God has been so good to me, he is loving and merciful, gracious and patient. He teaches me every day how to live for Him. Over the past several month's God has been showing me the area's in my life where I need to surrender to Him, and allow Him to work in my life. One of the things that I struggle with is wrong thinking. Doubting God's goodness to me, feeling like God doesn't really care about me, or just thinking wrong thoughts about others. 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I remember a recent sermon about how Christians need to think biblically. We need to align our thoughts with what scripture says. Not doubting what God can do, or who he really is. I often "forget" to think biblically. I get caught up in the woe is me pity party, and say if God cared, he would_________. Or if God really loved me he would__________. Then I begin to feel discontented and discouraged, and I allow my thoughts to rule in my heart and in my life. What I am really doing is opening the door for Satan to sneak in and speak lies to me, that sound like truths, when I am not aligning my thoughts with what God's word says. I am also learning that I need to throw off everything that hinders me from walking a Godly life. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. I need to throw off those things that keep me from walking a joyful Christian life. Wrong thinking, Laziness, discouragement, discontentment, anger, bitterness, idols. There are so many things that load us down in our walk with the Lord, that we begin to lag behind. We need to daily throw off those things. We have to chose to not let those things entangle us, or make us trip and fall. I need to think about the things that are pure, and noble and right. Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Not only do I need to think about these things I need to put them into action. Another thing that God is teaching me is that I am free from the bondage of sin. Romans 6:5-7 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. I do not have to allow sin to rule my life, I am free in Him. Romans 6:11-12 says, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. It seems to me that changing my wrong thinking, and throw off that which hinders me, and then counting myself dead to sin all go hand in hand when living a life for Christ. It's a daily process one that will continue, and one that we must stand up against. Satan wants us for his own, and he will go to great lengths to take us down with him. I am thankful that God is working in my life and that he promises to complete that which he began. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. God knows what he is doing, and he is teaching me to walk in his ways.
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