For the mind to aid the spirit, we must learn to pull back from all the distractions around us. There will always be demands on our time and energy, and we can always find plenty to do. But if we want to live with the mind of Christ, the one that should be normal for Christians, it means we must learn to imitate Mary. Despite all the clamor and activities going on around her, she was able to sit, relax, and listen to the voice of the Master. That's how the mind is supposed to work. It should be quiet and under the control of the Spirit. However, we often find that our minds are so set in a wrong direction that they actually hinder the Spirit from helping us, as they should be free to do.

If you realize from this devotion that your mind has been behaving abnormally, ask G.o.d to forgive you and teach you what a normal mind is in His kingdom.

Dear G.o.d in heaven, distractions constantly come at me. When I try to pause and focus on You, my mind seems to be filled with dozens of things I need to do. I realize that I truly need only one thing-to focus on You. Please help me push away every distraction and noise so I can hear only Your voice that says, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." Amen.

39.

Still, Small Voice And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord pa.s.sed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice.

-1 KINGS 19:11-12 Someone once told me of a one-act play with three characters-a father, a mother, and a son who had just returned from Viet Nam-who are sitting at a table to talk. The play lasts thirty minutes, and they all get their chance to talk. There's only one problem: No one listens to the others.

The father is about to lose his job. The mother had once held just about every office in their church, and now younger women are pus.h.i.+ng her aside. The son struggles with his faith. He had gone to war, seen chaos and death, and now is bewildered about life.

At the end of the play, the son stands and heads toward the door. "You haven't heard a word I've said," is his parting remark, as he walks out of the room.

The parents look at each other, and the mother asks, "What did he mean?"

What the parents didn't get-and the audience obviously does-is that the son struggles to believe in a loving, caring G.o.d. Every time he tries to explain, one of the parents interrupts with something they want to say. The soldier needed to hear from G.o.d. Hoping his mother or father would be the channel through which G.o.d would speak, he went to them. However, they were not available for G.o.d to use because they were not quiet enough to hear Him. All three of them were so distraught and noisy that they all left the same way they came. What might have happened had they really listened to one another, and then quietly prayed and waited on G.o.d? I am sure the outcome would have been very different and much more rewarding.

In the opening scripture, I quoted part of the story of Elijah to make this point clear. That deeply committed prophet had defied the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel for years. The big moment came on Mount Carmel when Elijah destroyed 450 prophets of Baal. Later, when Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him, he ran away, apparently in terror.

He must have been worn out by the powerful events. Then suddenly the man was alone, with no crowds, no one trying to kill him, and no one to talk to. Just before the two verses mentioned above, Elijah had gone into a cave to hide out. When G.o.d asked him what he was doing there, he spoke of his zeal for G.o.d. Then he told G.o.d that the children of Israel had gone astray, killing prophets, "And I, I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away" (v. 10).

G.o.d brought strong winds, falling rocks, an earthquake, and fire. I think that was the way Elijah expected G.o.d to appear-in the miraculous and powerful. But the writer tells us G.o.d wasn't in those things.

This is really the spiritual principle of G.o.d at work. We can find the devil in the noise and the shouts. We can find the devil with big attractions to lead us astray. But G.o.d likes to speak in the still, small voice-the voice that not everyone will hear-the voice that only the committed will listen for.

As long as Elijah sought the dramatic, he wouldn't hear G.o.d. But when he pulled back and listened for the inner voice, the soft, non-demanding voice of the Holy Spirit, Elijah could communicate with G.o.d.

What kind of voice from G.o.d are you listening for? Will you recognize the still, small voice when you hear it? Do you take time to be quiet and just listen? If not, there is no better time to begin than right now.

Wise G.o.d, like Elijah and many others, I often look for the loud, the exciting, and the showy. I know that You sometimes use healings and miracles, but I ask You to help me listen most of all in the soft stillness for the quiet ways in which You speak. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

40.

Spiritual Praying Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also.

-1 CORINTHIANS 14:15 Earlier I referred to "the mind aiding the spirit." For many people, this is a difficult concept to grasp. I understand what Paul meant because it's something I've learned to use in my own spiritual growth.

For example, one morning I set aside my usual time for prayer. I began to pray, but my prayers felt flat-nothing energized them-and there was no help from my spirit. As I struggled, I reminded myself that I had made myself available to G.o.d, and I wanted the Spirit to use me to change lives.

I continued to pray but nothing changed. This had happened before, so I wasn't discouraged. I kept on praying and telling G.o.d the things about which I was concerned. After several minutes, a powerful energy took hold of me. I knew I had touched the area where the Holy Spirit wanted me to pray. This became more than my concern-this was G.o.d's concern.

