Power of the Mind

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect
will."

2 Corinthians 10:5 " We demolish arguments and every pretension that
sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every
thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Philippians 4:7-8 "And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things."

Colossians 3:2 "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things"

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN:
The mind is a powerful tool. It has the ability to motivate us or discourage us. What we perceive to be true in our minds, makes us believe it is true in our hearts and in reality. God wants to be in control of our mind in order to keep us focused on what is pure, holy,
lovely....on HIM. Satan also wants to be in control of our mind and he does this by lies. That is his weapon of choice, lying, and our minds are his number one target. If he can fool us into thinking that something "GOOD" is actually the "BEST, GOD'S BEST"...then he can deceive us and lead us down a path of destruction.

Think of Eve. He fooled her by lying and telling her that eating from the tree of knowledge would give her the same power as God. Is eating an apple a bad thing? No. Would Eve drop dead on the scene by eating the apple? No. So really, eating the apple would be considered 'good'...not 'bad', and certainly not a sin! That's how the devil uses his trickery to steer us away from God.

The mind is a gateway to our heart and our soul. If we allow thoughts from songs, movies, books, and friends that are not holy and pleasing to God to enter in through our minds, it plants seeds into our hearts that will later grow into weeds that can entangle us....or even strangle us.

Worry, Pride, Power, Insecurity, Lust, Failure...all of these start in our mind and can defeat us. BUT!!! The good news is that God can overpower and demolish those thoughts that Satan tries to use against us. When we focus on things above....JESUS and God's love for us...and not on earthly things (problems, stress, worry, money) the battle has already been won.

LET'S SUM IT UP:
We have the power in Christ to be transformed and no longer conform to the world and think like the world. Be heavenly focused...have a God perspective...pray for that!!

Glance at your circumstances and stare at Jesus!!!!

Who Are You Pleasing?

Galatians 1:10 "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?
Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Colossians 2:9-10 " For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and IN CHRIST YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO FULLNESS. He
is the head over every power and authority. "

My entire life I have been trying to 'perform' for people. My parents, my teachers, my coaches, and my husband. I have a very competitive nature and WINNING and BEING THE BEST at everything I attempted was the main goal. If I wasn't winning, making straight A's, or being the perfect wife....I was failing. I placed my worth and value in my trophies, crowns, and titles won. I always had an audience who praised me and people I was constantly performing for.

After I left college and no longer had an audience watching me, I felt a void. I sought out coaching cheerleading, partially because I needed a source for my love, joy, and peace and wasn't finding that in God. My team, the parents, and the school were now my audience who I was performing for to please. My self worth was based on WHO I WAS IN THEIR EYES...WHO I WAS IN MICHAEL'S EYES...WHO I WAS IN MY PARENTS EYES. I needed people to praise me because I didn't have a clear understanding of WHO I WAS IN CHRIST. (I am an heir to the kingdom of God and that makes me royalty! I am worth dying for.)

Understanding now that Christ doesn't call us to be 'perfect' and 'perform' for other people, I am learning who I am in Christ. Knowing my value in God's eyes frees me from the burden and pressure of trying so hard to please everyone else. I read a quote not too long ago that said, "Maturity in Christ is shown in who you are willing to
disappoint." Think about that...the more confident I can be in who I
am in Christ, the less worried I will be concerning which parent, friend, or co-worker I might disappoint. I am not living to please them...my worth is not devalued if they think less of me!!

Col 2:10 says "...IN CHRIST YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO FULLNESS..." I am not made complete and perfect in that dream job, in having another child, or finally getting to a certain point in life where I think I have 'made it'. It's in CHRIST and Christ alone that I am made full.
He is more concerned about my heart and the improvements I'm trying to
make on that than He is with my worldly achievements.

I shouldn't create this "audience" of followers I feel I have on Facebook, Blogger, my website, or anywhere else. My worth is not in how many likes I have, how many fans I have, or any of that. They are not who I should perform for....they are not who I should strive to please or entertain. It's Christ, and Christ alone.

