Fix Your Life

It’s the way we enter the query blank of our favorite search engine. Fix my life. Find a flight. How do repair my garbage disposal? Then in a split second, we have a buffet of information to select from. Some of it simple and some complex; but just like a real buffet, it’s always more than we need. All around us people are depressed, lonely, confused, fearful and suicidal. As Christians (especially Spirit-filled ones) it is our duty to help these souls fix their lives. One of the most disappointing situations for a Christian to be in is one where he or she is right beside someone crying out for help, and not recognize it.  Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” We are the workers. This verse not only refers to the lost, but also broken brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to disable the enemy and life’s ability to distract us from this important calling. People’s lives literally depend on it. Did you conduct a search for fixing your life? If so, you need not travel down the buffet any longer—fix your life right here. Then you will have the ability to go into the harvest field and help someone else fix theirs.

Fix your spirit.

The first step to fixing your life is the simplest of all. Your spirit must be reborn. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Choosing to give your life to Christ is the most important decision you will ever make—bar none. If you are already a Christian, great! You have already fixed your spirit—the real you. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do it now (link to the salvation page). Fix your spirit.

Fix your position.

Psalm 91 in the Amplified Bible begins this way, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].” Your position should be in the secret place of the Most High. Jesus instructed us in John 15 to “remain in Him.” Remember the simplicity. You fix your position by remaining in His Word and keeping His commands. Then you are automatically dwelling in the secret place. Yes, you are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms; but this does not negate the fact that you have to choose to remain in Him. You must fix your position. Remaining stable and fixed under the shadow of the Most High means discontinuing any activity contrary to His commands. Colossians 2:7 AMP reads, “Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.” And Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 MSG, “If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.” Fix your position.

Fix your eyes.

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you,” is how Romans 12:1 in the Message tells you to fix your eyes. Look at Hebrews 12:2 NIV: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The Word has so much to say about fixing your eyes that I’m going to continue to let it speak for itself. See the following:

The Message

Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God. — Psalm 42:5 (repeated in Psalms 42:11 and 43:5)

NLT
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. –2 Corinthians 4:18

AMP
Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. –Proverbs 4:25

NIV
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge. – Psalm 141:8

Enough said, fix your eyes.

Fix your heart.

Proverbs 4:23 tells you to guard your heart because it is the wellspring of life. If you allow your heart to remain broken, ultimately your life will be broken. God wants your heart fixed on His Word so your entire life can be blessed. He says to you in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” It’s just that easy to fix your heart and extend your life and the lives of your children. Fixing your heart eradicates fear. Psalm 112:7 tells us that the person whose heart is fixed on the Lord is not afraid of evil tidings. And David, who had his share of evil to fear, declared, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody (Psalm 57:7). “O God, my heart is fixed (steadfast, in the confidence of faith); I will sing, yes, I will sing praises, even with my glory [all the faculties and powers of one created in Your image] (Psalm 108:1). The man’s heart was so perfectly fixed that he couldn’t help but praise God! Fix your heart.

Fix your mind.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise,” is how Paul sums it up in Philippians 4:8 NLT. I always follow this verse with the question, “What could possibly carry all those attributes all the time except the Word?” Nothing! Hebrews 3:1 NIV also answers the question by saying, Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus (who is the Word), the apostle and high priest whom we confess (parenthesis mine). As always, the results are predictable. “Ecclesiastes 12:11 AMP tells us, “The words of the wise are like prodding goads, and firmly fixed [in the mind] like nails are the collected sayings which are given [as proceeding] from one Shepherd.” Isaiah 26:3 NLT says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Then you will be able to testify the words of Psalm 119:73 MSG, “I kept my mind fixed on your counsel. Let those who fear you turn to me for evidence of your wise guidance. And let me live whole and holy, soul and body, so I can always walk with my head held high.” Fix your mind.

Simple, yet effective. The buffet of God’s Word is always open and you can never overeat. Now go into the harvest fields with these instructions: fix your spirit, fix your position, fix your eyes, fix your heart and fix your mind. Fix your life!

Be blessed friends and have the perfect day everyday!

Psalm 138:8

—Shontta

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. – John 10:27

Have you ever tried to quiet your mind? I mean really try to think nothing? I tried this exercise recently and found it to be very difficult. I know there are various techniques that enable you to quiet your mind for a period of time; however, the quiet can’t last forever.

The interesting thing about this exercise is that I realized that my mind communicates to me during my waking time primarily in voices. The voices are only audible to me; however, they are definitely a sound in my thought realm.

The bigger question is whose voice is speaking to you? Often the voice sounds like you, sometimes it doesn’t. You know the voice sounds like you because you know the sound of your voice and what you would say. Do you know when God is speaking to you? The Bible refers to a still, small voice. If you listen carefully, you’ll realize that God is frequently speaking to you.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10

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One thing that I’ve learned in writing strong articles with my understanding of scripture that I’ve heard is that God’s Word is divisive.

