Deuteronomy 30:19) I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set worth before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.
This verse encourages us to choose life. What exactly does that mean? It means that we have a responsibility in our decision making. I can make decisions that promote life specifically a godly life. I am to judge myself in which way I should go. Should I do this or that? My responsibility ends at judging myself. This verse is not telling me to judge others, but rather myself only. By choosing life I am deciding to follow the Lord. My descendants depend on my decisions that I make now. I thought a little background into the above verse would be helpful.
Saying, "I can't help it," is the easy way out. It takes real courage to take responsibility for the actions that are not beneficial to us and the Kingdom of God. God lays on our heart these behaviors. Joyce Meyer says in today's study, "issues buried alive never die." I like that! They always resurface and usually they have grown. Joyce talks very candidly about the abuse she suffered as a child and teenager. She said she lived many years bitter and angry because of the abuse she endured. She felt she was entitled to feel anyway she wanted and act anyway she wanted because of the abuse she suffered. She stuffed her pain. It wasn't until she got brave enough to unbury her pain and allow God to heal her with His healing balm that she truly began to live. Joyce's story is amazing.
While most of us have never had to endure that kind of abuse we all have issues that cause pain. Joyce said her mind had to change before her life could. What I think about is mostly influenced by my experiences and let's face it, negative ones seem to stick in our minds. I do not have to accept what falls into my head. We are called to take every thought captive in 2 Corinthians 10:5. It takes no effort to think rotten thoughts or to dwell on the bad that has been done to us. It takes great effort and discipline to keep our minds on a short leash. He wants us to deal with our issues and what is in our minds. We can help what we think about. Joyce says she only began to be free when she took responsibility for her thoughts.
At times I have been in bondage in my mind. My battle has been very personally because it is a physical ailment that follows me everywhere I go. It seems impossible to not dwell on it. This is a lie. After all the Bible says, 'with God all things are possible." Please see Matthew 19:26. I can't help it, but God and I can help it together!
There are two ways in which I have learned to counteract bad thinking. Please understand that I am yet to arrive and I'm in the same battle you are. We just have to keep on fighting for right thinking. Joyce speaks of similar ways to counteract rotten thinking in her books an sermons.
1. Know Scripture. The only way to counteract Satan's lies is with the Word of God. Memorizing Scripture is crucial. There are different ways of doing this. Beth Moore makes great prayer cards that have specific verses for specific problems. I read these to Eli often. It's never too early to be filling your child's head with good. A battle binder is also helpful. Get a small flip binder and fill it with passages that speak to you personally. When you feel fearful, uneasy, etc. flip open your battle binder. Keep it in your car or purse. Post-Its are helpful also. Just jot down a verse or two and place it on your kitchen cabinet, fridge, or anywhere else.
We are all addicted to our phones, right? I have the You Version app on my phone so Scripture is just a touch away. Just last week I was waiting at the doctor's office. I have trouble with anxiety over these appointments which is weird because I have only been to what seems like 500 of them. Usually I will grab a magazine and flip though aimlessly or read Facebook or Pinterest. I am trying to distract myself with nonsense. How many articles can we read on banishing belly fat or how great the lives are of celebrities? I put down the magazine and decided to fill my head with real goodness. It took discipline.
2. It sounds cliche, but counting blessings helps keep the focus on the positive. I don't mean the obvious blessings like a safe house, trustworthy car, healthy children, plenty of food, etc. While it is good to count those blessings that is not what I am referring to here. I challenge you to get deeper. I have found that when I specifically think about the positive that has come from the trial my thinking changes. If you have not already read my entry title, "Moving Through the Muck" please do so. It lists specifics on the good that has come through my situation. Again this takes discipline because we often don't usually feel any good or see any for that matter.
In closing, I encourage you to try my recommendations and see what happens. It may be painful as you dig up some of those buried issues, but the freedom will be worth it. We can control what we think about. If we fill our minds with God's goodness than we are not sitting ducks to the constant barrage on our minds. We must be purposeful in our thinking. When I experience a victory like controlling my thinking better I sense Satan's disappointment and I like that!
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