I'm Not Good Enough Part 5 Podcast Recap

0:00Has anyone ever told you that you don't measure up? Well I guarantee you the devil will, but God will never tell you that. God will tell you and declare over you that you are chosen, but the devil will whisper to you that you will never measure up. That's what we're talking about in part five, the final part of what do you talk about when no one is listening. Part five is this, I'm not good enough. And so who's voice do you believe? So do you believe the voice of the enemy when he's whisper to you and says that you'll never measure up or do you believe when God says that you are chosen, when God says you are healed, when God says you are delivered, do you believe that? Well let me tell you something, I want to encourage you to because God has a plan for you and he wants the best for you. And so I want to encourage you today as we get into part five, people believe negative

1:02feedback. Now here's the scientific, the scientific background behind being negative and being positive. So people believe negative feedback over positive due to negative bias. I did some study on this so you should be impressed, which causes the brain to prioritize potential threats over positive information to ensure survival. So when you hear something negative, it's going to be in the forefront because you're going to put that thought into a place where you say, okay, I'm being threatened here. And negative comments feel more intense and are remembered better. So you got to be real careful because it's amazing like somebody may, you may put a post on on social media and you're real excited because you're thinking, wow, people's really going to like what I put out there, but then you get negative feedback.

2:06But then you have a bunch of comments where people said something really positive about it and you think about the negative stuff over the positive stuff. It's just the way the brain works. So you have to retrain yourself. So there are three things in how to deal with negativity. Now we're going to get into that today. Three different things that we have learned from Jesus on dealing with this. Number one, we have to guard our hearts. Don't exorbe their spirit. That's people that are negative. So we're going to get into this. Here's a portion of the sermon that I preached yesterday in Gasway, West Virginia at the Paul's Church. There are three things that we learn from Jesus about dealing with negativity. Number one is this, guard your heart and don't absorb their spirit. I'm talking about the spirit of the person that is negative. Don't absorb their spirit.

3:06Guard your heart. Don't absorb their spirit. Proverbs chapter 423 says this. Keep my heart with all diligent for out of it are the issues of life. So you have to keep thy heart with all diligence. So the question is this, can you be around negativity without letting it inside of you? Yes you can. You've got to be real careful. Can you be around negativity without letting it get inside of you? Absolutely because what should happen when you're around negativity is that your positivity will override it. Remember light will override darkness every time. If you go into a dark room and you just have one little candle, it will penetrate darkness. You can change the room from the negativity to the positive because most of the time that if you bring positivity in a room, the negative will leave.

4:10So the statement is this, some people leak discouragement everywhere they go, but you don't have to soak it up. Limit emotional access. You know, let me explain something. If you just meet somebody and they dump on you at their whole life history, run. I guarantee you, I can tell you that there are some people in this world that will do that to you. That will dump all their whole world of life on you just as they meet you. And it's like you think, I just met this person and they're telling me things that I don't want to know. Well, you need to kind of run from those people because they will absolutely suck the life value of you, just like I said in the sermon. So limit emotional access, not just physical access. You know, if somebody is negative and they push you and they pull you down, you know, you

5:12need to like not give them the time that you normally would because you'll walk away and it'll affect you if you're not careful. If you can't change them, if you can't change the room, so to speak, from negative to positive, then it's best to not be around those people. You say, well, who's going to help those people? Well, if you can handle it, go for it. Don't initialize their complaint. You know, you have to be careful not to take it personal and also pray before and after difficult interactions because you're going to have them because that's just the way life is. You're going to have situations that are going to take place and you're not always going to agree with people, but it's a good conversation to have. You are responsible for your heart, not their attitude. So those are things to help you and that's part one. Here's part two of how to be able to overcome negativity, set loving boundaries. First Corinthians chapter 15, 33 says this, be not deceived, evil communication corrupts

6:18good manners. So if you are constantly exposing yourself to negativity, then it's going to shape your spirit in a way that is not going to be pleasing to God or pleasing to you. And there are so many people, they're just so negative and they're Christians. That's what bugs me about it. It's like they're negative Christians. Can I even say that that's an oxymoron in a way because we have to understand that we are blessed, we are healed, we're whole God wants to do big things in our lives. Jesus stepped away from crowds. He stepped away from critics and doubters. He got away from them. So shorten the conversations that spiral negative. If the conversation is going negative, then shorten that conversation. Walk away. I mean, I learned from a pastor friend of mine how to keep moving, you know, when people try to, try to lock you down and hold you up, just keep moving.

