Saturday, December 16, 2017

Beauty and truth

“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy…” 

I always seem to ignore that and skip right to the abundant life… But as I read John 10:10, the first part jumped out at me. Jesus is warning that the enemy is at work around me, too. If I am aware of that, I can redirect my thoughts accordingly.
  • When I think I am not enough, I need to realize it is the enemy stealing my motivation. The truth is I am made in the image of God, He equips me and I am a difference-maker when I am abiding in Him.
  • When I don’t hear from a family member, I might think I’m not important to them or that they don’t need me in their lives any more. But that is the evil one twisting and distorting.
  • When I take offense to a comment, believing the worst instead of the best about the deliverer, then I am letting the enemy ratchet up tension.
  • When I say “I’ll do it tomorrow,” and delay the important conversations, meetings and missions or treat them as optional, the destroyer is getting the upper hand.
  • When I feel too rushed, unfocused or exhausted to spend time listening to God, then I am letting the enemy’s influence in. The enemy plants lies, hoping I will believe God is uninterested, unresponsive or powerless. 
These are the schemes and scams of the cruel destroyer!

I cannot allow these thoughts to roll around in my head. 

I can instead focus on taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Some days it is a consistent struggle to test every thought at the door of my mind: Is it true, is it noble, is it right? …Pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? (Phil 4:8) “Think about such things,” the apostle Paul reminded the early church. “Fill your minds with beauty and truth,” is the way The Voice translates it.

Yes. To have the abundant life with Jesus is to hear His voice in my life and filter out the enemy’s.

“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)

Jesus, thank you for the beauty and truth you consistently speak to me. Abiding and drawing near has made your voice familiar. There is none like it and I know the difference. Thank you for showing me the contrast—the way to the abundant life.

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