The Mind Is the Battlefield
Simple6
Posts: 170 Member
"God never loses a battle.......let me repeat that: GOD NEVER LOSES A BATTLE! He has a definite battle plan---and when we follow it, we ALWAYS WIN!"
My dear friends, as I studied this week. I wondered what to share with you. Here are some points that really have been my heart focus from this week's study.
Ephesians 6:11(AMP) Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
The devil has a planned offensive to attack, accuse and destroy us. Praise God that God always plans ahead. He has given us weapons and armor that allow us to successfully stand up against ALL strategies of the devil. Woo Whoo! We are meant for victory. This is God's plan for us! God's plan for you.....yes, you, is for complete and total victory!
:bigsmile: I would like you to think about the situation in your life that is, at this moment the hardest, see if you can recognize the enemy's strategy to defeat you. Do you see half truths that are based on circumstances, situations and people and not on what God's Word says? Now, look at this situation with the thought that only victory can come out of this because I am learning to put on and wear the armor of God daily. What does that same situation look like through the victory "lenses" of God? What does God's victory for you in this situation feel like? What can God do? We often spend so much time thinking about we don't have, or don't see, don't know or can't do instead of what God says and what God can do. One of my favorite thoughts is "If God can raise the dead He can answer this situation for me. If God can part the sea and bring the Israelites across on dry land how much more can He do for me? Time to learn a new way of warring.........engaging in battle for His victory!
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (AMP) For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
He has given us mighty weapons......we are equipped with the state of the art Devil overcoming equipment. Yet, I find myself often resorting to shouting in frustration and anger and throwing rocks and sticks. Totally ineffective method that is usually self destructive for me. God knew we would have places in our thoughts that we are holding strong to. He created us that way. He wants us to build strongholds in our thinking that honor and glorify Him. The enemy tries to use this against us. When we hold strong to thoughts that are contrary to God's Word concerning the situation it becomes a resting place or stronghold of the enemy of our soul, even the worship of our selves. We must tear it down. We can tear it down and totally destroy it with the weapons He has given us. The first and most important step in this battle is recognizing the truth.
:bigsmile: How can I determine if a stronghold in my thinking is God occupied or a resting place for self worship? Who is glorified by this thought? Does this thought bring faith(comes from God) or fear(a tool of Satan.) Would God think this thought? Does this thought bring peace? God is the God of peace. Does this thought bring life or death? Will the actions that come from this pattern of thought birth actions that will honor God? Thoughts determine our actions AND THEY ALSO DIRECT OUR EMOTIONS!
John 8:31-32 (AMP) So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
What truth are we holding fast to? Is it what we feel? Is it what we see? Is it patterns of thinking that are a habit.....we've always thought this way so it must be so? There is only one truth and His name is Jesus. John 14:6(AMP) Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me. We must get the knowledge of God's truth in us, renew our minds with His Word, than use the weapons of 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 to tear down the strongholds and every high and lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Taking the time to check what we are feeling or seeing or hearing against what we know of God is mandatory in receiving the victory that God has for us. So it is important we know God. This is why renewing our mind to what God thinks and says is so very vital. For me this started with a prayer in which I prayed "Lord help me to seek you first with my feelings, thoughts and words. Help me to recognize when I am stepping out of being lead by your Spirit and into being lead by my opinion, wants and desires. What should I feel about this? What should I think about this? How should I see this situation? These are simple baby steps. Yet, God has been meeting me every step I take.
:bigsmile: I want to encourage you to take baby steps too. Asking God to show you where your strongholds are and then expecting them to be demolished in a day is not realistic. Those patterns of thoughts have taken years to build. Begin by trusting God to help you hide His word in your heart. I asked Him about my wrong patterns of thinking concerning food and here I am almost six month later......still learning but increasing in wisdom and the fruits of discipline and overcoming in many areas. The strongholds of wrong thinking are being demolished. To God be all the glory!
Father,
I just pray that as my sisters and I seek you, that we would be taught by You. We just repent for allowing our thoughts to flow through our mind unchecked and unguarded. For years of building strongholds that aren't places you reside. We ask you to be the Lord of our thinking, doing and speaking. We want to be lead by your Holy Spirit in all that we think, do and say. Thank you for helping us to know You as the Truth. Help us to grow in that truth. Help us to renew our minds and practice it so we may be transformed and prove what is your good, acceptable and perfect will. Please help us to take the steps this week to begin being aware of what we are thinking and how it is affecting our life. Help us to recognize the strategies of the devil and to be able to overcome them. Teach us to war! Help us understand how to hold our weapons, how to engage in battle and how to destroy the enemy. In Jesus Name Amen.
Now, dearest friends, I wish to encourage discussion and application. So please share what you are learning.....can be a challenge you are facing or a revelation that came as you set your heart to learn about His ways. What you have to say is important and needed on this board. Each of you are called by God for this study.
My dear friends, as I studied this week. I wondered what to share with you. Here are some points that really have been my heart focus from this week's study.
Ephesians 6:11(AMP) Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.The devil has a planned offensive to attack, accuse and destroy us. Praise God that God always plans ahead. He has given us weapons and armor that allow us to successfully stand up against ALL strategies of the devil. Woo Whoo! We are meant for victory. This is God's plan for us! God's plan for you.....yes, you, is for complete and total victory!
:bigsmile: I would like you to think about the situation in your life that is, at this moment the hardest, see if you can recognize the enemy's strategy to defeat you. Do you see half truths that are based on circumstances, situations and people and not on what God's Word says? Now, look at this situation with the thought that only victory can come out of this because I am learning to put on and wear the armor of God daily. What does that same situation look like through the victory "lenses" of God? What does God's victory for you in this situation feel like? What can God do? We often spend so much time thinking about we don't have, or don't see, don't know or can't do instead of what God says and what God can do. One of my favorite thoughts is "If God can raise the dead He can answer this situation for me. If God can part the sea and bring the Israelites across on dry land how much more can He do for me? Time to learn a new way of warring.........engaging in battle for His victory!
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (AMP) For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),He has given us mighty weapons......we are equipped with the state of the art Devil overcoming equipment. Yet, I find myself often resorting to shouting in frustration and anger and throwing rocks and sticks. Totally ineffective method that is usually self destructive for me. God knew we would have places in our thoughts that we are holding strong to. He created us that way. He wants us to build strongholds in our thinking that honor and glorify Him. The enemy tries to use this against us. When we hold strong to thoughts that are contrary to God's Word concerning the situation it becomes a resting place or stronghold of the enemy of our soul, even the worship of our selves. We must tear it down. We can tear it down and totally destroy it with the weapons He has given us. The first and most important step in this battle is recognizing the truth.
:bigsmile: How can I determine if a stronghold in my thinking is God occupied or a resting place for self worship? Who is glorified by this thought? Does this thought bring faith(comes from God) or fear(a tool of Satan.) Would God think this thought? Does this thought bring peace? God is the God of peace. Does this thought bring life or death? Will the actions that come from this pattern of thought birth actions that will honor God? Thoughts determine our actions AND THEY ALSO DIRECT OUR EMOTIONS!
John 8:31-32 (AMP) So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.What truth are we holding fast to? Is it what we feel? Is it what we see? Is it patterns of thinking that are a habit.....we've always thought this way so it must be so? There is only one truth and His name is Jesus. John 14:6(AMP) Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me. We must get the knowledge of God's truth in us, renew our minds with His Word, than use the weapons of 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 to tear down the strongholds and every high and lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Taking the time to check what we are feeling or seeing or hearing against what we know of God is mandatory in receiving the victory that God has for us. So it is important we know God. This is why renewing our mind to what God thinks and says is so very vital. For me this started with a prayer in which I prayed "Lord help me to seek you first with my feelings, thoughts and words. Help me to recognize when I am stepping out of being lead by your Spirit and into being lead by my opinion, wants and desires. What should I feel about this? What should I think about this? How should I see this situation? These are simple baby steps. Yet, God has been meeting me every step I take.
:bigsmile: I want to encourage you to take baby steps too. Asking God to show you where your strongholds are and then expecting them to be demolished in a day is not realistic. Those patterns of thoughts have taken years to build. Begin by trusting God to help you hide His word in your heart. I asked Him about my wrong patterns of thinking concerning food and here I am almost six month later......still learning but increasing in wisdom and the fruits of discipline and overcoming in many areas. The strongholds of wrong thinking are being demolished. To God be all the glory!