I have an audience of ONE....and that's God. He's the only one I should be concerned with.

Convenience vs Sacrifice

I was getting very frustrated that Avery was waking up every morning this past week and interrupting my quiet time. She seemed to be waking up unusually early from her normal routine and I was getting hardly anything accomplished with my study. I felt agitated, annoyed, almost angry at times.

The final day of the week, I decided to stay in the bed with her and do my study, so she would feel me next to her and would sleep longer. As soon as I opened my laptop, she woke up. Ugghh! How annoyed I was. I closed my computer and talked to God about my frustration that I was continually being interrupted during my time with him. I heard him respond, "I am not a God of convenience". Ok God....tell me more. What does this mean? If you're not a God of convenience, the opposite is "inconvenient". That's not who you are either. He said, "I am a God of sacrifice". Here's what I felt him telling me....

"Paige, I don't want to be a God that just "fits" into your life when it's convenient for you. I didn't just "fit" you into mine when time was available. I gave my one and only son to DIE for you on the cross. I sacrificed my son so you could be with me in heaven. What are you sacrificing for me?"

- JOHN 3:16 "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE."

Ouch...Ok God. I get it. I'm going to have to WORK at studying your word. I'm going to have to WORK at following your commands. I can't be a follower of Christ in just the convenient times in my life when it's beneficial and easy. I have to be a follower of Christ in the hard times, too...when it will require sacrifice on my part....even if that means getting up at 6:00 a.m. every morning to have quiet time.

- 1 Chronicles 28:20 "David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and DO THE WORK. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

- LUKE 9:23 " THEN HE SAID TO THEM ALL: "WHOEVER WANTS TO BE MY DISCIPLE MUST DENY THEMSELVES AND TAKE UP THEIR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME".

I looked up the definition of the two words and here's what I found:

CONVENIENT:
Adjective:
Fitting in well with a person's needs, activities, and plans.
Involving little trouble or effort.


Wow...I can totally see how my quiet time in the morning was only out of convenience. I got out of bed when I woke up and was ready...it involved little trouble or effort... and if I just happened to sleep later one morning...I missed my quiet time. If Avery woke up and interrupted me, I missed my quiet time. How "convenient" was my quiet time for me? Very. I wasn't sacrificing much...maybe 20 more minutes of sleep.

SACRIFICE:
noun:
the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

verb: to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to,for the sake of something else.

God said he is a God of Sacrifice...he surrendered and destroyed HIS SON (something prized or desirable) for LIFE WITH US (the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim).

Wow....he considered fellowship and life with us more important and of more value than allowing his son Jesus to continue living life on earth.

I should be able to sacrifice SLEEP to spend time with my Lord, my God every morning. If I want adequate time to spend with him in the morning, I need to make some sacrifices and stop doing it just when it's convenient. What other areas of my life am I compromising my walk with God just because it's convenient to do something else? Every decision and choice I make should be a conscious effort to line it up with God's word and live by the Spirit, not by the flesh. Some sacrifices will have to be made for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. The result...LIFE AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANT. BLESSINGS....LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL:)

- GALATIANS 6:7-9
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Bearing Fruit

John 15:1-8 THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must be in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.  This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Galatians 5:16-18 LIFE BY THE SPIRIT

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

Galatians 5:22- 25 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

THE MESSAGE VERSION OF GALATIANS 5:22-25:

^- But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others (LOVE), exuberance about life (JOY), serenity (PEACE). We develop a willingness to stick with things (PATIENCE), a sense of compassion in the heart (KINDNESS), and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people (GOODNESS). We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments (FAITHFULNESS), not needing to force our way in life (GENTLENESS), able to marshal and direct our energies wisely (SELF-CONTROL).

