"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." -Philippians 4:8
Often times in our lives, we give the devil a foothold; a place to rest his head at night- a pillow beside our own where only our Heavenly Father should reside.
As I was doing a Bible study today, the profound realization crossed my mind: how much truth is contained in the Word, and yet we so easily slip into a worldly mindset of settling for its absence. It's as if our thoughts have a default option of unawareness that we slip into; an alternate reality composed of nothing more than the devil's lies. The worst part about this is that it can be such a natural transition. It snakes its way into our every-day lives and attempts to make itself a home as if it's the new norm.
Guess what though? As Christians, this is not the normal and never should be. Spiritual attacks will always press against our fleshly nature and the devil will always be on the prowl, but we can control whether we submit or resist. We can decide to live every day powerfully, unleashing every ounce of ourselves into doing the Lord's work in trust. We can live today as if tomorrow will never come. We can know that whether we live or die, it will all be for Jesus. We can be confident that the road God is taking us on is second to NONE: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11
"Do not give the devil a foothold. God already has complete victory over him, so don't let him convince you otherwise."
We do not have to buy into the manipulation that the enemy attempts to use against us, however sly and subtle he schemes to plant these very seeds of toxicity. If we have the truth in us and the Word in our very grasp, we can discern what is from God and what is not- and in obedience we can choose to cling to what is fruitful for both our spirit and the spirits of those around us. This way, even the tiniest seeds of negativity can be identified and cast away in the Light of God's truth.
As Christians, we are expected to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." In order to achieve this, we can make sure our thoughts align with the thoughts that scripture says are worthy of recognition.
Are our thoughts true?
Are they noble?
Are they right?
Are they pure?
Are they lovely?
Are they admirable?
Are they excellent or praiseworthy?
If our thoughts are none of these things, why give them the time of day when we could be dwelling on the good? Why waste even a moment of our limited time here? As scripture asks, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?" -Luke 12:25
We all know the answer to that one!
By the way, my friend, if God has brought us through to today- if we have lived THIS long despite all of our worries, struggles, despair- He can surely bring us through anything. We can let go of control and let Him have the reigns; they're in the best hands when they're in His, anyway.
Hold onto hope. With God on our side, joy comes in the morning, beauty emerges from ashes, and the sun will shine again. Even if you feel like it has never shined, or hasn't in a long long time.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." -Galatians 5:22-23
May we embrace the fruit of our spirit. Be encouraged and don't let your thoughts make you a servant. Make sure they are serving you, as God's child working for His Kingdom's sake! Take every thought captive into the obedience of Christ.
Commenti