As you hear God’s words, your faith surges. Supernatural energy infuses you with a heavenly mindset. As you focus your attention on Kingdom goals, you are simultaneously improving the world in which you reside.
In this way, you are living in two realms at once. You are a citizen of Heaven, and an ambassador of Christ. Your heart is set on things above, and your days are filled with bringing heaven to earth.
The spiritual sound waves of that still small voice within, creates melody in your mind and harmony in your heart. This music of heaven shifts your gaze away from human struggles and toward the throne room of your King.
You are able to enjoy the presence and comfort of God, while existing in a finite dimension. You reap the benefits of a dual reality where His Kingdom is as real to you as the world in which you live.
I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes? Matthew 6:25
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In the passage Jesus is telling the crowds that there is much more to their lives than the clothes they wear or the food they eat.
What is this MORE he was talking about? Perhaps it is true satisfaction and purpose.
Each of us has a MORE in our divine DNA. It is the unique effect we were designed to deliver to this earthly planet. It is the portion of the Kingdom that we each bring to earth during the years we spend here. The ‘more’ Jesus spoke of are the blessings we give, the encouragement we offer, the mentorship we provide, and the miracles we perform.
We realize that if we continue to focus on these Kingdom matters, we can level up to a life of satisfaction and contentment. God takes care of our needs, and we expand His Kingdom.
As we watch some of our fellow travelers go in a different direction, we fight against anxious thoughts that breed fear and insecurity. We must dismiss feelings of rejection or abandonment, choosing rather to be grateful for the support we received during the times we needed it most.
When Gideon was first called, he struggled with a sense of inadequacy and cowardice. God brought many soldier volunteers to his side, to bolster his courage and boost his confidence. That was their only purpose, and once Gideon was on board and ready, God removed those props, one by one, until only a few remained.
Not every soldier was destined to go into battle with Gideon. And like Gideon, we come to terms with the fact that some of the fellow travelers who join us at various times in our lives will be called away to another mission.
Not everyone can go where we are going. Every believer has their own call to follow. God brings many wonderful people into our lives, at various stages in our journey, to bolster our courage and strengthen our resolve. We are grateful for their support, and we must be gracious if the time comes for them to move on.
A good person can look forward to happiness.Proverbs 10:28
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God is rewarding you with a life of adventure, suspense, and joyful celebration. He also promises to bring you home to live with Him forever when your role as a human comes to an end.
As His child, you know that God is able to fulfill all the great and powerful promises He has given in His word.
He promises to never leave you or turn on you. He promises to love and be merciful to you. He promises to give you peace and rest, even in the midst of life’s storms.
The belief in God’s benevolence gives you a positive outlook on life and rewards you daily with a sense of gratitude.
You live your life with confidence, certain that God is managing the details of your life and successfully guiding you towards your destiny.
Eventually, your time on this planet will come to an end, and you will be released from the limitations of this physical realm. Your eyes will be opened to the spirit realm.
There, in the expanse of a dimension too immense to imagine, you will receive your ultimate reward as Jesus welcomes you home with open arms and a cheerful, “Well done!”
As hard as it is for us to believe, we have more power over our thoughts than we ever imagined. We find it is perfectly fine to set a negative thought down. We don’t need to lug it around with us until we make sense of it. We aren’t required to analyze and over-think, searching for some secret solution hiding inside our rapid-fire scatter thoughts. We can just let go and let God.
Unhealthy thoughts are just that. Unhealthy. They can never help us level up. If a thought is not healthy, we can set it down and choose a healthier topic.
As it turns out, our thoughts are a lot like books in a library. If we happen to pick one out that isn’t good, we can just put it back and choose a better one. Using the criteria listed in Philippians 4, while paying particular attention to the instructions following the word finally in verse 8, we can select our thoughts with intention and precision. We don’t need to be saddled with thoughts that hold us down and hold us back.
When comparing our cognitive distortions against the eight descriptive words in Philippians 4:8, we find a way out. With these eight guardrails in place, we can choose which thoughts to keep and which ones to set aside.
Pure
Right
Excellent
Praiseworthy
Lovely
Admirable
Noble
True
Using the acronym, PREPLANT, we can check ourselves regularly throughout the day to make sure the thoughts running through our heads line up with at least one on the list.
If a thought does not meet the criteria, it is deemed unhealthy and carries the potential to make us sick. We cannot level up until we let go of the thoughts that don’t measure up.
When our dark thoughts are triggered, feelings of regret and shame make us cringe. We respond by gathering up our baggage and taking a trip down memory lane. We wrestle with our past and try to rewrite the narrative. We justify, rationalize, and analyze. We surrender to the downward spiral and wonder why we ever believed we could outrun our demons.
