THE FILTER: ROSE COLORED GLASSES, WE NEED A PARADIGM SHIFT…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
I have several different pairs of glasses. I really focus on one pair. A rose colored pair of glasses makes everything appear rosy. Everything you see will be rosy as we have a rose filter.
Years ago I read about a pet dog. The little girl bottle fed the puppy and raised it to adult hood. She loved the dog and the dog loved her. The dog walked her to the bus stop each day. One day there was a pack of wild, mean dogs. After walking with the girl to the bus stop, the dog started hanging around the pack of dogs and started being aggressive. One day the girl got off the bus and no one was around. The pack of dogs killed the young girl. Her blood was all over the ground and the dogs. Her precious pet dog that she raised had blood all over him. Her beloved pet took on the nature of the pack of wild dogs. The dog had a paradigm shift.
TWO PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT THE SAME THING AND SEE IT SO DIFFERENT. The way you see things will dictate how you act and talk. Is it possible to agree to disagree?
*PARADIGM (pera-dim) a framework, the way you look at things, a pattern, a model, a standard, the norm, a set of ideas, to show, a way of thinking and your behavior patterns.
Paradigms: I CAN’T QUIT SMOKING? My grandmother was heavy set. My mom is heavy set. I am heavy set. I can’t lose weight! I have seen my best days, it is all downhill now. I CAN’T DO IT… No one likes me, I must be unlovable.
OFTEN WE ALLOW OUR EMOTIONS, FEELINGS AND BEHAVIOR TO DRAG US DOWN. WE TEND TO BECOME ADJUSTED TO THE THINGS GOING ON AROUND US. WE OFTEN TRY TO WORK ON THE EXTERNALS WHEN LIFE IS ABOUT PATTERNS OR PARADIGMS… WE MUST LEARN HOW TO SHIFT GEARS…
We find ourselves judging other people… WE JUDGE BY THE EXTERNALS. I was playing music at a church in Virginia. After we set the equipment up, I was leaning on the glass door. A young man with real long hair and tattoos was walking across the street. The pastor came up to the glass door and we looked out. I thought: I hope he comes to church tonight and I can pray with him. The pastor said: SEE THAT YOUNG HIPPY. I hate him. His tattoos and long hair are a disgrace. If he tried to come in here I would tell him: LET ME CUT YOUR HAIR OR DON’T COME IN THIS CHURCH. TEARS!
Matthew 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
We need a PARADIGM SHIFT… and realize there is a big difference between WHITE WASH and WASH WHITE. We will never change the world focusing on EXTERNALS. God warns us… WE MUST LOVE PEOPLE AND LOOK AT THEIR POTENTIAL. That is some mother’s son. Maybe she has prayed for years for a paradigm shift, a change.
BE CAREFUL THAT WE “DON’T DEVELOP A TRY TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONES ATTITUDE…” OUR FAITH IS GOING TO BE TESTED AND REFINED… OUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO FIND GOD’S WILL AND FOCUS ON HOW TO PLEASE GOD.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NLT2) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
We make our own plans…We must learn to reject the THINKING PATTERNS AND HABITS OF THE WORLD. God has a plan for you. We must consider WHAT DO I NEED TO CHANGE IN MY ATTITUDES, WORDS AND BEHAVIOR. Who sets the paradigm that you follow?
My grandmother sowed dresses. She would go to the five and dime store. There was a SPIEGEL PATTERN AREA. She would BUY THE PAPER PATTERN. Then she took it home, cut it out and pinned it to the material and made a dress. WHAT DRESS (PATTERN) ARE YOU SOWING IN YOUR DAILY LIFE?
WE MUST LEARN TO FOCUS ON HOW WE HANDLE CHANGE. TO MAKE OUR DAILY LIFE BETTER WE MUST CHANGE OUR THINKING PATTERNS… TH
Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Mark 6:31 (NIV) Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
Mark 6:31 (MSG) Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat.
Mark 6:31 (NLT2) Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
LET US LOOK TO THE BIBLE TO FIND HOW IMPORTANT A PARADIGM SHIFT CAN BE…
David was a great man of God. He developed some bad attitudes and accepted sin. David brought shame to Uriah, Bathsheba and her family, his family, the church and most of all to God. David even disappointed himself. David’s son got sick. His son was very sick. SO DAVID ACCEPTED HIS SIN, CONFESSED AND REPENTED… GOD IS HAVING A PARADIGM SHIFT IN DAVID’S LIFE. There are times God shakes people to gain their attention.
2 Samuel 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
DAVID WAS BEGGING GOD FOR A HEALING AND HE FASTED AND PRAYED. THE HALLS OF THE ROYAL PALACE GOT SO VERY QUIET. NO ONE HAD TO TELL DAVID OF THE DEATH. HE HEARD THE WHISPERS.
2 Samuel 12:18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? 19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
I CAN’T CHANGE DEATH…BUT THIS SHAKING HAS BROUGHT ME TO MY KNEES… I CAN’T BRING HIM BACK… BUT I CAN GO…
2 Samuel 12:20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
CONCLUSION:
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
We need an honest evaluation of the words we speak, our behavior patterns and attitudes. BE HONEST WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CHANGE? It is not what do you need to change… IT IS WHAT WILL YOU CHANGE? WILL YOU STAY THE SAME?
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
