Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.    Colossians 3:1-4  NIV

For any of you that have ever set out to do something difficult, especially something long-term like weight loss or an exercise plan, you know that when you start out the going can be kind of rough.  It has been my experience that if I stick with it, then I develop this mindset that this is my new way of doing things and then it becomes routine and it makes it easier for me to stick with it.  Now if I never develop that mindset, then I can be assured of failure.  But if my heart and my mind is set on something then I become very determined and persistent and almost always succeed. But it’s all in the mindset.

With anything we do, if we have our minds set on it, we can do it.  The same holds true with our Christianity.  You see, once we are saved, we set out on this course of wanting to do the right thing. We want to have that close relationship with God. The devil sets his mind to disrupt the whole thing. Now if we have the right mindset, the devil can’t distract us.  But, when we allow our little minds to wander, then we get into trouble.

I want you to answer this question honestly.  Where is your mind set right now?  Where is your heart right now?

If your mind is set on things above, like Christ and our heavenly home, then good for you.  If this is where your heart is then you have peace in your life.  You have joy.  Chaos and turmoil are kept at a minimum in your life.  This is because you know what awaits at your final destination.  Even the big, huge problems, are just bumps in the road.  Your mind is focused on where you are headed.   The journey is all just part of getting there.  If this is the case, feel free to stop reading here because this blog is not aimed at you.  However, you could perhaps help the poor unfortunate souls that are not keeping their hearts and minds set on Christ.

Now maybe you have allowed your mind to wander to the corruption that abounds in our politicians.  Maybe you are caught up in thinking about your financial situation.  Maybe you obsess over all the bad news that we are constantly fed through the media.  Maybe your mind is wandering into areas like how many friends you have on social media and how many likes you got on your last post.  Well, if this is the case, I’m sorry.  This means that you are not experiencing nearly as much peace and joy as you could be.  You are not nearly as happy as you should be.  You have allowed your mind to wander off of the things that are above.  You have allowed that place in your mind that should be reserved for heavenly things to be taken over by the hell that is often experienced here on earth.  How sad for you.  But all is not lost.  You can change that.

I have heard people say, “well I just can’t help how I feel”  or,  “I just can’t help worrying”.  I have even heard someone say,”Well God made me this way, so, he must understand why I worry so much”.  Oh my goodness!  Shame on you!  You are blaming God for stuff that the nasty old devil is putting in your mind.

Now the only reason, I know this, is that I went through a time in my life where I believed that same pack of lies.  But, praise God, through Bible study and prayer, I realized that this is just what they are, a pack of lies.   You see, you can change your way of thinking.  You can stop worrying.  You can even put an end to your anxiety.  It takes some work, but it can be done. I’m not talking about getting a prescription from your doctor.  So, how do you do this?  Well, I’m glad you asked.

The first thing we must realize is that the problem is too big for us.  This is what causes anxiety.  We imagine the worst case scenario and we find ourselves in situations where we have no control. We like to be in control.  But when we realize that God is in control and no problem is too big for him, it takes a lot of the burden off of our shoulders.  Once you realize this, you have to put your trust in God.  You have to trust Him enough to give it over to Him.  I mean completely.  Don’t try to hang on, God’s not going to play tug of war with you.  Every time I have tried to hang on, God let’s go and I usually wind up flat on my rear end.  Now this is really hard to do, but you have to focus on God.  You need to devote yourself to prayer and Bible study.  You need to surround yourself with  a good solid, supportive, church family and like-minded Christian friends.

When you do these things and you just sit back and watch God work, you will be amazed at what He can and will do.

I spent 25 years in law enforcement where controlling the situation was a matter of life and death. I knew even then that God was in control.  I prayed continually for his protection for myself and my coworkers.  But only a few years ago, did I realize how important it was that I keep my focus on  Him.  I realized that when I do this, he handles everything else.  This means that I have no reason to worry (Matthew 6:33-34)

Now some of you carry your worry around like a security blanket and are reading this thinking that you just don’t know what you would do without it.  Well, let me tell you from experience, I am enjoying the life that God gave me.  That’s what I’m doing.  Won’t you join me?

Have a great weekend!