Many have situations or things about themselves they would like to change. I mean, do we ever not have something? I have my doubts. But, how do we go about changing? Where do we start? We can find the answer to this in Ephesians--take special notice of vs. 23.
Eph 4:22-24
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
AMP
To change our behavior we must first change our mindset!
We must change the way we think about whatever it is we want changed. We must daily renew our minds! It’s a simple mathematical equation really: wrong thoughts lead to wrong actions and right thoughts lead to right actions! Sounds pretty simple when put that way.
So, what area in your life are you struggling with today? Take inventory of the thoughts and attitudes you hold toward that ’thing’ you are wanting changed. What do you see? You might be surprised. What we think is a powerful thing. Our thoughts, held long enough, become the truth that we respond to--even if our thoughts are far from truthful. Even when they are askew, we will embrace that which we think on long enough as our own truth. To break the cycle, we must take an honest look at ourselves.
A word of caution: It is easy during self-reflection to begin to compare ourselves to others and create for ourselves an atmosphere of defeat. Or, to use others to help us feel justified in our wrong thinking and acting. When we begin to lay out the pieces of ourselves, we must be careful to lay them before the Lord and to compare ourselves only to His Word. It is in this process of being open in fellowship with Him that true renewing of our minds occurs.
Our minds are renewed when we begin to see through eyes of faith. When we begin to see things as God sees them. Daily we must seek after God and be renewed. We need a fresh vision to take residence in our minds! We need God’s vision!
I applied this principle recently to a problem area in my life. When dealing with my own personal struggle to lose weight, I had to capture a new mindset for myself. I had to change some warped thinking. I had to quit telling myself I couldn’t do the work to lose weight because of the one hundred plus excuses I came up with. And--I had to quit waiting for someone to come along and do it for me.
I had to go before the Lord and ask for help. I desperately needed to be delivered from some very self-destructive habits!
And, I discovered a very powerful thought that frequently sabotaged my efforts. I noticed that I used excuses for overeating. Birthdays. A friend’s visit. Movie night. The weekend. Lots of little ‘celebrations‘. And each time, I would tell myself to go ahead and blow it off and start new tomorrow. Pretty soon I saw that each tomorrow seemed to hold its own celebration or excuse as to why I should, once again, put off eating right and exercising, until the next tomorrow. This was a very unhealthy pattern. One that left me needing to lose over 100 pounds!
One day as I was reading about the Proverbs 31 woman, I came across the scripture in verse 17 which states:
She girds herself with strength (spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task) and makes her arms strong and firm.
That was a light bulb moment for me. It was as if the Lord jumped right off of that page and spoke those words directly to me. I realized that I was not trapped in an overweight body without the power to change. I realized that I was not on this journey alone. God wanted me to be physically fit! He would not call me to do something that He would not empower me to do. I was not alone! He was my strength. He was not asking me to do it on my own, but asking me to surrender to Him to do it in His strength.
That moment I caught a glimpse of a much more fit me through the eyes of a loving Father. I saw that He wanted that for me. He desired that too! It was an empowering revelation. And, it was the start to my own renewed mindset concerning my body and my health.
I have cast off the old way of thinking and shredded the old habit that wanted me to ‘wait until tomorrow’ to get it together. We don’t have the promise of tomorrow. And Jesus prayed that God would give us our daily bread. Not weekly. Not monthly. Daily! He has given me wisdom concerning which new steps to take along my weight loss journey. And He has provided me the strength for each one. I even feel enthusiasm--born from the hope He placed in me that came from glimpsing how He saw me.
So--how about it? What are you waiting for? What lie(s) have you believed? What habit has kept you prisoner to a bad situation? Ask God to renew your mind. To give you a fresh vision. To help you see yourself through His eyes. Ask God to lead you and to allow you to make the necessary changes through His strength.
Feel Him beside you. You are not alone!
Sweet heavenly Father,
As we daily lay before you--sweep over us. Wash through us--scraping away the deposits of doubt and despair that have attached themselves. Swallow up the lies that the enemy has planted. Renew us in You and in Your purpose. Sweep our minds clean of anything other than what reflects You. Give us new vision to see ourselves and our circumstances as You do…with hope…with endless possibilities. Allow us the privilege of feeling Your presence and remind us throughout our day that we are not alone. That You are our strength. Go before us and be light to our pathway. Oh, Lord--heal us (of wrong thinking & doing) and we will be healed. Save us (from the results of skewed thinking) and we will be saved! (adapted from Jer. 17:14)
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Feasting
You know how you are reading along in the Word of God and something just jumps out at you? Well, I’ve learned such places are the ones that I especially need to stop and give attention to. So, I spent an hour walking this morning and talking to the Lord about the following scripture:
Prov 15:15
15 All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].
I looked up the word ‘despond’ and it means those depressed by lack of hope.
