It’s only January, but I’m trying to spring-clean my House of Thoughts.
What’s a house of thoughts? It’s an allegory that Joyce Meyer, a Christian speaker and teacher and the woman that introduced me to a God I can begin to understand, uses to illustrate the stronghold that our thoughts have on our lives. Our thoughts become the rooms of the houses in which we live. We build our own house with all of our thoughts, and if negative, we can torment ourselves and become trapped with the “devil” inside.
Joyce teaches us that sometimes a cleaning won’t be enough, though. We may need to completely tear down our negative houses, room by room, and build another with good thoughts - thoughts that agree with the word of God.
My mental house includes an UNFORGIVENESS room, a LIVING IN THE PAST room, a WORRY and FEAR room, a SELF-PITY room, and a NEGATIVE THINKING room, just like a lot of people. My WORRY and FEAR rooms are the biggest and oldest rooms. More than likely, they will require a rebuild. The process could affect my entire foundation.
My UNFORGIVENESS room could become a room to bless my enemies. Bitterness, resentment – it’s like picking at a scab that never goes away. Isn’t unforgiveness against the ”commandments” of God? How can I ask for forgiveness from God if I don’t forgive others? These people just steal my joy anyway. I can’t change people, only God can. I need to remember that hurting people hurt others. So, I will pray for their blessings. And know that God will bless these people with a revelation about what they’ve done. And we’ll all share a Coke on a hill someday.
My LIVING IN THE PAST room could become a room to renew and refresh. God says he’ll give me beauty for ashes, but I have to be willing to give up my ashes. God’s mercy is every day and every day should be a brand new start. So, ”Behold, I AM DOING a new thing”.
My WORRY and FEAR rooms could become a room to voice my trust in God. Think g ratitude, not fear. Fear prevents progress, gratitude promotes zeal and hope. God loves me, so how can I worry? God has His own time and is rarely early. ”Fear not”, means do it afraid. God knows I’m scared, but He wants me to have faith in Him, not Satan.
My SELF-PITY room could become a room to focus on my power. I can’t be pitiful and powerful at the same time. ”If I am faithful”, I understand that God always has my best and eternal interests at heart. How can I pity myself and praise God? Thinking about myself too much and not praising enough – hardly glorifications of God. I should spend some time and power looking for someone else to say a nice word to each day. Try to be a blessing.
And my NEGATIVE THINKING room could become a room to think positively. After all, I am loved and all is well. I should see myself as God sees me. I am His child. He hopes for me. He sees what I can become. What I think about is what I attract. Meditate and, therefore, magnify the good. If I want to change my life, I have to change my thinking. I can’t have prosperity with poverty thinking. I can’t have anything, if I am not a giver. If I think people don’t like me, they never will. If I think I’ll always be broke, I always will. ”If I believe it, it is truth.”
For all my rooms, I have to think on purpose. I have to ask God first thing each morning: What can I do today? What can I do to be a blessing to others? What can I do to glorify You? I have to constantly resist temptation to think negatively. If I don’t choose this, the devil will choose for me! I have to constantly renew my mind.
As Joyce puts it: What I can do, I should do, and by the Grace of God, I will do!
So, I’m going to try to renew, rebuild and redecorate. I’m going to clean up and, where needed, tear my old house down and build another, block by positive, grace of God block.
I have a feeling this will take a long, long time. And may require dynamite and vodka. And medication. Oops…okay….I’m okay….I’m okay…..just slipped on a negative thought at the front door.