There are days when we simply have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves to give an account of what we did or how we acted….or how we dealt with a situation.  And if we are honest….we have to repent and change our direction and our thought process.  I had one of those days today.  The battlefield that must be won, FIRST AND FOREMOST—IS IN OUR MINDS.  

 

I can assure you that this is a hard word….because we all must understand something that we almost never think about:

 

He KNOWS EVERYTHING WE THINK ABOUT.

 

Not some things….EVERYTHING.  And we will have to face those thoughts IN FRONT OF HIM and give account…….

 

My mindset, to be real, is OFF….and it is OFF—A LOT.

 

If this does not apply to you—do not read any further….but if it does—read on and cover this word in the grace of Jesus Christ….because His blood not only covers our sin–it tramples it.

 

We have life and freedom in Him……but if we want to walk into it—we must walk in the truth.

 

So let me say these things to myself as I reflect on my day….and if they apply to you—receive them….and if they don’t—don’t.

 

  • You are NOT A VICTIM.  You are blessed and covered by Jesus to fight the good fight.
  • You are NOT in a harder spot than those around you.
  • Your troubles are no worse than everyone else’s….in fact:  there are a lot of people truly hurting out there while you wallow in your little issues.
  • Your God is FOR YOU.  He is FOR YOU in every way.  He saw you from on high and chose YOU—YOU!  This is not some cheap selection or afterthought—it is a first round draft pick to have you walk out the call He has put on your life.
  • You are free to rebel…….but you will sleep in the bed you make and there will be consequences……the world, and the devil, have no mercy on anyone…..and Satan’s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy…..to ACCUSE to SHAME to DISCOURAGE to STEAL HOPE and to RUIN.
  • Your calling is not about you….it is to live out a life of faith.
  • Every day….Every day you will have to choose who you will follow…..it is no different than Adam and Eve in the garden……we can choose God….or we can choose the other thing that is born out of the mindset that God has somehow not given us all that He has to offer.

 

All of these things are of the enemy.  And all of them, along with many others, are simple little ways that Satan can chip at the foundation of who we are to get us to think in the wrong way……

 

2 Corinthians 10  3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

God is FOR us.

We are free to live free from Satan, sin, and death.

We shouldn’t need to watch CNN to know that there are people out there hurting….people who need us to be in the RIGHT MINDSET.

We are free to choose to eat from either tree in that garden….the one from God—or the one that the enemy tempts us to take……that second tree will bind, it will discourage, it will bring hopelessness and despair and diversion.

 

I don’t think Paul was using a play on words when he said to us:  Take Captive Every Thought.

 

Paul knew what it was like to be in prison……and yet he understood that it would be better for the body to be in prison than the mind.  We can literally create our own prison by refusing to fight the battle we need to fight to bring us freedom.

 

As I was writing the blog I was reminded of a student who couldn’t get out of his own way to succeed at school….when I asked him about he said that he could never do enough to please his dad—-that his efforts simply were not good enough.  I get that—dad’s words can hover over a person for long periods of time—so when I pressed in to see when this happened—I found out that it was when he was in the 4th grade and he now no longer lived with his dad.  What his dad could not do in the flesh—-Satan did in his mind.  He locked on and followed him across 3 states to continue to discourage and dismantle.  Take Those Thoughts Captive!  Build a foundation for success—not failure!

 

I will end with this.  A woman collapsed tonight at a volleyball game….I had coached her boys and enjoyed her support for years….and I was compelled to pray for her and so I did.  When a woman thanked me for praying over her my heart became convicted…..I simply said:  “He is all i have.  He is all any of us have.”  Indeed.  We have NOTHING without Him.

 

So press on and set a foundation rooted in the love that He has given us from the moment we came to be……because if we do—-He will bring us to a place of freedom that we have never seen.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J