Purify Your Mind

Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 2:14-16 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Psalm 24:3-5  Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who do not put their trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.

Psalm 51:9-11  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Proverbs 16:2 People may think all their ways are pure, but motives are weighed by the LORD.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Timothy 2:22-23  Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

James 3:17  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

1 John 3:2-3 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Don't allow your mind to be infected by the world! To refrain our actions is one thing, but to rein in our thoughts is a whole new battle, one that by the Amour of God, you are able to fight and defeat! These verses were written to encourage us to seek to be righteous in all ways – even down to our inner most thoughts and desires. The Bible is full of these, I have only selected a few, but I encourage you to continue to research this and seek God’s direction, correction, and purification in this matter.

Today

Do what you can do, and God will do what you cannot do. ~

I’ve heard this a few times over my life, and right now I know I need it, so perhaps you do too. I recently turned 17, and have just finished high school (I was homeschooled using the Alpha Omega program,) and this means I will start online college soon. I have gone back and forth over majors the last 2 years or so, but now I am in deep prayer over taking a Christian Law major and Christian Psychology minor with Regent University. I am also in the process of publishing a ‘sci-fi’ novel I wrote, having just mailed in the contract this week, am interning with a marketing company with the US Army, writing my third novel, and obviously, continuing my outreach and first love of blogging for all of you. My weeks are getting busy, temptations are everywhere, and I am in line to make many life altering decisions in the next few months.

As I always do, I went to my mother for guidance on the best possible route for my education. I have aspirations of joining the American Government in the form of a Representative or Senator for a state in the USA. At the very least I plan to write novels and books, both fiction and non fiction, that will open people’s eyes to things they did not think of before. God has placed it on my heart to take in foster children one day, to have a family and a husband whom I am waiting for, to help people… All in all, the sole desire of my heart is to make a difference in the world. And here is where His Wisdom comes in – through my mother’s words, “YOU CAN AND ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE RIGHT NOW.”  

It doesn’t take a college degree, a pedestal, a pulpit, or even much effort. All it takes is being a Christian, living your life as a Light for Him. The fine print and the many things I want to accomplish, the countless things you have done, will do, or want to is all paling in comparison to the Great and Perfect plan. Today, regardless of where we stand, you and I are given, by God, the opportunity to make a change in the world. It is so easy to forget how much our ACTIONS have power, how our choices and interactions with other people can change things – How smiling and saying ‘How are you?’ can not only brighten someone else’s day, but our own. --- The time for my degrees, book signings, and possibly Seats in the House will come, but until that day, should He appoint it, I vow to never let a single hour be wasted, and I encourage you to take this war against procrastination, fear, doubt, and cowardly inaction on with me. God’s plan doesn’t have a begin and end – 

TODAY COUNTS.

Today matters.

Today can change things.

God, the Dentist.

     Like many people, before I am about to go to the dentist, (like today) I always make sure to take extra special care to clean my teeth. Ridiculous right? That's like cleaning your house before a maid comes or taking a shower before taking a bath. The Dentist's whole purpose is to clean and check out teeth and mouth, but we are abstinent on making sure we are in the best possible condition prior to seeing them. 

     As silly as this is, there is a message here, one God practically slapped onto my brain...

    When you come before God - He does not expect you to have already taken care of yourself. He doesn't expect a flawless past and a clear mindset. He is our healer. He is our savior. It is ok to go before God broken and in pain, it is ok to cry out in anguish and agony, it is ok to be weak... No one expects you to be perfect, especcially God. He knows all your faults and though they might grieve His Spirit, He is still willing in His great mercy, to forgive you if you ask for His Grace and repent. He is willing to mend the wounds your choices have led you to inflict upon yourself. He is capable of sheilding you from the world and leading you, should you choose to follow Him, to a place He has set aside for you and a purpose only you are capable of fullfilling.

    He will fix you. You are not required to get your life in order before stiding up to His Throne - all you must do is crawl to an altar, professing your weakness and submission to His Spirit and power, and He will take care of the rest, one commandment for you to follow and concenant for Him to renew at a time. Open up, let Him see all of the 'junk' and He will begin to slowly and carefully peel it away.

Proverbs 4:20-22  My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

Guilt–a double edged blade

Guilt will separate you from God. If you allow it into your life and spend each moment in remorse from your sin, you are driving yourself farther from God. God can use guilt to get you to recognize a wrong, but if you for even a moment think that your sin was so great, God has shunned you, if you think you can never be forgiven, then that guilt is a lie, one meant to divide you from His presence. It is only designed to bring you to your knees, not to hold you there in your past wrongs like an anchor tied to your ankles, dragging you down into darkness. You MUST confess your sin and turn away from it, repent to God, and MOVE FORWARD. Don't allow your past to drown you. Don't allow yesterday to live on. Break the chains around your feet with the purification of His Blood and His Grace.

Seek God. Repent. Pray for Change and ACT on it.

God loves you. He offers Grace. Take it. Live.

 Psalm 86:4-5 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Psalm 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

 

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

 

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

 

Ephesians 1:7-10 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

 

Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God loves you. He wants to bring you out of the pain and guilt of your past and into the Grace and Guidance only He can give.