Spetember 9: Do It Yourself (Determinedly Discipline Other Things)
This passage in II Corinthians 10:5 is one of my favorite scriptures to help me fight discouragement and "just do it!" No matter what my good intentions, I regularly do something that so disgusts me that I get in a pout and whine to Jesus about how He could never use an idiot like me. The Holy Spirit will remind me of this verse, and it rouses me to the work at hand: discipline myself!
Years ago I was listening to a radio interview with pitcher Dave Dravecky who lost his pitching arm and shoulder to cancer. He was talking about the "phantom pains" that he seemed to feel in the missing arm that were so intense that would keep him awake at night. Feeling much compassion for him, I immediately began to pray that those pains would miraculously disappear. So good so far.
Unfortunately, I then started thinking how cool it would be to find out later that after I, Superhero Prayer Warrior, had prayed that he was instantly better. Instantly I was overcome with self-loathing; how could God ever use any self-righteous, pious, puffed-up moron like me! But praise the Lord, just that morning I had read a few chapters in II Corinthians for my quiet time. The Holy Spirit mercifully reminded me of this passage:
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Casting down imaginations, we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." II Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV with a little KJV thrown in).
Well, I certainly had imaginations that needed casting down! I decided to use the gift of my imagination for a good cause, and pictured a POW camp in a certain spot of my brain. With vivid detail, I visualized rounding up every self-centered thought, binding them with the cords of this scripture, and throwing them behind the barbed wire as starving prisoners of this spiritual war. Yes, I might have thoughts come that are not Christ-like, but I certainly don't have to beat myself up over them or let them occupy my mind. By taking those thoughts as captives, I submit to the will of Jesus.
Unfortunately, the security is not very good at my POW camp and those thoughts sometime escape. When I find they are pillaging and ransacking my brain again, they are instantly recaptured and confined once more.
Dear Jesus, please help all of us determine to keep our thoughts and actions centered in Your will. Give us the discernment to recognize a problem thought and capture it before it has a chance to become a stronghold in our minds and certainly before it translates into an action of which You would disapprove. You are our strength! Remind us to lean on You!
Years ago I was listening to a radio interview with pitcher Dave Dravecky who lost his pitching arm and shoulder to cancer. He was talking about the "phantom pains" that he seemed to feel in the missing arm that were so intense that would keep him awake at night. Feeling much compassion for him, I immediately began to pray that those pains would miraculously disappear. So good so far.
Unfortunately, I then started thinking how cool it would be to find out later that after I, Superhero Prayer Warrior, had prayed that he was instantly better. Instantly I was overcome with self-loathing; how could God ever use any self-righteous, pious, puffed-up moron like me! But praise the Lord, just that morning I had read a few chapters in II Corinthians for my quiet time. The Holy Spirit mercifully reminded me of this passage:
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Casting down imaginations, we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." II Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV with a little KJV thrown in).
Well, I certainly had imaginations that needed casting down! I decided to use the gift of my imagination for a good cause, and pictured a POW camp in a certain spot of my brain. With vivid detail, I visualized rounding up every self-centered thought, binding them with the cords of this scripture, and throwing them behind the barbed wire as starving prisoners of this spiritual war. Yes, I might have thoughts come that are not Christ-like, but I certainly don't have to beat myself up over them or let them occupy my mind. By taking those thoughts as captives, I submit to the will of Jesus.
Unfortunately, the security is not very good at my POW camp and those thoughts sometime escape. When I find they are pillaging and ransacking my brain again, they are instantly recaptured and confined once more.
Dear Jesus, please help all of us determine to keep our thoughts and actions centered in Your will. Give us the discernment to recognize a problem thought and capture it before it has a chance to become a stronghold in our minds and certainly before it translates into an action of which You would disapprove. You are our strength! Remind us to lean on You!
posted by Jane at 5:41 AM
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