Don't Feed The Chickens

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Below is a very thought provoking reading!! There are some folk, possibly because of their life experiences push folk away from them because they tend to be very negative, complaining and bitter. Their level of toxicity is high. They need, not so much our criticism but they need even while in that kind of repelling kind of state to be loved and helped, if it is possible for you to do so.  I mean help ...... because we are called to love the unlovable. 
Someone else may best help that individual, though not necessarily you. With all of our profession, the litmus test for the genuineness of our Christ like spirit is how we treat those whose behaviour would tend to make us run away from them. 
While we must do what lies in our power to help such individuals we still have to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves and not imbibe their spirit of negativity, which really boils down to a lack of trust in God to handle their affairs. 

Don't Feed the Chickens
by Kim Potter
I bet that title caught your attention!  Allow me to explain.  Yesterday I drove to my daughters house to pick up Brailee, my granddaughter.  She was going to ride with me to get her brother from school.  Brailee is four.  When I pulled into her driveway she was in the yard, surrounded by chickens, and she was mad!  She was yelling for the chickens to quit following her around.  She had her little hand behind her back and she was fussing at the chickens.  
I got out to help her get the chickens away but every time I would shoo them away they would come back to Brailee, I didn't know what else to do so I put Brailee in my vehicle and shut the door.
A few minutes later Breanne came out and got in the vehicle and we left.  I told Breanne what was happening and she said 'well, yeah, Brailee had chicken feed in her hand, that is why they were following her!'  She went on to say 'I told Brailee if she didn't want them following her around, quit feeding them.'  
A light went off in my spirit!  If you don't want something following you around stop feeding it!  Profound.
I began to think about people who are always experiencing chaos in their life, it seems SOMETHING dramatic is always going on.  Could it be that they are feeding the drama?  
I thought about people who constantly have strife and division in their life, could it be they too are feeding the strife and division?  If you don't want strife, don't feed it.  If you don't want gossip and tale bearing in your life, stop feeding it.  Starve it to death by not allowing it to come out of your mouth and not allowing it to come into your ears!
To feed is defined as; to furnish something essential to the development, sustenance, maintenance, or operation of.  
If you don't want anger, or bitterness or strife, it is simple.  Stop feeding it.  If you find yourself around people who want to feed those things in you - stop spending time with them.  
Ephesians 4:31-32 says; 'Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.'
The Amplified Bible says it like this; 'Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.'
To be put away from you means to first of all, rise above it, take yourself above it and then it means to remove it from your midst - don't even let it come near you.
There is a person in my life, actually in my family, whom I love dearly.  She is a treasure to my life.  However, when I am around her, she always talks about other people in a negative way.  I have found that if I am around her, I listen and I get angry - it feeds that thing inside me that I don't want nourished or developed.  Therefore I can't spend time with her - I greatly limit my time with her.  I refuse to feed that part of me.
Instead I choose to feed the godly side of me.  That is what I want to grow and develop in me, not the flesh side.
The fruit of the flesh may be bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking BUT the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  The fruit of the Spirit is what I desire to feed in me, knowing when I feed my Spirit, it is developing something good in me, something well pleasing to God.
Can you see it?  Imagine, just like Brailee you have Spiritual food in your hand, what is following you around?  Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control!
Is anger following you around today?  Or bitterness?  Or unforgiveness?  Or doubt?  Stop feeding it and it will stop following you.  Instead feed your spirit, renew your mind with the word of God.  Pray in the Spirit, build yourself up on your most holy faith.  Feed ONLY what you want to grow.  Feed ONLY what you want to follow you around.  It's all in your hands...hear me please when I say this - it is all in your hands - feed only what you want to develop and remain in your life.  Wow, I love when God speaks in simple truths, don't you!
 
Prayer for Today:  Father, I refuse to feed bitterness, wrath, anger, unforgiveness and anything else that is not of you.  I absolutely refuse to feed doubt another day.  I feed ONLY what I want to grow, therefore I feed my Spirit daily with the word of God, I renew my mind and feed my Spirit - I grow daily in the ways of God.  I grow daily in the word of God.  I walk in the fruit of the Spirit each day, for this I give you praise, in Jesus name. Amen!