Father,
I just pray that as my sisters and I seek you, that we would be taught by You. We just repent for allowing our thoughts to flow through our mind unchecked and unguarded. For years of building strongholds that aren't places you reside. We ask you to be the Lord of our thinking, doing and speaking. We want to be lead by your Holy Spirit in all that we think, do and say. Thank you for helping us to know You as the Truth. Help us to grow in that truth. Help us to renew our minds and practice it so we may be transformed and prove what is your good, acceptable and perfect will. Please help us to take the steps this week to begin being aware of what we are thinking and how it is affecting our life. Help us to recognize the strategies of the devil and to be able to overcome them. Teach us to war! Help us understand how to hold our weapons, how to engage in battle and how to destroy the enemy. In Jesus Name Amen.
Now, dearest friends, I wish to encourage discussion and application. So please share what you are learning.....can be a challenge you are facing or a revelation that came as you set your heart to learn about His ways. What you have to say is important and needed on this board. Each of you are called by God for this study.
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Happy Saturday Sisters!
A few things came to my mind as I was reading Sis Jenni's post.
1) What are the battles in my life RIGHT now?
2) Do I really know how to prioritize them according to God's will.
3) NOT reading the Bible has been a HUGE stumbling block for me. (I don't seem to "get it" like some of my friends do.) I tend to take things very "literally" and get frustrated when reading the Bible, and Jesus uses parables. To me, a tree is a tree, not a symbol of something else.
Example: The fig tree that Jesus passed on His way to Bethany with the 12 Disciples, in the Gospels..I am reading from Mark 11:13-14, and 21-26. I know in service's one day, my Pastor explained it. But, I cannot read it from the Bible and understand it.
ERRR!:grumble: So, I AVOID reading the actual Bible except in church.
4) Do I have the faith in Christ that it will take to see this through? ANSWER: YES!!:bigsmile:bigsmile:
Do I have an active support system to help me through this venture? Yes and No. I will have to rely on you, my new sister's, as I have no real life friends.
Let me clarify that statement. I was medically retired from Nursing in 2009. I WAS super active, had a lot of acquaintance friends and 2 special friends. Since my subsequent hospitalizations, and forced retirement, I lost touch with all my Nursing friends-(the Majority of my friends) and after moving out of town and then back to take care of my mom (my bestie friend), I lost track of everyone. And now, my Bestie has passed~R.I.P Mom Sept 11, 2012.
:brokenheart:
So, I don't work-am not allowed to medically. No work=no meeting people=no friends.:ohwell:
Small church=1 woman my age-she works and cares for her ill hubby=no friends.:ohwell:
MFP=Cyber friends=only friends. But, I sincerely love and cherish each and every one of you!
DO NOT cry for me Argentina lol.JESUS is my bestie and true friend. He is the one I go to now for all things!!:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
Lately, the Devil and his minions have placed a full on attack for my soul and loyalty to Jesus. IT IS NOT WORKING!! WaHoot!!
My God is bigger than anything that stinking devil can throw at me. How do I know this? Because, unfortunately, I spoke out, and said, I would DIE if I lost my mom or my daughter. I HAVE NOT DIED. He (Satan) has taken everything from me, but cannot, will not kill my faithfulness to my Lord Jesus Christ, who cleansed me from all my iniquities when He shed His precious blood on the cross for you and I.
As Jenni said: "GOD NEVER LOSES A BATTLE!" I am SEEKING His battle plan, to follow it and reside in Heaven, where He has built a HOME for me and you!
I am ready to GIRD MY LOINS and join the Heavenly forces to battle this Disgraced angel from HELL.
And, the first step I can take in this mission, is PRAY for knowledge and wisdom when reading my BIBLE, study it, meditate on it, open my brain and heart to the message the Holy Spirit wants me to receive, and then ACT on it. Be prepared for those sudden attacks on my EMOTIONS, which are ruling my life right now. Get a grip on TRUTH TALK, and memorize Bible verses, so that when I am out and about, and the EVIL one crosses the line, I can take a stand, and speak TRUTH to myself instead of the negative thought's I so often have.
Seriously, if I was not a target (by my EMOTIONALISM), things would be so much better in my life. I would not pile one negative though on top of another and then spiral and circle the drain into deep depression. I know my GOD is bigger than my depression. But I also know, it is my responsibility to flip the switch on negative thinking with verses from the Bible that changes my mindset from being the one "attacked" to the ATTACKER. When I say the name JESUS out loud, I know it burns Satan's ears, and he slither's away, burnt from the sound of His name. JESUS! JESUS!
I know also, that I was BOUGHT with a price..the life of the Son, Jesus..so that I may have everlasting life. It is my duty, as a child of the living Christ, to keep my body, mind and soul cleansed, and the only way to do that is to PRAY unceasingly, ask for FORGIVENESS when I sin, and ask even for those sin's I may have done without my knowledge, and to let the Lord into every dark place in my body, mind, and soul..to spread His light. The Light of TRUTH.
Well Sisters..I have probably way over-shared..I am NOT SORRY!!:noway: I LOVE talking about the Lord, and the miracles He has done in my life. I praise and worship Him daily. Yes, I am a HOLY ROLLER..Singing and dancing my praise!:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
God Bless Each and EVERY one of you and your loved ones as well..:flowerforyou:
Trying to walk the Narrow Road..
Sis Nicolette0 -
And, the first step I can take in this mission, is PRAY for knowledge and wisdom when reading my BIBLE, study it, meditate on it, open my brain and heart to the message the Holy Spirit wants me to receive, and then ACT on it. Be prepared for those sudden attacks on my EMOTIONS, which are ruling my life right now. Get a grip on TRUTH TALK, and memorize Bible verses, so that when I am out and about, and the EVIL one crosses the line, I can take a stand, and speak TRUTH to myself instead of the negative thought's I so often have.
Seriously, if I was not a target (by my EMOTIONALISM), things would be so much better in my life. I would not pile one negative though on top of another and then spiral and circle the drain into deep depression. I know my GOD is bigger than my depression. But I also know, it is my responsibility to flip the switch on negative thinking with verses from the Bible that changes my mindset from being the one "attacked" to the ATTACKER. When I say the name JESUS out loud, I know it burns Satan's ears, and he slither's away, burnt from the sound of His name. JESUS! JESUS!
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SIs Nicolette,
I loved what you shared and also how you shared it. I can see the focus of your battle is lifting up Jesus. As I was reading your post I was struck by something you said. " I would not pile one negative though on top of another and then spiral and circle the drain into deep depression." I am beginning to see that one of the enemy's strategies is to get me to accept not just one thought that is just off a little but several. Those wrong thoughts travel in hordes. So the minute I allow one access the door is pushed open to my soul. For instance....I will be doing something and I make a mistake, I will say, "I am such an idiot!" Then the next thought will be "Why am I so stupid?" Then the next thought will be "I always screw up!" From this point it is a down hill ride to total demoralizing myself. Negative thoughts are rapid reproducers that always travel in packs. This week I have been really learning to recognize that first wrong thought. The minute I think "I am such a idiot," that becomes my cue to take that thought captive. I have been having success by saying to myself "You are not an idiot. 2 Tim. 1:7 says that I have a sound calm mind that is well balanced." What if you recognized the minute that those thoughts come to you to saying " I can't understand the bible?' You got your Word rope and capture it taking it captive so no more wrong thoughts could invade your thinking. What if you spoke out Psalms 32:8? It is the Lord who is instructing me and teaching me in the way which I should go: He is guiding me with His eyes upon me. So I He will help me understand what He wants me to know.
What do you ladies think? Have you noticed that wrong thoughts travel in herds?0 -
Ladies: Yes, Jenni is right, the negative thought's brought on by the UNGODLY one does NOT travel alone. They are in Packs, like feral animals, waiting to attack.
Today, I went to swim for 1/2 hour, before the pool changed from lap swimming to Rec swimming. I had finished my swimming, and showered, was picking up my belongings, and who show's up? My daughter-who told me last week that she no longer want's to "Deal with the problems of our relationship, and NO, we (Jon and I) will not be seeing the kid's anymore." Talk about a slap in the face. Well, we prayed about it, and decided to let her be. She is going through a divorce, and as we all know, sadness and anger can produce enough heart-ache that sometimes you lash out on the wrong people. So, we are turning our cheeks.
