My Determined Purpose

Sometimes we get disappointed with ourselves because we’re believers but our actions (or maybe reactions) aren’t what we want them to be in certain situations. Sometimes we get disheartened because we know God could change some things in us, but He hasn’t yet.  Sometimes the battle is an old one-- that “thorn in the flesh.”  Sometimes we don’t feel like “more than conquerors”, and yet, we know we have a Champion for whom nothing is impossible and Who is “for” us, not “against” us. Sometimes trying to walk like Jesus walked seems too hard, and it’s easier to say, “I give up” instead of looking up and trying one more time. 

Negative thoughts and feelings can really discourage us, paralyze us, and drag us into despair. We need to take them captive and bring them to Christ. We are not perfect human beings. We need to confess our sins and shortcomings. We need to accept hardship as the Lord’s discipline, knowing that we’re being changed for the better. Our hearts and our faith are being purified. In the meantime,  Jesus says His grace is sufficient for us. God’s Word tells us that He is indeed working in us to will and to do His good pleasure. We’re encouraged to stand firm and to put on the armor of God in Ephesians 6. And in order to think like Christ, we need to meditate on God's Word which contains whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, noteworthy, excellent. (We're told to think on these things in Phil. 4:8) Then we can trust God to take care of our concerns and problems that we’ve laid out before Him in prayer. We can cast all our anxieties on Jesus because He cares for us. We can trust Jesus. But it’s hard to trust Him if you don’t know Him.

Almost a year ago, I placed a card on my refrigerator that had this verse on it: “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.” (Phil. 3:10; Amp)

“For my determined purpose” caught my attention when I read it again recently. If I’m going to continue this spiritual walk I’m on, I’ve got to be determined and turn away from anything that would keep me from knowing Jesus my Lord deeply and intimately, as well as knowing His spiritual power. I can’t imagine a better example of someone more determined than Paul, the writer of Phil 3:10 and Phil. 4:8. Beaten, flogged, jailed, chained, chased, surviving shipwrecks, ridiculed, rejected. He must have been determined since he never gave up. It inspires me and convicts me to make knowing Jesus my determined purpose because Jesus went through much worse for me. Beaten, flogged, ridiculed, rejected, spit upon, crucified, pierced. But that wasn’t the end. He had to endure the cup of God’s wrath for the sins of the world in addition to the physical suffering. I can’t even imagine what all He went through for me and for you. And then, victory—just as He promised. Resurrection. Hope. Eternal life.

Paul says something else about his trials as he continued in his determined purpose—“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength….”  (2 Tim. 4:17, NIV)  We can count on the Lord standing by us. As soon as we cry out, He strengthens us. Jesus loves us with an unfailing, unending, unconditional love. He is worthy of our love, our devotion, our determined purpose to know Him.

A Prayer

Prayer from Richard Foster's book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. Picture from  (http://www.incourage.me/2013/03/53649.html)

Focusing on Jesus in the Midst of Difficulties

How do we keep our minds on Christ in the midst of difficulties? For anxiety-prone people like me, the answer to this question is extremely important. John Ortberg talked about this in If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. He reaffirmed what I’d learned from one of Beth Moore's studies: whatever we focus our minds on, whatever we meditate on continually, determines the way we think. I love this excerpt from Ortberg’s book: “Psychologist Archibald Hart writes, ‘Research has shown that one's thought life influences every aspect of one's being.’ Whether we are filled with confidence or fear depends on the kind of thoughts that habitually occupy our minds. The way you think creates your attitudes; the way you think shapes your emotions; the way you think governs your behavior; the way you think deeply influences your immune system and vulnerability to illness. Everything about you flows out of the way you think. I believe this is one of those cases where we are simply coming to confirm what the writers of Scriptures knew quite clearly all along. Paul said, 'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.'

The law of exposure is as inviolable as the law of gravity. No one is surprised by the law of gravity. No one says, 'Hey, I dropped this priceless antique crystal vase on cement and it broke. What are the odds of that?' But amazingly enough, people react to the law of exposure in total shock. People are surprised that what their minds are constantly exposed to, attend to, and dwell on eventually comes out in how they feel and what they do.

The events you attend, the material you read (or don't), the music you hear, the images you watch, the conversations you hold, the daydreams you entertain-all are shaping your mind and, ultimately, your character and destiny. This is supremely true when it comes to hope.

