Who’s In Charge Here?

God wants us to give our all to Him.  Now, when I say all, I mean ALL.  That includes our worry and fears, which are about our future, and our hurts and regrets which are about our past.   As long as you keep holding on to the past or are anxious about the future, you will not be in a place where God can work in your life and you will miss out on God’s best plan for you.   Look at this verse:

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  -Matthew 6:26

When we worry and fear, we are essentially telling God that we don’t trust Him to take care of our problems or situation.  Have you ever heard someone say “Well, I’ve done everything I know to do; all I can do now is pray.” God wants us to be at rest and let Him solve our problems and take care of our situations.

 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. -1 Peter 5:7

There’s that word ALL again.  That word is not in scripture accidentally.  In every translation of that scripture I could find the word “all” was used.  Scripture doesn’t say cast your big cares or cast only the care that you haven’t been able to figure out yet, it say cast “all” of your cares.  I know right now you are probably thinking “well, I’m just a worrier, that’s my personality”, or “you have no idea what I’m going through right now.”  Well those things may be true but while you can’t always choose your circumstances, you can choose how you react to them.

 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7

A sound mind is a peaceful and steady mind.  It is not fretful, fearful, or worrisome.  It is a mind that knows and believes that God is in control and He is taking care of our situations, circumstances, hopes and dreams!  Regardless of how it looks right now, God is in control!

 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. –Jeremiah 29:11

Now that we know what we should do, let’s talk about how we should go about doing it.  It all starts with trusting God.  We can’t just say we trust him and behave differently, we must really trust Him.  After making the commitment to totally trust God, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us.

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. –Ephesians 4:23-24

When you are led by the Spirit it is easy to discern wrong thoughts.  The minute those thoughts come to mind, they must be cast down immediately.  Don’t let them in, they are from the enemy!  Wrong thoughts are like thieves who come in and rob us of our joy.  Make up your mind today that worry and fear no longer have a place in your life and they are not going to rob you of one more second!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father I pray right now against the spirit of fear and worry.  In the name of Jesus, I declare that peace and joy replace fear and worry in my life and for strength, wisdom and discernment to guide me through this time of renewal!

Something Has Got to Change!!!

So, you have come to the point in your life where you know you want change.  You know that you cannot remain the same because you have examined your life and things aren’t working the way you want them to.  You have realized that changing everyone else around you doesn’t work, so you are going to change the one person that you actually have control over…..YOU!  Over the past several years, that is where I have been.  I have known that I am not exactly living the life God intended for me.  It has been a long road and I know that I have come a long way, but….

My past was just that, the past, and I wanted to leave it there. Although I knew God was with me during that time, I didn’t want to talk about, or think about the hurts I’d buried in my heart. I was tired of hurting and afraid I’d fall apart if I let those hurts surface. I knew I couldn’t go back and erase the hurt, but I also knew I couldn’t continue to ignore them if I wanted to move on and enjoy healthy relationships. Over time and with the help of several wonderful people, I learned that I needed to process my pain with God, and ask Him to heal those hurts and allow me to use them to help others. And that is just what I did. I have started this ministry to help others like me. Those of you who feel as though life didn’t turn out the way you had planned and feel as if it is too late or you are too broken to live life to the fullest.

Okay, now what?  What do you do? How do you do it? Why am I doing this again?!?

Real change, lasting change, positive change can only come about by first changing the way you think.  If you have been thinking a certain way about something for a long period of time, it will require you to renew your mind in that area.  In order to renew your mind, you will have to start thinking about what you are thinking about.

 The bible tells us that we need to renew our mind.  We need to stop thinking the way we used to and begin to think thoughts that line up with God’s word:

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. – Ephesians 4:22-24

I have to say this again.  In order to renew your mind, you must begin to think about what you are thinking about.  When you are watching TV, listening to the radio, or even sitting in church, do you think about what you are allowing into your spirit or are you just passively allowing everything to come in?  Are you agreeing with what you hear because it sounds right or because it is coming from someone who seems to be confident  about what they are saying?  You must start thinking about what you hear and how that shapes your thoughts if you are committed to renewing your mind as the bible calls believers to do:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – Romans 12:2

In order to renew your mind, you must first know and understand the depth of God’s love for you.  You must dig into His Word and experience for yourself just how much He loves you.  Take those scriptures and meditate on them until they are a part of you.  Over time, you will begin to think differently about yourself and your life.

Don’t be lazy and allow someone else’s opinion or judgment shape yours.  Be informed.  Check out what they are saying.  If it doesn’t line up with the word of God, then it is wrong! Remember, the enemy wants you deceived:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. – John 10:10

So, what is it that is holding you back?  NOTHING in your past is bigger than God’s love for you and you can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Making the decision to commit is the first step.  Don’t become discouraged if you don’t see change immediately.  Transformation takes time.  Stick with it.  This is a journey.  Keep a journal or notes of breakthroughs that you encounter to encourage you.  If you have questions or need encouragement, please contact me.  I will be here for you!

Remember, when you change your mind, you change your life!