Catch and Release

Howdy howdy Gang, It’s a new week and therefore time for a new post. (One day late cause I had unexpected work yesterday. Yea God!) During my reading the last couple of weeks I have begun to notice a steady theme. This of course means God is wanting to show me something. Since he decided to show me, you my friends get to hear it as well. This is one you may read and go “I already knew that” but it’s good enough that it bears repeating. I can say I already knew it “But did I really” I don’t think so. It seems like common sense, but for me those are the things I tend to overlook. So here we go… Col 3:8-10, 12-14, Eph 4: 21-24, 1 Thess 5:8. I’ll let you look these up cause I’m lazy and don’t want to type it all out ;-.) There is also Eph 6:10-18 this is probably the most well known verse of the bunch talking about putting on the Armor of God. Go ahead take a minute to look up each of these verses I’ll wait for you…

Alright now that you’re done did you see the theme? “Put off” “Put on” I’m about to begin using the word “We” quite a bit know that whenever I’m using it I’m really saying “Me” or “I” but I feel better about myself when I’m not the only one so I’m hoping at least one of you can identify with me. We live in a “Fast Food society” we want everything right now and we want it to be easy (You’ve heard this before) With this mindset as we read scripture we tend to look for the things that sound like the Christian Life should be a piece of cake. “Dead to self” “Alive in Christ” these are the types of verses we tend to hold onto. If when I accepted Christ I died to self then I should instantly be a new creation. I should wake up and no longer struggle with the temptations of life. If Christ is “Living in me” then temptation should be a thing of the past. I’ve heard this preached time and time again. Every time I read this in the bible I struggle with it cause I know I still struggle with this thing called sin otherwise known as “SELFISHNESS” If we’re not careful we may begin to even question our salvation. I’m still struggling with sin did I truly invite Christ into my life? Thankfully there are also people like Paul that make statements such as “Why is it the things I want to do those I do not do and the things I don’t want those are the very things I do” I would like to suggest that we at some point take the time to truly dive into all these verses that seem to make it look like we instantly transform into a new being and see what they are really talking about because evidently we (or as I said earlier “I”) obviously aren’t reading them correctly. The rest of scripture is loaded with very active and continual statements. The verses I gave you earlier all talk about “Putting off the things of this world” and “Putting on the things of Christ” “ACTIVE STATEMENTS” We are to daily put off “Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language” SELFISHNESS. We are to daily put on “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, and most of all LOVE, we are to bear with one another, forgiving one another. Col 3: 15-16 says we are to let the piece of God rule in us LET IT RULE IN US, Let the word of Christ dwell in us LET IT DWELL IN US. These are ACTIVE statements. 1 Thess 5:19 says “Do not Quench the sprit. DON’T DO IT we have a choice. Phil 4:8-10 tells us to MEDITATE on things that are noble, whatever is just, pure, lovely, what’s of good report, what’s of virtue, praiseworthy. 2 Tim 2:22 says to FLEE youthful lusts, and PURSUE righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart PURSUE and NOT ALONE, but with others that are pursuing also.

Friends, I’ve loaded you with verses today but these are just a few of the verses that talk about the ACTIVE LIFESTYLE of living with Christ. We are to daily throw off evil and to daily PURSUE the things of Christ. This wont be accomplished through simply wishing for it. It wont be accomplished by just reading the bible and hoping it takes hold. We are to pursue what it says. 2 cor 10: 5 tells us to “take every thought captive” The Christian is not called to be passive by any stretch of the imagination especially when it comes to living a pure life. We throw away evil thoughts and we meditate on Christ thoughts. I remember one day on this trip I was on my bike and a thought came to mind (I really can’t remember what it was) that was not of God and I got mad. I was tired of this temptation it kept hanging around. So this time I yelled at it. I said something along the lines of “The Holy Sprit lives in me you don’t belong here. GET OUT! And it disappeared. It was gone, I’m ashamed to admit I had never done this before so I had never experienced it. THE THOUGHT JUST DISAPPEARED. It was so strange I remember trying to recall what the thought was but I couldn’t. This was so foreign to me that it bothered me how I couldn’t remember it. Then I heard the spirit in me say “Larry you just told it to leave don’t invite it back. So I stopped trying to recall it. VICTORY! The living word of God is active sharper than any double edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12) We assume living word means it speaks to us in all situations. We can read a verse multiple times and get a new revelation every time. This is true, But maybe it also means when we put it into action IT WORKS. Have you ever noticed how we dwell on the bad and dismiss the good. A friend does something nice and we thank him/her and move on. If it’s a really really nice thing we may think about it off and on for few weeks. But when a friend wrongs us even in a small way we can’t get it out of our minds. We struggle with it for months. If it’s really bad we may not be able to let it go for years if ever. It’s time to reverse the trend. Take every thought captive. Rather than being a slave to pain, hurt, anger, lets take those thoughts captive bind them in the spirit and cast them out. When good is done lets take those thoughts captive bind them up and tie them onto our soul. It’s not a theory it’s an action. We don’t have to be slave to these things. Ever since my first experience I’ve tried to follow this model on the casting out. I can honestly say that every time I’ve recognized the thought right away with the help of the spirit living in me I’ve been able to cast it out. Sometimes I have to stay on it. I’ll tell it to leave and it will soften so I’ll have to repeat it and repeat it and repeat it until it’s gone but it does leave. If I don’t take it captive right away that’s when I really struggle. Think about Christ when he healed others. Sometimes they would get right up others he would have to pray the healing multiple times. They were slaves to their infirmity our sin is our infirmity lets stay on it till it’s gone. I wish I could also tell you I’ve practiced the holding onto good thoughts and been successful but I can’t. Honestly I hadn’t even thought of that side of it until just now as I’m writing this post. But I will practice it. I am going to each day from here on meditate on the good. What has God done for me? What have others done for me? What has God done for others? When I recognize a good my challenge to me and you is to grab it and meditate on it daily. Say “You are a good thought, you are from God. I have his spirit living in me and you belong here with it. In the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit living in me I command you to STAY!

How about it Gang? What do you say? Lets live each day taking each and every thought captive throwing out the bad and keeping the good. I know it sounds like a lot of work and it is. But after awhile it will become second nature. Learning to walk wasn’t easy either but we did that.

That’s my two cents worth for the week. A new assignment for the week will come out on Thursday remember to check it out on FB or Twitter. Have a great week and as always lets live it “UPISDE DOWN!!!