WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

MATTHEW 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
PROVERBS 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

What did you learn about yourself last week? What did you spend most of your spare time doing? What kind of things did you spend your money on? What did you think about? Was it food? TV? A hobby? What is your secret love? God wants to be first in your life. He wants you to have good, enjoyable things but He wants you to think on Him and put Him at the top of your to do list. He wants your heart! How much time did you spend with God last week? Be honest! Was it enough? Were you happy with your reactions to the stresses of life last week? Go back and read last weeks devotion. Then think back and remember how you handled some of the situations. Is there anything you'd like to change about the events of last week. Write these things in your journal. These are the things you will be working on the next few weeks. This week we are going to be working on our thoughts. Proverb 3:7 says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:", so we will be working on how we think!

What was uppermost in your thoughts last week? Your thoughts is the place Satan will invade most often and when you least expect it. He knows what your weakness is. He is just waiting to put thoughts of these weaknesses in your mind. For example, if your weakness is food, he will put thoughts of your favorite food in your mind when you are not hungry but maybe feeling low, feeling angry or sorry for yourself. He does the same thing to someone whose weakness is alcohol, physical abuse, narcotics, nicotine, too much TV, shopping and even sleeping too much. When you are at your lowest point is when you will think about going back to these habits that you wish you could break. That is when you are most vulnerable and when Satan is most likely to tempt you. So what do you do? Recognize when you are headed for a low. Just like a diabetic needs an insulin shot when their sugar hits a low, we need a shot from a Higher Power when we hit an emotional low. Without that shot we are more apt to turn to something detrimental and then "hate ourselves in the morning". So this week you are going to change your thinking! You are going to think "I can do this" You are going to recognize when an emotional low is coming on and be prepared to think your way through it. Your motto this week is going to be I CAN DO THIS! "I can get through this without eating, without going shopping, without turning to any other substance." God will help you, you only need to ask Him! He is always there.

Write down all your successes as well as your failures. Don't let the failures stop you from trying again. Instead, learn from them! Next time, do better. Memorize this poem: I THINK I CAN! Print it out and carry it with you this week.

YOU CAN DO THIS! I KNOW YOU CAN!