The Battle for My Brain

In James 4:1 I read, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (NIV)

Every second of life, there’s a battle in my brain. There’s a mental battle going on right now! It could be between right and wrong, between what’s easy and what’s hard, or what’s healthy and what’s unhealthy. 

All my negative emotions—stress, depression, anxiety, loneliness, fear, jealousy—are a mental struggle. All of my internal and external conflicts start in my mind. 

James 4:1 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (NIV) This battle goes on even when I sleep, in the form of restlessness and or bad dreams. It’s a battle 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This battle is constant and intense because my mind is my greatest asset. I am my thoughts, will, emotions, and soul. Without my brain, I’m not me.

The Bible says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me . . . that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).

However, because I follow Jesus, God’s Spirit is in me. It’s part of my new nature. That means that Satan can’t control my mind, but he can make suggestions.

The only influence Satan has in the life of a Christian is that he can put thoughts in my mind. He can get my attention—and that’s a pretty big deal, because whatever gets my attention gets me. Once he puts a thought in my mind, I have to decide if I’m going to accept or reject his suggestion.

Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in my mind and all of it will eventually show up in my attitude and my actions.

I can ask God’s help for me to choose right over wrong, healthy over destructive, and his truth over Satan’s lies. The good news is that God is ready to give me the power I need through the Holy Spirit! 

Understanding That God Is on My Side

In Philippians 2:13 I read, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (NLT)

No matter what I’m going to face this week, I won’t face it alone. God is with me, he is in me, and he is for me.

Philippians 2:13 says, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (NLT).

“God is working in you.” The word “working” in Greek is the word energos, from which we get our word “energy.” God is the energy driver in my life. I’m not just going on willpower. I’m not just going on my own power. God says he will give me the power I need, no matter what I’m facing.

Not only is he in me, he also is with me. The Bible says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you . . . On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18, 20 NIV). That’s quite a promise! The Bible says Christ is in me, I’m sheltered with Christ, and I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means for the Devil to get to me, he’s got to get through the Trinity! That’s pretty good protection and a great fear reliever.

Not only is God with me and in me, God is also for me. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, no one can defeat us” (NCV).

When a shepherd leads the sheep, guard dogs stay at the back, nipping at the sheep to keep them moving in the right direction. The Bible says the guard dogs in my life are God’s goodness and mercy. God gives me the things I don’t deserve, that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give me the things I do deserve, that’s his mercy.

Get up every morning and say, “God, thank you that you’re going to be with me today, you’re going to be in me today, and you’re going to be for me today.”

In summary, God is working in me, to give me the desire and the power to do what pleases him. No matter what I’m going to face this week, I won’t face it alone. God is with me, he is in me, and he is for me. The word “working” in Greek is the word energos, from which we get our word “energy.” God is the energy driver in my life. I’m not just going on willpower or on my own power. God says he will give me the power I need, no matter what I’m facing. He also is with me. I’m sheltered with Christ, and I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit. God is also for me. God provides me with goodness and mercy. God gives me the things I don’t deserve, that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give me the things I do deserve, that’s his mercy. I need to say each day, “God, thank you that you’re going to be with me today, you’re going to be in me today, and you’re going to be for me today.”

God is with me, God is in me, and God is for me. So, what do I do when I don't feel like obeying? God has not left me alone in my struggle to do his will. He wants to come alongside me and be within me to help. God gives me the desire and the power to do what pleases him. The secret to a changed life is to submit to God's control and let him work and to ask Him to help me with the desire to do his will. To be like Christ, I must train myself to think like Christ does. To change my desires, I need the power of the Holy Spirit, the influence of faithful Christians, obedience to God's Word and sacrificial service. As I do his will, I'll gain the desire to do it. So I should do what he wants and then trust him to change my desires.

Father, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my work, my schedule, my leadership, my interactions with others, preparing for my future job role and leading a small group. These things I ask in your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

I Can’t Trust My Circumstances to Lead Me

In review of Psalm 40:8 it says, “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart” (NIV).

Today’s verse is Psalm 40:8, in it the psalmist says, “I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

If I want to know God’s will is for me, then I’ll have to stop being led by my circumstances.

This may be a bit confusing, “doesn’t God direct my circumstances?” Yes, God does want to direct my circumstances, but I should never let just my circumstances be my guide.

