Who Do You Think You Are?
How we view ourselves and the world really matters.
As a person thinks/reckons in their soul, so are they. (Proverbs 23:7)
Some use this line of thinking to fuel daily positive declarations – to help them believe the best about themselves and/or transform their self-image. This can be helpful – if you lean toward the dark side of things; if you tend to live in a world of negative fantasies and scenarios. Positive declarations can help break those haunting patterns.
We need to learn to believe rightly about ourselves, others and our circumstances. The goal, however, is not to always think positively about ourselves or our situations, but to think rightly. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to you.” (Romans 12:3)
The solid measure of life is God’s Truth. A sober, realistic perspective rooted in our relationship with...
Helping One Another Align With God
Do you walk through life with your head held lower than is needed? Are you hindered or tangled up by accusations, misunderstandings and/or sin? Have you somehow come to believe that this marred, somewhat hopeless life must be all that God has for you? Deep down – often deeper than you'd like to go – do you feel harassed and helpless?
It might be that you have tried to address your “stuff.” Possibly you’ve acknowledged your need and/or errors to God, and even tried your best to change and walk in a better direction. Yet, somehow, you keep finding yourself back in the mud. The enemy may taunt you with Scripture, saying, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)
Often the way out of bondage is simple, but a little scary. We may need to involve others in the process. James encourages us to "confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed. The...
Watch Out for Sinkholes
A few times a year we hear about a house, car or building being swallowed up. All at once, the ground gives way and everything above the surface drops and disappears. These sinkholes can be very destructive and terrifying experiences, as they seem to happen with no warning. Engineers, however, say that (particularly in Florida) there are areas where limestone lies beneath the surface. Acid rain and other underground water can dissolve the limestone. When enough stone is melted away the underground cave collapses under the surface weight. It looks like it happens all at once, but the subterranean deterioration takes place over time.
We must tend to the condition and wholeness of our souls, or we may experience a kind of sinkhole collapse in our lives. It might appear that our present circumstances have caused our bondage or our downfall, but often the cause is subterranean deterioration. When we run too fast, push too hard or allow others to have too much sway in our lives, we...
What Is Taking Root In You?
What is presently growing in the garden of your soul? Are there weeds that need to be removed – that are choking you deep within? Are there sprouts of life and truth that need to be nurtured inside you?
The Word of God is an incredible and indispensable resource for Kingdom growth. It is a foundational source of spiritual life. God miraculously led the Israelites through the desert for forty years to challenge and teach them that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Jesus made it clear in the parable of the sower that the word of God is like seed that grows within our souls. (Luke 8:11) It convicts, corrects and transforms us as we intentionally prioritize understanding it and applying it in our lives over time. It sinks deeply into our conscious and subconscious perception of life.
This is not just an intellectual exercise, it is spiritual. It involves turning from things and...
Making It Through The Morning After
What do we do after the big day has come and gone? The big day was overwhelming – either for us or for others, or both. It took all we had, and has left us depleted and empty. The “morning after” the big day is important; it may last for a while, but it starts with a day – and how we handle it matters.
DON’T GIVE IN TO GIVING UP
We are tempted to let the feelings of emptiness rob us of who we are and who we are in God. Remember Elijah, after his biggest day of public confrontation – after his greatest victory – felt like dying. He said to God, “I have had enough, take my life …” (1 Kings 19:4) This is the feeling of “the morning after. Acknowledge it, but don’t give up.
REST AND BE REFRESHED
God sent angelic help to Elijah, and He will often do the same for us. The angel seemed to stand by him; he encouraged Elijah to rest and to eat – to take care of himself and be...
Are You Holding Back?
Is there anyone who really knows you, who has experienced the big events of your life with you, who knows your feelings and perspectives? You may have a few people who have shared in some (or even most) of the significant happenings of your life, but no one has really been there with you through them all. Even the people who have been with you haven’t really seen and experienced what you have. They have seen things from their own unique perspective. They may have experienced many things with you, but not inside you. Only God knows you like that! Every memory that you have can be shared with God. He was there, not just with you but WITH you. He is the only One with whom you will ever really, really, really be able to share your life. He knows you inside out (literally and figuratively), and He wants to share your life with you.
So, why do we so often keep God at a distance, only sharing “our religious lives” with Him? Is it because we think that if...
Are You Living Into Your Exchanged Life?
The Exchanged Life
How are you doing in your soul? What is the condition of your spirit – the deepest part of you? It may take a moment to access your inner state, but it is good to check-in with yourself from time-to-time.
The apostle Paul said the Kingdom of God is a matter of “Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) This is what the Life of Christ looks like in us. Jesus described His life as restful, rightly fit for us and light. (Matthew 11:28-30) Deep down within yourself, do you sense righteousness, peace, joy, rest and lightness? Or do you feel cluttered and weighed down on the inside?
At the core of the Christian life is a death and resurrection. Jesus’ crucifixion is a payment for our sin-saturated lives and a release from sin’s strangle-hold. His resurrection demonstrates the power of the Holy Spirit and is a picture of new, supernatural life. This inner life...
Are You Aware of the State of Your Soul?
Are you aware of the state of your soul?
Do you know how to attend to your soul?
CLICK HERE: "Are You Aware of the State of Your Soul?"
These are hugely important topics that are seldom discussed, and few have received any training in this area. We must learn to attend to our souls, so we can additionally attend to the souls of others. If we can't care for ours, we certainly can't meaningfully care for theirs.
Let' move beyond our addictions to the frenetic energy around us. Let's get deeper than opinions, and processed conclusions that we've borrowed from others. Let's avoid the temptation to think we know things we don't really know, to think we've done things we haven't really done, or to think we are making a difference when we actually aren't doing anything. Let's be attentive to our souls, and learn to attend to them.
Here are three tips I discuss in this short video:
1. Think about what you are thinking about.
2. Feel what you are feeling
3. Invite God into your...
