I never make any professions of being a bible scholar. I, quite frankly, know only as much as the Spirit thinks I can handle on any given day. I could know more, there is no doubt about it. But it is my failure at study to do so. And yet God is so gracious and kind to me to allow me to share my thoughts with you; never in arrogance or self righteousness,  but in simplicity, the way He reveals it to me. 

The origin of thought…

Have you ever thought about it? When an idea pops into your head and leaves you thinking, “Where did that idea come from?” My mind is one of creativity. Some days it’s filled with mature thoughts that a woman in her late 50’s would have. But most days it’s filled with ideas just short of insanity. And I have to wonder which one is of the Spirit? This morning the light bulb came first. And I fully believed that God wanted to show me some bright and shiny new thing, and so I began to draw the light bulb. But then He turned it into a blueprint. “That’s kind of cool,” I thought but certainly confused my direction.  And then the word. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV

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;

Back to the basics. The very beginning of who you are Shari. Who I created you to be. 

Casting out Carnality

I’ve been running head first into my carnality recently. The act of carnality to me is when I allow worldly things to take precedence over my life more so than the spiritual. It’s also what’s collectively  wrong with the United Sates right now.  Most of our nation is self absorbed and concerned about themselves and are clueless as to what God’s intention for the Nation is. We’ve raised a society of young people who feel that they’re purpose is non existent in the political realm unless it’s rebellion. There seems to be two extremes, youth (and older idiots) who are tearing down America both physically and spiritually and then there are the young people who have just checked out of it all. They want no part of the vote or vindication of what’s gone wrong. 

I know it’s true because I was that kid of the 70’s. The Vietnam war was ending, women’s liberation was full throttle, technology was beginning to blossom in a major way, U.S. doctors went on strike in 1975 and I was really just concerned about whether or not if I would ever find a boy who liked me before I graduated in 1980. Life has somewhat changed but not for the better on carnality and selfishness. I did however friend the boy. 😊 

Children of today have every bit of information, the good, the bad and the down right evil at their finger tips. So do adults. There is no need to socialize any more, we have the internet and we can communicate via social media and avoid all kinds of reality. Good grief… adults are guilty of that too! Many youth of today have to be forced into getting their drivers license because they don’t need a car to hang out with friends, they can do it in their bedroom on line. Yep… adults too have locked themselves inside their homes and go out only when necessity strikes. We can pretend that the riots across America didn’t happen, and if they did, they’re not coming to our community. And the stories about evil politicians are just the same old news on a different day and we are not responsible. Societal concerns have been reduced to what’s happening inside of our homes. It’s why Satan has no problem getting people to accept the masks and the shutdowns, because we like our world closed off from the rest. 

In a time where we can effect someone or something clear across the globe, most of America isn’t going out in the yard! 

Casting out High Things

2 Kings 17:9

And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchman to the fenced city. 

It didn’t say that the children of Israel did things in ignorance, it said they did it in secret, as if the Lord wouldn’t know what they did. America unfortunately isn’t doing what’s wrong in ignorance, or in secret. They’re just blatantly going against the word of God and pretending it doesn’t matter. “Professed Christians” are turning a blind eye to murder, abominable behaviors and espionage for the god of politics and for control. And when they’re called out on it, they scream “separation of church and state.” Well guess what… God says be ye separate but not in the context they’re using it. 

2 Corinthians 6:17

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

They better be worrying about not being received in Heaven, rather than being received by the wickedness of this world. 

Capturing our Thoughts

My thoughts are hard to capture, they’re quick! And they’re fickle.  I’m not throwing stones at anyone on either side of the party lines. I view people as saved or unsaved. There is nothing in between. You’re either right with God, or your not, and right doesn’t mean perfect. But it does mean that you are doing your best to align with scripture. 

When I go to bed at night, I don’t turn on the dark, I turn out the light. That’s a concept that I didn’t think of until a preacher brought it out in a sermon. It’s simplistically true. I love simple. And the while my thoughts can be complex, it’s the complex ones that will most likely get me into trouble because they cause confusion. And we know who the author of confusion is. It’ ain’t God. When God created the earth He didn’t speak darkness into the world, He spoke light. The darkness was already there. Before you think I’ve gone off on a tangent, I want to bring the thought of capture and light into perspective. 

In 1878, Thomas Edison filed his first patent application for the electric light and in 1880 he began commercially manufacturing his invention.  In the scope of time that hasn’t been so long ago, 142 years. It took men thousands of years to be able to mechanically produce something that God spoke into existence. And God’s light never burns out. And yet, men think they’re smart enough to live without God. God would much prefer we come to the realization that we are simplistic beings who need much guidance to stay out of trouble. That’s why He sent the Spirit. He turned on the light inside the dark hearts of all men and women, boy and girl who ask Him in. Fixing the world isn’t complex. It would simply take, every honest to goodness child of God allowing the Spirit to lead. Casting out carnality, getting rid of the high things we put above God Who is Lord of all and allowing our thoughts to stay reigned in. 

In the words of my friend, Attorney Tony Morgan, “Simple people have simple ways.” God’s way is simple and it’s the best.