Perhaps the greatest higher education comes from closely observing and learning from daily life. Are you passing the classes in the college of daily life?
Begin to observe the direct cause and effect between what people think, say, and do and the quality of their day-to-day life. Notice that people reap a (good, bad, or mixed) harvest from the quality of the behavioral, mental, emotional, and spiritual seeds that they sow.
Notice that people who are deeply hopeful and happy have predominantly sown positive seeds. Observe that people who struggle with coping have mainly sown negative seeds. In a discouraging world it’s much easier to go with the flow of fickle feelings, cultural conformity, distorted desires, and tormenting thoughts than it is to (internally and externally) sow encouragement, kindness, and joy. Our society calls the disturbing and depressing harvest that many people around us are reaping a “mental health crisis.”
Life’s pain is designed, not to harm us, but to direct and motivate us to turn away from the behaviors, thoughts, and desires that are causing our pain and replace them with behaviors, thoughts, and desires that produce inner peace, joy, and contentment. With decades of experience of observing life, I’ve found the most effective way I can consistently sow positive seeds is to maintain consciousness awareness of God.
Cultivate God’s SEED in your heart through Surrender, Eternal Empowerment, and Demonstration:
* Surrender: Arouse yourself to ceaseless conscious awareness of the presence of Jesus.
* Eternal Empowerment: Always allow Him to freely live in and through you,
* Demonstration: Faithfully follow and obey the risen Christ as He shines on and daily directs you.
Surrender: The love of God is the addiction that delivers a lifetime of inner peace and joy. Open up and surrender your heart (moment-by-moment) to Him so you can experience and get hooked on His love.
There’s a happy high that comes from fully focusing your heart on Jesus, a buzz (oh that does) feel so good, a release of inner peace that doesn’t cease, a wealth of mental health. The missing link between you and great contentment is complete ongoing surrender to the risen Jesus Christ.
Knowing and growing in Christ requires more than religious analysis. It requires a surrendered, open, and humble heart.
Eternal Empowerment: Live your life by the internal leadership of God’s Spirit. (See Romans 8:14.) Don’t forget to regularly flush your heart. Always empty it of pride anger, resentment, and other ugly things so you can make greater room for the living Jesus.
Your state of mental health and alertness to God is determined by which thoughts you delete from your mind and which thoughts you download to it. Cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. Welcome thoughts from God. Resist the devil and his thoughts. Cast out the desires and works of the flesh.
Demonstration: The Holy Spirit’s new wine and rivers of living water aren’t just metaphors. Jesus said: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.” “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” Open up and partake. Ceaselessly savor and demonstrate God’s favor!
It’s truly amazing how focusing my attention on Jesus keeps me smiling and hopeful day by day (regardless of my circumstances). I think the same will happen for you. Try it and see.
Go beyond your head
Be Spirit-led!
Let your heart be fed
By “Christ in you.”
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Fill Your Mind and Your Heart With Hope 