Psalm 103:3 says, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.” Dis-ease often has a spiritual root. Let’s look at what the Lord told the children of Israel. We can take personal applications from it for ourselves.

Exodus 15:26 says, “…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” Pause and consider. Are you adhering to His requirements?

As we read His word daily for understanding, the Holy Spirit will highlight areas in our lives that are in a deficit state. Consider it like a spiritual blood draw to ascertain the level of our health.

In Acts 8:22-23 Peter told Simon, “…pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound in iniquity.” Bitterness causes chemical changes. Resentment hardens our hearts. 

What happens when one rotten apple stays in the barrel with all the other apples. Little by little they all rot. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”

I have a chapter in my book, “Freedom! From Past Hurts” entitled Inner Defilement. Matthew 15:18 says, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” Whew! Are you listening to what you are saying about your past?

In 1983 I was given a book that had a title something like “Do You Hear What You Are Thinking?” Our words come from our thoughts. Our thoughts come from what we believe in our heart. What we believe is formed by our perceptions from our pasts.

The Holy Spirit taught me years ago to ask, “Marilyn, what do you believe about yourself right now?” Reactions are triggered by something in our present that brings up an unresolved issue. Proverbs 4:23. Buried things produce inedible fruit.

I had this conversation with my online mentee. She wrote, “My brain is the most disorganized part of me. I haven’t figured out how to fix it yet.” She is not a believer yet, so I used her skill and love of organization to craft my answer.

Our inner dialogue determines the pathway of our thought patterns. Caroline Leaf is a Christian neuroscientist. She says that our thoughts control our brain. Proverbs 23:7 says that we become what we are thinking about. 

1 Chronicles 28:9 in the Amplified says, “…For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts…” As we hide Scripture in our hearts, it will be there for the Holy Spirit to recall to us when He brings course correction to our thoughts.

Dwelling in the past through our thoughts is deceptive. 2 Corinthians clearly states that the old is gone. We are new creations. It says, “…old things have passed away…” Five minutes ago is our past. What fruit is there in holding onto something negative from our past? Nothing worth sharing.

When wild horses are driven into a corral, they are hemmed in and no longer free. The free roamers are stopped in their own pursuits of lawlessness. We do the same thing by bringing our thoughts captive. 

Have you ever allowed your mind to wander? Where does it lead? It is futile thinking that is worthless. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” The Lord disciplines us as His children. Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” In your mind underline ‘have been trained.’

Bringing our thoughts captive requires training. It is not a once done endeavor. Our thoughts are controlled by choice. When a rogue thought comes, the Holy Spirit will check us. If we heed Him, we will immediately switch the undisciplined rogue thought to one that would glorify the Lord. Another way is recorded in Psalm 15:2. It says, “He who…speaks the truth in his heart.” 

Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…”

Our standing in Christ is eternal. We are on a journey that is progressively conforming us to His image. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

Our standing never changes, but our state is in constant change. Think in these terms. Our state of mind is not stagnant. It changes with our circumstances. In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul used the words a sound mind. It means disciplined thought patterns. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 helps us understand how we are to discipline our thoughts. It says, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

We discipline our thoughts by not allowing them to continue. We radically intercept their pathway with another type of thought ~ gratitude or thankfulness. It derails and overthrows the intentions.

In Psalm 103:2 David commanded his mind, will, and emotions to unite in praising the Lord for all His benefits. It says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” Paul encouraged his readers to focus their thoughts.

As I thought of one of His benefits, my mind became like a kaleidoscope. One benefit brought up another and another. Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Oh, given thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Ephesians 2:4 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.” Just two verses list three benefits: His goodness, His mercy, and His love. Where would we be without them? Verse 1-3 recounts how we were before salvation.

We often fall prey to negative suggestions. They are fiery dart lies! The second one comes, we can instantly change the projection to gratitude for His benefits. Focusing on them pulls us away from the devil’s trap ~ waiting to engulf our minds! Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above.”

Psalm 63:8 in the Amplified is one of my anchor verses. It says, “My whole being follows hard after you and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.” Let’s look at a few verses regarding the name of Jesus.

Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

New songs bubble up as we focus on the Lord with our whole being. In Psalm 40, David reflected on how the Lord rescued him from the horrible pit, bringing him up from the miry clay. Verse 3 says, “He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

David’s psalms were expressions from his entire being. His words reflected his raw emotions back to the Lord. I flee to the Psalms when I need emotional support ~ they anchor my mind, will, and emotions.

Psalm 103:1 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” The Hebrew word for bless means to praise. David was commanding his entire being to align in praise. 

Our soul speaks of our mind, will, and emotions. I like to think of it as a braid. Three strands: our mind leads off and our will and emotions follow. A braid intertwines. Hebrews 4:12 says that His word pierces, “…even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The Lord knows our heart. Matthew 15:8 says, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” David knew this. Jesus quoted it from Isaiah 29:13.

Matt Redman wrote The Heart Of Worship. He brought his congregation back into focusing only on the Lord. In part: You’re looking into my heart. I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You. It’s all about You, Jesus.

Happy Thanksgiving 

Today we celebrate the first Thanksgiving in 1621 of those who arrived on the Mayflower. It was declared a National Holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. What are you thankful for?

I have a mentee who has declared the month of November as a time of mourning. She and her whole family mourn the loss of her baby she was forced to abort. She was 12 ~ a victim of incest. Are there unresolved skeletons in your family’s relationships?

2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that our past is passed. Whatever negatives we hold onto from our pasts are classified as unresolved issues. They remain unresolved because of our negative dialogues.

It is time to let them go and embrace God’s will. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The amygdala part of our brain turns on fight or flight creating stress. Through brain scans they tracked how gratitude transferred from the amygdala to the frontal lobes which turned on relational circuits. Gratitude also releases oxytocin ~ social hormone. Embrace Psalm 100 today.

The moment we have feelings of despair, we need to make our next thought one of gratitude. It will take our eyes off ourselves, others, or circumstances onto the Lord. Here is the last verse of the new song Rejoicing Bones. 

“In You I can rejoice. For You are my strength. I look away from sin to the spotless Lamb. All my sins are cleansed in Your precious blood. My heart sings through a rush of love. Yes my heart is filled with joy in You that nothing can destroy. I rejoice in You my eternal strength. My joy is full when I look to You.”

Dismayed is despair’s cousin. It is anxiety from feeling desolate ~ dismal emptiness. Isaiah 41:10 helps us recognize afresh that the Lord is with us ~ always. Hebrews 13:5 says, “…I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Amy Carmichael, former missionary in India, said, “You are closer to me than air.” He dwells within us!

Ephesians 6:11 says that His armor will enable us to stand against ~ resist the wily deceptive, defeating, and undermining schemes of the devil!