out of control

out of control

She’s out of control; he’s out of control, they’re out of control, I’m out of control . . . . sad to say, but this has become a very popular phrase in the 21^st Century.  According to Dictionary.com the definition for ‘out of control’ is:  not under management or direction; unmanageable or wild.  Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon follows suit with this expanded phrase for ‘out of control’ // Also, out of hand.  No longer under management, direction, or regulation; unmanageable or unruly.  For example, Housing costs are out of control, or the children were getting out of hand again. The first term uses control in the sense of “restraint,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

Oh my!  This is most amazing: this term is dated all the way back to the 1500s.  Out of control – this conflict knows no age limits and no gender; no one is immune from experiencing it at some point in their lifetime.  It’s a place that really does match this definition of unmanageable or wild – wild emotions like spaghetti noodles all stuck together.   Your soul going to a place that is unruly and unimaginable; just as David said, why art thou downcast, why are you so restless, why are you down in the dumps, why are you so upset inside, ohhhhhhh my soul.   But, here’s good news……..             

Recently, I picked John G. Lake’s book back up: “His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith.”  As I was reading the Forward (again) by Gloria Copeland, I made a fresh commitment to read one of his sermons every day.  There’s one particular chapter that has changed my life forever.  I believe you will experience the same; here are some excerpts taken from his sermon, Triune Salvation:

   

Man is triune… spirit and soul and body . . . just the same as God is triune, being Father and Son and Holy Ghost.  Salvation begins at the time when the spirit is surrendered to God.  People wonder why, after having given their hearts to God and after having received a witness of the spirit, they are still troubled with evil desires and tempted in evil ways.  The nature has three departments, and therefore, the surrender of the spirit to God is not all that He demands.  God demands also the mind and the body.  The mind is the soul life; and it continues being of the earth – earthy - and doing earthy things until God does something to that mind, until we seek God for a new mind.

The Church at large recognizes the salvation of the spirit.  But they have not recognized the salvation of the mind and salvation for the body.  It’s found in the same manner: by committing the body and mind now and forever to God.  When we trust our minds (souls) and our bodies to man, two parts are out of the hands of God, and there remains only our spirits in tune with heaven.  It ought not to be so.  This absolute consecration to God, this triune salvation, is the secret of the successful Christian life.  Amen, Brother John Lake! 

23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).  24 Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (AMP)

The Lord has led me just today to recommit and consecrate my whole being to Him; spirit and soul (my mind, my intellect, my will, my emotions, my thoughts) and body.  All three parts in His hands, under His management, in tune with heaven and definitely NOT out of control!  Blessed be His name!

Mary McIver

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Brain Sweep

If you’ve ever been pampered from head to toe, enveloped in soothing sounds and aromas while on a journey to relaxation at a spa, you will definitely walk out feeling replenished and ready to start again.  This was time ‘just for you.’  Perhaps your ‘just for you’ time was a couple of hours of precious alone time somewhere without any interruption from your little honey bun calling “mommy” or maybe even a few hours away from deadlines and hectic schedules; but in those few hours it was the beginning of a detoxing time in the natural!   

 

Well ladies, I’ve found there’s another kind of detox for us and it’s called “Brain Sweep.”  It involves the principle of sweeping away toxic thinking and toxic thoughts.  Every thought has some type of negative or positive nature attached to it:  death or life, foe or friend.  Thoughts may seem harmless, but if they become toxic they can be like poison and begin to drain us physically and spiritually, leaving us feeling depleted and even emotionally bankrupt. 

 

We can lead emotionally happy and physically healthy lives by simply maintaining a lifestyle of controlling our thought life.….and it all begins with ‘us’ and our response to every thought.   