Is. 26:3 says, 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.' It all depends on where your mind stays. The good news is that you can put these laws to work for you. If you really want to become a certain kind of person--a hopeful person focused on Christ--you must begin to think thoughts that will produce those characteristics. So we understand why Paul said, 'Think about these things.' When you focus on Christ, these are the kinds of thoughts he will inspire you to think. Therefore you must put your mind in a place that will lead you to think hope-producing thoughts. You need to expose your mind to those resources, books, tapes, people, and conversations that will incline you toward confidence in God. Your mind will think most about what it is most exposed to.”

So true!  When I begin the day by praying to God and then reading His Word, and when I sit in silence and listen with my heart to what He’s saying to me, or while I’m engaged in memorizing a few verses, or singing praises to Him, or meditating on a psalm, there is a marked difference in the peace and joy that I have and in my awareness of God's faithfulness and love for me. My blood pressure goes down, and so does my heart rate. My thoughts are pleasant and faith-filled. I feel the peace of God and His Presence. John Ortberg has much more to say about feeding your mind and soul in his book.  

 

What is Truth?

The Bible can tear you up or it can heal you. It all depends on your relationship to the Lord. It's not head knowledge that counts--it's heart knowledge. When you become a friend of Jesus, when you make Him Lord of your life, then the Word becomes alive in you, and the Bible confirms what you already know in your heart--God is real, Jesus is alive, and God's Word is true. Healing begins. Having the Spirit of Jesus Christ as your moment-by-moment Counselor, Friend, Shepherd, Sustainer, Helper, Healer is worth giving up your own self-made belief system which will destroy you in the end and rob you of the Greater Glory--Christ living in you.

The Truth that Defeats The Lies I've Told Myself

All Scripture in NIV unless otherwise noted.

 

LIE—I am all alone with no one to help me.

TRUTH

Hebrews 13:5-6 “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’”

 Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Joshua 1:5 “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

Matthew 28:20  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

John 14:15-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your Name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

LIE—I am going to lose my mind.

TRUTH

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (NKJV)

Romans 8:6b “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “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.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

1 Corinthians 14:15 “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”

(See also, 1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 8:27;)

LIE—I am not safe! There is no place where I can be safe!

TRUTH

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. (NLT)

 Deuteronomy 33:12 “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.” (NKJV)

 Psalm 4:8 “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (NKJV)

 Psalm 12:5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” (NKJV)

 Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (NKJV)

 (See also Psalm 91; 121; 139)

 LIE—I will never be at peace again.

TRUTH

Psalm 85:8  “I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.”

 Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 32:17 “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

(See also, Psalm 29:11; 34:14; 1 Peter 3:11; John 20:19, 21, 26; Ephesians 2:14)

LIE—I’ll never change; I’ll always be afraid.

TRUTH

Isaiah 43:1-2;4  "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.”

Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

 Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Ephesians 6:10-11;14-18 “Be strong in the LORD and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit….”

(See also, Isaiah 35:4; 41:10; 41:13; Joshua 1:5-7; Jeremiah 30:10)

 

 

An Unexpected Guest

The other morning I was having my quiet time when my chihuahua walked in. She knows I won't pick her up until I'm finished with my prayer time, but sometimes she likes to test me. When I ignored her paws on my pajama leg, I assumed she'd leave;  however, she began sniffing around the room. She stopped in front of my chest-of-drawers and began to growl. It was low, menacing, and long (when you're sitting in a room by yourself and it's early morning and really quiet, you don't want to hear a growl like that).

I glanced over and she was staring underneath the chest-of-drawers. Not really wanting to, I carefully rose praying it wasn't a snake or something. Then I had to bend down, which I did slowly. After a quick sweep with my eyes, I saw the shadowy head of a lizard raise up from the floor. Yikes! I ran to the kitchen for an empty coffee can. When I came back, the lizard had moved out from under the chest-of-drawers and was hanging onto the floor molding. Thankfully, I was able to capture it and toss it outside. I felt quite proud of myself. My little dog got an extra hug and treat after that. :)

The Spirit of the Lord is Life and Peace

When I have anxiety attacks, I feel that I am all alone and fighting the attacks all alone. I feel as though the attacks are designed to make me believe Jesus doesn't love me. But that's not true. One of my favorite verses to repeat when I'm feeling down is this: Isaiah 59:19 "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." (KJV) I know I have the Holy Spirit in me because I've received Jesus as my Lord and Savior and because I sense His Spirit in me. I can't explain it. I just KNOW. It's a different reigning attitude in me--not the dark, melancholy thinking I've been used to all my life before Jesus stepped in and saved me. Sometimes, He fills me with such joy, I don't know what to do with myself. Usually, it's after I've spent time all alone with Him in prayer and Bible study and after my own personal songs of worship.