I began by praying out of my mind-about things that I knew of and thought needed prayer. I was praying in English because that is my normal language, and I understood what I was saying. But when the energizing power of the Spirit came, without any conscious thought, I began to pray with my prayer language, or what many of us refer to as an unknown tongue.

Paul was our example and teacher in this area. He said he knew how to pray with the Spirit, and he knew how to pray with the understanding. This may not make sense to everyone-and it certainly can confuse people at first. However, I encourage you not to reject a gift of G.o.d that is available to you merely because you have not experienced it and don't understand it. Be open to G.o.d, and ask Him to teach you about praying in other tongues.

Think of it this way. G.o.d calls us to prayer. That's our joy as well as our responsibility. Sometimes when we talk to G.o.d, we hardly know what to say. We pray, but our words feel inadequate. It's as if there is a depth to our burdens that transcends words. Something is going on that's so strong within us-so overwhelming-we have no words to speak. To use English feels utterly useless. No matter what we say to G.o.d out of our own minds (understanding), we feel we have not broken through and obtained a victory.

Then comes what I call a prayer release. I speak in words I don't understand-words that are beyond the grasp of my human mind-and yet my spirit "understands," or bears witness that my prayers are correct and are getting the job done.

The best biblical reference I can give for this experience is Acts 2, which tells the story of Pentecost. The disciples prayed in an upper room while Jews came from all over the world to the city of Jerusalem. The 120 people in that room were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they burst out speaking in unknown languages-unknown to them. But the visitors heard them, "And when this sound was heard, the mult.i.tude came together and they were astonished and bewildered, because each one heard them [the apostles] speaking in his own [particular] dialect" (Acts 2:6).

The apostle Paul thanked G.o.d that he spoke in tongues, and he also said that n.o.body should forbid anyone to do so. There has been a great deal of division in the church over the issue of speaking in tongues, but I encourage you to go straight to your Bible and see what the Word of G.o.d says about it. Don't have a closed mind to any of the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need all the supernatural help we can get to help us live our lives victoriously.

Some people teach that the gift of speaking in tongues went away with the early church, but there are millions of people worldwide who speak in tongues today. Those who speak in other tongues are certainly no better, nor are they more spiritual than those who do not speak in tongues, but once again, I encourage you to seek G.o.d for yourself in this area, so your prayers can be as powerful as possible.

When we pray in the Spirit, our minds and our spirits work together. Our minds yield to our spirits, and we are praying the perfect prayer that G.o.d desires.

Holy Spirit, I desire all the supernatural gifts You have made available. I need all the help I can get to enable me to live victoriously. I want to pray powerful prayers that are led by the Holy Spirit. I know You hear and answer the prayers I pray in my known language, but I am open to receiving the gift of an unknown language that will enable me to speak secrets and mysteries unto You. I trust You, Jesus, to lead me in the right direction. Amen.

41.

G.o.d's Vision for You For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

-JEREMIAH 29:11 G.o.d's plan for the people of the nation of Israel was only for their good. Yet they wandered around in the wilderness for forty years on what was actually an eleven-day journey. Why? Was it their enemies, their circ.u.mstances, the trials along the way, or something entirely different that prevented them from arriving at their destination in a timely manner?

G.o.d called the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt to go to the land He had promised to give them as a perpetual inheritance-a land that flowed with milk and honey and every good thing they could imagine-a land in which there would be no shortage of anything they needed-a land of prosperity in every realm of their existence.

But the Israelites had no positive vision for their lives-no dreams. They knew where they came from, but they did not know where they were going. Everything was based on what they had seen in the past or what they could presently see. They did not know how to see with "the eye of faith."

We really shouldn't view the Israelites with astonishment, because most of us do the same thing they did. We keep dealing with the same problems over and over again. The disappointing result is that it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly.

I come from a background of abuse. My childhood was filled with fear and torment, and my personality was a mess! I built up walls of protection to keep people from hurting me, not realizing that while I was locking others out, I was also locking myself in. I was filled with fear, and believed that the only way I could face life was to be in control so no one could hurt me.

As a young adult trying to live for Christ and follow the Christian lifestyle, I knew where I had come from, but I did not know where I was going. I felt that my future would always be marred by my past. I thought, How could anyone with a past like mine ever be all right? It's impossible!

But Jesus had a different plan. He said, "The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me . . . to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity]" (Luke 4:18).

Jesus came to open the prison doors and set the captives free-and that included me. However, I did not make any progress until I started to believe that I really could be set free. I had to get rid of my negative thinking and replace it with a positive vision for my life. I had to believe that neither my past nor my present could determine my future. Only then could Jesus free me from the bondage of my past-and free me, He did. What a marvelous miracle!

