{"id":3692,"date":"2018-03-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.org\/?p=3692"},"modified":"2024-08-23T15:41:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T15:41:40","slug":"handling-the-crowd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.org\/index.php\/2018\/03\/27\/handling-the-crowd\/","title":{"rendered":"HANDLING THE CROWD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Matthew 8:18     <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be wary of the multitudes. Being with the crowd could look exciting and inviting. The crowd gives a form of comfort and a sense of relevance, especially when the crowd is on your side. But we must be careful not to be sucked away and into the crowd. There\u2019s a time to be with the crowd and a time to depart from the crowd. If you are insecure in yourself, you will always need the crowd even if they are draining and distracting you. But for the man who knows his priorities and is secure on the inside, he can afford to live without the crowd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Jesus had the great multitudes following Him, He never committed Himself to them. Jesus commanded that they depart from the crowd. He knew who He was, what He stood for, why He came and where He was going. For this reason, He never was a crowd person. He never depended on the crowd. He never needed the crowd (See John 2:23-25). He knew that He needed to set the agenda and direction for His life, and not let the crowd do so. He was an intentional man, and He operated with great intentionality.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLord, make me as intentional and as deliberate as You were, and You are. While You were not a loner, You daily set the agenda and direction for Your life. Lord, I want to operate like You. Deliver me from the love for crowd company. Help me stay focused on Your priorities and to follow You deliberately, even when it means I must depart from the group of friends and loved ones. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matthew 8:18       \u201cAnd when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.\u201d  Be wary of the multitudes. Being with the crowd could look exciting and inviting. The crowd gives a form of comfort and a sense of relevance, especially when the crowd is on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-reflections-from-matthew"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t