7:22And then we're hand them off. I'm really good at handing people off to John Sandy, you know, like if somebody I don't, I think man, they're sucking the life out of you. I just hand them over to John Sandy and John Sandy just can talk to him forever. So you can call him, he'll help you. So you also can change the subject intensely also, you know, it's like get off of that subject, that negative, that negative, it's like a cancer. I mean, it can just change your whole day. And so you can change that subject and then limit time to chronic complainers. Now, I don't know how you can do that. If your wife's that way or if your husband's that way and you're married to them and they're a constant complainer, I can, I can tell you this, stop complaining. Because your husband or your wife doesn't want to hear it, your kids don't want to hear it. Talk to Jesus about it and move on. You say, well, that's just the way I am. Well, that's not who you're supposed to be. God wants to do something big in you. And here's my thing, if we're constantly complaining, are we seeing any good happen?

8:28You know, I'm often told people in counseling and coaching sessions, I've said this. I said, you know, you need a new past. You know, for you to change your past, you have to change your now. And by changing your now, we'll change your tomorrow. There's some thought to that. If you change your now, it will change your past. Let me give an example. There's your past. There's your past. There's your past. Every second that goes by is the past. So if you change your now, it'll change your past. So distance isn't dishonor. It's wisdom. And I'm not telling you to not talk to people. I'm just telling you to be careful not to have negativity in your life. And one of the ways that you can do that is being positive and changing the room. Just like I said in the sermon, one candle will change darkness because darkness light

9:29is in competition with nothing because it can change darkness just like that. So you're the light of the world, change the situation. From as chapter 12, 21 says this, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. And so you don't win by matching their energy energy, what do you mean? You say negative with negative. Absolutely. It doesn't work. Negative in a positive positive has to work. So you change the negative to the positive. So negativity loses power when it meets calm, faith and kindness. Almost like the gifts of the spirit, the fruits of the spirit, the fruits of the spirit will change people's lives. But if we are Christians and we're not walking in the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, long suffering, if we're not walking in those things, then we need to do a study

10:29on those things so that we can learn to be what God would want us to be. So negativity loses power when it meets calm, faith and kindness. So answer complaints with hope. Man, I'm really believing that God's going to work out your situation. Refuse sarcasm and bitterness. And also speak encouragement when they expect you to agree, instead of doing that, start speaking encouragement over their life. It's not always going to be this way. God is going to work it out on your behalf. You just have to trust him, have patience with him. He's going to fix your situation. You're not called to mirror them. You're called the model Christ to them. Now think about that. You're not called to mirror people, but you're called to model Christ to them. So these are ways that are going to help you. I promise you.

11:29And your worth is based on Christ's sacrifice, not your performance. So if you're struggling with negativity, here's one way that you have to understand that your worth is important. Jesus, his sacrifice to the cross is important. He did that for you. And it's not based on your performance. It's not based on your merit. So there was a mother who felt like she had failed her children because she lost her temper, but her identity as a child of God didn't change based on the bad day. See, stop having bad days because you think, well, I blew it. So Jesus doesn't love me anymore. Well, he doesn't, it doesn't work that way. He's going to mold you and help you to be what he's called you to be. So this mother that she felt like she's failed because she lost her temper with her dog with her, her kid. Here's the thing, her identity didn't change because she had a bad day.

12:34God specializes in using imperfect people, Moses, he had a speech problem, David. He had a past. We all have pasts. Peter had denial issues, but yet God still used them perfectly. I'm speaking to somebody today who feels like that there's no hope in ministry for you because of your past. No, that's not true because you have a past. That means you have a future with God and he and he forgives us of those things that we've done. So grace fills every gap where we fall short. So here's your challenge for the week. I want you to say this and you can write it on your, your, your mirror, write it on a sticky note, say this every morning, I am not rejected, I am redeemed. Let me tell you something. God wants to do big things with you. I keep saying that today, like a broken record.

13:36We're talking about what do you talk about when no one listens? This is part five, I'm not good enough. And so all the other parts you can download from the website johnfowler.org and you can also follow me on social media at johnfowler wv. And I want to tell you, I want to pray for you today, if you're not where you need to be with God and you need to renew your relationship with him, just say father, I've drifted away. Forgive me for my sins. I ask you to come into my life and use me for your kingdom, glory and honor. If you prayed that prayer, angels are rejoicing in heaven and start reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible. Those are great books, you know, Romans, phenomenal book, Ephesians, Philippians. I want to encourage you to start somewhere and you say, well, I don't read very good.

14:36Download you version and it will read to you. You can actually go to YouTube and type in a particular verse or chapter or book and it will read to you a lot of times, we'll have that on while we're sleeping. So we're getting the word in us, even while we're sleeping. So we would love to hear from you. If you need a Bible, you want a handheld Bible, you know, one that you can hold. This let me know. I'll send you on free charge courtesy of the pulse wv live. So this is part five. You're not good enough. That's what the devil will tell you, but God says you're chosen. I did a series that was entitled, the names that God calls me. It's a free download on my website. Get it and get your identity where it needs to be with God. Great things are ahead for you. I keep saying it and I believe it. Thanks for listening and watching the Pulse wv live and network that beats to the heart of God.