It Starts in the Mind

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - Romans 12:2 (KJV)

We've all heard the phrase, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" (Arthur Fletcher). We've heard it and maybe even internalized it. But many of us are still wasting away our minds. We can't make necessary changes in our lives because of the state of our minds. There are things that we want to do, but we simply do not put forth the effort to do them because of what's in our minds. And more often than not, what's in and on our minds is not us; it's someone else. We are concerned about what they will think, what they will say, how they will respond, if they will support or turn away, and the list goes on. 

Most of our time and energies are spent on making the actual plans instead of executing them. Our plans are well thought, and we even know that God is IN them. We have the faith to execute them. But a plan without action is simply just a plan. Faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). 

Our thoughts can sometimes push us out of a blessing and a breakthrough. We spend time thinking about frivolous things that end up causing up frustration, worry, mischief, and the list goes on. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 to think on things that are honest, just, pure, praiseworthy, of good report, and true. That should drive our hearts and will to move in the direction of God and the things of God.

This week, let's put our prayer focus on our minds. Read, meditate, pray, and even journal on one scripture a day. In your journal, write out the actual scripture, write what you understand of it, and write how you want to God to give that Scripture life in your life. Let's see how God moves when we make up our minds that it's time for a transformation in our lives. It's a process, but we have to know that the change starts in our minds.

Romans 12:2 (above)

Isaiah 26:3

Romans 8:5-6

Colossians 3:2

Psalm 119:15

Philippians 2:5-8

Prayer:
Dear God, we thank You for minds to seek You. As we go through this week focusing on cleansing our minds, we ask that You remove anything that is not like You. Draw us closer to Your Word and grant us understanding. Let Your Word give us life and breathe new life into our minds. We desire a change in our thinking. We desire to let go of thoughts that hold us bound...stuck. To go forward in this thing called life, we know that we need an infilling of You. Speak to us. We're ready. We're hungry. We're desperate. Have Your way in this journey. Open our minds to receive from You. In Jesus' Name...amen.

Be blessed,

Tee

I Got You!

I'm training for a marathon to be run later this year. I have a good friend, my #RunBoo, that I get a few runs in with a few times per week. We have a great time on and off the pavement. One day last week torwards the end of a run, she frantically says, "Sis, give me your hand! Give me your hand! I want to quit!" Yes... we were rolling at a pretty fast pace. I have her my hand and began to encourage her.

When we got to the stopping point, she was weak. Doubled over, spitting up, and all that comes with having the wind knocked out of you when you push it during a run, she ended up on the ground. I let her sit for a few until she said she was dizzy. I was able to get her to her feet and instructed one of the other ladies to squeeze some of my electrolytes in her mouth. She said, "Sis I'm going down." As she began to go down, I held her tighter and said, "Nope. I gotchu." She was dead weight up against me. But I was girded against her, with my feet firmly planted and my arms around her waist.

How many times have we given so much of ourselves until we are just ready to quit? We need someone's hand because we know we can't go another step without that "grip", that "assurance", "them". The Bible encourages us to cast our cares upon God because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7), and to come to Him for rest... those of us who are weary and heavy laden (Matthew 11:28-30). We can't be afraid to ask for help no matter what!

In your getting weary, reach out for Him. He will hold your hand, carry you through and over, and allow you to finish. He will hold you in the midst of it all, ensuring that you keep standing, despite the fact that you feel weak. His strength IS made perfect in our weakness. When we're weak, He's strong (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)!

Be blessed,

Tee

Daily Push 5.4.17

Things may not always be as we want them to be. But trust...God has them working according to His plan and His timing. Trust, commit to, and embrace the process.

Believe...

A couple weeks ago, I was on my way to a store for a friend who was home ill. I was going to pick them up some meds and food. As I got in my car, it wouldn't start. I was able to give myself a jump twice, but then decided to take my niece's car to run the errands. Later in the day, I thought I'd try to jump my car again. This time, it wouldn't turn over. I ended up purchasing a new battery to no avail, and ended up having my car towed to the dealership the next day.

Due to the weather, the dealership was unable to take a look at my car until later in the week. They were unable to diagnose the problem and sent my car to another dealership. After their assessment, they determined that a loose battery cable blew my computer out. Due to the cause of this issue (loose battery cable), I was told by the extended warranty company AND the dealership that I was responsible for the repairs totaling $1,375.00.

I got on the phone and spoke with the service manager at Nissan. After explaining my issue to him, he decided to give me a 15% discount, BUT...I was still paying for the repairs. This is almost 2 weeks later. As I was sitting in bed looking over the notes from my phone calls, the Lord spoke to me and said (very clearly):

"Do not be afraid of this great multitude. Rest assured I'm working on your behalf. I'm paving your way to victory. Trust me. Do not be weary in well doing. You will receive as long as you don't faint! Hold on...your help is not on the way...it's already in position."

I sent this via text to my cousin, my spiritual brother, and 3 of my close girlfriends. I also posted on my Facebook wall because I felt someone else needed the same encouragement. It was like after the Lord spoke to me, I no longer thought about the money. I didn't care about the money that I had spent on a battery ($132) or the tow ($55), or the first rental car ($250), or the amount they were telling me I had to pay. I took my focus completely off that stuff because it wasn't important. Okay...that's another post!

Two days later, I was at it again...on the phone. I called my extended warranty company back and requested to speak with a Supervisor. He explained that my claim had been escalated to management for claim review. I repeated to him - "I was able to jump my car twice successfully. I should not have to pay for this claim because it's not something that I did." I hung up from him and put in a call to Nissan Consumer Affairs. I gave her the same information.

Well today....the Word of the Lord came to pass. The Supervisor from my extended warranty company called and said, "We're going to take care of all of your repairs." Before I knew it, I said, "Praise the Lord!" I then called the techs at both dealerships to let them know it's being taken care of. Hallelujah!!!!

I'm sharing this post today to encourage someone else. When you hear the voice of the Lord, listen!  Stand on His Word! It is true and will not return to Him void. I noticed that the Lord was only speaking His Word to me!!! And I...received it, believed it, and stood firm on it. And so can you. No matter what was going on, I knew that this was all part of the process. I just needed to stand.

Love and blessings,
Minister Te'Retta