Get Your Head on Straight! (a devotion by: Katie)

With the risk of this turning into a church service, I think I'm going to share what God showed me during one of my late night devotions at the Hospital this past week. This is straight from my journal,so it may seem a little lengthy at first, but it really sums up a little part of what God has taught me in these past couple of years. I know that it applies to everyone too (not just me).
In your head you need to take every thought captive. You need to challenge your thoughts (using tools like the word of God) to make sure that they are truth. Unfortunatly Satan can sometimes (sometimes all the time) place lies right into your normal everyday thoughts and even more unfortunatly, sometimes we think of them as truth without ever challenging their integrity. I often times will just accept that every thought in my head is my own - this is totally not true. I have some thoughts that I think of myself, then there are some from the Holy Spirit, and then there are also decietful lies that Satan sticks in there. One at a time, then more and more until I have completely sidetracked from the truth. This is when my life is filled with worry, fear and sin. This is often times when we find ourselves thinking, 'my life is horrible! I can't go on living this way! Everything is falling apart'. The good thing is that usually (if you're a believer) this is the point when you become so cesprate for God to take over your life again that God brings you back on track and restores your trust and dependency on him.
But this gets me thinking... What if we never allow Satan into our heads in the first place? What if I was always keeping my thoughts captive to the intrgrity of the word of the Lord? I don't mean that I can stop Satans thoughts from entering my head, but simply not allowing them to take up residency there (not even allowing them to stay for a visit). I understand that obviously I won't be able to sit down with my bible every second of the day everytime I have a thought to see if it is truth or not. That is where scripture memory comes in. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert did he not quote scriptureto remove Satans thoughts from his head? This is so obviously the way that we are supposed to handle Satans lies. When we finally realise this and put it into practice, then I believe that having a "sound mind" is actually atainable. I mean Jesus, while he was the Son of God in Heaven, was actually (physically and mentally) man here on earth. He understands the way we think, because he once thought with the same physical brain as we all do. Now that we have seen his example (that he walked thru his life without sin) We can now know for sure that it isn't a dream or a theory - that we can have control over our thoughts (and therefore our actions - but that it is absolutly possible to live blameless or sinless (well at least maybe for the rest of our lives). I realise that this isn't an easy task, nor will it be achieved by most of us (to live sinless and blameless). but because of Jesus example we can know for sure that with the Word of God in our hearts and minds, that it is possible not to be brought down by Satans lies and torturous thoughts, but that we can fights against them and possibly (at least) limit the sin and fear and worries in our lives.
the Lord wants us to enjoy our lives. He wants us to grow more and more in him. He isn't looking for us to get only so high then fall so that he can restore us to the same place again without growing more and more each time. Therefore we should never struggle witht he same lessons only to never learn from them. Gor want's us to GROW! LEARN! Know more and more of him and find new levels of joy from overcomming every struggle. So Stop wasting your life thinking lies like...
" God made me this way and I can't change who I am"
or " I'll never get over this struggle, why keep trying to change that which can't be changed?"
or " Ever since I was a child everyone I know has thought of me like this, why would it change now? everyone expects me to be this way"
or " I'm too old. My life is almost over, now the Lord has done all he can do with me. I am now used as much as I can/will be. So, I Guess, now I'll just wait for the Lord to take me home. Maybe Heaven will be better"
NO! STOP THINKING THESE THINGS!! There is NEVER a point when you can't change for the better, NEVER a time when the Lord is thru with you. There is NEVER a point when you are too old and retired that the Lord can't still change you and make you into an even better you. The ONLY OPINION THAT MATTERS IS GODS. Not what your parents think of you, not who the people you went to school with thought you were, not even who you think you are! The Lord is the only one who knows who you truly are and what your life limits are. He is the only one who knows the road map to your future. He is the only one who has the perfect plan for who you are to become and where you are to spend your days. He is a loving Master with great and wonderful plans for all of our lives, so stop thinking the lies that Satan gives you. They are truly NOT YOUR THOUGHTS! They are not truth!
Consentrate and meditate on the Lords Words and thoughts for you and your life will be full of confidence and full of JOY and full of LIFE!! :)
Live it well! Be Joyous!!
Change and enjoy every struggle you go through!
Enjoy the journey and never stop growing!
NEVER EVER GIVE UP and only yeild to the Lord.