Setting the Proper Foundation for the New Year

As recently posted in the Emma Joy Weekly Newsletter

Hello, everyone!


A new year is upon us and I am determined to make significant changes in any way needed so the wise choices of last year continue and the poor choices of 2018 are uprooted to the best of my ability.


As you reminisce over the previous year, what does it evoke in you? Who or what helped strengthen your walk with our great King? Who or what caused you to waver in your commitment to Christ? What choices increased your overall well-being? What decisions ultimately brought you more harm than good?


A word I have chosen for the theme of my 2019 is purge. It's a strong word with a powerful meaning. Merriam-Webster defines it as: to free from moral defilement, to cause evacuation from, to make free of something unwanted.


This can apply to toxic relationships, unbiblical beliefs about oneself or the world, stubbornness, pride, rebellion, cussing, squandering time or money, and any stumbling block that serves to keep you complacent, stagnant, unhealthy, or halfhearted in your roles and responsibilities.


"Life only changes when you do." What a brilliant concept that is often missed by the majority. It isn't all about stopping bad behavior as it is about becoming a person who grows in Christ-likeness and from that flows very real positive change. When we grow in character, we are better equipped for the unexpected changes that life brings to every person. When we do not take character growth or our relationship with the LORD seriously, life will knock us down and cause us to feel like we are drowning with little hope in sight.


I'd like to ask: How often do you read the Bible? How often do you use the Internet or watch television? Why do you only read the Bible that often? How do you justify using the Internet or watching television that often? You see, often the great disconnect between transformation and remaining the same person (or even getting worse) is that we give countless hours per week to entertainment or social media and very few hours to consuming the word of God.


I challenge you to try this assignment: Buy a wall calendar, planner, or even 25 cent notebook and start with tomorrow's date. For two weeks straight (marking each day off), read the Bible for the amount of time you currently use the Internet or watch television daily and watch television and use the Internet for the current amount of time you read the Bible daily. It is a surefire way to bring to light just how much time we as humans tend to squander on leisure, and just how little time we give to seeking our Creator and King. In two weeks, I'd like each of you who are willing to do this challenge (beginning tomorrow) to send me an email with the significant changes that took place in your life through this simple (yet difficult to be sure) exercise.


You will discover a newfound desire to please the LORD like never before since I presume you will be reading a lot of the Bible daily, as well as a significant decrease in your struggle with sin since your intake of TV and the Internet will be so little.


I am praying for each of you as you give up a mere two weeks of your time to give God the best of your hours. You just might want to continue this exercise indefinitely!

Run the Race in Such a Way That You May Win

By Jim George

The Christian life and spiritual growth are not sprints. They are long-distance races that require lifelong perseverance. You grow in spiritual maturity as you run the race moment by moment, day after day, and year after year.


In many ways, running the spiritual race is a lot like physical running. If you stop exercising physically, your body may not show the results of inactivity for a while. But in time you will wake up and find that you can't run to the end of the block, and it's a short one at that!


In the same way, you may think you can get by without exercising spiritually, by not reading your Bible, or praying, or going to church. One day, however, you will wake up and find yourself spiritually flabby, out of shape, and wide open to sin...all because you didn't make a focused effort to keep growing day by day.


And remember, you can't rest on yesterday's growth. You must be dedicated to growing today...and every day.


... It's true that growth doesn't just happen. Spiritual growth requires motivation and action on your part. But the benefits of such growth are phenomenal and well worth your effort.

The Differences Between Religion and the Gospel

By Timothy Keller

RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted.
THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.


RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.


RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God.
THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.


RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.


RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.


RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.


RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failure.
THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.


RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to “the other.”
THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.


RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.
THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

3 Secrets to Putting a Dagger in the Heart of Porn

Originally posted on CovenantEyes.com

For anyone who has felt the weight of addiction, the thought of being free is beyond liberating. We fail to realize though, that the depths of our addiction didn’t happen in one day, so similarly our full victory will not be instantaneous.


A history of mistakes made, sin willfully indulged in, consequences suffered, and lessons learned has taught me that freedom from the habits which bind us become ours through the daily choices we make. Being stubbornly diligent is required for us to grow in our pursuit of purity.

