Be Thou My Vision

Too often we look at things in life through our own eyes when we need to be reminded that we should view things through the Lord’s perspective – His vision and not our own.  When we look at everything that is happening in this world, we can become so overwhelmed about all these terrible things that affect our lives and the lives of others. Even when we are experiencing difficult things, we will often give into our own fears and anxiety and not trust the Lord’s provision or timing to help us get through these matters.  Proverbs 3:5-6 states:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

I have had a personal relationship with the Lord for 45 years now and thankfully, every year, I have been able to draw closer to Him because of: (1) the Holy Spirit transforming me, (2) my reading, understanding and applying the Word of God; and (3) being blessed and encouraged by those whom the Lord has brought into my life to help remind me of what He wants me to know.  Unfortunately, I have had some difficult times that have caused me to pull back and not believe or trust that the Lord is in control of every area in my life, but thankfully, I did not choose to stay in that path.  It would go back and forth at times, but ultimately, I always made the choice to believe in Him and His provisions.

This past year I did have a very challenging issue happen to me.  I was without a job for nine months!  I have never experienced anything like this before, and I was truly overwhelmed so often during that period of time.  The Lord reminded me of several things about this situation:  (1) I did have a couple of months of severance pay from my former job and unemployment benefits (although it was only for 12 weeks) and some child support.  I had some money in my savings bank account to help me with my monthly expenses.  (2) I did not have health insurance for most of the time I was unemployed, but thankfully, I did not have any health issues that required me to see a doctor regularly.  (3) I did have some temporary short term jobs off and on during that time period which helped me out with my finances.   (4) He provided me with dear precious people in my life who prayed for me often and some who offered me spiritual advice concerning how I should perceive all of this – from the Lord’s eyes and not my own.  Those things were such incredible blessings for me and truly helped me to continue to move forward and not allow myself to withdraw from everything and everyone in my life and to become isolated.  There was no doubt that the Enemy in this world had been working overtime to attack me in so many ways, and even though I did give in sometimes with my attitude, the Lord was able to help re-direct me down His path and not my own.

Unfortunately, it was becoming a bit scary for me because my finances were starting to dwindle down, and I was not getting very many good job interviews or offers.  I was afraid I was going to have to file for bankruptcy, sell my home and become homeless.  Again, the Devil was trying to defeat me and diminish my faith in the Lord, and my dearest BFF told me that I needed to (1) view all of this one day at a time and to trust the Lord to hold my hand; (2) to keep my focus on Him and not on my circumstances; (3) to trust Him for His timing and opening the right door for me at the right time, and (4) to always believe that the Lord did care deeply about me and all that goes on in my life and that He always will.

Well, recently, an incredible miracle happened!  The Lord opened a door for me with a job offer.  I received an email from a Christian attorney friend who said he forwarded my resume to another attorney friend of his.  I looked up the attorney and his firm online, and wrote down the phone number, and as I was getting ready to dial that number on my phone, I immediately received a phone call from that office!  I couldn’t help but smile to see how the Lord was revealing this to me.  When I spoke with the lady on the phone, she said they wanted to know if I was interested in meeting with them for an interview the next day, and I said, “Sure I’d be glad to come to your office.”  This position was for a paralegal and also for someone who could do a lot of marketing and promoting their business.  The field of law was labor and employment – which I had over 14 years of experience working in that area and have always enjoyed it so much!  I’ve also enjoyed doing marketing, and I told the woman that I had some Powerpoint seminars which I had helped create and design for some of the attorneys I worked for in the past, and I offered to send them to her via email to review.  She was glad to hear that and asked me to send them to her. After I got off the phone, I was inspired to create a brochure for the firm and went to their website and copied and pasted some of their information onto the brochure along with some photos that I had on my computer dealing with this field of law.  I wanted to bring this with me to the interview the next day so they could see how much I truly enjoyed marketing and PR work.  I also prayed that the Lord would shine through me and reflect how Jesus would be if He were interviewing for a job.  I wanted to convey to them that my heart and passion was to be a help and a blessing to my boss, my co-workers, and to our clients.

