Have you made a habit of thinking about what you are thinking?

I mean, thoughts continuously run through our minds: what to eat, where to go, things to do, work to get done, people to contact, what to wear, making lists, etc. Unless you are the average man and then I am told that it can be a little like an echo chamber.... my husband told me that. 

Have you noticed that what you think influences how you feel?

Think about it... it's a rainy day and you think: "Ugh it's so nasty outside." How do you FEEL? Negative, down, lazy? Or what if you CHOSE to turn that thought around to think: "Sweet! Nothing to do outside so I am going to do some cooking/baking or maybe catch up on some reading." You feel good, warm and grab a hot cuppa and settle in.

Thoughts influence feelings which influence actions.

The Bible says that we are to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

That means that we are mindful of what is running through our brains. When a negative thought or lie appears, we grab it and turn it around to be examined and then toss the lies or reform the information for positive use. Rainy days are neither good nor bad, but how we think about them determines how we feel about that day and then how we will react to that feeling.

Karen Carpenter had a hit song: Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

With that mindset, she was depressed every week as Monday rolled around and every time the weather was damp.

See what I mean? The devil is called the father of lies by Jesus. So the devil works mainly out of sight but whispers in our ears. He can influence your behavior.

Community is built on each other having a common trait. The Church has God/Yahweh, Jesus/Yeshua and the Holy Spirit/Ruach Ha Kodesh as our center. Everything flows from the center outward. So we need God and His Church asHis Body to serve Him. Kingdom work is done by humans.

When we are of one mind, full of His Spirit, empowered by HOPE and Him, all things become possible. But if we allow the enemy's lies to manipulate us, we become resentful, lazy, uncaring, insensitive to others, and drift from God and His Church. 

We then are believers in name only - nominal believers. We no longer are full of life and joy. Like sheep who wander from the flock and the care of the shepherd, we are in danger of the wolves looking for lunch.

Don't be wolf food -- watch your thoughts. Stay close to God and the Church.

Maranatha, y'all. He's coming back.