I’M NOT PARTICIPATING! Count Me Out!

I’M NOT PARTICIPATING!

Count Me Out!

Hey Bloggers!

When I say it’s a good day to be alive—I really mean it!

There is nothing like waking up in the morning and realizing you have the activity of your limbs, breath in your body, and nothing preventing you from getting up and starting your day.

I love the early morning hours. Before I officially rise and begin my day, I enjoy having a cup of coffee and sitting with God.

Oh, what a pleasure it is!

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to put a smile on my face. Just knowing that I can get up an hour early, sit quietly with God, sip my coffee, and prepare myself for the day does wonders for my mental and emotional wellness.

That quiet time settles me.

I pray.

I listen.

I reflect.

I prepare.

Sitting before God allows me to seek His direction for my day. He settles my spirit with peace and prepares me for whatever may come my way.

So, by the time I get to work, I’m ready!

Good day? I’m ready.

Challenging day? I’m ready.

Something unexpected? By the grace of God, I’m ready for that too!

And that brings me to the title of today’s message:

I’M NOT PARTICIPATING!

COUNT ME OUT!

Recently, something happened in my neighborhood that was horrifying and completely unexpected. My neighbors and I did not see it coming. Since I’ve lived in this area, I personally had not experienced anything like it.

Now, of course, I’ve heard stories about the area. I’ve even seen some things with my own eyes that I simply could not unsee. But I made a decision that I would not allow fear to control how I live my life.

The Bible says:

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

So, no—I refuse to live in fear.

But hear me clearly: Living without fear does not mean living without wisdom.

There is a difference between being fearful and being watchful.

There is a difference between worrying about everything and paying attention to what is happening around you.

There is a difference between panicking and using wisdom.

Proverbs 4:7 (KJV) says:

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

And wisdom tells me that I should not ignore signs that could potentially bring harm or destruction to myself or others.

Bloggers, when I tell you this situation was crazy—I mean it looked like something straight out of a movie!

Thankfully, no one was hurt. Everyone was safe. And I could not help but recognize the hand of God’s protection because the situation could have turned out much worse.

And that experience reminded me of something important:

DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE STORM COMES TO PRAY!

Pray now!

You may not have time in the middle of an unexpected situation to fall on your knees and begin seeking the face of God.

Build your prayer life now.

Seek God now.

Spend time with Him now.

You have no idea what may be waiting around the corner.

Now, that does not mean we should walk around expecting something bad to happen every five minutes. Absolutely not!

But life has a way of life-ing!

Things happen that are completely outside of our control.

Notice what I said: outside of OUR control.

Because nothing is outside of God’s control.

He knows.

He sees.

He understands.

And nothing catches God by surprise.

Our responsibility is to pray, trust God, and use wisdom concerning the people, places, and things we allow to surround our lives.

So, let’s talk about one of those today.

LET’S TALK ABOUT PEOPLE…

The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (KJV)

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Another translation expresses it this way:

“Bad company corrupts good character.”

In simple terms, the people, conversations, and influences you continually surround yourself with can eventually affect your character, behavior, thinking, and choices.

So be careful about what—and who—you allow to influence you.

It’s easy to say:

“I’m not participating!”

That is, until the pressure shows up at your front door.

Until someone calls you with the latest story.

Until the group chat starts buzzing.

Until somebody says:

“Girl, let me tell you what happened…”

Uh-oh!

Here we go!

This is where we have to be careful.

Because negative influences can begin affecting positive behavior.

Wrong conversations can begin changing right thinking.

Bad influences can slowly weaken good character.

What you continually entertain can eventually influence how you behave.

And who you surround yourself with can help shape who you become.

That is why I have decided:

If it requires me to compromise my character—I’m not participating!

If it disturbs my peace—I’m not participating!

If it pulls me away from who God is calling me to become—I’m not participating!

If I have to tear someone else down just to participate in the conversation—

COUNT ME OUT!