3 Crucial Steps to Slaying Porn

Regardless of the depths of your addiction to the sin of pornography, there are a few steps you can daily apply that will better equip you to gain and walk in victory:

Read the rest of my guest post for the Covenant Eyes blog here

Living Fully for the One Who Gave His Life for Us

As recently posted in the Emma Joy Weekly Newsletter

Many Choices Pale in Comparison


What are you living for? What makes you get up in the morning? What do you look forward to doing each day or are willing to wait for with expectation? What brings you happiness or makes you feel like you have arrived? What gives you a sense of security that if it were taken, your world would crumble?


Is it weekends out with friends? Popularity? The pursuit and attainment of wealth? Physical beauty? Hobbies? Your kids? Pursuing a college degree? Buying expensive clothing and shoes or nice furnishings for the home? The hope of taking a long-awaited vacation? A promotion at work? ...


I would submit that most of the stuff we cling to and hope for can often serve as a distraction from fully rejoicing in and living for Jesus; the One who gave His life for us.


Too often do we let the days, weeks, and months go by with little regard to how we can make an impact in the lives of others for eternity or where we sit humbly at Jesus' feet and simply rest in Him.


We might not be able to remember the last time we studied Biblical resources, made weekly attendance in church a priority, or picked up our Bible to devour.


What a concept, isn't it? To devour the word of God? But I'm convinced that is precisely what God wants of us! To so treasure it that we acknowledge God before we start our day through reading it or listening to an Audio Bible. To pray Scripture and memorize it. To take God's word seriously and let it fuel our passion for Him. To show us our need for Him and how far we are from being the people He calls us to be (yet still He faithfully intervenes and works in our lives despite our willful rebellion, disinterest at times, or if we were honest, boredom). God uses His word to give us a correct view of who He is, how He sees sin, to show us what Jesus has accomplished on behalf of sinners, to give examples of people who took Him seriously and gave God His proper place in their lives, and to warn us of the consequences of sin.


Would you like to join me in committing to read God's word faithfully from this day forward? We can keep each other accountable, make known our progress, and share what we are studying and learning through church and our own pursuit of Jesus by excellent sermons, books, videos, and articles by Christian speakers and thinkers who teach God's word in an accurate manner, in a thought-provoking, life-transforming way. A few of my favorite thinkers and speakers (or authors) include:


Ravi Zacharias


Timothy Keller


The speakers of Stand to Reason


John Lennox


I strongly believe reading all of God's word (both Old and New Testaments) is crucial to understand God's heart, character, will, and salvation. It's so easy to overlook what a treasure chest the Bible is because we are so focused on what is temporary. Seriously, let's commit to reading His word daily and praying each day that God would renew our minds through our intake of it (Romans 12: 2) and give us a love for His word, the desire and willingness to read it, and the joy that results from keeping Jesus first in our lives.


Months ago, my Uncle said, "...Continue on your path of righteousness. Life is like getting in shape, working out to see physical results of our efforts. When we practice our faith in God, it may take a while to see manifestations of God's hand shaping our spiritual lives; this takes perseverance, patience and faith. There have been so many times in my life, even now, that I feel so distant from God, but I am able to hold fast to what I have learned through my years of studying and memorizing Scripture."


Here are a few books that present valid evidence for the claims of the Bible and Christianity:


Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell


The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel


Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig


The Reason for God by Timothy Keller


I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist by Norman Geisler


Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis


Five Things Every Christian Should be Doing with God's Word


The Importance of Treasuring God's Word


Finding Delight in God's Word


The Book of Proverbs


Next week, I will be posting about the importance of prayer and issuing challenges over the topic, so stay tuned.


Take Jesus seriously. Cling to, believe, delight in, memorize, obey, and hold His word dear. And do read all the posts on my blog regarding God's word. I listed a few above.


Elizabeth and Jim George said, "Nothing else in this world can renew our minds like the Bible, which is: a light to guide us, a rod to correct us, a staff to lead us, a mirror to reveal us, a banquet to feed us, and a rudder to steer us."

