The Mending Of Our Minds

One of the things that I have discovered... not only about my own life... but about the lives of all of us as Children of God... is that whenever we face days of conflict or days of adversity, our frame of mind (our mental attitude) (our thoughts) usually determine how we come out of these situations... and how long it takes for us to get beyond it and get back on our feet again.

No matter what we may be facing, our minds are often quick to tell us, "You'll never get through this."... "What's the use? It's too late for you now."... "There's no way out of this. Stop trying to find one."... "You might as well give up. It's not going to happen."... "You can't do that. It's too hard. You don't know how."... "This is the last straw. This one's going to break you down."... "Stop what you're doing. It really doesn't accomplish anything."... "Your money's not coming. You don't have any resources. Stop looking for it."..."You're going to die. You can't live with this sickness."... "Look at what other people have. What have you got?"... "Your opportunities are gone. All the doors are closed. Stop trying to be something you're not."... "It's time for you to quit. Look at how long you've been trying this. Where has it gotten you?"... "Your prayers aren't being answered. How long have you been asking God? And so far you've received nothing."..."God's never going to bless you. Look at your mistakes. Look at your failures. Look at your shortcomings. You're not acceptable in God's eyes."... "You don't need to be around anyone. You don't need to talk with anyone. You're better off by yourself. You're better off shut away. You're better off isolated."

If we don't actively challenge these kinds of thoughts:

* Our mind will take us to some very depressing places.

* Our mind will cause us to make choices that are not in our best interest.

* Our mind will cause us to worry over things that have yet to happen.

* Our mind will make us suspicious of people that only mean us good.

* Our mind will steer us away from what God has said and cause us to act solely upon what we're feeling.

* Our mind will cause us to walk away from the very thing that's intended to bless us.

* Our mind will paint a false picture of our lives, causing us to live in disappointment and regret.

Our minds are most capable of doing these things to us... and a lot more.

Amazingly, we don't deal with this issue as much as we should because it's..."OUR MIND"... and we hesitate to admit that it's..."US"... that's dragging us down. That it's..."US"... that actually defeating us. We listen to many negative thoughts and consider what they say because they're..."OUR"... thoughts. And because they're ours, we feel as if we have to give them a certain priority over other things. I've discovered that sometimes we act immediately upon what we think because we believe the thoughts personally belong to us.

We want to believe...

* That our thoughts are always true.

We want to believe...

* That our thoughts are always correct.

We want to believe...

* That our thoughts are always good for us.

We want our self-esteem to always be at its highest. We want our self-image to always be as positive as possible. So we often avoid any honest examination of ourselves, or any possible determination that something in our lives, or in our thinking may need to change. But truthfully speaking, just because the thoughts are "OURS"... does not necessarily assure us that they're always the right thoughts. As born-again Children of God, we are already battling so many other outside forces - wickedness, cruelty, sickness, disease, corruption, hatred, meanness, jealousy, envy, greed, lying, persecution, demonic spirits, spiritual warfare, and much more.

Yet, the greatest battle that we will ever fight... and the greatest battle that we must always win... is the battle that we face with our own mind. But it's hard, and difficult, and embarrassing, and uncomfortable because we're struggling with something that's within ourselves and about ourselves. We've become so used to ourselves - the way we've always known ourselves to be - that the idea of changing something about us is not easily accepted. We feel so strongly that our thoughts belong to us, that we can't seem to believe that anything about us would set out to hurt us or mislead us.

But I firmly believe today that the Word of God is very clear concerning what the condition of our mind should be. God created us and fashioned us to be spiritual beings - living in a physical body - and existing in a physical world. God knew which part of us should take the lead - which part of us should remain a priority - which part of us would protect us. bless us. and sustain us. But God also knew which part of us could not be trusted or depended upon without his direct influence. God knew which part of us would work against us as His spiritual children.