Ya, me too.
Here's the thing though. Yes, most of those thoughts are harmless...but then there are those that go from a thought, then you stop to think on it, then you start to imagine all sorts of stuff about it, then it becomes a stronghold.
Then poof....hes got you. Who is "he" you ask? Well, our adversary of coarse. There are two scriptures that sum this up. But first, I want to tell you what happened to me today. (Yes, I deal with this stuff too. We ALL do)
I've been painting at my church for several months now. I am doing the murals in the Children's Church. (I've added them to the bottom of this post for you.) Point is, I'm there all the time ......just me. There is a fridge there that is stocked with sodas. They are .50 cents and it is all based on the honor system. Meaning, you take one, you pay...but no one is watching you, and no one is going to "make sure" you do it. You just do it. Thus the term....honor system.
Anyways...
Over these past few months that I have been painting, several different people have mentioned this fact to me. That there is a stocked fridge with soda's and that they are .50 cents. I have never really thought much about it...until today.
Today, the Pastor came by and struck up a conversation about the fridge, the soda's, how much they are, that even those of us who work there pay for them. That the money is to pay for digging wells. That people probably take them without paying sometimes. For some reason, THIS time, a thought stuck between my ears.
"You are here alone all the time. He thinks you have taken soda's. He is trying to be nice and give you the benefit of the doubt that you just didnt know any better, and so he is taking the time to explain to you, AGAIN, that they are .50 cents, that the money goes to build wells.....He thinks you took some without paying."
Read this...
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
So what am I saying? That a thought is a dangerous thing? Well....yes! Where do you think every single sin starts? It is born as a thought. It has to be THOUGHT of before it can be acted upon. Right?
I asked the Pastors wife in a neurotic, anxiety ridden text ...that I hope they didnt think I stole sodas. It makes me laugh out loud now. But at the time, I really thought they might think that.
How did I get to that point? I let the thought take hold, I let it become a vain imagination. I let it get me into anxiety, worry, self doubt.....basically...fear.
Did you know that the subject of "Do Not Fear" is mentioned something like 365 times in the Bible? Think He was trying to get a point across? Ya, me too.
I think because if you have fear....you cant have faith. They are opposites and the Bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Lesson I learned today? When a thought of that nature comes....a thought that causes fear...give it to God in prayer and MOVE on. Don't dwell on it. Let the passing thought be just that..."passing". Don't let it get stuck between your two ears.
Hope this was helpful in someway today. Want to have a peek at some of the murals I am doing? Here ya go.
