Refuse Trashy Thoughts

“As he thinks in his heart, so he is.”
Proverbs 23:7 NKJV


To listen to our vocabulary you’d think we are the victims of our thoughts. “Don’t talk to me,” we say. “I’m in a bad mood.” As if a mood were a place to which we were assigned (“I can’t call you. I’m in Bosnia.”) rather than an emotion we permit.

Or we say, “Don’t mess with her. She has a bad disposition.” Is a disposition something we “have”? Like a cold or the flu? Are we the victims of the emotional bacteria of the season? Or do we have a choice?

Paul says we do: “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

Do you hear some battlefield jargon in that passage—“capture every thought,” “make it give up” and “obey Christ”? You get the impression that we are the soldiers and the thoughts are the enemies. Our assignment is to protect the boat and refuse entrance to trashy thoughts. The minute they appear…we go into action. “This heart belongs to God,” we declare, “and you aren’t getting on board.”

I WILL GO BEFORE YOU

“For I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight.” Isaiah 45:2

What a tremendous covenant promise God has made to those who will dare to turn from their self-imposed ways, exercise child-like faith in Him, and follow Him. So often we fall into the shallow security of the present, by not allowing the sins and failures of our past to help us, and to challenge us for the future. The lessons God has tried to impress upon our hearts from the trials we have endured, should propel us to new ventures of undaunted faith, steadfast reliance on Him, and triumph!

But have we so learned? Do we recognize the impetuous haste in which we respond to life’s encounters, when patient perseverance is needed? Is present anxiety and concern causing us to lunge forward with impulsive thoughtlessness? Do we fail to remember how devastating our actions were, when we unconsciously disregarded holy concern, inward inability and weakness, trusting in our resources rather than God?

How rewarding it is to transform this destructive anxiety into constructive thoughtfulness, finding our point of reference in God, His Word, and the Holy Spirit. How destructive it is to rely on our carnal nature, that exalts the sinful resources of SELF. Our strength is found in Christ, our focus is to be fixed on Christ, our hope is secured in HIS faithfulness, not ours!

Satan points his ugly finger at our failures, and delights to see us rush to acknowledge…“Yes, I’ve failed again, I’ve been neglectful again, I’ve fallen into the same trap again!” We are admitting that “I” have failed. GOOD! But we must also recognize that sometimes we act impulsively within the realm of "our" strength, and do not rely upon the ONE who is the SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH--Jesus Christ. We were "ambushed" by the enemy, forced to engage in warfare, and unknowingly fight the enemy in "our" strength…not HIS. God has promised that we “are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Why do we do this? I think we live in the “UNCONSCIOUS REALITY” of simply not “abiding in Christ.” Unconsciously, we rely upon “our” resources, gifts, personality, and ability. We think, “I really don’t need to involve God in all of this, I can handle it.” But we do so to our own peril. We are living within the walls of our own self-inflicted bondage, rather than “walking in companionship” with Christ. We become engrossed with "our" concerns, "our" involvement, and "our" interest, which all may be good in themselves, BUT we do so, at the expense and exclusion of, unwavering trust and reliance in Christ. Therefore, in the haste of our unfocused actions we forget that “of Him, and through Him, and to Him, ARE ALL THINGS, to whom be glory forever” (Romans 11:36). This is a constant challenge to every believer, not occasionally, but every day! BUT…God has promised to be our refuge and strength, our shield and defense, our sure foundation, the resource for ALL our need as we trust Him!

“I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight.” For what purpose? That you may know that “I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, YOU ARE MINE…For I am the Lord, your God” (Isaiah 43:1-3). A provision beyond our comprehension, by the ONE who has made it all possible--Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.



From: Literature International Ministry - Ed Powell

The Missionary’s Goal

He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . . ’ — Luke 18:31


In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him?". . . till we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . ." ( Ephesians 4:13 ), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God’s will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord.

In our Lord’s life, Jerusalem was the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will upon the cross, and unless we go there with Jesus we will have no friendship or fellowship with Him. Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go "up to Jerusalem."

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" ( Matthew 10:24 ). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our "Jerusalem." There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going "up to [our] Jerusalem."

". . . there they crucified Him . . ." ( Luke 23:33 ). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace they end in glory. In the meantime our watchword should be summed up by each of us saying, "I too go ’up to Jerusalem.’ "



From: RBC - Utmost For His Highest

Change Comes Along

Our Unbelief

Jesus said, "All things can be done for the one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
- Mark 9:23-24 (NRSV)

THE drive to the hospital was snowy. The grandparents in my car were in shock. Their daughter and five-year-old grandson had been in a terrible traffic accident. The daughter came away uninjured, but the grandson had fared much worse. The grandparents in my car were pleading with the Savior much as the father in the Mark 9 passage pleaded for his son's healing.

