Have you ever had negative thoughts bombarding your mind? For years they plagued me. In 1993 I learned that not all my thoughts were of my own origin. That was liberating truth. From then on, when I had a negative thought, I would not give it another thought. Before, I would dialogue with it. Afterward, I would ignore it and switch to praise.

Yesterday I was creating a new recipe when the Holy Spirit intercepted my thoughts. He put this thought into my mind: trash your negative thoughts. Since I like to envision and implement my practical steps to freedom, here is the picture that came. In my mind, I took a piece of paper and wrote down the negative thought. Then I triumphantly wadded up the paper and throw it into my trash can. It broadened my understanding 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says to take every thought captive.

In recent years I read some of Caroline Leaf’s books. She is a Christian neuroscientist. She said that negative thoughts are toxic to the brain. Toxic thinking changes our brain’s wiring in a negative direction, and throws our mind and body into stress. So a negative dialogue would create additional stress, as if we don’t have enough in our every day lives. Negative thoughts are like acid that drip onto our neuro pathways and corrode them.

Our brain is so marvelous. We are created by the Lord to function optimally our entire lives. We are created for His glory, and to glorify Him. We do that when we fulfill all that He has for us to do. We will live out His fashioned days for us. The question becomes if we will live them with quality of life. I love Proverbs 3:2. I use it as a prayer every morning. The Amplified says, “For length of days and years of a life (worth living) and tranquility (inward and outward and continuing through old age till death), these shall they add to you.”

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” All words come from thoughts. Negative thoughts can destroy our health, and most certainly they will reduce our capacity to function. Verse 20 in the Amplified says, “A man’s (moral) self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied (whether good or evil).”

Have you thought about the consequences, or the fruit of your thoughts? I encourage you to get my ebook: Power Of Thoughts, or read chapter one in Victorious Garden (both available on Amazon). James 3:8 says, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Psalm 140:3 says, “They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips.” These two verses are startling. They exude with flesh.

The key to a healthy life, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, is through our thoughts. Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable  in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 104:33-34 says, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”

Incongruity is not a word in my everyday vocabulary. Here is a definition: an incongruity is very different from everything around it, to the point of being inappropriate to the situation. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” We may say that we have a personal relationship with the Lord, but we don’t exemplify Him through our lives.

By what we say, we document what we truly believe in our heart. Romans 10:9-10 was written about our salvation. It carries over into our everyday life. What we confess with our mouth comes from our heart. Listen to Paul’s words, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Our progressive sanctification is a process to help us align our beliefs, words, and actions. We are a messenger, or an ambassador of Christ. That means that our witness should portray our message and messenger as the same. We might say that we trust the Lord, but then we draw back into worry, fear, anxiety, anger, doubt, or unbelief. Our words bely where our trust really is. In action, it is in ourselves because we have taken our eyes off the Lord. We have forgotten that what He has spoken to us is eternal unchangeable truth. Let me use the example of His disciples.

Mark 6:45-52 was an account of His disciples in a boat. They were in the middle of the sea, and the wind came up against them. They saw Jesus walking on the water and they were troubled. Verse 30 says, “…Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Then He got into the boat and the wind ceased. Verse 32 says that they did not understand about God’s provision through the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Why? It says that their heart was hardened.

Hardness of heart comes from the deceitfulness of sin. Our actions or inactions reveal what we truly believe. The disciples were worried. Yet when the Lord reminded them that He was with them, what caused them to worry ceased. Does what you say agree with your actions? Here is another account. Jesus asked His disciples who men were saying that He was. Verse 15 says, “…But who do you say that I am?”

Watch this scene unfold. In verse 16 it says, “Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In verse 21 Jesus told them that He was going to suffer many things, be killed, and then raised on the third day. In verse 22 Peter rebuked Jesus. Verse 23 says, “But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

How do we rebuke the Lord? We rebuke Him through our disobedience. It is not in our words but in our actions. Peter one moment said that He believed, and the next He was opposing Jesus. What is the gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says, “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” When we believe the gospel for ourselves, we enter into eternal life. That is the beginning. Then we live out the gospel when our beliefs and actions affect the lives around us.

