Have you ever been surprised by what comes out of your mouth or what comes out of the mouth of others? It seems we all make the mistake of talking before we think. The question is why? Why do people embrace themselves, and for that fact, why do we embrace ourselves by speaking things that are not factual or down right lies?

In our fast paced culture, there are so many voices literally screaming for our attention and trying to get us to believe and follow their advice. The problem is, how do we know which one is right? And are they right all the time? Take binoculars for instance. These devises are great and important when trying to see details from far away, but they are terrible if you’re trying to take a splinter out of your hand!

“Perspective”….it makes all the difference in the world!

Many of us live from our “Old Memories” rather than from the “Precepts” of God’s word.  Consequently, we live as “Slaves” of our past rather than in the freedom that God’s word was meant to birth in us.

Have you ever noticed how we seem as a culture to have no brakes on our mouths?

Not too many years ago, we debated issues and ideas. Now we slam anyone’s character when they don’t agree with everything we think is important. Instead of addressing the idea or topic, we think the only way to win an argument is to make the person we are talking about appear small or insignificant.

Life has a way of feeling like a “Tug-Of-War” and, so often, we never seem to reconcile why. Without getting too complicated, let’s unravel the elements that make up the individual and why we tend to be pulled in more than one direction. Put your seatbelt on and hang in there with me and be prepared to have your brain stretched just a little bit…it will be worthwhile in the end!

I have desired to investigate the concept of the “Soul” and how the health or sickness of the soul affects our everyday life, so in this article I wanted to address the seeming tug-of-war between our soul and spirit. From my studies over the years, the soul and spirit are inseparably linked, although one may be the proximate leader.

As we have discussed previously, our spirit is given to us by God when we come into existence and our soul is a combination of our mind, will and emotions. To make matters more complicated, we have a personality that is part of our soul, which is also given at birth, that is both a composition of what God gives us and what our genetic heritage gives us. Still with me?

Helping men discover a meaningful relationship with God has always been a passion of mine, ever since finding Christ myself in 1969. So many of us men have grown up without good role models, let alone our fathers teaching us what it is to be a man. There are a lot of boys walking around in men’s bodies today.

I came across a book the other day, which I found very helpful in explaining why men are so confused and twisted inside, but also how to get straightened out in our thinking to finally find the life we were meant to live with God and others. The book is called “Fathered By God” by John Eldredge.

I have not always been a fan of John Eldridge, for a number of reasons, however this book I found exceptionally good. Maybe it’s where I am today in my walk with God, or maybe it’s just that this book is very good, either way its a great read especially the first part of the book. To be honest, the first few chapters ripped by heart open to some old wounds from my youth. Thank God for good writers and the Holy Spirit speaking.

When Dr. King made this famous quote, it became a pillar in the civil rights movement and a statement that resonated with the American people.
People don’t want to be judged by others for things they can’t change, but for things they develop in their lives. Dr. King was attempting to reason with the American people that judging a person by their skin color or nationality was wrong. People should be evaluated by their character, which is the sum total of their choices.
The dictionary definition of character is also more than a person’s reputation. It is, “the complex of mental and ethical traits making up the person.” A secondary definition is, “the stable and distinctive qualities built into an individual’s ire which determines his or her response regardless of circumstances.”
Here’s the deal: Our country as a whole no longer looks at character to determine a person’s value, rather their words create our perspective of who someone is.