Could You Be the April Fool?

fool

The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.” – Psalm 14:1

Those of us who are unashamed followers of Jesus may be quick to exempt ourselves from that verse. Don’t be so quick to exonerate yourself.  At some level, we are all unbelievers.

Notice that David observed that a fool says in his heart that God does not exist. The fool is not merely the one who dare proclaims with his tongue an arrogant disbelief in the existence of God. It is equally foolish – no, even more foolish – to allow our hearts to misbelieve the promises of God about who He is and what He has done for us in Christ.

In the Biblical sense, the heart is “command central” of our lives. The heart represents our thoughts, affections, desires, emotions, and will. Our heart DETERMINES our behavior.

To “say in our heart” there is no God goes beyond the “macro-belief” in the existence of God. Rather, it  involves the “micro-belief” of our trust Him, His word, and His work for the daily situations of our lives. We say there is no God when we live even one moment in misbelief of God and His plan of redemption and restoration.

While we may never be so brash as to verbalize a disbelief in God’s existence, we all too often loudly proclaim our disbelief when we apply human answers to the problems of everyday life.

What A Fool Looks Like

Several actions constitute such a non-verbal proclamation:

  • We may blatantly disobey something God has clearly told us to do or not do.
  • We may selfishly desire something God doesn’t want us to have.
  • We may plan and plot without considering God’s wishes and His plans.
  • We may harbor ill feelings toward others and refuse to offer the same grace to them we have received from God.
  • We may seek our own fulfillment and self-gratification rather than finding our pleasure in Him.

Be sure today that your heart is not playing an April Fool’s Joke on you. Examine your heart – your actions, affections, attitudes and see if your heart is disbelieving God.

How to Get Control of Your Thoughts

Have you ever, like me, had thoughts pop in your head that you didn’t know where they came from?  We can’t necessarily control what thoughts enter our stream of consciousness. But we better control what we do with them after the pop up.

thoughts

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The Bible teaches that we reap what we sow, (Galatians 6:7-8) and that reality is definitely evident in our thoughts.  What we think directly influences what we do and who we become.  Solomon challenges us to protect our hearts diligently since all of life’s issues flow from it. (Proverbs 4:23) When the Bible refers to our heart, it speaks not just of our feelings, but our thinking and our will.

 

The Secret to Successful Thoughts

Consider the admonition of Paul.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5

“Take every thought captive.”  We should have thoughts rather than letting thoughts have us.  We have to ask the question, “who is in charge here, me or my mind?”  I like to put it this way: think about what you think about.

So the secret to successful thoughts is to be both intentional and protective of our thoughts.

We should have thoughts rather than letting thoughts have us…think about what you think about.

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Spiritual Warfare and the Prepared Mind

Much of both my personal study and my preaching lately have focused on spiritual warfare.  Whether or not we realize it or admit it, if we are Jesus-followers we face conflict on a spiritual level daily.

spiritual warfareMany people think of spiritual warfare in physical terms.  Some see physical illness, financial distress, or problems with material things in our lives as the devil’s attack, but the Bible teaches us that spiritual warfare takes place on an invisible battle field – what Paul refers to as the “heavenly places.”  (Ephesians 6:12)

Granted, the devil will try to use these physical and material circumstances against us, but they are not in and of themselves the battleground. Spiritual battle takes place over HOW WE REACT AND RESPOND to them.  The devil will try to muddle our thinking and demoralize our emotions by tempting us to focus more on our circumstances than on God.  The primary theater of operations in spiritual warfare is our MIND.

The primary theater of operations in spiritual warfare is our MIND.

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Preparing Our Minds for Spiritual Warfare

1 Peter 1:13 challenges us to prepare our minds for action.  We cannot wait until spiritual attacks occur to defend ourselves, but we must ready ourselves for the inevitable onslaught of the devils devices.  Let me suggest three readiness steps you can begin doing today that will put you in a better position to prevail in spiritual warfare. Read More

Connect the Dots in Your Mind

dotsLet’s play a little game of spiritual connect the dots, shall we?

Dot 1: The Bible clearly teaches us what God wants to accomplish in our lives:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. – Romans 8:29

Dot 2: The Bible also clearly teaches is that our thoughts determine who we are:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. – Proverbs 23:7a

Dot 3: If we are what we think, and if God wants us to become like Jesus, then it stands to reason that our thoughts should gravitate toward Jesus:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:2

…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2

So, my simple challenge to you today is this: think much and often of Jesus. The more you fill your mind with Jesus, the more like Him you will become. First, avoid things that draw your mind away from Christ. Be careful what you let into your minds. Then, fill your mind full of God thoughts. You can play Christian music on your radios, CD players, and mp3 player, or surround yourself with Scripture verses – on index cards, desktop backgrounds, or wherever our eyes roam.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6

We bring our thoughts captive to Christ when we intentionally think of Him on a regular basis. The more we think of Him and consider Him in our lives the more we become like Him. So I challenge you to begin connecting the dots between where you are and where God wants you to be. It all starts in your mind.