All strongholds have a foundation. If it is a demonic stronghold, the foundation was laid by a lie believed. If it is a Scriptural foundation, it was laid at the time we accepted Jesus as our Savior. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His, and Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Our solid foundation is unshakable because it is eternal. Paul instructed his readers to be careful how they built on their foundation. 1 Corinthians 3:12  says, “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.”

Our salvation is a marvelous stronghold. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Psalm 71:3 says, “Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 62:2 says, “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”

Ephesians 4:27 says, “Nor give place for the devil.” 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil seeks those he can devour. When we open our lives to sin’s traps, we give the enemy of our soul real estate in our heart. He seizes that opportunity and sets up a stronghold within. We no longer battle his fiery dart lies from without. We have to renew our mind  so we can fight from the inside of our heart.

Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Jeremiah 1:10 recorded how we are to deal with inner strongholds that have a stranglehold on our lives. It says, “…to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” The other day my neighbor was pulling out shrubs. He had thoroughly soaks the roots. Then he tied a rope around the first one. I watched as he pulled his truck forward and the whole shrub just came out ~ roots and all.

Here is our practical application. The Holy Spirit has shown us our demonic stronghold. I will use fear as an example. We soak our heart with verses that speak to this issue. Here are some references you can look up if you like. Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 118:6. Psalm 56:3-4. We soak our roots by reading these verses over and over. It is like taking medicine, only we are saturating our roots with truth.

When any thought of fear rises from within us, we fight it through His word. That is like taking a rope of His word, wrapping it around the fear, and pulling it out roots and all. We need to confess that we allowed that fiery dart to enter and set up camp. We renounce the lie! We affirm our hearts with the truth of God’s word. That is the effective process of uprooting, pulling down, destroying, throwing down, and then building and planting. Remember, it is God’s word that is mighty for pulling down strongholds. It also empowers us to rebuild with gold, silver, and precious stones.

Our misplaced expectations can lead us to usurp God’s rightful place. Remember, the enemy of our soul tried to usurp God’s place. Nothing we do will sway our Lord. His attributes remain unchanged and steadfast no matter what we want Him to do for us. Expectation is hope. Have you ever hoped that the Lord would do something in a certain way? When he failed to meet your expectations how did you react? 

You see, it is all a set up to get us to believe satan’s lies so that he can control us. Then through our disobedience usurp God’s plan for our lives. He hates God, and he hates us because we are made in God’s image. We are called to walk as Jesus walked. We are brought into intimate communion with the Lover of our soul. We are His body, and He is our Head. He has called us to walk in all that He has purposed for us. Yet, we can get derailed through misplaced expectations.

Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that He  should lie, nor a son of man, that He should  repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” David understood. Psalm 62:1 says, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.” Verse 5 says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

What can we expect from the Lord? We can list any or all of His known attributes, and be confident that He will fulfill them. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” I love to look at the skyline as I go on my daily walk. The heavens are filled with His artistic cloud formations. Proverbs 3:19 says, “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” He asked Job questions in Job 38. Verse 4 says, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?…” Verse 6 says, “To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone?”

When our expectations are on what we want God to do for us, or on others, or circumstantial changes, we error. We set ourselves up for broken expectations. There is no one, anything, or situation that we can rely on. Psalm 118:8-9 says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”

What are the lies in expectations? They are myriad. I remember standing in my living room in 1967. I had just bought my first house ($10,500 with $86.00 a month mortgage payment). I cried out to the Lord, “Who am I? I have to be this for that person…” I was raised as a preacher’s kid and there seemed to be a lot of expectations. It set me up for self-rejection, discouragement, and guilt. I believed those lies. I was bound by them for years. 

I want to encourage you to be all that God created you to be. You are uniquely you. You are created for the good works that God preordained for you. Only you, and you alone, can walk in them. He has abundant provision. John 3:34 Amplified says, “For since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God (proclaims God’s own message). God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!”