The next morning at my interview I met with the attorney and the woman I had spoken with on the phone, and I gave them each a copy of the brochure I had made.  The attorney was totally surprised to see that and wondered where I found it, and when I told him I created it for him, he was so happy and very complimentary towards me about how professional it looked.  He asked about other things I had done in this field of law, and we had a great discussion about that.  At the end of the interview, the attorney told me that he felt that I was the best person ever for this job, and I was automatically offered the position, which had good pay and good benefits.  I was so shocked and amazed at how the Lord answered my prayer like this, and I totally give Him ALL the praise and glory for what He did for me!  

I was asked to start working on April 20^th, which was exactly nine months since I was unemployed, and my BFF said to me, “Well, the Lord knows you’ve been struggling with all these “labor” issues and finding some full time work, and He has finally delivered you by having you give birth to a new job!” which was so funny, especially since it does take a specific amount of time for an infant to develop within a mother before she goes into labor and then gives birth.  In the same way, it often takes time for us to trust the Lord to lead us down the right path and open the right door at the right time.  It was also a bit amusing since this field of law is LABOR and employment.  It’s quite precious that the Lord provided me with a job that is in my area of interest and skills and also that it’s not so stressful and filled with high volume work like so many of the jobs I looked into this past year.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work at this firm and to be able to reach out and be a blessing to them, just like Jesus would be.

I wanted to share this because I know that we all go through difficult things in life, but that we need to constantly trust the Lord for His timing, for His will and for His love for us.  Secondly, once we get through these difficult matters we may experience, we can look back and thank Him for His helping us and then we need to be willing to share this with others around us who may be going through similar issues in their own life – to pray with them and to encourage them to keep their mind focused on the Lord and to know that He is their vision and that He will never forsake them.  People are so blessed and encouraged to move forward in life when they have others reach out to them like this.  I know personally because that’s what happened to me.  Thank you Lord Jesus!

Anger Issues - GRRRRRR

Everyone in this world has anger issues – some more than others and unfortunately, most of them are unresolved for some people.  It is so evident, wherever you are, whatever you are doing – that you will often see somebody displaying their anger from the expression on their face towards someone else and their negative rude comments towards that individual.  There are many interesting things about “anger.”  First of all – it is a typical emotion that is very common among every living creative, both animals and humans.   We all have reasons to be upset, angry, or mad.  It’s just what we do with those emotions that will make the difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

There have been so many pictures that people have posted or shared about a child being upset with their parent who is forcing them to do something they just don’t want to do.  So you will often see a picture of the angry child and the angry parent together.  This is where it starts but unfortunately, it does not ever end there.  

It is very essential for the parent to lovingly and graciously explain to the child why they need to do this or that and to kindly let them know that there will be some consequences if the child chooses not to obey his or her parent.  It is not a matter of “do what I say NOW! Or else!!!!” – that is only going to cause a retaliation of anger on the side of the child which will just go back and forth between the two of them in an unresolved, unhealthy manner. 

Another interesting fact about anger is that sometimes we are truly justified in being upset about whatever it is that is going on around us or what is happening to us.  For example, it is so common for people on both sides of the political fences to be very upset today about all these negative news reports shown on TV or the internet, especially when there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop these things from getting worse.  It can also trigger a lot of anger and fear in people to see all these reports about crime and terrorism going on in our country and overseas.  We do have a right to be upset about what’s happening in this world, but unfortunately, there is not much we can do about it except to pray and trust the Lord to get us through these difficult days and to avoid over-reacting in a negative way.  Being angry about these things does not help resolve any of these situations in life, especially when most of what we see or hear on TV is BAD news and not GOOD news.

Now when someone is abusive or mean-spirited towards us, that can also trigger anger within our hearts in how we respond to that behavior, especially if we did nothing wrong to that person to deserve their abuse.  Some people do interact with that person with their own rage and ultimately pay the consequences by experiencing more physical and emotional damage.  Others may just turn and walk away without saying a word, but their anger is still buried deep within their heart.  So how do we handle these emotions in a healthy, responsible way?  

I know when I was a young teenager, I had a very abusive step-father who did physically abuse me so many times, and I tried not respond in anger verbally or in any other way because I was afraid of getting hurt even worse – so I would just usually say, “yes sir” and walk away.  But deep inside I was extremely furious about how he treated me, and I knew there was nothing I could do about it at that point.  I could not wait until I was able to move out of the house, which I did the day after I graduated from high school – because he kicked me out – but thankfully I had a friend whose family allowed me to live with them for a while. 

