A few days ago, we just got finished celebrating Thanksgiving. But to the believer, giving thanks is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It’s not limited to a holiday; it’s a major part of everyday life. But why is it the will of God to be thankful?
Gratefulness puts us in a place of joy. It even lightens our mood. It has even been medically proven that those who have a grateful heart live healthier lives. Constantly complaining and being negative absorbs into our bodies as well. So let’s form a healthy habit; let’s choose to focus on what we are grateful for, not just during this holiday, but every day. It will improve our perspective, improve how we talk to people, and may even help to altar some things in our health for the better. We have it far better than what we have allowed ourselves to think.
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Hubby and I were having a discussion that other day, and he said something that brought a lot of clarity to me. He talked about an imaginary handbook we tend to follow our lives by. This immediately prompted a question in my heart. “Who created the imaginary handbook?”
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog called, “Who Told You?” The imaginary handbook is a continuation of that thought. Remember in Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned, and God asked Adam, “where are you?” And when He talked with Adam about the sin, Adam responded to God and said, “we went and hid ourselves behind the fig leaves because we knew we were naked.” God asked them, “who told you that you were naked?” I want to pose a question to you. What imaginary handbook have you been following? Whose pattern have you been living after without even knowing who said it? And even if you knew who said it, are they God? Were they prompted by the Holy Spirit to say it to you? Why has it been ok to live out what someone else has spoken? Why have those things become law in our lives? The imaginary handbook is based on a majority of those who live in doubt and defeat but don’t want to acknowledge that fear is what drives how they live. Before making decisions, let’s check the motives of those decisions. Of course not all fear is bad, but the fear that brings torment is not of God. We should never live under a pressure to be something, do something, or have something. That pressure comes from the imaginary handbook. There is only one Book we should be patterning our lives after, and that’s the Word of God. I read a devotion written by Pastor Rick Warren, and it really changed my thinking. It said, “think about what you’re thinking about.” I’ve learned that every thought is not our own. Yes, there are some that are ours, but there are others that we don’t have to receive. We tend to think that because these thoughts are introduced to us or even may be intrusive or invasive that we should receive them, but we are not obligated to!
God began to speak to me about thoughts and beliefs. He said to me that the thoughts that roam around in our minds constantly that cause us pain and confusion are connected to a belief. The belief gives that thought permission to dwell in the space of our minds. So I’m asking you, what thoughts are roaming around in your mind that are not God’s thoughts for your life? Write them down and trace them back to the belief that causes them to remain in your mind. After doing so, pray about the beliefs that gave those thoughts permission to live in the space of your mind. |
I love to journal my thoughts I receive in prayer. "Chronicles" is my journey I'm sharing with you. Archives
December 2022
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