Its starts here!   Brain Sweep…... It begins with YOU and ME.  Our life and our thoughts are choice driven, so we can make a conscious decision and choose today to detox our thought life and sweep away those undisciplined, negative thoughts and emotions and break that habitual cycle of thinking.  I’m all in!  What’s next?  Identify and examine every thought, no matter how innocent it may seem.  Is it a friendly thought or a dangerous thought?  If it’s unfriendly, quench it immediately by turning your attention off of that thought.  Jesus knew that every thought must be weighed and identified, because as we think so are we..….For as he hath though in his soul, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 (YLT)

……and just like you would set a trap for those little critters called ‘mice’ (my how they can multiply at a fast rate) you set a trap for those undisciplined thoughts!   Thoughts can’t overcome thoughts, but the Word of God spoken out of our mouth has the ability to destroy every toxic thought!  So, the same way you set a trap for ‘mice, mice everywhere’ is the same way you set a trap to get rid of those ungodly thoughts and capture them (2 Corinthians 10:5) one thought at a time by the speaking the Word of God.  Refuse to allow toxic thoughts to take over your life!   

 

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.  Philippians 4:8-9 (Message)

 

~ Mary McIver

 

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"FIX YOUR THOUGHTS"

I don’t love everything about myself.  I can easily become discouraged when I fail at something.   I don’t want to explore a new friendship because I might get hurt.  If I start something new I may not be able to finish strong.  If I write the book, it won’t be publishable.  If I try to eat healthy, I’ll end up crashing my diet.  Stepping out and trusting God to accomplish His purpose in me?  That’s risky business.  I’m just getting started.  These are only a few of the thoughts that may pass through my mind in a moment.  Hurt. Rejection.  Disappointment.  Failure.   Do these words find their way up to the surface of your thoughts?  They have made their bed in mine.    

My thoughts can be my worst enemy, holding me back from my dreams, desires and the simple pleasures of life.  They can hold me back from trying something new, building relationships, accomplishing dreams, fulfilling destiny.  They leave me stranded in my own self worth, measured by past experiences, hurtful words, disappointments, or failed attempts to follow my dreams.  

The truth is my thoughts are not true.  They are more like a broken compass, its needle spinning out of control, unwilling to lead me out of the stagnant swamp.  But when I look to Jesus, He will point me true north.  And His thoughts are not comparable to anything I have heard, even from those who love me the most.  We are His workmanship.  He made us in His image, breathed life into our inner beings, and said, “It was very good.”  

God’s word will not lead us astray.  When He asks us to do something for Him, it is never outside of our limitations.  You may feel unworthy, inadequate, unequipped, but He who handcrafted you, knows exactly what you have been created for.  God is not saying, “Let’s see what you are made of.” No -- He wants to show you what you are made of.   He created you with a purpose and has equipped you to fulfill it.  He is not giving you big dreams that you can’t obtain.  He breathed His greatness into you and His thoughts for you are beyond what you can think or imagine! 

All through the Bible, God asked ordinary people to do great things for Him.  They had inadequacies, and did not hesitate to remind God that they could not speak well, were too young, had a family to provide for, had done murderous things… the excuses for why God should not choose them could fill an empty page.  Yet they risked everything they had to follow God’s plan for their life and God was faithful to fulfill His promises in and through them.  

God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  God makes it clear in His word what we should fix our thoughts on:

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].   
    Philippians 4:8 Amp

When we meditate on truth, we will wash out the deception that has rooted in our thought life.  God’s word remains forever and His love never fails us.  

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” 

Psalm 100:5 ESV

Saying yes to God will require you to give your time, resources, and energy.  But your reward will be greater than what you sacrifice to follow the plan He has for your life.   

“If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19 ESV

When you face discouragement or loneliness in the midst of your journey, fix our thoughts on God’s promises.  

“… You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 16:20 AMP

The truth is, my thoughts become void when I meditate on God’s word.  He maps out His destiny for my life and takes me on a journey that ends at a promise.  I don’t have to be afraid to leap out in faith when God gives me a task.  And when my compass alters, I can reset it to the magnetic field of God’s word.  We can trust Him to fulfill the dreams He’s ignited in our hearts, by equipping, providing, and assuring us of our worth.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”  Colossians 3:1-4 NLT

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Cricket Mentalities by Daphne Delay

Cricket Mentalities   

    

