Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 1 Corinthians 6:15b, NIV*
Talk about an odd verse for God to use to correct me! This is not exactly on my list of temptations. But I knew what He meant.
I’ve been thinking lately about Oswald Chambers’ challenge to “keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit” (Nov. 7 reading, My Utmost for His Highest, updated edition edited by James Reimann) and about the challenge to practice the presence of God throughout the day.
I need the peace of Christ to rule in my heart (instead of allowing anxiety to reign); the mind of Christ to rule my thoughts (to make them obedient to Him instead of dwelling where they shouldn’t) and the grace of Christ to be a guard on my lips (to keep errant thoughts from slipping out in irretrievable words). I’ve made it into a prayer of sorts.
On this particular day I was driving to work, listening to a favourite worship CD and remembering the need to stay close to God. The biggest challenge at that moment was in the thought department: I was tired and a bit on the cranky side.
Zing went the prostitute verse through my thoughts. I hadn’t even read it recently! But God’s message was clear: what about expecting the mind of Christ to unite with the cranky mind? Was that any different?
The surprise factor did in the cranky nature, and the day came into much better focus.
Holy and merciful God, if I want to cultivate a sacred space for the Holy Spirit to work and rule in my life, I can’t expect Him to share it with the offensive things I bring in. Thank You for Your grace and patience to teach me your ways, and please open my ears to hear and my heart to learn.
Here are some that spoke to me. Just click the links to reach the full posts—they’re well worth reading.
At LovingMinistry.Daily, Dimitra’s post, “Know Who You Are” talks about finding our identity and our purpose in Christ and not in the places we too often look.
How often do I think of myself? My comfort, my desires, my dreams, my plans?
And what would happen–what might God be able to do–if I lay it ALL aside?
At Other Food: Daily Devos, Violet Nesdoly advises us to “Turn the Dial to ‘Spirit’” and she’s talking about living with our minds set on the Holy Spirit rather than on our natural selves—and about using Scripture to keep our minds on the right track.
And check out Renee Swope’s “Are My Thoughts For Me or Against Me?” This excerpt from her book A Confident Heart includes some practical scripture-based thoughts “to replace the lie that has filled your heart with doubt.” Renee Swope offers a whole page of free resources related to A Confident Heart. They’re worth reading, and the book looks really helpful.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24, NIV*
I’m still thinking about “seek God first” and how that applies to my life. These verses talk about seeking His approval first—before that of others.
Motivation.
Why am I doing what I do, or not doing what I don’t? For His glory and praise, or to please myself or others?
If I raise my hands in worship at church… is it to please Him? Or to defy those who stay still? If I keep my hands down, is it sensitivity to my neighbour… or fear of what someone might say?
That’s a silly example, maybe, but we all know about small things and small minds…. Seriously, the little choices can matter as much as the big ones, because God sees the heart.
What am I thinking about when I’m slicing strawberries for jam? Grumbly thoughts about how such tiny berries make the job take longer, or thankful ones about fresh strawberries and how sweet the small ones are?
When I’m tired at the end of the day, does it please God if I slip into a mental pity party? Or does He still want me praising Him?
Father God, You know me better than I know myself. You see my heart and deepest thoughts. Help me to seek Your approval first—to want to please You most. Help me take every thought captive and to examine it to see if it’s pleasing to You. I can’t help what thoughts come in, but in the strength of Your Spirit I can evict those that aren’t welcome to stay.
∞
Here’s a song that’s new to me, from a new-to-me Canadian group called Christ Our Life: “Search Me, Oh God.” This song and others from the same group are available for free download at Free Godly Christian Music.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5b, NIV*
For me, the idea of taking every thought captive has meant not allowing myself to dwell on negatives and other temptations, but choosing to think about good and positive things. In reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts I’ve come to apply the verse by choosing gratitude instead of ingratitude.
But what if there’s more?
Take captive every thought…
Sometimes when I’m tired, this means pulling my thoughts together and marshalling enough mental energy to carry on in His strength.
Far more frequently than that, it means not letting my thoughts skitter away in all directions. Some of them rabbit-trail, others try to get into the future ahead of me.
“Take captive” is a good picture of what’s needed: they can bolt like a herd of wild horses, and I need a firm hand to lasso them and get them back into the corral.