And sometimes, He fills me with such gratitude, all I can do is say, "thank you" over and over through my tears. Just today, after walking on my treadmill, the verse came to me, "I consider our present sufferings not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us." Ro. 8:18. I thought how wonderful God's plan of salvation for us. Nothing we go through is for nothing. It's all to draw us to Jesus. To help us lean on and rely on Him instead of ourselves because He loves us so much and is our Champion. He is so much stronger than we are. We cannot fight our battles in the mind and in the world without Him. He alone has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He alone is Victor and makes us victorious. The power for forgiveness of sins is in His blood and He ever lives to intercede for believers. (that's in Hebrews). We fight the good fight of faith with His Spirit in us equipping us to fight and to serve and worship and love our Lord. And one day the greater glory will come into view, as Travis Cottrell sings in Thanks Be To Our God. Keeping my eyes on Jesus, my greater glory, is what makes me victorious, no matter how many anxiety attacks I have. And when I take on this attitude, I have less attacks. No coincidence there. "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace". (Ro. 8:6)

God Never Changes

"Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Believing that statement keeps worry at bay for me and encourages me to continue on my pilgrimage to know God even more. "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth." Hosea 6:3 (NASB

Life Between Your Ears

I've heard it said "you live your life between your ears". In other words, what's going on in your mind is your reality. I tend to agree. When I had panic attacks, it never occurred to me that no one else was experiencing the fear I was experiencing. But it was my reality alone because of what had been going on between my ears. Medication helps deal with the physical aspects of panic and anxiety attacks, but it takes renewing your mind--your thought-life--to change your perceptions of what is real and what is true: in other words, to change your life between your ears.

That's what God and His Word did for me and continues to do for me on a daily basis. After telling us not be to anxious and to pray about everything, Paul said in Phil. 4:8 "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, THINK ON THESE THINGS." (emphasis mine) So thinking on these things will help keep our minds occupied in a healthy way instead of with anxiety.

I find all THESE THINGS first in my relationship with Jesus and God's Word. That's what renews my mind and transforms my reality. So if I seem a bit obssessed with my relationship with God through my Lord Jesus and God's Word, now you know why. This obssession has exchanged a mind filled with fears into a mind filled with faith on most days. Sometimes I have difficult seasons, and my nervous system balks, but God's grace gets me through. Glory to His Name!

 

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.Trust in the LORD forever for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock eternal." Isa. 26:3-4 NKJV

 

Another favorite of mine: "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Ro. 8:6b I keep this one in my kitchen. :)

He Cares for You

Found this posted on http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/category/fear/  ---

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Not only will He never leave you...but He cares for you. He is not just there with you. He cares for you. His care is constant—not occasional or sporadic. His care is total—even the very hairs of your head are numbered. His care is sovereign—nothing can touch you that He does not allow. His care is infinitely wise and good so that again in the words of John Newton, ‘If it were possible for me to alter any part of his plan, I could only spoil it.’”

—Jerry Bridges, Trusting God, p.199.

Coming to God just like we are is easier if we will remember that our Lord cares for us. Even when we screw up, even when we fail of faith, He still cares for us.  I love the verse in Romans 8 that tells us nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. His steadfast love is what I depend on.

I spent some time today on my patio swing and meditated on God and me. I told Him how I wanted more faith, how I wanted to be all He created me to be, and how I wanted to know Him more. He is my Rock, my safe place, my hiding place, the Source of my mind's peace. All my scrambling comes to an end when I get alone with God and rest in His love for me. How could He love someone like me? I am so flawed. I am so weak. But He has made it clear to me in His Word and I have His testimony in my heart that He "does" love me, He "does" care about me and for me. There is no God like my God. How I long to live a life worthy of His love and faithfulness to me. I asked Him to help me do that today.

