Posted:
Based on “Under His Influence -
The Battle” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 8/8-9/09,
Message #MB384;
Daily Devotional #3 - “What are you giving power to?”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Every time I walk into Publix I have to avoid one aisle. If I walk down that aisle, especially if there is a sale, I come up with every excuse in the book to put that item in my cart. I mean, who can say no to a ‘buy one get one free offer’? There is no way I could only buy one--that would be wasting money!
So the only way out of my ice cream dilemma is to not go down that aisle. Instead, I send my wife! No really, there are times I cannot go down that aisle because I know what would happen. I would leave the store with at least one tub of ice cream, if not two. Life in general is no different. There are places we should not be and roads we should not go down.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): So how do we make sure we do not end up there? For me it is simple. Well, hard but simple. I have to focus on where I am going, instead of where I don’t want to end up.
Have you ever had situations in your life where you knew that something was wrong, but you thought about it so much that all of a sudden, you found yourself in the middle of it, right exactly in the middle of where you did not want to find yourself? There are times in life when temptations come and we need to make a choice. Whose influence are we going to be under?
A friend once shared with me this statement: “What you give thought to you give power to.” To an extent, this is very true. As Pastor Mark taught us this weekend, the battle is in our minds. If we give extra thought to the things we do not want to do, we give them power. We feed them. Yet the opposite is also true. If we give our thoughts over to God and His ways, we give Him power to do His will through us. It is our choice who we will let influence us.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): That which draws us away from God is usually a progression. Consider this example: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. (Psalm 1:1)
Notice where it starts: walking along with sinners, then standing among them and, finally, sitting as a part of them. Sitting in the seat of mockers did not happen immediately. What we focus our minds on we give power to. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. (Psalm 119:28-30) This Psalmist had it figured out.
When you are weary, focus on God and His Word—the law. God will strengthen us and, as we are in His Word, He is guiding us to keep us from our deceitful ways. Daily quiet time with God, reading the Word, listening to what the Holy Spirit reveals, and praying and listening again is critical in the battlefield of our minds. Take a moment today and read the Scriptures below. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to win the battle of your mind.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Psalm 1; Psalm 119:25-40
