Study with Me - Chapter 13

Hello Everyone

Again if this is your first time here, I am hosting a Bible study using the book "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer. Jump in any time and comment or if you want you can go back and see what we have said in previous posts and chapters.

Chapter 13 A Judgmental, Critical and Suspicious Mind.

Well how did you like this chapter? I'm not sure I want to use the statement "I Think" anymore. :) As I read this chapter I noted some areas that still needed some work in my life and others I can finally count all joy. I can remember back to times when I felt any time someone brought up a subject I had to tell what I knew or thought I knew. See being insecure and a people-pleaser, I wanted to fix people. I was brought up to believe that if people needed you, they loved you. That lead to being used a lot in my life. I now understand the difference between want and need. Now I like to sit back and listen others and see what I can learn.

I'm not sure when it was that I learned the difference between discernment and judgement. That you can discern a persons character or a situation without being judgemental or causing a judgement. However I can look back and see how I have reaped from judgments I made earlier in my life. We will reap from the seeds we have sown in our life. God showed me that whether we speak something or not, the following phrase will not lead to good. "Well if that was me" or Well if I had .... I would....." It is easy for us to think we would handle any situation better, but we never know with all certainty what we would do if we were in the same place.

Why should we guard our hearts? What we think and ponder will get into our hearts, and will come out our mouths. See the more we ponder something the greater the chance we will act on it. Don't think that just thinking something is okay. God said to me one day "remember when you were a little girl, you would pray to me in your head and not out loud". "If you believed I heard those prayers why would I not hear your judgement and criticism that you are thinking now". Ouch!!

We need to not only learn to not say these things, we need to renew our minds to not think them either. We need to look at people around us with love and mercy. And when we come across the unlovely, (and we will) we need to pray for them and let God do the rest.

We have the opportunity several times a day, to criticize, and judge and it is very hard to not get sucked into it. Take some time these next few days to identify areas that cause you to be critical and judgemental. Ask God to bring them to your attention and help you to stop.

Father God we are learning so much about our thoughts and attitudes for ourselves and towards others. Show us the areas we need to change and give us the courage and strength to do so.

Thank you for your wisdom in our lives.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Have a great week

Be Blessed,

Lynn