Fix Your Mind On God

The Bible instructs us to live by faith - not by feelings. But we often tend to let our moods dictate our actions. And those actions aren't always positive actions. Satan loves it when we do his work for him. In light of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, Gov. Malloy hit the nail on the head when he said, "Evil has visited this community."

I find it ironic that we ask, "Where was God when these innocent kids and teachers were killed" or "Why would God allow this to happen" when we are the ones who have removed God from our society in an effort to be tolerant and coexist. Good and evil will never coexist, nor will they tolerate one another.

Emotions mislead us. God gave us emotions to experience life, not destroy it. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

I know that if I am listening to a message that makes me depressed and defeated, that's from Satan. Satan wants us to focus on the evil and negative things of this world so that we take our minds off of God and the good things.

We can't always fix our circumstances, but we can fix our minds on God. When we fix our minds on God we can face things that are out of our control and not act out of control. Self-effort alone can't tame our raw emotions. - Lysa TerKeurst

Impulsive Peter asked to meet Jesus on the water. He stepped out of the boat and, briefly, walked on the waves like His Lord. As long as Peter's eyes were on Jesus, he stayed atop the water, but the moment he looked away, he sank. Peter learned a valuable lesson.

The lesson works for believers today: Keep your eyes focused on the problems and you'll have mayhem. Focus on Jesus and you'll have peace.

God will only do as much for us as we allow Him to do in us.

In today's culture, it is easy to follow "my way." Nevertheless God wants us to live life His way. Our good and upright God tells us that when we come before Him as humble, meek, needy, or afflicted, He will teach us what is right and just. God will teach us His way of living.

God is always a gentleman - He's not going to force His life on us. But when we rely on Him alone, He'll enable us to not only survive but thrive in our daily routine.

Too often, it seems the negatives of life outweigh the positives. But God's Word shows us the lie - and the "liar" - behind those defeating thoughts. We have an enemy who delights in our believing such negative thoughts, an enemy who wants destruction for our souls. But Jesus came to give us life! We only have to choose it, as an act of the will blended with faith.

Faith assures us that daylight will dawn in our darkest moments. We can be encouraged that God can redeem anyone in any situation; even more, He can use their trials for their good and His glory. We must remember that it is not all about us, it's about Him and how to get His message to His people.

So if God places or allows anything difficult in our lives, we can be sure that the real danger or trouble will be what we will lose if we run or rebel against it. Jeremiah 32:27 says,"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

When circumstances would have us believe there is no hope for our situation, God shows us otherwise. He is in the business of overcoming the impossible. He holds the universe in His hands, yet He cares about the details of our lives. He is totally trustworthy and true. His every promise is fulfilled through His Son, Jesus Christ - the ultimate example of God giving hope to the hopeless. We can trust God and believe that He is working out something good even from things that seem no good? There is ALWAYS potential good hidden within each chaotic situation if you put your faith in God.

Fix your mind on God! Each day, let's make a conscious decision to take hold of what Christ offers us - life, to the full.

Blessings,
Dalinda