33.

Meditation Produces Success My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

-PROVERBS 4:20-22 NKJV When we refer to "meditating," we mean we ponder something and give it our full attention. A French couple helped me see that meditation is like eating. They will take a bite of food after they have enjoyed the way it looks on the plate. They comment on the pleasant aroma and often mention one or two special ingredients. They chew slowly and deliberately, and they sometimes even comment on how it makes the inside of their mouth feel.

That seems a bit too much for most Americans, but that's a good picture of meditating on G.o.d's Word. We don't just wolf down a few words or a verse and hurry on to the next. We pause to reflect on a word, a phrase, or a concept. We compare that scripture with others that come to mind. We feel in no hurry to dash to the end of the chapter. The words are there for us to savor and enjoy. We should learn to be more concerned about quality than quant.i.ty. It is more important to get a deep understanding of one verse of Scripture than it is to read five chapters and understand nothing.

Meditating on G.o.d's Word demands discipline. We live in such a fast-paced world that few of us make time to meditate. We should form a habit of setting aside time just to sit and think about G.o.d's Word and the wonderful promises He has made to those who believe in Him. The blessed person mentioned in Psalm 1 is the person who meditates on G.o.d's Word "by day and by night." The expression "by day and by night" means that it is a major part of a person's life. It's a way of saying that thinking about the Word of G.o.d should be a regular part of daily activity. This will require casting down wrong thoughts when they come and choosing to think on things that will benefit us. If we keep ourselves focused, it pays off spiritually.

I spend time with G.o.d in prayer and in study of His Word each morning, but I also apply the Word to situations that I deal with all throughout the day. During the writing of this devotion, I got some bad news by phone, and my response was to quote and think about various promises in G.o.d's Word. His Word strengthens us and helps us keep our peace and joy.

I t.i.tled this "Meditation Produces Success" because it's important for us to understand that contemplating the meaning of Scripture isn't simply a good thing to do or an activity reserved for scholars. It's G.o.d's command to all of us. It is a requirement for true success.

I thought of the instructions to Joshua as he prepared to lead the people into the Promised Land. The first few verses of the book of Joshua provide G.o.d's direction for him. There were at least two million people going into the land, and the responsibility of leading them was immense.

G.o.d promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses, and He urged the new leader to be very courageous. Then He said, "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success" (Joshua 1:8).

The instructions seem clear. Joshua had the commands of G.o.d, and his primary responsibility was to contemplate those words. By immersing himself in the law, he was learning to understand the mind of G.o.d more fully. G.o.d went on to say that if Joshua kept his mind and heart on the law, he would be prosperous and successful.

Too often people focus on their problems instead of meditating on G.o.d's promises. As they do, their problems seem to get bigger, and G.o.d's power diminishes.

G.o.d doesn't want Satan to fill your mind. He doesn't want you to give him the opportunity to inject wrong and negative thoughts into your head. For the devil to control your life, all he needs to do is to control your thoughts. Make a decision right now that you will not allow him to do that. Don't let him defeat you.

Father G.o.d, You have told me to meditate on Your Word, and I ask You to help me do that. I want Your Word to be the focus of my life. When problems come, help me turn to Your Word immediately. When Satan attacks my mind, remind me to counterattack with Your Word. As I meditate on Your Word regularly, I believe I will see good progress in my life. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

34.

"I Want a Mind Change"

And you [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespa.s.ses and sins in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fas.h.i.+on of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of G.o.d].

-EPHESIANS 2:1-2 I find a great deal of comfort in thinking about who I used to be and who I have become. It helps me not to be discouraged when I make mistakes or find that I still struggle over some issues. I'm greatly encouraged when I consider where I started and where I am now.

In Ephesians 2, Paul described those outside of Christ. He wrote that unbelievers follow the prince of the power of the air, who is Satan, and they follow the way their master leads. In verse 1, he pointed out that all were once dead through their sins, but believers are now alive in Jesus Christ. He tells us we're not governed or led by our lower nature-the impulses of the flesh.

Many Christians have trouble in this area because they haven't learned to control their thoughts. A lady once told me, "It simply didn't occur to me that I needed to direct my mind and keep it healthy and positive. If ministers preached or taught about the control of our thoughts, I never heard it. One day, however, I read an article about the power of thoughts, and G.o.d convicted me. That's when I knew I needed to change my thinking."

