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As a therapist I like to use a Cognitive-Behavioral approach to work with my clients. This is because as a Christian, I know that the battle is for the mind and if we can be deceived in our minds, we will believe whatever comes at us. Satan knows this and if he can keep our minds deluded we can be rendered ineffective for the sake of Christ.

How we think (T) affects how we we feel (F) and our behavior (B). Also how we feel (F) affects what we think (T) and how we behave (B). How we behave (B) can affect what we think (T) and how we feel (F) and finally, how we behave (B) affects how we feel (F) and what we think (T). Its a cyclical effect no matter how you lay it out. Just imagine a circle with all 3 of these interacting a cause and effect between them.

As human beings we feel. You can’t get rid of your feelings. You can change how you think about them or how you behave with them, but otherwise, they just “are” and it is important to validate them. But feelings can’t be trusted, because they have potential to lead us astray. So it is always important to check your feelings. To not make rash decisions during times of intense emotions. The two places where we have power in Christ is through our thoughts and our behavior. But the thoughts truly trump everything.

This is why it is so important to remember, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ” 2 Cor 10:3-5 (NIV)

So, take captive your thoughts. You have the Holy Spirit within you as a believer to help you in this. Are they godly thoughts or are they thoughts that are destructive or have potential to be destructive? Could they lead you astray? Read your Bible and pray. Take your thoughts to the word of God and see if there is any truth that would refute that thought. Ask God to show you those scriptures. Memorize that scripture that tells you what is true and say it out loud whenever those wrong thoughts come to mind.Write that scripture out and put it on a 3 x 5 card to put on your bathroom mirror or wherever you need to see it. In prayer time, ask Jesus to help you to be mindful of your thinking and to help you correct it towards the truth of His word. This is how we can hold our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ and demolish the places where there are strongholds in our mind. It is the truth that will set us free!

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He is Risen!

He is risen indeed! John 20-21

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After Jesus prayed in Gethsemane for Himself and then the disciples, He prayed for those who would believe in Him through the message of His disciples. That would be us: Those of us who choose to believe in Him by His testimony through His Word that He gave through the letters of the disciples. We are so fortunate to have all of God’s word available to us today. Everything has been put together for us into one place: 66 books, 40 authors in one story that transcends all time, which we call The Bible.

Jesus asked the Father to make us all one. Just as He was one with the Father He wanted us to be one in Him and the Father so that the world would believe that God the Father had sent God the Son. He asked the Father for us to be brought to complete unity and He testified that He loved us just as the Father has loved Him. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”  (See John 17:20-26)

Why do we find it so hard to be in unity with each other as believers? Will we let love cover a multitude of sins? Will we do what we can to keep the peace with each other or do we have to prove that we are right or we have been wronged and we must be justified at any cost? We live in such a selfish world, I can’t help but wonder if we have let it infiltrate the church and our own hearts as believers? Certainly there is a place, time and way to address error. But does it violate love or will it prove that love is present?

When we live with envy and strife with one another as Christians we show disunity in the body of Christ and it wreaks havoc on our hearts and minds as believers and we become poor examples to those around us in the world who are watching us. Hopefully our souls trouble us at this point so that we take the time to take account and ask God to search and know our hearts; to try us and know our anxious thoughts and if there is any offensive way within us and to lead us in the way of everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV) Also see  2 Timothy 2:23-24 We have the help of the Holy Spirit to bring us into unity with each other, let’s draw on that and not major in the minors!

Image taken from: http://trueboat.wordpress.com/tag/church/

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Sometimes our sorrows and griefs can be so overwhelming that we wish we could die or have contemplated taking our lives in suicide. This is sorrow at its worst, when we think we can’t go on anymore. And then the Enemy uses our thoughts to attack us in these lowest times. He is the deceiver and destroyer of life. Don’t listen to the lies, you are not alone.

On a night of intense sorrows, and after Jesus had shared Passover with His disciples He went to Gethsemane to pray. He took three of his closest friends with Him: Peter, James and John. Jesus “began to be sorrowful and troubled and He said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’ And going a little further he fell on his face and prayed saying. ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping.” Matthew 26:36-40, ESV

Jesus was indeed sorrowful and anguished. Luke tells us that He even sweat drops of blood in that anguish. Even the grove itself was a place where olives were pressed. And Jesus was pressed here, in this moment; even before He experienced death on a cross for you and me. He suffered greatly. He was betrayed and then beaten and humiliated unto death. He bore it all. His purpose from before time, when He was in the Godhead was the way of the Cross.

Yes, He knows our deep sorrows and griefs that we suffer. He went to death so that we would be freed from the bondage of sin and death. No intense grief or sorrow that permeates our souls could ever be greater than what He bore in His body, because He bore it all, from all of us, for all of us. When all the sins of the world were laid upon His shoulders as the One and only perfect sacrifice, for that brief moment, He was all alone. Intense heaviness, through and through. Even in that moment, Satan thought he had defeated Jesus in death. But we know, on that third day, Christ raised Himself from the grave and He now lives. This is our hope for all humanity! Because He lives, we live!

Jesus has promised us, He is with us always – forever! He will never leave or forsake us. He is God with us and now His Holy Spirit lives in us as a deposit and guarantee that He is coming back for us! Lift your eyes up to the One who rescues you and forgives you of ALL your sins. He bears all of your burdens and sorrows. He mourns with those who mourn. He draws near to the broken-hearted. He is the forgiver of sins and He is the giver of all LIFE!