Lessons for Young Men

Our world desperately needs men. Real men. Manly men. Godly men. Holy men. Courageous men. Men who fear no one because they fear their God more. Our culture despises true, biblical manhood. What our young people today who grow up in American society will not learn on their own, from their friends, from Hollywood, or simply by observing the way of culture is how to be a real, godly, courageous, man of God.


So in this brief essay, I will give 5 simple lessons for young, maturing men.

Read the rest of this post here

Five Things Every Christian Should be Doing with God’s Word

Psalm 119 is an amazing Psalm.  Not only is it the longest Psalm (176 verses!), but it is also the Psalm that deals the most directly with the topic of Scripture.  Virtually every verse, in one way or another, refers to God’s Word.


David (who is most likely the author) uses a variety of terminology to describe God’s Word:  commandments, law, statutes, precepts, ordinances, rules, words, testimonies, etc.  These all refer to the Scriptures as they existed in David’s day (essentially the Pentateuch).


Thus, Psalm 119 is one of the best examples of Scripture speaking about Scripture.  It is the Word about the Word.


And in it, we find David interacting with the Word of God in five ways that should be paradigmatic for all believers:

Read the rest of this post here

Sin's Goal: Seduce, Trap, Slay

"Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly."  Proverbs 26: 11

The Bible addresses real issues of life.  One can confidently turn to the Word of God to find comfort in afflictions, guidance in uncertainties, strength in weakness, warnings against sin, and commands for Christians.  The Scriptures speak of how the people of God must view sin.  Sin is a terrible evil.  It woos, it traps, it kisses, and then it kills.  Sin whispers that its a friend till in the end it slaughters with a death-blow.  But the Bible provides the truth that God’s people must heed to mortify sin and to guard from patterns of evil.

Read the rest of this post here

What Will Our Daily Choices Result In?

 

 

 

Purity vs. Impurity

 

 

A Christ-exalting life vs. a Self-exalting life

 

 

A thought life that takes Philippians 4: 8 into account vs. thoughts that are rampant with what we please

 

 

Trusting in God for everything vs. seeking to be our own master and take matters into our own hands

 

 

Pursuing God vs. pursuing the longings of our hearts at any turn

 

 

Resting in God vs. worrying or being filled with anxiety and fear

 

 

Surrender to God vs. holding back important aspects of our lives from Him

 

 

Being content vs. complaining about everything

 

 

Humility vs. pride

 

 

Seeking counsel vs. carrying hurts and issues we can't deal with on our own

 

 

...and the list goes on.

 

 

We all have so many choices to make day by day.  Where are your choices leading you?  Where will you be five days from now?  Two months?  Ten years?

 

 

God's trustworthy word (our only hope and perfect guide):

 

 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3: 5-6

 

 

"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."  Proverbs 16: 9

 

 

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel."  Proverbs 12: 15

 

 

"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Proverbs 13: 20

 

 

"A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless."  Proverbs 14: 16

 

 

"He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding."  Proverbs 15: 32

 

 

"Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly."  Proverbs 17: 12

Holding Fast to God's Truth

 

I occasionally speak to one of my uncle's over the phone and we correspond through text message every week and a half or so.  He is a Christian, walked away for a time, and is now growing spiritually, so even if I only send him a few quotes that I think would be helpful to him and beneficial in his growth spiritually, I will send them as often as I find them.

 

 

His response yesterday was really nice.  It was thought provoking and I want to share it with my readers:

 

 

"...Continue on your path of righteousness.  Life is like getting in shape, working out to see physical results of our efforts.  When we practice our faith in God, it may take a while to see manifestations of God's hand shaping our spiritual lives; this takes perseverance, patience and faith.  There have been so many times in my life, even now, that I feel so distant from God, but I am able to hold fast to what I have learned through my years of studying and memorizing Scripture."


This goes to show that regularly reading, memorizing, and studying the word of God will prove to yield transformation and the renewing of our minds, will serve as the catalyst to building our faith in God, and will enable us to trust Him more despite the changing circumstances and seasons of life.


What better prayer to pray than asking God to give us hearts that hunger for His truth and cling to the Bible above our fleeting emotions and differing moods?

To Exalt God or Self?

 

The God of the Bible is beyond incredible.  He is lovely and perfect, wise and faithful, good, holy, abundant in lovingkindness, trustworthy, and many other beautiful attributes...