But, seeing her today, with my grandkiddo's with MY SISTER:( Who, BTW has made my life highly unpleasant for the last 6 months,) just tore my heart in half. Not being Catty here, just the FACT's.
My daughter said hello, and of course the kiddo's were glad to see their YaYa, and I think Natalie ALMOST was going to ask me to stay..but I turned back to the shower room and just Yelled for Jesus..
IMMEDIATELY, SATAN and his MINION's were there, putting negative thought's into my mind. "She loves Sharon (sister) more than me, her mother." Why am I getting LEFT OUT?" "This is SOOOO UNFAIR" Yada, Yada.
I just sobbed, literally to Jesus to bind my thought's, to capture the negative emotions I felt rising and bind them as well. Satan, literally hurling negative thought's, on top of thought's and emotions..was being attacked by the demons and CAME THROUGH, as MY GOD is BIGGER than SATAN.
A Spanish speaking lady was in there, came up to me as I was praying, laid her beautiful comforting hand on my arm..asked in broken English, if I was hurt. Relayed to her the best I could, that I was heartbroken at seeing my daughter/kiddo's with my sister..she was so sweet..she prayed with me. God is so good at bringing people at just the exact moment in time for you..Awesome!
I do admit, on the ride home..I EMOTIONALLY ate 8 Twizzlers's. But, PTL (Praise the Lord), that is all I did. I prayed and prayed and when I arrived home, I made myself a healthy lunch, and sat down at this computer to say:
There is NO PLACE IN MY LIFE FOR SATAN AND NEGATIVE THOUGHT'S. NOPE, NO WHERE, NO WAY, NO HOW, NADA, NICHT, NEIN. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
The Lord is my Savior, and I shall not want. He leadeth me through green pastures, through the Valley of despair. He is stronger than my temptations, stronger than my self pity, stronger than anything, and LOYAL..there is NOTHING that can compare to His loyalty.
I have been so tempted to think/say negative things about my sister and my child..but I will NOT GIVE IN to Satan's poor plan of ATTACK.
I Banish you, Satan from my HOME, MY thought's, MY words..I have been BOUGHT by the BLOOD of JESUS,
He has cleansed me of my iniquities..JESUS..
I see you Satan burning, you snake!
My Father, to all is your GLORY to ALL is your Praises and the victory of winning my soul is your's and your's alone JESUS!!
Jesus, maker of all things GOOD, and RIGHTEOUS, welcome to my home, my heart, my mind, my soul..FOREVER!!
I Feel the Holy Ghost's presence in all that has transpired today.
I am so BLESSED!!
We can win this war against the pack of minions the Devil sends forth to break us down, to bend our will. TOGETHER we are strong..Memorize those verses, so that when you are alone, like I was today, you can banish the Evil one from your presence.
MAY THE LORD BLESS ALL OF YOU ABUNDANTLY!!
SIS NICOLETTE0 -
Dearest Sis Nicolette,
Thank you so much for sharing this.....I really see the heart ache and the hurt of this experience but I also see that you honored God.....you made a definite choice to chose Him. I just want to applaud you. Emotions are very hard to corral and control. Yet when you trust God, He always helps. My heart rejoices that you were helped by Him.
As I was reading your post I really love something that you did.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5(AMP)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
You thought a thought and felt it dragging you.....you recognized that your thoughts were leading you and you took back control. Bravo! Well Done! Our thoughts are not supposed to lead us.....we are to lead our thoughts. This is an important point because our thoughts are very capable of totally leading us places we don't want to go. We are not to be thought lead or emotionally lead but Spirit lead. We can only worship one thing at a time in our lives. We will either bow down to our emotions or to our thoughts or to the Holy Spirit. Choose this day whom ye will serve?......As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15. This is what you have chosen in these relationships.
I know that even this situation God can use for your good. Wounds often hinder our vision. Ask the Lord what to think about your immediate response to seeing your sis and daughter together. I am finding in my own life that God will often allow me to face the pain to bring it out and cleanse me of it. My good friend made a innocent comment that I was lonely. That immediately provoked a strong feeling in me. I took a moment to seek the Lord in my heart about my response and I saw fear and shame about what she was saying to me. Now I know those are not tools of the Lord but of the Devil. Yet, they were the response of my soul because of an old wound that I hadn't realized was not heal well. God used this moment to help me recognize an open place that allowed the devil access to my soul. A broken place in my wall, if you will. His strategy is to strike at weak places. So it is important to know which places in our soul are healed and which are in process. So we can guard against the enemy in those areas more efficiently. I have been asking the Lord to teach me how to guard my heart. I just pray that for you too concerning your sis and daughter.
Proverbs 4:23
23 Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.0 -
I would like to start off by stating that tonight, God answered a prayer that I have prayed about recently. My husband and I always seem to be on the opposite page when it comes to God. We both believe, we both have faith, we both believe in the Holy Spirit, but we never come together to praise or worship Him. I wanted this really badly. Well today, I asked my husband, after I read Chapter 1, if he would read the book and work on the study guide questions with me so that we can discuss and learn from one another as I am doing here on MFP. He said yes! He actually sat down to read it, and then afterwards we went through the study guide questions. I really enjoyed my time with him doing this and actually learned a few things about Him that he has never discussed with me before.
Now, I can can relate to what both Jenni and Sis Nic stated in their discussions. I have had negative thought patterns in my mind about myself for as long as I can remember. My list is very lengthy. Basically, I do not feel very highly of myself and one negative thought after another roam in my mind continually. A monster of a battle! A lof of it stems from my upbringing. And I will share with you ladies something personal. I am in group therapy for sexual abuse. I have been in therapy for a couple of years, but only found out about a year ago, my issues had to do with the sexual abuse, though, other forms of abuse was in my life as well, such as mental and verbal. I never thought any of the mental or verbal was considered abusive until a year ago, to me growing up, it just was a way of life. I do not remember the sexual abuse, and that is what is very confusing. I do not remember actual events or the actual person or possible persons. I was date raped at 17, which I do remember. I have since last year had some repressed memories come out. At first I thought I only witnessed abuse on a sibling, but am finding through the course of therapy and prayer, that I was most likely the victim of the abuse as well.
Tonight, after reading chapter 1 and thinking about what I have read, and then trying to eat dinner, I became very ill feeling. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and became very irritable. I went to take my shower and in the shower I began to sob. In my thoughts, the past patterns of my early childhood came up of why things were the way they were for me. Like answering the question "WHY"? I have been asking for such a long time now. I did not want to face these thoughts or memories. I also kept hearing that inner voice, "it is OK, I am with you.", it will be OK, I am with you. This is where I get stumped and confused and do not want to face the truth. Is this God? Is it Satan putting bad thoughts into my head? I need major prayer about this. I pray that I see when and where this took place. My thoughts are giving me a person now and I do not want to accept it. I do not know how I will deal with this. The last time this happened, it was on Easter morning out of the blue. I had a name then as well, the same person. I have put it out of my mind since then, until today.
I find it amazing that his happens the day I start to read Battlefield of the Mind. I need the full truth. I need to know everything so that I can know for sure what has happened too me and why I am who I am today. This past has caused the paths I have taken and could have been so different, I could have been different. I need answers. Please join me in prayer about this. It is mentally draining and I know that is why I was called to this group.
Sis Nic, I am glad you used God as your Armor to fight those negative feelings in your situation regarding your daughter.0 -
Wow, Nic!! You made such an awesome observation and reacted in such a God glorifying way to your sister and daughter!! I have the desire to be able to react that way. I have been changed to the point where I am able to look at my mom completely differently than I ever have in the past, but when it comes to my 21 year old I really struggle with not allowing myself to speak negatively of him. Because I see you have done this successfully I know I can do it successfully too!! Thank you!!0
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The part the struck me to read over and over was trying to look at life thru God's Victory Lenses. I have realized how stressed and NEGATIVE I have been these past few years. With pain & arthritis in my hips & back, bracymatarsia in my feet, all the extra weight I carry.... All I could do was walk around complaining about the pain, and the busyiness.
To STOP looking at what is so WRONG in my life, and start seeing the possibilties of God's goodness working into the situation, is what I need to do. Changing the way I think & speak will not be easy, but it's the journey I must start.
Continue to increase my time in the Word, my time in prayer, and good books that increase my faith. That's my goal.
KRISTY in Dayton Ohio0 -
My Dear and Precious Michelle,
Oh how my heart hurts for the suffering you have endured.I just pray that I may write words here that encourage you and strengthen you. Here is what I see.... that you are in process of being transformed from shattered and broken to beautiful and restored. Here is what I know.....He makes everything beautiful in His time.........this means that there will come a day when you will be able to look at all that you have suffered and endured from a place of peace and victory. I know this because I know that God is the God of redemption, restoration and reconciliation. He has redeemed you, He is reconciling you to Himself and He is restoring you completely. God's plan for you is for your welfare, to give you hope for the future. Right now it may seem like you will always be in this hurt and broken place but God's plan for you is to faithfully complete the good work He has started in you. He has a perfect timing for this process. You can trust Him for this. I will stand in agreement with you. Now is your time to know the Truth and to be set free.........
I just want to commend you for being apart of this study. I know your schedule is really full. Yet you have committed to this. God always honors us when we honor Him. I believe that your husband being willing to do the study with you is part of God honoring you. 0 -
The part the struck me to read over and over was trying to look at life thru God's Victory Lenses. I have realized how stressed and NEGATIVE I have been these past few years. With pain & arthritis in my hips & back, bracymatarsia in my feet, all the extra weight I carry.... All I could do was walk around complaining about the pain, and the busyiness.
To STOP looking at what is so WRONG in my life, and start seeing the possibilties of God's goodness working into the situation, is what I need to do. Changing the way I think & speak will not be easy, but it's the journey I must start.
Continue to increase my time in the Word, my time in prayer, and good books that increase my faith. That's my goal.
KRISTY in Dayton Ohio
Kristy, God has so many possibilities for you. :flowerforyou: Now is your time to learn how to look with new eyes and see new things. For so many years I spent my time speaking about the problems and about what I didn't have. Till one day, God spoke to my heart through the movie Pollyanna, of all things. Pollyanna taught her town how to play the glad game. They would all look for reasons to be glad. God showed me I spent so much of my time thinking what if....all the worst and evil things possible. I was always so discouraged and unhappy all the time. How could I be anything else? I was focused on only the problems. But then He taught me to think what if...God. Meaning what if God supplied my strength, my finances, my healing, my hope, my joy, my peace? That opens a whole new realm of hope. He is an unlimited Source that always supplies above and beyond all that I could ask or think. He loves me and want to bless me. The more I focused on that the more at peace I became and the more I saw my expectation fulfilled. God is always the absolute and perfect solution. This changed my life. My emotions are now navigated by the compass of God's solutions not the compass of all my problems.
Thanks for sharing 0 -
Hello Ladies who walk in the Truth!
So I have been giving thought to recognizing the strategy of the enemy.
Here is what it looks like in my life.
Fear, anxiety, agitation and uneasiness.
Whenever I think a thought that brings on these feelings it is an immediate red flag for me. Yesterday, my daughter, who has just returned from India and is now in Thailand sent me a message saying she wants to come home now. Now, this my daughter who's whole heart desire is to serve on the mission field. Immediately my thoughts went to all the negative possibilities: Is she sick again? Maybe something happened. My heart immediately began to worry and be uneasy. But as we are learning I recognized that these thoughts were not ones I wanted to follow. They were trying to lead me to places of anxiety and fear. By the grace of God, I stopped and asked the Lord what to do and what to think. Immediately this thought came to me......"The place of blessing is the place of obedience. I always provide for those who walk in obedience. Your daughter is there by my hand. I equip her and provide for her." My whole body just relaxed. My thoughts were not dragging me into bondage to fear but instead the Holy Spirit was helping me lead my thoughts to rest in trusting God. This was a moment of victory for me. I so want to be a doer of His word not just a hearer.
Here is the Truth I have been filling my heart with:
2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
I am not a woman of fear. Anytime I feel any form of fear....it is alarm that the enemy is trying to gain access to my emotions. Not only am I not a woman of fear but I am a woman of power, a woman of love, and a woman who is calm, self controlled and disciplined and well balanced in my mind.
This is the weapon God has given me to overthrow the strongholds of fear in my life. In the natural realm, fear is always my first response. But God is helping me to grow in Him and learn His ways. Our God is so awesome!0 -
Hi, I am Ali. I am so pleased to be part of this study. It comes at "just the right time" - I love how God always does that!!
Jenni asked some interesting questions, but I sort of stuck at the first one - when she asked us to think of a difficult situation we are struggling with at the moment. All sorts of things going on right now (and no doubt at other points in this study my negative attitudes about some of those might come out!), but I was seriously working on my attitude and trusting God in the midst of all sorts of uncertainties. Then the devil got in there and really hit where it hurts. Last Wednesday my youngest child (7 year old daughter) got very sick. We took her to the local (American-mission run) hospital in the evening (when her temperature was over 40C) and a blood test confirmed she has malaria. This is not the first time malaria has hit our household (we live in Mali, West Africa and right now it is the height of the malaria season), but this time it really got to me. Hannah (my daughter) was just so sick and after all the other stuff that has been going on and my battle to trust in God through it all, I have to admit I was asking God WHY he had to throw this on our family too! There was my first problem - not seeing it through those right lenses. The Word tells me that God only wants what is GOOD for us - for those He has called according to His purpose. We are convinced that it is God's will we are to be here in Mali right now (and believe me, we have battled that one out over recent months!!) So now Satan is determined to get in there and throw me off course with Hannah's illness - and make me doubt once again God's goodness, His call on our lives, and His love for our children. A few years back I had a very specific word concerning our children - that they would NOT suffer as a result of our calling. God has been so faithful to remind me of that recently.
So Hannah seems to be doing a little better - temperature still high, but not up above 40 C any more, and she is no longer throwing up. And so yesterday I managed to get my Battlefield of the Mind book out and read that first chapter! What a great reminder! I so need to CONTINUALLY bring EVERY thought captive to His Word. I loved those weapons of the Word, Prayer and Praise. I found prayer a bit hard at first (it was more a pouring of self pity!) so I changed to praise. That sorted me out! I started off with a few small things and then realised I DID have a lot to praise Him for. He is Faithful. He IS healing Hannah (even if it is not as quickly as I would have liked! I wanted one of those instant biblical healings!) He WILL continue to look after us. He has promised GOOD to us (but not necessarily that the process would be easy :-) )
I am looking forward to this study. I realise that I very quickly become negative when things don't go right. God is taking me on a steep learning curve in this area right now - and I want to learn those lessons!
I am so pleased to be sharing this learning experience with all of you.
Ali x0 -
Wow my biggest problem right now seems small after reading what everyone else is going thru. Keep your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith! He knows what u r going thru, he sees u, he loves u, he promises to be there with u always!
He is the great physician and can heal u,he is the lifter of our heads and can get u out of that depression, he is our Heavenly Father and loves us more than we can fathom.
My biggest oomcern is that my husband (who retires after30yrs in the USAF) in 2 wks, won't find a job here and we will have to move again for the 14th time in our 29 yrs of marriage. Or that he will take a contractor job in the Mideast and I will only see him every few months. I am tired of him being gone all the time.
But, I put my trust in The Lord. I refuse to dwell on it and I hated to even write it b/c it makes it real. I am not a worrier. God is good, he always takes care of me, he has been faithful before and he knows the plans he has for me! I trust him and I put my future in his hands! Hallelujah God is good, the same yesterday, today and forever!
"' Give thanks to The Lord for he is good;his loving kindness lasts forever" 1 chron. 16:340 -
I would like to focus on strongholds. It isn’t to just define what are those particular emotional restraints- which are lending to self defeat or to reason how the strongholds began. That is a vicious cycle and tool of Satan. I say this often and continue to remind myself and others…stop it. Plain and simply put – stop. If you give an inch to a fool…he will own the ruler. Why give Satan an inch…he will place a stronghold. I will leave it there for you to dissimulate.
