I’m a guy who likes movement. My favorite law of physics is “a body in motion tend to stay in motion; a body at rest tends tends to stay at rest.” When I wake up in the morning, I am in a hurry to get dressed and get out the door. Movement! It is at the core of being and yet….

I wasn’t prepared for the move GOD had in mind for me. I’m used to Him moving me like a chess piece through the game-board of  life. He has directed me through various stages of my life, guided me past potholes of problems and counseled me as I courted the challenges of simply living nearly 66 years. GOD has moved me from the northeast shores of New Jersey to the Gulf Coast of Florida to the Windy City through the desert of Las Vegas out to the California coastline and then plopped me in the flat, landlocked state of Kansas. Lessons were learned along the way and I welcomed the adventure but…. this move was different. The thought of it was painful. For the first time in my life….I didn’t want to move!

During a time of morning prayer, I sensed a spiritual illness was being diagnosed. Although the ailment dropped me to my knees, it was not a revelation.  I knew I was badly infected and had been my entire life. I took the course of action many choose…inaction! I decided to ignore it in hopes that it would go away by itself. GOD assured me it would not.

In fact it had progressed to the stage where treatment was of no benefit.  CSS (Critical Spirit Syndrome) would require the removal of long held harmful beliefs, misshaped attitudes and hurtful words. I knew where the move would take me from….but I wasn’t sure where I was moving to.

As long I can remember I was a fault finder. Sometimes I called myself a perfectionist, a refiner or an improver but the truth was I had a critical spirit. No matter what anyone said, no matter what I saw I would always focus on what needed to be fixed, repaired, tweaked or perfected saying things like “She would be really beautiful IF she lost about thirty pounds” or  “He plays the keyboard well BUT He always plays so loud.” If they would just be more…like I wanted them to be….

 GOD whispered into my ear, ” Nicholas, you are candle giving light to people in your
own unique way. Now you must learn to appreciate and embrace the warmth and glow
of other candles as they give their light. It’s time for you to move closer to Me.”

No other instructions were given and, in truth, none were needed.  I knew that if I
wanted to move closer to GOD I had to see people as He did and that meant leaving IF
 and BUT out of my heart and out of my comments.  She is beautiful…period!  He plays
well….end of story!  GOD was moving me from critical to complimentary; focusing on
the warmth and glow of another  but without any detractions.

I wish I could tell you the move is complete but with any change of address, there are a lot of boxes to unpack.   I have tackled some of the little ones but I still have  boxes of Comparison, Competition and Jealousy to go through. The good part is that I don’t have to find room to store them, I just need to throw them out!  They are too big for me to handle all at once….I don’t know how I accumulated so much junk!….but little by little, they are being discarded.

I don’t feel as much stress with this move as I have with some of the others. Perhaps it’s because I’m downsizing; getting rid of stuff that does nothing but weigh you down  or perhaps it’s because of the moving company.

Remember, before you make any move, get in GOD’s company!

Not too long ago I saw a man on the street carrying a sign that read “Repent the end is near.” The message is one that I’ve heard repeated many times and seen depicted in television and enacted in the cinema. The message is generally understood as…. Change your ways because the world is going to end and unless you change, you’re headed to hell!

I have always found it interesting to see how phrases originated and I took for granted that this one got its start in the Bible. When I checked my sources…pastors, Scriptures and Google….I discovered that the “Repent the end is near ” phrase is not even in the Bible!  The closest you can come is when John the Baptist (and later Jesus) says “Repent the kingdom of Heaven is near.” Not only have the words been misconstrued but the meaning has been totally mangled. The message uttered by both Prophet and Savior is….. Change your thinking for a whole new wonderful beginning is at hand.

How many other phrases have we heard repeated and believed without questioning whether they are true or valid?
 ”A little knowledge is a dangerous thing” seems to tells us that a small amount of
knowledge can mislead people into thinking they know a lot. “A little knowledge” is
also the first step toward a world of wisdom; the beginning of a grand adventure.

Sometimes phrases are passed on through the years and with them…discrimination.
You have heard it said, “He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.” The implication
is that teaching is a secondary or subservient profession.  Yet often…”He who can,”
glorifies only himself while he who teaches, inspires and molds generations.

Jesus tells us in Luke 8:18  “Consider carefully how you listen….” and he says again in Mark 4:24 “Pay attention to what you hear.” Just because something is repeated often or said loudly, does not make it true. Adolph Hitler arrogantly told us, “Tell a lie often enough, loud enough and long enough and people will believe you.” What he didn’t realize was that eventually the liar believes his own lies.

We live in an age where communication is rapid, loud and frequent. If we are not careful, we can easily be deceived, especially about people and situations of which we have little or no knowledge.  Through the years we have heard casual comments and they have crept into our minds and become beliefs. “More is better” we are told and so we begin to believe that we must accumulate to be better. “No pain, no gain” carries with it a hidden message that tells us to achieve, we must suffer.

Listen, not just to words, but to the meaning hidden within those words. Question it. What is being said? Is it true? Could it be true? Do you believe it?  Examine what you hear. Words have the power to direct the course of the river of your life. Scripture tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Listen well; be discerning and not deceived. Be careful how you hear.