This is critical
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
-Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)
-Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)
___________________________
Pardon the pun, but fighting off a critical spirit is critical to walking with God and living your best life. The hardest part about recognizing a critical spirit is that you are often right or justified in the way you feel about something. The key is where you go with it from there. As you come up against things in life that you don’t like, you must learn to beware of a critical spirit. A critical spirit will often appeal to your pride or your sense of justice. It can quickly pull you into an immediate emotional reaction. This is the first red flag that should make you aware of this spirit’s presence, and this is the easiest point to turn it away.
Now, I want to shift gears right here to better demonstrate what you have to do in this situation. First, realize that this critical spirit is trying to hurt you. It will appear to be on your side and fueling your fight for what is right, but make no mistake, a critical spirit wants to take you out. Secondly, ask yourself why you are having such a response, and identify whether or not it actually falls under your sphere of influence. Like it or not, many issues are simply outside of our ability to make a difference, so our only healthy option is to let it go. And finally, focus on the “right” things. Let your mind dwell on what you can model in your own life. Make a list of what you love, or of the things you want in your walk with God, dreams you have, and relationships you value. As Paul noted, when you do these things, you will find peace. Take a moment to do this today.
Now, I want to shift gears right here to better demonstrate what you have to do in this situation. First, realize that this critical spirit is trying to hurt you. It will appear to be on your side and fueling your fight for what is right, but make no mistake, a critical spirit wants to take you out. Secondly, ask yourself why you are having such a response, and identify whether or not it actually falls under your sphere of influence. Like it or not, many issues are simply outside of our ability to make a difference, so our only healthy option is to let it go. And finally, focus on the “right” things. Let your mind dwell on what you can model in your own life. Make a list of what you love, or of the things you want in your walk with God, dreams you have, and relationships you value. As Paul noted, when you do these things, you will find peace. Take a moment to do this today.
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