Through the Mist

In the context of 2 Corinthians 10:3, Paul talks to us about spiritual warfare and our necessary role in destroying every obstacle that stands against the truth of Christ.
This includes the thoughts that arise in opposition of our faith.
But taking our thoughts captive and living by the Spirit rather than our flesh is easier said than done. Half of the battle of anxiety is realizing when you’re entering the battle. This is mainly because our fears and insecurities feel so true. We tend to go along with whatever pops into our heads.

But there is one thing that we must get down today if we’re truly going to start breaking free…
Just because the thought exists, doesn’t make it true.
(Go ahead, speak this to yourself, “Just because this thought exists, doesn’t make it true.”)

This is your reminder that you don't have to believe everything you think today.
You have this incredible God-given skill called metacognition.
Metacognition means you have the ability to think about your thoughts.
This means that you can pause, momentarily separate yourself from your thoughts and begin to discern what’s healthy and what is not; and discard the following.


Action Plan:

Work through anxiety in these 4 steps.


1. Identify the “trigger” (What’s causing you to react).
Start pinpointing the event or individual that keeps triggering your emotions.
Ask yourself: Why does this have so much power over me? Is my anxiety about the
situation appropriate or created by my own fears and insecurities?

2. Write down the thoughts that follow.
Write down everything that you’re thinking. Analyze those thoughts and be your own judge.
Ask yourself: Is my thought process rational? Is it being led by the Spirit or led by fear?

3. Note the Reaction
What is your first reaction in response to the trigger event?
Ask yourself: How does this make me react? What is a healthier behavior I can exchange this for (ex: praying, journaling, exercising, deep breathing)?

4. Bringing yourself around to the reality.
(choosing faith and weighing your anxieties against a more likely truth).
At this point, you separate yourself from your feelings, whether that be by journaling or talking through them with someone else and begin weighing the more rational reality. Think of 2 other ways you can view the situation.

Today's Prayer: "Lord help me become more aware of any thoughts that do not come from you."

Day Two: Obeying God

Obedience is an excruciating decision we make all day long. The alarm rings: get up or hit snooze? Drive the speed limit or 5 mph over? Then come children, and we get to teach obedience. I remember the defiant look in my toddler’s eyes the first time she grabbed the TV remote. She made a calculated decision to disobey, and I knew we were in trouble.
God knew humans were trouble from the start, and he sent prophets to tell them. Jonah preached repentance to Assyria, but he obeyed under protest (after spending three days in a fish’s belly). Hosea married a pr******te. And Isaiah walked around barefoot and naked for three years. What made these guys obey?
· What makes you obey a hard command from God?
Good parents teach children there are consequences for disobedience. At the end of Moses’ life, he relayed this concept to the children of Israel, detailing God’s blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Unfortunately, the rest of Scripture shows that neither punishment nor blessing motivated Israel toward long-term obedience.

New Testament Obedience

Jesus Christ provided for us the ultimate example of obedience. He was up early to pray and was always about His Father’s business. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, He made the wrenching decision to obey His Father unto death.
· Why did Jesus obey the Father?
Love is a long-term motivator. Jesus described it as the “glue” that would bind the disciples to Him and the Father after He was taken from them.

OT and NT Collide

Though it’s true we are made righteous by faith in Christ’s shed blood, James reminds us that Abraham’s obedience proved his faith. Isaiah also proved faithful by obedience as did others in both Old and New Testament stories. The thread stitching together the Testaments is obedience based on a relationship with God. Loving the God who loves you makes obeying Him easier. We can trust Him now because of His faithfulness back then.
· In what ways has God been faithful to you in the past?
· What step of obedience is asking you to take now?

Fuel for the Soul:

· Isaiah 20:2-4
· Mark 14:32-36
· James 2:18-23
· 1 John 2:5–6

When I Say Jesus

"When I say Jesus, the very mention shatters the darkness and calms my soul."

When we call upon Jesus, we’re not just stringing together words or names. There is true power in the name of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus, we find salvation. We are told to pray in the name of Jesus because it is through Him that we have a relationship with God. The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the church in Philippi that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

If the forces of evil in the world must bow at the mere mention of His name, then when we, as followers of the living God, call upon His name our very fears, anxieties, addictions, and sicknesses must bow to Him. There is freedom in the name of Jesus.

Do you ever feel empty? Maybe dry and parched as though you have nothing left to give? You may feel as though you can only afford to give someone a drink if you actually have some water to give.

The theme of this meditation from 2 Thessalonians 3 is being filled with the love God and always having enough.



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