Dear Lighthouse,

 

            This week I wanted to be very practical with the e-mail.  I wanted to give you something to consider and encourage you to follow up on it.  Too often we segregate and partition our time during the day.  We have so much time allotted to work, to play, to TV, to reading the Word, to prayer, and so on.  However, I Thess. 5:17 says “pray continually” and Eph. 6:18 says, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…be alert and always keep on praying…”  So, how can you achieve this kind of activity?  How can you develop your relationship with God to the point where you are in continual prayer, that is communication, with Him?  My suggestion is three-fold: 1) relate to the Father as you would your best friend or spouse [hopefully the same person…]  2) win the battle for control over your mind and 3) reprogram your mind on God.

            The first suggestion comes from realizing that as Christians we are part of the family of God.  We are not members in a club, but children of the Father.  He desires to be intimately involved with your daily plans and daily struggles.  He is keenly interested in what you are thinking and what you desire.  Don’t shut God out of you thought life and your planning.  Too often we wait until we have exhausted all other avenues before we turn to God.  Do you do that with your friends or spouse.  If so, is that a good relationship?  Hopefully, especially in a marriage relationship, you are in it together, plan it together, and work it through together.  Genesis 1:27 gives us this idea of teamwork, “male and female He created them.  God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the…sea…air…ground.’” (emphasis added).  You’re in a partnership together.  Your concerns should merge.  Likewise with God, you are in a partnership and a relationship full time, not partitioned time.  Matt. 7:11 reads, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” and earlier in Matt 6:25-34, Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink … are you not more valuable than they [the birds]…?”  The point is, God cares about you and wants to have a relationship with you.  Don’t shut Him out.

            Secondly, Prov. 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  This verse points out the importance of keeping the source of your thoughts pure, clean, and guarded - that is your mind.  In II Corinth. 10:3-6, Paul makes it even clearer when he says, “For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ…”  In my opinion, your mind controls your schedule; your schedule controls your actions; and your actions develop habits, both good and bad.  Therefore, it is vital to let the Holy Spirit control your mind.  The key to victory, then, lies in how well you guard the gate to your own mind.  Limit the competition with God for control of your thought life and you are on the way to spiritual growth.

            Now, once you begin cutting out the impure thoughts, the worry, fear, and destructive habits in your life that your “old” mind was fixed on, what should your mind gravitate toward instead?  My answer/advice here is in two parts.  The first part is found in Phil. 4:8.  It reads, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.”  This sums it up.  Reprogram your mind and saturate it with “good” things.  This is ultra-simple, but super-useful.  Stop dwelling on problems and meditate on solutions.  Stop being ashamed of your sin and rejoice in your forgiven status.  Stop acting from habit and start acting out your new identity.  Focus and think about things that mirror Christ’s goodness and God’s character.

            The second part - the real practical how-to live out Phil 4:8 will have to wait until next week.  So, tune in again then and I’ll give some more practical tips that I do to reprogram and get out of spiritual slumps.

            But, for this week, I challenge you to start praying more and build your communication with the Father.  Then, set a guard over your mind this week and keep the well clean.  If your wellspring is good, then you will become a real asset for the Kingdom and a real source of encouragement for the rest of us in the Lighthouse.