Start Your New Life Today Part 7

Sometimes a lack of concentration creates a lack of comprehension. Perhaps as you are reading the Bible, you find yourself hurrying to get through so you can do something else. Out of a sense of duty, you are determined to finish reading a chapter-and you do. But when you are finished, you can't recall anything you read. Your eyes scanned the pages, but your mind was engaged somewhere else.

Perhaps you have even experienced this battle for your mind in church. You attend regularly-the devil hasn't been able to stop that-but he still causes your mind to wander during the sermon. Have you ever been fully engrossed in listening to a sermon, and then you suddenly realize your mind has wandered and you have no idea what was said?

If the devil can rob you of the benefits of reading the Bible and hearing G.o.d's Word at church, he has won some major skirmishes in the battle for your mind. This is why Peter says to "gird up the loins of your mind." You must take action by confronting your wandering mind and disciplining it to focus on what is important.

In conversation, I used to fake it when I realized my mind had wandered. Now I deal with it honestly and when it is appropriate I ask, "Would you please back up and repeat that? I let my mind wander off, and I didn't hear a thing you said." This kind of behavior not only interrupts the plan of the enemy but also brings victory over the problem.

It's not easy to discipline your mind when it has been allowed to wander aimlessly, but you can do it. When you discover your thoughts have wandered, you must exercise discipline and make the necessary corrections. The devil would like to convince you that you can't help yourself, but when you consistently come against his bid for your mind, he is defeated, and you have won another battle.

CHAPTER 28.

The Time-Waster of Wondering When you say the words, "I wonder," they sound innocent and honest. They also represent the way we avoid certainty and making decisions.

Suppose you're the CEO of a business. Every day twenty people come to your office and ask you to make decisions. Yours is the final answer on everything that goes on in the corporation. Instead of giving decisive answers, you rub your chin, stare out the window, and say, "I wonder. I wonder what we should do about that."

An indecisive CEO wouldn't stay in that position very long. The position is much too important to the overall success and well-being of the organization and all a.s.sociated with it. You are not in that position to wonder-you're there to act.

Many of us forget this is the way it is with the Christian life as well. Often, instead of choosing what we need to do, we avoid facing the situation by saying, "I wonder." I know because I've done it. In times past, when I've been invited to a party or to be the featured speaker at a banquet, I've said, "I wonder what I should wear." It's easy for me to waste a lot of time looking through my closet, considering the color and style, as I try to choose just the right outfit for a particular occasion.

This may seem like such a small thing-and it really is. The problem, however, is that if we allow enough of these wonderings in our lives, not only do we fail to accomplish the things we need to do, but wondering becomes the normal way our minds function and we waste a lot of time. Being indecisive keeps us from moving forward and can eventually defeat us.

Being indecisive keeps us from moving forward and can eventually defeat us.

G.o.d's Word clearly teaches us to be decisive. I asked a friend where she wanted to eat lunch and she asked, "What are my options?" As soon as I told her she thought for a few seconds and made a decision. We should know our options and then make decisions. Wondering keeps us floating between two or more things and never settling on anything. It is quite frustrating not only to us but, perhaps even more so, to other people involved with us. It is fine to ponder an issue for a reasonable amount of time. I am not suggesting we make rash decisions without giving them proper thought. But I am trying to be very clear about the total waste of "wondering."

Know what you want G.o.d to do and ask Him to do it! Sometimes G.o.d's people are reluctant to ask boldly for big things, but Jesus has given us permission to step out in faith and ask boldly. And yet some still waste time just wondering. They wonder what it would be like if G.o.d would give them a better job. They wonder what it would be like if G.o.d would give them a larger house. Don't wonder . . . ASK!

So stop wondering and start acting! That's one of the most important things I've learned about the wondering mind. Rather than wondering what I should wear to a banquet, I look at my clothes and I decide. G.o.d gave me the ability to make wise choices, so I can just do it instead of wasting my time wondering.

Wondering and indecision can become strongholds in our minds that can leave us feeling confused, insecure, and ineffective. But that's not G.o.d's plan. He wants us to overcome the wondering thoughts by believing then receiving the answer to our prayers from G.o.d, by faith.

