Here I am minding my own business and I begin to think,
"That girl makes me so mad. She ignored me like I wasn't
even there! This is not the first time she has treated me like
this. I remember when she did this to me four years ago..."
Now I made this all up, but you get the drift because it
happens to you! We have three enemies: the world, the
flesh and the devil. The devil messes with the mind. He
uses the first person singular so it looks like you generated
the thought. "I am such a failure. I can't do anything right."
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)
The battle is in the mind. So, how do we renew our minds?
Let me share what I have been doing over the holidays in
this regard for it a loosing battle to try and defeat thoughts
with the mind.
David says, "I always set the Lord before me." I take this
to mean that as he ran from his physical and mental
enemies, he turned from them to the Lord in his inner being.
Repentance means to turn around. So, I turn from my crazy
thoughts to God. I make a deliberate effort to face God and
speak truth to Him. "You are steadfast love. You love me.
I can trust you in this situation." I do not wait for my
emotions to settle down. They lie, plus it takes me awhile
to go from a 10--highly agitated--to a 2 or 3. Seeing God
from the perspective of the scriptures, particularly the
psalms is a great place to go to.
Dear reader, if you do not know where to read in your Bible
this year, try taking five psalms a day. I like to go to the date
in each set. Today is January 6 so I will read
psalm 6, 36, 66,96 and 126. Next month I may start over
only this time spend a week in one psalm and write down
the phrases that jump out at me. I believe that God will
speak directly to me. I write out a prayer as a response.
Last year I wanted to get a chronological view of how God
moved in the lives of His people. This year I want to spend
more time in a passage or a verse. Regardless of how you
choose to read scripture, remember it is not a marathon but
a relationship! It is called intimacy.
"That girl makes me so mad. She ignored me like I wasn't
even there! This is not the first time she has treated me like
this. I remember when she did this to me four years ago..."
Now I made this all up, but you get the drift because it
happens to you! We have three enemies: the world, the
flesh and the devil. The devil messes with the mind. He
uses the first person singular so it looks like you generated
the thought. "I am such a failure. I can't do anything right."
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)
The battle is in the mind. So, how do we renew our minds?
Let me share what I have been doing over the holidays in
this regard for it a loosing battle to try and defeat thoughts
with the mind.
David says, "I always set the Lord before me." I take this
to mean that as he ran from his physical and mental
enemies, he turned from them to the Lord in his inner being.
Repentance means to turn around. So, I turn from my crazy
thoughts to God. I make a deliberate effort to face God and
speak truth to Him. "You are steadfast love. You love me.
I can trust you in this situation." I do not wait for my
emotions to settle down. They lie, plus it takes me awhile
to go from a 10--highly agitated--to a 2 or 3. Seeing God
from the perspective of the scriptures, particularly the
psalms is a great place to go to.
Dear reader, if you do not know where to read in your Bible
this year, try taking five psalms a day. I like to go to the date
in each set. Today is January 6 so I will read
psalm 6, 36, 66,96 and 126. Next month I may start over
only this time spend a week in one psalm and write down
the phrases that jump out at me. I believe that God will
speak directly to me. I write out a prayer as a response.
Last year I wanted to get a chronological view of how God
moved in the lives of His people. This year I want to spend
more time in a passage or a verse. Regardless of how you
choose to read scripture, remember it is not a marathon but
a relationship! It is called intimacy.
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