As the days of waiting passed, they were desperate to find the right prayer. The condition of the child worsened; the church stood with them, praying through the pain. How could we believe? We began praying, "Lord, help our unbelief."

The Lord heard and gave those grandparents a week more with their grandson. That helped them to deal with the tragedy they were facing. As the little boy neared death, we learned that another family was praying as well. Their little girl needed a heart. God helped two families through times of great pain. Though one child died, the little girl whose name we never learned lives on. The family's compassion mirrors the compassion of the One who helps our unbelief.


Prayer
Loving Father, strengthen our faith in the most painful moments of life. Amen.


From: UpperRoom - David B. Smith

Wait ’till You See Me When I’m Done

Philippians 1:6
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


God Finishes the Job

God chose you, called you, declared you not guilty, and is now glorifying you. Sometimes we think that God can’t possibly make us to be like Jesus. But, He can because he is God. He can and he will—It’s a promise.

It’s very interesting to watch a master potter work, especially if you can track the whole process of making a single bowl. First, he prepares the clay, which involves wetting it, beating it, cutting it, and kneading it over and over again. It often takes a total of several hours over two or three days to make the clay just right.

When the clay is ready the potter places it on a wheel that spins it while he presses on it to make the shape emerge. He pushes and pulls and cuts and carves until the shape he has in mind emerges. Then, he sets it on a shelf for a few days to dry before firing it.

The firing process is usually done in two stages. The first stage hardens the clay so it isn’t so fragile while the artist applies the glaze. After the first firing, the potter applies glaze to the bowl. The glaze is very thin clay with chemicals that will change into beautiful colors as they melt. At this point, the piece still looks like some carefully shaped and hardened dirt. The final firing heats the bowl to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes the bowl very hard and durable. It also reveals the colors and designs the potter applied to the surface. Only after the clay has been beaten, shaped, stretched, and fired can we see the beauty that was in the mind of the potter from the very beginning.

Remember that God is the master potter of your life. He planned, prepared, and organized every part of who you are and what you will experience so that he can reveal the beauty he has in mind. He will keep on working, forgiving, and training you throughout your whole life. He will keep the heat on when it’s needed. But, he’ll also give you times of rest and peace.

The most important facts in all of life are these: God loves you and there is nothing that can keep him from making you perfect and complete. When you stand before him in heaven one day, all the beauty he built into your character will be clearly seen. Don’t be surprised when you realize that you look very much like Jesus, the glorious Son of God.


Today’s Prayer:
Lord God, I praise you that you do have a plan to make me perfect and complete, just like Jesus. I also praise you for being so loving and powerful because that makes me confident that you will complete the job you’re doing on me. Please help me.


From: New Wine Skin - Written by Martha E Menne

Your Home and Family

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” Ephesians 3:14-15

I am going home for a few days to see my family. As I say the words “home” and “family,” I catch myself wondering what my definition of these two words really are to me today. Technically, I have three families: one in my own home, the second in the family I grew up, and third is the family of God. The same context applies to with the word “home.” For some of us, home is somewhere away from the family and vice versa. Confusing? Now let’s add what Paul says about our “family.” We are all one big family in heaven and earth named by our heavenly Father. Our real home awaits us in heaven. Until then, we all seek and search for that loving embrace and acceptance from our earthly homes and families.

So, what is the point? For me, every time I “go home,” I end up dealing with certain emotions, feelings and thoughts. Some are pleasant and some are not. Death, divorce and disease are just a few of those unpleasant ones that have touched my family. However, there is also that family connection God has put within all of us of a desire to spend time together and have fellowship. For me though, I am most thankful for the family of Christ. As I look around my life today, I realize that the friendships I have represent the family that God has given me. I am so very thankful for the love and fellowship in the body of Christ.

Even if our earthly families are not the most stable and strong, we can be encouraged to know that our heavenly family is one in the Lord. It will not matter when we get to heaven who did what to whom or how much pain was involved. Our heavenly Father will take care of us all and home will be with Him. The old saying says that, “home is where the heart is.” I believe that to be true. If my heart is with Jesus, then there my home is also, not just with Jesus in heaven but here on earth with His family. I love and appreciate my family very much but I take much comfort in knowing that I have the greatest family of all in the body of Christ.



From: CrossWalk Devotionals - Daily Disciples