Have you ever had someone say. . . “I’ve been thinking about you?”

While we assume those thoughts are good. . .we have no idea what they’re thinking or how long they thought about us.

On a spiritual level. . .God does bring people to our minds. . .people he wants us to pray for.

In this teaching, I want to talk about someone who thinks about you 24/7.

1 Peter 5:7 in The Living Bible says:

“Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.”

He is “always thinking about you.”

Not only that but He is “watching everything that concerns you.”

Can somebody say “Hallelujah”?  You need to stop and really embrace that.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 40:17 in The Living Bible which says:

Over the years, I have sadly had a large number of people talk to me with tears in their eyes about how they lost everything they owned because of bad advice from well-meaning friends and family members..

Couples who got in on the ground floor of a ‘can’t miss,’ explosive money-making opportunity at the urging of a family member or friend only to watch the company go belly up and their money disappear faster than an ice cube on a hot summer’s day.

Dreamers who were robbed of their dreams by the doubts of someone who’s biggest decision is whether to have next Saturday’s breakfast at iHop or Cracker Barrel. 

Listening to the wrong people give unwise advice.

I could go on with other sad stories I’ve heard but let’s move on with seven reasons not to take their word for it.

First, when I say don’t take their word for it. . .let me clarify who ‘they’ are.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

I remember learning The Golden Rule early in life.

Later in school. . .I learned the modified version.

“Do unto others before they have a chance to do it unto you.”

As an adult, I learned yet another version of The Golden Rule.  This one says:

“If you’ve got the gold. . .you make the rules.”

The Lord led me to: 1 Corinthians 15:20-22:

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

As I was meditating on this scripture. . .I felt the Lord leading me to write on this passage.   At first, I wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted me to write about.

Did He want me to write that Resurrection Sunday should be celebrated 52 weeks a year?

Did God want me to remind everyone that He is the greatest giver?  That He gave us His only begotten Son that we might have eternal life?

Did He want me to remind everyone that He allowed the birth, life, death, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus because “. . . He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”  1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT

But then, at His urging, I looked up the words “. . .in Christ shall all be made alive” in the Strong’s Concordance.

What does it mean to be alive?  Is it just or only the opposite of being dead?

According to the Random House Dictionary the primary definition for alive is:

“having life; living; existing; not dead or lifeless.”

So in essence by the dictionary definition, if you can fog a mirror. . . you’re not dead. . .therefore, you are alive.

If your life feels complicated, stressed and out of control. . .you may need to simplify your lifestyle.

I realize that the word simplify is not in the King James Version of the Bible but we’re definitely directed to live a life free of complications, confusion, stress and anxiety.

Simplify means:  “Remove anything that complicates your life and preventing you from freely pursuing your purpose for living. . .while enjoying the journey.”

When we were in the process of selling our home once. . .my fine wife Bev had done an excellent in “feng shuing” (Chinese term) the house. . .which means removing the clutter and simplifying the look. . .so the room has an energy. . .thus allowingg potential buyers to see themselves living there.  Bev calls her process Holy Ghost "shuing" it because the Holy Spirit helped her make the decisions thus empowering the appearance of the room.

Here are seven ways to simplify your life.

1.  Remove spiritual clutter which causes confusion

According to dictionary.com clutter is defined as:

“to fill or litter with things in a disorderly manner; a disorderly heap; a state or condition of confusion.”

God would never do anything or for that matter. . .want you to do anything which would create confusion or clutter in your life.

1 Corinthians 14:33 in the Easy-To-Read Version says: