The litmus test for what’s influencing your mind. . 2Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Satan wants to kill, steal and destroy. Now think about that. He doesn’t get to kill people so what does he try to kill? He tries to kill our effectiveness for the kingdom. He doesn’t need physical things so what does he want to destroy? He wants to destroy your dreams and hopes. He wants to destroy your courage and heart for doing what is right and for moving forward in truth. He wants to change your thinking away from truth. He wants to use you and your past against yourself in a way that distorts your view so that you believe a lie and not the truth. He even makes the lie seem like truth. He relishes in stealing your hope and ability to make a difference in this life. He rejoices in stealing anything GOD intends for you to have by planting doubt and fear. When he can change your mind and get you out of the traces he is totally euphoric. He is ever watching your failures and accusing you before the throne. His first challenge was Eve and since the garden he has become a master manipulator. He’s the voice you hear when you stop in your tracks and can’t move forward. He’s the voice saying “what if”, “how can I”, “where’s God?”, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me’,  Doubt, anxiety, pain, sorrow, false guilt, insecurity, low self esteem, low self worth, confusion, chaos and torment are all seeds he spends your lifetime planting and watering. Your flesh will also willingly react to and water the same stuff. The flesh is often more powerful than satan and often gives way to the accuser to work. Because truly the only power satan has is the power you give him. He will use anyone and anything to cultivate your garden. Once the root is there we struggle as long as it stays planted.   Where there is fruit there is a root. No matter how many people try to help you by pointing the right way, that root keeps you dismissing them and going ahead to allow the fruit to develop. Nothing will ever make a bad root produce good fruit.    We have to understand this is the battlefield of the mind. That root has to go.

Only you can weed your own garden.

All of us have cut grass in our lives at some point or seen it done. I lived on a two acre piece of land once and I loved cutting grass. It was my thinking time. My yard actually didn’t have real grass it had lots of weeds. I went home on one of my trips to find the grass hadn’t been cut in 2 months. I lived in Tx but had this home in SC.  The weeds were about waist high. The funny thing was fully grown they looked just like weeds. When they were mowed down they looked just like grass. I remember thinking how much this is like our lives. We can’t escape the things that happen to us in life many times but we can decide not to let a root be planted that will magnify those things that happened to us. Or we can pull the root out if it exists. Mowing won’t get rid of the roots and left alone they will produce the weeds that choke out the good fruit producing plants.

But HOW?

God is definite and offers his children confidence to walk forward without flinching. God has deemed us priceless and accepted in the beloved. Our mistakes, failure and sin  are covered by the blood and in God we are declared righteous.  If your life is missing power, love and soundness you will be fearful. We can’t walk in our own strength and battle the world, the flesh and the devil.

We lose years of our life wasted on misery,  we lose perspective and create a reality that feeds our insecurities. Grace is obscure and mercy is forsaken when we walk around with these roots. Our lives become masked and we proceed hoping that what we want to be will catch up with what we are trying to be. What a self deception that keeps the hamster in the wheel.

We have to examine our hearts and ask GOD to reveal what we can’t see. We have to deal with what we do see and grow new roots in that area. We have to change! We can’t stay the same if we know something is there that needs to be taken care of. Being real with yourself is so freeing because the truth always sets us free. Knowing that I am fallible, human, weak at times and imperfect is so freeing. It gives me even more reason to depend on God for what I lack. It helps me live with purpose knowing myself and areas I have to keep in check. God loves to come in where we are and stoop to lift us up.

Jesus was so compassionate with the woman taken in adultery. He stooped to look her in the eye and speak to her. She was GUILTY! But Jesus said “neither do I condemn you!” He didn’t say you are innocent. He said much more than that! He said I don’t condemn you meaning he knew she was guilty but he was freeing her. She was freed that moment by one the Father calls “the way, the truth, and the life” You can’t be more free! Take this to heart. If you are jumbled inside and wrestling with your mind know this. That wrestling match will last as long as you participate.  Purpose in your heart to change your mind and make choices toward a sound mind by relying on the Holy Spirit to bring truth to you and establish your hearts and minds. Deal with why YOU feel the way you do. Ask yourself “why do I feel this way, what is the root here that I am not dealing with?”  The truth is we all have to deal with ourselves and search within us instead of around us to find meanings for us. We have to take our lives to the throne of grace where GOD says he makes the crooked straight. By experience I know this isn’t easy. I am entering a pruning myself where I will be learning what I am saying here. AGAIN!

There’s no magic wand or wake up call. The healing in this area is gained by determined and sometimes gut wrenching, soul searching work.  It’s not for the fainthearted. It will take time and tears. BUT WOW oh WOW! the pay off each time we grow and learn something is priceless. It makes the journey so much easier and our burdens so much lighter. It makes our thinking so less fuzzy. Dig out those roots and put them on the burning pile so they will no longer grow bad fruit. Don’t just mow them down so it looks like they aren’t there. You can bet your bottom dollar they will grow again.