 23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Galatians 6: 7-9 REAP WHAT YOU SOW

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN:

So many times I hear people say (myself included)..."I need more patience. I wish I had better self-control.  I'm so stressed, where's the peace?  I'm depressed, I need to be more joyful."  The misconception about possessing these traits is that we can attain them on our own, if we just tried harder.  News flash:  no matter how hard you try, YOU will never develop these traits on your own.  They are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and are produced only as a result of living a life connected to Christ.  

John 15 says, "...Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must be in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...."

Our true nature is a sinful nature.  Galatians 5 says, "... For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want..." 

How many times have you gotten so frustrated at yourself because you continue doing the same thing over and over again that you don't want to be doing??  You keep trying, out of your own fleshly attempts, to change...and just can't!  It is not you who will produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control.  It is the Holy Spirit living and working in you that will manifest these fruits.

Jesus tells us that he is the TRUE VINE, and his Father is the GARDENER.  We are the branches.  A branch will not produce apples, or blueberries, or peaches, just stuck in the mud all by itself.  It if is cut away from it's life source, the vine, it stops producing fruits and ultimately withers up.  When we are no longer connected to Jesus and stop going to him for our life source, we aren't able to produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  That branch, apart from the vine, can do nothing.  Just like us, when we aren't 'abiding' (living) in Christ, we can do nothing.  

My favorite part about this comparison is that God the Father is the gardener.  A gardener tends to his garden, helping it grow by watering it, fertilizing it, and pruning it.  If weeds are growing around the garden, he pulls them up and throws them out.  If branches aren't producing fruit and just taking up space, he cuts them off and then prunes the ones that are bearing fruit....so that branch will produce more.  You see, God wants us to be the branch that produces fruit.  He wants us to continue growing and produce more and more and more fruit.  In order for that to happen, he prunes us by cutting off and trimming back areas in our life that are interfering with our production of more fruit.  These areas could be things like time spent on the internet, hours spent on our job, friendships that aren't helping but hurting, selfishness in our heart, and pride, etc.  

LET'S SUM IT UP:

Ask God to show you what needs pruning in your life.  What is keeping you from abiding in Christ and producing more fruit?  One final thought to ponder comes from Galatians 6:7-9 ""Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

You can convince yourself that all of the work you are doing on your own is going to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit....but you can't convince God.  He knows your heart and cannot be mocked.  You will reap a harvest of whatever you are sowing.  Live in the Spirit, in Christ, in God...and you will produce everlasting fruit.

What does it mean to "live in the Spirit" or "abide in Christ"?  It starts with:

1. Accepting Christ as your personal Savior and accepting his free gift of eternal life through salvation

2. Developing a relationship with Jesus through an active prayer life and reading the bible

3. Find time every day to read his Word.  It is active and living, and when it enters your mind and heart, it moves, and changes, and transforms you!

Psalm 139

PSALM 139:

1 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord

5 You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light will become night around me."

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the   

    depths of the earth

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them  

    came to be.

17 How precious are your thoughts , O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.  When I am awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead in the way everlasting.

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN:

Omniscient = means "all knowing".  David, the writer of this Psalm, is fully aware that God is "all knowing" or "omniscient".  God sees all, knows all, understands all, creates all, and is everywhere.  I like how this chapter can be broken up into a few different segments and applied to different situations in our life. 

Verses 1-6:

1 O Lord , you have searched me and you know me

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord

5 You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain.

These verses set the scene for the chapter by David acknowledging God's omniscience and ability to KNOW ALL.  David is not asking anything in prayer from God, but he is praising his powerful works and again acknowledging what God is capable of doing.  God searches our inside and out.  He knows everything our heart feels, our mind thinks, and our tongue says.  This is a scary thought because we don't always think and say godly things!  However, I don't think David was writing this as a warning for others to watch their thoughts, he was writing as a form of comfort for himself that he has a God who knows him so well, who loves him so much, and who is there for him to protect, guide, teach, and comfort.  These six verses could be applied as reminder of what a powerful God we have, but also how much he cares specifically for us.  He wants fellowship with us, he wants an intimate relationship with us, and he seeks us, searches us, and knows everything about us.  We are that important to him, he knows everything about us. This is a comforting scripture for those who feel alone.