We are focused on a journey…and we are walking in faith, right? One battle for the mind is our esteem. But I say this…take our minds off the need for approval of men…and put our minds in sync with Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Be dedicated to the Savior Jesus, because in serving Him…we are in His will for our lives. Look at it this way…faith is a by-product of looking unto Jesus. If we are looking to Him for our direction, provision, lessons and companionship…we are in His will for our life journey. When Jesus asked us to “lay aside our weights”…it means to be done with it. Done. Leave it. Ask yourself this question…is this a “weight” or “wings” on my feet? Jesus says to not let our hearts be heavy…again…ask yourself…is my heart weighted down or is it light and joyful? Sometimes we do need medicine and sometimes we do need a good pinch…but always we need Jesus.
My prayer is Heavenly Father…days are long it seems when we sit in the darkness of a heavy heart or a heavy load that burdens our souls. Remind us through the power of your Holy Spirit the You are the Way…in the journey today and tomorrow and till heaven. Amen.
Heb. 12:1-20 -
Hi, I am Ali. I am so pleased to be part of this study. It comes at "just the right time" - I love how God always does that!!
The Word tells me that God only wants what is GOOD for us - for those He has called according to His purpose. We are convinced that it is God's will we are to be here in Mali right now (and believe me, we have battled that one out over recent months!!) So now Satan is determined to get in there and throw me off course with Hannah's illness - and make me doubt once again God's goodness, His call on our lives, and His love for our children. A few years back I had a very specific word concerning our children - that they would NOT suffer as a result of our calling. God has been so faithful to remind me of that recently.
So Hannah seems to be doing a little better - temperature still high, but not up above 40 C any more, and she is no longer throwing up. And so yesterday I managed to get my Battlefield of the Mind book out and read that first chapter! What a great reminder! I so need to CONTINUALLY bring EVERY thought captive to His Word. I loved those weapons of the Word, Prayer and Praise. I found prayer a bit hard at first (it was more a pouring of self pity!) so I changed to praise. That sorted me out! I started off with a few small things and then realised I DID have a lot to praise Him for. He is Faithful. He IS healing Hannah (even if it is not as quickly as I would have liked! I wanted one of those instant biblical healings!) He WILL continue to look after us. He has promised GOOD to us (but not necessarily that the process would be easy :-) )
Ali x
Oh.....Dearest Ali,
Truly, your faith has touched my heart. I am inspired by your submission to God. I am inspired by your immediate response of obedience to Him. I love how you lead your thoughts captive. God is faithful and He IS healing Hannah. You will see the goodness of God in this situation. This moment you have increased in faith. You are my Ali, faithful and filled with faith.
I encourage you that God is and will continue to keep His promise to you concerning your children. The enemy's strategy is to get you to doubt that. Doubt is wavering. So when it comes let it be your signal to hold on tight to God's word because the thief cometh to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus is your life and He is abundantly blessing you in it. He has you firmly rooted, your soul being anchored by Him. So you might get a sight drift but no actual course change. Well Done! Great practicing His truth.
0 -
The undercurrent of these worries involves the deception that I am incompetent, worthless, and unpleasant to God. That I am a source of His and others’ frustrations. That I am a great disappointment. Thus, I seek approval by striving, which leads only to disappointment and frustration and a cycle of pain and confusion. I peeked at the table of contents and I see the reasoning chapter may be the stronghold that would bind me if I do not wage war with the truth that I am free!
Here are some truths specific to my fear of not being where I belong,:flowerforyou: Word,
Praise, and Prayer…
:flowerforyou: Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
:flowerforyou: Isaiah 58: 11 “And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
:flowerforyou: John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
:flowerforyou: Luke3:5 Every valley and ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be leveled; and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough roads shall be made smooth...
Donnalynn,
You are a woman after the heart of God. I love to see you learning and applying His word. How my heart is rejoicing to God's work in you. For too long the enemy has had access to your soul through those lying thoughts that you are incompetent and worthless.........NO MORE! Everyday you will grow in the truth of God's thoughts of you and you will walk free of this. The most humble position we can be in is agreeing with what God says about us. He only speaks the truth. So if He says we are something...then that is the absolute truth. You have had some "scorched places" but God's plan is to cause you to look at those places with satisfaction. You may have felt helpless and weak but HE is bringing strength to those places that you need to support you and hold you up. You already are like a well water garden....lush and vibrant. Full of fruit and life. His Holy Spirit springs forth from you continuously. There is no place that you are scheduled to go that the Lord can't guide you in. He knows it all. And furthermore, He wants to share it with you. 0 -
Wow my biggest problem right now seems small after reading what everyone else is going thru. Keep your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith! He knows what u r going thru, he sees u, he loves u, he promises to be there with u always!
He is the great physician and can heal u,he is the lifter of our heads and can get u out of that depression, he is our Heavenly Father and loves us more than we can fathom.
My biggest oomcern is that my husband (who retires after30yrs in the USAF) in 2 wks, won't find a job here and we will have to move again for the 14th time in our 29 yrs of marriage. Or that he will take a contractor job in the Mideast and I will only see him every few months. I am tired of him being gone all the time.
But, I put my trust in The Lord. I refuse to dwell on it and I hated to even write it b/c it makes it real. I am not a worrier. God is good, he always takes care of me, he has been faithful before and he knows the plans he has for me! I trust him and I put my future in his hands! Hallelujah God is good, the same yesterday, today and forever!
"' Give thanks to The Lord for he is good;his loving kindness lasts forever" 1 chron. 16:34
Debbie,
I just stand in agreement with you that God is in control and that He has a plan for good for both you and your husband. He knows the desires of your heart concerning this situation and He will be faithful to help your heart come in line with His purpose, for you have trusted in Him and He sees your faithfulness. Psalm 16:11 (AMP)
11 You will show Debbie the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
I love that you are already practicing honoring God with your thoughts and words. Great job!0 -
I would like to focus on strongholds. It isn’t to just define what are those particular emotional restraints- which are lending to self defeat or to reason how the strongholds began. That is a vicious cycle and tool of Satan. I say this often and continue to remind myself and others…stop it. Plain and simply put – stop. If you give an inch to a fool…he will own the ruler. Why give Satan an inch…he will place a stronghold. I will leave it there for you to dissimulate.
We are focused on a journey…and we are walking in faith, right? One battle for the mind is our esteem. But I say this…take our minds off the need for approval of men…and put our minds in sync with Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Be dedicated to the Savior Jesus, because in serving Him…we are in His will for our lives. Look at it this way…faith is a by-product of looking unto Jesus. If we are looking to Him for our direction, provision, lessons and companionship…we are in His will for our life journey. When Jesus asked us to “lay aside our weights”…it means to be done with it. Done. Leave it. Ask yourself this question…is this a “weight” or “wings” on my feet? Jesus says to not let our hearts be heavy…again…ask yourself…is my heart weighted down or is it light and joyful? Sometimes we do need medicine and sometimes we do need a good pinch…but always we need Jesus.
My prayer is Heavenly Father…days are long it seems when we sit in the darkness of a heavy heart or a heavy load that burdens our souls. Remind us through the power of your Holy Spirit the You are the Way…in the journey today and tomorrow and till heaven. Amen.
Heb. 12:1-2
Zoey, this is wonderful and so thought provoking. I love so many things about what you have shared. This statement is so true: If you give an inch to a fool…he will own the ruler. Why give Satan an inch…he will place a stronghold. This makes me want to check and double check that all my thinking be given and submitted to the Lord only! I will have no fool ruling over me! I also loved the question you asked about weight or wings for my feet. Does this thought lead me to Christ or away from Him? Does this thought increase my faith or increase my fear? I always want to need my Jesus foremost and completely! These questions help to form a standard to test my thoughts with. I really like that. I no longer need to let thoughts roam freely in my head. I will line them up, just like I do my kindergartners and make them pass through these questions....then we shall see who is reigning in my heart. The Lord God reigns! He reigns in me! Praise God I am getting so excited just typing this. Thank you for reminding me of this. For bringing focus to this area for me. 0 -
Strategy #2
Did you know that the enemy uses more than one strategy to come against us?
