What's Mastering You?

 2 Peter 2:19

"They promised them freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity-for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them"

Before we begin, let's examine what it means to be a master. 

It's a person in charge of an organization or group of people. 

Usually when I hear the word, besides the automatic thing that pops up, I also associate it with a person who has the ability to control a person or group of people to do their bidding.

If any of us sit back and evaluate our lives we'll come to a conclusion about who our master(s) are. 

The thing about it is whether these masters that control us are good or bad. 

God or the devil. 

Truthfully, we should only have one master that rule over us and that is God Himself. Anyone or anything else is of the devil. Matthew 6:24

And even with this Master we are not downtrodden or burdened down with so many expectancies from Him. 

He doesn't beat us, nor does He take advantage of us. 

This Master is always loving, caring, and protective of us. He only wishes to see us prosper and thrive. 

If you are not following this Master, then who are you following?

Who is guiding you? 

Showing you the way?

Controlling you?

These four questions may seem odd and even weird to ask yourself, but I want us to take the time to actually do this exercise because sometimes things go on in our lives and we don't catch on to it until it's too late.

1). When you wake up in the morning what is the 1st thing you do in that first hour? 

Check your phone? Pray? Worry about your day? Just get yourself together? 

2)What are your goals for the day and what makes you feel like you accomplish them?

Are your goals aimed at pleasing someone? Are they catered to only making you happy? Do you only feel accomplished when someone else shows you praise? Are you happy within yourself because you did your best?

3)What are your thoughts geared to?

Are they Christ-motivated? Or, are they worried about what others think? Are you concerned about your social media presence?

4)Out of your entire day, what have you done the majority of it? 

Did you provide time for God? Did you spend it only working? Did you spend it with just chatting with your friends or doing a hobby?

What's your answer to these? 

Because based on what you truthfully provide is what may be mastering you. 

I remember a lot of years ago, I was so consumed by being on my phone. 

This was when social media was really coming around and I spent most of my time just fascinated with the amount of entertainment it provides. 

I would wake up and check my phone first thing in the morning and it would be the last thing I check before I go sleep. 

Even throughout the day, I would rearrange my time with God and my time with friends and family, just to have time to be on it. 

Mind you, I only had Facebook and Blackberry Messaging with a side of Instagram, but they were my masters. 

They were what my thoughts were geared to. They were what I wanted to please in making sure I spent enough time on them. It was what controlled my day.

At the time, it didn't feel like I was enslaved to them, but when I realized that I was so out of touch with reality because of it, I knew how far I had fallen.

Today, I just want to make us all aware of what may be controlling us. Whether it be subtly or bodily, I want to put a notice for us to be on guard.

It can be man, our flesh, social media, praise from man, sickness, lust, our jobs, dreams, careers, church and so much more that can try to control or master us and we won't know until they have led us so far from God. 

 Let us see who or what is mastering us. 

~TheRay