do you know what it means to be diligent? Websters
Dictionary defines being diligent as characterized by
steady, earnest, and energetic effort.
The Christian life does not happen by accident. It
cannot. We live for Christ on purpose, or not at all. We
have to consciously choose to think differently, to follow
the model of Christ and the prescription of Scripture.
What are some examples of areas of our life that
require diligence? They are elements of the Christian life
that are not always easy or desirable. These elements
are things like forgiveness, trust, loving kindness,
following relational guidelines, maintaining our personal
boundaries and convictions. Listen to how Paul directed
Timothy to live:
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue
righteousness, godli-ness, faith, love, steadfastness,gentle-ness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold
of the eternal life to which you were called and about
which you made the good confession in the presence of
many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Paul also gave us direction when he gave us a list of
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things to spend our time thinking about:
Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are
good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that
are true and honorable and right and pure and
beautiful and respected.
Philippians 4:8 NCV
In another place he said to bring into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5,
KJV).
We are called to an active, diligent Christianity, not
one that is passive, waiting to see what happens.
Watchfulness
The idea of keeping watch sounds a lot like diligence,
or at least a slice of it. However the necessity of being
watchful pulls it to a higher priority.
One of the reasons our filters are tainted is because
we often open ourselves to input that we shouldnt. We
have come to rely on our filters to keep out the bad andlet through the good.
While this is the basic purpose of our filters, we
cannot expect them to do all of the work for us. Doing so
overworks our filters, causing them to breakdown
sooner.
Sometimes we ask them to filter things that they
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shouldnt have to worry about. For example, when we
are called in Scripture to excellence, holiness and to
follow the example of Jesus Christ, we should
understand that some things arent worth the trouble of
being around, which would save our filters a lot of work.
We have come to think of ourselves as kings and
queens. We live in a spiritual fortress. All around us our
enemy lurks and wishes he could get in at us, but we aresafe behind gated walls and deep trenches. We pray for
Gods angels to encamp around us and provide us with
His supernatural protection.
Do you know what happens to kings and queens
locked behind stone and steel gates? They get slow and
lazy. They stop hunting, readying themselves for battleor going out to war, protecting the people around them,
or even enjoying the countryside despite the dangerous
animals and bandits around.
We should instead think of ourselves as watching
guardsmen at the gates of our hearts.
In the New Testament we are told to watch againsttemptation, evil, and even over our own souls. Jesus and
Paul encourage us to guard ourselves. And we are told
hold on or hold fast to our faith, the Word of God, good
things, and hope.
Beyond our diligence, always active and pursuing,
we must be watchful. When we have our eyes and ears
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open to what the Spirit is saying and doing, we become
accustomed to His voice and moving in our lives. Like
Jesus said, we will come to recognize the Shepherds
voice.
Then we can also be aware of those things that are
not the Spirit that call to us, those things that lurk in
the shadows. Peter, speaking as one who had fallen into
a trap himself, wrote:
that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a
lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to
seize upon and devour.
1 Peter 5:8 AMP
When we are watchful, we can help our filters stay
pure and clean. Instead of expecting our filters to keep
us save from harm, we can be aware of danger, turn
away from it and start walking down a better path.
Take action. Be watchful, aware of all that is going
on around and within you. Be diligent, not lazy or
passive. Live a life of discipline, training your filter,
heart and mind.
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ten
Ananias
Are you looking for a biblical example of a filter at
work? Lets take a look at a New Testament believer, full
of the Holy Spirit, who heard the voice of God, and
almost missed out on an important task because of a
crack in his filter system.
Ananias story is found in Acts 9. Before reading
about Ananias, we find the amazing story of when the
glorified, risen Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus. Saul
was a man who was jailing and signing off on the
execution of Jews who came to believe in Jesus as the
Messiah, the Christ. He was on his way to Damascus,
with documents giving him the authority to jail more
followers of Christ. On the road, he was knocked off his
donkey by a bright light and a voice from Heaven.
Saul encountered the living Jesus whose people he
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was jailing and having executed. At the sight and sound
of the second person of the Trinity, Sauls only questions
were Who are You, Lord? and Lord, what do You want
me to do? Sauls life was turned upside down.
Not only was his mission changed by his encounter
with Jesus, but Saul faced another problem when he got
up off the ground. He couldnt see. So those with him led
him into the city of Damascus.What must have been shortly after His appearance
to Saul, Jesus appeared to Ananias in a vision. Ananias,
get up and head down to Straight Street. When you get
to Judas house, there is a man in there I need you to go
see. You may have heard of him? His name is Saul. Hes
seen a vision, too, and that vision was of you praying forhim to see again.
Then Ananias had a little discussion with the risen
Lord. He had, in fact, heard about this Saul guy, and
what hed heard wasnt too good. Yet the Lord convinced
Ananias to go, and in doing so, Saul received his sight.