And yet, I don't live accordingly.  I do not praise Him in a manner worthy of Him.  I don't trust Him as I should.  I don't seek after Him consistently or often enough.  I choose to live life my way fairly often and seek to be the captain of my own life in many ways (to be honest, it's not working out too well).


If you're anything like me, too often I take advantage of God's grace and mercy and treat my relationship with Him as though it can be handled on my terms - not in a God honoring manner as described in His word.


I don't devour the word of God by reading much of it daily, even though I have the ability to do so living in the United States where persecution isn't the norm for Christians.  Carrying a Bible for believers in many other countries would be a literal death sentence, and yet here I am with the option of reading God's word even while sitting in a Mexican food restaurant with my family or quoting the Bible and speaking about God as my mom and I go about our weekly shopping at any given store and I don't always acknowledge God and praise Him for who He is.


I don't treasure Him and I don't always trust Him.  I certainly don't always rest in Him and I often cling to my sins of choice by only half-repenting because I doubt His ability to hear and answer in His perfect timing.  I'm guilty of assuming God is oblivious to the hurt in my heart, my desires, longings, and anxiety, and tend to become upset when life isn't going my way.


Sometimes I settle for seeking after God only a fraction of the day or saying, "It has only been a few days since I have read the Bible" which makes it easier to justify not reading God's word the next time I would rather be lazy instead of taking the crucial step of filling my mind with His truth - which really, the neglect of such is only to my detriment and the daily practice of such to my joy, trust, and delight in God (not to mention keeping an accurate view of God's character, how He sees sin, and being reminded of/blessed by Jesus Christ's life, ministry, death and resurrection as described in the Gospels).


I choose to feed my lust instead of pleading with God to give me a clean heart in all ways.


...can you relate?  Will you please pray that in all things, the Lord would take first place in my heart and really transform, sanctify, purify, purge, and refine me?  And if you have any prayer requests, I will take the time to pray daily as well.  You may write to me at:  EmmaJoyBlog@gmail.com

Is Jesus Only a Mere Moral Teacher?

 

 

Don't you think if Jesus Christ was merely a "good moral teacher", that He would have the respect of literally everyone - because after all, good moral teachers would only offer good moral principles to abide by, which we should all consider well and nice in its own right?  Yet Jesus Christ requires a genuine commitment to Him, the acceptance of His salvation on behalf of sinners (every one of us!) and for us to now abide by His word, the Bible, and live in a manner worthy of the God who has redeemed us...not to merely offer lip service and nice spiritual talk pretending or even supposing we are saved, when in reality by how we live is totally contradictory to the way our Savior calls us to live (as ambassadors of Him in this world) and we shrug it off and say, "I'm fine with God."


Are you?


Jesus said in Luke 9: 23, "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.' "


And to quote John 3: 17, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."


"If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  Anonymous

The Benefits and Downside to Our Sins of Choice

 

By Ray Comfort

Benefits of godlessness: The temporal freedom to indulge in pornography, fornication, abortion, adultery, homosexuality, lying, and blasphemy.

Downside: Hell.

Benefits of Christianity: No pornography, no fornication, no abortion, no adultery, no homosexuality, no lying, no blasphemy, no guilt, no fear, no Hell, and everlasting life with pleasures that make the pleasures of this world look like the bottom of a trash bin.

Downside: There isn’t one.

“…godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” ( 1 Timothy 4:8).

The Necessity of Practicing Gratitude

 

Gratitude.

How needed it is.  And how little we practice it.

Here is an assignment for each one of us:

• Write down everything "right" about your life currently; this could include anything you are not anxious about or overly concerned with.
• Next, write down, memorize, and daily keep in mind the truth of Romans 8: 28 and the faithfulness, wisdom, and goodness of God.
• List all the external blessings and provisions God has bestowed in your life.
• Name everything from having food and shelter, to your eyesight, hearing, and limbs.  Include luxuries like having a cell phone, computer, books to read, the internet to use, air conditioning, a heater, clothes for the summer and winter, shoes, any jewelry, electricity, running water, soap, music, a car, pens and pencils and markers and crayons to draw or write, the ability to go to the store for what we need, access to the Post Office to mail letters or packages, and every other little (or great) luxury you can think of.
• Make sure to write down prayers God has answered (and the times He has, in His wisdom and protection over you, said no), the desires of your heart He has granted, and every time He made a way out of a bad situation, circumstance, relationship, or friendship.
• List God's attributes as described in the Bible.  Praise and offer Him thanks and a joyful heart for the truth of His word, His precious Son and salvation, and God's character.
• Instead of complaining about everything that isn't right about life, begin writing down everything that is "right".