The problem with handling this type of anger in that “walk away” mode is that it triggered what I call a “justice kick” where I would allow myself to get upset at other people around me who were mistreating or abusing a friend, a co-worker or a family member.  I felt like it was my responsibility to reach out and protect them from the hurt they were experiencing.  I was a “fixer-upper” type person who was constantly trying to help others, but unfortunately, not in the best format.  I would yell and scream at them and tell them to leave that person alone or else they would be in trouble.  

Now I may have been right in that I was upset because a friend of mine was being mistreated or hurt, but the way I handled it was NOT in a mature, healthy way.  It would typically cause a retaliation response between me and that person and nothing was ever really resolved in a good way.  So how should I have dealt with this?  What should I have said to that person?  First of all, I should have toned down my voice and not have allowed my attitude to become persnickety towards them.  I should have said in a gracious but firm manner that it was not good for them to treat that person next to me so badly or perhaps kindly explain to them that they should not verbally mistreat that friend of mine.  Now if that person continued to get mad at my friend and towards me, and if they did not respond in a mature manner – then it would NOT have been my job to react to them in an angry way, nor should I have just walked away with a grumpy look on my face as I glared back at them.  I should have allowed myself to be sad and not mad.  I should have just walked away with my friend who was being hurt and prayed over them, and encourage them to stay away from that person.

Unfortunately, I did not react that way and it was often a back and forth verbally abusive interaction between me and that mean person since I felt “justified” that I was doing the right thing in defending my friend in that way, but it only triggered more and more anger deep within me towards that other person.  I did not ever understand at that time in my life about how wrong it was for me to be the way I was. 

It reminds me of this movie I recently saw (just a short part of, not the whole movie) on TV at home called “Erin Brockovich” starring Julia Roberts, which is based on a true story about a lady who worked for an attorney.  She had some really serious anger issues towards everyone around her and always over-reacted to everyone when she was upset.  She would constantly yell at people and cuss them out because of what they said or did, and the interesting thing is that she was often right about the reasons why she was upset with these people – but, unfortunately, she went about expressing herself in a really horrible, unhealthy way.   She definitely had a lot of unresolved baggage issues throughout her life which triggered these terrible anger fits that she displayed throughout the movie.  Some of these scenes made me realize how I would have been had I not worked through my anger issues many years ago.  I would have probably continued to over-react a lot like she did.  The Lord helped me to see the perspective that even though she was right about some of the things she was concerned about or angry towards, she could have expressed herself in a more mature, gracious way, but she obviously never seemed to even be aware of these problems that she was continuing to nurture and build up within herself.  I felt the Lord speak to my heart, “See that…if you had not gone through that therapy and counseling to deal with your forgiveness of your dad, you would have been just like that woman!!” I totally agree with Him and I’m so glad He helped me to see that!

I am so grateful that when I did go to therapy with a counselor in my early 20’s, this person helped me see that a lot of these “justice kick” anger issues were because of the abusive behavior I endured as a child and teenager from my step-father.  I had to learn more about what anger was and how to deal with forgiveness towards someone who had hurt or abused me.  I learned that forgiveness was for my benefit and that it would ultimately help me heal from all the hurt I had experienced as a child.  It would also help me to move forward in a better, healthier way in my life, especially in how I interacted with people around me.  I also learned that it did not mean I had to expect that person to ask for forgiveness from me, nor did I have to let them know that I forgave them.  It was all on my end.  I had to see and understand that the Lord had forgiven me and then I had to turn around and be willing to forgive those who hurt me.  I also learned that the sooner I would work through those problems that eventually I would also learn how to reach out and help others in a healthy way without it triggering all those horrible anger issues I had been dealing with.  It was amazing how over the years I became transformed in my understanding and my actions in that I did not continue to over-react towards people like that anymore.

There are a lot of verses throughout the Bible that refer to anger and how it can so adversely affect our lives.  Proverbs 29:11 states, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”  Proverbs 15:18 talks about “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”  We should be more like this as Proverbs 16:24 states: “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” and Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Another thing about unresolved anger issues is that if people do not work on these things in their own individual lives, then every relationship they are in, whether it be with friends, family members, co-workers, the person they are dating or their spouse, will become severely damaged or ultimately destroyed.  It does not matter whether you are younger, older, male, female, married or single – all these unresolved anger problems will continue to mess up the connective relationship you have with others in your life.  It is essential that each person is willing to work on their own problems, to see this perspective and to ultimately trust that the Lord will help heal these things.  Even if you have personally dealt with your own anger issues, you may be in a relationship with or married to someone who has NOT dealt with their anger problems or they may not even be aware that this is even going on inside their heart.

