Bad thoughts Slipping Through the Cracks?

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

Prov 4:23 “Guard thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”

I live on a creek inhabited by ducks. I love to feed them. I have this big bucket filled with bird seed in the garage. The ducks love it and come running when they see me walk in the back yard carrying it.

I opened this bucket the other day to get some seed. It has a sealed lid on it but I must not have had it on quite all the way. Amazingly, when I opened it there was a dead mouse in it. I would assume he overate to his death. (It looked like he was smiling.) How he got in there was close to an impossible feat. The lid opening was almost non existent and the bucket is tall. I don’t think the mouse couldn’t have scaled it. Anyway, he found some way through the tiniest crack.

Negative thoughts and bad worldly input seems to find its way into our heart and mind through any crack we leave open. That is why today’s Fresh Manna verse says that we need to “guard our heart with diligence.” When I think of this I most often get the visual of soldiers at their post day and night watching for enemies.

This morning, I woke up and there was an old worldly song on my mind – one that I consider having negative words and attitudes. I know I haven’t thought of this song for over 15 years and I am almost positive that I have not heard it in at least that long. Where did it come from? How did it get on my mind? I don’t know. I think possibly through a dream. That is what I call a small crack. I chased this song out and replaced it with a song worshipping the Lord.

Even with the new technology of digital information storage – as good as that is, it’s archaic compared to how God has set up our brain to hold information. I don’t know the intricacies of how our brain works but I know it stores up and remembers a lot of information and somewhere down the line and not always when you expect it, some of the unwanted information and thoughts rise to the surface.

I recently talked with a man who was struggling with immoral sexual thoughts when he really wanted to have pure thoughts. He said his mind often drifted to past sexual content that he watched in movies. He stopped watching those kinds of movies but images would still come into his thoughts at the most awkward times and he was feeling condemned. What he let into the gates of his mind and heart some time ago were still affecting him today. I encouraged him to chase those thoughts out in the authority of Jesus name and refocus on godly things. It would take time but in time, he’d have fewer and fewer flashbacks if he was diligent to cast them down as evil imaginations. And, God would not condemn him for this but praise Him for his efforts to be transformed in his heart and mind. It was the devil that was accusing him.

Today’s Fresh Manna says to guard your heart because out of it come the issues of life. What you hear and see will affect the choices that you make good or bad. Even old information stored in your mind. This is why we need to be on guard as to what we let through our sense gates. Hurtful information and images, like the mouse, will slip through the slightest crack if we aren’t on guard.

Praise God today and do what the Apostle Paul taught us to do to guard our hearts. Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do…” What will be the result? The issues of life will be conducted with clear and godly thinking and choices and, as the Apostle Paul goes on to say, “the God of peace will be with you.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2009 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Need a Place to Hide?

Fresh Manna 2009© by Renee Burt

Whenever I was afraid when I was a little girl, I would hide under the bed. It was my secret place where I felt safe and protected…that is, until my mom would send my older brother and sister to fish me out from under there. I remember one time when each one of them got on one side of the bed and tried to reach under and grab hold of me. I was the master scootcher, and I would fight for my right to stay in my secret place. I wasn’t going to let anyone make me come out of there, until I was good and ready to face my world again. But then I would hear my mama’s voice…not demanding, but kindly and gently coaxing me out. And somehow in my heart, I knew that because mama was there, everything would be all right.

I still feel that old “little girl feeling” some days. Life can be scary, people can hurt you, circumstances can feel overwhelming…and so the temptation is to hide, to retreat into yourself. But there’s no comfort in hiding within yourself…stuffing your emotions, thinking thoughts that take you nowhere, trying to avoid facing “reality.” And yet, there’s an overpowering need to hide. That’s why God provided a place for us to retreat to…to get refreshed…to feel safe within His arms of love…a place where we can stay until His voice coaxes us to come out again and face our world again. Not in our strength, but in His strength, peace and love that He wants to fill us up with, as we hide in that secret place with Him. I’m not ashamed to say I feel the need to go there today. So if you run into me today, and I seem a little “out there,” don’t mind me…and please don’t try to drag me out of there. Better yet, why not join me?

Psalm 91:1-2, 14-15 NKJV, MSG ~ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Say this: “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!” That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you—under them you’re perfectly safe; “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me..

More devotions from Renee’s Fresh Manna

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2009 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

How to Get Perfect Results!

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

Psa 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.

I was twenty years old when I bought my first house. Along with my first house came my first yard to keep up. After the first winter in that house, I had the joy of repairing the parts of my lawn that had been killed by winter-kill. I was in my mid twenties at that time and fairly inexperienced in home upkeep. I also liked to do everything in a hurry. I was too young and immature to appreciate the old adage, “If you are going to do something, do it right.”

After buying grass seed, I would sprinkle some over the areas of dead grass from the winter-kill. Then I’d water it. A couple of weeks later, I’d be frustrated because most of the seed had not germinated and little to no new grass had sprouted.

I asked a few friends if they knew a better way to get grass to grow. And yes, there were directions on the box of grass seed but who had time to read directions much less do it the way they recommend? That would take way too much time. I’d get varied advice on what to do. One person told me that raking the grass seed in would work. The next year I tried that. It didn’t work. Please forgive me for how stupid this sounds, but I’d keep trying some version of sprinkling the seed on top of the dead grass and watering it, even though it didn’t seem to work.

Finally a true gardener found out about my frustration. He said, “Tim, you can either cut out the damaged lawn and replace it with a new piece of sod or do what I tell you which will take more time but get perfect results.” I asked him what to do. He said it would be hard work – more than just throwing some seed. “First,’” he said, “If possible, start in the spring just after the temperature is steady at about sixty degrees. The weather is perfect for growing grass at that time of year because the slightly cooler weather helps the ground stays moist longer. That is critical to the seed germinating.” He then told me to take a gardening fork (a small hand tool to till up an area) and run it over the winter kill a section at a time. Rake it out picking up the dead grass and disposing it. Then sprinkle the seed over the tilled area and work it into the soil with the gardening fork. He prepared me. “Your yard will look ugly for about three weeks.” “Then” he said, “Comes the most important part to get perfect results. You need to water it at least morning and night for a week to ten days. The seeds need to stay moist to germinate and then they need water as they sprout and begin to grow. If you do this, I guarantee you will see the results you want.”

I did what he said and it has always given me perfect results. Over time I learned that the three key things to repairing my lawn are parallel to letting God build my house.

1.) Meditate on God’s Word. God’s Word is called incorruptible seed meaning its perfect seed that gets results. Meditate on the word of God before you start your day – before it gets too hot. Once you get going it will be “to hot” – your day will become too busy and it will not allow you to get back into God’s Word later. Work the seed (God’s Word) into the soil of your heart. This is important to the start of our day!

2.) Pray the Word of God. Is incorruptible seed. God’s word is His will and He says in 1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

3.) Continue to pray every time you get a chance – ESPECIALLY when you are praying over something critical to you. Prayer is the equivalent of watering. It prepares and softens your heart so you can hear from God. It helps your heart grow in faith. It will help God’s Word take root in your heart. Prayer petitions Heaven according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit will help you remember to pray and often. Pray whenever you can and often! Not only will it cause it to grow, but it will bring protection or as today’s manna says, “the Lord will guard it.”

I used to try to get great results in a hurry giving no respect for how God has ordained sowing and reaping to work. I used to think I didn’t have time. Now I know that the only way to get the results I desire is to make the time. This is how the Lord builds the house. This is how to avoid building your house in vain – doing what you think is the work but getting zero results.

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2009 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/