Dismiss
Good Morning Girls! Before we get started with todays "D" word, I want to take a minute to address something else. There has been a lot of talk about grace over the last few years. As much as we have heard, read, and studied Grace, it still seems difficult to fully understand all that Grace means.
In order to help you I thought I would give you an example of what I believe grace to be.......
Grace is my husband brewing Starbucks French Roast coffee this 32 degree morning- 2 days BEFORE my coffee fast is over- and me NOT hurting him very very very very badly......
Seriously though, I do believe Grace is what made me able to take his cup, breath in the smell, and place it back down without even feeling irritated. Besides, the taste of plain hot water in my Starbucks cup is starting to grow on me.....NOT!!!
Today's "D" word is one that I have had a lot of practice with lately. I have had a lot of practice with it because I have not yet managed to perfect it which means I often start all over again day after day. The word is:
Dismiss: to stop considering; to rid ones mind of; to refuse to accept or recognize
In other words, to stop considering all the possible negative outcomes to a particular situation. To stop hanging on to hurt feelings. To refuse to listen to the enemy when he whispers a lie into your ear.
All of the previous examples need to be dismissed. And they don't need to be dismissed nicely. They need to be dismissed with force and with all seriousness.
It says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we are to cast down imaginations that exalt themselves above the Word of God.
What exactly are imaginations? Webster defines them as a creation of the mind; empty assumptions. So when you catch yourselves thinking of all of the possible outcomes that may come out of a certain situation, you are creating imaginations- because you have no way of knowing exactly how something will turn out.
It is okay to create an imagination AS LONG AS it does not go against the Truth of Gods Word. To create the mental image in your mind of a healed and whole body is a godly imagination because it lines up with the Truth that says by the stripes of Jesus you were healed.
However, to imagine yourself receiving chemo, losing all your hair, throwing up and growing weaker and weaker and weaker each day until you die does not line up with Gods Word. To sit and imagine these things is what the bible refers to as a vain imagination. It goes against the Truth of Gods Word and it needs to be cat down.
It needs to be dismissed!
Numerous studies have shown that the mind has the ability to make your body healthy or sick. The Word says in Proverbs As a man thinks in his heart so is he. In other words, what you think on....what you imagine.....turns to truth when you meditate on it.
It is good to imagine all the good things God has in store for you and your family. It is good to imagine all the ways you will bless others when you have the means to. It is good to imagine your children grown and being valuable, generous, God fearing citizens.
But anytime your thoughts start to cause you to feel anxious, nervous, afraid, or desperate, you need to dismiss them. Thoughts that produce that rotten fruit are from the pit of hell and they need to be cast down to the pit where they belong.
It is not always easy to rid your mind of all of the negative thoughts. I have days where it takes hours to clear my head. As soon as I find myself calm another thought pops in and I have to start all over again.
Over the years I have learned a few positive (I have also tried a few not so positive) ways that help dismiss these imaginations. The first is to fight the lie with a Truth. The thought says "You are almost completely out of money" I answer "The Lord is my shepherd and He provides me with all that I need". The thought says "This will never end until you lose everything" I answer "God is faithful. He will never forsake me. He has good plans for me. He will take all that was meant to harm and use it for good." These conversations can sometimes go on a long and exhausting time.
In fact, if I were to perfect a letter "D" word, it would be to be deaf: unwilling or refusing to listen! Rather than even have to fight the lie, my hope is to get to the point where the pie simply falls on deaf ears and I don't have to waste a single moment dismissing it. That I believe is what a life of rest would feel like!
Some of the other vain imagination breakers are to crank up some praise and worship music...or for me to crank up some SuperChick....it's hard to entertain negative thoughts when you are belting out the lyrics pretending to be a Christian rock star! And don't go listening to all those slow Christian songs that talk about waiting for God and all the sorrows and when will you show up and blah, blah, blah, sure they are good reminders that we all face troubles and pain- but they WILL NOT help you cast down imaginations!
Sometimes the only way to shut your mind off is to take a nap. Go for it- as long as you don't start napping 18 hours a day and hiding from life! And if you really feel desperate put yourself through a strenuous workout. The mental energy it takes to get through the workout will take your mind of your thoughts as you turn to focus on the fact that you feel as though at any minute you may drop dead from the pain!
Now you may wonder why I did not say to read your bible or pray. Of course I recommend those things. However, I recommend you do those things daily because once you are in a mind frenzy of imaginations it is very hard to sit still and read the Truth or sit still and pray without your mind returning to your problems. So yes, do those things. Do them now- before you run into trouble!
If you find you have trouble with dismissing your vain imaginations, check out Joyce Meyer's book Battlefield of the Mind. She also has a devotional that goes along with it. I know it helped me!