As I have been seeking the Lord about this, He is really causing me to see very plain and clear. Since, I am battling sickness in my body, I was feeling quite exhausted today. I heard this in my heart " Jenni can you wear out God?" I had to laugh, because there are days I feel so worn out by parenting my children. "No, God, I can't wear you out, but today I do feel worn out." See, what happened was an attack on my soul. Earlier I awoke at 3am and was immediately stampeded by these thoughts:
How can you possibly have any thing to say to these women? You know nothing and have achieved nothing.
Who do you think you are?
You are going to fail.
You don't have time and how can you meet their needs?
Your daughter is sick.
What are you going to do about the car?
How are you going to help your son?
You didn't even call Mary.
You didn't spend enough time in prayer.
Some leader you are....you can't even take your thoughts captive.
I realize that thoughts travel in herds but I didn't expect a stampede. It was especially hard because I was exhausted and already feeling overwhelmed in my body. On and on the thoughts kept coming. I felt so weak as I tried to lead them captive. But I failed miserably. My mind was wearing me out. Those thoughts we leading me captive. That is when I cried out....Help Lord! I am being bombarded and overwhelmed. He came to me, He bore me up and held me. He helped me realize that I was trying to do something that only God's power and God's grace could do. I was trying to overcome with my own strength and ability. I needed His words and His power. That is when I opened my mouth and begin to speak:
The Lord is my helper.
He is helping me in this moment.
I feel sick and weak but He is strong and powerful.
He has all the answers.
This bible study is His not mine.
He meets the Ladies needs, my job is just to obey.
He gives me strength for this battle.
It is ok that I don't know much.
I only need to know Jesus Christ, He is my all and all.
God is caring for my children.....He has us all in His hands.
He never fails as a provider.
He will take care of Mary.
See the strategy of the enemy was to attack me while I am sick and battling in my physical body. But God's grace is sufficient for me......but only if I reach out for it and access it. It was waiting for me to call upon the Lord. As soon as I did. I had the strength to fight the battle and receive the victory. Satan wanted to wear me down.....but God's plan is to strengthen me and build me up. I chose God's way.
Often my mind tries to spin out of control in thinking and thinking and thinking. Racing here and there. But here is the Truth that I am meditating on Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
I commit myself to the Lord, He helps me to lean on Him and He helps me to hope in Him. He is guarding me and keeping me in PERFECT and CONSTANT PEACE because I keep my thoughts on Him.
Father, I just thank you for training me in the way I should go. For showing me where I am and where I need to go. Thank you for opening the eyes of my understanding and showing me how to war. Thank you for helping me catch my run away mind. For helping me lead my thoughts captive to your word. For showing me the strategy of the enemy to wear me out. In Jesus Name, Amen.0 -
Bump: will reply later..too tired now..have information for others with sexual abuse, incest, BOTH have happened to me, I have been throught it all.
Also..do not feel like you have little problems compared to others: NO ONE walks in your shoes but YOU!! Your husband being in the miitary and getting out in 2 weeks is A BIG DEAL The jobs/and our nation's economy is so terrible right now.
I do understand what you are going thru..I was Active Duty Army for almost 8 yrs, and in Reserves for almost 5. The Military is like one big family/a small city of it's own..I miss it soo much. The civilian world is more like "dog eat dog." You are used to commonality. There is no such cohesiveness in the civilian sector. It was a very tough adjustment for me, and it was over 20 years ago, and I still feel it.
If you need to talk, PM me..I will write more in about 8 or so hours.
Snitch10 -
RE: from Jenni's post about her daughter wanting to come home early.
I am so glad you shared this with us. I can relate so much to this because my entire life I have always had fear- fear of the worse possible scenario . That is not a way to live-living in fear. Seeing it in writing and the way you worded it is so correct. He wants us to live happily, not in fear of everything because we know He will take care of everything if we just allow Him too. Why worry? And if we worry and assume the worse, that means we are not trusting in Him and that means not having Faith in His works. I really have to work on this myself. Wow!
I will give my story from last night. My son called, and we chatted for a few minutes and then toward the end of the conversation, he sighed and sounded odd. I asked him what was wrong- he most likely wanted to tell me, and that was the reason for the sigh- he told me that while he was playing volley ball the day before, he jammed his thumb. I immediately went into overprotective mother mode and he ended up being upset with me because I did so. I should have just calmly approached it and asked questions and offered some helpful assistance instead of over reacting. And then after I completed the call, said a prayer for him and allowed God to do His work.0 -
Strategy #3
What is my orientation?
This morning I woke up with the word "Orient" in my heart. I looked it up on Dictionary.com and here is what I found:
to adjust with relation to, or bring into due relation to surroundings, circumstances, facts, etc.
to place in any definite position with reference to the points of the compass or other locations
to direct or position toward a particular object:
to determine the position of in relation to the points of the compass; get the bearings of.
Definition of Orientation:
the ability to locate oneself in one's environment with reference to time, place, and people.
What I am hearing from the Lord is this: Where is my point of reference when it comes to my thoughts?
For me, I am a problem solver. I love to ask questions. So I tend to spend a lot of time in the "Why" portions of my thoughts. What is resulting is that I ask why and stay there.....kind of a "Why?" constipation of my thoughts. Just as constipation in the natural realm is unhealthy so is it in my thought life. I am uncertain, unclear, vague, straining for the the answer. Normal "Why? movements" result in a healthy mind. God created us with the ability and the desire to ask why but we are not meant to focus there or navigate from there. We are meant to focus on the answer! To navigate from the position that God is the answer and the solution. He is our absolute reference. What I am finding is when I begin to ask questions that I don't know the answer to I tend to continue asking and asking because I feel anxious, worried and fearful. I begin to speak (acting out) anxiously, and fearfully. Those kind of "Whys?" result in me becoming doubtful and double minded. This is a strategy of the devil to get me to change my orientation. See, a sailor fixes his position not based on what he sees or feels but rather by what he knows about sailing and navigation. He knows that the stars are fixed so he will fix his course based on something that never changes. This is what I need to do with my thoughts as well. I must allow the Word of God to be my absolute fixed orientation. So when I ask "Why?" I can navigate to the appropriate answer.
An example
Our family has owned a restaurant for the last 13 years. Last March we had to close it down, we had to give up our car, our home, our state, our relatives and our friends. My husband had to leave our state and go work for four months, without us. There was much opportunity for me to be 'Why?" constipated. And I was....until I began to focus on what I knew instead of what I didn't know. I knew that God's plan was for good for us......so even though I didn't understand why all this was happening, I did understand that. So I chose to stand on what I understood instead of resting in what I didn't know. A simple course correction for me and it brought me so much peace and stability. It was amazing. Here is what James 1:5-8 says:
5 If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
7 For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,
8 [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].
The Lord is teaching me how to ask! For so many years I have asked with the why portion of my request being greater than believing God. Boy was I unstable and uncertain. But God is so gracious to me. He is helping me orient myself. So I can successfully navigate the "Whys?" of my life. So the devil's strategy is to get me to focus on the why. He will fire the "Why?" questions over and over at me. I remind myself that my orientation is Jesus! He absolutely knows all the answers and will help me to know what I need when I need it. This stabilizes my thoughts and my emotions.
Here is some scriptures about understanding: Proverbs 7:2-4 (AMP)
2 Keep my commandments and live, and keep my law and teaching as the apple (the pupil) of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to skillful and godly Wisdom, You are my sister, and regard understanding or insight as your intimate friend— Proverbs 3:5-6(AMP)
5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Psalm 119:130 (AMP)
130 The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.
Father,
Each of us have so many "Whys?" I just bring them before you and I entrust them to you. I thank you that you are teaching us how to ask why and not lean to our own understanding in the process. But in asking those "Whys" to know, recognize and acknowledge that you have the answer. That as we grow in You, that Your Words will give us understanding. We choose to orient ourselves in you. We ask for your wisdom with hearts fully committed to knowing that You are freely giving it to us. You stabilize us and establish us in the measure of faith you have given us to believe for the impossible. Help us to recognize the strategy of the Devil to overwhelm us in uncertainties and doubt. You help us to stop being women of double mindedness and you help us focus our hearts on you. Give us healthy "Why? movements." In Jesus Name, Amen0 -
Wow! I am getting so blessed by this even in these first few days! Everyone has said something that just settled in my heart as from God! I feel a strength that is becoming evident although it is already available. ShoGa, the wings or weights comment is an awesome way to take a thought and place it in the Light of Christ. Just knowing that His word SWEARS that there is NO CONDEMNATION, NO FEAR, God will NEVER be angry with me...I can look at the thoughts that bring me shame and terror and self-disapproval and agree steadfastly that those thoughts are from the enemy. I will speak His truth over those thoughts and drown them out with what is true, noble, righteous, pure, of good repute...etc.