Depression. Loss of Hope. Anxiety. Worries. Forebodings. Words I am familiar with and feel certain you are too. It is impossible to sail through the sea of Life without meeting these at some point.
A glad heart and a continual feast. I like that part! But, I really like the part that says we can have a glad heart and continual feast regardless of circumstances. Does something in you shout out, as it does in me—is that even possible??
I admit that I struggled with this verse. I kept asking myself, what is it really saying? And finally I realized that it really comes down to one word: CHOICE!
I see two tables prepared. Two very different and opposing feasts. One is prepared by our enemy and filled with anxiety, hopelessness, worries, and despair. Feasting at such a table leaves you with more than just a severe case of reflux! It takes away your vision. It strongly encourages you to look through the eyes of flesh and thus allow circumstances to dictate your outcome. It woos you to embrace hopelessness. It whispers that you should just give up. It is a defeatist chair that pulls up to that spread!
And then a different table--a table set with laughter and joy. With lightness of heart. One which encourages the shedding of burdens and not of hope. That dishes up possibilities on plates of Faith. No anxiety, worry, foreboding, or depression on this table. Those have been pealed and scraped away and tossed into the garbage bowl. Only nourishment of the purist kind is presented here.
And I continued to think about those two tables. Most of us can say that we have been a guest at both tables. I know I can.
I’m reminded of a lesson from Psychology class. Studies have shown that the mere act of smiling (even when not feeling anything to smile about) actually has a chemical effect on the body that creates the good feelings that the smile normally reflects. Smiling like you are happy actually produces feelings of happiness. Try it and see. Smiling is a powerful thing!
What is my point? My point is that we must chose where we will feast. And yes--we can! Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever state he found himself (Phil 4:11). And he found himself in some pretty bad situations. He sang from jail. Standing in feces, amidst the stench in his cell, he sang! How could he? He learned to feast at the Master’s table. He learned to use the second set of eyes—faith eyes that see things that are not as if they already were.
And we can learn it too!
Regardless of our circumstances, we can maintain hope—because our Hope is in Jesus! And our joy comes not from some mustering of our own as much as it comes from the Lord. As Nehemiah said, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10 KJV).
The only reason we can feast continually, regardless of circumstances, is because we have feasted on God and His Word and choose to see things through the eyes of faith. Again, it comes down to choice.
It is an easy thing of which to write. Much harder to live out. Sometimes Life does seem impossible. It is a constant struggle. But, when I find myself struggling rather than feasting on the joy of the Lord, I realize that I am relying too much on myself, my strength, what I can and cannot control, etc., inviting cares and anxieties to overcome me and lure me to the table of my enemy. I am reminded again that I must follow the instruction of 1 Peter 5:7 which states:
7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (AMP)
Do you know what robs you of your continual feasting at the Master’s table? Worry and anxiety. Cares!
I know there is a time and season for everything including mourning and weeping (Eccl 3:1, 4), but through it all we can be refreshed and refueled by the Master’s feast which he prepares for us—even in the presence of our enemy (Ps 23:5). Perhaps your enemy is worry. Or a debt that can’t be paid. Or sickness. Or the loss of a loved one. Whatever your enemy is, God still offers you a chance to feast on His joy and His strength. He gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. Eyes and ears that are attuned to His and thus see and hear what God sees and hears--eyes of Faith. There we find hope!
Where have you been feasting lately? It will be clear by the examination of your thoughts—where have your thoughts been lately? Are you trusting or doubting? Believing or desponding?
I encourage you to feast on the Lord! Taste and see that He is good! Drink in His joy. Savor the possibilities he offers. The cost is minimal: He merely asks for you to bring him your worries, your cares, your sorrows—those weights that so easily beset you. He takes those, unburdening you so that you may freely feast. And the desert is an overflowing dish of contentment!
You and I can’t do this alone. We can’t overflow with joy in the midst of trials on our own strength. We must lean into Him. We must empty out our worries and that which weighs us down so that we can be filled with Him. Filled to the point of overflowing. That is the secret. He gives us joy unspeakable!