Father, I want to live in the present, grounded and aware, seeking You first. I can’t do this on my own. Help me bring every thought and focus in line with You. Help me take one thing at a time, walking with You, open to hear anything You might say.
This was my devotional reading on Monday in the NIV**, but when I saw how The Message phrases it, with that “listen in everything/everywhere” that has been encouraging me lately, I knew that was the version to use here.
Monday… definitely one of those days I longed to crawl back into bed. I wasn’t sick, just painfully sluggish in body and mind.
It was also a day full of commitments.
These verses from Proverbs are old friends to me, and still verse 5 brought a new insight this time:
It brought back recent advice I’d heard to dwell on the positives: to say “I’m great, thanks” instead of “I’m so tired”. The idea was to talk oneself into a better outlook, not do deny serious trouble, to choose good over bad when both are present.
Denial is another form of lying, and trying to think things better because we want God to agree with us is shaky ground.
But for me, it’s more a case of settling for less, of listening to my own understanding of how I feel instead of trusting God to be enough to make a difference. Sure, I’m tired, but am I really as tired as I say I am? As I’ve come to believe?
Today’s Wednesday… how did Monday play out? I was slower than normal, but everything got done that needed doing. The biscuits I made to go with supper even turned out fine!
I’m glad feeling weak can remind me of God’s strength. Here’s a vintage Amy Grant song (written by Gary Chapman & Michael W Smith) with a similar perspective: “I Love a Lonely Day”.
I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. 2 Timothy 1:12b, NIV*
This is the first verse I ever memorized on my own initiative—well, I learned it as part of a hymn, and was delighted to recognize it in my Bible.
I’ve been reading the book Majesty in Motion: Creating an Encouragement Culture in all Your Relationships, and one thing that has challenged me is the need for personal confidence in God. This is area I’ve been working to grow in for a number of years, and confidence in God is the basis for enabling us to encourage others, so we won’t be threatened by their needs or our inadequacies.
This week I’ve chosen to pray and meditate on God’s strength and promises, as a way of cultivating that confidence. When I found this verse from 2 Timothy in my daily reading, something clicked.
I’d always taken the words to mean that God would keep my soul at the end. But it’s so much more: He is ready and able to look after me in the here and now. Exactly what I needed to read this week!
Father, You are so good to us. You show Your care in so many ways. Help me to believe You and to stay confident in Your care whatever the day brings. I won’t necessarily like what comes, but You can use it. And it’s not about me, it’s about You. Help me live in love and confidence in You so others will see the difference You make.
…your faith in God has become known everywhere…. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Thessalonians 1:8b, 9b, 10, NIV*
Their work, endurance, love and hope after turning to God have become known not just locally in Macedonia and Achaia but “everywhere”. When God gets a hold of people, news travels.
The section of the story quoted in the opening made me stop and think today. These are obviously people who had been hungry for God. They hadn’t known who He is or how to find Him, and their idol worship was all the culture offered. If they’d been satisfied with it, they wouldn’t have jumped ship.
He knows the people in our lives who are searching for Him now. This passage reminds me not to judge or make assumptions based on someone’s behaviour. Yes, maybe they’re purposely defying Him. But more likely, they’re getting by the best they can and reaching for Him in ways only His Spirit can see.
Father, my own perceptions can blind me to what You’re doing. Please help me see what You see in the people around me. You love each one, and You know when someone needs a touch or a word. Help me share the hope and the joy that only You can give. Thank You for the freedom Jesus bought for us.
∞
Todd Agnew’s song, “On a Corner in Memphis,” helps us take a better look at some of the unlikely searchers (and some of the folks in church who aren’t searching, but that’s another story!) Todd is my favourite solo artist. His lyrics and passionate delivery frequently stretch me past my ordinary musical comfort zone. This one’s more country than you’d usually see in my playlist, but I’ve really connected with it. It’s from his album, Better Questions.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:7-86-7, MSG*
Tuesday was a full day.
It was my first day filling in for a friend at her work, and that meant keeping a lot of mental balls in the air—not an easy task for someone who’s easily distracted. Between learning where to find everything and what to do with it, what I’d naively expected to be a morning slid halfway into the afternoon.
