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Quiet Mind One of the ways to being able to enter into and remain in God’s rest is to spend daily quiet time with the Lord. While we are not to forsake gathering with those of like precious faith, without individual quiet times, we won’t train our minds to allow the Spirit of God to rule us. Ecclesiastes 3:7 (KJV) “A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;” Today’s problems are simply a result of too little time alone with God. YOU WON’T GROW UP UNTIL YOU SPEND TIME IN QUIETNESS WITH THE LORD. We may be in this world, but we need to get into another world, alone with God. Feed the carnal nature and the carnal nature will grow. Feed the spiritual nature and the carnal nature will come under the authority of the Spiritual nature. Because of the adversity that is all around us, we won’t be able to respond in a godly way unless we learn to quiet our minds. With today’s pressures of work, we must not mix up our values or responsibilities. Be wise. The enemy is trying to stop your spiritual growth in Christ. You absolutely must not give way to the work force without your quiet time with the Lord. [Most all executives have quiet times.] Get at His feet. Don’t be a Martha – preoccupied with work or activities. Don’t be anxious or troubled about many things. Be a Mary – choose the good portion, which will not be taken from you (Luk.10:40-41). Where there is no eternal value, there is no earthly encounter with Christ. Worldly activity is temporal. Spiritual activity is eternal. Every person has discretionary time, and each chooses how to spend this time. Do you know most time is spent or wasted on talking “meaningless conversations.” 2 Timothy 2:16 uses “vain” meaning: useless, empty, idle talk. Learn to say “No!” to the demands of life if they take away from your being alone with God. MATURE CHRISTIANS CRAVE TIME ALONE WITH THE LORD. They will set their schedules so nothing interferes. Isaiah 30:15 (KJV) “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” Do we want strength in this hour? Do we want to make it through crises of life? Then GET ALONE WITH GOD! (Read the verse again.) If this is not your pattern, then it is going to be hard and difficult to start. DON’T GIVE UP. Don’t be afraid to be alone. “Loneliness is the pain of being alone. Solitude is the glory of being alone.” Lonely people are separated from God. When Adam and Eve turned away from God, they experienced loneliness. Jesus said He was never alone because the Father was with Him. Isaiah 50:4 (KJV) “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” The best time is morning before your mind gets to racing. Each person must choose a time, but be disciplined with it. Get the Word in you. Job 23:12 says, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Quiet time with the Lord is not an option. It is a necessity. 1 Chronicles 22:19 says, “Set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” It is commanded! Make it your prayer. There is only one way to maintain a “quiet mind.” Romans 12:2 “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.” If we fail to renew our minds, we’ll automatically be conformed to the world. You must consciously turn away from external stimuli in order to control your thoughts {the same way you control your arms and legs}. Don’t think like the world, think the way of the Word. “Direct your mind in the way of the Lord.” (Pro.23:19) AMP 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” You don’t have to allow the circumstances of life to control your thoughts – Your responsibility is to continually renew your mind so you can continually yield your thoughts to Him. Get rid of thoughts of: FAILURE, DEFEAT, DESPAIR, DISCOURAGEMENT. You can’t control your mind by will-power. But you will be able to control your mind by obtaining the fear of the Lord. When we fear Him, our mind is reverent. Our mind is worshipful (Psm. 25:12-13). Our minds can only be quiet as we follow His instructions: James 3:18 AMP “And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]. Ecclesiastes 2:23 tells us those who do not know how to quiet their minds will “have no rest even in the night.” I have a very active mind, but I must have my quiet time with the Lord in order to have peace in my life. A transformed life will not react to worldly problems. Instead, it will react to the counsel of God. Most people spend at least 12 years educating their minds. It takes a lifetime of continual training to keep your mind in the Lord. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” This is the only way to repel the thoughts of Satan’s evil spirits. His thoughts will drain us of strength and power. God’s thoughts will enable us and fill us with energy and power. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (KJV) “For which cause we faint, we don’t grow weary, exhausted or worn out; though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” The way to offset the aging process is to learn to be quiet with the Lord and get renewed in His Word. Ephesians 4:23 says, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” YOU NEED A QUIET MIND. -Pr. Steve November Newsletter 2002 | Quiet Mind | Living Intercession Pastor's Journal November 2001 | A Job Experience | Destined to Become part 2 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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