Love to hear from and know who is listening
If you have ever paid attention to the roadsides in Missouri you have seen a Teasel weed. Teasels grow in open, sunny habitats, in wet or dry conditions. Teasel weed flourish in the summer months because they have a very unique and hardy design. The plant can grow to be more than 8 feet tall and the taproot may be more than 2 feet long and 1 inch in diameter at the base. If you look closely at the plant you will discover that coming up from the taproot the the stem splits into 3 branches that are surrounded by a cup shaped leaf. This cup will hold rain water for extended periods of time making the plant able to withstand extended droughts. It is an invasive weed that can be very difficult to manage because once established it pollutes the soil with its durable seed that can germinate throughout the growing season. The dictionary defines the word invasive like this: “tending to spread prolifically, undesirably or harmfully, to intrude a persons thoughts or privacy!” The Devil can be like an invasive weed in your spiritual life. So you need to ever watchful, for the Devil is on the prowl looking for any weakness he can find.
1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
The scriptures tell us in John chapter 8 verse 44 that the Devil is a liar and the father of lies. Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 tells us he is the accuser of the brethren, who accuses them before God day and night. He wants to steal souls from the Lord. The Devil uses our weaknesses against us in order to cause us to sin, in hopes that we will stray from God and continue to live in sin, making your witness in the world ineffective. One of the tactics that Satan uses in his battle against us is invading your thoughts. Have you ever wondered where certain thoughts come from? Out of the blue, negative thoughts, or even crazy thoughts, come to your mind and you have no idea where they came from. This is one of the tactics that Satan uses to fight against us. Satan wants to fill your thoughts with doubt, fear and guilt. The devil wants you to believe that your life is worthless! What's even worse, Satan does NOT want you to forget the mistakes that you've made in the past. He will constantly remind you of the negative things that you've done to others, past sins that you have already been forgiven of and wrong choices that you've made. Remember, Satan's goal is to steal, kill, and destroy.
John 10:10 ESV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
So...how do we stop negative thoughts from trapping us or even worse, leading us down a destructive path? It would be easy for me to say, just stop thinking the negative thoughts, but it's not always that easy! How do we resist the devil? Well, it's not easy, but if we are in submission to God it is a lot easier!! Submission and resisting go hand-in-hand. We have to make every effort to push negative thoughts out of our minds. We have to avoid situations and people that can cause us to stumble. To resist is to evaluate what causes us to sin and then turn away from it, remove it from your life. When we do these things, it says in James chapter 4 verse7 that the devil will flee from you. The devil has to flee the Name of Jesus. So don't let the Devil become an invasive weed in your life and thoughts! Don't let Satan pollute your mind! Fill your mind with good thoughts and don't forget Paul's advice in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good r
