Refusing Negative Seeds

Refusing Negative Seeds

by | Jan 17, 2025 | Community Conversations, Prayers

 

Today’s Community Scripture – 1/17/2025

 

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smoothly before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.

                            Proverbs 4:23–27 (MSG)

– Reflection:

                           Refusing Negative Seeds

Everyone encounters voices or feelings that hinder our journey toward our destiny. People might say what we can’t achieve, like, “You aren’t qualified.” It might also be experts proclaiming, “You’ll never recover.” We hear alarming news about the economy, inflation, viruses, and division, which can induce fear and anxiety. “What will the future hold?” Words function like seeds; if you focus on them long enough, they will take root and manifest as reality. The positive aspect is that you can decide what gets sown in your mind’s garden.

– Where do we go from here?

Avoid allowing any negative influences to enter your mind. If something causes discouragement, fear or brings you down, ignore it completely. Don’t permit doubts from others or your own negative thoughts to shape your reality. It’s essential to silence all the negative, limiting phrases—like “can’t do it,” “not able,” or “never going to happen.” You don’t have to accept them. When you don’t focus on these thoughts, they will lose their power and fail to impact you. Keep your mind occupied with positive, hopeful, and faith-driven thoughts.

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, We thank You for enabling us to protect our thoughts and to prevent negative ideas from taking hold. Please help us eliminate all weak and negative thoughts and focus on what You say about us. We declare our intention to cultivate faith-filled thoughts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Coach Arthur Poston Jr.
Focused Development Organization
Middle School Coach

Today’s Community Scripture – 10/26/2023

Today’s Community Scripture – 10/26/2023

by | Oct 29, 2023 | Community Conversations

 – Scripture:

                  Be Deaf to Your Doubters

So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn’t leave them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the world lies through its teeth.
Scripture says the same:
Your words stand fast and accurate; Rejection doesn’t faze you.

                                  Romans 3:3 MSG

– Reflection:

Sometimes, we’re longing for a family member to believe in us and cheer us on or for a friend to encourage us, but it’s just the opposite. There will be people close to you who don’t think you can accomplish what God put in your heart. You have to say as Paul did, So what if they don’t believe? I love them, but I will be deaf to their unbelief.

Where do we go from here?

These are tests we have to pass. You don’t need them to believe in you. Be respectful, but be deaf to their unbelief. The quicker you get rid of it, the better you’ll be. If you dwell on it, it will become a lie that infects your thinking. You can’t play defeat in your mind and have victory. You can’t think of sickness and have health. You can’t dwell on thoughts of lack and have abundance. The way you keep the infection out is by dwelling on what God says about you: “You are strong, talented, and valuable. Your future is bright. Your dreams are on the way.” 

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank you for allowing me to take control of my thought life and stop allowing negative thoughts to enter. Thank you for letting me know that I can be deaf to the unbelief that comes my way from the people in my life. Help me be respectful, but help me get rid of any lies before they infect my thinking. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

by | Oct 8, 2023 | Community Conversations

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Today’s Community Scripture – 8/29/2023

Today’s Community Scripture – 8/29/2023

by | Aug 29, 2023 | Community Conversations

– Scripture:

Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best-setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

                       2 Corinthians 6:4-10 MSG

– Reflection:

We all ache for financial freedom. We imagine being one day free from worry and debt about money. We dream of security and peace. Mostly, we never experience any of that; mostly, we experience financial stress. How come? Well, let’s back up. Financial freedom comes only with financial margin. Financial margin is the difference between (1) money coming in and (2) money going out—between income and expenses. Without a margin of sufficient size, we’ll never achieve financial freedom.

Where do we go from here?

When we broaden our focus, and when we focus too on the second part of the margin equation, on our expenses, we find the key to financial freedom. Though we convince ourselves otherwise, there are always ways to reduce expenses to achieve margin. It’s the way God designed things. So, when we decide, finally, to apply downward pressure on our expenses—on our lifestyles—we find that financial freedom is not actually elusive but available right here, right now, the way God intended.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank you for the blessings of your grace over our finances, I know that following your plan for creating margin is best for us all. Doing the complete tasks to end our debt is a favor that we do for ourselves from you. May we all receive this blessing soon enough. Amen.

by | Jul 17, 2023 | Prayers

– Scripture:

                        No Harm

I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood, I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

                       Exodus 12:12-13 MSG

 – Reflection:

 In the Old Testament, God sent plagues on Pharaoh and his people for not letting the Israelites escape slavery. The final plague was that the firstborn sons were going to die. God told the Israelites they had to put blood on the doorposts of their houses. When the death angel came, no harm would come to their family if they had blood over their house. That night thousands of Egyptian lives were lost, but none of the Israelites who lived nearby. What was the difference? One had the blood, and the other didn’t. One was under the shelter of the Most High; the other wasn’t.

Where do we go from here?

When you keep the blood over your house and honor God, He hides you when trouble comes. Things that take other people out can’t take you out. The trouble that defeats others won’t stop you. You don’t have to live worried, fearing what might happen, fearing disease, fearing being laid off. You have blood on your doorpost. You belong to the Highest God.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank You that I am covered by the blood of Jesus. Thank You for protecting me in every area of my life and family. I believe You have put a bloodline of protection around me, and no weapon formed against me will prosper. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.