Verses 7-12

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light will become night around me."

12 Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

These verses make me think of those who are moving, going into uncharted territory, starting new adventures in life, and may be fearful of what's ahead.  No matter we go, God's Spirit and presence will always be there with us and guiding us.  I like the verse "...if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there you hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."  I think of my friends who are moving across the world for missionary work, and how God's hand will be there guiding them and holding onto them.  There's nowhere on this earth or in heaven that God cannot find you, or go with you, or even go before you and prepare the way ahead.  You are never alone when you have God on your side:)

Verses 13-18

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the  

    depths of the earth

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them 

    came to be.

17 How precious are your thoughts , O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.  When I am awake, I am still with you.

Love, love, love these verses here.  It is a very commonly used scripture for babies since it is talking about God creating us in our mother's womb. Really, it serves as a reminder of how wonderful and beautiful we are to God. These verses can serve as an encouragement to someone who is lacking self-esteem and self-worth.  Someone who feels unloved, not special, left out, or unworthy of more to life can read these verses and be lifted up.  Because God created us from the very beginning of life...he 'knit' us together, carefully creating us with each little detailed step...that automatically makes us wonderful!!  David says, "...your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  He knows that anything God creates is wonderful! That means us!  We were never hidden from God's sight, he saw our unformed body and he already ordained all of our days ahead of us....before we even entered this world.  No one cannot feel unloved or unworthy after reading that.  He thinks about us ALL OF THE TIME.  His precious thoughts toward us are more than the grains of sand on the earth.  Wow!! No one on earth , no matter how much they love you, can beat that.  

Verses 19-22

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

David is under attack and angry at the evil men who want to kill him.  He asks God, "Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?" He knows he shouldn't hate, but he does.  He has hatred in his heart because they hate the Lord.  In these next verses...he works it out with God.

Verses 23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead in the way everlasting.

David asks God, knowing that he can do this, to search his heart for anything impure, unholy, unrighteous, and for God to show him any offensive way in him.  He wants God to bring to his attention anything that is in his heart that stands in the way of him walking the narrow path, and living a life of righteousness in Christ.  We all have 'junk' in our hearts that isn't from God.  We were born into sin, and our human nature is to sin.  God's shown me many offensive things that are in my heart.  When he does, it's not fun, and hurts a lot, and makes you feel awful.  But he shows you those things to tell you..."Get rid of what's blocking you from living a fuller life in Me."  Pray and ask God to search your heart and see if there is any offensive way in you.  He will refine you like gold to get rid of the impurities, so you can be a better reflection of Him!

LET'S SUM IT UP:

These scriptures tell us how fearfully and wonderfully made we are.  They remind us that God is always thinking about us, loving us, and guiding us.  He is with us wherever we go.

If you spend too much time trying to see yourself through the eyes of other people, you miss out on seeing yourself through the eyes of God and how he truly sees you.  You miss out on moving forward with who God wants you to be.  You get caught up in "who you are in people" and spend too much energy in performing, acting, hiding, and trying to keep up.  It's exhausting and usually disappointing. God knows what's in your heart, you can't fool him.  He sees the deepest, darkest parts of you and still LOVES YOU!! The precious thoughts he has towards you outnumber the grains of sand.  He can and wants to reveal to us what's in our hearts that is standing in the way of walking a faithful path of righteousness with him.  When we start to live by "who we are in God", we are free from the burdens and chains of performing, impressing, and caring about what others' opinions of us are.  When we know our worth and value in Christ, we don't need to create our worth and value through our jobs, status, titles, or positions.  We aren't seeking praise from other people to remind us we are wonderful....we already know we are wonderful because we are created by the MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH :) !!!