Thinking on that which edifies...

[simplyme]

Originally Posted by Mrs. LPW

So true! I find I get online when my husband isn't home and I need some adult conversation! Especially if he's kept late by work etc... if the kids are calm or sleeping it can keep one from getting lonely and "cabin fever"...
What I've done is made up my mind what discussions I will take part in, what discussions I won't.. and how far I'll go before I pull the plug on a discussion for myself...
In life we have so many things that can vie for our attention, just picking up the paper and dwelling too long on the mess of the world can weigh down our hearts. Makes me long for the coming of the Lord all the more!!!

It's hard to keep the negative from invading your mind though.. anyone else find that? Maybe it's just my personality.. I tend to expect the worst possible when negative things come along... I have to fight that every day it seems. Am I the only one like this???

Its normal, we are after all still mere humans with our frailties, we DO get scared..we DO panic, and we Do "overreact" like this

when news of impending crisis is heard., I try NOT to listen to the news on t.v. (almost always depressing) not even the weather anymore, and I have stopped watching those forensics/crime shows on cable t.v., that although interesting at times, are also sad and definitely, scary!
Only good thing about those is that one CAN at least learn about things not to do or do, to avoid being a crime victim., funny none of those ever mention PRAYER or leaning upon the LORD., though so that is yet another reason to avoid such topics, 'cause as some of us know, our LORD is our protector., if we abide in Him, He abides in us, and we have nothing to fear., (but fear itself of course)
WE DO have a humongous responsibility to ourselves to avoid the bad, embrace the good, while not being completely ignorant of what is going on around us., a fine line to walk, indeedy!

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Mrs. LPW

I'm understand you completely simplyme...

Barb, this is such a wonderful thought. I find that a lot of problems we deal with, (not all but many) are caused by our looking around and dwelling on the "stuff"...
Looking at the "stuff" and other people has got to be one of the hardest things on a persons faith.
When Peter took his eyes off of the Lord he wasn't looking at the pure, and the good report, but he looked at the strong waves and the impossible situations... and we know what happened to him.
But it's not the end all when we start to sink... we just have to re-adjust our focus.

Thank you Barb for this reminder today!

Absolutely, sis...over and over the Word admonishes us about our mind and how we are to think.

[OneAccord]

As I read Sis. Barbs excellent post, I thought of this passage. May our "body-living' minds" grow as small as a hickor'nut. And may our "spirit minds" grow as big as the tree from which the nut came.


"Gramma said everybody has two minds. One of the minds has to do with the necessaries for body living. You had to use it to figure how to get shelter and eating and such like for the body. She said you had to use it to mate and have young'uns and such. She said we had to have that mind so we could carry on. But she said we had another mind that had nothing atall to do with such. She said that was your spirit mind.

Gramma said if you used the body-mind to think greedy or mean; if you was always cuttin' at folks with it and figuring how to material profit off'n it...then you would shrink up your spirit mind to a size no bigger'n a hickor'nut.

Gramma said that when your body died, the body-living mind died with it, and if'n that's the way you had thought all your life there you was, stuck with a hickor'nut spirit, as the spirit mind was all that lived when everything else died. Then, Gramma said, when you was born back- as you was bound to be-then, there you was, born with a hickro'nut spirit mind that had practical no understanding of anything.

Then, it might shrink up to the size of a pea and could disappear, if your body-living mind took over complete.

....

Gramma said that the spirit mind was like any other muscle. If you used it it got bigger and stronger. She said the only way it could get that way was using it to understand, but you couldn't open the door to it until you quit being greedy and such with your body mind. Then understanding commenced to take up, and the more you tried to understand, the bigger it got."

-The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

[OneAccord]

Gee, Sis Barb. I'm sorry. I may have caused the early demise of your great thread with my quote from a book about the Cherokee Indian religious belief!

[Barb]

Originally Posted by OneAccord

Gee, Sis Barb. I'm sorry. I may have caused the early demise of your great thread with my quote from a book about the Cherokee Indian religious belief!

No way, Rick...my threads don't last long, but that's okay. People read and that's why it's there...

[Joelel]

Originally Posted by Barb

This Scripture has been with me for weeks...

Phil 4:8

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
KJV


There are things in this life that we know are true...not supposition...we know.

But are these things pure and lovely?! Are they that which speak of a good report?! Is there any virtue or praise?!

No?! Then are they worthy of the time spent thinking on them?!

Certainly there are situations and issues which are a part of our lives and we have to deal with them. But to feast our time and attention on things which do not edify the spirit of a man or woman seems like a waste of vital time and energy.

How much more effective could we be if we thought on the things above...if we spoke life and not death...if we encouraged and not discouraged...if we built up rather than tore down...if we saw the glass as half full rather than half empty?!

What if we thought more about pleasing the Master than pleasing the flesh?! What if our desire was to freely give from a clean heart without thought of "what's in it for me?!"

What are we thinking about today...what or who has garnered our attention and thought process?!

Can we point to the virtue in it?! Do we recognize the praise to the Almighty?!

My prayer today is to cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:5).

Amen,blessed are your eyes for they do see.

2 Cor.10:3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:4: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds5: 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;

Eph.4:21: If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:22: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;23: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness

How to keepfrom backsliding.

2 Peter 1:5: And beside this, giving all diligence, (MAKE EVERY EFFORT)add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;6: And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;7: And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.8: For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9: But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10: Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence (MAKE EVERY EFFORT)to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall

[tamor]

Originally Posted by Barb

No way, Rick...my threads don't last long, but that's okay. People read and that's why it's there...

They're like nuggets dropped in our spirits for refreshing.....

[Barb]

Originally Posted by tamor

They're like nuggets dropped in our spirits for refreshing.....

Thank you for your encouragement, Tam...and while I'm here, let me say that I came from the doctor, and my BP is not yet where it should be, but is wayyyyyy down from what it was!! She has increased one of the meds in order to get it further under control.

Not sure when I will have surgery, but thank God for this good news...and thank you all for your concern and prayers.