Thursday, September 4, 2008

The Battlefield of the Mind....

I went to an additional Bible Study last night....yes that makes two this week. I should probably find another one for tonight to go to....

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am a sinner. (and apparently a slow learner as well) :~)

So, I am joining this Bible Study group for the first time. This group of ladies is from the Rosendale Christian Church and for the most part a group of ladies who are somewhat reserved. You can imagine their shock when I came onto the scene. Bless their hearts. I even said, "Lord, shut my mouth tonight, I haven't even read the material they are talking about, sit me down and shut me up."

This is the part that I say, "HELLO GOD DID YOU NOT HEAR ME LAST NIGHT??" :~)

I talked- big shocker I know. Why do I talk so much? Now if you can answer that question there is about 25 teachers or so that would love to be let in on the answer!

Who could not talk about this though, seriously? The Battlefield of the Mind.
Buckle your seatbelts cause I have some things to say. :)

We were discussing how in order to change your life you have to change the way you think. How do you change the way you think? You have to think God's Way. How does one think God's way? They must be filled with God..bring on the Holy Spirit. How does one receive the Holy Spirit? They must ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of their life by believing that He died on the cross and rose again. What in addition to the Holy Spirit must we need to do? WE NEED TO READ GOD'S WORD. Period. But we also need to practice what He teaches.

We need to be filled with the Spirit and we need to know and practice God's Word.

We went on to discuss the Israelites and forgive me for my frankness, but geez louise, could they be any more negative and forgetful? As one of my fellow sisters in Christ said, "good grief they witnessed the miracles for themselves with their own eyes-they didn't read about the Red Sea parting, they watched it" I sat there agreeing, Yah, what a bunch of idiots. (See Richard is rubbing off on me)

Then it hit me. (This part I did share a little, but I was somewhat reserved cause, it was my first time and all) :)Are we not just like them? Doesn't God deliver us from troubles, answer our prayers, save our necks over and over again? And uh, don't we just forget about it as time goes on?

Don't you know someone who may have been healed from something such as cancer, heart problems, or a serious illness? I mean don't we all know someone, or maybe we are that someone. Have we not witnessed miracle after miracle and yet we are luke warm in our faith? WE doubt what God can do. Give me a break. What about when a loved one who has a heart of stone actually realize that their Jesus loves them and they completely change their life. Is that not a miracle? What about when a tornado picks up your friend's house and tears it apart and throws them yards and yards from the house, but spares their life. How could you not praise our God? The biggest miracle I have ever witnessed is the birth of my own children. My goodness, I assisted God with that miracle. (and let me tell you I paid my dues) :~)

God is all around us. He delivers us daily. We should be on fire! We should want to tell everyone about our God!!!

Like this morning, Cody was delivered. He had no idea that on the fourth time I went in to wake him up that his very life was in danger. God saved him. Did he rejoice? I will have to ask him that later...:~)

My point is that we have witnessed miracles. Maybe we didn't see the Red Sea part, but I had a friend (Tausha) who beat cancer. A cancer that had a grim diagnosis. God was bigger than that diagnosis. She wasn't suppose to have kids....and now she has two. I watched a grown man who I can honestly say that I have prayed for-for at least 15 years, come to Christ. Ask Heather and David if they believe in miracles. Ask Teri if she believes God has a purpose for her life-apparently-He picked her up out of the rubble that was once her house, and planted her firmly on the ground. Ask my siblings, our Dad found his way back to the Lord months before he passed. Ask me, if there was ever a person who lived in the pit of life, it was me. He has taken a terrified little girl and turned her into....ok, never mind, bad example..but you get what I am saying. :~)

WE have a lot to get excited about! Ya know, it has been said that a new Chrisitan should be put in a closet and locked up until their newness and excitement wears off and they are bearable to be around...well I say let them out! Goodness, pass some of that excitement around. Our God reigns! He LIVES! He is GREATER than this world! PEOPLE-IT GETS BETTER THAN THIS-PRAISE GOD!!


Why do we stay in the wilderness wondering around?

The Isaraelites didn't make good time on their journey. (they apparently weren't riding with a guy like Richard, anyway..) They stretched out a 11-14 day trip into 40 years. They were lost in their own world of negativity and apparently had forgotten what God had already done for them and had promised to do for them.

We cannot forget what God has promised us. He nailed down that promise right through the palm of Jesus' hands. He loves us more than we can imagine. He is willing and capable of doing great things. He is bigger than any disease, any problem, any storm....do you know that? I don't mean do you know it, I mean do you believe it? Believe it my dear friends. Let that sink into your hearts, and let it fill your mind!

Change your way of thinkin' cause we don't have time for stinkin' thinkin'-we just don't. The time is near and it is now. Dust yourself off, ask for a fresh dose of the Holy Spirit, read His word, and just do it. The battle is on with Satan....we win in the end no doubt....but right now, it is the Battlefield of the Mind.....

Blessings,
Jen

1 comment:

Stacey said...

First of all, LOL I'm seriously thinking you could be my superhero twin sister--I talk all the time and AS IM TALKING say "shut up Stacey shut up Stacey!" Love that! You just endeared yourself to me completely.

Second-Rosendale! Oh how cool that is to see in print here on a blog. Home (sort of, I lived in the big city, Savannah). But still....I miss small town life so very much.

And most importantly--your insight is fantastic, Jen. Seriously a topic my small group goes over often, especially now that we're reading the Bible front to back. Those darned Israelites just didn't get it. Go to the top of a mountain and come back a little later and WHAT did Moses find? Pshh...that sooo couldn't have been me down there regressing. Right? Yeah, I know, I probably would have been the ring leader. Our God is indeed a big God. And while not all my prayers have been answered the way I wanted, I'm wise enough by now to know I will understand one day. Just keep pressing forward. xo