Think Right!

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 27:3, NASB).

Yesterday Brother Bill delivered a driving message on thinking right. I would like to share some points he made, and hope it will stir each one of us to consider the way we think. How we think determines how we feel. We can have a positive attitude that gives us an optimistic look on life or we can have a negative attitude that continually keeps us buried under a pile of emotional rubble. When something positive happens to a negative person, they find what is negative in it. When something negative happens to a positive person, they find something positive in it! This second kind of attitude speaks hope and life. If we want to live a joyful and abundant life―one that spills over with spontaneous faith, we must work to have a positive attitude.

Correct thinking is essential to living a joyful and victorious life in Christ. “Brothers and sisters,” Paul declared, “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, NIV). If we will keep our minds focused on God's truth―on whatever is godly, uplifting, and joyful, we will learn to have a positive attitude. To develop an optimistic spirit, we must be changed in the attitude of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). This takes perseverance and determination.

We must take responsibility for our own thinking. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV). It is impossible to stop the fiery darts that the enemy throws into our minds, but we can learn to make those thoughts be obedient to what the Word teaches. It is possible to have the power to bring them under the control of the Holy Spirit. This is learned when we practice the presence of God. Our minds are focused on Him, and not where our minds might lead us. This brings His peace in the midst of our storms (Isaiah 26:3).

We can't determine what happens to us, but we can determine what happens in us. There is no way we can control life or our circumstances, but we can learn to control what happens in our minds as a result. When we learn to take our negative thoughts captive, we change the way that we think. Not only are we able to say, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13), but we can believe without doubt that He will give us His strength. Facing our circumstances with faith that comes from a mind that has been transformed, we can live life with a positive and joyful attitude―able to determine God's good pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2).

If you and I will think right, talk right, do right, then we will feel right! If you are weak, then say you are strong (Joel 3:10). Cultivate your mind! Plow it up and rethink yourself. Don't dwell on the negative anymore. Allow the Word to transform your way of thinking. Determine to believe that Jesus Christ is greater in you than any negativity that rises in your mind. He can capture each thought and move that mountain of negativity. “Truly I tell you,” Jesus imparted, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20, NIV).

It is never impossible to be changed in the attitude of your mind. When you surrender control and allow the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside out, you can get rid of what Brother Bill calls “stinkin' thinkin''! Be changed and renewed, and tell your negative mountain to move.

Suddenly

“A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, 'Lord, your dear friend is very sick.' But when Jesus heard about it he said, 'Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.'  So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days” (John 11:1,3-6, NLT).

As a Christian whatever happens in my life―sickness or problem or danger―is meant to bring glory to God. Jesus loves me just as He did Lazarus. He lingered in rescuing Lazarus just as He sometimes lingers in my life so that I might learn a lesson in the midst of hardship, or grow closer to Him through a time of illness or emotional struggle. He knows my trouble, and He comes when the time is right for deliverance and healing. Jesus also loves you just as much as His next child. He also loves the ones He died for and have not accepted Him into their lives. But because you and I believe in Him, He rescues us. He does not linger to punish us, but to bring greater purpose to our life.

Jesus gave directions to roll the stone away blocking Lazarus' tomb. Martha, Lazarus' sister, insisted that the smell would be too great because several days had passed. “Jesus responded, 'Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?'  So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, 'Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.' Then Jesus shouted, 'Lazarus, come out!' And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, 'Unwrap him and let him go!'” (John 11:40-44, NLT).

If you and I believe, we shall see the glory of God! Believe it, and watch your stone roll away. Don't despair in the midst of your illness or your struggle or your problem or your heartache. Appearance might say that there is no hope, but God plans to speak life. Praise Him for His faithfulness to you even when He lingers for your benefit (Hebrews 13:15). He calls forth your healing, your deliverance, and your promise when His time is perfect. He rescues you from what would kill your faith and your life. Suddenly, in a moment in time of God's bidding, the stone that has held you captive rolls away, and you walk forth out of the grave into His newness of life (Romans 6:1-4). No more bound by wrappings of death and destruction, you are new; you are whole; you are healed, and free in His love!

Complete Me

"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you" (Romans 12:1-2).

I place my life before God today as an offering, and I fix all my attention on Him. As this days unfolds, I embrace all He has for me. I face this day with the anticipation of His guidance, and also with the promise of His strength for what lies ahead. All I want is Him to mold me and change me from the inside out. I want to be renewed in my heart and mind, and open to all He wishes to pour into my life. Like a sponge I want to absorb all of Him so that I might grow in His grace, and for Him to complete the work He wishes to finish in me.

