4 WriteStuff

I woke to the sound of thunder and a heart of praise!

Yesterday, Mike graded the road, last night we both spoke of the need for rain to settle the dust… and God heard.

My meditation this week has been on freedom from captivity…

Daniel – who was freed from captivity and held absolutely safe in the midst of vicious circumstances. He faced real lions, he faced real enemies, yet God put the lions to sleep.

My meditation today it is again on capivity and what can be our most brutal captor – our thoughts… our time… that in which we invest our most valuable resources of time and energy.

We are not captive to the phone, to facebook, to email, to mail… we can choose to hold on to what is relevant and release that which is not. I delete dozens of spam messages from each of those areas daily. Each day, each moment, we choose our thoughts, our focus.

This morning, the picture that comes to mind is standing firm, hands on two prison bars, holding them firmly in place so they do not waiver. They are anchored to nothing but our hands. The weight of those bars prevents us from moving forward. If we would but release our hands from those bars, they would fall down to reveal absolute unencumbered freedom.

This thought prison requires that we focus on the bars we are holding firm. Do not look to the left or right, do not look behind… because there is nothing there but imaginary bars, built up in imprisoned minds, they.are.not.real anywhere but in our imprisoned mind!

I become imprisoned by my thoughts

I become my thoughts…

What will I choose to become today?

Will I be held captive in a horror chamber?

Will I be free and walk through a beautiful spring day?

Will I pine and punish myself and others?

Will I praise and rejoice in the presence, each step today with my beloved savior?

Will I rejoice and live words of life?

Or speak words of hate, death and destruction?

What will be my focus will be my life – who I am

My focus, my thoughts will reflect my heart, my words, and that is what I become.

Today is the present – my gift from God, and I choose to release any prison bars – real or imagined and to cherish His presence, His love… I choose praise, I choose joy, I choose to put yesterday behind and walk with Him moment by moment.

This is the day which the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Deeper still:

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Philippians 3 Pressing Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [d]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already

[e]

attained, let us walk by the same [f]rule, let us be of the same mind.

Our Citizenship in Heaven

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.