Daily Huddle - Sat Apr 18, 2020 Social Distance

Love you all, praying for you.
 
I just love word of God.  It's always good - and you can't get too much.  Chocolate is good - but you can get too much.  Sometimes decisions made with the best intentions have unintended consequence.  And speaking of... Praying that every decision you face - you'll seek God through your PiVAT Decision Tool.  It will bring peace in the seeking, and God will reveal His perfect will in His perfect time.  God's ways aren't only good - God's ways separate the good from the best.  His decisions are always good with no negative side effects.  Not that you won't ever face resistance or persecution- but His ways are always the best for you - and He adds no trouble with it.  Can you imagine not having the Word of God?  How would you know truth?  How would you discern between good, better and best, or even good verses evil, when so many call evil good, and good evil.  So thankful for God’s Word.  But it is worthless – unless you are in it.  Discernment that's sitting on the shelf – isn’t discernment to you.  Praying that PRISM – those 5 things you can do in God’s Word every day – is the habit of your life.  Give it a chance.  Some people decide they want to be like John Mayer, so they pick up a guitar and try to make their fingers press down the right strings…  Would you be upset that you can’t play Gravity – in the first week?  Give it some time.  One thing about God’s Word – its a momentum thing. You can't stop it... You start little by little – and it becomes precept upon precept.  You don't lose what you had before.  God said – nothing you do in my Word – will be a loss, it will always produce a profit.  Whether Praise the Word, Read the Word, Insight from the Word, Study the Word, Meditate on the Word.  Pray the Word, Believe the Word, Share the Word, Declare the Word.  Nothing you would ever do – no matter how much in God's Word - will ever fail to yield a profit, produce a blessing, or generate a fruitful result.  If only the stock market had a guarantee like that…  No matter what society is experiencing, or what you go through in your life.  God’s Word will always shine truth on it.  Exposing the difference between truth and false, fake and real, beneficial and detrimental, "seems like" and "the way it really is"…  In today’s society – much is said about Social Distance – it's almost tiresome.  And like most things - there are unintended consequence.  It could become protection, and it could become isolation.  It is universally believed to slow the spread of germs.  It hasn't been proven otherwise – and since Social Distance is the government mandate of this time and also a consideration of the feelings or fears of others – at least germ transfer might be slowed while the recession is being prolonged…  Most people don't think about it - But God also says a couple things about social distancing.  The good kind, and the not so good kind.  First the not so good.  One of the greatest dangers of Social Distancing – it plays into one of the devil’s primary strategies.  Isolation.  If He can isolate you – His chance of discouraging you, deceiving you, and enticing you with invitations to sin – increases exponentially.  All predators use this strategy – isolate one from the herd, and they will easily fall.  That’s why God said – though one may be overcome by an adversary (and we all know who that is) two can withstand him.  God sent His disciples two by two for a reason.  Praying that in the times that you are not going to restaurants, movie theaters, arena, concerts or stadiums, that your PiVAT time – getting His plans – and your PRISM time – getting his heart – hearing His voice – the confirmation of His plans for you - is the priority of your life.  And that your Daily Call – keeps you overcoming like He commanded, back to back – so the enemy can’t isolate you.  God also said there is strength in numbers - when we gather for the right purpose.  If you have a Daily Call Partner – then you know the overcoming that testimony brings, and the encouragement that their testimony brings – and the crazy stuff that happens when the Holy Spirit starts praying through you – over each other, and the growth, and maturity, that comes from walking in obedience together – the reason God said – Hebrews 3:13 – Exhort One Another Daily!  But there is also strength in numbers – gathering with a group of obeyers.  Not neglecting to gather together. A PiVAT Small Group - to obey together.   You don’t have to do it in person – Zoom works in this stay at home season.  Praying that you are joined with a tight group of radical obeyers, willing to give their time, thoughts, money, testimony, and community to God’s control.  So they walk in the  life and joy that His plans bring!   There’s another thing that Social Distancing prevents -  the wide path.  God said wide is the path that leads to destruction but narrow is the gate that leads to life, and few there are that find it.  