This is a sure way to gain contentment.  Gratitude changes our perspective.

Let us seek to build hearts of thanksgiving and continually live in an attitude of praise to God.

Why not?

We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  It will take work to be diligent, but why not transfer all the energy, effort, and time we put into complaining to instead learning how to be thankful and daily praise God?

The Importance of Treasuring God's Word

 

By Elizabeth George

The foundation for a healthy thought-life is God's Word.  God has chosen to communicate with us through the Bible.  Therefore, His Word is to take priority over everything else we might choose as the basis of our thoughts, actions, and feelings.


The power God extends to us through His Word--and through thinking on His Word--can lift us out of the depths of defeat, discouragement, despair, doubt, dread, and depression and enable us to deal with the challenges that come our way.


With our thoughts based on the Word and Person of God, we find strength, hope, joy, faith, and peace of heart, soul, and mind.


...


Every time you hold your thoughts up against God's standards of what is true and what is real...and then choose to "think on these things," you are loving God with all your mind. With His help, His Word, and His Spirit, you can triumph over negative emotions, damaging thoughts, and destructive attitudes.


...


Another crucial step toward loving God with all our mind is determining to place the Bible's truths above everything we think or feel. ...God uses His truth to break the cycle of destructive thinking that leads to discouragement, despair, doubt, and depression.

Finding Delight in God's Word

 

By Elizabeth George

If you are struggling to get into God’s Word, you can rely on these 3 stages:


#1 The cod liver oil stage: When it’s like medicine.
#2 The shredded wheat stage: When it’s nourishing but dry.
#3 The peaches-and-cream stage: When it’s consumed with passion and pleasure.


Make daily time for reading God's Word your highest priority.  ...you gain the power of character--you begin to more clearly reflect your heavenly Father's face--as His Holy Word smoothes and polishes your character.  As you spend time gazing into God's Word, the light of His truth brightens your motivation to live your life for His glory.  When you read the Word of the Lord, He uses it to scrub and scour away your fears, your laziness, your doubts, and your sinful ways.


...Besides reading God's Word daily, set up a plan for regularly memorizing Scripture.


Oh, pray for God to give you an insatiable appetite for rich fellowship with Him through His Word, an appetite that nothing else can satisfy.

Receiving Discipline for Our Good

 

 

 

Hebrews 12: 5-11

 

"and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

 

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

 

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.  All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

When Life is Discouraging

 

Life can be so discouraging, can't it?  We have so many questions, worries, doubts, and fears that keep us trapped.  We might fear the future, worry often, feel anxiety over different situations and people in life (or work and school) and we question how we will make it through another day if things don't change soon.

Lately, I have been under stress in various ways because life isn't going quite how I want it to and it can be frustrating to wait.  I do realize that life as a whole is a process.  Think about that.  It's a process to get promoted at work.  It's a process to lose weight.  It's a process to get in shape through regular exercise and the consumption of vitamins, healthy food, and plenty of water.  It's a process to get the whole house clean.  It's a process to grow in our walk with God.  It's a process to build relationships.  And it's a process to learn new things.

Something that really helps me is to remember that God is ultimately in control of all things in our lives and He is faithful to cause all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8: 28).  Yes, we make choices, and yes, our choices can bring suffering, consequences, and much pain and regret to us...yet God is able to build our trust in Him and our character even through poor or sinful choices.  Our choices do not hinder God from working on our hearts and transforming us, yet on the same token, our choices can hinder the process of transformation and sanctification and can prevent future blessings because of the consequences they very well may incur.  An example of this is desiring intimacy and not wanting to wait until you meet your future spouse so you might be intimate with someone you just met or in a dating relationship with someone you know will not end up being your spouse.  Not only will a portion of your heart, emotions, time, and thoughts (to a greater or lesser degree) be given to that person, but if your body is given to them as well you might contract an STD.  For those who have suffered the repercussions of intimacy with someone (or quite a few!) who are not your spouse and contracted herpes, an STD, or even AIDS from it, I'm sure you look back and think sincerely, "If only I was willing to wait!"

