I remember the open markets back in Africa
as you make your way past the stalls
you are met with very determined and enthusiastic sellers
calling out to prospective buyers,all trying to convince you to
stop by their shops..
sometimes the very bold ones would literally drag you to their stalls
a lot of times,they really don't have what they say they have..
other times,with sheer luck you can stumble on a good buy..
If you are from the part of the world where I am from..
you sometimes hear very enticing words( and sometimes annoying ) like fine woman come this way
pretty girl,African queen,Sugar potato and all sorts of endearments, all in the bid to draw your attention and advertise their wares..
As I sat in my bedroom there was an open market brewing in my mind
I battled with the devil trying to shove his suggestions my way.
oh how enticing this suggestions were,believe me
He painted pictures in my mind
trying to sell lie upon lie to me in the sweetest most subtle way
As I jolted back as each wave of emotion subsided
I could hear the still small voice saying..
Renew your mind Stella,take no thought,
the devil comes to steal,kill and destroy
same strategy,same game plan.
Guard your heart with diligence.. Prov 4:23
think on things that are true,honourable,right,
pure,lovely,admirable,excellent and worthy of praise.Phil 4:8
The holy spirit was selling to me all the truths in God's word
How precious I am to God,How faithful God is and how he never lies.
He reminded me of testimonies,He reminded me of the truth...
So......
What goods was I going to buy..
who was I going to patronize
whose suggestions(wares) appealed most to me?
See the problem is not the suggestions that are hurled at you
we live in a world where information is forced on us through
the Media,Information technology,peers and all.
It is what we do with the information,the thoughts,the suggestions that really matters
Do we stop to listen,consider and agree with those suggestions
or do we shut our ears and listen only to the truth.
Just like our open markets,you can't help what you hear
but you can choose to stop,listen,move on or go in and have a look,
what you pay for is your choice.
Today I challenge you to get rid of every thought
that doesn't agree with God's truth about you
or your situation....
as you make your way past the stalls
you are met with very determined and enthusiastic sellers
calling out to prospective buyers,all trying to convince you to
stop by their shops..
sometimes the very bold ones would literally drag you to their stalls
a lot of times,they really don't have what they say they have..
other times,with sheer luck you can stumble on a good buy..
If you are from the part of the world where I am from..
you sometimes hear very enticing words( and sometimes annoying ) like fine woman come this way
pretty girl,African queen,Sugar potato and all sorts of endearments, all in the bid to draw your attention and advertise their wares..
As I sat in my bedroom there was an open market brewing in my mind
I battled with the devil trying to shove his suggestions my way.
oh how enticing this suggestions were,believe me
He painted pictures in my mind
trying to sell lie upon lie to me in the sweetest most subtle way
- Oh he was saying things like..can you imagine what Abi(my sweet hubby) said,how could he do that..and the more I listened (seeds of anger were brewing)
- how about the what if's..he said see how much confidence you have in God,what if he fails,what if it's actually God's will not to heal,what if everything suddenly goes wrong..(Ha do you see doubt springing up)
- He continues with aah poor you,It's such a tough life you have,see all the things going wrong,is it only you,reminding me of all my challenges(his plan..self pity)
- No one cares about you...where are all your friends when you need them..(depression,sadness that was his ploy).
As I jolted back as each wave of emotion subsided
I could hear the still small voice saying..
Renew your mind Stella,take no thought,
the devil comes to steal,kill and destroy
same strategy,same game plan.
Guard your heart with diligence.. Prov 4:23
think on things that are true,honourable,right,
pure,lovely,admirable,excellent and worthy of praise.Phil 4:8
The holy spirit was selling to me all the truths in God's word
How precious I am to God,How faithful God is and how he never lies.
He reminded me of testimonies,He reminded me of the truth...
So......
What goods was I going to buy..
who was I going to patronize
whose suggestions(wares) appealed most to me?
See the problem is not the suggestions that are hurled at you
we live in a world where information is forced on us through
the Media,Information technology,peers and all.
It is what we do with the information,the thoughts,the suggestions that really matters
Do we stop to listen,consider and agree with those suggestions
or do we shut our ears and listen only to the truth.
Just like our open markets,you can't help what you hear
but you can choose to stop,listen,move on or go in and have a look,
what you pay for is your choice.
that doesn't agree with God's truth about you
or your situation....
Comments
I'm from FEBC, an established international Christian organization with a mission to share the Gospel. We recently started the Gospel Blog, a collection of posts surrounding the theme of sharing the Gospel, with topics on missions, evangelism, church, faith, and culture.
I read through a few of your posts and really enjoy your writing style and the thoughts you have to offer. We would love to have you contribute to our blog. I believe it would really benefit our audience, as well as point a lot of people back to your own website.
You can visit the blog at
http://blog.febc.org
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If you are interested, please let us know by filling out the form at http://blog.febc.org/guest-blog
Thanks!
I might not be able to filter what I hear as much as I want to (after all the ears are like satellite dishes picking up signals everywhere and are without "lids" unlike the eyes) but I choose the filter what my mind processes. I choose to do this by renewing my mind everyday. So help me Lord.
Thanks Stella.