Author's Note:
First and foremost, for those of you that have been waiting patiently for another post....I sincerely apologize. Last year I received much positive feedback and I certainly appreciate all my supporters.
Now please understand that the delays between posts were not intentional; however, it should be noted that my inspiration for every post stems from real-life experiences. So quite naturally, this requires that I actually live what I write about. So enough of the explanatory verbiage -- enjoy the first post of 2013 and share it with somebody!
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I'm willing to take a gamble and say that the majority of the folks currently reading this post have probably been to numerous church services, heard numerous sermons and participated in numerous conversations where FAITH was the focal point. Furthermore, you probably heard or discussed the fact that as a Christian you should not WORRY; and that WORRYING is the opposite of FAITH...and that FAITH is required to not only pleased God but to also see the manifestation of blessings and miracles in your life (hopefully the CAPS helped to provide emphasis).
Sound familiar? OK..maybe you've never worried about your bills, your job, your family or your future. Well then, I'll talk about myself -- I tend to think that I walk by faith (or at least I make an attempt to) and that I have a strong belief (faith) in God; but I'll admit that 2 weeks ago this faith was tested. At a time when everything seemed to be going well in my life.....I found myself instantaneously bombarded by thoughts of doubt and worry, thoughts that opposed the very truths and promises of God. This sneak attack of "fiery darts" caught me completely off guard but during this storm the Holy Spirit reminded me of some practical truths which ultimately led to my victory...here are some of them:
1. What 99.2% of churches teach about worrying is true; however, most institutions fail to teach how to overcome worry/doubt. It is critical that we first understand what God's promises are so that we can recognize when worry and doubt are tossed into our spiritual atmosphere. Remember this -- in order to recognize a LIE you must first know and understand the TRUTH!
2. Once we recognize that worry/doubt has marched onto our spiritual battlefield we must act quickly to war against them. 2 Corinthians 10:5 states this: "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." -- NIV 1984
Now, you may be wondering how to take worry/doubt hostage. This is done by choosing not to dwell on negative thoughts (such as worry and doubt) when they enter into the mind. We CANNOT always prevent thoughts from entering our mind but we CAN prevent thoughts from influencing what we do. We must replace negative thoughts such as worry and doubt with positive truths (scripture).
3. Worry & doubt, although their genesis is often found in physical circumstances, are attacks against the mind; and these attacks are spiritually based as found below in biblical scripture:
Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." - NIV 1984
As such, in order to be victorious concerning the battle that takes place in the MIND, it must first be understood that the battle cannot be won by fighting in the FLESH. Even the extremely skilled Floyd Mayweather Jr. would lose this battle every time!
Thoughts of worry and doubt that flood the mind are attacks and can be considered warfare from Satan (dark world). The reason he (Satan) tries so hard to inject thoughts of worry and doubt into our minds is he's aware that the mind controls the actions of a man. He also understands that it is IMPOSSIBLE for an individual to reach their divine destiny if their thoughts are consistently in opposition to God. OK, let me state that again in layman's terms. If you are expecting God to bless you with financial increase you must first believe that God is capable of doing such! This principle is very elementary but it is often overlooked.
Let's be honest, we've all experienced worry or doubt, or both (or we will at some point), as well as a host of other thoughts that come to block life's forward progress. But it's imperative to remember the truths above. Take authority over your mind, even now, which will ultimately allow you to take authority over your life. And after you do that, look at yourself in the mirror and yell loud and proud: "I Ain't Got No Worries!" I promise you'll be relieved as the weight of worry and doubt are lifted!
Until next time! -- Oliver C. Johnson III
