| 2 Corinthians 12:5 – “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ”. |
I love when the Holy Spirit brings to mind thoughts that lead you closer to Jesus. Sometimes these thoughts show up in the most unexpected moments. I, personally, often hear them in the quiet of morning as the chickens wake up on our ranch and everyone in my tribe sleeps soundly around me.
This morning the Lord spoke over me three important concepts. I’ve been struggling with a big hurt that was laid on me last year. One of those hurts where your entire world crashes down and you can’t seem to move forward peacefully as you once did. One of those hurts that are incredibly hard to forgive despite Jesus’ command to do so. One of those hurts that are replayed in your mind over and over despite your strongest attempt to push it out.
There is something incredible about flooding your mind with God’s word. Always talking to the Lord and thinking about his sweet Word so much so that it comes naturally and flows out of your heart refreshing your spirit like lemon flavored ice water from a pitcher on a hot Texas day. God will use His words that He has already written to speak to your heart. Just listen.
The first thing I heard Him say was “Take every thought captive”.
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ”.
Our thoughts lead to our attitude, what we say, how we behave. If there is a thought in your head that is not of Christ – give it over. Immediately. Don’t entertain the thought. Period.
The second concept led me back to Lot’s wife. Do you remember Sodom and Gomorrah? The cities were so evil and God’s goodness was not within them. They were burned to the ground while Lot’s family was allowed the opportunity to run far away and be saved from the devastation.
Genesis 19:16-17, 26 “When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” “But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”
Here’s the deal, friends. Satan will consistently bring to mind things that have hurt you or caused destruction in your own life. It is NOT to your benefit to look back on those events, replay, recall and think about those past hurts. Once you’ve processed them appropriately and in a reasonable time frame then move on. Remembering what was done and focusing on the hurt does absolutely no good for you. Not even a little bit. We are to look forward at the new work God is doing in our lives. Run ahead and run far away just as the angel told Lot’s family. I love the imagery of the angels literally escorting Lot’s family out of trouble because the Lord was merciful. Just the same the Lord has been merciful in pulling you out of your trouble and that’s why you are here today. Don’t look back.
The third concept that was brought to my mind comes from Psalm 103:12 “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” The Lord is so very kind to us. He doesn’t keep record of our wrongs. In Psalm 103:8-11 it says, “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth”.
I love this so much! We are given a clean slate. The Lord doesn’t remember our sins forever and He certainly doesn’t hold them against us every day of our life.
Take heart if you’ve been hurt. These concepts, in dealing with pain and hurts, don’t come naturally for us as humans and natural born sinners, but we can actively and intentionally respond to our hurts the way Jesus asks.
The last thing I’ll share is that I love to be open and transparent with my little children so they can see the Lord working in their life, too. I shared my sweet time with Jesus with my 8 year old daughter. She immediately said, “Wow! What a HEART OPENER!” I pray God gives you many heart opening experiences as you learn to trust and follow Him every day of your life.
Prayer: Yahweh, thank you. Thank you for loving us so much and seeing us through every ounce of our pain. Thank you for reminding us of your love through blessings in our lives. Thank you for speaking to us in the quiet moments. May you keep our hearts and minds calm and give us the ability to hear you over the loud life around us. We love you. More than anything else in this life … we want YOU. We want your will. We want our lives to align with your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
- Crystal Barr
