Tag Archives: thoughts

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Today’s Thoughts

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I read a pretty good allegory the other day. If you aren’t sure what one is, here is the definition: “a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation.” (Merriam Webster) I happen to love them. I have even written a few. Today as my little one was sleeping, I had a mountain of dishes to do (yes left over from the day before) and while suds-ing and rinsing those stuck on pots and pans I couldn’t help thinking of how God has cleansed me of all unrighteousness. I wasn’t a “just ate a bowl of soup and washed right away dish” no, I was a baked on caked on lasagna dish that was sitting on the counter for years” kind of a dish. In fact, I didn’t think I was cleanable.

Thankfully God has a pre-wash cycle. His Holy Spirit! He woos us and courts us with His great love. Only love can soften a heart.

That made me think of all the fairy tales I have read over the years. I still enjoy them, (In fact I just read a retelling of Pinocchio that was very good- “Strings” by David Estes.) Aren’t fairy tales realy just allegories after all? The ugly duckling who finds out he is really a swan, the sleeping beauty who needs true loves kiss, how about the cinder wench who is mistreated only to marry the handsome prince? They are all allegories that show us that this life isn’t all there is. I love the opening song of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, “There must be more than this provincial life!” Are you that ugly duckling, you just don’t fit? That’s because you are really a beautiful swan. Are you longing for…MORE.

Well, stop singing, “Some day my prince will come,” because He already has. True love’s kiss has already been smacked you right on the lips!

If that doesn’t make you happy, then go back and read some fairy tales again.

 

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What Are You Thoughts?

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Our minds and our imaginations were given to us by God for a purpose. They are a wonderful and beautiful creation that God meant for us to use to glorify Him, see out future, and to overcome the enemy. It is up to us how we are using this God given tool. Are you glorifying Him, or your problems? Are you entertaining the thoughts of God, or the lies of the enemy? Is your imagination seeing great things in store, or doom and gloom? It’s time we take control of our minds.

II Corinthians 10:5 (KJV), “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

Are you going to change your perspective? We can either look at things the way the world does, or we can look at things from the perspective of a new creation.

Here is some help in changing your perspective. Compiled by Pastor Paul Hohman, New Testament Church, Merrill, Wisconsin. (Used with permission).

Worldly Prospective Versus New Creation Prospective
1. “Nobody love me” or John 3:16 (NKJV), For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
2. “I’m weak, I can’t go on” or, 2 Corinthians 13:9 (NKJV), And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
3. “I’m not smart enough” or, 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NKJV), But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
4. “I can’t figure things out” or, Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV), Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
5. “It’s just not worth it” or, Romans 8:25,28 (NKJV), But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
6. “I’m not able” or, 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV), And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
7. “I can’t do it” or, Philippians 4:13 (NKJV), I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
8. “I can’t manage. Life’s too overwhelming” or, Philippians 4:19 (NKJV), And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus.
9. “I’m afraid” or, 2 Timothy1:7 (NKJV), For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
10. “I don’t have enough faith” or, Romans 13:3 (KJV), Fr I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
11. “I am always worried and I get frustrated easily” or, 1 Peter 5:7 (TLB), Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.
12. “I just feel all alone” or, Hebrews 13:5b (NKJV), For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
13. “It’s just impossible for me” or, Luke 18:27 (NIV), Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

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Changin the Way We Think

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There are two kinds of thoughts. Godly and ungodly. We, as Christians need to make sure that our thought patterns are Godly. Proverbs 23:7a says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

We can’t trust our senses. They lie, and mislead. They may at times give us “facts” but they don’t always give us “TRUTH.”

We can’t trust what we see. For example, Elijah’s servant saw a great army surrounding them. God and Elijah saw the army of the Lord there to defend them. The disciples saw 5 loaves and 2 little fish. Jesus saw a feast, enough to feed 5,000 men plus women and children.

We can’t trust what we can hear. The woman with the issue of blood had heard nothing but bad news from the doctors and had spent every penny she had to hear it. But the TRUTH was that Jesus came to bring healing to her. The Israelites believed the bad report of the 10 spies. Only Joshua and Caleb believed the Lord’s report and were able to pass into the promised land.

Facts-versus-TRUTH. There is a huge difference between facts and TRUTH. Don’t ever get the two confused. The fact was that Elijah was surrounded by an army. But he TRUTH was that there were more warrior for them than were against them.

Satan used ‘facts’ against Jesus. He could have given everything over to Jesus, as he promised on the temple mount, legally Satan owned it all. But the TRUTH was that by doing it God’s way, Jesus not only got it all for Himself, but for us as well. God’s plan is always better than Satan’s schemes.

We can’t let what others say, good or bad, carry more weight than what God says. There are millions of people who have bought into the lies that we all go to heaven, that there is no hell, that there are many roads to heaven, and even that we evolved out of some primordial slime and when we die we become fertilizer for the next evolutionary change. That this life is all there is.

In John 8:44, Jesus tells the religious leaders that Satan is “The father of lies.” In Verse 47 He goes on to say to those stiff-necked, hard-hearted people, “Whoever is of God, listens to God-those who belong to God hear the words of God. This is the reason you do not listen [to them, to me] because you do not belong to and are not of God or in harmony with God.” (AMP)

Jesus spent countless hours trying to dispel the lies that had come into the minds of God’s people. They believed that sickness, accidents and death at the hands of Rome were all due to sin. That they were all some type of divine punishment. They believed that they were the only one’s God loved, that they were better than any other nation because they “have Abraham as our Father.” Their mindset was to love their brother but hate their enemy. That their works earned them God’s favor and kept them righteous. All lies.

We need to line up our thinking with God’s word. Not out of context, not adding to or taking away from. Simple truth. God isn’t trying to trick us. He isn’t hiding from us, or trying to mislead us. Ask Him to show you His TRUTH and the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you there.

John 10:1-5 The Message Bible
“Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through he gate, you know he’s up to no good-a sheep rustler! The shepherd walked right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

Know His voice!

Philippians 2:5-8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Have the mind of Christ.

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God Doesn’t Forget

God never forgets. Never. Ever. Aren’t you glad? Did He promise you something? Well you can count on it, be patient. Of course His timing isn’t the same as ours. Being patient isn’t always easy, in fact, for me, it is usually hard. But that doesn’t change the fact that if God said it, it is a sure thing, a done deal. It was done before He even said it. Try and wrap your mind around that one! God doesn’t abide in time, He created it for us, He doesn’t need it. For Him, yesterday is now, and tomorrow is now, and the future is now. So whatever we need has already been provided for us. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” And 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” So if God doesn’t forget, and ALL of His promises are yes, then why lose hope? You’ll make yourself sick! Don’t do it! Hope in God, He’ll come through! He always has, He always will. When your desire is fulfilled you’ll find life, more life, a great life! A tree is rooted and grounded! Be rooted and grounded in the source of life! Be thankful that God’s mind is always full of thoughts of YOU! Now that is cool!