WHATEVER

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."-Philippians 4:8

What does it mean to fill your mind with things that will inspire worship of God and service to others?

It is crucial that we bring our thought life into submission to Jesus Christ by learning to think biblically through EVERY aspect of our lives.

All sin begins in our thoughts.

There is a war going on inside your soul every second of every minute of every hour.
We have to understand that in order to conquer our thoughts, we cannot simply recognize the little devil that sits on our shoulders whispering lies in our ears constantly, but we must learn that the battlefield is our mind. The devil is our enemy, but the battlefield is our mind!

God has given us the ability to choose the thoughts that we respond to.

Choose to think on truth. Don't even begin to communicate with the enemy. You've already lost the battle at the moment you choose to open yourself up to dialogue with the "father of lies."

Oswald Chambers said..."To think is an effort; to think rightly is a great effort; and to think as a Christian ought to think is the greatest effort of a human soul."

Romans 12:2- "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

So, how do we think right?

Think on whatever is true:
The only way that we can know the truth and walk in it is to saturate ourselves with Scripture. We should know God's Word so well that everything we come into contact with filters through it.
We should follow the example found in Acts 17:11-"Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

Think on whatever is honorable:
This word means "that which inspires reverence or awe; dignified, worthy of respect." JESUS.

Think on whatever is just:
These are things that are worthy of respect and right-according to God's standard. JESUS.

Think on whatever is pure:
Things that are wholesome! JESUS.

Think on whatever is lovely:
This means what is pleasing, agreeable, and attractive. This means to think on what is both pure and attractive. Jesus Christ is attractive and so we should think on Him. Things that are kind and gracious. JESUS.

Think on whatever is commendable: 
These are things that are highly thought of. JESUS.

Colossians 3:2- "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

Romans 8:5-6 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Sprit. For the set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."


Psalm 119:15- "I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways."

Is 2 Corinthians 10:5 true in your life?
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

You can't stop the noise that is going on around you and you can't determine what thoughts are going to come, but you can block it when you choose to think on Jesus.

If you want to hear what God is saying, you're going to have to block out whatever the enemy suggests.

You are plugged in to the promises of God.

Think on the WHATEVER God's Word suggests.

Dreamer Gone Wild.

It's a typical Thursday morning after the turn of a brand new year. Welcome, 2014.

I've been sitting in Starbucks for a little over an hour. I've overheard countless loud conversations, tweeted several times, drank a half white/half dark chocolate mocha and currently sipping on a vanilla chai latte, I've kept my eye on a super handsome employee (I can do that because I'm dating him), and then I caught myself dreaming.

I know, I know. Logan dreaming? Of course!

The strange thing about this moment is that it was so real. I was beginning to plan out how I could make this dream real life.

I like to talk about what is happening in my life and then I like to dream about what my life would be like if the problem I'm facing didn't exist or I like to imagine what my life would be like if I were born in a third-world country. I dream about the day that my daddy will walk me down the aisle and hand me over to the man that as a little girl I could only imagine what that day will be like. Now, I've met the one that I get to grow old beside. I dream about what my kids are going to look like. I dream about traveling the world with my best friend. I think about the things that I deal with and I imagine my kids struggling with the same things. I dream about ending human trafficking. I dream about being a coffee connoisseur. I dream about Eric and I adopting kids that were born into families that couldn't care for them. I dream about what life will be like in 20 years. I dream about chasing the things of God. I dream about ending child hunger. Sometimes, I dream about writing a book on what it means to be missional right where you are.  Basically, I'm a frequent dreamer.

Sometimes, dreaming can get me in trouble.

I catch myself getting sucked into my dreams and forget everything that is going on around me.

You see, God created me to be a dreamer but He created me to live full of purpose and full of obedience where I am. The moment that I forget that God works EVERYTHING for His good, is the moment that I miss God completely.

I think that's the problem with this generation. People who dream are often looked upon as disconnected, unreliable, spontaneous, sprinters from responsibility, and overall never content with reality.

So to all of you dreamers reading this, let me ask you a question. What is your role as a dreamer?

What separates you from being what society labels a dreamer is the motivation behind the desire that is in you. If your motivation is to get rich, get famous, and promote you, then you deserve a reality check. IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. 

God, the One who knit you together in your mother's womb and fearfully and wonderfully created YOU (Psalm 139:13-14), He has woven Spirit-motivated dreams deep down inside of you for the purpose of bringing himself all of the glory. The thing is, when your dreams are self-focused, you take the very thing that God has put inside of you and use it the wrong way. God created you as a dreamer to chase after the things that you have discovered.

Never allow your dreams to cause you to miss out on this moment. Don't forget that God has you interacting with certain people, living in a specific place, working at a specific job, or going to school because there are things that He wants you to experience before you move from that moment. Your future will be determined by your obedience in the now. Don't miss God because you're sucked into a dream.

Don't be afraid to make dreams a reality. Dream BIG. Chase after them. Just make sure that they are God-initiated.

Spend time discovering Jesus so that you can run hard after the things you've discovered!

Ask the Holy Spirit to begin stirring up dreams that you are to bring to life.

Your role as a dreamer and my role as a dreamer is to point people to Jesus.

So let's change the labels that dreamers have. 

Label me as a "dreamer gone wild" because there are dreams that the Holy Spirit has put inside of me that are burning deep within my soul like a fire that can't be extinguished. 

The dreams that I listed earlier are all great. But, they are nothing in comparison to the things that I haven't even scratched the surface of discovering about God. May I be a chaser of Holy Spirit motivated dreams that are woven deep down within me.

Join me. I dare you.