Our thoughts come from what is hidden in our heart. Our thoughts are based on our experiences which give voice through our motives behind our thoughts. Our thoughts precede our actions. Our actions reveal our character and habits. Then what are mindsets? They are inner strongholds. They capture and imprison our heart convictions. They are like citadels, or fortresses that guard us.

Daniel is a great example. He purposed something in his heart. What was it? It was a non negotiable, deep seated conviction, or a mindset that ruled his thoughts and actions. It was a righteous stronghold that could not be entered or shaken. Job is another example. Job 31:1 Amplified says, “I dictated a covenant (an agreement) to my eyes; how then could I look (lustfully) upon a girl?” Perhaps eye covenants should be part of the wedding vows.

David sinned with Bathsheba. He had no inner conviction. He gazed upon her. There was no covenant with his eyes. They roamed at his will. Yet he was called by God as a man after His own heart. Psalm 51 was David’s confession. In verse 10 he asked God to, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” 

Psalm 16 was written by David. Verse 8 says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” By setting the Lord before him, he created a stronghold-conviction. Moses set something before the children of Israel. Deuteronomy 30:15  says, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” Verse 19 says, “I call heaven and earth  as a witness today against you, that I have set  before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Anything that we set our eyes on in this life will be temporal. James 3:15 says that the world’s wisdom, “…does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26 says that we are to correct those who oppose God and His ways. Here is why, “…if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Inner demonically influenced strongholds come through fiery dart lies. They are lies that we have believed which then penetrated deep. They became an inner stronghold. They oppose God and His ways. They are fortresses of thoughts. The lies are deep seated and continually seep into our thought processes. They are satan’s counterfeit to spiritual strongholds of God’s word that will enable us to resist the devil and all his wiles.

How do you know if you have mindsets? Look for stubborn practices, ruts, or hidden sin. 1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord…” Hosea 10:13 says, “You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way…”

There is great news! 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” Verse 5 aptly described a stronghold. It says, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God…” I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding. May He illuminate the dark corners of our heart where the demonic strongholds are hidden. His word-sword is ready to slice it in two, and then tear it down!

1 Corinthians 2 is a great chapter with marvelous truths. Verse 16 says, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which also in Christ Jesus.” As I was thinking about this my mind went back to 2 Peter 1:4. Through God’s exceedingly and great promises, it says, “…that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…”

Our thoughts precede our actions. Our actions reveal the depth of character that resides in our heart. We are created in Christ to be His fragrant witnesses. However, the enemy of our soul wants to use us as his instrument through sin. What does Romans 6 say? We are dead to sin. Dead things cannot be stimulated. Verse 13 says, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin…”

How are we supposed to walk in the newness of faith? Verse 13-14 goes on, “…but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under law but under grace.” Our mind is a member of our body.

We are saved by grace, and we live to the glory of the Lord through His grace. As in salvation, it is as we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit, that we are empowered to be all that He has called us to be. What has He called us to? 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

A holy calling requires holy living. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” All that we need to live in His holiness is given to us through His word. It is His hidden word that filtrates through our thought processes to keep us free. If we don’t have His word hidden, we have nothing to fight with against the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8 indicates that he is always roaming around to see who is weak in their faith. He is looking for one he can isolate and destroy.

1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Hebrews 10:24-25 is about the function of His body’s members. It says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

We are called to walk with others in like precious faith. We are His army. We need to have each other’s back. Are you accountable to someone? If not, you are satan’s target. He whispers lies in your ears through his fiery darts. He sets trails of unseen sin-traps. God told Cain an important truth for us to remember. Genesis 4:7 says, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Accountability is our mind’s sentinel. It gives us that extra edge for warding off and crushing satan’s advances.

This is my newspaper article in today’s paper

No one likes to suffer, but it is a part of life. It is easy to become angry and lash out. However, there is a better way. Jesus is our example. In 1 Peter 2:21-22, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His steps: Who committed no sin, and there was no deceit in His mouth.”

Suffering comes in myriad forms. We cannot consign it to one category. I was thinking about this. When I was younger, and I was asked how I was, my answer would be ‘fine’ because it was an easy cop out.

