Our mind is a fascinating, unseen, ongoing box of constant chatter. The brain is physical, and the mind is not. The science of mind even became a religion. We determine what is dark and light. It is hard to capture every thought, but God said that we can. Consider each thought for just one hour. Discern who is it serving? Is it self-serving? Is it positive or negative? Does it agree with God’s Word? Choose to monitor your mind, then wisely choose to surrender.
It was a rough day for me as I felt my soul sinking into a cesspool of lies. Then the truth shouted from within my spirit. “STOP!” It is my old nature that sulks in self-pity. The breaking of the outward self-reliant me, to release the inward spirit of me happened. Paul taught that humans are composed of 3 parts. Spirit; Soul; Body. The inner man is our spirit. The outward thinking man is our soul. The visible man is the body that carries soul and spirit. Savor that truth.
In Gods original design, He intended for the human spirit to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. When a human chooses by faith to believe that Jesus Christ was born, to shed His blood for us, then be resurrected by the Holy Spirit to defeat death and offer us eternal life in Him with the Father, the Holy Spirit then comes in to reconcile us to the Father.
This union in Spirit then governs the soul, the reasoning part of man. Watchman Nee wrote the “Release of the Spirit”. This letter is written from my spirit to my soul. It is the fundamental AHA lesson in my Christian walk. May this letter encourage others that the spiritual battlefield is inbetween our ears.
New Shoes, New Views: Dear Soul, today I choose to surrender all my ways, my witty maneuvers, my incessant reasoning, my questions, and all my doubts over to my spirit. Thank You Father for providing new shoes of faith to follow You in. I ask that You infuse me with the truth that I may see myself as God does. Arrest my mind and feed me pure truth. I am here, Lord. I am listening to what the Spirit of God is saying. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your trusted counsel and guidance. All lies detected, and rejected! Only the truth remains. My sheep know My voice! Many false prophets appear and sound like angels of light. Their many words of hope promote a narrative that seems good, full of promising bounty. Beware, that the father of all lies knows scripture. BUT GOD tells us the truth. “He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
The Spirit of God confirms in our spirit that we are children of God. When the Holy Spirit came into us, we were sealed as His servants. We choose to listen to the Word of God and rightly discern good from evil. Our spirit is freed from the lies, and we talk and walk with Jesus. Use your gifts to the glory of God. Amen ❤️
Thank You, Lord, for the gift of faith, mercy, and grace. Today, I choose to release my spirit to be free in Jesus, to use my gifts to the glory of God. Whatever talent I have, whatever skill, or kind of personality I have, all was given for God’s glory. The spirit in me has authority to aptly discern the truth. God created me as His unique light bearer and truth teller.
We each were made with different strengths and weaknesses on purpose. We submit to God to allow His Spirit to govern us. The Body of Christ has many members, and we are strong as we unite and bring our strengths together. Where I am weak, their strength picks up my slack. God made us dependent on Him through each other. We all fit together like one giant puzzle or different parts of one body. Each piece has its place and purpose and each body part is a necessary part of the whole. United, we have something to offer the world. Your weaknesses aren’t “worse”; they’re just different. Don’t forget about the amazing strength God has given you. Praise Him.
Suffering produces character. It is our stuffing! Our character is the stuff God uses to draw us close. As we choose Him, He remains in us so that as we suffer well, we bring God all the glory. “Bones and hearts will still break.” Our Father always tells us the truth, and His promise for no more suffering, is what gives us hope and His strength. Even though, this too shall pass, our Father says “Come to Me, tell me all about it. Cry, vent, and I will give you rest.” Reading the Psalms of David, he laments, followed by a release of praise. Joyfully we wait on He who satisfies us fully. “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His Word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5 ❤️ Waiting can be hard and unpleasant but GOD! In His grace, waiting is wonderful as He fills us with truth filled good news. We wait for outcomes, we wait for healing, we wait in anticipation of how He will turn the worst into His best for us. The proximity of His holy Presence has never been so close. It is not always easy, but Jesus makes it easier because I am never alone. Lord Jesus, I love waiting for You because I trust Your eternal goodness. Your Word is my joy and hope of life forever.
We have nothing that we have attained on our own. Victory over sin is a gift. Grace is a gift. Forgiveness is a gift. The principle of receiving is from God. We were created in the womb by God. We were born heirs of God, rich beyond human achievement. Human nature is to get, gain, and possess while relying on our own wit and skill. Jacob wrestled with God for a double blessing, but God was not defeated, Jacob yielded. When we are broken, when we limp, we admit that in our own strength, we are not enough. God touched Jacob’s thigh to strike his pride and own strength. Life gives us multiple chances to learn that we are nothing without God.” We have been whitewashed, fully forgiven, set apart, and fully equipped to serve God Almighty with our very best. Catch every thought and paint it pure for God’s glory.
As I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee Lord my soul to keep resting and relying on the spirit. Heavenly Father, as I prepare to rest my body and soul, I come before You seeking Your divine protection. I ask for Your angels to encamp around me and set up a shield of protection over my mind as I sleep. Father, guard my subconscious mind. Refuse any intrusion by demonic forces. Protect me from the schemes of the enemy to infiltrate my dreams or hypnotize me during sleep. Let Your angels stand guard, preventing any evil from gaining access to my soul. I also ask, Lord, for an impenetrable wall to surround me as I sleep. Shield me from any arrows from the evil one. Holy Spirit repel any attacks or negative energies. Keep me safe and secure in Your Spirit. Fill my soul with Your peace and light. Lord, drive out any darkness or fear. May Your holy presence be a constant shield and refuge for me, even in the depths of the night. Grant me restful sleep, free from any sort of disturbance or attacks from the enemy. Wake me refreshed and renewed, ready to face tomorrow with confidence in Your protection and guidance. In Jesus’ name, I pray, believe and trust completely. Amen.
