Dear Child Of God

By Bill Glover

Remember, Child of God, because of your calling everything you think, do, or say has great significance! You are making a difference wherever God has you, because of who you are in Christ! There is no way around it! Jesus, Himself, lives in us and tells us that we are salt & light to this dark & tasteless world we live in! I understand that we often walk according to the flesh and, therefore, our light is partially hidden. We do so by our own self-absorbed thinking, or by our preoccupations with sin, or by worrying about our own life circumstances. But, as Christians, we can choose to set our "lamp on a lamp stand for all to see" by learning to walk according to the Spirit. The Apostle Paul tells us in numerous places in his epistles, to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. One way we can do this by learning to consciously focus our minds on the truth of God's promises and our new identity in Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible for us to purposely act on thoughts and promptings that we have set our minds on! The Spirit actually points out opportunities to us to minister to people's needs that we may not otherwise notice because our thoughts are focused on ourselves, our sin, or our own situation.

You may have tried many times to keep your mind off your sin or circumstance, trying to control your thoughts, not knowing you have developed a habit of thinking in a certain way. However, you can change the way you think if you will simply start making a new habit of daily renewing your mind with the Word of God! You can unlearn old habits by replacing them with new ones. New habits can be made in a very short time! They say, if we start and maintain a daily activity for a month or so, we will have developed a new habit. We just have to make it a priority, keep on trying, and ask God to help us not give up. He will answer our prayer; but we must also act in faith, expecting Him to empower us by His Spirit that lives in us!

I encourage you to first start by having personal devotional time with the Lord at least 2 or 3 times a day. Time spent with Jesus is mandatory for a child of God seeking to learn how to focus their thoughts on - and walk in - the Spirit of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We must spend personal daily prayer time with Jesus, focusing on His Word; or we will suffer greatly - and so will others - as a consequence of our lack of discipline.

I have found that the popular, written, daily devotionals available at any Christian bookstore are very effective to use during these quiet times with Jesus. They effectively use short, thought-provoking exhortations and prayers that lead to daily Scripture reading. A little over 2 years ago I started developing a new habit of using 3 or 4 different daily devotionals several times a day (first thing in the morning before my feet hit the floor; before and/or after breakfast, lunch, or dinner; and at bedtime)! I now have a wonderful habit that I truly cannot afford to live without! My new habit helps me focus my attention on the Word, and my new identity in Christ. This helps me set my mind on - and walk in - the Spirit; and He helps me apply His promises to my own personal behavior, individual attitudes, thought patterns, and life circumstances. Praise God, we can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens us!

Love in Jesus,

Bill Glover

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