After sliding into the abyss of our never-ending regrets, our insides feel hollow, and we become hopelessly despondent. The weight of remorse becomes too heavy to carry. We wonder how we can ever rise above this base line of our worst selves.
These thoughts can snowball and take us under for days. The avalanche of our wrongness buries us in a cold dark tomb of guilt. We are irritable, depressed, angry, and nauseous. We lack motivation and have no sense of purpose. It seems God is so far away, and it is pointless to pray.
To level up, we must develop healthy thought patterns and discipline our minds to stay on a positive track. We can no longer allow our thoughts to wander aimlessly through the minefield of our worst imaginations. We must carve new pathways for our thoughts to travel. We need to keep our thoughts on the high road and pump the brakes when we are headed for the ditch. But how?
One member of the group shared about self-esteem issues that led him into criminal behavior and addiction. From childhood, he had been trying to cope with the confusion of trauma, unaware of what to call it. He struggled with feelings of unworthiness and was unable to feel a sense of value. That all changed when he made the choice to learn about trauma and its effects. He chose to develop a relationship with Jesus, his Healer. He made a choice to forgive and move away from the pain.
Because he says yes to openness, and no to suffering in silence, he now operates in a position of influence and serves as an advocate for others. He has the wisdom of God and the heart of a servant.
Another member shared about his past life of uncontrollable rage that resulted in murder. He spoke about feeling as if he had no choice when it overtook him. His experience with rage was like driving on a slippery, muddy road at full speed, headed straight for the ditch, and unable to stop.
It was hard for us to believe he had ever struggled with rage. This is a man who carries the joy of the Lord on his face. His smile is contagious, his demeanor is humble, and he radiates positive energy whenever he walks into the room. He often speaks of love and forgiveness as if it is his lifeline. He makes a conscious decision to forgive whenever he is wronged. He refuses to carry a grudge, but instead, chooses to walk in love. He says no to rage and yes to compassion. Forgiveness and joy are no longer second nature to him; they are his new normal.
Then Jesus turned to His followers and whispered without anyone else hearing, “Happy are those who see what you see!” Luke 10:23
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You have a unique ability to visualize the insights which have come to you from Christ. Your imagination is the canvass on which He paints the portrait of your future.
You believe that God provides spiritual vision to those who seek His wisdom. This supernatural perception allows you to see clues and insights that you might otherwise have missed.
Through specific life events, your spiritual intuition has been fine-tuned. You enjoy insights and awareness which extend beyond natural human perception.
It is quite possible that many of the lives you touch and the wisdom you share will prove to alter the course of history for generations to come.
In detailed, methodical steps, God is bringing you to new levels of understanding. Each day, you gain clarity and vision into your divine destiny.
Little by little, you discover your true purpose and become more comfortable with your place in His Kingdom. You are learning that your position in His family comes with a deep sense of responsibility.
You see a hurting world around you, yet you also see the heart of God which seeks to deliver the light of His wisdom to anyone who is tired of stumbling through life in the dark.
Many of God’s children remain unable to walk in the light of God’s wisdom, but they can see His light shining through you.
You see Jesus at work, even when you feel surrounded by darkness. You are confident that His light will always appear to guide and protect your path.
You see Jesus, loyal and devoted, taking care of your past, present, and future.
You know He has appeared in some of your darkest hours, and you have no doubt He will always be there beside you, even when your vision of Him is obscured by conflict, anxiety, or confusion.
Jesus has always been there in your peripheral view. From early childhood, you have sensed a supernatural bond between yourself and the Divine.
Your spiritual perception becomes clearer as you peel back the layers of doubt. Through this process, you are beginning to see that Jesus’ vision of you is much more remarkable than anything you’ve seen in yourself. And His vision for your future far exceeds anything you might have ever imagined for yourself.
And now look at you; you look like the stars in the night skies. And your God did it!Deuteronomy 10:22
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You see the goodness of God as you gaze into the night sky. When surrounded by the wonders of the universe, you stand in awe of the Maker’s design.
You love to examine the night sky. You are are captivated by the phases of the moon and the marching constellations as they glide across the atmosphere.
It is in this upward glance that you gain perspective. When you look at the sky, the purpose for your earthbound existence become clear.
It excites you to realize that you have been offered a divine destiny by the Creator of the Universe.
As you look at the vast expanse, you are in awe that God calls each star by name. This offers you great comfort, for it reveals how intimately and personally the Creator values what He has made.
It is in this realization that you find security. Your Maker designed you for a specific purpose, and like the stars, you light up when He calls your name.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 