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In this world we have millions of distractions that can take our eyes off of Jesus quite quickly. On top of that there is the daily grind of staying abreast of life's responsibilities. And..... not to mention, keeping up with our family in multiple situations that we face.
But there truly is a solution to the madness that is going on all around us! God's Word tells us in Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You."
I am sure we can all attest to the fact that God's Word works! When my mind and heart and eyes are focused on Christ, even in the midst of scary situations, I am at peace. I can function well and go about life walking in His perfect peace. Ahhhh, but when I begin to focus on the problem and all the "what ifs", I can get very anxious and turn into a basket case and really be in trouble!
The Lord has instructed us specifically to keep our mind on Him, because He knows the outcome when we don't. After all, He created us! He knows us inside and out! He knows as we fix our eyes on Him, we can trust Him completely and stay in constant prayer. We will experience His presence and perfect peace every time and expect His goodness to flow in our lives. That is where I want my heart to be always, for there is nothing like basking in His perfect peace.
Movies and books convincingly present some negative and quite terrifying versions of mind control. However, a quick review of my top thoughts and most frequent concerns over the past week confirms that I am in need of some serious mind control. What if he doesn't achieve? What if she procrastinates and misses out? What can I do to help? Maybe if I did this or that, perhaps they could.....and on and on, my thoughts stumble and repeat filling my mind with fears and worry about my loved ones and what could happen to them.
We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5b NLV
Okay, I have heard of this "Take control of your thoughts" verse but how do I do this exactly?
For though we walk (live) in the flesh,
we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh
and using mere human weapons.
2 Corinthians 10:3 AMP
If this is a war in my mind, and I believe it is, then I am going to need some serious tools for the battle. My own weapons include talking myself out of worrying, and giving myself a pep talk about being positive. When I am tired or worn down, I even add self-criticism and self-condemnation even though 'I know that I know' that doesn't help anybody.
Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
Proverbs 18:21 MSG
I appreciate the dramatic yet simple version above of the scripture "Death and Life are in the power of the tongue." The bible also teaches that it's not just any positive words that bring life, but God's Words are perfectly designed to defeat the enemy.
For the weapons of our warfare
are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood],
but they are mighty before God
for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4 AMP
How To Fight This Battle:
First, to believe in the One who sent His Son to die on the cross for my sins is to belong to Him (John 3:16). If I am in Him, then He is in me (John 15:5). The One who is in me speaks to me and leads me (John 16:13a). But how do I tell the difference from my own thoughts and the leading of His Holy Spirit? By knowing God's Word about the matter. God will never disagree with His own Words (John 16:13b).
Second, read God's Word every day. Think about what I've read (Proverbs 7:3). Then I will have His Truth to speak to myself each time I find myself pondering something with worry or concern.
Third, have faith that God cares for me and those I care about (I Peter 5:7) and that I can trust and depend on Him.
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord
with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
Proverbs 3:5 AMP
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me the way to be free from worry and concern. Please help me to understand Your truth as I read the bible and to remember the words when I need them (John 14:26). In Jesus name I pray, amen.
We all have some kind of chains. And I'm not talking about the proverbial ball and chain! For some it is a simple habit they cannot break. For others it is something holding them back from closer contact with God. And for still others it can be an addiction of some sort wreaking havoc with their lives. Sometimes the heaviest chains are those within the mind, such as low self esteem or even severe depression. Heavy chains can really drag us down, leading to the depths of gloom and despair. Of course, multiple chains can also be at issue.
The most difficult chain from which to break free is when we reject God. Sometimes that rebuff is subtle, like when we tell a "little white lie" to save face, or when we disobey a law as simple as speeding which is an offense against authority. These seemingly insignificant rejections of God's law can be the most insidious. It's easier to recognize rejection of God when it involves totally turning one's back on Him and choosing some other god to follow, or no god at all.
We have a gracious and merciful God. In spite of how we turn our backs on Him, or how many times, he grabs us by the shoulders and turns us back around, breaking us free from our chains of sinfulness. Sometimes we try to repair or even replace those chains, to go back to those behaviors that disconnect us from God. Again and again, God is forgiving and breaks our chains to restore us.
Psalm 107:14:
"He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains."
Prayer:
We thank you, our Heavenly Father, for sending your Son to break our chains of sinful behaviors and restore us as your freely forgiven children. As we let go of those familiar chains, may your Holy Spirit give us a strong faith like a magnet that keeps us closely connected with you. Help us to also forgive others and to show them your loving kindness. Continue to walk with us through the valleys of darkness and lead us to the highest mountains of glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN
written by Jan Andersen
Song: Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone, by Chris Tomlin
"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." -- Psalm 16:11
Many people are looking for the right path and never find it. Their lives are filled with addictions which don't satisfy, with excesses that are never fulfilling, with ideas and thoughts that never answer life's basic questions, with money that looks to more greed, with power that eventually destroys, with fame that fades like flowers in the sun. The list goes on.
Only God knows the path to a joy-filled and fulfilling life. It is by seeking His presence and following His ways. It only stands to reason that the God who created each of us is the One who knows how to give us what is best. He knows each of us better than we know ourselves and wants to give us the very best life has to offer. All true pleasures can only be found in a relationship with Him. Jesus Christ gives us the only right path to God.
written by Carol Steficek Song: Every Day Your Love Is New, by Esterlyn
It never seems to fail that when I am
feeling very confident and ready to take on the world….someone or
something challenges that. Perhaps not always an intentional thing
someone is trying to do directly to me, but sometimes it is just a
person I have to deal with that is a personality challenge for me.
Today, that was the case. I was very much irritated by this
personals actions and statements, which are very controlling and
judgmental towards me.