This lady said she drove down the street of a busy city and she spotted a sign, a cartoon of a car with big eyes for the front lights and tears flowing, and the words, "Please help me! I need an oil change."

As she pa.s.sed by, she thought, I need a mind change. I don't like being the way I am, letting my mind go wherever it wants. Part of my responsibility as a child of G.o.d is to keep my thoughts healthy and strong.

"I want to make it clear that I went to church," she said, "and I had been active for years. I knew a lot of Scripture, and I even did some volunteer work at the church. But I didn't control my thoughts. Even when I sang in church, my mind jumped from subject to subject. We'd be singing about joy and grace, and I'd think about the dishes still in the sink, the unfinished laundry, or what I wanted to eat for lunch.

"I attended church and I was faithful, but I was not faithful in attending to the Word. I listened when the preachers quoted Scripture. I usually followed along with my own Bible, but I didn't really think about what I was hearing or what my eyes were reading. I was doing the right things outwardly, but I wasn't thinking the right things. My mind was a mess, and I didn't know what to do about it."

"I need a mind change," she suddenly said aloud to herself. Just then, she actually pondered the words she had spoken. She was like the car on the sign-she needed a change-a mind change. She needed to let the Holy Spirit direct her thoughts instead of the devil. As she prayed, she felt confident there would be a positive change.

She thought to herself, Is there anything I am supposed to do? She realized that if she didn't make lifestyle changes, the devil would soon make the new thinking as muddy and gunky as the old thinking was.

For the next several days, she looked up all the scriptures she could find that used the word study or meditate. She also looked up scriptures that talked about the mind or thoughts. She read those verses, wrote them on slips of paper, and pondered them.

Here are three of them.

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he . . ." (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

"And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual att.i.tude]" (Ephesians 4:23).

"My hands also will I lift up [in fervent supplication] to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes" (Psalm 119:48).

The more she meditated on the right things, the less trouble she had with Satan trying to control her thoughts. That's how it works with all of us: The more we focus on G.o.d, the less often the devil can defeat us.

Thank You, great G.o.d, for giving me a mind change. Help me always to be free to serve You with my heart, my soul, and my mind. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

35.

A Transformed Mind Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fas.h.i.+oned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new att.i.tude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of G.o.d, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

-ROMANS 12:2 Paul used two interesting words in Romans 12:2. I asked a friend who is a Greek scholar to help me understand the difference between conform and transform.

He told me the word translated conform referred to the outward form. For example, my outward form at age twenty was quite different from what I'll look like at age seventy. The body changes, but it was more than that. He said the Greek word carried the idea of the changes we make according to the fas.h.i.+on-what was in vogue at the time-much like the way our culture goes today. One year, skirt hems are above the ankle; another year, above the knee. Those things are constantly changing.

The word Paul used for being transformed from the world refers to the essential part of ourselves-the part that doesn't change. He was saying that if we want to wors.h.i.+p and serve G.o.d, we must undergo a change-but not only of our outward form. The change must be inward, and it involves our personality, our mind, and our essential being.

Outward fas.h.i.+ons may change, but inner purity is always in style.

Romans 12:1, the verse that starts this chapter, exhorts us to present ourselves to G.o.d as a living a sacrifice. Only Christians can do that. His words are not about becoming believers, but they are about living as believers. This scripture challenges us to present all of our members to G.o.d for His use. That means our minds, mouths, wills, emotions, eyes, ears, hands, feet, et cetera.

I have to admit that for many years, I was active in the church, and I had accepted Jesus as my Savior. I knew I'd go to heaven, but I am not sure my daily witness would have encouraged anyone else to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. I had no victory, and I wasn't even aware for a long time that I needed victory. I guess I thought life was being miserable all week and going to church on Sunday, hoping G.o.d would forgive me for not being a good person.

G.o.d changed that for me. He helped me understand through His Word that He not only sent Jesus to die for us so we could go to heaven, but also so we could live victoriously right here on earth. We are more than conquerors (see Romans 8:37), and our life should include righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17).

If we want to see G.o.d's perfect will proven in our lives, we can-but we have to have our minds transformed. We have to think different thoughts and look at life differently. We have to have disciplined minds. We must begin to think in agreement with G.o.d's Word and not the devil's lies.

