What you think about in your unguarded moments reflects what your mind dwells upon. What you speak about when your guard is down is a good gauge of what is in your heart (Matt. 12:34). Your mind needs exercise just as your physical body does. To keep your body healthy, you must be careful what you put into it, and you must exercise regularly. To keep your thoughts pure, you must guard what goes into your mind. To exercise your mind, you must contemplate things that are noble and truths that stretch your mind. Some Christians allow the world to fill their minds with ungodly thinking. Some people seem drawn to concentrate on the negative, choosing to be pessimistic about everything. Some remain satisfied with thinking of the mundane. Others fail to intentionally place Scripture in their thoughts, choosing instead to adopt human reasoning. Others, however, choose to expose their minds to the truths of God—to that which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and good. The things you allow your mind to dwell on will be revealed by the way you live. If you focus on negative things, you will inevitably be a negative person. If you allow unholy thoughts to fill your mind, ungodliness will become common in your life. If you fill your mind with thoughts of Christ, you will become Christlike. What you fill your mind with is a matter of choice. Choose to concentrate on the magnificent truths of God, and they will create in you a noble character that brings glory to God. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
There's that word again. Choice.
Oh the possibilities in that one word.
The possibilities of success and danger.
Where we allow our minds to be taken says a lot about where our hearts are. It's said in Scripture that it's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31
Really think today my friend just what choices you have made. Are they strictly for your peace, joy and comfort or are they God honoring decisions? Are you passionate about the things of God or of things in this world? Is your passion for making money or ?
You choose everything that goes across the path of your life. Some may argue that isn't exactly right. Everyone chooses to go right or left, forwards or backwards. Or even to stand still. You choose to listen or ignore. You choose to see or not to. God provided you with everything pertaining to life in godliness in Christ...all that requires choices.
Regardless of the circumstances every person will stand on their own merits before Christ concerning every choice they made in their lives. Nobody will stand with you, my friend, when that time comes. Pastor so-and-so won't be with you. The family friend won't be with you. The pers or persons who may have helped make your life better or worse won't be with you.
Your life, your choices. Either you choose Christ or you don't and suffer the consequences. Matters not what time period you were born in. God placed choice in your hands.
You choose whether to introduce idols into your life or to obey Him and drive them out. You.
You can ask God for help in your life or try in your own strength to do so, to your own peril. My dear reader, I wasted many decades of my life trying in my own strength. I only found freedom in a great many things when I gave up trying and allowed the Almighty the chance to handle those troubles in my life. Get over the fact that you are embarrassed or shamed by what you chose. He already knows! There is no revealing of information to an all-knowing God! Never before in history or outside of it was it ever heard by any created being, God saying "Wow. Didn't see that coming!".
Are you embarrassed? Truthfully? Remember, He already knows. Then good! You are closer to repentance.
Are you numb to the truth of God? Recognizing that is good. Do something about it. Start praying right here and now. He can fix that.
Do you look around and see idolatry in your life? Wearing symbols of it, honestly having what really are shrines in your home or heart to things? Get rid of them! Movies and sports even politics can set up altars in a person's mind and heart. The world calls it just being a fan of those things. Jesus called what it was. Idolatry. Who's opinion matters? The world or God's Son? You choose. But remember, when you face Christ, you will answer Him concerning it. "Just for fun" won't be the right answer. Throughout His Word, Jesus says to cast such things away. Don't consider the cost, just cast them away. Destroy them if necessary.
What you choose to put into the soil of your heart and mind is what will come up in due time as the crop.
You sow bitterness you grow in hate.
You sow the things of God you find the fruits of the Spirit.
You sow idolatry you ask for a jealous God to pay a visit that's not going to be a good conversation. It's like I saw in a tv show between a mother and her son. She says for him to sit down they are going to have a talk. He said you're not fooling him. Whenever she says they are going to have a talk it just means all he is going to do is listen. To that she responded with "Well, stop talking!".
We cannot expect victories in this life as we keep trying to hold onto this life.
The Disciples are never heard saying they regretted following Jesus. We don't hear of the 12 gripping about anything that He taught them. Their lives weren't the same because their Savior was teaching them life! Many of the things He taught may have been confusing at the time, but, as Jesus said, after the Holy Spirit comes, He would explain all things. The 4 Gospels were written many years after the events we read about.
So what choice are you going to make today? You aren't helpless in your life if you are a Christian. The power of God is available to you. You can choose to embrace the world or embrace His plans for you. There are only two options.
You choose to live your life your way or choose to live your life His way.
As I have said at work. Even a mountain of granite can be moved, one piece at a time. When we put our hands to the task of obedience to God, He will honor that by bringing in the Holy dynamite at times. Mountains will move. Fear not what changes He might bring. The Disciples had their entire way of life changed. Only one of them didn't put their all into it.
Retirement doesn't exist in the world of a believer. Jesus always has something for a believer who trusts in Him to do until their last breath. No believer is conquered by physical ailments in this life. They are many times simply cured in their death. Their as safe and secure in His arms in Heaven as they were here. As Billy Graham said, only their address changed. What we see as an end, God sees as only the beginning of their lives into eternity with Jesus. Unbelievers have their beginnings in Hell if they choose not the free gift of Salvation in Christ.
Choose rightly what goes into your heart and mind this moment and every moment of the day God gave you today. In your idle moments you will see what's growing in your heart.
Choose wisely. Weed the Garden of your heart of things you don't need. Don't compromise in any area, lying to yourself, that you are just using those things to reach the lost. If God calls it an idol then it's not a tool of His in the furtherance of the Gospel message. You have been deceived.
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