Southside Scoop - 11.24.2024 by southsidecoc

T H E S C O O P

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Southside Church of Christ

800 Elmira Avenue

Durham, NC 27707

info@sside.org | www.sside.org 919.688.3535

STAFF

Orlander R. Thomas Senior Minister

William A. Stephens Minister Emeritus

Candice P. Blount Church Administrator

Quentella Williams Executive Assistant

John Merriweather Online Campus Minister

Dineen Merriweather Online Campus Director

DEACONS

John Alcox

Anthony Green, Sr.

Arthur Hackney

John Mathis

Chester Mayfield, Jr.

Roger McDougal

Joe Williams

Keith Wright

W E E K L Y W O R D

REVERSING DISTRUST

By RICKI FULLER

November has been a month in which we have attempted to understand how our genealogy affects and, at times, dictates our emotional responses to life’s experiences Where, and when, did distrust originate? How did we inherit this trait?

We’ve looked at the Israelites after their escape from Egypt, and have seen some very serious and inexplicable disloyal/unappreciative behavior by them On some level, it is evident that they were purely demonstrating behaviors they had learned from their ancestors The lineage goes from Jacob, his wives, and their sons - to Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and their sons. In actuality, the ancestry trail goes all the way back to Adam (the first created man-meaning humankind)

Disobedience to GOD’s Words of instruction and expectations was prevalent from the time of the ‘fall’ in the Garden of Eden, when Eve and Adam chose to eat from the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil.’ It is very clear that up until the time they ate the fruit of that tree, there was no concept of evil in their minds Jealousy and envy were highly prevalent after the ‘fall’ all the way to our present day People always wanted to be first and prominently recognized as superior (or something). WOW!

Well, the Israelites were not, nor are any one of us, able to return to the serenity and beauty of GOD’s peaceful Presence in the Garden of Eden Therefore, it is highly important that we focus our minds on the fact that we are intrinsically endowed with the character of GOD (Genesis 1:2627). We have to clear our minds of negativities, and take our rightful stand as GOD’s obedient images here on earth!

Since we cannot, of our own accord, reinvent the Garden experience, we can dedicate ourselves to studying GOD’s written Word to learn how The

Lord wants us to be like Jesus Christ in this present time (Philippians 2:1-6).

In the Psalms we are taught to always be thankful to GOD and to Praise Him about everything in our lives He Is our ‘Way Maker’ and our ‘Light in the Darkness’ Who Provides for us! [Take a few minutes to listen to this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ulFK2tv4GWQ] HALLELUJAH!

Thank You, Lord for Your Patient Grace which You shower upon us daily! Thank You for recognizing we are humanly subject to distrust because of the influential behaviors of our ancestors which are imbedded in our subconscious brain environs, and in our DNA!

Thank You, Lord for using different people and various means to show us how to turn distrust into trusting and obeying You Thank You for this singing artist, David Wesley, who You anointed to guide us through this song: ‘Trust and Obey’ https://www youtube com/watch?v=HSD1c0Geqc

Through Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, we are able to benefit from the reversal of distrust that Jesus effectuated in the Garden of Gethsemane (Romans 8)! In that Garden, He took our sins upon Himself! There He made us overcomers of negative thoughts and actions (Matthew 26:4042)!

Reversal and overcoming complete! HALLELUJAH!