Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Weekly Devotional - "God In My Thinking" - 9/24/12



from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
 
GOD IN MY THINKING
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Tim Hughes' song, “Everything”, is a beautiful prayer put to music that asks God to be in our living, breathing, waking, sleeping, resting, working, thinking, and more. The chorus repeats the heart’s cry, “Be my everything! Be my everything! Be my everything! Be my everything!”

Imagine a mind cleared of every distraction, worry, and preoccupation and the only thing filling it is Jesus: thoughts of Jesus, love for Jesus, worship for Jesus. What if God occupied every square inch of our thought life?  

Within his book, The Art of Prayer, Khariton says that a mind emptied of everything but God would keep the enemy far away! He writes, “When thieves approach a house in order to creep up to it and steal, and hear someone inside talking, they do not dare to climb in; in the same way, when our enemies try to steal into the soul and take possession of it they creep all round but fear to enter when they hear that . . . prayer welling out.”

Our minds are the gatekeepers to all we say and think and the women that we become. Prayer posts guards at the gates of our mind to defend and keep us from evil. When we pray about everything, God’s peace protects and guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7)!  

Prayer shifts our mindset from our problems to God’s promises, purpose, and power. It moves our mind’s chatter from self-talk to God talk.

Are you anxious because you can’t figure out what to do next with your children, mortgage, or your life? Pray, trust God, and listen to Him. He will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Are you exhausted, doing all you can do to keep one foot moving in front of the over? Pray and go to God. He will give you rest (Matthew 1:28-30).

Are you lonely, feeling misunderstood and isolated? Pray and remember God’s promise. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

Are prayers constantly welling from your heart and mind (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? When talking and listening to God continually fills every nook and cranny of our thoughts, the lies of the world, our sinful nature, and the enemy are squeezed out of our mind. There’s not room for both in the house.

Think on it: Do you typically spend more time talking to yourself or to God?   

Prayer is the very highest energy of which the mind is capable.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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