I recently heard a story that may help us.  A young boy had caught a handful of crickets and put them in a wide-mouth jar.  He placed inside the jar your typical supplies: grass, flies, berries, etc.  Then he put the lid on the jar with several holes punched in it so the crickets could breathe.  Immediately, they began jumping hysterically trying to get out of the jar only to hit the lid and bounce back down.  This behavior went on for a couple of days and then suddenly stopped.  The crickets became content with their jar, moving about inside it, eating and adapting to their new surroundings.  But when the boy decided to take the lid off, the crickets didn't notice.  Wanting to see what would happen, he left the lid off the jar – but the crickets never tried to escape.  Before, they had tried to get out only to be beaten down.  Now that they could leave, they contently stayed.  Why?  Because in the process of time, they had programmed themselves to believe their fate was sealed.  

Unfortunately, many Christians are like these crickets.

Psalm 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."  In other words, be careful what you believe.  If you believe you are a failure, an outcast, or unworthy, you will believe your “jar" is your fate, when in reality it is nothing but a barrier to the truth.  "Keep (or guard) your heart with all diligence, for OUT OF IT spring the issues of life."  Whatever belief system you put in your heart is what will come out.  And whatever comes out of your heart is the picture you believe.  This can be a very unhealthy cycle.  Others can tell you the truth and even point to the exit, but if you don't believe it, you will never attempt it – no matter how good it sounds. "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7b). When the crickets no longer believed there was an escape, they stopped trying to find one.  

The Hebrew word for issues in Proverbs 4:23 is literally translated as boundaries or controlling factors.  So the Psalmist is saying: "Keep (or guard) your heart with all diligence, for out it spring the (boundaries or controlling factors) of life."  Maybe someone beat us down with their words or treated us with contempt or prejudice.  We may have fought back at first, but over time, the fight got tiresome and little by little we adjusted our whole life to fit within the lie. Therefore, (often unknowingly) the words and actions of others, and then our own words and actions built an invisible prison.

Thankfully, there are two sides to every coin.  When we learn the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus and the righteousness we have received through faith in Him, the lid is removed.  Then as we guard our heart, allowing only the truth of God’s Word to reside there, out of the self-same heart good boundaries and controlling factors will spring up. The Apostle Paul said, “Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18).  Sin caged us in.  But righteousness, and our understanding of it, set us free. So guard your heart!

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Fix Your Mind by Tamera Ford

Fix Your Mind

Let’s just go ahead and admit it, sometimes our mind needs to be fixed! I’m not talking about the kind of fixing that takes place when something is broken. I mean fixed as in set, inflexible, and unchanging.  Have you ever met someone who makes sudden and unpredictable changes, their mind is all over the place, pulled in every direction? Maybe you are wearing the “flighty” badge yourself. I can honestly say that when I find myself like this, it’s miserable and rightly so. When we allow our thoughts to run wild our emotions and flesh join in-it’s a party or a funeral or a fight fest! Do you know what I mean? 

One example, you start thinking, “no one appreciates me, they take me for granted and overlook me.” The longer you think that way the more frustrated and angry you become. Your body language changes and before you know it, those thoughts have dictated the coarse of your day. How about this thought, “My spouse really doesn’t love me.” You get depressed, emotional and discouraged. All you see is the negative, hearing every little odd inflection in their voice. It could be anything. You’re over weight, ugly; a failure. At any given moment 100’s of thoughts fly through your mind looking for chance to direct you.

This is why in Philippians 4:8 Paul encourages us to fix our mind. We fix our mind on “…whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

You might say, “You don’t know the situation I am in. It’s SO difficult.” No matter what the situation, the word of God always works. In verses 6 and 7 he tells us not to be anxious (which comes from meditating on the wrong things) and then tells us how. With prayer and thanksgiving make your request known to God, casting it over on Him. God’s peace that goes beyond all understanding will guard your heart and mind. Then he gives us an instruction on how to stay in that peace. Fill your minds and meditate on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Message)

The remote control to our mind is in our hand. We control our thoughts, not the other way around. So let’s get fixed today! Start thinking on the best, the lovely, the truth. Become inflexible on these things instead of letting your mind run wild! Amen!

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