I don’t know about you, but I’m going to pull my chair up to the Father’s table today and just see what good eatin’ He has prepared!
Prov 15:15
15 All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].
I looked up the word ‘despond’ and it means those depressed by lack of hope.
Depression. Loss of Hope. Anxiety. Worries. Forebodings. Words I am familiar with and feel certain you are too. It is impossible to sail through the sea of Life without meeting these at some point.
A glad heart and a continual feast. I like that part! But, I really like the part that says we can have a glad heart and continual feast regardless of circumstances. Does something in you shout out, as it does in me—is that even possible??
I admit that I struggled with this verse. I kept asking myself, what is it really saying? And finally I realized that it really comes down to one word: CHOICE!
I see two tables prepared. Two very different and opposing feasts. One is prepared by our enemy and filled with anxiety, hopelessness, worries, and despair. Feasting at such a table leaves you with more than just a severe case of reflux! It takes away your vision. It strongly encourages you to look through the eyes of flesh and thus allow circumstances to dictate your outcome. It woos you to embrace hopelessness. It whispers that you should just give up. It is a defeatist chair that pulls up to that spread!
And then a different table--a table set with laughter and joy. With lightness of heart. One which encourages the shedding of burdens and not of hope. That dishes up possibilities on plates of Faith. No anxiety, worry, foreboding, or depression on this table. Those have been pealed and scraped away and tossed into the garbage bowl. Only nourishment of the purist kind is presented here.
And I continued to think about those two tables. Most of us can say that we have been a guest at both tables. I know I can.
I’m reminded of a lesson from Psychology class. Studies have shown that the mere act of smiling (even when not feeling anything to smile about) actually has a chemical effect on the body that creates the good feelings that the smile normally reflects. Smiling like you are happy actually produces feelings of happiness. Try it and see. Smiling is a powerful thing!
What is my point? My point is that we must chose where we will feast. And yes--we can! Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever state he found himself (Phil 4:11). And he found himself in some pretty bad situations. He sang from jail. Standing in feces, amidst the stench in his cell, he sang! How could he? He learned to feast at the Master’s table. He learned to use the second set of eyes—faith eyes that see things that are not as if they already were.
And we can learn it too!
Regardless of our circumstances, we can maintain hope—because our Hope is in Jesus! And our joy comes not from some mustering of our own as much as it comes from the Lord. As Nehemiah said, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10 KJV).
The only reason we can feast continually, regardless of circumstances, is because we have feasted on God and His Word and choose to see things through the eyes of faith. Again, it comes down to choice.
It is an easy thing of which to write. Much harder to live out. Sometimes Life does seem impossible. It is a constant struggle. But, when I find myself struggling rather than feasting on the joy of the Lord, I realize that I am relying too much on myself, my strength, what I can and cannot control, etc., inviting cares and anxieties to overcome me and lure me to the table of my enemy. I am reminded again that I must follow the instruction of 1 Peter 5:7 which states:
7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (AMP)
Do you know what robs you of your continual feasting at the Master’s table? Worry and anxiety. Cares!
I know there is a time and season for everything including mourning and weeping (Eccl 3:1, 4), but through it all we can be refreshed and refueled by the Master’s feast which he prepares for us—even in the presence of our enemy (Ps 23:5). Perhaps your enemy is worry. Or a debt that can’t be paid. Or sickness. Or the loss of a loved one. Whatever your enemy is, God still offers you a chance to feast on His joy and His strength. He gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. Eyes and ears that are attuned to His and thus see and hear what God sees and hears--eyes of Faith. There we find hope!
Where have you been feasting lately? It will be clear by the examination of your thoughts—where have your thoughts been lately? Are you trusting or doubting? Believing or desponding?
I encourage you to feast on the Lord! Taste and see that He is good! Drink in His joy. Savor the possibilities he offers. The cost is minimal: He merely asks for you to bring him your worries, your cares, your sorrows—those weights that so easily beset you. He takes those, unburdening you so that you may freely feast. And the desert is an overflowing dish of contentment!
You and I can’t do this alone. We can’t overflow with joy in the midst of trials on our own strength. We must lean into Him. We must empty out our worries and that which weighs us down so that we can be filled with Him. Filled to the point of overflowing. That is the secret. He gives us joy unspeakable!