But as you said, Jenni, the enemy has become skilled in a variety of strategies, even if fiery darts are the only weapon... Here are some strategies I will toss up for discussion. What about when we have a sense of fear about what God is calling us to do, and therefore assume it is not from God. You are CERTAIN God gave you a call to study this out with us in this forum, so you can wage war as you did. But, I recently struggled with whether it was God who asked me to do the teaching in Uganda, whether God asked me to bring a friend into our home, and whether God asked me to work with my husband.
How do I determine whether satan led me into something and the struggle is legitimate, or God led and the struggle thoughts are the enemy's attempt to thwart God's plan? I want to become skilled in birthing Issac's only. I want to be certain of the calling instead of creating Ishmael's and then trying to find peace in the trouble I have created. These ventures that I sensed as a calling, prayed about, and stepped out into have had various results, including painful lessons, but I am still not convinced I didn't get led into them by the enemy. (Even as I write this I see the need to trust that God can save us from the enemy whether the Lord brought us into the fight or we jumped into it on our own or through the evil one's coaxing. So either way my thoughts must be that God is mighty to save and the Lord God Almighty reigns!....Thank You, Lord)
1 Corinthians 14:33a For God is not the author of confusion but of peace...
1 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
A little fun spark that came to me as I pondered this thought arena was the phrase, "THINK AGAIN!"
When I think I am stupid...:noway: "THINK AGAIN!"
When I think you ladies disapprove of me..:noway: ."THINK AGAIN!"
When I fear I will not meet the mark...:noway: "THINK AGAIN!"
When I stumble and think I will never rise..:noway: ."THINK AGAIN!"
When I think thoughts of condemnation, worry, fear, frustration, annoyance, discouragement, shame...:noway: "THINK AGAIN!"
This study is tearing down something in me I didn't even have a name for. I thought that this was part of me, not part of my prison cell. I feel free and vulnerable at the same time.
Dearest Donnalynn,
Great Question: How do I determine whether Satan led me into something and the struggle is legitimate, or God led and the struggle thoughts are the enemy's attempt to thwart God's plan?
I have been talking with the All Powerful, All Knowing One about how to answer. :bigsmile:
It is my understanding that we are no longer apart of the Kingdom of darkness (1 Peter 2:9). So we are no longer under Satan's control or authority. So the Devil can no longer lead us unless we submit to Him. So, please grant me the liberty to rephrase your question. I think what you really want to know is how do I determine if I am being lead by my flesh or lead by the Holy Spirit?
Here is what the Word says:
:devil: The fruit or evidence of a flesh lead life:
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do things like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. The fruit or evidence of a Spirit lead life:
22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.
25 If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
26 Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.
The life you now live, you live by faith in Jesus Christ. So wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you are under the authority and power of God. You stop and pray and ask the Lord first....Mattew 6:33 and then as you go, you do so in faith. Faith that He is leading you. You orient yourselves to His word concerning the path you are walking.
Galatians 5:16 (AMP)
16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
Psalm 37:23 (AMP)
23 The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].
Romans 8:5-9 (MSG)
5-8 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.
9-11 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
Did you know that the righteous requirement of the Law is met in you already? So you don't have to be afraid of failing.
Romans 8:4 (AMP)
4 So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].
Fear not! That is what God is saying to you as you enter your promise land of trusting God that He is really leading you. There will be giants in that land, situations and circumstances and even people who are sent to keep you from receiving and taking what God has given you. But read what the Lord says:
Joshua 1:2-9
Amplified Bible (AMP)
3 Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.( You are walking and moving into new places of trust and hope in the Lord. God has given those places to you. So the devil wants to keep you from moving out. That is his strategy against you. If you don't move you can't claim what He has given you. So the perfect weapon against you is to keep you in fear.)
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites [Canaan]—and to the Great [Mediterranean] Sea on the west shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. ( I really feel like this means that all those old thought patterns and words of failure and devaluation that were planted in your life won't be able to stand in your mind anymore! Those seeds will be dug up and tossed out! According to Exodus 33:11 The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. So God will speak with you. He will not fail you or if you should make a wrong choice, forsake you.)
6 Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.( You are a connector. Your victory becomes one that is shared with the women. Your life is more than about You. You will help many ladies receive their victory and inherit the land of Promise that God has for them.)
7 Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.( As you are growing in the Word, you are making Godly, good choices. You are dealing wisely. His word gives you wisdom and you become certain and confident.)
9 Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ( God has not given you a Spirit of fear! He is commanding you to be strong, vigorous and very courageous. Fear is always going to try and stop you. But in Him you are unstoppable!)
Do not be afraid of birthing the wrong child. What is in you is conceived of the Holy Spirit! He is the Lover of your soul. 0 -
RE: from Jenni's post about her daughter wanting to come home early.
I am so glad you shared this with us. I can relate so much to this because my entire life I have always had fear- fear of the worse possible scenario . That is not a way to live-living in fear. Seeing it in writing and the way you worded it is so correct. He wants us to live happily, not in fear of everything because we know He will take care of everything if we just allow Him too. Why worry? And if we worry and assume the worse, that means we are not trusting in Him and that means not having Faith in His works. I really have to work on this myself. Wow!
I will give my story from last night. My son called, and we chatted for a few minutes and then toward the end of the conversation, he sighed and sounded odd. I asked him what was wrong- he most likely wanted to tell me, and that was the reason for the sigh- he told me that while he was playing volley ball the day before, he jammed his thumb. I immediately went into overprotective mother mode and he ended up being upset with me because I did so. I should have just calmly approached it and asked questions and offered some helpful assistance instead of over reacting. And then after I completed the call, said a prayer for him and allowed God to do His work.
Michelle,
Thank you for sharing. I am amazed how I always need to hear this truth over and over and over again. Why worry? Today, I was worry over having to leave work sick. Your post was just what I needed to remind me that I am not to worry. Here is the scripture the Lord brought to my heart as I read your post.
Philippians 4:6 (GW)
6 Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.
I realized my thoughts were leading me to the anxious, fretting place. So I repent. :blushing:
Thank you for helping me to stay on track. 0 -
A little fun spark that came to me as I pondered this thought arena was the phrase, "THINK AGAIN!"
When I think I am stupid...:noway: "THINK AGAIN!"
When I think you ladies disapprove of me..:noway: ."THINK AGAIN!"
When I fear I will not meet the mark...:noway: "THINK AGAIN!"
When I stumble and think I will never rise..:noway: ."THINK AGAIN!"
When I think thoughts of condemnation, worry, fear, frustration, annoyance, discouragement, shame...:noway: "THINK AGAIN!"
DonnaLynn,
I loved your creative spark. It sparked this in me::bigsmile:
To fire your case:
STOP: before you decide, before you go, before you speak, before you act, in the midst of your thoughts
DROP: humble your heart to ask for His plan, His perception, His direction, His words, His thoughts
ROLL: run with it! Obey with all your heart in promptness and joy. GO FOR IT!0 -
jenni...is it why constipation, or why-arhea? lol!!!
I had a moment today, ladies!!! I have gained about 10 pounds from my lowest this year. Some of it is swelling from the surgery...water retention and such...but some is from a less than exact plan of action for the past couple of months. So...I was going with Dan to pick up MIL at her home and decided I should wear something other than a nightgown or sweatpants! My jeans do not fit!!!! Not only my smallest 18s, but my 20s are too tight around my surgical wounds! I had to put on my FAT pants!!!! I cried and cried and cried! Dan tried to console me by saying he loves me anyway...WAH!!!!! Poor Dan...*smh*
Anyway I had a war in my head while I cried. I was simultaneously saying
:sad: all that work was for nothing...&...:ohwell: I can do all things thru Christ
:sad: i cannot stick with anything...&...:ohwell: I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed unto Him
:sad: I am a big FAT fake who cannot do anything right...&...:ohwell: He is able to keep me from stumbling and make me stand in His presence blameless with great joy
:sad: I cannot even THINK RIGHT!!!!!...&...:ohwell: God loves me, God loves me, God loves me
it took me soooo long to even WANT to agree with the right thinking.
