Oh, my Soul - I'm NOT Alone!

The song, Oh My Soul, by Casting Crowns has been pulling at me for a couple of weeks, now. Especially the line that goes, "There's a place where fear has to meet the God you know."

Today, I found the story behind the song on YouTube and it really spoke to my heart...




 I'm not really a fearful person, but lately, fear has been trying to rear its ugly head where my health is concerned. I have a disease (not cancer). I'm not comfortable sharing the details, but there is no cure and no effective treatment. For the past 12 years, it has been getting steadily worse and painful. You can't tell it by looking at me, but I feel it every day. The fear that keeps cropping up is what the future might hold. How bad will it get? Will it turn into cancer? etc.

When that fear rises up in me, I have to remind myself that I am not alone. God walks through every step of life with me. He is fully aware of what's happening. He more than able to heal me, but if that's not his plan, I'm okay with it as long as I know He is with me. Why? Because I know he loves me beyond measure and even if this condition takes my life, I am going to be with Him.

In the meantime, I want to live my life in a way that honors Him every day. I want to love others and let him love love them through me. I want to point the way to Him so that others can experience the joy and peace that comes from  knowing they are loved more than they can ever understand and that they are not alone.

Here's the song, I'm Not Alone...




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Detoxing Your Thought Life

Do you use the You Version app of the Bible?  I do and I love it. I have it on both my phone and my Kindle Fire and find it invaluable tool for digging into God's word, reading uplifting and eye-opening devotionals and sharing it with my friends.

Today I started a new devotional plan called Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel and already, day one of the plan touched me deeply.  It talks about detoxing our minds from toxic thoughts. I know, right? It's amazing how many times toxic thoughts enter our minds and how they they affect our relationships, our moods and our outlook on life.

Look at what God has to say about this...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

My child, pay attention to my words; listen closely to what I say.
Don't ever forget my words; keep them always in mind.
They are the key to life for those who find them;
they bring health to the whole body. 
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life Proverbs 4:20-23

It seems that in these two passages of scripture, God has given us the key to detoxing our minds, hearts and spirits. I keep hearing that we can retrain our brains. I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know that we can renew our minds.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Matthew Henry's Commentary on this verse says that as we renew our minds (by submitting to his will, taking in his word and applying it to our lives and walking in obedience to him, we develop...

New dispositions and inclinations, new sympathies and antipathies; the understanding enlightened, the conscience softened, the thoughts rectified; the will bowed to the will of God, and the affections made spiritual and heavenly: so that the man is not what he was—old things are passed away, all things are become new; he acts from new principles, by new rules, with new designs. The mind is the acting ruling part of us; so that the renewing of the mind is the renewing of the whole man, for out of it are the issues of life. - This is called the transforming of us.

Part of the detox process for our thought life is to be aware of what we used to call stinkin' thinkin' and to be active in combating it.  I call this my 3R plan for detoxing my mind. (I just made that up 😊)

• Recognize (toxic thoughts)
• Reject them
• Replace them

And I'll be replacing them with - whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.

How about you? Have toxic thoughts negatively affected your life and relationships?

Do your entertain those thoughts or do you have a plan to combat them?

Feel free to use mine.

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Citizen of Heaven - Represent

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven,

conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of

the Good News about Christ."

Philippians 1:27a (NLT)

This verse popped out at me this morning as I read through the book of Philippians - especially the phrase "citizens of Heaven."

I'm a citizen of Heaven! Since I surrendered my life to Jesus, he not only gave me a new identity (Child of God), but a new homeland (Heaven). This world is not my home, but while I'm here - a foreigner in the only place I've ever known, I represent the Kingdom of God and my conduct should reflect that.

That's a tall order, but not one I will back away from, because, while I feel inadequate, I know that God's Holy Spirit lives in me, enabling me to do God's will.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire

and the power to do what pleases him."

Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

My heart's desire is to represent God well, to bring glory to His name and to influence others so that they will want to know Him and experience salvation through Jesus Christ, but I can only do that by allowing God to enable me to do his will and letting Him work through me to touch others.


Prayer: Father, thank you for adopting me into your family and for making me a citizen of Heaven, where you are preparing a place for me to live with you eternally. I look forward to the time when I set foot in my homeland, but until that time comes, please help me to conduct myself in a manner that brings you glory and draws others to want to know you. Amen

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