                        

So how does one handle that situation?  It is so important to deal with conflict in a better way.  First, you must be willing to pray for that person who may still be going through a hard time dealing with these things and also be willing to forgive them if they continue to be angry and argue with you so often.  Sometimes that person may be struggling with something else that has made them mad.  They may have had a bad situation at work or they may have experienced some physical health issues which upset them, and you may have no knowledge at all about any of this.  Then they will often over react to you in a negative way when you communicate with them about other things.  You can take it personally and wonder what you did to make them mad at you.  It can also trigger your own past anger issues, even though you may have already dealt with them, but it’s how we handle it from this point on that will make a difference in that relationship.  Now you can choose to respond to them in a negative way.   You can be reactive rather than proactive which shows you’re functioning out of your flesh rather than your spirit.  You don’t want to just walk away and ignore that person while you are experiencing the hurt and pain they have brought upon you.  Sometimes that kind of reaction to will continue to build up over a period of time within your heart and soul, and eventually, you may just blurt out a lot of terrible comments to that person in a mean-spirited violent way.  It is typically normal to feel sad and hurt and even sometimes mad that this person has mistreated you like that, but if you really care about them and your relationship and you know that they really care about you, then you should both be willing to graciously discuss these problems with each other and not in a bad way.  

Now if that person truly loves you and loves the Lord, then most likely, they will see how they have mistreated you, and they will ask for your forgiveness for being that way, and of course, you should forgive them and discuss these things in a loving manner in order to resolve these conflicts.  Ultimately, if you deal with these problems like this, you will have a much healthier relationship with that person, and you will both be able to see the difference.

Perhaps you should encourage that person to see a counselor to help them work through some of the things they are going through, or maybe you both could see that same counselor to help you deal with how these negative things affect your relationship.  It’s just very important that you do not continue to go back and forth and retaliate against each other in response to these arguments you keep having as we need to be aware of how damaging these issues can be in all of our relationships.  

It is so very important to realize that once both individuals have worked through these issues and understand more about and accept the Lord’s forgiveness, then their relationship with each other will become strengthened and honoring to the Lord in every way, especially as they both can reflect His love, His grace and His glory in how they respond to each other in loving, gracious ways.

Ephesians 4:26-27 states, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

Over the years I have heard from several of my married friends that they made a promise with each other that they would "not let the sun go down on their anger" especially if they were having some arguments or conflicts with their spouse, and they were willing to work on those things before they went to sleep at night.  That's so encouraging!

It is absolutely essential to keep in mind that it is NEVER too late to work on these problems and that the Lord can bring about healing in your life.  Also remember that there will continue to be serious consequences to your relationships if you are NOT willing to deal with these things.  But thankfully, the results of the resolution of these problems will reflect some amazing miracles that will always honor the Lord Jesus Christ!  Amen!

Dealing With Your Baggage Claims Together

This song listed below, "If We're Honest" by Francesca Battistelli is so awesome.  It speaks about one of the most common problems people have in this world - whether they are younger, older, male or female, single, dating someone or married or widowed -- dealing with unresolved "baggage issues."  Everyone has had problems with bad situations that have happened in their life and unfortunately, many do not understand how to deal with these things.  If we don't recognize these issues and make a proactive effort to work through them with the Lord's help, then we will continue to have even more problems in every area of our life, which will adversely and negatively affect everyone we're involved with, whether it be the spouse, the boyfriend/girlfriend, co-workers, neighbors, family members, friends, etc.  They will over-react to us and we will over-react to them.  But thankfully it IS possible to work through these things, even though it does take time and effort on our part as well as our faith and trust in the Lord to help us - regardless of whether we are single, dating or married to someone. 

Even if the people we care about in our lives are struggling with these things, we need to be more compassionate and understanding of what they're going through and willing to help them if we can (without being a rescuer or fixer-upper). 

Thankfully the Lord has helped me to resolve my baggage issues years ago, and I can see the "big picture" and the difference it has made in my life -- even though sometimes the Enemy, Satan, will try and use the past to remind me of those things I struggled with, which is why I have to keep looking forward and not keep looking back.

