Having a Still and Quiet Mind

This morning Alisa and I took the kids and went down to Renton and made some Arbonne deliveries. We had a great time just visiting and the kids did great, too.

Over the past couple of months, we keep getting on the topic of having a pure, quiet mind and what that means. Today was no exception, and she said God gave her a picture of what a still mind is like--imagine as a kid jumping off a diving board into the water and those few seconds underwater are completely quiet and still (I remember as a kid wondering if when I get to Heaven if I could swim underwater and breathe at the same time!).

I took it one step further and said how Jesus calls us to have faith like children--carefree in their actions and mind, and who believes what they cannot see without questioning (like we as adults analize everything). For example, yesterday Savannah asked me if God could fly. How do I answer that one? I told her I know He can, but don't know if He does, and then suggested she just ask God. A couple minutes went by and then Savannah said, "I asked God if He could fly and I heard Him answer me, and He does fly, Mom!" Wow, the unquestionable faith of a child--that is what God calls us to be like.

Alisa and I talked a little more on that topic, and then were cut short by 4 hungry kids all wanting McDonald's! ha

After I got home this afternoon I was doing my Beth Moore's daily devotional, Jesus 90 Days With the One and Only and is was so cool! It was like God was continuing our earlier conversation. It was on Luke 7:39-48. So pull out your Bible and read the passage before continuing below (it will make more sense :) )

Here is part of the first paragraph Beth wrote:

I am learning that my heart and mind are of greater importance to Him than my words and deeds. Our innermost places desperately need daily purification. Part of the process is recognizing and confessing judgmental, impure, or critical thoughts before they can make their way to our mouths and our actions. But God really can change our negative thought processes, attitudes, and motives. The process takes time and cooperation, however, because these thought patterns are just as much habitual sin as the transgressions of the woman of ill repute (referring to the woman in the Bible verses above).

Wow! How neat. It just reminded me of Alisa and I talking once about taking each thought captive as it enters your mind and determining if it is from Jesus or Satan. Also, it made me think of how God says "Be still and know that I am God", meaning not to have a running mind, or let the enemy put thoughts into your mind, but how I still have to be on guard, in the Word and filled with the Holy Spirit daily (and the Armor of God) to fight against these thoughts and actions and to pursue a still mind.

Beth then asked a question, What does it mean to love God "with all your mind"? The verse that immediately came to mind is Phillipians 4:8: " Finally brothers, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

I leave you with one question that Beth asked for you to ponder: Since Jesus can read our every thought, how liberating would it be, though, if we were pure enough inside not to be ashamed?

It was just what I needed today. I mean to come home and have the Holy Spirit pick up where our conversation left off is amazing!