Tag: emotional

What type of graveclothes are you wearing?

What are grave clothes? When we are born again, we have a regenerated spirit, but we still have the world on us sometimes. God wants you loosed from the trappings of the graveclothes. He wants us to let go of the things that are binding our hands, feet, hearts, and minds.

In John 11:43-44 “Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘loose him, and let him go.’”

Jesus’ friend Lazarus died and was buried. On the fourth day Jesus came and raised him from the dead. He said Lazarus come forth, Lazarus rose and came out of the tomb, but was still wrapped in graveclothes. Grave clothes are cloth stripes used for burial in ancient days.

These strips of cloth were wrapped around the body to where the entire body was bound. I’ve been thinking of the ways we can become bound even though we are regenerated in spirit we can continue to live bound.  It is interesting to me that Jesus told the people who moved the stone to unbind Lazarus. Even then people were needed to help and so are they today. Sometimes we think I don’t need help, or no one understands but God does understand, and he uses others to help unbind us.

To me grave clothes are things that keep you stuck or things that are harming your growth. We are spiritual, emotional, physical beings and we can get stuck in many ways. Mindsets can be binding on your health and growth when we let the painful thoughts of the past or current situations keep us from moving forward, it becomes the grave cloth over the mind. Jesus died so we could have freedom from oppressive thoughts, harmful habits, and harmful relationships.

Eternal life isn’t just going to heaven it is life here and now.  But we need to let our hands, feet, or mind be unbound. Can you imagine Lazarus fighting the people who were helping him? Unfortunately, at times we do hinder our help. But today is a good day to allow God to use his word to bring you the help you need and reach out to someone for the help you need.

What is keeping you bound today? What is limiting your growth, stopping you from moving forward, or holding you back? Surrender it to God by giving it to him and ask for his help. Then receive the help you need. My prayer is that if you are hurting today, you receive the help you need to move in the right direction.

The Marvelous Mind & Know your thoughts!

Have this mind…

Three Tools To Fight The Good Fight Of Faith…

How do we fight the good fight of faith? What is the good fight of faith? What does the Apostle Paul mean when he tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith? Obviously, it is not a physical fight but a moral, spiritual and emotional fight. Our scripture reference is 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

The reader needs to review 1 Timothy chapter six because the context is important to understanding the good fight of faith that the apostle Paul is writing to Timothy about. He tells him in verse six “godliness with contentment is great gain.” What ever place we are in God supplies our need. Being content with what you have is essential to peace. When we are focused on what we do not have we become frustrated and fretful with life.

Fighting the good fight is a moral, emotional and spiritual fight. When we get to focused on getting things or having what we do not have, we become focused on ourselves. This can open the door to greed, lust, self-pity, and bitterness. The Apostle Paul understood this and said in Philippians 3:12 “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  He understood the harm of letting our situations consume our mind, will and emotions. He understood that Christ strength empowers us to endure and wait, and to press on and persevere. Which is part of “the fighting the good fight of faith.”

First tool for fighting the good fight of faith is God’s Word. Speaking God’s Word to overcome in any area is the best tool to fight with. His word is effective and powerful.

One way in using God’s Word is to knock down the thoughts and imaginations that are contrary to God’s word and His peace. Be mindful of your thoughts they generate consequences on your emotions, health and wellness and eventually will cause spiritual issues. It is good training to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help recognize what kind of thinking you are doing. Recognizing your positive and negative thoughts clarifies what type of self-talk you are thinking about. Both men and women talk to them selves and how we talk to ourselves has an influence on us.

This scripture tells us how to pull down our thoughts that exult against the knowledge God. Anything contrary to God’s word, will and ways should be taken down in our thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-6 states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalt itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to obedience of Christ, 6) and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

How by verbally saying I tear down the thought…be specific and speak the thought out loud and loose it off your mind in the Name of Jesus. If it comes back loose it from your mind again.

The second tool to “fight the good fight of faith” is prayer and fasting. This tool keeps your flesh in submission to your spirit. We fast and pray because God’s word is telling us too. It’s a good tool to discipline your self and a training tool to focus your mind, heart and spirit on God Almighty. Some of us have health issues so don’t get caught up in the word fasting. If you have health issue and cannot go with out eating you can always give up something for example, Facebook, tv, treats etc. My husband just did a 10-week challenge for fight club and gave up Facebook. It was a way to sacrifice and focus on scripture and prayer.

In 1 Timothy 6:11 it says, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” Fleeing what is harmful to you and your walk with God and pursuing the character traits of Jesus.  

The third tool to fight the good fight of faith is humility. When we walk in humility God gives us grace. Humility produces a teachableness and dependence on God. When your humble you are not relying on your own instincts and modes you depend on God’s word, will and ways. God provides us with wisdom and knowledge. Fighting the good fight of faith is daily living focused and dependent on the word, will and ways of God.