21-Day Challenge

Every one of us deals with thoughts and issues that plague us. We all have something that we struggle with: food, worry, gossip, finances, health, and/or depression, to name a common few.  We can blame the devil for all of those or even ourselves, but that won’t solve the problem (BUT if you need to repent of something, you do need to ask forgiveness from GOD). My focus today isn't where the blame lies, instead I’m looking to solve the issues that are keeping me from my peace and joy that GOD has for me.

I don’t want to be tormented by my own thoughts or the devil’s whispers, I want, no I NEED to only listen to how GOD thinks of me. I need to grasp hold of HIS promises for me, not the enemy’s lies or my own dread and worries. GOD created me for so much more than I’ve allowed myself to even consider possible. It’s going to take a whole lot of transforming on my part and the only answer is to spend time in GOD’s word and in HIS presence praying for the strength and wisdom needed to accomplish this.

GOD’s Word tells us that we have to renew our mind, we can’t think as fleshy, worldly people once we become new creations, it's not part of GOD's plan for us. The thinking of the flesh and the thinking of the spirit, will ALWAYS go against each other. Our flesh wants the easy way, our flesh wants what feels good, our flesh wants  – but our spirit needs to draw closer to GOD, our spirit needs us to be more Christ like, our spirit needs!

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

I’m going to start a journey to transform who I am, to renew my mind to what GOD wants me to be. I’m going to start this journey with starting my day with GOD’s Word. I will read my Bible, I will read my devotions, and I will pray in the Spirit to have communion with GOD. The only way to guarantee I do this and not get distracted throughout the day, is to wake up earlier. Giving up some extra time in the day is a sacrifice and I know GOD doesn’t require sacrifices, but I know that when we offer a sacrifice to GOD, if it’s done to draw closer and to seek GOD’s will, HE will accept it and bless us for it.

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”  (James 4:8 NLT)

When our loyalty is divided between GOD and the world, we can’t draw close to HIM. And we can’t draw closer to GOD when our mind hasn’t been renewed, because we’re thinking with our flesh and not of our spirit.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT)

I believe the things that I’ve battled for years have never been resolved, because I’ve only concentrated on the symptoms and not the problem. Without attacking the problem head on, I’ve only found temporary success, once everything becomes routine, I tend to relax and find myself lowering my defenses and allowing my problem to resurface.  So to tackle this once and for all, renewing my mind is the only solution. GOD has to be my source, my focus and my desire. If you are waging a war within yourself and want freedom, I encourage you to take a 21-day challenge with me.

Put GOD first in your life for 21-days, change your schedule to allow GOD the first part of your morning. Set aside 5, 10, 15, 30, or even 60 minutes a day to be with GOD. Read a chapter in your Bible, read a devotion, talk to GOD, thank HIM for all he’s done, tell HIM you want to draw closer to HIM and that you want GOD to be the desire in your life and not whatever your problem is, and then LISTEN. Listen for HIS response, it might not be immediate, it might be at the end of the 21-days, it might be for a few months, but HE will answer you. The rest of your day listen to some worship music, sing songs that put your focus on GOD. Make GOD part of your day as much as you would make your spouse or children. Find a scripture that inspires you or gives you strength, write it down on an index card or memorize it. If you start thinking about your problem, say your scripture, say it out loud, own that scripture, for example, “For God is working in ME, giving ME the desire and the power to do what pleases him.“. That verse is Philippians 2:13 NLT, by changing ‘you’ to ‘me’, I can say this scripture to strengthen and encourage myself during my day.

I believe the key to any successful change in our lives is preparedness, you must prepare yourself by praying about this, by having scriptures ready and available for you to grab hold of, you must set time aside, otherwise you will be running behind and stress yourself out more. Before you go to bed at night, make sure you've scheduled time for your time with GOD and make sure you have your scripture(s) ready, before you go to sleep, pray that GOD would help you wake up early and be refreshed and ready to spend time with HIM.

If you've felt led to do this 21-day challenge, please leave a comment so I can pray for you during this time as well! I've added an additional page to my blog of scriptures that I’ve used for encouragement, God Bless and remember “With GOD all things are possible!” (Matthew 19:26b NIV)