Get Your Mind Out Of The Gutter!

Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter!

Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:7

Are you frustrated? Bitter? Anxious?  Annoyed?  Are you sometimes shaking your fist at God crying out, “When, God, When?!”  None of us like to wait, especially when the wait is taking longer than expected. 

For example, we all despise waiting at the Doctor’s Offices.  We know we will be seen (we have a promise of an appointment) but the waiting still makes us annoyed.  The longer we wait, the more impatient we become and it begins to show in our attitudes and behavior.   For example, we have attitudes of frustration, anger, annoyance and restlessness.  Our behavior might include tapping our foot, complaining to others around us, sighing, shifting in our seat, complaining to the receptionist, etc.  We also get even more upset when someone who came in after you goes to the examining room first (We feel the same way when others become pregnant and they have not tried as long or it’s just “easy” for them). 

Being patient or having patience is NOT the ability to wait, but your ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

Definition of being patient:

§  Bearing annoyance, suffering, or trials without complaining or showing or feeling emotion

§  Standing firm without doubting despite opposition or difficulty

§  Able to tolerate delay or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious

Your ability to keep a good attitude is directly tied to your emotions; and your emotions are directly tied to the thoughts you entertain in your mind.  But where do some of your crazy and negative thoughts come from that wreck so much of your attitude and emotions?  The devil.

It is important to remember your mind is the devil’s favorite battleground.  He will use what YOU see and feel in the natural realm to sneak inside of it with sly, subtle, and deceptive thoughts.  These thoughts are so sly and deceptive that you will find them easy to believe without even realizing they are from him; and once you believe his lies, then you will slowly lose your grip on the Promises of God.  Often times you think you lack faith when you doubt God, but the real battle is not the lack of faith---the battle is in your mind. 

So the question to you is this…Is your mind in the gutter?  

What thoughts have you been entertaining lately?  I hear women say all of the time that they will probably never have children of your own.  They believe this lie because it is what their natural circumstances are screaming at them every month when their menstrual cycle starts but know today this is a lie from the Devil!  How do I know this? God’s Word says in Psalm 113:9 that He (God) settles the barren woman as a happy mother of children.  Another lie I often hear women talk about is that they are ready to give up because they have been asking God and nothing has happened so what is the point.  I just want to punch the devil in the face because this is his biggest and most favorite lie to spread.  The truth remains in God’s Word.  His Word says in Hebrew 10:23 that you must hold onto the hope you profess because God is faithful.  His word will not return void so never give up!  Another lie that I wish the devil  would quit spreading is that God doesn’t hear you when you cry out to him in prayer.  This couldn’t be further from the truth because Psalm 116:1 states that God hears your cries for mercy and it says again in Psalm 66:19 that He listens and hears our prayers.  The last lie that I want to encourage you to rebuke is the one in which you think you are not “good enough” to receive from God.  Many times we beat ourselves up for not “acting perfect” or reading our bible enough or praying with big fancy, long words but it’s not about you.  It’s all about Jesus.  Ephesians 2:8 says that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.  It is not of yourself or what you can do because it is a gift.  Receive that gift freely and cast that negative thought of you not being “good enough” into the sea.

            These thoughts and many others that cause fear, worry, unbelief, doubt, anger and bitterness will control and cause depression, self-pity and weariness if you don’t surrender them as soon as they enter.  When you surrender something in your mind it means you relinquish possession of one thought in favor of another…basically, you trade the negative thought for a positive one just as I did in the previous paragraph.

            In order to surrender your mind I believe there are six steps you must follow in order to defeat the devil effectively.  First, you need to remember that God is GREATER than any problem you face now or in the future.  Your natural circumstances or diagnosis is factual BUT God is bigger than all of them.

             Secondly, you must always speak God’s Word over your situation and when taking your thoughts captive.  Follow Jesus’ example by opening your mouth and saying, “It is written…” then quote a Bible verse that proves the devil is a liar.  If the devil tells you that you are sick and that your situation will always remain this way, then shout back at him that this is a lie because Jesus forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases according to Psalm 103:3.  When the devil tells you that God is mad at you, then take that lie captive and tell him that Psalm 17:8 states that you are the apple of God’s eye!  If the devil quietly whispers that God is not faithful to His word every time you don’t see a change in your situation then remind him of Isaiah 55:11, Psalm 145:13 and Numbers 23:19 which all state very clearly that God is not a liar and His word will NOT return void.  Give the devil some “truth punches” with the Word of God and He will leave you alone wounded and bruised from his head down to his toes. 

            I have learned that the devil will come to attack you when you are weary and not expecting him, which means you need to always be ready for him.  Therefore make it a priority every day to learn and memorize God’s Word.  The devil will not come and attack you with negative thoughts when you are sitting there with your Bible open.  Instead, he will come at you while you are driving, at work, or somewhere in which you don’t have resources (Bible) to look up scripture; therefore it is important if you want to win the battle over your mind to hide scripture in your heart so that you are ready to fight the enemy.

            The third tactic against the devil is to quit thinking so much.  Isaiah 55:8 says that God’s thoughts are not your thoughts and His ways are not your ways.  Therefore quit trying to analyze everything that is going on in your life and quit trying to figure everything out by asking God all of the time, “Why?”  I have learned this will make you more confused and frustrated when you try to figure out all of the “Why’s” of God.  In addition, stop thinking about what is possible in the natural and start thinking about what is possible in the supernatural.  Don’t think that just because it might be “impossible” in your mind that it is impossible in God’s.  It’s time we became kingdom minded and not natural minded.  Lastly, don’t dwell on your infertility, when your cycle will start, the doctor’s diagnosis, ovulation, and etc.  If you have trouble not focusing on your natural circumstances, then DON”T engage in activities that cause you to dwell on them.  For example, stop reading books related to your issue and stop using Google for all of your answers.

            One of the most important ways to drop kick the devil during one of his attacks is to praise and worship God.  The devil was created for praise and worship and that is why he HATES it when you are doing the praising and worshiping God.  He can’t be in the same room when you are singing and shouting out your praises.  So turn on some worship music or just start shouting out all that you are thankful for.  Furthermore, you can’t possibly be thinking negative thoughts if positive words and praises are coming out of your mouth.  So give it a try and don’t stop until you feel the peace of God in your heart and mind. 

            Lastly, be PRO ACTIVE!  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help guard your mind and remind you to speak God’s truths BEFORE the devil tries to sneak in with negative thoughts.  Romans 8:6-7 teaches us that the mind that is controlled by the Spirit has life and peace.  You buy insurance in the event you might get sick, right?  Praying in advance is like buying insurance against the attacks of the enemy.

Remember that you don’t have to fight your battles against the devil alone.  I love the verse Exodus 14:14 it says, “The Lord will fight for you.  Be calm!”  Wow!  I would love the Lord to fight for me, wouldn’t you?!  But the last part of the verse tells me to “Be calm!”  To be calm means to not show or have feelings of nervousness, anger, or other emotions.  EEK!!  How many times do we ask God to help us but we continue to think negative thoughts which then cause worry, fear, doubt, and bitterness?  Take every thought that is not from God and surrender …relinquish it and speak the truths in God’s Word.  

Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:7