by Donya Dunlap | Oct 15, 2015 | The Spiritual Life
Confession: There are times when I allow the Adversary to play in the sandbox of my mind. I let him pat and poke and run his fingers through my thoughts until he has built himself a nice little sand castle…complete with turrets and a moat and those cute little flags that hold your burritos together at your neighborhood Mexican restaurant.
It’s been said that a discouraged Christian is a defeated Christian, and I believe it to be true. It is especially true in my life if I’m not careful to guard my sleep, my sunshine time, or my schedule. If I’m tired, emotional, or over busy then I am more easily tempted to get aggravated when things go wrong, discouraged from over-thinking, and half-hearted in my work. That certainly sounds like defeat, doesn’t it? To a Christian, yes, but to the Enemy it is the sweet sound of victory.
Pastor C.J. Mahaney has a message based on Psalm 42 called, The Troubled Soul: God’s Word and Our Feelings. He talks about how the Psalmist seeks God, thirsting for Him as a deer thirsts for water. The Psalmist remembers happier times of service to the Lord and he longs to see those days again.
Mahaney opens his message with a powerful excerpt from a book by Paul Trippe titled, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (P&R, 2002). Rather than summarizing it, I have copied the excerpt here:
No one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. You’re in an unending conversation with yourself. You’re talking to yourself all the time, interpreting, organizing, and analyzing what’s going on inside you and around you.
You may be talking to yourself about why you feel so tired. Or maybe you woke up this morning with a sense of dread and you’re not sure why….Perhaps you’re reliving a conversation that didn’t go too well. Or maybe [you’re] preparing yourself for a conversation that may be difficult by conjuring up as many renditions as you can imagine, so you can cover all the contingencies. Maybe your mind has traveled back to your distant past and, for reasons you don’t understand, you’re recalling events from your early childhood…
The point is that you are constantly involved in an internal conversation that greatly influences the things you decide, say, and do…
What do you regularly tell yourself about yourself, God, and your circumstances? Do your words to you encourage faith, hope, and courage? Or do they stimulate doubt, discouragement, and fear? Do you remind yourself that God is near, or do you reason within yourself, given your circumstances, that he must be distant? Do you encourage yourself to run to God even when you don’t understand what he’s doing? Or do you give yourself permission to back away from him when you are confused by the seeming distance between what he’s promised and what you’re experiencing?….When others talk to you, is your internal conversation so loud that it’s hard to concentrate on what they’re saying?
Here’s the question. How wholesome, faith-driven, and Christ-centered is the conversation that you have with you every day?
Pastor Mahaney later points out that in verse six the Psalmist chooses to take his thoughts off himself, off his adversaries, off his circumstances and he focuses on God. He begins to talk truth to himself–truth about God and truth about his standing before God. The Psalm ends with verse 11: “Why are thou cast down, O my soul? and why are thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
So while the truth is not original with me, I have used the above teaching to develop a strategy for those times when my mind begins to get gritty with negative thinking.
- Recognize that I can choose what I think about.
- Rebuke negative thoughts with the truth of God’s Word.
- Remind myself of the positive characteristics of the person or situation that is currently bothering me.
- Repeat as necessary.
As a word of warning, this mental warfare is not easy. It’s comforting to pretend that your negativity is justified. But despite the circumstances of the situation, the Enemy will use negative thinking to keep you in a pit of wallowing, anger, and self-righteousness, making you completely ineffective in God’s fight against sin and the spread of the Gospel. Remember… “as [a woman] thinks in [her] heart, so is [she].” (Proverbs 23:7)
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by Donya Dunlap | Oct 2, 2015 | Bible Study, The Spiritual Life
Isaiah 30 gives us a vivid picture of exactly what can go wrong when we leave God out of our plans.
As you read the passage, keep in mind that Isaiah was a prophet. He is warning the people of Israel about an upcoming threat of an invading army. Also, he is foretelling what Israel’s response will be and God’s subsequent judgment.