Although G.o.d has a different plan for each one of us, one thing is the same: We are to have minds that are inwardly transformed. If our minds are transformed by the Holy Spirit, we will act differently. I know I did. Church became a place for me to celebrate and to learn with my brothers and sisters in the faith. I began to understand wors.h.i.+p, and I became a partic.i.p.ant rather than someone who simply went through the motions.

Does your life need to be transformed? Start by being willing to think right thoughts, and then you'll see the change in yourself . . . and so will others around you.

Holy Spirit of G.o.d, please help me live a life that's transformed by the renewing of my mind. Help me live a life that shows Your perfect will, not only to me but also to the world. I ask this through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

36.

Think About What You Are Thinking About Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

-PHILIPPIANS 4:8B Some people are very unhappy, and they have been that way so long that they no longer realize there is another option. I can well remember being like that. I blamed my unhappiness on the way others behaved. I thought my husband and children caused me the most unhappiness. If they would change and just be a little more sensitive to my needs, I knew I'd feel better. If they would help around the house more, volunteer to run errands, or just ask how I was doing, I knew I'd be happy. Of course, I never said anything to them. If they were sensitive and caring, I thought, they would be able to see how they could help me and make my life easier.

I did pray about it, and I often told G.o.d how much happier I would be if they cooperated more, but they didn't change.

One day, G.o.d spoke to me-but not with the words I wanted to hear. He said, Think about what you are thinking about. I had no idea what G.o.d meant. In fact, the words didn't make sense. How could I think about what I was thinking about?

Then I realized the truth. My mind raced from one thought to another. That was bad enough, but worse, my thoughts centered around myself and my needs. I had thought that if they-the other people in my life-changed, I would be happy. I finally reluctantly admitted that even if they changed, I'd find something else to be unhappy about. I was just unhappy and didn't need any particular reason. It was first one thing and then another.

As I pondered my condition, I thought of Philippians 4:8, where Paul presented a list of the kind of things we need to focus on. If G.o.d did not want me to think about the things I was thinking about, I first needed to know what I should think about. I soon realized I had a lot to learn. Although I had been attending church for years, I could not remember anyone ever telling me how important my thoughts were to G.o.d and to my quality of life.

If we concentrate our thoughts on good things-the kind of things Paul mentioned in that verse-we will be built up. We will grow spiritually and become strong in the Lord.

As I continued to meditate on G.o.d's message, I realized how my thoughts affected my att.i.tude-and this is true of all of us. G.o.d tells us to do things that are for our good. He wants us to be happy and fulfilled. If we want happiness and fulfillment, we must find it G.o.d's way. If we're full of wrong thoughts, we're miserable. That's not a theory-that's spoken from my own experience and is found in G.o.d's Word. I've also learned that when we're miserable, we usually end up making others around us miserable, too.

Since those days, I've made it a practice to take a regular inventory of my thoughts. I review the way I think. What have I been thinking about? I ask myself.

I stress this because-as I learned from my own experience-Satan deceives us into thinking that the source of our misery or pain is other people or sometimes our situations. He tries not to let us face the fact that our own thoughts are the source of our unhappiness. I would venture to say that it is practically impossible to be happy while maintaining negative, critical, depressing thoughts.

We need to overcome Satan in this area of the battle for our thoughts, and G.o.d will help us if we ask Him to.

Dear Lord Jesus, I have determined to think about the things I have been thinking about. I admit that my thoughts are the source of any unhappiness that I experience and not other people. I also know that the source of my victory is in You, and in Your name, I ask You to give me greater victory as I monitor my thoughts through the help of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

37.

The Condition of Our Minds But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

-1 CORINTHIANS 2:16 (B) I reached the curb in front of the airport, where my friend would pick me up. I was calm and relaxed and thought of the great conversation we would have. To my surprise, she wasn't there yet. That was odd because she's the kind of person who is never late for anything. I remained calm and peaceful. I spotted what I thought was her car and took a step forward, but the car went past me, and there was a stranger in it.

Not more than three minutes had pa.s.sed, but I realized I was anxious and worried. What had happened to her? Had she been in an accident? Did she forget me? From calmness to anxiety in less than three minutes, and nothing had changed-nothing except my mind. Worried thoughts struggled inside me.

I pulled out my cell phone and started to dial, when I heard a car honking, as she pulled up to the curb. My mind s.h.i.+fted once again to calmness, even joyfulness. How quickly my emotions had s.h.i.+fted in that short period of time.