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and everything that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
Love, Grace, and a Deaf day to you all-
Jen
In order to help you I thought I would give you an example of what I believe grace to be.......
Grace is my husband brewing Starbucks French Roast coffee this 32 degree morning- 2 days BEFORE my coffee fast is over- and me NOT hurting him very very very very badly......
Seriously though, I do believe Grace is what made me able to take his cup, breath in the smell, and place it back down without even feeling irritated. Besides, the taste of plain hot water in my Starbucks cup is starting to grow on me.....NOT!!!
Today's "D" word is one that I have had a lot of practice with lately. I have had a lot of practice with it because I have not yet managed to perfect it which means I often start all over again day after day. The word is:
Dismiss: to stop considering; to rid ones mind of; to refuse to accept or recognize
In other words, to stop considering all the possible negative outcomes to a particular situation. To stop hanging on to hurt feelings. To refuse to listen to the enemy when he whispers a lie into your ear.
All of the previous examples need to be dismissed. And they don't need to be dismissed nicely. They need to be dismissed with force and with all seriousness.
It says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we are to cast down imaginations that exalt themselves above the Word of God.
What exactly are imaginations? Webster defines them as a creation of the mind; empty assumptions. So when you catch yourselves thinking of all of the possible outcomes that may come out of a certain situation, you are creating imaginations- because you have no way of knowing exactly how something will turn out.
It is okay to create an imagination AS LONG AS it does not go against the Truth of Gods Word. To create the mental image in your mind of a healed and whole body is a godly imagination because it lines up with the Truth that says by the stripes of Jesus you were healed.
However, to imagine yourself receiving chemo, losing all your hair, throwing up and growing weaker and weaker and weaker each day until you die does not line up with Gods Word. To sit and imagine these things is what the bible refers to as a vain imagination. It goes against the Truth of Gods Word and it needs to be cat down.
It needs to be dismissed!
Numerous studies have shown that the mind has the ability to make your body healthy or sick. The Word says in Proverbs As a man thinks in his heart so is he. In other words, what you think on....what you imagine.....turns to truth when you meditate on it.
It is good to imagine all the good things God has in store for you and your family. It is good to imagine all the ways you will bless others when you have the means to. It is good to imagine your children grown and being valuable, generous, God fearing citizens.
But anytime your thoughts start to cause you to feel anxious, nervous, afraid, or desperate, you need to dismiss them. Thoughts that produce that rotten fruit are from the pit of hell and they need to be cast down to the pit where they belong.
It is not always easy to rid your mind of all of the negative thoughts. I have days where it takes hours to clear my head. As soon as I find myself calm another thought pops in and I have to start all over again.
Over the years I have learned a few positive (I have also tried a few not so positive) ways that help dismiss these imaginations. The first is to fight the lie with a Truth. The thought says "You are almost completely out of money" I answer "The Lord is my shepherd and He provides me with all that I need". The thought says "This will never end until you lose everything" I answer "God is faithful. He will never forsake me. He has good plans for me. He will take all that was meant to harm and use it for good." These conversations can sometimes go on a long and exhausting time.
In fact, if I were to perfect a letter "D" word, it would be to be deaf: unwilling or refusing to listen! Rather than even have to fight the lie, my hope is to get to the point where the pie simply falls on deaf ears and I don't have to waste a single moment dismissing it. That I believe is what a life of rest would feel like!
Some of the other vain imagination breakers are to crank up some praise and worship music...or for me to crank up some SuperChick....it's hard to entertain negative thoughts when you are belting out the lyrics pretending to be a Christian rock star! And don't go listening to all those slow Christian songs that talk about waiting for God and all the sorrows and when will you show up and blah, blah, blah, sure they are good reminders that we all face troubles and pain- but they WILL NOT help you cast down imaginations!
Sometimes the only way to shut your mind off is to take a nap. Go for it- as long as you don't start napping 18 hours a day and hiding from life! And if you really feel desperate put yourself through a strenuous workout. The mental energy it takes to get through the workout will take your mind of your thoughts as you turn to focus on the fact that you feel as though at any minute you may drop dead from the pain!
Now you may wonder why I did not say to read your bible or pray. Of course I recommend those things. However, I recommend you do those things daily because once you are in a mind frenzy of imaginations it is very hard to sit still and read the Truth or sit still and pray without your mind returning to your problems. So yes, do those things. Do them now- before you run into trouble!
If you find you have trouble with dismissing your vain imaginations, check out Joyce Meyer's book Battlefield of the Mind. She also has a devotional that goes along with it. I know it helped me!
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and everything that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
Love, Grace, and a Deaf day to you all-
Jen
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