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| What are you listening to? What message are you choosing to hear? |
When I was a little girl, my father brought me to a police auction, there were thousands of unclaimed stolen or found items that the Police Department decided to put to good use by selling and using the proceedings for a good purpose. I remember sitting by my father's side watching bikes go up for auction, jewelry and other items. I had my allowance in my jeans pocket and it wasn't until a tiny little dog whistle went up for auction that I realized what I wanted to bid on. A small silver dog whistle. I can't recall why I wanted to buy that dog whistle, maybe it was the fascination of something that you blew in that only dogs could hear. But I bid upon it and I won. I walked up to the podium to collect my winnings, blew into it and was fascinated by the fact that although all I heard was air going through this silver small instrument, any dogs near by could hear a high pitched whistle meant for their ears alone.
There are times when God wants us to quiet ourselves before Him so that we can hear what it is that He is saying to us. Set aside the distractions and spend some time with Him and just listen. We often miss what God is doing in our lives because we have our own agenda or life is yelling so loudly all around us that it is drowning out the voice of God, for no other reason than because we let it.
I reached a fevered point in my walk this past week where I had had enough of the noise. Enough of the distractions, a point where I didn't want to hear the thoughts and accusations from my prodigal journey (that has been over) but still was haunting me. I had enough! It is when I reached that point when all the noise was harassing me and I was crying out to God to make it stop that I heard God tell me:
"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalms 46:10)
When I stilled myself (and that is something that takes a tremendous effort for me to do, because my mind is always going), He told me:
"Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)
It was only when I did that, that my mind had no choice but to quiet. Any accusation or something I was trying to put out of my mind and could not do - simply had to flee when I stated, "I don't want to think about that any longer. I bring my mind and my thoughts under submission to Christ." Amazingly, the thoughts left. They couldn't harass me or hinder me anymore and I was filled with peace. Now, whenever I see those thoughts trying to make their way back into my head I declare that my thoughts are to be under submission to Christ.
God wants you to hear what He is saying to you. He wants you to put yourself in place where you can receive what it is He is saying. Sometimes that is harder said than done. (I know this personally because I am just that hard headed). It isn't easy to quiet your mind - remember, the mind is the battlefield that ol' slewfoot tries to steal ground upon. In writing this, I'm visualizing one of the battlefields of Gettysburg. Opposite sides stood facing each other on opposite ends and then they charged against each other. Yelling, "CHARGE!!!" But first they came to the battlefield. The battlefield is your mind. Satan wants nothing better than to infiltrate your territory and he does it by whispering accusations and things in your ear. You choose whether or not you are going to allow him to take ground, or you charge back with the Word of God as your weapon. (This is why it is important to hide the Word of God in your heart). Even the most mature of Christians forgets that this is the best weapon we can use against the attack of the enemy. God's Word. God's Word and when we don't know what else to do - prayer! I realized this week that I had been trying to fight the thoughts and accusations that were coming into my mind with my own strength, or I was allowing those thoughts to seriously kick my butt. I wasn't fighting back and God had already given me ALL the weapons I needed to fight. Once I reached a point where I was in so much anguish and pain from allowing the enemy to beat me up that all I could do was drop to my knees and cry out - "NO MORE. Oh God, NO MORE! I don't want to think these thoughts ANYMORE Lord. HELP!"
That I heard Him so clearly tell me:
"Kelly - demolish every argument and every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of ME. Any time those unwelcome thoughts or remembrances pop up in your mind you tell it that YOU are taking it CAPTIVE and make it obedient to ME."
I did and it cleared the battlefield. Wiped the enemy right out. Restored my peace and reminded me who it is who I have given control of my life - God.
Get your mind focused on Him. Be still and know that He is God. We can't do anything in and of ourselves - but in Him and by Him and through Him, we can do ANYTHING. The battle has already been won - when Jesus died upon that cross and rose from the dead - He defeated the devil. It is walking IN that victory that it is the hard part. But He also tells us in His word:
"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
Who are you going to believe?
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