Princes also sit and speak against me, but your servant meditates on your statutes.

Psalm 119:23

 My mind used to be a battlefield, a theater of war used expertly by the enemy to oppress, control and render me useless for the cause of Christ. Darts of the enemy used to fly unchecked, inflicting damage on my heart and soul. Jagged wounds hemorrhaged confidence and peace as I struggled to stop the flow. I was a victim of my thoughts — at the mercy of whatever drifted into my mind. One nasty comment from  a coworker or supervisor and I would embark on a three-day pity-party, complete with sleepless nights and a churning stomach.

I didn’t want to think about the harsh words echoing around the corners of my mind — I seemed to have no choice. They’d flash in HD, vivid and brutal, as I relived the hurt with each replay.  I needed to learn to control my thoughts and take them captive for Christ and shut off the broken record. I needed to learn Christ had set me free.

I needed to listen to what He says.

As Christians, we decide what to meditate upon.

We have several choices. We can think about:

1. What we say about ourselves
2. What others say about us
3. What the world says about us
4. What Satan says about us (LIES, LIES, LIES) or
5. What God says about us (TRUTH, TRUTH, TRUTH)

Satan will always lie and friends will usually only tell us what we want to hear. We can’t trust what the world says or our own words either. Our only trustworthy source is God. If we listen to any other source we’ll miss God’s will and disobey Him in order to “eliminate” fallout from critics. Peace no longer depends on Christ, but on the absence of conflict.

So how do we silence the broken record?

Focus on God and what He says.

Simple — yet, oh so challenging.

Turn off the lies.

Stop cooperating with the enemy.

Start agreeing with God.

Listen to what He says.

The Battle Plan:

1. Shut down the lies. The second a thought slithers into your mind that does not agree with what God says about you, shut it down. (For example: Say the enemy wants you to believe you are not smart enough to complete a task God has given you. Literally say out loud, “That is not truth. I am not stupid, God has given me the mind of Christ.”)
2. Praise God. Finish off your verbal power session with a round of praise for our mighty God. “God, I thank You that You are stronger than anything that comes against me. Thank You that You have called me and chosen me for this task.” The enemy will flee at the sound of His great Name.
3. Re-purpose your thoughts. Remember all the hours you spent replaying some awful scene in your head in slo-mo? A fight with your husband, an attack from coworker, a mistake you made in a very public setting? The next time you are tempted to dwell on the hurt, re-purpose that time for thinking on what God says in His Word.
4. Repeat the steps above as often as needed.

It works. I know.

Today, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of your self talk. The moment a negative thought pops into your head, replace it. 

Be a doer of the Word. Listen to what He says.

copyright 2016

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To Do-ers List Bible Study: Back to School, New Clothes

They are everywhere. Adults love them. Children fear them. You can’t turn on the TV or the radio or pick up a newspaper lately without seeing or hearing about them. Back to School Sales. It’s time to get some new clothes.

Back to School Sales

As an omen of the coming season,  I always dreaded seeing the first back to school advertisement.  They seemed to come earlier and earlier with every passing year (sort of like Christmas advertising). While I dreaded going back to school, I did look forward to back-to-school shopping. New crayons. New notebooks. New shoes. New clothes. The worn dirty clothes of summer were replaced by crisp new school clothes. Out with the old and in with the new.

New Clothes

When we become Christians, Jesus also provides us with new clothes. We trade in our filthy rags for robes of righteousness.  A new outfit makes us feel better, look better, and act better. New clothes – new man. That’s exactly what the Bible says. We put on our new clothes, and then we need to put on a new man.

Put Off/Put On

” … see that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another…

… 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:22-24, 29-32

Below is a list of a few things we are to put off/put on.

Old Clothes (Put Off)	New Clothes (Put On)
1. lying	1. speaking truth
2. anger	2. forgiveness
3. stealing	3. giving
4. corrupt words	4. encouraging words
5. bitterness	5. kindness

You may have other items to add to the list.

Go up to the list and mentally circle or write down on your notes or prayer app one or two things you need to do today. Like baskets of laundry, we have some things we need to “put away” and some things we need to “put on.”

For today:

Choose one verse from above to do today. Pray and ask God to help you put off the old clothes of the old man and put on the new clothes of the new man.  As you wear you new clothes, the Holy Spirit will transform you so that you feel better, act better, and live better. Write down on a note card the portion of scripture you’re going to work on today. Look for opportunities to forgive, speak truth, encourage, and give to others.

School is in session. Put on your new clothes!

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Copyright 2020