Three Dangers of a Drifting or Wandering Mind....

I was reading a devotional book called “Jesus Calling” by Sara Young the other day that really rattled my cage about drifting and its dangers as well as how to avoid it. We don’t often place enough emphasis on the “Operations Center” of our Life as we should. In fact, as we work with couples and individuals I wonder if many even realize that the “soul” (our Mind, Emotion and Will) is The Operations Center. We read in
Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” The Mind is our thinker and it is the CEO of our Soul. So when we “drift” it could also be called a “wandering mind.”




So, what are some dangers of drifting or a wandering mind?

1-You could find yourself about to go over Niagara Falls if you drift aimlessly.

 2- You can find yourself neck deep in an ungodly “soul-tie.”

 3-You could find yourself up to your eyeballs in pornography.

So, how do we avoid drifting or a wandering mind..........

1-Use an anchor. Holy Spirit is our anchor and the more “closely attuned we are to Him” the sooner the rope becomes taunt and arrests or drift. As we listen to Him.

2- Keep your mind and attentions fixed on Jesus. Practice His presence in all you do. Every time you realize you are drifting, adjust your compass. I strongly recommend “Practicing His Presence” By Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach. A brief but, powerful read.

3- Get serious about renewing your mind. Romans 12:2. It is by the Renewing of the Mind that we are transformed! Maybe more on this later depending on the interest interest.


So, what's on your Mind?

Three musts to create a New Ending for your Life.........

Maybe you are not like me but, there are three words I have never wanted to be first in line to spout....”I was wrong”. Why is that so difficult especially for us as men? By the time you get to my age however, the pain will subside some and it will be “a little” easier. In my last post, Two Defining factors we talked about our Belief System and our Choices and the possibility of change. Today I want to share some insights from Andy Stanley’s book, “The Principle of The Path”. I read it back in 2009 and could not help thinking of it while writing the last post. Let me share some of Andy’s insight here.
So, here are three Musts to get on the right “Path”.

•  Acknowledge where we are:

This is perhaps the most difficult. Geographically Speaking you can’t get to where you want to go unless you know where you are. You need a starting point! Life is no different. We must get honest with ourselves about where we are in order to begin a “Route recalculation.”

•  We must make a choice:

Am I going to continue as a double minded man or change. Andy sites Proverbs 27:12 “Be cautious and hide when you see danger--don't be stupid and walk right into trouble” CEV. Now is the time to make that change. every day counts.We don't have to walk right into it...We can change!

•  Ask yourself some hard questions:

“In light of my past experience, my present circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what’s the wise thing to do?” So, just stop for a minute. Take a deep breath, grab something to write with...computer, iPad. Legal pad etc.  The point is “Just Doit”. Start making an inventory of the Route Recalculations you need to make and before you get up, begin at least one. Well, assuming you have been honest and asked yourself the hard questions, I suppose you could call that the first step.

“The Principle of The Path” is a MUST Read!
But, don’t just read it, Study it well!

Let me remind you in parting,

“Nobody can start a new beginning but, anyone can start today and create a new ending.”

Do you understand the Two most defining factors of life?

So, what are these two factors and why are they so important? Glad you asked!

I- First is what we believe. Not just what we “say” we believe but what we really believe.
A “Belief System” is something we all have. Some of us don’t even realize it but it is there. It is developed with time as we are growing from childhood. There are some good and bad aspects in all our Systems. Have you ever wondered why you do some things you really would rather not and yet, you can’t seem to change.....sounds like Romans 7. Well, the reason is that somewhere in that Belief System is something that registers with that behavior (more on that later).

II- Second is the choices we make. All of life is balanced on these two pillars. All our choices ultimately come from what we truly believe. Oh, you may at time make a choice that goes against it but in the final analysis they will not last just like in Romans 7. The world is full of people walking around who if asked would say, “I believe (              )”. The truth is however that if you watch long enough you will “see” that it is not really what they believe. James 1:8 speaks of being double minded. The Bible in Basic English puts it his way. “For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways”. The underlying truth here is, if you in your Belief System have one position and try to “behave” in some way opposed to it, you are as the verse says double minded. And the behavior cannot be sustained. So you can see from my first point that the negative behavior is registered to something in the Belief System. This means simply that we will behave according to our Belief System.

I hope considering these two thoughts will have the same effect on you as they have for me. It first caused me to ask a couple of questions.

A- Is this terminal or can it be changed?

B- If it can indeed be changed, how do I change it?

You can breathe now.....No, it is not a terminal condition unless we choose to ignore it. And it can be changed if we are willing to do the work. In my next post we will talk about how to make the needed changes.

Six things to consider when someone says “I want to follow in your footsteps”

“I want to follow in his footsteps”. It was on Father’s Day after the service. Several of us stood talking when my grandson, Caeden came up really excited to share what he felt God was saying to him. He explained that his heart was burning to share what God was up to in his life by being His “delivery man”. He is nine by the way. Then he talked about Holy Spirit and went to a nearby water fountain to illustrate how He desires to flow through us. It was then he pointed to me and said  “And I want to walk in his footsteps”.

I am yet not sure what all went through my mind. I at once experienced more emotions than I am capable of digesting. These were indeed sobering words for me. Perhaps my most prominent thought was “where have I led him? What will his life be like if he does indeed follow in my footsteps?

So, here are six things I believe worth considering if someone is watching....

Paul told Titus in Chapter two some things to teach men.

1- The life of a man is to harmonize with what he says he believes. I am reminded to ask myself more often “am I harmonizing”?

2- The life of a man is to be temperate or in moderation. Not off every wall or whim. Steadfast, dependable.

3- The life of a man is to command respect. That doesn’t mean he is stiff and has no fun in life but, his life reflects the importance of what he says he believes.

4- The life of a man is to be ‘self-controlled’. A sensible man, known for sound judgment, speech and decisions. He lives by his own counsel.

5- The life of a man is to be sound in faith. Evidence of his trust in God should be readily seen in his life.

6- The life of a man should exhibit endurance. Not just physical endurance but spiritual endurance in the sunshine or the storms of life.

These are of course, not all that are important. They are some however, that I believe are important in my context and perhaps you will as well. I want to plan with great intentionality to finish well so that anyone who should track after me is not derailed because of my lack of attention to the important things of life.

Am I there yet? No! ...... Remember, I am a work in progress..............

What do you think is important?