Young people, you've got to really make a stand on this one here. Choose you're going to be a builder of lives, not a tearer down. See, you're not going to tear people down, you're going to build people up. I tell you what, you'll guarantee you'll become a leader. You'll guarantee you'll have genuine, authentic friends, and you'll also guarantee you'll experience a lot more put downs, because there's something about doing that, that really gets people upset and wound up. They just can't help it. They must do something. Even Saul, when he saw that people were complimenting David, he had to put David down, see? It's just part of life. The other thing it does, it causes us to begin to believe the things we hear. We begin form beliefs inside ourselves, so when we're living in a put down environment, there's a lot of put downs coming, it can be just a father who's a perfectionist, and nothing you do is good enough. So after a little while, no matter how hard you try, it's never good enough, so you're totally put down. What happens is you lose initiative, and when people get like that, and they start to agree well I'm no good, I can never do anything right or whatever. What happens then is then you become angry, and rejected, and distressed, and down.
Spirits come around your life, and they rob your potential, so we can't afford to agree with those things. So how can I get out of it? See, I have to get out of it. There are two lots of put downs I've got to get out of; one, the ones that are outside me. The ones outside me can never really destroy me. Anything outside me, I can actually confront and deal with, or use it as a stepping stone to grow. There is no put down outside you that has the power to defeat you, until you agree with it. The moment you agree with the put down, then demons come upon your life, and then it begins to reinforce in your heart, and then it begins to become effective in your life. So what do you do if you're in an environment where you've been put down, whether it be a home environment, whether it be a school environment, a work environment, whatever kind of environment? Listen, we can't always change the environment completely, but we can do some things. Here's some things you can do, and you've got to work out and let the Holy Ghost show you what to do.
We need wisdom from God what to do, but there is no put down environment that can destroy your potential. It can make it hard for you. It can make it challenging for you. It can make it very difficult for you. It can make it very painful for you, but what you do, is what will determine what happens. I'll give you an example. David was in an environment where he was continually put down, but he learned to strengthen himself in the Lord. Jepthah was in an environment where everyone put him down, because he was a half-breed illegitimate son of a prostitute. Everyone put him down, but he became the one God used to change a nation. He was in an environment where he was put down. The Bible says he fled, so one option, you leave the environment. You say goodbye, and you're off, and you change friends, change the circle of people you connect with, shut it off, say no to it, cut it off. So it would help if you're going to move in this area of beginning to start to grow on the inside, so we can be who God called us to be, and be unashamed. It would help if you got rid of all negative, scorning, mocking, belittling stuff that you're exposed to. The first place would be TV, newspapers, magazines, any kind of junk stuff. Cut it out, cut it off and begin to start to change what you're doing with your life.
Then evaluate the people around you. If they're knocking you down, and putting you down, number one, can you shift out of that environment, just have another group of friends, or cut down the time of exposure to them? If you can't do that, then you may be able to actually speak to them about it. Sometimes we can talk to people, and just challenge it. It's not always possible to do that, but many times you can just challenge it, and you'll find when you challenge it, then the full hate of it will manifest. You'll have no doubt then it's a spirit of murder, absolutely. You start to speak about someone who's putting you down, you'll then find out what's in them. That's good you see, so you've got no illusions. That person you're trying to seek their approval and friendship, and all they've got is a spirit of murder that puts down, they're not a suitable friend. They're not a friend. They're not going to help you forward in life, see, so you've got to sometimes make some shifts and changes. I've done it.