Redirecting Our Anxious/Negative Thoughts

I’ve been re-reading Who Switched Off My Brain?: Controlling toxic thoughts and emotions by Dr. Caroline Leaf, and ran across some really great information. I also found similar information by Dr. Archibald Hart. Both Dr. Leaf and Dr. Hart agree that people who suffer from anxiety need to pay attention to their thoughts. An excerpt from Dr. Leaf’s book says: “What you do and say on the outside must reflect what you think on the inside. A lack of congruence causes stress and affects the way information is processed and memory is built. Framing your world with your words involves replacing negative thinking and words through a right attitude shift. You do this by: acknowledging that an issue exists, reflecting on what is wrong with it, considering how you can cope with it, asking whether you can do it alone or if you need help.”

Dr. Hart says: “Daily write in a small notebook every bothersome thought, event, or person that comes to mind. Ask yourself, “Which of these can I take care of right now? Is there anything I can change? Then take that action immediately and cross that thought off your list. Take the rest of your list—things you cannot take care of there and then and pray about them. Commit them to God. Then close your notebook. Doing this at the end of each day or whenever a bothersome thought occurs will help transfer it from your mind to paper.” If your mind keeps harping on an issue, write it down as often as you think of it. Pray about it. Then move on to other things.  

Dr. Hart also suggests writing down several good events that have happened in your life that bring you pleasure when you remember them. (Phil. 4:8) Write them on a card to keep with you throughout your day. For each event write down two or three specific things that happened that makes the event pleasurable for you. Keep this card with you at all times. Every hour or two review one of the memories on your card. Re-live it, savor it. Meditate on it for four or five minutes. Then return the card to its safe place and continue about your business. In this way you’re redirecting your thoughts away from anxious ones.

You can do this with pictures, too. Not long ago I found an old picture of my husband and me when we were celebrating his birthday in his parents' backyard. We were dating at the time—still teenagers. It made me smile to remember us back then. I’ve looked at it several times this past week and smile every time as I relived those wonderful days of getting to know each other and just being together. My children’s pictures bring wonderful memories to mind as well.

And there is always Scripture meditation—both Dr. Leaf and Dr. Hart speak of the importance of meditating on Scripture.  I’ve been reaping the benefits of that--as you know.

The more we concentrate on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praise-worthy in our lives (Phil. 4:8), the more positive thoughts and memories we’ll have to fill our minds and hearts. We'll then be more congruent--positive on the inside and on the outside. Faith-filled on the inside and acting in faith on the outside.

 

More Verses to Battle Fear

Beth Moore has put together a booklet of verses for battling the stronghold of fear and anxiety. It's entitled, Fear and Courage, The Great Forsake and Take. The title comes from the fact that we need to "forsake" fear and "take" courage.

Here's the link: http://blog.lproof.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/The-Great-Forsake-and-Take-Final.pdf

I already printed mine out! :)

May God richly bless you as you continue believing Him for freedom from all your fears. He is able! Oh, yes, He is able!

Who Is In Your Grandstand?

Kathleen Hart, wife of Dr. Archibald Hart, retired Professor of Psychology and former Dean of the Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, asks this question in a counseling dvd I watched recently, "Who is in your grandstand?" It really opened my eyes to the importance of not putting myself, my parents, my husband, or anyone else in my grandstand. The only One who belongs there is Jesus Christ. This idea of "grandstand" assumes we're all performing for somebody's approval. I've been asking myself,  "Are my decisions being influenced by God, by my own misguided self, or by the people whose opinions I value most?" When God is not my priority person, I make unwise decisions.

Kathleen Hart emphasized there should be only One in our grandstand, and His Name is Jesus Christ. When we "make it our goal to please Him" (2 Corin. 5:9, NIV), life works and we are happier children in the Lord. Our hearts, souls, minds, and spirits are freed up from trying to please others and from trying to fullfil our own selfish desires. Instead, we are filled with the peace and love of Jesus, and we begin to operate out of that sense of His loving, healing presence in our hearts. We seek guidance from His Holy Spirit and humbly submit to His perfect will. Living out of that guidance, love, and peace that guards our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:7, NIV), we become more of a positive influence to those around us. Instead of seeking the approval of others to fill our needs, we become people who have something of great value to offer--Christ Himself--the only One who truly satisfies our deepest, heart-felt desires, who heals our deepest wounds, who rebuilds minds, hearts, souls, and bodies, and restores broken relationships.

He makes all things new. (Rev. 21:5, KJV)