Without spiritual maturity my life will have no emotional and mental stability. I will be like a ship on the sea with no anchor to hold it fast. Subject to every circumstance that arises, I will be tossed in the storms of life with no lasting peace. My mind will be so self-absorbed on what I face that my life will have no purpose but worry and fear. But if I will fix my attention on God instead of my circumstance, I will be changed from the inside out. He will rescue me from the drowning waters of my own making, and set me on His rock-solid foundation of truth. I will recognize the lesson He teaches, and respond to it without hesitation. His peace will carry me safely through the storms that always come. His joy will spring up like a fountain always offering a fresh perspective. His strength and power will always be there to rise above any circumstance or temptation. I will not be pulled back down to a level of immaturity that will ultimately destroy the life I have found in Him.

He is the potter, and I am His clay to shape as He wishes. He is the fire in the kiln of life which refines me. God helping me, I place my life in His hands to be created―for Him to complete the work He wishes to finish in me.

HIs Truth Sets Me Free

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32, NIV).

To spiritually understand the depth and power of the grace of Jesus Christ, faith needs to grow in my life. For faith to grow, the seed of God's Word must first be planted, then nourished through study and prayer. As knowledge of His grace grows into greater faith, I am able to put down deep-seated roots that will anchor me. I can choose to believe that His grace is more powerful than all my insufficiency. Christ didn't save in my perfection. He saved me in my brokenness. I must sacrifice my will and desires and seek His. As I grow in His grace, the power of that grace increases. When I yield my brokenness, my weakness, and myself to Him daily, I discover that in Him all things are possible. He takes whatever battle rages to the grave, and continually imparts His grace to stand strong.

I will always face temptation, but it is what I do with that temptation which reveals if I have died to self-will. It is what I do that reveals my allegiance. If I succumb to sin from which I have been saved, I break my relationship with God which gives me the power to stand strong. His grace will not empower me. But this verse in John tells me that knowledge of the Word of God sets me free (John 8:32)! This is what I desire..... to know His grace that gives me freedom from sin's ability to control my life!

Perhaps I haven’t experienced the freedom from sin's control because mind-over-matter doesn’t work. Only spiritual knowledge and the grace of God has the ability to release me. Spiritual knowledge of God's Word imparts wisdom. James says about wisdom, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-8, NIV). His wisdom is necessary for spiritual growth. As I seek to know the Word, I identify with the Word, and experience its wisdom. Faith increases, and temptation loses its grasp. But I must not doubt! I choose to believe that His ability is greater than my failure.

I want to be stable, rock-solid, consistent, and anchored in His grace. I want to continually offer the grace of Jesus Christ when something happens which can cause anger, hurt, bitterness, jealousy, or unforgiveness. I want to be controlled by His power, and not controlled by my lack of self-control. Each day I will open my mind and spirit to the grace Jesus reveals in His Word. The power to set me free lies within its pages. The Word just waits for me to discover its promise.

Allow Me

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15, NIV).

“It is time to end your frantic pace," He speaks to my restless spirit. "Quit struggling and calm your impatient heart. Quit planning and analyzing. Don't rush my time with you. Give me your mind and your thoughts. Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Wait for me in your quiet time, and I will come. Wait until my power fills you.

“In your quiet time with me, your strength will return. So many believe that my strength is only seen in action. My greatest strength is given to you in your quiet time with me. In these times of refreshing you find confidence and strength to rise up to face your giants. This confidence and strength you discover will carry you powerfully into the heat of battle....BUT only if you allow me to bear the weight of command. If I am in control of your battles, your peace will remain. You will know that I am God, and that I take care of every problem and struggle that arises. The moment you attempt to control what is not yours to control, you will lose your peace.

“You remember that thing you asked me to handle? Will you now finally quit trying to control it? Your attempt at control is destroying your peace. I promise peace. I give rest. Take time for me. Find rest and know that I am your God. Resting in me brings you power to believe. And it also gives you the strength to let go. Allow me to take care of what you were never meant to handle. Believe that I will handle it, and that you are free to be my beloved child. In quietness and trust, you receive all of me to face all of your giants. Allow me” (Philippians 4:6-7).

FOLLOW HIM

“Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”
(Luke 14:27).

There is a huge difference between being an admirer of Jesus Christ and being His disciple. An admirer wants to experience the glory without making a commitment. He desires the fruit in his life without abiding in the Master. But a disciple is a pupil who has counted the cost and placed himself completely under the guidance of the Master—whose love for Him is greater than for anyone or anything else, and who resolves to give and also give up whatever is necessary.

Jesus’ words in Luke are not addressed to His disciples. Each disciple has already counted the cost, and made a decision to surrender. His question is directed to those who offer quickly to serve, and then fade away like a shooting star. It is to this marginal person Jesus says, “If you can’t do what it takes, you can’t be my disciple.”