I don’t know about you, but I’m going to pull my chair up to the Father’s table today and just see what good eatin’ He has prepared!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Two Sets of Eyes
I was sort of hoping to talk some more today about the Proverbs woman, but another thought has forced its way to the forefront of my mind. This morning I was reading Psalm 13. I could hear the desperation in David's voice as he cried out to God:
Prov. 13:1-2 (Amplified version) How long will you forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I lay up cares within me and have sorrow in my heart day after day? How long shall my enemy exalt himself over me?
Wow, talk about having a wilderness moment! I gather David has felt like he's been in the wilderness for a while now. He feels forgotten. Alone. Can't you hear him asking, "God, where are you???? I'm desperate for you here!" Who hasn't been there? If you live long enough, you are going to encounter a wilderness spot.
And then I read the next verse, the one that really grabbed my attention:
vs. 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; lighten the eyes (of my faith to behold Your face in the pitchlike darkness), lest I sleep the sleep of death. vs. 4 Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed over him, and those that trouble me rejoice when I am shaken.
Wow! Did you catch it? David is asking God to open his eyes of faith so that he can see God in the pitchlike darkness! Have you ever found yourself in a place so dark and quiet that you couldn't sense, see, feel, hear God-- at all? Where you wondered if He was even there? Wondered if He had left you..alone...to die?
Wilderness moments. Places we encounter where things just don't seem to make any sense. What are we to do? Places of great struggle which exhaust us, that demand from us but offer nothing in return. Do we give in to the despair? The loneliness? The sense of hopelessness that chokes us? Let's see what David did.
vs. 5 But I have trusted, leaned on, and been confident in Your mercy and loving kindness; my heart shall rejoice and be in high spirits in Your salvation. vs. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Did I read that right? In the midst of his despair, does David actually say he will be confident and rejoice? Even sing? HOW--my mind screams out! How can he do that in his wilderness? And then I am directed back to the key found in vs. 3 during his prayer to God to open his eyes of faith so that he can see God in his pitchlike darkness.
He uses his other set of eyes! His eyes of faith. He illustrates such a great contrast to us of the two sets of eyes that we each have. The first half of this Psalm allows us to view, with David, through eyes of flesh. We see the despair. We feel the intense forsaken feelings. We are disoriented by the unrelenting darkness. We are weary from the struggle. We taste defeat. Been there?
But then David turns to the Lord to ask for help so that his eyes of faith can be opened. And, again, we are allowed a glimpse through those eyes alongside David. What is there to see? We see a trustworthy God capable of holding us up in His Mercy and loving-kindness. One Who is too full of mercy and kindness to leave us forever in the state of our wilderness. One Who will not allow our enemy--our situation, our failures, to mock us and jeer, because He will not leave us forsaken and defeated to our enemy's advantage.
In the midst of this vast nothing, staleness, pain, isolation, failure, seeming defeat, we gain our voice and sing with rejoicing because we see again through opened eyes of faith to a situation that, in the light of who God is, looks totally different. We see through eyes of faith straight into the eyes of our God and at that moment, we see not our lack, not our need, not our voids, but we see His bountiful provisions. His abundance of mercy. Abundance of love. His magnificent power at work in our lives.
Our wilderness has not changed. Our view of it has. Why? Because of faith!
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) states:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The Amplified version breaks it down a bit to say that (me paraphrasing) faith is the assurance of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see--or, "faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."
Faith tells us that God has not forsaken us. That we are not defeated. That the pitchlike darkness won't last forever. It reminds us of our Bountiful God, His love and mercy, and our victory through Him. It reminds us that God has a plan for us and that He will most certainly see it completed. It reiterates to us that we are not alone. That no matter how many times we fall down, we are not a failure. That no matter how many mistakes we make, we are not hopeless. We're never cast aside and forgotten by our God. And that no matter what we are up against, regardless of its magnitude, our God is greater still!
In short, faith is seeing through God's eyes what we cannot see through our human, fleshly eyes. It's looking past the here and now. Looking ahead to what God knows is there. Spotting our victory, our restoration, or perhaps our healing. It's a steady beacon of hope to us that with God all things are possible. With God there is no failure. And, if we think about it, faith gently reminds us that this wilderness, this place of forsaken darkness--this too shall pass!