A lesson in reasoning. Job 32 “It is the SPIRIT in a PERSON, the BREATH of the ALMIGHTY, that gives them UNDERSTANDING. I listened to REASONING; while you were searching for words, I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know. For I am full of words.” Lord, empty my mind of my words and fill my spirit with Yours.
Keep speaking the name of Jesus over your soul, your family, city and nation. Hold tight to God’s Word and His promises. Everlasting life, provision, safety, health, joy, faith, wisdom and goodness are from our heavenly Father. Relationships build over time. Your faith and trust in Jesus grows with exercise. He will strengthen and solidify your steady position in Him, as the Word of God remains a priority.
Choose NOT to be in the camp of the father of all lies. Confusion, hate, and destruction is not of God. Our Father orders the steps of the righteous. John 8:44 “You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires of your father, the great deceiver. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and of all that is false.”
Satan lies in many ways:
1) DOUBTS. His strategy is to discourage us, to make us throw up our hands and give into him. ‘What’s the use of praying? Nothing changes!’ The Bible says, ‘You are snared with the words of your lips’ Proverbs 6:2. What you speak forms your perspective and creates the environment you dwell in. Positive or negative. “I hope so” is a statement of doubt. Our hope in Jesus, is our anchor, the weight of His glory and Word keeps us from floating away in doubt.
2) SHOCK. If a person does not expect Satan’s attack, our internal alarm is silent. A person thinks in their soul that on their own they are making progress. The deception is that we dont need God. Satan tricks us into thinking foolishly about our intelligence and abilities. Pride is a sin, in pride God gets placed behind our ways.
3) FEELINGS. Satan tries to convince us that we don’t deserve to be forgiven. He’ll tell us that because we don’t FEEL forgiven, that we are unacceptable to God. Remember, he’s a liar. Stand in faith on what the Bible says. God’s Word says that if we believe that Jesus died to cover our sins, then He forgives us. Satan will bring to mind all the things God has delivered you from. We are to trust God at His Word and not our emotions. His strategy is to make you feel like nothing has changed. Don’t buy it! Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:31-32 NIV).
Living Abroad 
Pray strategically in Spirit and add expectancy. Ears open, mind silenced, listen and follow the lead of your spirit. God is real and His proximity never changes.
This kind of prayer is the foundation for movements of the gospel that have the power to radically transform people, places, and communities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Up until I met Jesus, I had lived my life as a prisoner of my flesh. The stong desire to indulge the best, and all of the beautiful luxuries seemed normal. To taste whatever the smiling world had made available, I simply marveled in all that intoxicated my soul. I held tight to my unrighteous indignation, self-pity, and my impulsively critical spirit. My faultless character stood on a pedstal of my own making. Insecure, I was offended easily. I disliked the messengers who were sent to speak truthfully about any lack in me. I was full of philosophy and the unquenchable need to be loved, to arrive in imppecable style, to be seen, to be welcomed by all. My need for self gratification, my longing for connection, my obvious emptiness was not what I saw in the mirror. Changing careers, I was glad to leave behind all that I was unable to achieve on my own. After all the positive thinking seminars I had ingested, there I was, feeling like an imposter, at times suicidal, unworthy and a complete failure. Knowing the truth of my reckless, selfish behavior, I exhausted all the wisdom of my generation. To sin was my habit, and self denial was my way. Lofty words would drive me to mountaintop experiences, but the descent was devastating. This was the destable state of my being when Jesus said to me; “Barbara, you are Mine!” Each worldy thing that once caused me to crave more– began to decay away. To empty myself of me, is a process of denying my soul. Only when the soul is broken, can the Light of God stream in and fill the emptiness with His Spirit. Our Lord is gracious, patient and lovingly understanding. His mercies and His grace never depart, we just need to cry out, for He has always been there, waiting for us to ask “Help me.” Yes, Lord Jesus, rescue me from myself. Crack my soul so the seed can grow in my spirit man.
LikeLike
I come under the assurance of God that all that Christ has done is already mine because I have been fully redeemed, and resurrected in a new life “in Him”. I have been crucified with Christ already, and I walk in His Spirit which pleases my Father. Like Abraham’s faith, I choose to believe God at His Word. Revelation “Christ is in me” and because I believe that, I own the victory. We look to God, the victory is His. God took the clever Jacob and tested him, and changed him from a fighter. God finished what He started in Jacob and in Isaac. Before they were born, they were chosen and so was I. Jacob cheated his father to get the blessing of his brother Esau. Clever people get a lot of loving discipline. Jacob served 14 years to get the wife he wanted. Jacob gave birth to Joseph. Jacob was foolish, but by Gods grace it took 25 years to change Jacob. Isaiah 43 This is what the Lord says— Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. For your sake Barbara, God will bring down all your enemies. “I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a NEW thing! NOW it springs up; do you not PERCEIVE it? I am making a WAY in the WILDERNESS and streams in the wasteland. “Yet you have not called on ME, Barbara, you have not wearied yourself in prayer to Me. “I, even I, Jesus who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for Me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.” Let us not cheat God with all our scheming, and acknowledge His hand in all our testing. Refined in the fire, I thank God for His patience, His plan, His Way.
LikeLike
Pingback: Sanctified | Living Abroad
Pingback: Grow Up | Living Abroad
Pingback: Wise Weed | Living Abroad