To witness the enthusiasm of a new believer is exciting, but often such enthusiasm does not weigh the cost involved. “I will follow you anywhere,” someone quickly offers Jesus (Luke 9:57). This man is a new believer, and is fired up to go. He opens his mouth to speak without thinking of what his offer entails. In the very next verse Jesus carefully handles the man’s zeal without offending him by telling him that his future is uncertain. They are wanderers, and there is nowhere to rest at night. Jesus knows that this man has a shallow faith that will not stand up under pressure.

Jesus searches the group and His eyes rest on another man. “Follow me,” he says (Luke 9:59). The man asks Jesus to first let him first bury his father. Jesus uses what this man says to teach him the spiritual significance of what following Him means. He tells this man there is no hope for salvation for someone who is already dead, and that his obligations are nothing compared to the call upon his life (Luke 9:60). Time is of the essence, and he must be about the Father’s work. Jesus has looked upon this man’s heart and has seen great potential. He knows that this man can be used to bring life to those who are spiritually dead―if he will say yes.

A third man quickly offers to go with Jesus, but asks the Lord to first let him go and tell his family farewell. “Any person who starts doing something and then keeps looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God,” Jesus warns (Luke 9:62). God delivered Lot’s family before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and warned them not to look back. Longing for what she had left behind, Lot’s wife glanced back for one moment, and was turned into stone. When you follow Jesus the old is destroyed in your life. Looking back will only turn Jesus' call in your life into stone. God cannot use people who allow their old lifestyle to keep pulling them back. But He does use people with a commitment and a vision like Abraham. Abraham stepped out in faith, followed God on a journey of a lifetime, and never looked back at Ur. He never built a permanent house again, but lived in tents, and moved when God told him.

The third man in Luke, just as the first one, is not fit for the journey. I find it interesting that the second man, unlike the first and third, did not offer to follow Jesus. He was asked. This man had not spoken a desire to follow, but Jesus instinctively knew that if he would make the sacrifice and say yes, his life would make a difference in the kingdom of God. Jesus asks us, just as he did the second man, to leave self behind, take up His cross, and follow Him. These requirements don’t attract a large number of followers, but for those who follow and stay the course, the result of such a decision is guaranteed. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). Are you willing, just like Abraham to let everything go, and step out in faith to follow Jesus wherever He calls and to do whatever He calls you to do? I have a friend who left her life behind, and is following Jesus on a journey of a lifetime in Haiti. Whatever He asks, say yes.

His Perfected Love

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a).

There is no perfect earthly love. Earthly love changes with circumstance and changes with feeling. But there is a perfect spiritual love which conquers fear, and lives in faith that God will take care of anything that comes against it. This perfect love carries me safely through all of life's struggles and heartaches. It never deserts me, and it never changes. When this spiritual love is perfected in my life, it brings greater faith to believe in the impossible. What is this perfect love? It is the love of God who gave His son, Jesus Christ, for me. If that is beyond my human capacity to understand, it is suppose to be. I can't understand such a perfect love with my mind. It is useless to try to analyze it. My mind can't fathom this depth of sacrificial love, but my heart and soul can receive it. 

The only way to receive this perfect love that conquers fear is to allow Christ into my heart. He loved me enough to die for my sin so I might be set free from its control over me. He, who was perfect and knew so sin, became sin, so it might be crucified forever it my life and I might receive His perfect love.

Fear can only be defeated with His perfect love living in me. When I let go of what is imperfect in me, I receive His love which washes away all that I have been so I may receive all that He is. With His perfect love in my life CONTINUALLY CHANGING ME, His love becomes stronger in me and perfects me. Only His perfected love in my life can drive out fear, and give me faith to believe. If I remain rooted in His love and growing in His grace, perseverance will finish its work so that I may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything (James 1:4). I will be strong enough to choose faith over fear.

If I am dealing with great fear, then His love has not been perfected in me. My mind has been focused on my struggles, and my feelings have pulled me away from His promised fullness of life. The Lord will keep me in His perfect peace only when my mind remains on Him instead of any circumstance (Isaiah 26:3). I cannot grow stronger on what I “feel”. I can only become stronger on what “I know”. Today I rejoice in the promise that His perfect love drives out all fear. It truly does drive it out....as His love is continually perfected in me. That is my promise and that is my journey―to be perfected by the Lord who gave all of His life for me.

His Power Overcomes Weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).

The more I think about His love―the more I seek His truth―the more I allow His love and truth to impact my life―the less I am like me, and the more I become like Him. The closer I grow in my relationship with Him, the more I am aware of my lack of power to live a life that honors Him. The desire is there, but often His standard makes my own effort seem like a failure. The sense of my own inadequacy reveals that I need to surrender more of my life to His life-changing power. It is what I do with that sense of failure that makes the difference in my life. If I allow my failure to define who I am, then I will remain weak, defeated, and a failure. But if I yield that failure to His refining process, my weakness is taken over by His strength. His power changes and perfects my life. I grow stronger in my relationship with Him. The failure which has once defined and defeated my life, is surrendered to His power. He controls what I am unable to control.