My mind had quickly changed when my circ.u.mstances did. Sometimes I find it easy to hear G.o.d speak . . . and to believe without any difficulty. Yet at other times, worry and anxiety push their way into my mind. The Bible says we are to walk by faith and not by sight, but that day at the airport, I was definitely being led by what I saw. When we worry, we are not walking in faith and trusting G.o.d.

For a long period of my life, I had a critical, suspicious, and judgmental mind. That may seem normal for many nonbelievers, but I was a Christian. I was going along with the same thinking and mindset that I had known for years. It was normal to me-it was just the way I was. For years, I had no awareness that my wrong thinking was causing any problems.

Because no one had taught me, I didn't know I could do anything to change my thought life. It simply had not occurred to me. No one had taught me about the proper condition for the believer's mind. G.o.d offers us a new way to think and a new way to live.

G.o.d has called us to renew our minds (see Romans 12:2). For most of us, it is an ongoing process. We don't control our thinking all at one time.

One day I read 1 Corinthians 2:16, where Paul says we have the mind of Christ. What could he have meant? I pondered that verse for days. I concluded that for us to have the mind of Christ doesn't mean we're sinless or perfect. It does mean we begin to think the way Christ thinks. If we have His mind, we think on those things that are good and honorable and loving.

I confessed to G.o.d how many times my mind had focused on the ugly, the mean, and the harsh.

In 1 Corinthians 2:14, Paul wrote, "But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of G.o.d, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him . . . because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. . . ." Yes, I thought, that's exactly how it works. The natural mind-even that of the Christians whose minds are tampered with by Satan-doesn't grasp what G.o.d is doing. Those things seem foolish.

We must remind ourselves that we have Christ's mind-we have the ability to think loving and caring thoughts. We can defeat Satan's attacks.

Holy G.o.d, I want to live with the mind of Christ. I ask You to enable me to think positive, loving, caring thoughts about myself and about others. Help me to see and think on the good things in life and not the bad. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

38.

My Normal Mind I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. [For I always pray to] the G.o.d of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones).

-EPHESIANS 1:16-18 This section in Ephesians is difficult for many of us to understand. What does Paul mean by "the eyes of your heart flooded with light" (v. 18)? I believe he is referring to the mind, because that's what needs enlightenment. It is with the mind that we grasp G.o.d's truths and hold to them.

Too many of us have difficulty being "flooded with light" because we are distracted with too many other things. The apostle prays for us to have what I call a normal mind-a mind that's open to the Holy Spirit's work-so that we may follow G.o.d's plan and live enriched lives.

One way to think about the idea of a normal mind is to look at two of Jesus' friends, Mary and Martha. Most people know the story of the sisters and the visit Jesus made to their home in Bethany. Martha scurried around, making certain that everything in their home was exactly right, while Mary sat down to listen to Jesus. Luke says Martha "was distracted with much serving" (Luke 10:40), and she complained to Jesus that she needed her sister's help.

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things" (v. 41), Jesus told her, and then He commended Mary for having chosen the "good portion."

As I thought about that incident, I realized it was more than Martha being distracted. I'm sure her mind jumped around, making certain that everything was exactly right. The implication is that even if there had been nothing more to do, Martha wouldn't have stopped to sit at Jesus' feet. She was so caught up in busyness that her mind would have searched for something else to do.

The Marthas seem to be in control of our world, don't they? They are the ones who get things done. When they're not accomplis.h.i.+ng their own goals, they seem to be telling others what they should do. In today's world of "multi-tasking," the Marthas seem to get the awards and the accolades. Some people are busy all the time. They wear their busyness like a badge, as if that makes them more important.

Their busyness can easily distract them from developing a solid relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d. They're the ones who often lack depth of peace and rarely know spiritual contentment. That is, they don't have what G.o.d considers a normal mind. It is not in the condition He would like it to be in.

People who are excessively busy cannot even sleep when they lie down at night. They are either mentally going over the day's activities or making mental lists of the tasks for the next day.

This isn't the lifestyle Jesus calls us to. As believers, we are spiritual beings, but we're also natural. The natural doesn't understand the spiritual and constantly fights that part of our nature. The Bible makes it clear that the mind and the spirit work together. That's the principle I call "the mind aiding the spirit."