I began my healing journey in 1983. At that point I was learning how to forgive those who had hurt me. If someone asked me how I was, my reply would be that I was pressing into Jesus. If that opened a conversation, I could explain what I was wrestling with at that time. It is so easy to hide behind cliches or facades. 

Psalm 15:2 is a great example of a right response in our suffering. It says, “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.” The next time someone asks you how you are, you might like to open your heart a bit, and say, “I’m glad you asked. Do you have a minute?” That will give them an out if they don’t. If they say ‘yes’ then you can begin with, “Yesterday I heard discouraging news. How do you handle times when you feel discouraged?”

Our suffering is an opportunity to reach out in a deeper way. The Lord set that up for us. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says that He is the God of all comfort. Verse 4 is the established pattern that He designed and desires. It says, “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

We can also ask “Is there a specific way I could pray for you today?” That would be an enactment of Galatians 6:2 to bear one another’s burdens. Prayer is coming alongside someone, partnering with them in their suffering. It gives us an opportunity to ask and receive.

So much verbal exchange is just surface. There is no depth because it is not a heart-to-heart conversation. Paul admonished the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 6:11 he told them, “…our heart is wide open.” Then he disclosed their hearts in verse 12. “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.” When we keep our emotional pain buried, we miss God’s way to rightly respond to our suffering.

Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” This is a great truth that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds.

1 Peter 2:20 says, “For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.”

Jesus is our example. Verse 23 says, “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” 

In Isaiah 53:7 it says, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”

Jesus did not verbally react, nor was there even a thought of revenge. He knew He was right, but He didn’t fight for His rights. We do well to remember our words come from our thoughts when we are insulted, treated wrongfully, or slandered. 

The key is trust. Jeremiah 17:5 warns us “…Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.” When we take vengeance into our own hands, we depart from God’s way. It is not ours to solve, only to trust and obey.

If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, now is the perfect opportunity. Jesus died for you. He paid the full penalty of your sins: past, present, and future. I encourage you to confess that you are a sinner and receive His gift of eternal life.

I sold my house and bought an older mobile in a senior mobile park. The owner’s son let me move in on the 19th of December. Escrow closed on Friday the 28th. I had full intentions of replacing things and having the water leaks taken care of as soon as I took ownership. On Monday, January 2, I had a brain injury that stopped me in my tracks.

Not knowing anything about a hidden invader, my health went into a rapid decline. Two and one half months later the Lord revealed that it was mold. My handy man took out several panels in my bathroom where the leak was. One was permeated with mottled colors of dark grey, deep blue, browns, and ochre. Another panel had light grey fuzzy mold on it.

Once the mold was removed my health began to improve. What hidden invaders line the paneling of your heart, that are causing your spiritual sickness? In the military, they will enter an area to subjugate it. We just saw this happen in another country. We have an enemy that wants to infiltrate our hearts to destroy our faith in Jesus.

This is a very brief version of an illustration. I was at a counseling conference in another state. I had met with a counselor and two ladies who were praying as he was questioning me. During one of the speaking sessions about MPD (multiple personality disorder) I had an invasive thought. “Oh, no! I am MPD and no one will know what to do with me when I get back!” That thought caused a negative chain reaction. My heart started racing, I was shaking, and losing strength rapidly. I was literally sliding out of my seat. 

During the break, I raced downstairs to talk to my counselor. I said, “Rus” and repeated my thought. He looked straight into my eyes and softly said, “Marilyn, you are not MPD. I believe that you are a whole person.” Instantly my body began to return to normal. What had happened? The invasive thought was a fiery dart lie. I received it and owned it. Rus spoke truth to me that countered the lie.

Our thoughts control our brain. When that frantic thought hit my brain, it told my body that there was danger. I went into a full on fight or flight mode. The brain does not differentiate between real and perceived danger. I learned at that conference that not all my thoughts were of my own origin. That began an incredible healing journey. The Holy Spirit would reveal a lie that I had believed. I would acknowledge the lie and renounce it.

2 Corinthians 4:2 says, “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Renounce means to disown. What fiery dart-lies have you received that are controlling your life?

