Sitting with the Lord after spending time in prayer, worship and listening. I have a huge basket beside my bed that contain books, Bibles and journals. My husband and I both kept many journals over many years. As I was sitting, I was wrestling with some thoughts as deep thinkers tend to do. I often go to the Word to work it out because I need reminding of the truth. As I was fumbling around in my basket, a red journal caught my eye. So I felt prompted to open it up and read it. I have not looked into this particular journal in years! In the front there’s a note I wrote to myself in 2009. It said, “My Sister, May you seek Him and find Him as you journal your thoughts. May God speak to you intimately and seal His promises in your heart. Love, Michele.” And so I started reading my journal with notes dated 2010. I apparently wrote lots of random things in this journal. I read prayers I wrote during a 5 day fast. I read meeting notes. I read concerns Stephen and I had that I put before the Lord from that time in our lives. It was like I was reading intimate thoughts of someone I knew back then. My, how many things changed and some things remain the same. The things that remain the same are how I’ve dealt with insecurities and anxieties over the years. What is comforting is that in spite of these age old dilemmas that even many biblical figures dealt with and wrote about like King David and Apostle Paul, God’s truth remains constant. I stumbled on some notes about submitting to the Rule of God in our lives probably from a study I was reading or a message I was listening to at the time. I wrote that satan is an angel out of place and how he tries to take up space in our thoughts. I wrote that Adam & Eve believed the thoughts of satan more than they believed God’s Word to them. I wrote, take dominion in your brain, you’re different from your thoughts.  At the end of the notes I wrote, the enemy has trapped you into insecurities but as soon as you see who the Father sees, you’re all done with that. I can imagine me wiping my hands against each other and saying all done with that back then. Boy, I needed to read those notes this morning. It was like finding a treasure. And I believe the Holy Spirit led me to that word this morning just like He led me to write it 12 years ago. My take away, satan has no place except the pit of fire. Therefore, he roams to see where he can take up real estate which is often in the places that we are most susceptible, our issues, our insecurities, our flesh. Because if he can get us to believe that we’re less than who God created us to be. If he can get us to thinking that God is against us and not for us, then he can take up residence in our thoughts. Wrong thoughts lead to self destructive behaviors, case in point, Adam & Eve. We need to evict the enemy from our thought life. And the way we do that is focus on the truth of God’s Word to us. He has made us more than conquerors. He sees us as the apple of his eye. He loves us with a steadfast unchanging love. He accepts us into the family and has given us the keys to the kingdom. We belong to God and He covers us with his wings of love, protection and provision. Simple uncomplicated truths that obliterate the lies of the enemy. No confusion or second guessing. We are His children and He is our Father. When we see who the Father sees, we’re all done with that!

Just sharing my morning musings in hopes that we will take control of our thoughts instead of allowing them to take control over us. When we see who the Father sees.

Sidenote: I want to encourage you to try journaling if you haven’t already. You’ll be glad you did.