God, help me to see through eyes of faith. Help me so that I am not dictated to and limited by only what my fleshly eyes can see and comprehend. Open my eyes of faith today that I might behold you in all of your Glory! That I might see your endless possibilities for my life. Remind me through those same eyes that in You, I am an overcomer! Amen.
Prov. 13:1-2 (Amplified version) How long will you forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I lay up cares within me and have sorrow in my heart day after day? How long shall my enemy exalt himself over me?
Wow, talk about having a wilderness moment! I gather David has felt like he's been in the wilderness for a while now. He feels forgotten. Alone. Can't you hear him asking, "God, where are you???? I'm desperate for you here!" Who hasn't been there? If you live long enough, you are going to encounter a wilderness spot.
And then I read the next verse, the one that really grabbed my attention:
vs. 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; lighten the eyes (of my faith to behold Your face in the pitchlike darkness), lest I sleep the sleep of death. vs. 4 Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed over him, and those that trouble me rejoice when I am shaken.
Wow! Did you catch it? David is asking God to open his eyes of faith so that he can see God in the pitchlike darkness! Have you ever found yourself in a place so dark and quiet that you couldn't sense, see, feel, hear God-- at all? Where you wondered if He was even there? Wondered if He had left you..alone...to die?
Wilderness moments. Places we encounter where things just don't seem to make any sense. What are we to do? Places of great struggle which exhaust us, that demand from us but offer nothing in return. Do we give in to the despair? The loneliness? The sense of hopelessness that chokes us? Let's see what David did.
vs. 5 But I have trusted, leaned on, and been confident in Your mercy and loving kindness; my heart shall rejoice and be in high spirits in Your salvation. vs. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Did I read that right? In the midst of his despair, does David actually say he will be confident and rejoice? Even sing? HOW--my mind screams out! How can he do that in his wilderness? And then I am directed back to the key found in vs. 3 during his prayer to God to open his eyes of faith so that he can see God in his pitchlike darkness.
He uses his other set of eyes! His eyes of faith. He illustrates such a great contrast to us of the two sets of eyes that we each have. The first half of this Psalm allows us to view, with David, through eyes of flesh. We see the despair. We feel the intense forsaken feelings. We are disoriented by the unrelenting darkness. We are weary from the struggle. We taste defeat. Been there?
But then David turns to the Lord to ask for help so that his eyes of faith can be opened. And, again, we are allowed a glimpse through those eyes alongside David. What is there to see? We see a trustworthy God capable of holding us up in His Mercy and loving-kindness. One Who is too full of mercy and kindness to leave us forever in the state of our wilderness. One Who will not allow our enemy--our situation, our failures, to mock us and jeer, because He will not leave us forsaken and defeated to our enemy's advantage.
In the midst of this vast nothing, staleness, pain, isolation, failure, seeming defeat, we gain our voice and sing with rejoicing because we see again through opened eyes of faith to a situation that, in the light of who God is, looks totally different. We see through eyes of faith straight into the eyes of our God and at that moment, we see not our lack, not our need, not our voids, but we see His bountiful provisions. His abundance of mercy. Abundance of love. His magnificent power at work in our lives.
Our wilderness has not changed. Our view of it has. Why? Because of faith!
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) states:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The Amplified version breaks it down a bit to say that (me paraphrasing) faith is the assurance of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see--or, "faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."
Faith tells us that God has not forsaken us. That we are not defeated. That the pitchlike darkness won't last forever. It reminds us of our Bountiful God, His love and mercy, and our victory through Him. It reminds us that God has a plan for us and that He will most certainly see it completed. It reiterates to us that we are not alone. That no matter how many times we fall down, we are not a failure. That no matter how many mistakes we make, we are not hopeless. We're never cast aside and forgotten by our God. And that no matter what we are up against, regardless of its magnitude, our God is greater still!
In short, faith is seeing through God's eyes what we cannot see through our human, fleshly eyes. It's looking past the here and now. Looking ahead to what God knows is there. Spotting our victory, our restoration, or perhaps our healing. It's a steady beacon of hope to us that with God all things are possible. With God there is no failure. And, if we think about it, faith gently reminds us that this wilderness, this place of forsaken darkness--this too shall pass!
God, help me to see through eyes of faith. Help me so that I am not dictated to and limited by only what my fleshly eyes can see and comprehend. Open my eyes of faith today that I might behold you in all of your Glory! That I might see your endless possibilities for my life. Remind me through those same eyes that in You, I am an overcomer! Amen.
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