Opinions of the Mind.

Sometimes I feel like I am speaking/writing dribble.
But really, what is a Blog post for?
Mine are often to remind myself.
Kind of like a diary where I can look back and think...did I say that!
Sometimes its Mad, Helpful, a little Crazy, or a bit Sad..
I rant on..

I am considering a return to University next year.
What will I do?
I only have a year to complete a Masters degree in Mental Health. So will I do that?
Or, because of my new interest in Creative Writing, should I do that?
So many choices........BUT, what a blessing to be able to chose.

I can waffle on like this on my BLOG

 

Yet often  in person, I am the quiet one.

Thank you all for reading my thoughts.....and thank you for sharing and allowing me, to read yours.
You enrich my life.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, 

not for men."

Colossians 3:23

Self Confidence

 

Self confidence all comes from the thoughts in our mind.

I am sure all who read my Blog and my comments on theirs, will think I am a very self confident person.

Well, this may surprise you, because I am not!

It's taken me years to build up confidence.

And still I have times of terrible self destruction in my mind.

WORDS...

Our Words to our self..

And the Words of others to us!

Can do much to destroy our self esteem and confidence.

In my first marriage (over thirty years) I was constantly told I was stupid.

So much so, that I believed it.

  and I sometimes still tell myself this, often aloud!!

Then I have to remind myself, WHO I am in Christ.

And that God loves me,  just as I am.

In His Word.....and His Word is truth, 

He tells me He lovingly formed me.

“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. 

We are the clay, and you are the potter. 

We all are formed by your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

I was formed by God's hand, now that can make me feel better!

By this I know, I am not so bad after all. 

Sometimes our thoughts are completely wrong.

Our mind can run away, thinking something that is not true.

When this happens I/you/we, need to ask ourselves.

"Where is the evidence to what I am thinking?"

An Example:

A friend doesn't call you, so YOU THINK they don't care.

*When the truth is, they have problems of their own and they are waiting for you to call them.

You attend a new church and not many, or no one, come to greet you.

So you feel unworthy, unwanted.... and walk away, despondant, never to return.

*INSTEAD, you could walk forward and introduce yourself to those around you. 

Proverbs 23:7 says..

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is."

We think with our feelings, and our emotions. So that's where the devil attacks.

In our most vulnerable place. 

He wants us to feel unwanted and unloved.

He wants to reduce our self image, and esteem.

He wants to take away our confidence, that we are beloved of God.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

but against principalities, 

against powers, 

against the rulers of the darkness of this age,  

against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Ephesians 6:12 

When I get down in spirit and my thoughts are misconstrued. 

I speak scripture aloud because I know it is the Sword of the Word..

I know that if I resist the devil, he will flee from me.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God 

for pulling down strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4

Because...

"I have been crucified with Christ; 

it is no longer I who live, 

but Christ lives in me; 

and the life which I now live in the flesh 

I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2:20

AMEN

Refresh your soul.....God loves me/you/us.

Romancing Christmas

Unwrapping the Gift of Christmas, is my grandson Luke.

We have romanced Christmas with our western culture.

We think of it with beautiful Carols, the Nativity Scene and gaily wrapped presents.

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

                though you are small among the clans of Judah,

                          out of you will come for me one who will be 
                     ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,
                         from ancient times." (Micah 5:2)


It is no accident that the man chosen to be Jesus father on earth, Joseph,  was "of the house and lineage of David"
(Luke 2:4) and that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.


 "Joseph went to Bethlehem to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born."
(Luke 2:5-6)

I cannot imagine the young Mary walking all that way from
Nazareth to Bethlehem while heavily pregnant.
It was a three to four day trip, and as a woman I can empathise with her. I understand how she gave birth, after that long and tedious journey. How difficult!
We are not told she rode on a donkey??
We are not told her age?
But this was her first baby, and there were no luxuries.
No doctors or nurses to assist with the birth.
No pretty clothes or crib.
Only drudgery and hardship.

How different for us who worship Him, the King of Glory.
We don't suffer to celebrate our Savours birth.

We eat to bursting.
We relax in the comforts of our homes.
We are entertained by lovely Christmas Carols.
We romance the birth of Christ. 

Do we fully understand? Do we fully appreciate???

God's son was born in hardship.

We need to contemplate on these things..

