Distractions Don't Compare to Promise

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:46‭-‬48 NKJV

*When others try to silence your belief in Christ and His capabilities, get louder so they can realize you are not controlled by them...Also, so they can witness the miracle that the principalities in them don't want you to have! Be free from opinions, and only guided by God and faith.

Live for God...Not for Others

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

Galatians 5:13‭-‬18 MSG

* It's important to live with the Holy Spirit working with and through us, and not according to someone else's standards. 1. Your life is not your own, and you belong to God. 2. You can't expect to walk in His fullness if you have one foot in the world. 3. You are capable of letting your light shine wherever you go, instead of fitting in and looking for opportunities. Make it a habit to think of God before and while you take action, and not just afterwards. The very actions that are not being guided by Him are the very things that are keeping you from His promises.

Loving Through It

1 Peter 4:8 

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 

ESV

*No matter what a person has done, love without criticism will see them through...It will also help others avoid habitual mistakes because their heart will learn to reciprocate that love, and the desire to not disappoint someone who is loved will kick in. Just as God loves us through our mess, and we are able to return to Him without stipulations, we should also love ppl the same way.

Commitment

Psalms 37:5-6 (ESV)

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 

*If we commit ourselves to God, our lives are brightened and all that was taken from us will be redeemed before the day is up. By choosing God, everything we aren't sure about becomes clear and the answer illuminated....We are no longer in darkness about our situations when we surrender to Him. The answer stands before us as clear as noon, and as quickly as lunch time arrives when we dedicate ourselves to God. What is it that we need to remove in order to be more dedicated? What is keeping us from hearing the answers? What do we trust in more than God's word? Ask God...