Luke 12
Not Peace but Division
49″I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

I have made a decision to make God’s Word Supreme Authority in my life. If it’s in the Word, then I believe it. My goal is to gain the best understanding of the Bible that I can. As a man, I do miss it sometimes or I fail to have a complete foundation to properly divide the Word of Truth. When I do miss it, I repent and change my behavior.

So, if you are interested in learning more about God’s Will, join me in studying God’s Word and applying His Word to our lives.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

Since there is a lapse of time between when we sow and reap, it is easy to lose the connection between our actions and the results of those actions. There is a direct connection between the two; however, we are often blind to that connection. In addition to the time factor, there is also a noise factor that contributes to the disconnect.

The noise factor is the amount of other actions that you are taking that are not in alignment. Instead of corresponding action, our actions are sometimes in direct contradiction to what we want or just not supportive. This noise factor makes it more difficult to see the clear connection between our actions and the results that we are getting.

Since these two factors, lapse of time and noise, are at work in our lives; we must have diligence to re-establish our awareness of the connection. We know that God always tells the truth, so, we are rewarded for diligently seeking Him. Thus, if you are not seeing these rewards, make sure that you are being diligent in your pursuit of God and His Word.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

We know from the Bible that God’s intentions are to bring us the fullness of life. If we are not receiving the fullness of life, then, we know that the problem is on our side. One of the ways for us to re-connect to the blessings that God has for us is to re-connect to the Old Testament. We know that Jesus is a fulfillment of the Law; thus, it is helpful for us to understand the benefits of following that Law.

Since we are righteous through Jesus, we have access to those blessings even if we don’t live sin-free. First, you must confess and repent of those sins. Then, we must receive God’s promises. We are to put God into remembrance of His promises for you. Promises of His good plan for your life, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. – Isaiah 43:25,26

To make sure that we are following God’s laws and repenting when we don’t takes diligence. Don’t let time and noise deceive you into giving up on living God’s best.

We say it all the time. “I can’t wait until this summer!” “I can’t wait until my daughter’s potty trained!” “I can’t wait until football season starts!” Then what happens? That time you couldn’t wait for comes and goes. And before you know it, an entire decade passes and you’re wondering where the time went. Some time ago, I was expressing my inability to wait on a particular event or happening and my spirit took notice. I asked the Lord to show me a better way to express my enthusiasm or to control my anticipation. Patience is, after all, one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

For many, patience connotes an arduous task. This could very well be your situation, and life has its share of discomfort. The Bible encourages us to run with patience the race set before us, and fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). I believe that mastering patience, regardless of the situation, can instill an ability to enjoy or learn in every nuance of life.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently on Him …” –Psalm 37:7a

James tells us to let patience have her perfect work so that we can be perfect and entire lacking nothing (James 1:4). So it’s possible to lack nothing. By allowing patience to have her perfect work, you hold out for the best every time. You end up lacking nothing and enjoying the journey. Before you disagree, lend me your eyes. Look through the eyes of God. He never gave up on you—and He never will! “The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance,” reads the Amplified Bible’s version of 2 Peter 3:9. He waited for you and He continues to wait for you. He wants you to get it.

And one day, I got it. The Holy Spirit ministered to my spirit. We started saying things like, “I’m excited about the party this weekend!” Instead of, “I can’t wait for the party this weekend!” You see, by saying you’re excited about or you’re looking forward to or you’re interested in seeing this or that, you acknowledge where you are right now. Take the potty training comment. I tried not to focus on rushing my daughter through it, rather we celebrated the task! It gave me the opportunity to teach her more about worshipping God. Every time she produced positive results, we shouted, “Hallelujah!” or “Praise the Lord!” Now in addition to being well potty trained, she loves to worship God! Patience had her perfect work.

Now for the more serious instances, I’ll share a more difficult experience. During the weeks and months following the death of my first son, I wanted to totally escape. I literally could not wait for the gut-wrenching pain to end. But, I had need of patience. I had to count it as joy. There is no quick fix—no immediate way to totally heal (physically, spiritually or emotionally). After this tragedy, I had to be healed from the inside out. God was with me the entire time. Had I decided to yield to escapism by evading the emotions I was experiencing, I would not have been healed. Patiently, I allowed the Lord to help me deal with the hurt, anger and confusion I was feeling. Even in cases of instantaneous divine healing, there is still work to be done on the individual’s part in order to maintain the healing. So it is a work in progress. Jesus told the man healed at the Pool of Bethesda, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee (John 5:14).”

Let’s finish with Brother James. Again, he tells us in James 1:2-4 to, “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” We can count it as joy because we know this—that our faith will be tried and if we endure, we will want nothing (Psalm 23:1). Your father God is patient, imitate Him. Enjoy the time you have. Patiently stand in that line and if you can find nothing positive about it but the fact that you have healthy legs to stand on, praise God for that! Know that your steps are ordered and there may be a reason for the unexpected delay. Clean that oatmeal off the wall with joy! One day you may have to set an appointment with your children in order to have a meal with them! I think you get the picture now. There is something positive and beautiful in every experience and season of your life. Yes, you can wait.

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

Psalm 138:8

—Shontta