For instance, think about the story of Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach there. Jonah told God he wasn’t going and even headed in the opposite direction. Here are the circumstances: There was a ship waiting in the port to head for Tarshish. Jonah had the money for a ticket. They had space on board for him to join them. Jonah gets on board. With everything lined up for him to go to Tarshish, he could have easily thought, “It must be God’s will!” But, boy, did it turn out to be the wrong move! I can’t trust circumstances only.

The Bible is filled with examples of when circumstances looked promising yet led to disaster.

In Acts 27 Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner. The night before his ship was scheduled to leave, God told Paul in his prayer time that the ship would head straight into a storm. Paul told the sailors and the captain, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also” (Acts 27:10 NIV).

Unfortunately, circumstances kept the men from listening to Paul’s warning: “When a gentle wind from the south started blowing, the men thought it was a good time to do what they had planned . . . Then a very strong wind named ‘The Northeaster’ blew against us from the island. The wind struck the ship, and we could not sail against it. So we let the wind carry the ship . . . We had a hard time holding the lifeboat in place” (Acts 27:13-16 CEV).

That is the story of many a believer who trusted in circumstances. The circumstances looked good but turned disastrous.

Circumstances can lead me the wrong way. I can misinterpret them, put unwarranted trust in them, and Satan can manipulate them. So it's always wise to check my circumstances against God’s Word.

Bottom line:

Delight in doing God's will, it is now deep within me.

What this means to me:

My desire is to do your will, for it is deep within me.

Just because circumstances seem to fall into place doesn’t mean it’s always right for me. It’s wise for me to check the circumstances against God’s Word and his promptings. This morning I pray Father for the Holy Spirit to remind me to check circumstances against what you have told and are telling me. I also ask father for your wisdom and guidance today to work through my tasks, lead my team and interact properly with others. These things I pray through your Son Jesus name, amen!

Desiring To Do His Will

In review of Psalm 40:8 it says, “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

Bottom Line:

Desire to do His will; have his instructions upon your heart.

What this means to me:

God my inner desire is to do your will; your law is within my heart.” When I do it is delightful.

Doing God's will sometimes means just waiting patiently. So while I wait, I should do the things He has already told me to do: love Him, serve others, and tell others about him.

Waiting for God to help is not always easy, however I’m learning that David received four different benefits from waiting:

. God lifted him out of his dispair

. God set his feet on solid ground

. God steadied him as he walked

. God put a new song of praise in his mouth

Often blessings cannot be realized untill I go through the trials of waiting.

Also in Psalm 40, David mentions that God takes no delight in sacrifices and offerings if they are not done for the right reasons. Today I can default to making rituals of going to church, taking Communion, or paying tithes. These activities are empty if my reasons for doing them are selfish. God doesn't want my sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion to him. The prophet Samuel reminded Saul, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." I need to make sure that I'm giving God the obedience and lifelong service he desires from me.

My attitude and heart towards Him is extremely important. Just like Jesus portrayed, I too should take on the attitude of obeying and serving God. Jesus remained under the authority of God while he was here on earth. He obeyed His Father’s will. Likewise, God’s power comes to me only when I’m under his spiritual authority.

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane knew that he was going to be crucified, and He said these words, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. “

There will be times in life, when God will send me down a path that takes me out of my comfort zone. If I follow His lead, He will guide me to experience His goodness and bring me into a deeper relationship with Him, and blessing beyond anything I can imagine.

Learning To Be Careful In Listening To My Heart

In summary of Jeremiah 17:9-10 it says,

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.  But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind.  get to the heart of the human.  I get to the root of things.

I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”

Bottom Line:

Our hearts are deceiving, they don’t always do what’s logical or rational, its hard to figure out.  But God searches our true hearts and knows our intentions.  He then gives according to our ways and deeds

What this means to me:

My heart won’t always want what is really best for me.  I can easily convince myself of anything to suit my real desires.  It’s hard therefore to be really rational.  God sees my true intent and will deal rightly with my hearts intent.  One way to combat this is to be brutally honest with myself so that my mind doesn’t try to justify my selfish desires.  One way I just learned to deal with this is to ask the question, “Am I being completely honest with myself?” and this is best asked personally in front of a mirror and in private.  It’s important to expose my real reasons.  Next, I can follow what’s in one of my favorite verses,  Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”  And the other is follow what Proverbs 18:13 says, and make sure I get all the facts before proceeding.  Today, I will think through decisions I’m currently making and re-evaluate them based on this.