The next time you feel down, discouraged, disillusioned, lonely, disappointed, sad, ungrateful, angry, or like you could literally just give up on life, try reading the Bible for hours straight.  Seriously.  Read through the entire book of Proverbs and the book of Psalms.  Read the book of Ephesians in the New Testament and one of the Gospels.  Pray beforehand that God would speak to you through His word and give you eyes to see, ears that hear, and a heart that understands His truth and for a willing heart toward God.  Pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to you in a way that you cannot deny and to deliver you from any hypocrisy or heart attitudes, actions, and behavior in life that keep you distanced from Him.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."  Second Corinthians 1: 3-4

"casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."  First Peter 5: 7

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their sorrows."  Psalm 147: 3

Our Thoughts Matter

 

 

 

"A New Way of Thinking"

by Kimberly Wagner

 

 

What do you think of when you hear someone say we need to have an "eternal perspective?" Does this verse come to mind?

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Col. 3:2)

What does that mean? 


What does that look like?


It doesn't mean we're to spend our time thinking about angels sitting on clouds strumming harps . . . that is NOT what Paul is talking about here. Nor is focusing on "things above" referring to some New Age mystical experience.

 

My attitude and perspective is formed by my thinking.

Paul is talking about becoming so God-centered in your thinking—so Word saturated—that it quite literally affects your actions.


Look at the connection Paul makes between thinking and living as he continues in verse five:

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

What we think about influences our actions.

If I think about chocolate all day . . . (which isn't hard to do) I'm probably going to be hitting the candy bar aisle at the grocery store before the day is over!


Paul's point is that once we come to Christ, we have a new way of thinking . . . we have a new purpose, a new outlook, a redeemed perspective. Paul was challenging believers in Colossae to evaluate their thinking and make a course correction where needed.


Many of these new believers were influenced by the first wave of Gnosticism, by legalistic Judaism, and pagan mysticism. All of these belief systems had a faulty view of God and salvation. Gnostics denied the deity of Christ and claimed to have "secret knowledge." The legalists promoted a works-based self-righteousness. Pagan religious practices included temple prostitution and child sacrifice.


From the letter's contents, it sounds as though their messed-up thinking was producing pride, slander, malice, greed, immorality, and impurity (which Paul addresses). So, Paul calls them to change their thinking—to set their minds on things "above."


I'm not into pagan mysticism . . . can't say I'm guilty of legalistic Judaism . . . so what does this mean for me . . . for us?

Corrupt thinking still produces corruption, and God-centered thinking produces godliness.

That old saying about what you put into the computer determines what comes out is so true . . . "Garbage in, garbage out."


That's why Psalm 119:11 commends "hiding God's Word" in our hearts as a protection against making sinful choices.


For me, "otherworldly thinking" or "setting my mind on things above" includes:

• Thinking God's thoughts—literally

Memorizing Scripture implants God's Word deeply, not only in my mind, but in my heart (which is where transformation happens). When I have His Word in my mind, I am thinking God's thoughts. Is that not an amazing concept? We can literally think God's thoughts . . . and the more we do that, the more we will be transformed.

• Watching Jesus closely in the gospels

When I take a daily dose from one of the gospels, it places Jesus' actions front and center. I think about Him through the day: what He did when the needy person approached, or how He reacted to silly suggestions from Peter . . . watching Jesus closely allows me to know Him more intimately.

• Taking control of my thoughts rather than letting wrong thinking take control of me

My attitude and perspective is formed by my thinking. That's why Paul challenges us to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). We're moving into dangerous territory when we let our imagination run wild, when we entertain the enemy's lies and allow our thoughts to run amuck. Truth must be our mind's fortress in order for our emotions to be protected.

Setting my mind above doesn't come naturally . . . because it is a supernatural way of operating. If I want to think God's thoughts, I need to fight to fill my mind with His way of thinking.


What's on your mind today?