The power of Gods Love

We can never underestimate the power of Gods love and protection.
How many times do you want to go somewhere only to have your plans cancelled at the last moment?
How often do you feel sad about missing out on an occasion not realising there may be a very good reason for it?

Next time you miss out, praise God. You are in His care and His love surrounds and protects.

I have seen into the supernatural realm on occasion.
I am very aware that life is not always as we see it in the natural.

"If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways." Psalm 91: 9-11

   

A Memory for Sepia Saturday

I love reading all the nostalgia on the Sepia Saturday posts so here is one of my own.

I vividly remember the day I turned five years old.

 It was three days before Christmas and my mother took me shopping on the bus to the nearest town, seven miles away.
I always thought it such a long way. Three buses ran every day accept Sunday. It took half an hour to get there. Having a birthday so close to Christmas meant it was lost in all the other preparations, but mother brought me a shop cake to share with the family that day. I felt so grown up and proud.

The new year of school begins in late January in Australia, following 6 weeks of Christmas holidays over the summer.  The photo above is of the school I attended.
It was only a two room two teacher school with approximately twenty students ranging in age from five to twelve years.
The building in the foreground of timber floors and walls with tin roof was all there was then.
It was raining the day I enrolled and kept up a steady downfall until the school yard was a flowing muddy mess from the deluge.
All the kindergarten children remained on the veranda talking shyly together as our mothers completed our registrations.
One of the boys, by the name of Peter, sidled up to me and whispered,
"It's the end of the world you know, we'll never see our home again." 
Of course I believed him, and began to cry, I felt so terrified.
My older sister came out with her class for recess and seeing my distress came to find out why?  
She hugged me listening patiently between the tears.
Gently she reminded me of Noah and the Ark and Gods promise of the rainbow to show He would never flood the earth again.
That Peter stood back smiling and as the years passed I realised what a tormentor that naughty child was.
Because it was a country school we wore no uniform and very few children wore shoes to school. They were kept for special times like Sunday School.

I attended an all Girls High School and am picture here on the left in school uniform. The girl behind me on the right was not in uniform that day?

The one thing I am eternally grateful for is learning about God's love at a very young age.

“I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)

  

Strongholds of the Mind

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;  casting down imaginations,  and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

The mind is a powerful tool.
We can concentrate on the good around us and keep our mind positive!
Or, we can dwell on the negative and let the Devil feed us nasty thoughts, that poisons our souls. 'Stinkin Thinkin.'

If we allow STRONG HOLDS from the enemy to take over our mind, they begin to poison every word we are given.

For example: A young man angrily told me the other day, that every woman he meets takes advantage of him and does the wrong thing by him.

And yet, he seeks to  find the right one. He is lonely!

To reassure, I told him that somewhere out there is a lonely lady waiting, just for him

Did he accept these words as a kindness? No!!!

He turned on me saying neither I nor anyone else was going to FORCE him to go looking for anyone.......

Everything I said to him was turned back in anger towards me.

He has allowed strongholds to have occupancy. 

You cannot reason with someone like this, you can only pray for them.

So what do you do with constant thoughts that seek to consume and defile?

You use the weapons of your warfare....

You do as Jesus did when tempted by Satan in the dessert.

You quote the word of God, over and over and over in your mind.

Until, the word takes root and produces seed, good seed.

You drive out the (SPIRIT) of fear and replace it with the(SPIRITUAL) power.

Saying aloud....It is written!!!

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 timothy 1:7)  X3

LIVE IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE

Like a little girl named Pollyanna.

For those of you who don't know the story, Pollyanna was an orphan. 

She was brought up by poor Christian parents. Her mother died and later her Pastor father followed.  Pollyanna was sent to live with her mothers sister, her Aunt Polly, who was very wealth and upholds a superior RELIGIOUS attitude to all.

Pollyanna has been taught a CHRISTIAN attitude, of being GLAD about everything. She is generous, kind and loving to all. As the characters traits unfold we see a whole town that a SPIRIT of negativity has encompassed.  

We see the example in this story of how the devil succeeds in causing havoc in the minds by imaginations. People didn't address their problems! They don't display Christian compassion and love to one another,  instead they allow wounds of hurt to fester, erupt and influence with negativity. 

Pollyanna soon teaches the whole town how to play her GLAD game.....

In other words, she helps everyone bring their thoughts and minds into harmony with the mind of Christ. She teaches them, how to be, Christ-like.

2 Timothy 2:21

Allow Christ to shape your mind.