filled

The older I get and the closer I draw to Jesus the more I am 

learning that my mind and my heart are often at odds. 

My heart belongs to Jesus. Nothing can change that. Satan cant touch it. 

God promised that. 

John 10:29

'My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; 

and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.'

But my mind is a battlefield. 

And what gets in there can seep into my heart and make me forget who owns it!

Satan can get in to my brain, and find a foothold and if I let him he can take control.

 1 Peter 5:8

'Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.'

He isn't a passive opponent. He is the aggressor. 

I'm learning so much lately that my mind is going to be filled with something. 

It can be filled with fears, anxieties, worries, what if's and what might have beens. 

Put there by my adversary, who wants to destroy me. 

OR

It can be filled with scripture, God's promises, hope, joy and peace.

Put there by my Savior who wants to protect me. 

And that is my choice. 

I fill my mind with His word.

Or I leave it vulnerable to Satan's lies. 

I'm learning that just as Satan is proactive in his plan, I also have to take charge to allow God to fill my mind. If I am not in His word then I dont stand a chance. I'm not strong enough without that sword. 

Not even close. 

I love this verse...

Proverbs 4:23

'Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.'

Read that again.

I have to GUARD it. It doesn't just happen. 

And this one:

Psalm 119:37

'Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.'

Go ahead, go back and read that one again too.

Our life is preserved, protected by His word!

Another:

II Corinthians 10:4-5

'The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.'

This one is like my favorite, go read it again:

We have weapons with DIVINE power. 

We are given them!

And they can demolish our strongholds. 

And we are charged to take captive EVERY thought and give it to Christ. 

If its not honoring to Him...it is sin. And that needs to be my guide for where I let myself dwell. 

Reading these verses makes me feel powerful against my adversary. 

We serve an amazing God who loves us so completely. 

He shows us how to feel peace, joy and hope. 

There is no substitute.