it's Nita.

(Audio and Text)

For years I let fear of rejection and mistrust prevent me from taking God at his word and walking in faith. I didn’t take much risk in relationship with others because I felt too different. I was convinced others wouldn’t understand me. Eventually those thoughts become my reality. I was social, yes, but everything was very surface level. It wasn’t until I started affirming my identity in Christ that I was able to take the risk of opening up to trusted friends and building new relationships. I haven’t fully arrived in this area but I am living in so much more freedom now because I started being mindful and meditating on the things of God (Philippians 4:8-9).

It became very obvious that the battlefield was in my mind. As I’ve learned to do over the years, I turned to scripture to understand how to overcome. The story of the Israelites in Psalm 46 helped me tremendously in understanding God’s sovereignty in the midst of a battle. It made me reflect on the importance of keeping my thoughts aligned with God’s word and truth.

Here’s a quick recap of Psalm 46: The Israelites were often at war with neighboring nations in their pursuit to gain hold of their inheritance–the Promised Land. Verses 1-9 detail God’s sovereignty over even the most turbulent of situations, ultimately climaxing with verse 10, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted above the nations, I will be exalted above the earth.” This scripture is highlighting God’s directive to be still and let God do what only God can do. Still in this passage is defined in the Hebrew as “to relax, sink down, or let drop.” Think about that in terms of your own personal relationship with God. He is essentially calling us to come and dwell in Him in times of trouble.

Let’s be honest…how many of us respond gracefully when life’s battles come? when someone offends you–do you respond thoughtfully or react out of anger? When you suffer a major personal failure does your inner critic start getting the best of you or do you remain steady in your identity in Christ? Victory in a moment is all dependent on mindfully responding to our situations and circumstances. But I know…it doesn’t always go that way. We all struggle to some extent. However by training ourselves to be self-aware we can learn to catch ourselves before we end up reacting or acting outside the will of God.

At this point you may be thinking, “well that’s nice for you but my brain isn’t set up like that.” Well I have good news! You can actually change how your brain responds by changing your thought life. You really can be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2)! This process does not have to be a struggle. Let me formally introduce you to the concept of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to your thoughts at the present moment with openness and acceptance. The goal is not to immediately start judging and critiquing but rather to identify your state of mind, capture the thoughts and emotions, and then take action by allowing God direct you.

I am going to get a little preachy for a moment. We have to read your word, plain and simple. Along with prayer, it is THE weapon against the enemy. Even Jesus who was God used the word to rebuke the devil. In moments of crisis and challenge God will use the word hidden in your heart to minister to your spirit.

Here are a couple ways you can practice mindfulness in your daily life through God’s word.

• Meditation. One way to meditate is to focus explicitly on a short phrase you can repeat to yourself. Let’s say you struggle with identity and unworthiness. A scripture to meditate on is Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Get in the habit of repeating this over and over throughout the day. (Tip: If your days are particularly busy, set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to speak the Word over yourself.) Another way is actively listening to the word. You can even find YouTube videos of readings of scripture. Take a listen to this one on healing. 😌
• 3-minute rest.  Take 3 minutes to be perfectly still. If necessary set a timer. In this three minutes take note of an issue are feeling or thinking about. Then pray for God’s clarity. Here’s an example prayer: Lord thank you for being with me in this moment. God I feel __________ but I know Lord that you are near. Father I submit these feelings and thoughts to you. God I welcome the presence of your Holy Spirit to rest on me. God give me clarity and understanding on how to respond to my situation. In Jesus name, Amen. Then wait. God may respond with a vision, an impression, a word, or even an audible voice. He speaks in many ways. As you practice being still and waiting on the Lord you may find you go longer than 3-minutes. 😉

Takeaway: The more you value dwelling with God, the easier it will become to get your mind right. So start today. Yes, this will take time, discipline, and patience but little by little, a little becomes alot. 😊

Take hold of the battle in your mind my friends because the good news is Jesus has already won the war! ❤️

Additional Resources:

Switch on Your Brain by Caroline Leaf

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

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Behind the writing veil: This piece started out totally different. I had it completely written out but I didn’t feel quite at peace and so I rearranged and edited. It is ok to make revisions on the vision. I used to hold on so tightly to the way I did things (and I’m still learning to let go), but the truth be told God gets the ultimate glory when I do things his way. ☺️