The good news, you only need a few to walk with.  You’re not going to be friends with everybody.  (You do know – that ‘friends’ on facebook – are not always your friends, nor are followers on twitter or Instagram – they are just bored, nosy, jealous, stalkers, or just waiting for you to say something that doesn’t come out right – so they can criticize you - people).  God bless them, and have mercy and heal them – never wish anything bad on anybody – just the mercy and hope and love of God.  But the truth about Social Distancing.  There are some people that you need to put on permanent Social Distance.  This is not pride, or self-righteousness, this is just wisdom speaking.  If they aren’t going where you’re going – if you’re with them – you’re not getting there.  You’re getting where they're going.  David understood this warning well.  “Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God.”  He's saying That I might stay on the path You has for me!    There were some that David was on permanent social distance from.   While you can’t prevent people from following you – unless you block them.  Kinda harsh – unless God tells you to, then do it.  But what about those you view or follow.  If you are following those who aren’t following God, but follow the world – whose heart isn’t set on obedience and surrender, but vanity and pleasure – your heart could get turned, it could grow cold.  The first step of permanent Social Distance,  "God – who do you want me to un-follow."  Playboy and lil’miss’nasty’ are probably prime targets for this wisdom of social distancing.   Ephesians 4:17 – So I tell you this, and insist on it in the LORD, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.  And this is not just sexual lust or impurity, there are actually house-porn sites - who would ever want to name that for their greed habit? or Ted Talks of those who love money, or ambition and self-promotions, whose advice is rooted in pride, not the humility that comes from wisdom.  Worldly wisdom, not God’s.  God’s Word always shares truth – and reveals secrets.  Stay away from those whose hearts are being hardened.  God’s command to you is exactly the opposite, Hebrews 3:13 – But exhort one another daily while it is called today – so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  No one walks away from sensitivity – it gets eroded away, you lose it little by little.  That’s why your Daily Call is built in protection.  It’s God’s design for you to overcome.  What does God say about these kinds of people (that you used to be like yourself…) There is no fear of God before their eyes.  That's why they act and seek what they do?  But how will we lead them to Christ?  God will tell you – but He will more likely tell someone else.  One truth of the mature in Christ.   You are not called to everybody.  Every person isn’t your mission field - the sooner you learn this truth, the free-er you will be.  God loves them, He’s got it covered, but that aint for you – that's not what God is calling you to.  Time to get to the next town, on the path that God has for you – it’s a highway, not a drainage ditch.  David understood this.  That’s why he did the opposite.  He kept away from these kinds of people and their influence, instead, He chose to gather with obeyers.  Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me.  (This sound a lot like his PiVAT Small Group to me)  Praying that God would help you discern the Social Distance that is isolation, and the Social Distance that is protection.  That you will reject any creep of influence of those who aren’t seeking the things of God, and that you would always get to six-feet of those God has ordained you to walk with for your overcoming daily, and your encouragement weekly.  And aren’t you so glad - that Social Distance guidelines have never applied to your Heavenly Father!  James 4:8 – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Not six-foot limit!  Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.  God’s not criticizing here this is just a loving warning, a word for the wise, those with ears to hear.  Germs aren’t the greatest danger to you – compromise is - a hardened heart.  PRISM will keep your hands washed, And PiVAT will distance you from it.  His plans for you are always a different path.   James 4:7-8  Submit yourselves then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  (the first step is don’t go where temptation is, and don’t hang with those who always end up getting tempted, either the clubbers – or the get rich quickers, or the wise in their own eyes-ers). Praying that there will always be zero-feet distance between you and your Heavenly Father.  You can trust Him.  You aren’t missing out on anything by choosing Him over everything else.  He will add to you everything you need, more than you ever gave up – and it’s always the best of what’s Good.
 
Love you all,
dad