Think Encouraging Thoughts!

Same trick, different day.  That’s the way I feel about ol’ Lucifer every time he shows up and tries to discourage and distract me by attempting to plant seeds of doubt and worry in my mind. 

It never fails.  The more I submit myself to the Lord and the plans He has for my life, here comes that old raggedy devil trying to throw a monkey wrench into the works.  Well, in 2013 I’m not having it.

I evicted him a couple of years ago, and for some reason he thinks he can just come back and set up homestead again.  Our relationship is over, and the space he once occupied in my mind has been filled with soundness.  I’m free, and I intend to remain that way.

My mind used to be the devil’s playground; he’d get in there and play all kinds of games.  All of the lies and crazy thoughts he planted in my mind had me all out of sorts.  For years, I was so mentally unstable, going through life on a loopy, emotional roller coaster.  My mind was so noisy, and because my psyche was under the enemy’s constant attack, my life, in turn, was in complete disarray.  I couldn’t focus or remain encouraged to save my own life.

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Think Differently: As Your Mind Shifts, So Will Your Life

One of my personal prayers for the New Year is inspired by Romans 12:2.  Every day, I’m praying, “Lord, transform me by the renewing of my mind.”  May seem like a simple prayer, but for me, it’s one that I must daily pray so that I don’t find myself stuck in stinky thinking that hinders me from progressing and prospering along my God-ordained path to destiny.  I don’t want to find myself expecting a new way of being while operating in an old way of thinking. 

As I sat thinking about how important it is to have a renewed mindset when desiring better for our lives, the very first article I wrote for EEW back in 2010 came to mind.  At that time in my life, I discovered the significance behind the slogan “Change your mind, change your life.”  I’d been praying, hoping, fasting, and believing God to change my life, all the while stuck in a defeated way of thinking.

How often does that happen?  You tell yourself things are going to be different at the beginning of each New Year, only to find that months down the road, absolutely nothing has changed.  You’re praying and believing God for change, but still, nothing.  Oftentimes, it’s simply because your mind hasn’t shifted.  Until you come up in your thinking, you won’t come in your living.  After all, according to Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

If you want life to be different as you move forward in 2013, you first have to think differently.  A defeated mind will never lead you to victory.

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Better Days Are On the Way

It’s no secret that this current season of my life has been quite challenging.  I’ve been pretty open about the heartache and setbacks my family and I have experienced during this last quarter of the year.  Though I have learned to embrace 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which admonishes me to give thanks in everything for it’s the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me, I must be honest and say that I have certainly seen better days.

I’m not naïve to believe that life in Christ excludes me from the pool of suffering, but I don’t know if I’ve grown to the place where I’m truly counting it all joy when I’m chosen to suffer for Christ’s sake. 

Let’s be real.

No one in their right mind has suffering highlighted on their bucket list.  Nevertheless, I do find much comfort in 1 Peter 5:10 which says, “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

A few days ago as I sat reflecting on my life this past year, my heart became a bit discouraged when I focused in on the happenings of this latter part of 2012.  I found myself worrying about whether my family would fully recover from all that the Lord is taking us through, and just as my eyes began to water, I heard the voice of the Lord so clearly and sweetly say to me, “Don’t worry, daughter.  What’s coming is much better than what’s been.”

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