Without God's standard to meet in my life, I will not have a sense of failure. I will not have conviction that changes me. However, it is when I am growing in my relationship with Christ and seeking Him, that His standard convicts my life. A sense of failure can inspire me instead of defeat me. When I realize my weakness, I know that I need His power. Instead of wallowing in my sense of failure and running from His grace, I keep seeking more of Him. I learn that His grace is greater than any failure or sin. His grace changes my life. Living in His strength becomes easier as time passes. His power overcomes my weakness. Instead of failure, I learn spiritual growth.

Are you tired of failure defining who you are? Be committed and be diligent to seek Him and grow in His grace. “Let perseverance finish its work,” James writes, “so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4, NIV).

Ask and Forgive in Love

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Do you hurt over something that you feel a friend has done to you? Are you convinced it was intentional? Perhaps it wasn't, and the enemy has convinced you that it was. Whether intentional or not, you hurt because of it. Don't allow anger and bitterness to fester and grow. Don't harden your heart, and close the door to the Holy Spirit. Go in the love of Jesus to the the person who you feel has wronged you, and ask them about it. Satan would love for you to isolate yourself in your pain and feelings of rejection. He would love for you to harden your heart, and he would love to convince you that your friend doesn't care about you. If you close the door of your heart, and do not go to your friend in love, your heart will grow harder. If your friend has loved you for a very long time, it is a good possibility that what has happened was not intentional, and your friend might not even be aware of what is going on. It is the enemy's purpose to divide the body of Christ....to tear apart what the Holy Spirit is trying to build. Satan's purpose is to destroy your relationships and your life. Don't let him erect walls that imprison you. Fight the enemy with the freedom of the Holy Spirit. Be free to ask why. Be free to seek answers. Be free from the bondage of anger and hurt that isolates.

Ask your friend about what has hurt you. Give your friend the benefit of the doubt. Let them know how you feel in love. Don't accuse. Ask. If you put someone on the defensive, they will not be open to listen to your concerns. Anger may rise up. But if you go in the love of Christ, and listen with an open heart, constructive healing can begin. Understanding can set both of you free. You may even discover another reason for what has happened...one that you had not even considered. If you go in love, your friend, who may not have even realized what an action or a word did to you, will most likely turn to you, and ask for your forgiveness.

Above all....forgive. Forgive this friend for hurting you. Allow forgiveness to set you free from the bondage of anger and pain. The Lord will remove that stony heart which has been cold from pain and isolation, and will give you a heart that is pliable and soft in His hand. Once opened your heart will rejoice in its freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Allow Him to flow always and keep you open. God will bring continuous victory, and the enemy will be forever defeated. You will be like a well-watered garden in the dry places of life.... full of the life and fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Practice His Presence

“Prayer is nothing else than a sense of God’s presence” (Brother Lawrence).

In the midst of crisis or change, Christ is with me. In the midst of the storm, He is my safe harbor. He keeps me from the breakers that would crush me. But He is more than just a secure sanctuary. He is my strength to not only endure, but to overcome. I can never fear change when He never changes. He is the one great constant in my life–the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As I give Him my fearful heart, His peace calms my restless spirit (Philippians 4:6-7). Abiding in Him, He claims my thoughts and I discover that I, too, can be strong. I can be steadfast and unchanging. I can know His peace that carries me through the hardships of life.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in my life must be practiced. I need to seek Him daily in prayer until His presence becomes like a habit–unconsciously rendered. I unconsciously learn to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He is just “there” at the moment I need Him. He is just “there” in moments of sudden fear when, without Him, my world would cave. But practicing His presence has brought His immediate peace in that moment. My heart has prayed unconsciously and He has heard its cry.

I don’t know always know how to give Him my suffering and fear, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for me (Romans 8:26). He prays my heart’s cry when I am unable to mentally render a thought. It is in a moment like this that I understand His peace. I have practiced His presence until He is always with me–unconsciously and consciously. I may go through my busy day with no problem, and my conscious mind is busy with my schedule and my list. Suddenly I hear something that shatters my world, and the Holy Spirit immediately arises from the depth of my unconscious spirit to calm my mind. Practicing His presence has brought His peace.

Do you have that sense of God's presence? He is right there with you speaking peace in the midst of your storm, but you may not realize it. If you will pray and practice His presence everyday, He will go with you consciously and unconsciously through the days of your life rendering peace for the hardships of life, and joy for the times you need encouragement. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV). You are never alone. Practicing His presence brings His presence.