You may have had a miserable past; you may even be in current circ.u.mstances that are very negative and depressing. You may be facing situations that are so bad it seems you have no real reason to hope. But I say to you boldly: Your future is not determined by your past or your present!

Most of the generation the Lord called out of Egypt never entered into the Promised Land. Instead, they died in the wilderness. To me, this is one of the saddest things that can happen to a child of G.o.d-to have so much available and yet never be able to enjoy any of it.

Start believing that G.o.d's Word is true. Mark 9:23 a.s.sures you that with G.o.d all things are possible. Because you serve a G.o.d who created everything you see out of the unseen realm (see Hebrews 11:3), you can give Him your nothingness and watch Him go to work on your behalf. All you have to do is have faith in Him and believe His Word-He will do the rest!

Dear Father, I thank You for loving me and having a vision-a good plan-for my life. I pray that You will help me overcome any negative thoughts of problems, past or present, that come against my mind, and make my life what You want it to be. Amen.

42.

The Peaceful Mind You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

-ISAIAH 26:3 What is it about nighttime that makes us more vulnerable to satanic attack? Is it because daylight is gone and it's dark? Is there some kind of a.s.sociation between evil and the dark hours of night? We are usually able to cope with whatever happens to us during the day, but sometimes it's a different story at night.

My theory is that by evening, most of us are tired and weary, and we just want to lie down, close our eyes, and drift into peaceful sleep. That is one of Satan's favorite times to engage us in the battle for our minds. He knows that when we are exhausted and sleepy, we are not as resistant to his attacks. And just as we are about to drop off to sleep, he makes his move.

If we recognize that we're more susceptible to the attack of the enemy at night, we can take steps to be better prepared to stand against him. Some of my friends tell me that they find it helps to meditate on scriptures such as Philippians 4:8, which tells us to think on good things-things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and excellent. Or they claim the promise of Isaiah 26:3: "You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You. . . ." These words from the Bible enable us to remain vigilant even in the dark hours of night. By using the Word of G.o.d, we can defeat every onslaught of the enemy-even in our weakest hours.

But if we have not armed ourselves with the Word and spent some time in prayer, we will fall for Satan's plan when he brings to mind some troublesome event of the day, and asks, "Why did you say that? How could you have been so insensitive?"

He takes advantage of us when he knows we are weak and the most vulnerable to his influence. His goal is to disturb our thoughts and rob us of the peaceful rest that our bodies need. One of his tricks is to cause us to focus on the problems of the day, suggesting that we must immediately-in the middle of the night-determine the best way to settle the issue.

I experienced nights like this years ago, and I didn't always win the battle. But as a mature Christian, I now know how to fight the good fight of faith. Here's one thing I figured out a long time ago: It is not wise to make decisions in the middle of the night. There may be times when G.o.d demands an immediate surrender, and those are powerful moments in our lives. But most decisions can wait until the next day.

Perhaps we spoke hastily or didn't respond kindly to someone's need. The issues are often little things that we probably could have handled better. But as Satan wages his battle in the dark of night, those little things seem to take on importance and urgency-so much so that we believe we will never sleep unless we settle the issue immediately.

When Satan tries to pull that nighttime trick on me, I've learned to say, "I'll deal with this issue in the morning, when the sun is s.h.i.+ning. After I've rested, I can cope." I've also learned that I can say, "Lord, I surrender this to You. Give me Your rest, Your peace, and help me to make the right decision in the morning." That works for me!

Holy Spirit, thank You for being with me, for protecting me, and for guiding my life. When I face those dark nights and the enemy tries to attack my mind, protect me. I trust You and ask You to keep me in Your perfect peace. Amen.

43.

A Wandering, Wondering Mind Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

-1 PETER 1:13 KJV In the days when Peter wrote these words, men wore long, flowing robes that hindered fast progress or strenuous action. They wore broad belts (or girdles) about their waists, and when they wanted to move into action, they "girded up their loins"-that is, they shortened their robes by pulling them up inside their belts. That term is similar to what we mean when we say, "Roll up your sleeves." Peter's words here are a serious call to action-a reminder that when we lose our focus, it is time for us to do some serious thinking.

I've already talked about how staying too busy can result in an abnormal mind as opposed to a normal mind. Now I want to point out that another way the devil attacks your normal mind is by causing your thoughts to wander. It's a mental attack. If you do not discipline your mind to remain focused on what is important, the devil will cause it to wander aimlessly to other things.

When this inability to concentrate goes on for a while, you may begin to wonder if there is something wrong with your mind. What you often fail to realize is that when you've allowed your mind to wander for so long, you're hardly aware that it's taking place.

In some cases, there may be physical causes for not being able to concentrate, such as anemia or certain B-vitamin deficiencies. You may not be eating properly. Or you may have become excessively fatigued. It's a good idea to consider all the potential causes as you search for a solution. I've learned that when I'm excessively tired, Satan tries to attack my mind because he knows it's more difficult for me to resist him during those times.