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In a recent Precepts Bible study, we were discussing what it meant as the church “to be the fullness in him (Christ) who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:23, NIV) The original Greek word for ‘fulness’ pleroma means to be replete or complete. Complete meaning completion, an object that is being filled with contents, or a container. And the root of that word came from the Greek word pleroo which also means to be replete or covered over. But the greatest word picture it gave me was the literal definition of which it meant ‘to cram’ as in a net. Hmmm…

I started to think of when Jesus was starting his ministry and was calling the first disciples. Early in the morning after they had been out all night fishing on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus approaches Simon & Co., as they start to clean their nets and close up shop. They had fished all night and not gotten a single fish! Jesus tells them to throw out their nets for a catch and Simon tries to explain to Jesus that there weren’t any fish to be caught out there, but then gives in and says he will do it. They put the nets down and then, “bam!” they are crammed so full of fish that the nets were starting to break. Another, hmmm…

I then looked up the definition of ‘replete’ and it stated that replete was not a synonym of ‘complete’ but rather meant to be abundantly supplied, abounding, filled to satiation, even gorged! Why did I ever think I was partially full: or like a glass of water, full to where I wouldn’t spill over, but short of completely full?

What if we truly began to believe as Christians that we are these vessels or containers that are crammed as full as those nets were, but in Christ, ready to burst with more than enough? As I pondered this profound word picture, I started to realize, I didn’t need to grasp at anything more to feel “filled up,” but thanks to my salvation in Christ, everything that I had was already enough – more than enough! I could finally understand the confidence I have in Him. No matter what hand life had dealt me, Jesus tells me I am replete and complete in Him! Crammed full!

If you are in Christ, you too, are crammed full! WOW! How exciting is that??!!

 

 

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“Hear , O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalm 27: 7-8, ESV

Let the cries of Your people’s voices be heard, God. May we search for You and boldly ask You to answer us. Do not turn away and hide Your face from us. Let our hearts be set on You.

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Hebrews 7: 24-25, NIV

“but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Think on these two things:

1. He saves completely those who come to God through Him – not partially and not only if you do x, y, z  just right. Completely doesn’t mean there is anything left unfinished. Your salvation is complete. It was complete at the cross when He sacrificed and offered Himself up for your sins once and for all. If you have come to God through Christ Jesus you are saved completely, entirely and to the uttermost. There is nothing more you have to do for it and no one can take your salvation away from you. Rest in that.

2. He always lives to intercede for those who are saved by Him. As you are struggling in your faith and walk, as life gets hard, as friends betray you, when you are tempted beyond what you think you can handle, as you lose your job, when you don’t know how you are going to feed your family or where you will find another job…as you struggle to see hope in dark times, as you wonder if anyone really cares about you anymore,  as you find yourself tired and weary…. Jesus knows what you are facing in that very moment, He knows what you need and He LIVES to intercede on your behalf before the Father. What does it feel like to know that you have a Savior who approaches the Father on your behalf? Who stands ready to speak up for you. Would you keep going? Would you pass up that temptation? Would you do whatever it takes knowing that on the other side of eternity someone is working on your behalf?

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In honor of Palm Sunday: Matthew 21:1-17, ESV

In thinking about Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem, He fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah so it would be complete “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey.” Zech 9:9, ESV

When we think about his triumphal entry into our own hearts (when we first placed our faith in Him), did we hope that He would take all our suffering away, right then and there? Did we hope, like the Jews of His day, that trusted and believed in Him, that He would establish His kingdom right then and there and reign righteously, forever? That we wouldn’t experience any more suffering at the hands of others? Much to all of our earthly disappointments, He did not do what we thought He should do, but He did what was greater for us by establishing His kingdom eternally, which is yet to be seen here on earth – except in the body of His Church at this time. He has set an example of entry… a low and humble righteous king, not any different than the low and humble babe born in a stable with smelly animals and a feed trough not fit for a king…yet it was! Because it was all a part of prophecy being fulfilled. And there is still more to come. God’s word is true and He is faithful. Scripture proves scripture!

What if, our pain and suffering brings us down low in humility to learn how to be the same servant that washed the feet of those we love and those whom we know will betray us. Will they find out who He is as a result? What am I willing to allow in my life? Will you and I allow Jesus to cleanse the temple of our hearts? Because that is where He went next… and after He did, He healed the blind and the lame and the children praised Him. Will we see? Will we walk? Will we praise?

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Matthew 6:25-34, ESV

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

There are so many troubles and worries in our world right now. Nothing is sure except the fact that God remains the same, from beginning to end. Such great hope! Everything He said in His word has come true, is true and will come true. He is the God of the past, the present and the future. Nothing happens that doesn’t surprise Him. If He cared so much to put everything into place for you and me, don’t you think He cares enough to provide all of our answers and needs? And if He knows you down to numbering even the tiniest hairs on your head, to know you before you were even knitted in your mother’s womb, how much more will He continue on until the day of completion all the work He began in you. Worry will rob us of being able to enjoy all that He has for us today. Trust that He will take care of you. He has conquered! And in the end, at the name of Jesus, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:11, ESV) Try to extend your vision outward on the big picture. How can you trust in the One who made you and remain faithful to wait upon His provisions instead of taking it into your own hands? Is it possible He will grow your character in the meantime and continue to mature you into His own likeness?