We have to always keep in mind that it is never too late to deal with these "issues."  We know that in every stage of life we will experience some difficult things, but we can work through them if we're willing to rely on the Lord.  

The song "If We're Honest" (lyrics and link below) is specifically about two people who are connected together, whether as good friends, a dating couple or a married couple - and how they can overcome these things if they're willing to deal with it in the Lord's way and then they ultimately become people who bring Honor to His name because they're "honest," transparent, real and care deeply about each other.

Another good and positive thing to remember is that if we trust the Lord to help us work through these issues, then we will become stronger emotionally, relationally, spiritually, and in every other way, and the Lord will use us in the future to help others who are going through the same thing.  We will see that nothing is ever wasted in God's economy and that even if we make bad choices and mistakes, He will forgive us and/or help us to forgive others who have hurt us.  He will help us to move forward and to keep looking ahead in His direction -- not our own.

If We're Honest - by Francesca Battistelli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDcTvtuuVU8

Truth is harder than a lie

The dark seems safer than the light

And everyone has a heart that loves to hide

I'm a mess and so are you

We've built walls nobody can get through

Yeah, it may be hard, but the best thing we could ever do, ever do

CHORUS:

Bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine

Cause love can heal what hurt divides

And mercy's waiting on the other side

If we're honest

If we're honest

Don't pretend to be something that you're not

Living life afraid of getting caught

There is freedom found when we lay

our secrets down at the cross, at the cross
 

CHORUS:

Bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine

'Cause love can heal what hurt divides

And mercy's waiting on the other side

If we're honest

If we're honest

It would change our lives

It would set us free

It's what we need to be

If we're honest

If we're honest

Here's a link to another blog entry on "baggage claims" and how the Lord can help us get through these things!

http://sustainedbyhisgrace.blogspot.com/2015/05/baggage-claims.html

Where I Could Have Been

I wrote this poem over 38 years ago on January 15, 1978 (when I was just 19 years old).  I'm so glad the Lord has helped me to see things HIS way over the years and NOT just MY way....I'm thankful He gave me those words to write "back in the day" and that even though we still have difficulties throughout our life, we can still continue to trust in Him to help us!

There’s times when I am lonely and saddened by the day…
Then I wonder how my life would be had I chose another way. . .
I wonder how I’d get along without the Lord to lead.
Who's name would be upon my lips to help me in my need?
When friends would seem so far from me with troubles of their own…
I’d never have a place to go and always be alone.
Who would guide me in the darkness? On whom could I depend?
To lead me in the way to go, to reach my journey’s end?
But then I think of how it is, not how it could have been.
Of where I am by God’s own grace and my heart is blessed again.
And though there’s times I’ll doubt and fear and try to reason why,
I know that deep inside I’m sure He’s always by my side.
He loves me in a way that I will never understand.
He has the best in mind for me and weaves it in His plan.
It takes time to learn a lesson when your heart is not in tune,
To listen to the Spirit’s call to fill you through and through.
So when I get discouraged from the way things seem to be,
I’ll think of my dear Savior and His precious love for me.

Removing the Rooted Weeds from my Life

I went outside today and saw that my huge “farm yard” field had so many new tall weeds throughout the whole area.  I asked my son to help me start de-weeding that section and told him that I would work on other areas in the front yard.  He started working on it for about a half an hour.  Unfortunately, he was unwilling to finish the project and asked if he could just cut the grass in the field instead of having to take all that time to remove the weeds.  I told him that I would prefer he continue de-weeding, but l knew I could not force him to take all that time to do that – so I said he could go ahead and cut the grass.

 I could see that it was very time consuming to do all that, but I also realized that it was more significant to de-weed and pull up the roots rather than just cut the grass, especially since those nasty weeds would keep coming back bigger and stronger.  I continued for a while to work outside in a small section of the front yard to pull up a lot of the weeds from the roots.  

Then I looked ahead and saw that there was so much more to do, which was a bit overwhelming for me, so I tried to make myself stay focused on what was just nearby.  I knew I would not be able to finish the task in a short period of time, but at least I was willing to get started.

