“For He claims all, because He is love and must bless. He cannot bless us unless He has us.
When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death.
Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.”
(C.S. Lewis from The Weight of Glory)
At our Wednesday night services our pastor has been preaching from Romans 8:5, “Those who live as their human nature tells them to have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants.” (GNT). He has repeatedly talked about the difference between our “spiritual brain” and our “carnal brain” and how that influences our decision making and actions. Needless to say, he’s extorting us to feed, develop, exercise, and grow our “spiritual brains” to feed our faith. What we think on is what we “meditate” on and that impacts how we see and interact with the world.
Last night he was talking a bit on worry. I am a life-long worrier. I’m not obsessed by worry; I don’t sit down and groan when I think about life, wishing there was a way to end the struggles. But I do find myself struggling regularly and repeatedly with those fleeting thoughts that add up to worry. At the women’s conference last weekend the main speaker mentioned the fleeting thoughts that we have and suggested we “just ask Jesus where those thoughts come from.” The world calls this metacognition – thinking about where your thoughts come from. But, when done with Jesus, it’s really a form of prayer. “Jesus, where did this thought come from? If it is from you, show me what you want me to know. If it is not from you, help me release it, be healed from it, and be free of it.”
I was thinking about why I worry. There’s plenty of stuff to worry about in this world. But, Jesus asked us in Matthew 6:27 (NIV), “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” and, of course, the answer is “no.” So, why do these fleeting thoughts of worry pester me? When I asked God about it, he showed me a place that something meant for good had been twisted unhealthfully.
When I was growing up our family had a subscription to the “Guideposts” magazine, and my grandmother had the Daily Guideposts book that I would read when were at her house. These publications are full of stories that are meant to encourage our faith. Some are beautiful, quiet stories of God’s faithfulness in small and daily ways. Others are more dramatic in the ways in which God moved, saved, healed, protected, etc. in the circumstances. The Guideposts publications are intended to build people up in their faith, but the enemy of my soul had taken the drama and fear in those stories to plant seed (seeds?) within me that this world is full of dramatic, dangerous, and fearful things. While there are plenty of dramatic, dangerous, and potentially fear-inducing things in the world, most of life is not. God showed me that part of why I worry is because these seeds had been planted within me and I expect bad things to happen. The enemy of my soul had planted these seeds and, watered and fertilized by subsequent personal stories, news, and other sources, they had grown. I had never had anyone show me how God could free me from worry. Yet, he can and he will when I ask.
Today I invite you to join me in prayer as we ask Jesus to make us aware of where our thoughts are not aligned with his. Ask Holy Spirit to point out the places in which worry has come from deeply planted seeds within you or from current seeds of the world. And ask for freedom and healing from those seeds. If worry is a very strong force in your mind/heart/emotions, ask God to protect you from the enemy of your soul, to strengthen your faith, and to develop your peace and your joy. Ask God to set your mind on things of the Spirit so that your mind is controlled by Holy Spirit. That’s where the peace and joy will be.
Jehovah Shalom,
Thank you for being our Peace that passes understanding, the one who keeps us in that Perfect Peace with steadfast minds when we trust you. Today we come to you asking you to make us aware of our thoughts that do not show trust in you. Help us to come to you when we are worried or when a thought troubles us, to ask you where it came from and what you want us to know. If it is not from you, help us release it, be healed from it, and be free of it. Deliver us from worry and from anything in our flesh that is not of you. Help us to focus on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, trustworthy, excellent, and pleasing to you. Protect us, Holy Spirit, from the attacks of the enemy of our souls. May we live seeking your Kingdom and your Righteousness and controlled by Holy Spirit. We ask all this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
“Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness[His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” (Matthew 6:31-33 AMP)
“For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]. Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever]; the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God. However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you].” (Romans 8:5-9 AMP)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, 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 about such things.” (Philippians 4:6-8 NIV)
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NIV)