Luke 6:37English
Standard Version (ESV)
Judging Others
37 “Judge not, and
you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned;
forgive, and you will be forgiven;
The great thing that I want to share
about is the way I handled myself today. Yes, I was hurt, however, I
was able to respond without emotion and just carry on. I prayed
immediately, which of course was the best and most amazing thing to
do. I love turning to Him. He is my main focus of every moment. It
was not always that way, but, I have learned that if I want my heart
to continue to be at peace, then I need to completely keep Him there.
In turn, I then can completely love others. Yes, I can still be
hurt, and chose to not be close to people that are not “safe”,
but, at the same time God has taught me how to still love them and
pray for them.
Colossians
3:12-17English Standard Version (ESV)
12 Put on then, as
God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if
one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the
Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all
these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect
harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which
indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another
in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word
or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through him.
I can’t change anyone or how they act
or think, however, what I can change is my reaction to them, how I
think and how I love them. I can also learn from each experience and
make plans and set goals for myself to get me out of certain
situations that keep me in a position to be intentionally hurt by
people like that. Sometimes it takes time for those changes to
happen, but, if we love completely during the process and pray
continually, He will lead us to where we need to be, as well as we
will feel His ever loving joy in our hearts throughout each step.
Thank you, Father, for sharing your love with me personally and
showing me how to share it with all others.
Have you ever taken offense for someone else? What I mean is taking on an unnecessary offense. Of course we should rise up and defend the defenseless, and no doubt that's a characteristic that God programmed into us, but that innate quality seems to pop up even when the victim is perfectly capable of processing and dealing with the offense on their own.
I suppose along with everything else, this needs to be brought under control. It's appropriate to become offended and take action when our young child is being bullied at school, but not OK when it's our adult child being taken advantage of at work. I know others have taken on my offenses, and likewise, I've done the same thing with others. Recently I found myself taking on an offense that rightly belonged to God, and I'm still struggling to know how to process it.
I was completely taken off guard. I thought I knew exactly how to handle these things. After all, I've led Bible Studies in the past that dwindled down to practically nobody. I knew better than to let it get me down. I knew they were allowing things to get in the way of where God wanted them to be, and the best thing to do was to pray. It was a perfectly right and healthy way of looking at it. So, why is it that this time when it happened, I allowed myself to become hurt?
It's true that over the years, my mindset on the matter could have been negatively colored by experience. I suppose that's what contributed to certain phrases that were running through my mind like, "If I have God's blessing, it will be a success," and, "I must have not truly sought the Lord when I chose this study," and then finally my spirit was beaten down and I succumbed to, "This has happened so many times, it must be me." And that's when God brought Samuel to my mind.
Samuel and his sons were the last judges of Israel. He loved God and devoted his life to serving God and God's people. In his day, there were no kings because God was their king. A judge was a leader of the people. He did not control the people. God spoke through him. He worked and lived right alongside the people. He was a prophet, not a king. It was during Samuel's lifetime that the people began to demand a new kind of government. They wanted a king like the other nations had, and Samuel became offended. Samuel took his offense to God, and God's response was, "It's not you, it's Me." When I read this, it occurred to me that that's exactly what God said to me when He brought Samuel to my mind. In fact, I think I might have more in common with Samuel than I thought.
Like Samuel, I have a heart for God and His Word. Like Samuel, I'm a facilitator, working right alongside the ladies in my group doing my study. And like Samuel, I had taken on God's offense. Now although, I realize that God was rejected, not me, the truth is I was affected by it just like Samuel was. OK, so there was pain involved, but it's the cost of putting myself in a position of serving God and others. Samuel was told plain and clear that he was experiencing the pain that God experiences.
There's nothing wrong, or should I say, inappropriate about feeling the pain of someone else's offense. It causes us to examine ourselves to see if we are causing pain to others. That's definitely something I should be checking in myself on a regular basis...specifically whether or not I am causing God any pain. By the way, experiencing God's pain is something we're told will occur. Usually we see it in the form of persecution from unbelievers. I guess I shouldn't be surprised if sometimes the pain comes from our own brothers and sisters in Christ. I should still consider all joy, right?
We do cross the line, however, when we respond to that pain sinfully. What's important to me is that Samuel did not give up serving God. He did not run away from his calling because of the pain he felt. Even after Israel's government took on a whole new look, Samuel continued to serve and obey God. He was the same person that he always was to Israel. His role as spiritual leader never changed. He was respected by the people, because he was never rejected by them...God was.
God wants me to realize this. He wants it to sink down deep, and for me to not respond sinfully. He allowed me to experience His pain for a purpose...maybe to examine myself...maybe to bring me closer to Him...maybe both. What I do know is that it has led me to pray more for the ladies of my study, which is far from a sinful response. I also know that regardless of the experience, I will not give up my passion to serve God and others.
I was listening to a friend share today on the many hardships she has endured in her life over the years. She has had to literally learn from scratch what it means to fully put her trust in God.
I can definitely relate to her struggles. And it truly is never easy to be able to trust in the Lord with everything that is in us. But that is what He has asked His people to do.
Let's take a look at the passage in Proverbs 3:5A It says "Trust in the Lord with All your heart." And when His Word says All... God means All! We can't trust in the Lord half-heartedly and expect to experience His peace and rest when half of us are trying to do things in our own strength.
The Lord is super sincere when He tells us to trust Him with All of our Hearts. He knows when we do, it is then, and only then will we benefit profoundly. When there is that full surrender of trusting Him, all the striving, stress and anxiety will cease. In exchange for that the Lord will grant us great peace and rest and more in His presence.
Now I would say that is more than anyone could ever bargain for! The best deal ever!