Israel is reproved by God (Verses 1-7)
Israel historically looked to their neighbors for help instead of looking to God. When Israel and Judah are fighting amongst themselves, Israel looks to Syria for help (2 Chronicles 16:2-3). Facing off with Syria, they ask Assyria for help (2 Kings 16:7). When Assyria is the enemy, they go to Egypt for help (2 Kings 18:19-21). According to Matthew Henry, Isaiah chapters 30 and 31 are referring to the invasion of Sennacherib, King of Assyria mentioned in 2 Kings 18.
The children of Israel are declared “stubborn children” because of their determination to leave God out of their plans. When Sennacherib and his armies visit, Israel seeks protection from their neighbor, Pharaoh. God wasn’t impressed.
God rebukes them for going to Egypt for help, which will end up being only a shadow of protection and not a real solution. His help would have cost them nothing and would have brought them a great victory, but Israel refused to seek God’s face.
Isn’t that so like you and me today? We have a decision to make and instead of seeking direction from the Lord, we panic. The hardest thing to do in a crisis is to be still and seek God’s face. But waiting on God is what faith is all about!
Israel’s rebellion is recorded by God (Verses 8-12)
God wanted Israel’s sin recorded forever so others will heed His warning. Israel’s neglect to seek God’s direction wasn’t considered an oversight by the Lord. He considered it a blatant refusal to listen to His Word. By their actions they told the prophets to get out of the way. What boldness! What stupidity! But wait…
God sends us wise parents, pastors, teachers, friends, the Holy Spirit and His very own Word written on the pages of Scripture and still we choose our own way! What’s worse is that we get upset when God doesn’t put His stamp of approval on our plans. Sisters, take heed…if this applies to you as it does to me so often, we’ve been warned!
Israel’s rebellion is judged by God (Verses 13-17)
God’s judgment is described using a word picture. It is as if Israel has built a dam or a wall made of pottery to protect them, but the dam breaks and judgment floods over Israel. The devastation of Israel’s plan is so great that there won’t be a single piece of pottery left big enough to scoop coals from a fire or water out of a well. God says that Israel’s salvation (and ours) would be in:
- Returning – Repenting for looking to others for help and looking to God instead
- Rest – Trusting God to act in His time
- Quietness – Reliance on God and His power to give us strength
- Confidence – Believing that God knows best and will provide for us.
God allowed them to go their own way, but used their plan to draw them back to Him.
- Israel wanted to flee. God sent their enemies after them so they had no choice but to flee.
- They wanted to ride swift horses to escape. God made their enemies swift in their pursuit.
- Israel looked to the great Egyptian army for help. God sent 1,000 running at the rebuke of 1 enemy soldier.
Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us when we mess up. He is always there to take a bad situation and turn it around for good – both for us and for His glory.
Israel’s repentance is accepted by God (Verses 18-26)
God is always gracious and merciful. Even when we run from Him, He patiently waits for us to listen to the Holy Spirit and turn back.
When we choose His path, He walks with us, opening our eyes to see how He is working through the difficulty. Additionally, He promises to guide us through the Holy Spirit.
Verse 21 is such an encouraging verse.
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
Fear can cause you to stray from the right path, as can friends, your own determination, emotions and analytical thinking. None of those things are wrong in their place, but when used in the place of God, they become idols. We must remove the idols from our lives in order to receive the blessings God intends for us.
A Symbolic Side Note
The moon and sun are used in Scripture as types of Israel and God. In other words, Israel’s obedience to God reflects the light of God to the nations that are in darkness. So too, can our obedience reflect the light of God to our unsaved friends and relatives.
God can always bring about good in the life of His children. But…It is much easier on us if we do things His way from the very first. Choose to follow Him daily. Reflect His light and watch Him work!
Resources used in this study: Matthew Henry’s Commentary in One Volume, ESV Literary Study Bible, KJV Thompson Chain Study Bible, Handbook of Types and Symbols by Carl C. Harwood, and Halley’s Bible Handbook.