This also reminded me why we need to continue to “de-weed” our own lives with the help of the Lord to get those roots pulled out (instead of just trying to cut off the top part), so that He will help remove all the things that have hindered and hurt us. Otherwise, those deeply rooted weeds in our lives will continue to grow bigger and stronger and try to mess us up. It also reminded me of the fact that as believers in Christ, we need to make sure that we understand that we are rooted and grounded in His love.  

Ephesians 3:17-19 states: ^“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Also, we need to realize that as we learn to trust in the Lord, we will see that we are in a sense “like trees which are planted by water and that sends out its roots by the stream.”  Jeremiah 17:7-8 refers to that illustration and helps us to understand that our roots are different than the deeply rooted weeds that infect our lives.   

I would much rather have my roots strengthened by the Lord than to be defeated and overwhelmed by the deeply entrenched weeds that are all around us – which the Enemy often uses to defeat us.  Hebrews 12:14-15 states that we are “strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble and by it many become defiled.”

If we meditate on the Word of God, we will see how our roots grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord.  The Spirit of God also shows us how the scriptures help us deal with the negative weeds in our lives as we allow our own roots to become deeply strengthened by Him so that we can move forward in life.  We also have to remember that it does take time for all this to happen, just like when we are involved in de-weeding of our own yards.  But thankfully, the Lord gives us the wisdom, insight and discernment to see this from His perspective and not our own – so that we can trust Him to complete these things in our life.

I do believe it is very important to pull up the weeds from the roots and cast them aside while the Lord to continues to deepen our own roots since we are built up in Him (Colossians 2:7).  I am willing to be patient and take the time for this to be completed in my life because I look forward to becoming strengthened in my faith and walk with the Lord. Amen! 

Prayer to My Dear Father

I thank you dear Lord for your awesome great care

That follows me and comforts me, everywhere!

Even though I often feel hurt and distressed

You’re always there for me and know what’s best.

Despite the hurtful attacks I keep on receiving

From the Enemy’s efforts to continue deceiving.

I can feel the presence of your gracious dear love

As you kindly lift me off the ground from heaven above.

I know your Spirit resides deep within my heart

And is there to keep my life from falling apart.

I know His goal for me is to renew and transform

My mind and my thoughts since I have been reborn.

But sometimes I am distracted and often feel defeated.

Yet I see how much you love me and how well that I am treated.

I’ve experienced your healing from the loving prayers of others,

Those whom you’ve placed into my life—my sisters and my brothers.

My thoughts should be on who you are and how you answer prayers.

As I continue to focus on your love which I will turn around and share!

Amen

What Are You Listening To?

When I hear that question, “What are you listening to?” I know it is not always about listening to music.  What I am referring to are the kinds of things that infiltrate our thoughts and minds every day.  Are they positive or negative, destructive or encouraging, motivating or defeating, tempting or uplifting, truth or lies?  One thing that I have started to see and understand more clearly is that Satan’s most popular and frequent target is our attacking our minds. If he can consume our thoughts with things that are not true or tempt us to do things we should not do, then it will often affect our actions and how we live our lives each day.  Surprisingly, there are many believers in this world who are totally unaware of this whole concept and the reality of spiritual warfare. There are many scriptures in the Bible that confirm this fact, and that this is indeed a battle for the mind.

II Cor. 10:3-5 talks about how although “we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Another verse, II Cor. 11:3 – Paul states, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Does this mean he can “read” our mind or our “thoughts”? Of course not, but some people may think this is true because they believe those lies.  Satan is very limited in how he can attack us as believers because we are filled with the Holy Spirit and we are new creatures in Christ.  We have to continually remind ourselves that the Spirit of God is always in our midst, and that the presence of Christ lives within our heart, our soul, our mind and spirit.  Unfortunately, even though the Enemy knows he cannot read our thoughts, he still has the ability to “whisper” all sorts of lies, temptations, negative, stressful things into our minds.  So how do we keep from becoming overwhelmed or making bad choices?