The Scripture says evil communication corrupts good manners.

Think about that for a moment.

Something is attempting to corrupt the good that God is developing inside of you.

Your good character.

Your integrity.

Your compassion.

Your peace.

Your ability to love people.

Your ability to see the best in others.

Your intentions may be good, but that does not mean every conversation is good for you.

I know that people like myself often want to give others the benefit of the doubt. We listen because we genuinely want to help. We want to understand. We want to solve the problem.

But sometimes, while trying to help solve someone else’s problem, we become involved in conversations we were never supposed to be part of.

And before you know it, what started as “I’m just trying to help” has turned into gossip, criticism, slander, and unnecessary discussion about someone else’s life.

Sometimes you have to realize:

There are some problems you cannot solve.

You have to put them into the hands of God through prayer.

DID GOD ASK YOU TO DISCUSS IT?

One of the tricks of the enemy is to deceive God’s people into believing that we can solve other people’s problems in our own strength instead of taking those concerns to God in prayer.

Instead of praying—we gossip.

Instead of interceding—we criticize.

Instead of covering—we expose.

Instead of encouraging—we tear down.

Instead of seeking God—we spread the story.

But here’s the question:

Did God ask you to discuss it, or did He call you to pray about it?

Whew!

That’s an Aha Moment!

Some things were never meant for the group chat.

Some things were never yours to repeat.

Some things were never yours to fix.

And some things need to go straight to the prayer closet!

You don’t always need to respond.

You don’t always need to give your opinion.

You don’t always need to know all the details.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is:

“I’m going to pray about that.”

And then actually PRAY!

COUNT ME OUT!

I am on a journey where I’ve decided that if something doesn’t align with the life God is calling me to live—

COUNT ME OUT!

I’ve come too far, especially in my personal journey of healing with God, to go backwards now.

I’ve put in the work.

I’ve prayed.

I’ve cried.

I’ve had to confront some things within myself.

I’ve had to release some things.

I’ve had to forgive.

I’ve had to grow.

And I’ve had to allow God to change me from the inside out.

Am I perfect?

Absolutely not!

I’m still growing.

I’m still learning.

God is still working on me.

But I’ve come too far to willingly participate in things that threaten my peace, my character, my integrity, or my spiritual growth.

I worked too hard to get here.

And more importantly, God has done too much in me for me to casually return to the things He has been bringing me out of.

So…

Gossip?

Count me out!

Slander?

Count me out!

Tearing someone down?

Count me out!

Destroying someone’s character?

Count me out!

Entertaining conversations that don’t align with who God is calling me to become?

COUNT. ME. OUT!

I don’t have to attend every argument I’m invited to.

I don’t have to participate in every conversation that comes my way.

I don’t have to pick up every offense.

I don’t have to carry somebody else’s bitterness.

And I certainly don’t have to sacrifice my peace just to fit in.

Sometimes protecting your growth means knowing when to walk away.

Sometimes protecting your character means knowing when to be quiet.

And sometimes protecting what God is building inside of you means having enough courage to simply say:

I’M NOT PARTICIPATING!

I’m protecting my peace.

I’m protecting my character.

I’m protecting my integrity.

I’m protecting my spiritual growth.

I’m protecting what God has been building in me.

Because I’ve come too far to go backwards now.

Evil communications corrupt good manners.

So if it doesn’t align with where God is taking me…

If it requires me to compromise who I am becoming…

If I have to lose my peace just to participate…

Then my answer is simple:

COUNT ME OUT!

Lauretta’s Aha Moment

You don’t have to participate in everything you’re invited into. Some invitations aren’t opportunities—they’re distractions. Use wisdom. Guard your character. Protect your peace. Pray about what you cannot fix, and have the courage to say, “Count me out!”

Until your next Aha Moment…

Keep growing. Keep praying. Keep choosing what protects the person God is calling you to become.

Lauretta Scott

Founder | iPublishub-Books

Publishing with Purpose & Faith