TODAY’S INSPIRATION: OUT OF CONTROL!

When we let our minds shape the state of our souls, we can become lost to who we are and whose we are. Whatever we allow to enter our mind, affects our soul. I do not know about you, but just about every day I face challenges that seek to destroy, confuse, and entangle my mind. I look at what is happening all around me in this dark and fallen world and fear tries to creep in. Covid-19, racism, injustice, circus politics, hatred, and panic. And then we must contend with our own life and challenges. It is enough to drive any sane person crazy! Some of you may be feeling depressed and overwhelmed right about now. You may feel like everything is out of control. The truth is it may be out of our control, but God has always and will forever be in control! Nothing in our personal life or what is happening in this world has caught God by surprise. We on the other hand can get overwhelmed by it all. We can become frightened by these uncertain times. The good news is we do not have to be if we keep our gaze on God. I am careful about what I watch and how much I watch the news on TV. Someone said they do not call the shows programs for nothing, that they program your mind and your way of thinking. I can see that happening if you sit there and watch the same negative things repeatedly. I am also intentional about how much time I spend on social media. Honestly, I do not understand how a person living their life, have so much time for social media. I realize now with the social separation it is a way for people to interact and that is great. I’m just saying do not get so caught up on other people’s lives to the point where you stop living yours. And please do not compare it to yours, you see what they want you to see! My spirit said someone needed to hear that. My main purpose on social media is to glorify God. Just four years ago I knew little about social media and I had no desire to. Then God told me to tell my story and to tell it on social media. I am so happy that after some resistance; I was obedient because it was the beginning of something greater! We must understand that satan has access to social media and TV. He gets mad when it is used to spread the Gospel, spread love, and to encourage one another. He loves it when it is used to spread lies, deceit, and hatred. I am not saying we need to be oblivious about what is going on around us, but we cannot let it consume us. (Lamentations 3:22). We must look to God for answers, not man. Scripture says we perish from lack of knowledge! (Hosea 4:6). It is important we know what is going on but just as important that we do not allow it to jeopardize our faith or shape the state of our mind and soul. (Romans 12:2) In spite of what is going on with me personally and what is happening around me, I will remain grounded in the Lord. I will keep my focus on God and my faith in Him knowing that despite what it looks like, He is in control! Someone once said, “Our faith is what connects our weakness to God’s power. You can see God’s signature everywhere around you once you learn to recognize His handwriting.” And that is how I stay grounded; I can recognize His handwriting. I know by faith that even though it may look and feel bad in the natural, God is working it out for my good! Knowing this gives me the peace I need to make it day by day. (John 14:27). However, faith that has not been tested or does not translate into action is no faith at all! (James 2:17). We should allow God to lead us and use us to do what we can to help the issues in this world that tear at our souls. Whatever we know breaks God’s heart, should also break our hearts. The answer is letting God lead us and not our emotions lead us. We do what we can to rectify the injustices of this world. The rest we leave to our Father who is in control and has the power to change things in one prayer! We do however have control of our reactions and the way we respond to situations. I am still working on not allowing negative people or the things of this world to enter my mind and get into my soul. It is not easy because the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. (Galatians 5:17). Because of this we should continuously meditate on God’s Word and all that is good. (Colossians 3:2) Darkness can sometimes settle on us as we see the conditions of our world. And that is why we must keep our minds filled with a steady diet of study, meditation, prayer, and fasting. This way we can see the light of God and embrace it, not what is going on in this world. Brothers and sisters, we can refuse to fill our minds with negativity and let the condition of this world steal our joy. We can train ourselves to flip the script from negative to positive. We can make careful decisions about what fills our minds and choose the things which will honor God and guard our souls! (Romans 8:5-7) Love and Blessings…    

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)