“Your behavior is a reflection of what you believe.” ~ Pastor Dwayne Freeman
Let me start by saying this: if every Sunday you leave church without even one word to pull on for the rest of the week I’m telling you that you’re in the wrong church! I don’t care whose auntie, momma, or grandma was baptized there in 1932! If your life isn’t impacted by being connected then it’s time to GO! Every Sunday I feel recharged and it lasts well beyond the pews. I carry it with me into my week. Some lessons resonate more with me than others but it’s never a waste when I attend church. Yes, the pastor definitely has a major part on what you get while sitting in the service. However, what you do with that word after you leave is 100% completely up to YOU.
There were so many good points that I’d love to share in hopes that it sparks a fire in you to make even the slightest change in how you think, how you act, and what you believe.
“Your words create your thoughts. Your thoughts create your actions. Your actions create behaviors. And your behaviors create your lifestyle.” ~ Pastor Dwayne Freeman
This week I’m examining this quote in great detail as it relates to my life at this moment. What am I saying about the situations of my life? How many negative thoughts come to my mind and how often do I cast them down? What actions do I take on a regular basis that have formed habits/behaviors? What does my lifestyle represent and is it in line with what I say I believe?
These are real questions! We get so bogged down with life and keeping up with all the “stuff” we have going on. We have many things to attend to over the course of our day and rarely do we take enough time to evaluate who we are without the influence of what other people say we are. Too often our thoughts hold us back in life. Many times the way we see ourselves is the way we think other people see us. When your words are off, your thinking is off and everything you do creates an environment that is so far from what God has in store for you.
Numbers 13:26-33
“Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it. But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are.
So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.
There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
The scouts forgot God’s power to help them naturally found the situation impossible, as happens in the lives of many of us. But God is what makes the difference between cowards and Calebs.
As you continue this week, make a conscious effort to shut out the noise and all the distractions. Get in the presence of God and ask Him to align your thoughts with His. Ask for Him to help you to value what he values, hate what he hates, and love how he loves. Remember this, God’s thoughts won’t make you fear but bring peace and clarity. Everything you desire begins with what you have on the inside of you. Invest in that!
Happy Tuesday!
Bianca
Tuesdays with Bianca 
Reblogged this on The BOLD & The FABULOUS and commented:
Watch your mouth! God spoke our entire world into existence as proof that words are powerful! Check out my latest here! Read. Share. Comment! Happy Tuesday All!
Reblogged this on R.H.S. Ministries.
Hey Bianca,
Wow. Praise God for these vital lessons! Bianca you said, “Many times the way we see ourselves is the way we think other people see us.” These past couple of weeks have been full of experiences with people that have led me to believe that I need to be this perfect person that says all the perfect things, does everything right, blah, blah, blah, people that I know are going to think that I’m not who I say I am, I’m mediocre, I’m not valuable nor can I add any value to their lives, this that and the third. Now the devil is a liar, but I’m just sayin…where is all this coming from? This is not the thinking that God intended for me to have.
Earlier this summer I was able to testify about how God has been transforming me, that I’m becoming a more genuine and authentic Christian, less ashamed of who I am, yadda yadda yadda. On top of that He’s had been helping me to understand that His grace is doing the work that I could never do on my own. He’s told me that I’m exactly where I’ve needed to be and after all the sins I’ve committed, He’s never changed His mind about how He feels about me, His promises are still my promises, Amen, and the big one is to stop focusing on being this perfect person and start focusing on a perfect God who loves me with no limits and can sustain me in His image.
At the end of the day, I am enough. And with Him I can do all things. This leads me to the devotional, “You Are Enough” – http://rhsministries.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/you-are-enough-monday-morning/. God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. So I needed to stop acting and thinking that I’m “auditioning” for some part in a play that says I have to be a certain way for people to like me, if I’m not like this person or that person I’m going to be rejected, etc., et cetera. Now I’m speaking from this this sermon by Steven Furtick, called “Cancel The Audition” – http://subsplash.com/elevationchurch/v/f29d96f . The Lord knew exactly who I would be when I would begin to follow Him. He knew I would make mistakes, He knew I would have moments of victory, He knew I would be hurt, He knew that I would hurt others, and with all that He believed that I would be and strive to be all that He called me to be in Him. Praise Him! And we must believe that He that began a good work in us will complete it (Phil.1:6).
So after all that momentum from the Summer and into the Fall, what’s up with all this crazy thinking that I’ve been experiencing lately? Well its like you said Bianca, “When your words are off, your thinking is off and everything you do creates an environment that is so far from what God has in store for you.” At some point I took my eyes off of Him and it’s been a struggle to get back on track. Everyday we need to renew our minds with His word and believe and tell ourselves that we are who Christ says we are. And if He wants us to do something, He’s going to make a way for us to do it no matter what our circumstances look like.
I’m finding out more and more each day that we are in a constant battle to maintain our identities in Christ Jesus. Identity is the key, not to mention obedience. If our souls are not centered in Christ, we will be susceptible to think about and believe anything that’s contrary to the will and word of God. This is why it’s so important to be vigilant in our journey’s to seek Him daily. Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV) – “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Lastly you said, “As you continue this week, make a conscious effort to shut out the noise and all the distractions. Get in the presence of God and ask Him to align your thoughts with His. Ask for Him to help you to value what he values, hate what he hates, and love how he loves.” AMEN!! I receive this message and will be sure to make the effort and pray these prayers. Investing in ourselves, like you said, is so critical. We can’t afford to be tossed and turned. Perceptions paint lasting pictures. And we’ll often find that the biggest enemy isn’t the Nephilim, it’s us. Praise God and thanks Bianca for allowing Him to use you to share these powerful and practical ways to manage the thought-life.
God bless you!
Rob
Wow! Comments like this truly make my day! Thanks for reading and sharing your heart. And yes… seeking him daily is truly the key! As always, I appreciate the support and your heartfelt feedback! Enjoy the rest of your week on purpose!