Wednesday, March 19 - Roman 8:1-14

Hey,

This is Pastor Courtney... It's after midnight which means we leave for Fine Arts in less than 12 hours, and I haven't even begun to pack! Food for thought from my student handbook in high school: "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." :)

Anyway, just like you, I'm trying to remember that even when things are super busy and chaotic in my life, I need to make time for God... So I'm here, sharing my thoughts with you!

As promised, this chapter offers hope from yesterday's chapter (where Paul was so stressed out by the cycle of wanting the right thing but doing the wrong thing). When I read the Bible, I want to know what exactly I can do to change my life. Paul talks about freedom in Christ, but what does that mean for me? What do I have to DO?

If you're asking the same question, I think verse 5 is key... It says that people who are stuck doing the wrong things have their mind set on the wrong things. So if you're messing up, it probably has something to do with what you're putting in your mind and what you're thinking about. A really great verse to remember is 2 Corinthians 10:5, which tells us that we can and should "take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ" - which simply means that we should get control of our thoughts, every single one. For example , if you're struggling with anger issues, are you letting your reasons for being angry replay over and over in your mind like a broken record? If you're struggling with staying sexually pure, what are you putting in your mind (through television, magazines, movies, internet, music), and what are you thinking about? If you're struggling to forgive someone, do you constantly think about the things they did to hurt you?

A few years ago, I struggled with an eating disorder that had completely taken control of my life. I said I wanted to get better, and I tried to some extent. After months of struggling, I didn't understand why I still hadn't changed. Part of the reason I didn't change, is because I was letting my thoughts run rampant in my mind. I would sit down to a meal and my mind would automatically start calculating the calories. I would lay down to bed at night, and my mind would automatically review everything I had eaten that day. As long as I was letting those thoughts go free, I was essentially a slave to them. It was not until I took control of those thoughts that I finally started to make progress.

You can CHOOSE what you think about. You can CHOOSE what you fill your mind with (through music, movies, etc.). If you choose to think about the same junk, it will continue to have control of your life. I will tell you from experience, it's really hard to just clear your mind of wrong thoughts. You have to replace them with the right thoughts. How do you know what the right thoughts are? First, if you spend time reading God's Word, you have a better understanding of right and wrong, and you also have positive challenging stuff to think about. Secondly, surrender your thoughts and decisions to God- meaning, ask yourself some tough questions... What consumes my thoughts? Are my thoughts dragging me down? What am I putting in my mind? How would God want me to think or act in this situation?

The great news is that God promises if we give our lives and our thoughts and our decisions to him, we'll find true freedom and satisfaction.

Love you guys,

Pastor Courtney