Too Much Bad News...

I can totally relate. I turned my wife into a \"politics widow\" during this election. I was constantly listening to talk radio, checking internet new during the day and watching commentary and news shows at night. I can't think of anything that was to my eternal benefit as a result. I almost feel withdrawal symptoms and now realized I let myself get distracted for the past 8 or 10 weeks. I had to seriously repent and now have some territory that needs retaken. Thanks for the work you do, be blessed.

Michael: Amen on this one! We had a series at our church titled \"It Came From Within.\" Basically, whatever was in our hearts poured out of our mouths, and it really made me think. I was always of the mindset that it truly didn't matter what type of music you listened to, or what shows you watched on TV, or movies, or magazines, etc., because you could discern between what was good and what was \"bad.\" Well, God opened my eyes on that mindset. The saying \"garbage in, garbage out\" really does mean just that. Thank you for your efforts. Gregg DeVitto

Michael: Wow...that's really a powerful statement: \"I don't want the newsmedia to so fill my heart that my borders are defined by them\". Whew! One must really \"selah\" on that statement, otherwise our hearts will be discouraged and our circumstances define us. I think we're onto something here... Thanks for sharing! Greg Riedel

Michael, Thank you for being so open and transparent. I used to be in the same place you seem to be now. But for the past eight years God has been delivering me from the self-oriented \"I\" perspective mindset that thought \"I\" could chose between what is good to put into my mind and what is not. For forty years, I walked as a professed \"born again\" Christian and like most all such so-called born-again believers, I now know that I leaned toward my own understanding, seeing things from my own self-perspective. I was not trusting in God or seeing things from God' s perspective as per Proverbs 3:5-6, although I thought I was. One day about eight years ago while I was sitting in church enjoying the praise and worship, The Holy Spirit stunned me by asking in my mind, \"You think you are pretty smart, don' t you?\" But before I could respond proudly in the affirmative, God asked me if everything I had stored in my truth memory bank in my mind and heart was indeed true and correct? I thought about it for a split second and realized that maybe there could be some error that was corrupting my truth bank. But before I could make a defense that most was correct, God said \"How much exactly is correct and how much exactly is incorrect.? Before I could answer, I don' t know, God asked me if I would permit Him to renew my mind as per Romans 12:1-2. Without hesitation, knowing for sure it was God talking to me, I said \"yes\". God then proceeded to let me know how He would go about renewing my mind, adding the caveat, \"If it is ok with you.\" Later on. God told me it did matter if was OK with me, He would have renewed my mind anyway. He told me that over a process of time, He would remove all the thought content from my mind and dump it into the \"trash bin\" as with a computer. Then He said he would separate His Truth from the devil' s subtle lies and corruptions of the truth and replace His purified truth back into my mind and heart. This he said would be an ongoing process that might take up to a year or more. But he gave me faith to believe that after just 40-60% of my mind had been renewed, I would be then able to much more rapidly read, process, and discern and distinguish His truth and perspective from the Satinic lies, deceptions, fables, doctrines and half truths that now dominate and corrupt the world of the consciousness of all mankind. God has recently revealed to me that His process of mind renewal is depiced in Jesus' s parable of the wheat and tares. And, just as God gave me the faith to believe, after about six months of undergoing this mind renewal process, in which only about 40-60% of the contents of my mind was renewed, I began to notice that with everything I read, especially the Bible, I was easily able to assess the author' s purpose and intent and to discern what was from God' s perspective and what was from Satan' s selfish proud perspective. As God continued to renew my mind, I began to see that everything in the Bible has something to do with how God' s kingdom on earth has suffered violence and how God is restoring His peace and His righteousness and His joy to His eternal kingdom on earth. God has shown me that all those who now understand the kingdom message of the Bible must have had a portion of the contents of their mind renewed otherwise thay would not be able to understand the mystery of the kingdom of God as Jesus preached it to His immediate and closest disciples whose minds he for sure had renewed. I could go on and on revealing how God has renewed my mind and revealed His kingdom in me but this is enough for now for this blog response. I have written three books about this. I would be happy to email two on them to any who requests them. David Thompson

Michael, Yes...I found myself watching CNN way too much during the election and with this economic fallout (if you will). I am an American living in Canada where it is not too bad...yet. I must agree that I have to have my mind completely renewed because of my disobedience in watching too much TV. It is disobedience mainly because on several occasions God has been trying to get me to stop watching as much TV as I have been but I have refused in my own stubborn flesh. I have cut back somewhat but not nearly enough. I know that we need to keep abreast on the happenings of the world but the media makes everything into a circus and sometimes I find myself glued to the TV. I must say that your article as well as the comments have convicted me once again regarding this issue. I thank you for that. I will be asking God first of all for forgiveness and for a renewed mind to be completely focused on Him and not concern myself with worldly values and thoughts. God Bless. Jennifer Johnson An American from the Carolinas living in New Brunswick, Canada

Michael, I too am a news junkie. But with God renewing my mind He keeps me focused on what Jesus is doing to expose and destroy the works of the devil so that His kingdom is restored on earth. With all this massive amount of news and information that is constanly bombarding our minds and hearts, if we let it, Satan is trying to use it to confuse us, deceive us and to make us lose hope. But I see Jesus thwarting the devils work' s at every juncture. And it continues to be true that what Satan means for evil, God turns around for our God. And so, as Alfred E. Neuman has so eloquently said, \"What, me worry! David Thompson

Michael, While on this subject of the renewing of our minds; if I knew how to send a digital photo, I would attach one to this message. Several years ago, I was able to get a picture of a giant arrow in the sky that had been made by a jet. At the tip of the arrow there is a flock of birds that give the appearance of being scattered upward and away from the tip of the arrow. This is such a clear example of what happens when the word of God comes in. The arrow is representative of this word of God, while the flock of birds are representative of thought patterns that have been formed in our minds prior to the reading of the word. \"He sent out His arrows and scattered them...\" Blessings, Judy