Do you remember the story about Jesus walking on the water, and Peter asking Him if he could do it too? Peter got out of the ship and started walking on the water toward Jesus.
"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord save me. Immediately, Jesus stretched forth his hand, caught him, and said, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:30-31)
What is the "boisterous wind" today? What blows a lot of hot air, stirs up a lot of commotion, and makes people afraid? Can you guess it? You know what it is, don't you! It's the media! They tell us
- what to think,
- what to worry about,
- who our voting choices are,
- what's politically correct
- how to dress, and
- how horrible everything is on a minute to minute basis.
To a great degree the wind is the media. Whatever negative it doesn't amplify, it manufactures! Just because it's on the news doesn't make it true!
In a conversation with my friend Lisa Rae
Preston, she made a profound statement. She said, "We don't live in a free country anymore. Our dictator is the media." Think about it. There is a lot of truth to that statement.
To the degree to which we pay attention to the media, we are enslaved by it. To the degree to which we believe it and live our lives by it, it creates
that reality in our lives.
When they were really ramping up about how bad the economy was, do you know the first places that were suffering? It was the local charities that provide food for the needy. People saw financial troubles on the horizon and the first thing they did was stop giving. That is the LAST thing to do. Did you ever once see a picture of Jesus with tight-clenched fists? Did He ever say, "Go away"? Did He ever
lament, "There's not enough food for you here"?
Rather he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38).
When things get difficult, it's not time to contract and withdraw (become afraid and sink). It's time to reach out, lift, give and bless!
There is plenty and to spare on this planet. God created it that way. Everything in nature is about abundance. It's when we start listening to the howling wind and watching the waves whip that we go against what we know is true. That's when we start to sink.
That's why I'm asking you to join me in turning off the negative news! That's right. I challenge you to turn off the
negativity for a week. When you do, you'll see you don't need it anymore. You might stretch it into a month, or even into a way of life. I haven't watched the news in years. Sure, I've seen a bit in passing here or there, but I haven't actively watched it in over a decade. People around me do, and they keep me well informed -- too informed. I've heard too much about how bad things are, and I don't even actively feed my brain with it!
So I challenge you, for one week, turn off the news.
- Don't watch those contentious talk shows that abound.
- Flip the channel on the radio when it goes to a news break.
- Walk away or change the subject when other people start passing along the negativity they've heard.
- Don't talk about it yourself.
If you need weather updates, watch the Weather Channel or go to www.weather.com
. You can even install the weather on your desktop and know at all times what the temperature is. It'll warn you if there's a REAL storm coming. You can also subscribe to www.Congress.org to know what issues Congress is voting on so you can write your representatives and senators accordingly.
Fast from negativity for one week, and replace it with good things.
- Share more time with your family,
- read a good book,
- read more in the Word of God,
- get creative with your business,
- share positive conversations with others,
- and count your blessings!
I predict that as you do this, you'll feel a sense of peace, a sense of liberation, and a feeling of gratitude for the good that surrounds you.
Focus on the good, and you'll find more of it. If we keep focusing on the negative by watching the media, we're going to find more and more of it until we're overrun by it.
Join me in this campaign I'm calling, "No News Is Good News." Forward this to your friends and family. Let's vote with our eyeballs, and tell the media we're sick of their negativity and mind games. We're ready to ACT for ourselves and not be acted upon any longer! Let's start a revolution against the dictator media and proclaim our liberty today!
Marnie -
I agree with your news fast! Recently, I did an energy call with several of my clients to release fear and worries. So many of my clients were wrapped up in the negative energy from the news. I skip the news and find it is much easier to stay in a balanced place without it!
Posted by: ashlee | November 14, 2008 at 01:07 AM