Dark Alleys
I’ve never been lead into a dark alley. Doesn't that just happen in movies, anyway? I mean, who would be foolish enough to let themselves be lured into a dark, potentially dangerous place like that? Wouldn’t instinct alone make the average person walk, if not run, away?
Though most people have the wits not to be lured like that, it’s amazing how many of us get lured into dark places inside our minds. Bad memories and sad thoughts draw us in like a creepy stranger on the street coaxing us to come with him. Without realizing what we’re even doing, we suddenly find ourselves entertaining negative thinking and dwelling there like it’s our current reality. If you ask me, that can be a scarier place than any real dark alley!
God is fully aware of these dangerous alleys. And as we stay close to Him each day, He’ll help us stay clear of such traps. Even this morning, as I sat down to talk to Him, my mind wandered to a bad memory that always leaves me feeling condemned. But, thankfully, before I made my way too far into that alley, He caught me and said,
“Don’t bring up bad memories and mull over them, chew on them. You wouldn’t take moldy bread and start eating it, would you? Then leave the memory there. It’s not where I Am and not where I Am taking you.”
Phew. That was close. A trip down that alley could potentially ruin my whole morning or who knows, my whole day.
This is why Philippians gives us this advice:
So be careful today. Don’t let yourself be lured in. A dark alley is no place for God’s kids.
Though most people have the wits not to be lured like that, it’s amazing how many of us get lured into dark places inside our minds. Bad memories and sad thoughts draw us in like a creepy stranger on the street coaxing us to come with him. Without realizing what we’re even doing, we suddenly find ourselves entertaining negative thinking and dwelling there like it’s our current reality. If you ask me, that can be a scarier place than any real dark alley!
God is fully aware of these dangerous alleys. And as we stay close to Him each day, He’ll help us stay clear of such traps. Even this morning, as I sat down to talk to Him, my mind wandered to a bad memory that always leaves me feeling condemned. But, thankfully, before I made my way too far into that alley, He caught me and said,
“Don’t bring up bad memories and mull over them, chew on them. You wouldn’t take moldy bread and start eating it, would you? Then leave the memory there. It’s not where I Am and not where I Am taking you.”
Phew. That was close. A trip down that alley could potentially ruin my whole morning or who knows, my whole day.
This is why Philippians gives us this advice:
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly;
things to praise, not things to curse.
Philippians 4:8 MSG
http://bible.com/97/php.4.8-9.msg
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