Jesus did not say, "Whatever things you wonder when you pray, you will have." Instead, He said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it]" (Mark 11:24).

CHAPTER 29.

Double-Minded and Confused My friend Eva received a summons for jury duty in a robbery trial. For two days, twelve citizens listened to the prosecuting attorney as he presented evidence to indicate the accused had broken into a home and stolen many items. Eva was ready to convict him.

On the third day, the defense attorney presented the other side of the picture. The more Eva listened, the more confused she became. What once seemed very obvious now seemed ambiguous and contradictory. Although the jury did convict the man, Eva said she struggled over making the right decision. Each attorney, when he was speaking, seemed to be the most convincing.

Many Christians live much the same way day to day. They have become what James calls double-minded.

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving G.o.d [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind (James 1:56).

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (vv. 78 KJV).

They're sure of one thing until something else happens, and then they flip-flop opinions. In their double-mindedness, they flit from one opinion to the other. They're sure they know what to do, and then they switch again. The moment they feel sure they have made the decision they plan to stick with, they begin to wonder if it was the correct one. They continually doubt and question their reasoning.

This kind of behavior is not the same as being open-minded. To be open-minded means being willing to hear all sides of an issue-like jurors should be at a trial. But eventually we have to sort through the evidence or the circ.u.mstances in life and say, "This is what I'm going to do."

That sounds good, but too many people have trouble being decisive. "What if I make a mistake?" they ask. "What if I choose the wrong thing?" Those are legitimate questions, but they are not meant to paralyze G.o.d's people and prevent them from acting. Too often, these are tools Satan uses to distract and prevent Christians from taking action.

I'm an expert on this. For many years, I was that double-minded person James wrote about. I didn't like being that way. It took so much energy to keep rethinking the same problems. But I was so afraid of making a mistake I didn't know how to make good decisions. It took a long time before I realized the devil had declared war against me, and my mind was his personal battlefield. At that moment of awareness, I felt totally confused about everything but I didn't understand why.

Many of G.o.d's people are living exactly where I was then. They're reasonable people. That is, they have the ability to figure out causes and reasons. They sincerely try to understand all the implications of a situation and find the most sensible or logical solution by putting their reasoning ability to work. This is often the opportunity Satan takes to sneak in and steal the will of G.o.d from them. G.o.d may speak to them about doing a certain thing, and it may not always seem to be the most sensible course of action. This presents an opportunity for the devil to cause them to question-to become double-minded. The Amplified Bible says the mind of the flesh is "sense and reason without the Holy Spirit" (Romans 8:6). I am not suggesting that you pay no attention to common sense and reason, but if we are not also listening to the Holy Spirit we will become unbalanced and our reasoning becomes unreasonable.

For example, sometimes I sense G.o.d wants me to bless people by giving to them-often an item of jewelry or clothing. On one occasion I remember, G.o.d wanted me to give away a new and fairly expensive dress I had never worn. It didn't make sense when I went through the natural reasoning process, but when I checked my heart to see what I felt G.o.d was saying, I had the a.s.surance it was indeed the right thing to do. G.o.d is not always reasonable!

Ask of the One Who gives wisdom liberally, and He will free you from being indecisive and double minded.

G.o.d's Spirit is always available to free you from natural reasoning that leaves you confused. Ask of the One Who gives wisdom liberally, and He will free you from being indecisive and double-minded.

CHAPTER 30.

Holy Fear At the time Jehoshaphat became king, Judah was a small nation, and the surrounding nations could easily defeat them. We learn that, after seeking the advice of a prophet, the king reformed his kingdom to be in alignment with G.o.d (see 2 Chronicles 18:19). Following Jehoshaphat's actions, "the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle" (2 Chronicles 20:1).

The most "sensible" thing would have been for the king to surrender and forge some kind of treaty. There was no human way such a small nation could defeat such large armies. In that context, we read that the king was afraid-and why wouldn't he be? But he didn't stop with fear.

