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Enjoy grocery
shopping... |
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I'm not exactly sure why, but I've always been intrigued by the abundance of choices, the packaging and the dynamics of the whole marketplace environment.
A few days ago, my wife and I were shopping Kroger's together, but as we strolled, I found myself wrestling with my thoughts while trying to put my finger on why I was disturbed. Like most believers at times I'm tempted to question my place in the body of Christ, my impact on people and my "success" as a member-in-paticular. On this occasion, I finally said to myself,
"In the name of Jesus Christ, I command my thoughts to line up with the Word."
The simple decision and statement made the difference. Sometimes the process of the renewing of our mind is no more difficult than simply taking a stand on the Word within our own thoughts. It is telling our thoughts to 'snap to it" and to conform to the scriptures.
When we are thinking less than what the Word says about ourselves or about others, we say, "Mind! Come back to the Word! I refuse to believe a lie in this situation." This is "newing-up" the mind, as we are directed in Romans 12:1,2. We must stay in the habit of identifying and putting off false beliefs (lies) and putting on (clothing ourselves with) true beliefs. Instead of thinking this (the world's input), I will think that (the truth). Being "transformed" is:
- Identifying ungodly thoughts;
- Taking them captive (putting our hands around their neck and claming dominance over them);
- Bringing them into subjection by confronting them with what the Word says and replacing them with the truth.
Lies melt in the face of truth. False beliefs are immobilized by the accuracy of the Word. Darkness is dispelled by the slightest amount of light. truth is never affected by error, but error is rendered powerless by truth.
We are deceiving ourselves when we:
- Aren't thinking the Word;
- Aren't speaking the Word;
- Aren't acting on the Word;
- But, at the same time, we are wondering why the Word's promises aren't coming to pass.
But do we EVER really believe tat we are deceiving ourselves? Yet, it must happen to us all.
Deuteronomy 11:16a
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived...
1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
We ask, "Why don't I see the fruit? Why does God's Word seen to work for everybody but me?" At times, we even begin to privately doubt that the Word is true, even though we aren't doing our part by thinking, speaking and doing what the Word says.
Maybe we should ask ourselves what seeds are we planting in our minds? Are we pulling the weeds that have crept in? What kind of crop are we cultivating? The reality is that most of the fruit in our life's field is what we've cultivated. Sometimes, I wish it wasn't true.
God cannot do our part. We cannot do His. But when we work together, a fruitful harvers is guaranteed.
God provides the Seed (the Word) and the increase (growth). We do the farming.
We must know "the truth about lies." When we arn't seeing His Word coming to pass in some area of our lives, we can ask God to help us identify falsehoods that we may be accepting as true, deceiving ourselves. Then, calling our minds back to the truth, we make the connection and reap the harvest!
-- Kevin Guigou
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