“If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
The mind is a canvas. And it takes discernment (and patient practice) to know who is painting on it… us, or the culture or the enemy or God. Not all thoughts we have are from us (and many of our own thoughts are…uh..not that helpful). We cannot afford to be passive as we meander through our brains. We have to be aware and disciplined, and to know the difference between the stuff in our heads and the Word of God:
“…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:5)
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”
(Romans 11:36)
Jesus, help us to break free from our own gravity today
(all our inner monologues, desires, plans, distractions
and self-absorption) and to revolve around You.
“For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the City with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10)
Abraham enjoyed many blessings and accomplished many great things while being “present” and living on this planet. But he never allowed these blessings or activities to beguile him or divert his attention from his true destiny. He knew that this place was not his home.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'” (Revelation 21:1-4)
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your TREASURE is, there your HEART will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
May the fruit of our lives matter in eternity.
CARPE AETERNITAS!!!
One night, I was sitting in my car, parked on a well-known, well-traveled Atlanta street, waiting for a friend. As I was doing this, the Holy Spirit invaded and interrupted my thoughts with this question: “Do you know how long Eternity is?”
Sensing that this was a deeper question than my finite little brain was capable of answering, I sat quietly and waited for Him to answer His own question. And a minute later, He said “Lon, Eternity is so long, that no matter how talented and gifted and intelligent and creative you are, if you are on your own in Eternity, the day would come when you would loathe and despise everything about your life. Because your abilities are finite — and Eternity will ultimately and eternally consume you. The day would come when you would DESPERATELY long for anything new — ANYTHING to break the terrifying, deathly tedium and despair of being merely you!”
“BUT…I (speaking of Himself) am so brilliant and creative and outstandingly amazing, that if you are with Me in Eternity, the day will NEVER come when you will ever cease to be FASCINATED with Me. Because I am the ONLY ONE who is greater than Eternity.”
“You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your Presence,
with ETERNAL pleasures at Your right hand.”
(Psalm 16:11)
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
(Proverbs 25:2)
Do you keep a record of the various things God has spoken to you? If you’re serious about following God, you need to. Often, dreams, visions, highlighted scriptures (verses Holy Spirit highlights) and prophetic words are like EASTER EGGS — and the meaning seems to be somewhat hidden at first glance, but as we continue to search and dig, we begin to put the puzzle pieces together and see what God wants us to see. These things are not hidden FROM us — they are hidden FOR us. Hidden FOR the hungry, “kingly” ones who are willing to continue looking until the big picture begins to appear. It’s a sometimes frustrating, but always glorious process.
And the same is true about spiritual realities as well. Before we had read the bible, we would never have imagined the things it speaks of. That is why it is so important to allow the Word of God and the Spirit of God to transform our understanding and to define reality. Otherwise we will be regularly confused and deceived — so much so that right can seem wrong and wrong can seem right.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25)
“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
“…for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
TRUTH often seems non-intuitive to the natural mind. There was a time when the world of atoms and molecules seemed like a fairytale to minds and eyes that could not see (and therefore disbelieved) them. In a similar way, God and the realm of the Spirit can seem like mere religious myths to a materialistic, naturalistic, unredeemed mindset that cannot perceive and/or receive revelation.
That is why we need to often unplug from electronica and pop culture and have our minds renewed. That is why we need to intently and regularly study the Scriptures. That is why we must cry out for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Because we have been called to abide and navigate in a Kingdom and Realm whose physics is very different than that of this natural world. And our success in that Kingdom and that Realm depends on this transformation of mind, if we are to know the will of God and accomplish it.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
loon watchman 