Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I know that God didn’t set the sun in the sky just for me, but I thank Him for it as if He did because it feels like that in my Heart. I have eyes to see, ears to hear, a voice to share what I see and feel, and a Heart that hungers for Him like a deer panting for water…none of these things would be possible without Him…the One who Created me before the foundations of the earth! Like a Heavenly Hug and a Proclamation of His Power, a sunrise can take my Spirit to an entirely different Level as I abide in Him through it all. I’m supposed to bring “every thought into captivity” and that’s no easy task. But the Journey is made a whole lot easier when I surround myself with Good at the beginning of each new day. Isn’t that the way it works for you too?

One of the most difficult things for us to control is NOT our circumstances, but what goes on in our minds. Sometimes it feels like the mind has a mind of its own and that we have no control over what goes on in there…but that’s not true. I often hear people looking to God to help them control their thoughts FOR them, but it doesn’t work that way. God expects us to do that part for ourselves. He’s the Victory Maker and the Mountain Mover and He’s ready and waiting to release His Plan for our Lives….but He can’t do that unless we release all those thoughts that work against them. If He tells us to bring “every thought into captivity” it’s pretty clear that the process doesn’t happen naturally by itself, and it’s ABUNDANTLY clear that He’s not going to do that part for us. God always expects us to take action on our own. He may be Everything…the One who formed the earth with His Hands, and the One who Breathes Life into you and me…but we’re not in a one-sided Relationship with Him, and He expects us to do our part too. It’s when we see Him as the one to fix EVERYTHING, with no effort on our part, that we thwart our Growth and never reach the point where He is able to Release the Master Plan for our lives. Striving to bring “every thought into captivity” is the Key to Victory Success and Peace…but it takes Perseverance, Determination, and a Sound Mind…AND a willingness to take Responsibility of our own.

As surely as there is God in Heaven, there is an enemy that will do everything he can to keep us from Receiving what God has for us! Spiritual things…especially in those “breakthrough” areas, is not child’s play…it’s all-out WAR over you and me! What better way could our enemy have to fight against the Father than by bringing calamity and torment into the lives of His Children? It’s calamity and torment that have the potential to tease the mind into entertaining destructive thoughts, and those thoughts propel our self-will into motion. But it doesn’t have to be that way IF we strive to bring “every thought into captivity” despite our circumstances. Our enemy is a relentless fighter. He’s sneaky and conniving and so determined to “fight” even though He can’t really Win. People of Faith are Children of God…we Belong to the Most High…we’re Royalty…and we’ve already been Redeemed by His blood, and we’ve already Received our Inheritance…BUT he’ll keep working to disarm us by doing things that have the potential to derail the mind for as long as we live…IF WE LET HIM. We’re told to “Be alert and of sober mind, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” so why would be expecting God to help us “control our thoughts” if that’s something we’re Told repeatedly to do for ourselves – AND why wouldn’t we be working harder to bring “every thought into captivity”?

I kicked off this new day in the Presence of the Most High God and I took steps to Refresh my Soul and to prepare my Mind to bring “every thought into captivity”. Victory is mine. If I abide in Him there isn’t anything to fret over and there’s nothing to worry about. Peace is mine today BECAUSE I’ve taken my thoughts into captivity and I’m trusting Him with it all…one day at a time.

How about you?