Who Are You Listening To? (Part One)

Thoughts Day 1

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Matthew 16:23

“The mind is one of the hardest areas to get under control and keep under control. Part of why it’s hard is because Satan will attack you with lies and deceptions. You need to guard yourself against that. If you don’t, your life could be one miserable day after the next.” Joyce Meyer

 

  • Call your prayer partner for your 10-minute prayer call.
  • If you are having trouble connecting, keep trying!
  • It’s time to meet with your Beloved, your Savior and the Lover of your soul! Come to Him today as you would want your children to come to you — accepted and loved for who you are. Ask Him to speak truth to your heart today about any lies you are believing and thoughts that are from the enemy.
  • Read Matthew 16:21-28. If you have time, read the whole chapter. It’s awesome!

Who Are You Listening To? (Part One)

Do you ever have troubling thoughts? It happens to everyone. We all can experience times of intense fear, worry, temptation, self-destructive thinking, or simply negative thoughts about our husbands, children, and our lives.

In my own life,  I can find myself struggling with negative thoughts that sometimes leave me feeling discouraged or depressed, making the spiritual battle feel so intense!

Honestly, ever since I started working on the Help Club for Moms, I have felt more discouraged in my thoughts than ever before. I have felt like a failure and wonder how on earth will God ever use me to accomplish all that He has called me to do to encourage women.

I didn’t realize where all of those negative thoughts were coming from until recently. Now I know, and I feel so much stronger! God is so great!

God taught me the truth of who I am by bringing me to “The Cove” (Billy Graham Retreat Center), to spend a week learning about Discipleship Counseling- who we are in Christ, and the truth about our thoughts with Neil Anderson from Freedom in Christ Ministries.

While I was at the conference, I learned that many of the thoughts that had been swirling around my head were not mine- they were straight from Satan! Neil explained that Satan can plant thoughts in our minds that are in “first-person,” which means they seem like they’re our thoughts, but they’re not. He talked about Satan being the father of lies (John 8:44), and that he lies to God’s people all the time.

In today’s Bible reading, you see Peter being tempted by Satan to discourage Jesus from going to the cross, and you see Jesus’s apt reply:

“But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matt 16:23

Satan was filling Peter’s mind with thoughts that were set on destroying Jesus’ ministry on the earth. I love what John MacArthur says about this passage:

“Jesus had spoken almost the same words to Satan himself after the temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:10). Satan continued to tempt Jesus throughout His ministry in every way he could. Now he put into Peter’s mind the same idea He had tried to put into Jesus’ “God’s plan is too difficult and demanding. Give your allegiance to me and your life will be immeasurably better. My way is superior to God’s way.” That is basically what Peter was saying to Jesus . If such a thing could happen to Peter it could happen to any believer.”

The truth is that Satan can plant a thought in a believer’s mind at any time to attempt to destroy their life, and also destroy the work of the Lord.

That explains why I have been experiencing more dark thoughts since I have started the work on the Help Club! The great news is we have a great God who is bigger than the devil!

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

Now my heart’s desire is to encourage everyone I can to change their thinking and “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

What about you? What work does Satan want to destroy in your life? Your marriage? Family relationships? Friendships? Ministry?

We all need to be on our guard and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Tomorrow we will be examining what God’s Word says about how to think true thoughts, and doing an exercise to learn to think the truth.

My prayer is for the Holy Spirit to speak to you this week and change your life by changing the way you think.

Questions to ponder

  • Let’s revisit the statement, “Begin with the end in mind.” When you are at the end of your life and are looking back, what one word would most accurately describe you. Ask God what He thinks your word should be. For example, I would say my one word is “Accepting.” I always want people to feel that I accept them, just as they are, where they are in their faith and walk with God. If a person is not a Christian, I want them to feel that I accept them for who they are and that we all are in need of a Savior. None of us is exempt or beyond needing the salvation from Jesus Christ. Your word could be faithful, loving, generous, kind, etc.. Write your word in your journal and why you want this said about you.
  • How can you begin today to live out your life this way? Give specific examples of how you could best represent this word today and every day.

Faith-Filled Idea

  • Write your word on a sticky note and put one in your kitchen, your bathroom mirror, and your car.
  • Talk to your children about the word that you want to represent your life. Pray with them to figure out their word too. Have them write it on sticky notes and put it on their bathroom mirror, bedroom wall, etc.. Encourage them to pray about how they can live out this word in their lives.
  • Prayerfully pick out your Mom Tips for the week. 

thoughts 1

 

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Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

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Deb Weakly

15 Comments on “Who Are You Listening To? (Part One)”

  1. Thanks for sharing & being vulnerable Deb!! Pls don’t give up we need your light & leadership!! This was also a reminder to me that we need to pray for those in authority over us… That could mean our Bible study leader, a teacher or the president of the United States etc. like you said the enemy doesn’t like how you’re helping us & as Christians we need to be alert. Anyways, I love you Deb and I’m so encouraged and helped by the help club!! So keep it up we need you & your wisdom! Thank u! Praying for you!!❤️❤️❤️

    1. Thanks so much Dawna!! I’m not giving up!! lol
      The Lord is working through all of us and I love how He tells us that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
      What an amazing blessing it is to know Jesus!!

  2. I appreciate the thought provoking questions in this study, they are just right. I can see more clearly what Satan is attacking in my family this week after reading this.

  3. Hi Deb! The study this morning was great! Thank you for sharing your vulnerability and heart with us. 🙂

  4. This hit me right where I am at this morning! Thank you Deb! I did not think this was too long… and I love the response activity – finding one word. I can think of many words I would like but am waiting on the Lord to see what word He has for me. I love the done boxes…. I am a list maker and for me it makes me know that I have made my most important task to meet with my Savior a priority.

  5. I’m still in awe of how God directed you to the Cove and how it’s helping all of us! God is faithful. So glad you didn’t give up when Satan was attacking you with his thoughts…the things you have learned and are passing along will help us also defeat the enemy in many ways. God’s plan is much greater. I’m so thankful for you, my friend! 🙂

    1. Thanks so much Mari Jo! What a wonderful work for Leif! I can’t wait to hear about the rest of your children! Thanks for all you do!! 🙂

  6. I do not think the study was too long in fact I think it was great! I believe this study is so important because I think every woman mother or not struggles with this. We as women compare ourselves I feel to everything. How are children behave or don’t, how clean our homes are, how we look etc. Personally, I LOVE the done box! I get side tracked a lot so when I have a moment to check the list and I see the checkmark I move on to the next one. And it makes me stop and concentrate and really read what I’m doing, I don’t look at the done box as just another to check off.

    1. Thanks so much Tori! I love your feedback!
      I agree. Thoughts are such a integral part of how well we live our lives. I am so thankful for you! 🙂

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