There is one thing that you can know for sure, and it is the reality that God has empowered you to shape and mold the quality of your existence. This power is extended to us through Jesus Christ, our powerful Lord and Savior. God never intended life to be one big, out-of-control mess. He is a God of supreme order, and through His Word and the example of Jesus Christ, we can take authority and begin to fashion our existences through the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. Part of doing this is drawing a line in the sand and being firm about the things we will not tolerate and give place to in our lives.
#1 Draining Relationships
Jesus Christ taught us the importance of unity and respect in our relationships. He modeled this for us in the way that he interacted with the disciples. Ephesians 2:21(NLT) tells us, “We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” As the body of Christ, we can see how connected we should be to one another, but not everyone will see it this way, including those who claim to be a Christian. Rather than adding to our walk in Christ and blessing us to go higher in him, we may find that some people are very draining. They limit our enjoyment of life, and it doesn’t feel good to be in their presence. Do not tolerate relationships that drain you. If you find that someone’s negativity is bleeding into important aspects of your life and keeping you from living a joyful existence, you are well within your rights to put some distance between you and them.
#2 Negative Conversations
One of the things that we will often dismiss is our responsibility to govern what we listen to and hear. God tells us in Colossians 3:8 that we should not let filthy communication come out of our mouths, and this should also remind us to not let filthy communication come into our ears. We should steer clear of it all together. Proverbs 17:4 (NLT) tells us, “Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.” These are the patterns of wrong doers. It’s certainly not the person that God wants us to be. It is important to remember that participating in negative conversations or listening to them can be corrosive to our souls. If a quality existence is our goal, this habit will point us in the opposite direction of it.
#3 Defeating Self-talk
We’ve heard it said many times, and it really is the truth; we are often our own worst enemies. We beat ourselves up with thoughts of inadequacy and feelings of self-doubt. God doesn’t want us feeling this way about ourselves. He commands us to honor what He says, and He calls us His masterpiece. The psalmist, King David, said in Psalm 139:14 (ESV), “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;my soul knows it very well.” David knew that he wasn’t a perfect man. He had made some mistakes, but from the depths of his soul, David understood God’s brilliance, omnipotence, and sovereignty. He was confident that he could be everything God created him to be. We must have this same level of confidence.
God has predestined each of us according to His divine Will and plan and having a healthy respect for our individual uniqueness will aid our Godly endeavors. The bottom line is that we should never say anything less than what God says about us. No human being is more of a masterpiece than the other, so you should never dismiss or diminish that you are masterfully created by our Heavenly Father, and He has great things in store for your life. We don’t have time for defeating or negative self-talk. Instead, we should busy ourselves with honoring our standing in Christ, because Philippians 4:13 tells us we can do all things through him because he strengthens us.
#4 Ingratitude
Gratitude is a strong sense of being truly thankful for what has been done for you or on your behalf. Colossians 3:17 (NLT) tells us, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Gratitude is a dominant attribute in the culture of heaven, and it is a legal requirement of operating by faith. Ingratitude in our Christian walk is not only harmful to our relationships with God, but also to our ability to remain in a state of well-being. Psalm 97:12 (NKJV) tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” God has given us life, and it is because of His grace that we are alive today. Clean your heart and mind of any hint of arrogance and don’t tolerate it in your life, because arrogance is a dream killer. Let your heart swell with gratitude over God’s goodness, because this pleases Him. Practice gratitude daily with thoughts, praises, and prayers of thankfulness to God for all He has done for your life.
#5 Living without Fun
None of us deserve all the blessings we’ve received, but our Heavenly Father chose to lavish the fullness of His love, mercy, and grace on us. Not only that, He has made us worthy to receive these wonderful blessings through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! In John 10:10, our precious Lord told us that he came to this earth to make a more than abundant life available to each of us. It’s true that some of us are living beneath our privilege, but this is something we can change. We can start by having confidence that Heavenly Father wants us to have fun and enjoy life. This is a very meaningful aspect of living an abundant life.
We see so many unhappy Christians, and we should be the happiest of all people because we have the knowledge of what Christ has accomplished for us. Don’t tolerate a dull existence. God never intended us to have a lack luster existence. Not only is it possible to be happy and have fun as a Christian, but the Spirit will help us to make the most out of every moment. He will help us discover new interests and to develop new talents. We just need to have faith in God’s desire to see us happy, and then make a conscious decision to enjoy our lives. So, have fun in life and let it be Godly.
#6 Ignorance Regarding Your Purpose
You were handpicked by Heavenly Father to be His very own, and everything He does is purposeful. Romans 8:28(ESV) tells us, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” This is an incredible piece of knowledge for us. God has called us and given us a purpose in His plan. So, few people know why they are here, and most often it is because their eyes are closed to it. They take life as it comes. Don’t adopt this kind of casual approach to life. God has given us the truth of His Word, the example of Jesus Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit so that we can carry out His purpose. This means that we must employ our lives for God’s Kingdom. We must incline our ears to His voice and to His Word so that we’re seeking Him in everything we attempt to do and continually following His guidance.
#7 Living Outside of Your Integrity
Integrity is a deeply embedded allegiance to uphold qualities like honesty, morality, and a strong sense of do-rightness. It is also a state of being whole, complete, and undivided. All of us have a register of integrity, and it is based on boundaries that we’ve set. It’s the things that we absolutely will not accept in ourselves and others. As we grow in Christ, our level of integrity should rise; not go lower. Don’t make decisions and choices that are outside your integrity. The price is too great. Don’t be impetuous. Before you make decisions, pause, listen to the indwelling Holy Spirit, and take the time to examine if something is well with your soul. The Holy Spirit will guide us and help us protect our integrity so that we don’t betray the example of Christ.
As Christians, the way we move throughout our existences daily should be built upon the mind and heart of Christ. Each of us has the capacity to build up ourselves to the extent that we flat-out refuse to accept things that move us away from his example. The bottom line is that when we take a stand on the integrity and authority of Christ, we will set ourselves up to be blessed, and life is so much sweeter when we do this. So, let’s be extremely careful and use only God’s tools to build a life. The end result will be pleasing to Him, and beautifully blessed for us. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Seven Things You Should Never Tolerate in Your Life” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.