Day Nineteen
Industrious - Prosperous
Proverbs 31:24...She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [for sashes that free one up for service]...
I don't know about you, but some days, this Proverbs 31 woman just sounds too good to be true. I mean, everything she puts her hand to succeeds and it almost sounds like some kind of fairy tale. We never read about any type of real problems that she faced. We don't read about how her kids got on her last nerve with their constant bickering. There are no verses on how her husband comes home grumpy and silent, spending the evening in front of the television, ignoring her. There is no mention of her having PMS, bloating, water retention and mood swings. There are no reports of economic problems, with businesses shutting down, people losing their jobs and being laid off, or CEO's robbing them of their retirement fund. The elders sitting at the gate aren't talking about war with other countries, nuclear warheads, chemical warfare and small pox vaccines. I wonder if she ever lost any sleep from fretting in her mind over situations, while waiting for God to bring the answer? This devotional is all nice and everything, but what about the realities of life? We may think...how in the world am I supposed to be 'industrious' with the pressures I face in my life? There are days when I barely feel like getting out of bed, let alone being industrious and prosperous. Sometimes my mind is in turmoil and I just can't think straight. And in today's society, fraught with problems, is it any wonder?
When everything seems to be going okay and the sun is shining bright...sure, we can be very industrious and prosperous. But what about when the problems hit? What of the days when our minds seem to run, trying to figure out what we are going to do, asking the Lord for help, not seeing any way out, but trying to stand in faith?
Okay, so I know I am supposed to have a renewed mind through Christ; I am supposed to put on the full armor of God; I am supposed to be strong on Him and doesn't that all sound wonderful...but how do I shut off this mind that wants to run with worry? How do I keep from dwelling on what is staring me in the face? You know, when people talk about worry, there are generally 3 categories...1) those who obsessively worry...2) those who talk religiously about giving it all to God, while their lives show a different fruit, and...3) those who say, yes, I battle with worry, but try to stay positive.
The message that we have tried to speak through the entire writing of this devotional is that our Father God has the answer for us, no matter what the problem is...even with battles of the mind. This goes beyond just trying to be upbeat and putting on a brave front in times of adversity and it goes beyond the teachings of positive thinking. Again, this is about lining up our every day lives with the Word of God, with it's instructions, it's guidance and it's provision through Christ...so what, me worry?
Worry: to tease, to trouble, to fatigue with labor, to harass by pursuit and barking - as dogs worry sheep, also to tear, to mangle with the teeth...harass, irritate, tantalize, importune, vex, molest, annoy, tease, torment, disquiet, plague, fret...the act of worrying, perplexity, trouble, harassing, turmoil...Wow! Does this sound like out thoughts???
Philippians 4:7-8...And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus...Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things...
True - genuine...honest...sincere
Honest - venerable...honorable...grave...honest
Just - innocent...holy...just...meet...righteous
Pure - clean...innocent...modest...perfect...chaste...pure
Lovely - friendly towards, i.e. acceptable...lovely
Good Report - well spoken of...of good report
10 Secrets of Cure for Worry
(taken from Dakes Annotate Study Bible)
1). Permit the peace of God to garrison or keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus
Philippians 4:7
2). Renounce all worry and by prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, make all requests know to God
Philippians 4:6, James 4:7
3). Think on right things
Philippians 4:8
4). Keep mind stayed on God
Isaiah 26:3
5). Use the weapons of spiritual warfare
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
6). Put on the whole armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18
7). Have faith in God
Matthew 6:25-34; 7:7-11; 17:20; 21:22; Mark 11:22-24
8). Live and walk in the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 6:13-23; 8:1-13
9). Do not cast away confidence
Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 6:11-12; 10:19-23, 35-39
10). Cast all care upon God
1 Peter 5:7
Take a closer look at #5...using the weapons of our spiritual warfare, we find a scripture that helps us to understand how we can stop our minds from running...The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 New International Version). The King James version, on verse 5 says it this way...Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. I would say imagination is a good word to describe the course that our minds run, at times. But look at the promise of provision we are given...through the Blood of Jesus, there is power to demolish imaginations, arguments, pretentions against God, and we can literally take our thoughts captive instead of letting them run.
Let's look at a scenario: A thought comes to our minds. It may come from a remembrance of our past, it may come from something that has happened recently, something we have seen or heard, it may come from our own imaginations, it may come from watching the news, or it may come from the enemy of our souls, trying to whisper suggestions and bringing fear. The next thing you know, we are actually fertilizing this seed by dwelling on it. We play out scenes in our minds of what could happen, how it could be, we could have said this, should have done that...over and over. But it doesn't stop there. As we dwell and entertain different thoughts, the fruit of allowing the mind to run is that our emotions now become stirred. They could be stirred by anger, unforgiveness, lust, making all kinds of plans, fear, worry and fretting over things, and the list goes on. And once our emotions become involved, we generally will respond or react out of that. It may be full fledged anger, sarcasm, possible depression, being short tempered, lustful acts and this list goes on and on as well.
Several years ago, I did a study on this verse in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. There were 2 things that really caught my attention in these verses...casting down imaginations and taking captive every thought. Webster defines imaginations this way...the power or faculty of the mind by which it conceives and forms ideas of things communicated to it by the organs of sense. Imaginations might be defined as the will working on the materials of memory; not satisfied with the following order prescribed by nature, it selects the parts of different concepts or objects of memory to form a whole - more pleasing...more elevated...more sublime...more terrible...or more awful reality than has even been presented in the ordinary course of nature. Paraphrased - we make mountains out of mole hills; we made it more than it is or even less than it is.
To take captive is a state of being under control, confinement, to make captive. Paraphrased...we can say no!!
We are influenced in our lives by many things...people, television, news reports, books, radio, music, movies. Thoughts can come into our minds through these avenues as seeds. We dwell on the seeds, allowing our imaginations to run...the emotions get stirred and we respond. And the fruit is evident. There is a little song that my granddaughters sing that is so appropriate...it's a juvenile sing-song verse that actually parallels the message of Philippians 4:7-8..."Oh be careful little eyes what you see...Oh be careful little ears what you hear." What a powerful message that is..
God, in His infinite mercy and love, has made every provision for us, through His Son, Jesus Christ. But it is our responsibility to guard our eyes and ears and our minds against things that can lure us into worry and fretting. We can certainly be industrious, prosperous and productive people of God, right in and through the midst of life's tribulations and hardships. He tells us how and we, by faith, walk it out. And can you imagine the effect that has on those who are in a panic over what is happening on the earth today, those who do not understand the hope of God?
Finally, brethren...whatsoever things are...?
Isaiah 26:3-4...You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You...So trust the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].
A hearts' cry...Father, forgive me for allowing my mind to run to exhaustion..for to worry is to not have faith in what You have already given...