Sometimes a lack of concentration creates a lack of comprehension. Perhaps as you are reading the Bible, you find yourself hurrying to get through so you can do something else. Out of a sense of duty, you are determined to finish reading a chapter-and you do. But when you are finished, you can't recall anything you have read. Your eyes scanned the pages, but your mind was engaged somewhere else.

Perhaps you have even experienced this battle for your mind in church. You attend regularly-and the devil can't always stop that-but he can cause your mind to start wandering during the sermon. Have you ever been fully engrossed in listening to a sermon, and then you suddenly realize that your mind has wandered and you have no idea what was said?

If the devil can rob you of the benefits of reading the Bible and hearing G.o.d's Word at church, he has won some major skirmishes in the battle for your mind. This is why Peter tells us to "gird up the loins of our minds." You must take action by confronting your wandering mind and disciplining it to focus on what's important.

In conversation, I used to fake it when I realized my mind had wandered. Now I deal with it honestly by asking, "Would you please back up and repeat that? I let my mind wander off, and I didn't hear a thing you said." This kind of behavior not only interrupts the plan of the enemy but also brings victory over the problem.

It's not easy to discipline your mind when it has been allowed to wander aimlessly, but you can do it. When you discover that your thoughts have wandered, you must exercise discipline and make the necessary corrections. The devil would like to convince you that you can't help yourself, but when you consistently come against his bid for your mind, he is defeated, and you have won another battle.

Holy Spirit, I realize how quickly Satan distracts me and then capitalizes on my wandering mind. Forgive me for allowing him to lead me astray. I thank You for giving me a good, clear mind, and in the name of Jesus, I ask You to help me overcome every temptation to lose my focus. Amen.

44.

A Wondering Mind In the morning, when they were pa.s.sing along, they noticed that the fig tree was withered [completely] away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to Him, Master, look! The fig tree which You doomed has withered away! And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in G.o.d [constantly]. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].

-MARK 11:20-24 When you say the words, "I wonder," they sound innocent and honest. They also represent the way we avoid certainty in making decisions.

Suppose you're the CEO of a business. Every day twenty people come to your office and ask you to make decisions. Yours is the final answer on everything that goes on in the corporation. Instead of giving decisive answers, you rub your chin, stare out the window, and say, "I wonder. I wonder what we should do about that?"

An indecisive CEO wouldn't stay in that position very long. The position is much too important to the overall success and wellbeing of the organization and all who are a.s.sociated with it. You are not in that position to wonder-you're there to act.

Too many of us forget that this is the way it is with the Christian life, as well. Too often, instead of choosing what we need to do, we avoid facing the situation and say, "I wonder."

I know because I've done it. In times past, when I've been invited to a party or to be the featured speaker at a banquet, I've said, "I wonder what I should wear." It's easy for me to waste a lot of time looking through my closet, considering the color and style, as I try to choose just the right outfit for a particular occasion.

This may seem like such a small thing-and it really is. The problem, however, is that if we allow enough of these "wonderings" in our lives, we not only fail to accomplish the things we need to do, but wondering becomes the normal way our minds function. Being indecisive keeps us from moving forward and can eventually defeat us.

In the verses quoted earlier, the incident started with a fig tree that wasn't bearing fruit. The disciples could have wasted time wondering about the particulars of why the tree didn't bear fruit. They could have wondered if it hadn't received enough sunlight or water. They might have wondered why the owner hadn't cut it down since it wasn't productive. But wasting time wondering really wasn't necessary.

When Jesus spoke and doomed the tree, He put a stop to any mental speculation. He used the incident as an object lesson for the disciples, encouraging them to believe. He wanted them to understand that if they truly believed, they could have whatever they asked of Him.

Sometimes G.o.d's people are reluctant to ask boldly for big things. But Jesus has given us permission to step out in faith and ask boldly. And yet some still waste time just wondering. They wonder what it would be like if G.o.d would give them a better job. They wonder what it would be like if G.o.d would give them a larger house.

I can tell you that wondering is a waste of time. So stop wondering and start acting! That's one of the most important things I've learned about the wondering mind. Rather than wondering what I should wear to a banquet, I look at my clothes and I decide. G.o.d gave me the ability to make wise choices, so I can just do it instead of wasting my time wondering.

Wondering and indecision can become strongholds in our minds that can leave us feeling confused, insecure, and ineffective. But that's not G.o.d's plan. He wants us to overcome the wondering thoughts by believing and then receiving the answer to our prayers from G.o.d, by faith.

Notice that Jesus did not say, "Whatever things you wonder when you pray, you will have." Instead, He said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it]."