 

First, we need to be focused on the truth of who we are in Christ, of knowing how much He loves and cares for us and to know that He wants to accomplish positive things in our lives for His glory.  We need to be reading the scripture regularly because that is one of the main ways He communicates with us.  We can open the Bible and read a passage, and the Spirit of God can literally speak to our hearts and help us to see His truth.  Remember how Jesus kept using scripture from the Old Testament to cast Satan away from Him as he was trying to tempt Jesus who was fasting in the desert?  This is basically feeding our souls and ultimately strengthening and nourishing our minds so that we can be encouraged in our faith.  Then when we hear these lies from the Enemy, we will be able to recognize and reject them because we have become more enamored in our love and appreciation for the Lord.  We also need to focus our mind on the Holy Spirit so that we can live a life of peace, as Romans 8:6 says, “To set the mind on flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

 

Secondly, we need to be praying more.  The communication we have with God through prayer is a great opportunity for us to strengthen the connection we already have with Him.  That’s one reason I enjoy listening to worship songs throughout the day that help me to reflect on my walk with the Lord as I sing and pray to Him.  Now sometimes we may have doubts in our heart and minds as we think, “Oh the Lord is just not listening to me…or “He’s not going to answer my prayers”, or “Why should I pray…He’s just too busy to pay any attention to me…” and where do you think those thoughts come from?  That’s right!  Satan.  He will continually try to attack our minds as we continue to try and strengthen our relationship with the Lord.  We will be able to sense the Lord’s presence in our heart, mind and soul especially if we do this on a consistent basis.  It’s also good to pray with others because even then, we can sense that He is in our midst when we are praying together. 

Another thing we need to be careful about is what choices we make in our lives. For example, if we are living a lifestyle that is dishonoring and not pleasing to the Lord, then we will have a difficult time hearing His voice.  It is at that point that our ears and minds are severely clouded with so many unhealthy things that hinder us and which inevitably affect how we “hear” the truth that the Lord wants us to know about.  But it is never too late to restore that relationship with Him once we decide to stop making bad choices, and if we decide to focus on the truth of God’s word, the stronger we will become in keeping the Enemy from defeating us.

Romans 12:2 states, “and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  The “renewed mind” of believers is another way that helps us be strengthened and not fall prey to these attacks, but we have to remember that this is a lifelong process.  We have to constantly keep our thoughts focused on the truth of God’s word and the way His Spirit helps us because the Enemy is not going to give up on us.  Even though he knows he is defeated and has lost the war, he also knows he has not lost some of the battles he brings our way  because we sometimes choose to listen to his lies and we do not believe the truth that God wants us to know.  Why does it matter to him if he wins that battle and not the war?  Because if he wins, then we lose.  We will become more overwhelmed, isolated and self-absorbed to the point that we will not be the person the Lord wants us to be, and He will not be able to use us to reach out and help others. Basically, if we think we are a weak and defeated person, then we will begin to feel and act like one.  

Thankfully, those of us who have a true relationship with the Lord and are “new creatures in Christ”, recognize that we cannot be “possessed” by Satan, (II. Cor. 5:17), but we can become oppressed and strongly influenced by him, if we choose to listen to his lies, instead of to the Spirit of God who resides within us.  Isaiah 26:3 says, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.”

 

In II Corinthians 4:4, it points out that, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  Unfortunately, Satan does have access to blinding the minds and filling the thoughts of those who do not know Christ.  He can even read the thoughts of those who give him access.  The story of Judas is a clear example of someone who allowed Satan to mess with his mind, and he ended believing the lies that Satan bestowed upon him. John 13:2 states that “During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him.” and In John 13:27, it states that after Judas ate the piece of food, “Satan then entered into him...”  It is clear that ultimately his choices were affected by the Enemy because of his failure to respond and truly believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior. 

I’ve heard this story about a Cherokee grandfather told to his grandson about the battle of two wolves inside us all…how one is evil, filled with anger, greed, resentment lies and pride.  The other is good, and filled with joy, peace, love, hope, humility and truth.  The grandson thought about it and asked, “Which wolf wins?” to which his grandfather quietly replied, “the one you feed.”  That is true for us too… if we choose to listen to the lies that Satan sends our way each day, then that is the “wolf” which will overcome and defeat us.  But if we focus on the truth of what scripture says about us and our relationship with God, and if we listen to the positive, informative things that the Holy Spirit wants to share with us, then we will be able to overcome those spiritual attacks of the Enemy.  At times in my life, I have chosen to believe those lies and not the truth. But I am becoming more motivated now to continue to feed my soul with the truth of the Lord through His word and to become more proactive as I continue to hear His voice while I dismiss the evil thoughts that still try to invade my mind from time to time.  Thank you dear Lord that I get to listen to you…and that you still speak to my heart.  Amen!