About Ananias
We start reading about Ananias, and we can see that
he was a pretty good guy. The text tells us that he was a
disciple, so we can assume that he was a believer who
followed and served Jesus Christ. Based on his fear of
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Saul, he was likely a converted Jew who believed Jesus
was the Messiah.
We can also assume he was a spiritual man. When
Jesus appeared to him in a vision, he doesnt suffer from
any first encounter issues of fear or amazement. It
seemed completely normal for him to have a vision of the
glorified Son of God. Either he had enjoyed such visions
in the past, or he really knew the voice of God.Sounds like he was a great believer who has his head
on straight, doesnt he? Tainted filters can appear
anywhere, though. Even someone who hears from God
and sounds super-spiritual can have one.
What Spills Out
Have you heard about the concept that our hearts
are usually secret, like a darkened cup containing an
unknown liquid? When that cup gets bumped around,
what is inside of it spills out. In the same way, what is in
our heart spills out when our lives get tossed around a
bit.
Ananias heart was bumped by the direction of the
Lord to go and pray for this man Saul, a known hater of
believing Jews. We can see Ananias heart by the
difference in his two responses to the word of Jesus.
When the Lord first spoke to Ananias, he said, Here
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I am, Lord. It sounds like the story of Samuel, who
heard God calling him in the night. He knew the voice of
the Lord, and was willing to do something for Gods
glory.
After all, Ananias was in spiritual mode. He was at
prayer, speaking and listening to God. Who wouldnt be
eager to hear the voice of God in such a setting?
Then Ananias received his bump. When Jesus gavehim direction to minister to Saul, he hesitated. Its as if
he said, Wait a minute, Lord. Something caused
Ananias to change his response from Im ready to I
dont think so.
All previous input regarding Saul had tainted his
filter to the point that, even when the risen Lordappeared to him, to consider meeting and helping Saul
was out of the question. This spiritual, dedicated and
discipled man of God struggled with following obvious
direction from Gods own mouth.
Holding Us Back
Imagine if Saul had not received his sight. In that
time it would be quite difficult to travel the world, speak
to people and know their culture, plant churches, or to
write and sign letters such as Paul did. He might have
found himself locked away in a home with no Kingdom
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impact at all.
Our broken filters have the ability to hold us back in
such a way that the world misses out on our
contributions. Ananias filter didnt just affect his own
life, it could have had tremendous affect on Sauls life,
and all who have known God or known God better
through his lifes work. Over the course of almost two
thousand years, that is a lot of people.What are our filters holding us back from? What
relationships lie broken that should be strong and
thriving? What work lies undone because we didnt
understand its importance or the significance of our part
in it?
Like Ananias, we need to allow the words of God topenetrate our filter and lead us into truth. Regardless of
how it sounds or feels or seems like it will ruin our lives,
we must obey Gods direction.
Ananias is an example to us that our minds, our
filters, can be renewed. He took the words of Christ and
allowed his filter to be cleansed. We must believe that ifwe are obedient, our Lord will take care of the rest.
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Conclusion
All of the groundwork is now set and ready. It is time
to get our hands dirty. It is time to take action.
There is a lot at stake here. The influence of your
filter reaches far beyond how I will respond to my
daughters field trip revelation at 7:30 in the morning.
Every connection, every interaction I have in this life
will be colored by my filter.
I am convinced that if we can understand how
important this concept is, it will revolutionize our lives.
So many questions and difficult situations can be
answered by taking the time to renovate and maintain
our filters.
Relationships will become more open and intimate
because we will not be hiding behind walls of protection
or holding hair-trigger weapons of defense. God will be
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Conclusion
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able to speak to us because we will recognize the
genuineness of His word in our lives. We will no longer
be suspicious of friends, family members, pastors and
leaders, but we will invite them to become vital elements
of our lives.
You may be wondering, Is it worth it? It looks like
so much effort, so much trouble. Why would you ask
such a silly question? It is always worth it. It is not
always easy or pleasant, but it is worth every ounce of
trouble and energy.
Dont give up now. You stand at the edge of a new
life, free and clear. You will be able to see, understand,
hear, know and be known as everything was originally
intended. No more guessing. No more confusion.
Start your journey. Take that tainted filter of yours,
renovate it and keeping it clear and primed for use.
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Other Resources Available From
Touch The SkyeWorship TheoryLaying a foundation for corporateand individual worship
Take a step in making this vital element
of the spiritual life thrive in your own.
Learn what God desires from us in
worship, how it affects us personally,
and what it really means to live a life of
worship.
Available in paperback and Amazon
Kindle format.
The Story of Christmas
Most of us are familiar with the
Christmas story, but the birth of Jesus is
just one slice of larger story.
Delve into the setup for the greatest
story on Earth, from before the birth of
Christ to His work for us on the Cross.
Available in paperback.