I want to make this point clear. To feel fear isn't sin or failure or disobedience. In fact, some fear is a warning to us. It's a shout of danger. But then we must decide what to do with the fear. We can act; we can cringe; we can ignore it. King Jehoshaphat did the right thing: He "set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord" (v. 3). He didn't have answers, and he certainly wasn't stupid enough to think that his tiny army could defeat his enemies. And that's an important lesson for us to learn in our battles against Satan. Our enemy is powerful, and if we think we can defeat him by ourselves, we're foolish and badly mistaken.

The king not only prayed, but he also proclaimed a fast throughout the entire land. The Bible goes on to say he stood in the midst of the people and prayed for deliverance: "For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" (v. 12).

That is exactly the prayer G.o.d wanted to hear. The people admitted they didn't know what to do, that they couldn't win, and their only hope was in G.o.d's deliverance. Just then, the Holy Spirit came upon a man named Jahaziel. "He said, hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great mult.i.tude; for the battle is not yours, but G.o.d's" (v. 15). He went on to say, "You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you. . . . Fear not nor be dismayed" (v. 17). The account goes on to say the people began to sing praises to G.o.d. When they did that, G.o.d had warriors from Mount Seir sneak in and kill Judah's enemies so that none escaped.

A good fear is to be afraid to try to handle your problems on your own and to immediately cry out to G.o.d.

That's the biggest secret of winning the battles against your enemy. Acknowledge your fear-then let it push you to seek G.o.d. A good fear is to be afraid to try to handle your problems on your own and to immediately cry out to G.o.d.

When you cry out in holy fear, G.o.d hears and races to your rescue. That's His promise, and He never breaks His promises.

CHAPTER 31.

Fear Not!

Wouldn't everything in life be better if we didn't have to deal with fear? Of course, there are healthy fears that alert us to danger-and these are good because they protect us. There is also the fear of G.o.d, which means to have a holy, reverential awe and respect for Him. But there is a debilitating fear Satan tries to put on us every day intended to keep us from having the power, love, and sound mind G.o.d wants us to have.

If you have ever struggled as I once did with anxiety, you are familiar with the worry, stress, and feeling of heaviness that comes with it. Many people struggle with fear that has no obvious cause or source. They wonder why they are always afraid and can't change, no matter how hard they try. Others spend every minute worrying about what might happen. "What if . . ." is their favorite phrase. "What if I can't pay the bills?" "What if my child gets hurt?" "What if my husband loses his job?" The endless list of possible tragedies keeps these unfortunate people bound up and miserable every day of their lives.

There are many serious things going on in the world, and we need to be aware of them and prepare for them. But we also need to learn to resist fear when it arises against us. The Word tells us, "G.o.d did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).

Sometimes we think of fear as an emotion, but we need to realize that fear is actually a spirit. In fact, I believe fear is one of Satan's favorite tools, and he particularly loves to torment Christians with it. At every possible opportunity, he will whisper in your ear, telling you G.o.d has forgotten you and there is no hope. It makes sense that Satan would try to intimidate us with fear.

But Jesus said, "All things can be (are possible) to him who believes!" (Mark 9:23). We have to believe there is nothing worse for the enemy than an on-fire, Bible-believing, fearless Christian! G.o.d didn't promise us life would be easy. We will all face problems and challenges. But the outcome depends on whether we trust G.o.d-or give in to fear.

Psalm 23:4 says, "Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me." The psalmist David said he walked through the valley.

When we become afraid, we can be sure it is not G.o.d at work, but one of the sly tricks of our spiritual enemy. If he can make us think G.o.d won't come through for us, or is angry at us, or wants to punish us, we allow those thoughts to fill our minds, and we start losing the battle.

G.o.d is love.

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! (1 John 4:18).

But G.o.d shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one) died for us (Romans 5:8).

We can never say those words enough. The only thing we can add is: G.o.d is love, and G.o.d loves me! Fear is a spirit that must be confronted head-on-it will not leave on its own. We can take positive action even in the presence of the feeling of fear. Actually a courageous person is not one who never feels fear, but someone who feels fear and takes proper action anyway. We must proclaim the Word of G.o.d and let fear know that it is not going to rule us. So the next time fear knocks on your door, send faith to answer!