Not a big deal… except I’d planned to spend said afternoon cooking a large pot of spaghetti sauce and making apple-rice pudding for my writers’ group’s supper meeting. And writing this blog post.
Okay, cancel the sauce and open a can. Easy. Print the document I’m supposed to critique for the meeting before starting the pudding, so I don’t forget.
Open the email program to find the document. Also find urgent prayer requests I need to respond to under my hat of prayer team lead for The Word Guild. (And bless my wonderful assistant who’s already at work on this!)
So by the time the rice is cooking, I know I’m going to be late for my meeting. So much for going early to help set up. And I can’t reach our hostess on the phone.
Before you start playing tiny violins to accompany my suffering, I need to say it was a good day. Not bad, just hectic. And I’m not complaining.
We’ve all had days like this or worse.
What’s encouraging me this evening is that for once, instead of tensing up and trying to “hurry harder” I was able to remember the verses from James that talk about embracing what comes and being eager to cooperate with what God is doing, rather than fighting the tools He may want to use to shape us.
I’d read these verses recently, and I think our conversation here last Friday about using Scripture to retrain our minds made the truths stick.
When uncertainty and self-doubt asked (several times!) why I thought I could do this job, and self chimed in “I don’t want to do this anymore,” I remembered that God is quite able to help me learn and serve with a cheerful heart.
And He did. I even saw Him in the encouraging way the others treated me.
When perfectionism and fear murmured about my potential mistakes and what was left undone, it was enough to know I’m still learning and I did my best.
Time was passing, but I knew I was where God had me to be and instead of trying to mentally slow the clock (you’ve done that, right?) I trusted Him to arrange the rest of the day.
Well it all got done, even this blog post after my meeting—for which I was late and had to resist the guilt that goes with that. I’m tired, late getting to bed, but I feel good. Whole. Like I got it right even though a performance review of the day would reveal imperfect work.
It seems a tad self-focused to share this, but it’s not about me getting something right. It’s about God and discovering what relying on Him can do. We can each do that, and sometimes listening to one person’s story can encourage us about our own.
Father, thank You so much for Your grace today that enabled me to rely on You instead of on my self-defeating behaviour patterns. I’m sorry this is such a rare thing, and I pray in faith that You will finish the work You’ve begun in me—begun in each of us. Remind us of Your Word, help us to choose to believe what You say instead of what our inner critic claims to be true.
We tend to believe our emotions or thoughts–they’re inside us, they must be true. But believing them often means not believing God.
This catches me every so often. I’ll be sure I’m right, and then I realize that this feeling or thought is directly opposed to what God says.
I may put too much stock in my own understanding (He’s working on that!) but when I bring it down to “me or God” I have to admit He’s more likely to be right!
The trick is to catch those pesky thoughts/feelings and retrain them by replacing them with God’s true Word. Different verses help different people in their circumstances, but here are a few of mine:
When I despair of ever changing: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV*
When I’m feeling down: “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”Isaiah 50:10b, NIV*
When I feel inadequate: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3, NIV*
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23, NIV*
We may not be able to change our circumstances, but we can change our reactions to them.
The Apostle Peter tells us Jesus “entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” The Message says He was “content to let God set things right.”** That implies He trusted God to be willing and able to do so.
And in chapter 3 Peter tells us to live the same way.
Pain, tiredness, worry… whatever stresses me-I have a strong emotional response. Same with anything I dislike or think should be done differently. Control issues, I know. And who actually rules the universe? Let me think: not me!
So when things go wrong in my day, my agenda’s thrown off-course, someone chooses to do something at home or at church that’s not what I’d choose… if I’m tired or in pain… I’m to entrust myself to God who judges justly.
Not to lie down and play martyr. Or passively-aggressively sulk. (Who, me?) Actively, positively… trust God. Commit my way to Him.
Father, sometimes there’s pain. Or tiredness, fears or struggles. But if I can’t walk away, please protect me from making things worse. Give me Your peace. Help me know You’re with me and that You have a plan.
Help me trust You and live submitted to Your leading. Help me cooperate as You retrain my mind into healthier patterns. Thank You for Big Daddy Weave’s version of “Trust and Obey” on the radio this morning to cement the teaching. Help me keep it simple, LORD. Help me trust and obey.
