“Hello, Jesus!”

We don’t make enough time for God. You can be offended by this statement or you can realize the reality of it. How do I know that we don’t make enough time for God? Well, it’s because of all the unchecked noise in our heads. 

Noisy thoughts from our world that we often times robotically and automatically listen to and follow. And what are these thoughts that I am talking about? Thoughts of discouragement, thoughts of stress, thoughts of anxiety, thoughts of worry, thoughts of anger, thoughts of overwhelm, thoughts of frustration, thoughts of disappointment, thoughts of fear, thoughts of judgement, thoughts of jealousy, thoughts of inadequacy, thoughts of lack. These thoughts can be about ourselves, about situations in our lives, or about others.  They destroy our spiritual health and, now we know, our physical health as well. 

Do you know where these thoughts are coming from? Well, they are certainly not coming from God, Who created you, loves you, and has gifted you the fruits of the Spirit (love, kindness, gentleness, peace, patience, compassion, forbearance, self control-Galatians 5: 22-23 ESV) which are all in complete contrast to these thoughts. So, if they are not coming from God, from whom? I know most of us might not want to acknowledge it, but, the fact is, they are coming from the devil, the one who aims to defy God, wants to destroy you, and schemes to ruin your life. 

The devil understands your worth and your value in God’s eyes. He understands the purpose that God has placed upon your life and he wants to stop it at all costs but, yet, he knows he can not directly do it. So, what better way to prevent you from knowing who you are, Whose you are, and how powerful you are, then to sneak into your mind and suggest thoughts that are in complete opposition to God’s Word. Negative thoughts that have become the mantras that we live by in our world. 

You might say that this is crazy but I dare you to challenge it. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and told us “Do not be afraid,” in one way or another, approximately 365 times. But, I can easily say that the majority of the people in this world are not living in peace and are not living without fear. It may not be an external insult, but, I can assure you, there is at least one internal insult that you struggle with. 

Undoubtedly, these suggested thoughts from the devil can’t force us to live a certain way, but they indisputably influence us enough that we do. Those thoughts! You know what they are. “I’m not good enough.” “I can’t do it.” “I am a failure.” “I’m not where I’m supposed to be.” “I am alone.” “I am afraid.” “My kids are not as good as their kids.” “My spouse doesn’t care.” “My career isn’t successful.” “I am ugly.” “I don’t have what they have.” “She/He is fat.” “Their life is a mess.” etc. I can go on and on with these negative comments that not only come into our minds at such an unnoticeably fast rate but also have such a drastic impact on how we live our lives. Unfortunately, they don’t stop…But, that doesn’t mean we can’t slow them down and quiet them to such a level that they are ineffective at corrupting us and robbing us of our God given peace and joy.

So, how do we do this? Well, with any attack you need armor and weapons. Where can you get it… FROM GOD’S WORD! “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV). “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV). God and His Word are our armor and weapon! They provide resistance to and victory over these attacks and, though God and His Word are readily available for our use, we don’t implement His power in our battles.

Inarguably, this is precisely the reason that I know many of us do not make enough time for God. You see, in order to be prepared enough to fight against these thoughts and know that we can rise above them and not listen to them nor live by them, we have to know Who lives within us. But, not only know Who but KNOW HIM. We need to have a relationship with Jesus to the point where we not only know how He feels about us but also what His messages mean. And we need to know them well!! 

How else do we overcome the onslaught of lies that enter our mind, sometimes every second of every day, unless we feel strong enough and confident enough in THE TRUTH! We need to know the TRUTH that only comes from Him for He is the Truth and His Truth brings clarity to this noise.

If those “negative” thoughts are coming every second, every millisecond, then we need, at the very least, to be in daily communication with Jesus. Honestly, we need way more than that, but that would certainly be a good start. We need to change the mindsets that having a regular relationship with Jesus is abnormal and obscure but dealing with these thoughts is normal and acceptable…because it is not. These thoughts, whether you admit it to yourself or not, lead to your unhappiness. However, are you aware of the unhealthiness they bring? Not just spiritually, but physically? Yes, science has discovered (what Jesus created!) that these constant thoughts/heart postures lead to health changes in our physical bodies, causing unhappiness AND unhealthiness. 

However, when you are in constant communication with Jesus, whether it be through speaking to Him, reading His Word, listening to worship songs, and/or surrounding yourself with people who already know Him, you are armored to fight these every day battles. Your improved thoughts/heart postures that result trigger a restorative body response! 

You don’t even realize how close you are to conquering all of your battles! You have everything you need to live a healthy, joyful, peaceful life already inside of you! This is His Spirit and this is what He died for! Not only so that we can be experiencing joy in heaven, but also so that we can be experiencing joy (and health) in this life too. 

Therefore, if Jesus is with you, all you have to do is acknowledge Him! It may take some getting used to, and it doesn’t prevent the troubles of this world, but, when you know Him and that He loves you, is for you, and nothing/no one is more powerful than Him, believe me, you will overcome! You and Him are the MAJORITY!

Today, make the choice to start spending more time with Jesus. It will start to renew your mind/heart and your health! This is what strengthening your relationship with Jesus brings into your life. His Spirit and Word are like the deep roots of a tree, deep roots that not only support and stabilize but provide nutrients for growth and heal broken parts. Even though you can’t always see those deep roots, they are there, just like Him. More time acknowledging His presence and learning His Word is the artillery you need to squelch the corruptive, “negative” thoughts/heart postures suggested by the devil that steal your peace and affect your health. So, today, RIGHT NOW, begin your journey to spiritual and physical healing! All you have to do is turn around and say, “Hello, Jesus!”