When ants invade my space, I follow their trail. Once I find their entrance point, I work diligently to wipe out all traces of it. Bringing the truths of God’s word into our heart will set us free. When that truth is worked into the fabric of our thought processes, it will wipe out the trails from the lies we believed.

In John 15 we read how our Father tends to our branches. He cares for each one of us with His excellent and strategic pruning. Verse 2 says, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Years ago I sawed off a huge branch that was crowding out another plant. I left for an hour. When I came back I was startled to see that the leaves had already withered. It was a great spiritual lesson that I vividly remember. Since Jesus is the Vine, the life-source for our branch is abiding in His word.

Verse 5 in the Amplified says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing.” The branch that I sawed off, lost its vital union with the tree. Anything we do in our own strength, is literally sawed off from Him. There is no connection.

There is a vivid illustration of what happens when one does not take care of his vineyard in Proverbs 24:30-34. Verse 31 says, “And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.” How are you doing with your heart husbandry?

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” Little foxes can be rogue thoughts. Rogue as a verb means: to remove inferior or defective plants or seedlings. What thoughts are you having that are knocking off fruit that is in blossom?

We are the ones that are responsible for our thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul instructed his readers to bring every thought captive. If you think about it, you will realize that it is a full time job. However, we have the Holy Spirit within us. He will direct our thoughts when we are submitted to Him.

I fall back on this verse a lot for myself, and when I am counseling others. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Our thoughts determine our actions. We have been called to walk in holiness. Yet, if our conduct does not reflect that call, it is because of our rogue thoughts. They need to be weeded out, or they will choke off God’s word, or put a stranglehold on it.

Song of Solomon 1:6 has a phrase that I use on myself. The Shulamite woman’s statement can also be our reality. She said, “…but my own vineyard I have not kept.” Are there chores that you don’t like and so you put them off? It is far too easy to procrastinate than to do them. Yet, when it comes to our heart husbandry, we need to be diligent. Proverbs 4:23 says that unresolved issues will spring up when we least expect them.

What is hidden in your heart that you hope no one will ever find out? Unresolved issues are usually from interpersonal relationships. The greatest is unforgiveness. That leads to ingrained bitterness that chokes our spirit. Yesterday I read Leviticus 14. Here is an illustration for leprosy (mold). Verse 37 says “…if the plague is on the walls of the house with ingrained streaks, greenish or reddish, which appear to be deep in the wall…” Tomorrow I will deep dive into hidden invasions.

The word thrive means to prosper and flourish. Think of these verses. Joshua 1:8. When we implement this, we will prosper. It says, “The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Psalm 92:12 says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…” Verses 13-15 are progressive. “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

I have noticed something. I think it would be termed a character flaw. We get excited about something, but unless we implement and embrace it wholeheartedly, there is no completion. The parable of the sower is an excellent example of this. Mark 4:16-17 says, “These likewise are ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately stumble.”

The condition for our spiritual roots to thrive is the quality of our heart’s soil. Weeds, thorns, and thistles will grow anywhere. I can attest to this from my former backyard. It never got watered, unless the Lord watered it. It was not cultivated. The only fruit was weed seeds!

When we observe to do what God has written for our learning, then it is the implementation of the truth that will set us free. It is reading all of His words for understanding. 2 Timothy 3:16 Amplified says, “Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action).”

Right now I am reading the book of Leviticus. What I am understanding is that God set forth conditions for His holiness to be implemented in the hearts of the children of Israel. He is Holy. He has called us with a holy calling. 1 Peter 1:15 says, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” 

Here is the essential key to thriving. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” How does He do it? When we yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to direct our way, He will lead us onto paths of righteousness. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. He asked God to remove it. Paul’s lesson is for us as well.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “…My strength is made perfect in weakness…” When we revert back to our fleshly comfort zone, we mask our true weakness. When we acknowledge our weakness, His grace-strength rushes in. Truth: we have no strength apart from Christ. We forget so quickly. When we draw back into our own strength, our roots starve. Leaning hard on His grace empowers us to thrive.