Chapters 3 & 4

Galatians 6:9
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

I don’t know about you, but there are many times, sometimes several times a day, when I feel like I want to give up! Life is really hard sometimes.  God doesn’t want us to give up.  He wants us to keep moving forward.  When we allow God to help us through our trials, we are making spiritual progress.  God is able to strengthen and encourage us to “keep on keepin’ on”.

Just a couple of days ago, I said out loud in my kitchen, “Ya gotta keep on keepin’ on.”  My 3 year old looked up at me and said, “Mom.  I’m keep on.  I’m keepin’.  Am I keepin’ on?”  I had to laugh!  What does that phrase even mean?  It means Don’t Give Up!  Keep Going!  When you feel like you can’t do it anymore, call out to God for strength.  He is waiting for you.

Keep the thoughts in your mind positive when you are going through a trial.  Why?  Because, when you keep your thoughts positive, your actions will reflect this.  When your thoughts are negative, and you are constantly thinking about quitting, about how hard something is, about giving up,  your actions will follow your thoughts.

“Our thoughts become our words.  It is vitally important to choose life generating thoughts.  Right words will follow.” (Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind)

Did you know that it took the Israelites 40 years to make an 11 day journey to the Promised Land?  Why?  Because they had the wrong mindset.  They didn’t trust God.  They didn’t listen to God.  They thought they knew better.  Can you imagine?  40 years to make an 11 day journey?  And, out of about 600,00 Israelites that crossed over to the Promised Land, only 2 of them were of the original generation.  Let that sink in.  2 that originally left Egypt, out of half a million or more, crossed the Jordan.  The rest did not make it.  The ones who crossed were born on the journey.  Wow.

Are you stuck in the wilderness?  Are you roaming for years when it maybe should have been days?  We all are.  We need to change our thoughts and rely on God, trust God, believe in the fact that He will see us through!

Renewing our mind is not going to happen overnight.  It will happen little by little.  In the meantime, we can focus on our thoughts.  Stop condemning ourselves.  Catch ourselves when we realize the negativity happening in our minds, and change it.  Be intentional about changing your thoughts.

I would love to hear some of your strategies of how you stay positive, focused on right thinking, and how you cast away negative thoughts.

Questions for Chapters 3&4

Read Isaiah 43:2
What does God promise us regarding difficulties we experience?
Quitting is easy.  How can we overcome difficulties?

Deuteronomy 1:2; 6-8
Why did it take the Israelites 40 years to make an 11 day journey?  How does their problem relate to us today in our spiritual journey?

Deuteronomy 7:22
What is the “beast” that will consume us if we receive too much freedom too quickly.

Romans 8:1
What can we learn from watching a baby’s attempts at walking?

 

Ch 1 & 2 Questions

Hey Everyone,
Here are the questions for this week.  Feel free to answer in a journal or here on the blog.  Sorry I’m a little late.  I’m having trouble juggling all the transitions my family is facing right now.  We will find our groove!

1. Read Ephesians 6:12 and John 8:44
   1. How does Satan attempt to defeat us?
   2. Explain the phrase: “One of the devil’s strong points is patience.”
2. Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
   1. What are strongholds and how does Satan attempt to set them up in our mind?
   2. Give an example of a stronghold you have struggled with.
   3. How might this stronghold have come about?
3. Read John 8:31-32 and Mark 4:24
   1. How can we overcome strongholds?
   2. Why are prayer and praise effective weapons in overcoming strongholds?
4. Read Romans 8:5
   1. If your life is in a state of chaos because of years of wrong thinking, what can you do to straighten it out?
5. Read Zechariah 4:6
   1. Since determination is not enough to be set free from strongholds, what else is needed?
   2. In what way is the right thinking compared to a heartbeat or blood pressure?
6. Read Matthew 12:33
   1. Explain how the phrase: “A tree is known by its fruit.” pertains to our lives.
   2. Can a person’s thought life be discerned by looking at his attitude toward life in general?  Explain.

Have a blessed weekend!
Erin

Chapters 1 & 2

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This week, we will read chapters 1 & 2.  We will learn about the kind of battles that we face everyday, in our mind.  We will learn that we all have strongholds.  We will learn what it takes to tear them down and what kind of victory awaits us when we do.

Have you ever felt doubt? fear? suspicion?  Have you ever wondered? reasoned?  I know I have.  These are what make our strongholds.  These are what prevent us from have a full, open relationship with God and others.

Ever since I lost my son to cancer, in 2006, fear has gripped me.  Anxiety has landed inside of me. Worry has wrapped itself around me.  These are strongholds that I have battled for years and will continue to battle.

For years, I did not realize that these were strongholds.  I did not realize what a grip these strongholds had on me.  However, I was afraid of everything.  I was afraid to answer the phone.  I was afraid to go out and have to see other people.  I was afraid when my husband went to work, that he wouldn’t come home.  I was afraid when my kids went out without me, that they would be harmed in some way.  I was afraid every time they got sick, that it would be terminal, like my son.

This is a very difficult way to live.  The weight on my shoulders was so heavy, I couldn’t breathe at times.

It took many years to overcome these strongholds.  I spent more time than I can count praying, journaling, reading God’s Word, and learning to trust Him.

Are these strongholds gone?  No.  But, I am more in control of them now than ever.  I recognize when they start to rear their ugly heads and I am able to go to God with my anxieties.  I have learned to think about my thoughts and how my thoughts have a direct impact on my actions, my life, and my family.

Let’s dig in together and learn how positive, Godly thinking will change our lives.

Thank you for joining us!  Questions will be posted tomorrow.