Even the emoticons sum it up...:sad: for the wrong, sad, thoughts from HELL and :ohwell: for the GREAT GOODNESS AND MERCY FROM THE GOD OF HOSTS!!!
Really??? sad and oh well are NOT opposites!!! I think I need orienteering lessons!!!
I am still operating in the 'my works = my joy' realm. I am still in the 'say it like you mean it' phase. I want to MEAN IT when I say I can...I am...I have all that God says I can, am, and have.
Pray for me as I hide in my prayer closet and listen....
heading for:bigsmile:
I believe it is both.....why-arehea and why constipation.....:bigsmile:
My Dear Friend,
Well done! You let His grace be perfect in your weakness. You are shaking up the gates of hell because you are practicing obedience even in the midst of an emotional storm. You are my hero! I feel so excited each time one of you presses forth to victory. Even crying and not really feeling it, you obeyed. Truly, I am inspired by you.
As for orienting......let me help .......10lbs after surgery.....hmmmm feels like a lot, may even looks like a lot....I wonder how the Lord sees it? It is Ok to feel the rain, in the storm. It is ok to feel the wind. That is part of being in the storm. Today, you faced the storm. You faced a storm that felt like a class ten hurricane......let God take show you what it really is. This perfect storm is not too big for Him. Here is what I see. You are a faithful, diligent woman. You have a goal and are working hard toward it. By the grace of God you have made much progress. God has been faithful to help you. Suddenly, you are attacked by the enemy to steal away all the joy and and peace you have enjoyed on this journey. Rejoice! The enemy only attacks to steal, kill and destroy. What does he want to steal? Your will in pursuing this God given goal. Your joy in all that God has done for you in this journey. What better strategy then to distract you from what God has done in you. To get you to focus on a momentary weight shift. Don't change your focus from Christ the anointed one, who gives you the power to do what He calls you. Weight shifts come and go......Jesus is the same always.
I love that you express the frustration and the pain you are feeling over this.....being real with God. It is really important to bring those feelings to Him. He cares. You can trust Him with all your emotions, not just your happy worshiping ones. In fact, I truly believe that it is worship to be totally honest with God. It is saying, I want to be known by You. I trust You. This helps us to be healthy. To vent and empty out all that pain, disappointment, frustration and anger steam. Cast it all on Him, not thinking that you shouldn't feel this way, because you should, but rather releasing it and emptying yourself out completely so He can fill you up.
I love that you practiced disciplining your thoughts. Way to go! You did your three minute "thought jog" today. Just like I did with my jogging. Remember that God takes your loaves and fishes and multiplies them when you offer it to Him. Today, was your start. You did it! He helped you to feed the 5000 emotions that where starving. Our God is supernatural in you and for you. What you are seeing is that your mind is used to the old pattern of thinking. Of course, your emotions took a long time to follow suit. This process takes time. It won't always be this way. You are growing in His grace. His power to overcome. As you practice renewing your thoughts to His word and allowing Him to rule in your thinking, doing and speaking you will soon being "running marathons." Your emotions will respond immediately to His word. This I know to be true.
Now decide what you are going to do with those 10 lbs......are you going to allow them to have dominion over you and stop you from pressing on? No! Those 10 lbs will not have dominion over you. Only Jesus is the Lord of your life. Everything else you give into His hands....you submit your emotions and your thoughts to Him. Give them to Him. HE is a master at carrying heavy loads and lightening yours. You are yolked to Jesus and those 10 pounds will be lightened. You can depend on that. He is faithful to you.
Father,
Oh how you LOVE DonnaLynn! You know every detail about her and still adore her. She is at this point in her life by your Grace. You have brought her this far and you will not leave her or forsake her. Your word says that she is not to be dismayed. That word means to be broken down in courage, or surprised in such a manner as to be disheartened. Today, was her test of this. The enemy came at her weak point and attacked.....But You Lord, You were right there, a very present help in trouble. You helped her make the right choices. You helped her to take courage. You will continue to help her process her emotions and continue to stand in this place of victory. DonnaLynn is a woman after your heart, she presents her feelings to you with the absolute trust that you will help her to process them in a way that honors you. By faith she lays down all the old ways of processing and the old patterns of thinking. She chooses You. You are her way, her life and her truth. She gives these 10lbs to you and trusts you to lead her in the path she needs to take to lose them. She may feel like she is stumbling but Your Word says that YOU KEEP HER FROM STUMBLING. She chooses your word about what she may feel in this moment. Your word is her absolute truth. Help her to anchor her soul in You. Today, the enemy wanted to blow her off course, but You Lord held her. Thank you Lord for NEVER EVER FAILING. Thank you Lord that you will continue to endue her with your Power. That she will continue to grow in your grace and revelation. DonnaLynn will be taught of the Lord. You are teaching her to be a wise steward of her thoughts and emotions. Great is the peace of DonnaLynn for her heart trusts in You. In Jesus Name Amen 0 -
Hi Ali this is Gwen if you don't mind me asking I read your welcome message and you might have already said but is your husband a Christian also?0
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I look at myself and I see that what ever problem one has the devil makes it explodes! He spreads it through our day like cancer. When things occur in our lives our first instinct is to act in the flesh and then react in the flesh. In order to stay in the spirit we have to meditate in the word daily. Our lives can spiral out of control thinking and acting in the flesh and this is what the devil wants. This is what he advocates for! To defeat the devil we have to stay in the Spirit World. Defeat the stronghold with God's Word. Roman 8:5 is one to read and reread and then read some more. God Bless as we make this journey together!0
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By the way Ali I hope that your daughter is feeling better!
Gwen0 -
Hi Gwen! Yes, he is a Christian. He works for Youth With A Mission here in Mali (in fact is on the leadership team). He is a very wise, God-fearing man. I am truly blessed! And no worries about asking - feel free to ask me anything (and I will feel free to say if I can not answer!)
Love, Ali0 -
I look at myself and I see that what ever problem one has the devil makes it explodes! He spreads it through our day like cancer. When things occur in our lives our first instinct is to act in the flesh and then react in the flesh. In order to stay in the spirit we have to meditate in the word daily. Our lives can spiral out of control thinking and acting in the flesh and this is what the devil wants. This is what he advocates for! To defeat the devil we have to stay in the Spirit World. Defeat the stronghold with God's Word. Roman 8:5 is one to read and reread and then read some more. God Bless as we make this journey together!
Gwen,
It is so good to have a united goal.....to live in the Spirit so we won't full fill the lusts of the flesh. Thank you for the reminder. Here is the scripture in different versions for us to mediate on. I am filling myself up with His word. :bigsmile:
:drinker: Romans 8:5 (AMP)
5 For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. SET & PURSUE are what are standing out in this verse to me. I hear for set: place it in a specific position. This is the cry of my heart. That my logic would be humbled to the Lord. PURSUE: means to follow with specific intention and with aggressiveness. I want to pursue the Lord with all that I am, at all costs, in all situations. For so long I have had my life set and I have pursued things which have gratified me. BUT NO MORE! I am controlled by the desire of the Spirit. The same determination I have used to worship me, I now apply, by His grace to allowing the desires of the Spirit to be gratified in my life.
:drinker: Romans 8:5(CEB)
5 People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. Jesus is my foundation.....every moment I am learning to walk Jesus centered instead of Jenni centered. Which means I am spending more and more of my time thinking about Him and His ways and less about what I want and what I think.
:drinker: Romans 8:5 (MSG)
5-8 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored. It is my heart desire to exercise in what He is teaching me. I don't just want to know it with my mind, but to also have understanding in living it out. I love how this version talks about attention to God leads me into the open to live freely. It also helps me to pray, Lord help me pay attention. Help me grown my attention span. :bigsmile:
Romans 8:5
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
5 Those who live by the corrupt nature have the corrupt nature’s attitude. But those who live by the spiritual nature have the spiritual nature’s attitude. No corruption in me, Please!
Lovely! I had a wonderful time meditating on this scripture. Thanks again Gwen.0
