Hey Family,
Something strange but timely happened a couple of days ago. I was lying in bed, and the Lord began to speak to me about life and other things, but he told me to release your post called “Mind Games” again.
2 Corinthians 10:2-4
I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.3For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
After rereading this, you will get what you need to enjoy the rest of your week. It will touch you in ways you never imagined; I pray that the Lord will enlighten your eyes by giving you a profound revelation of who he is and why you are still here. When I thought about what to say this week, the only thing that seemed appropriate was writing about the War on the mind.
Many thoughts ran through my mind that Friday afternoon. I cry as I write this because I was just flooded with so many emotions. But I praise God that he has kept me since I got the devasting news that September afternoon; I thank God for his saving grace!
It has been seven months since Joshua died, and it still feels very unreal. This season, if anyone asked me what the most significant obstacle I am having is, it has been the War on my mind. My thoughts often shift to him, especially at night when I lie in bed. Most times, it affects the way I sleep. So, I pray because despite what has happened, it is not the will of God to be restless at night.
Psalm 127:2 says it is vain for you to rise early, to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrows, for he giveth his beloved sleep.
In my last post titled ‘The Peace of God,” I wrote about how the Lord does not want our suffering to shake us to the point that it affects us physically, mentally or spiritually because we are called to have a steadfast spirit in Christ Jesus.
I bought this book a couple of years ago called “BATTLEFIELD OF THE MIND” by Joyce Meyers. I strongly encourage my readers to purchase this book. It can also be listened to on YouTube. This book talks about how the Lord wants us to renew and have peace in our minds daily, especially when hard times come. Society has a lot to say about how we should be coping when hard times hit. But did you know that the Lord also has something to say also? Did you know he is the only one who can keep our minds in perfect peace?
I have found that while on this journey called grief, sometimes my thoughts want to grab hold of me and to be honest, for a while, I was letting them. It was like I was stuck in a place of despair, but something happened as I started to reread his words. His words came off the page and surrounded me like a shield.
Isaiah 59:19 say So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
I began to remember who God called me to be in him. And that I am part of his chosen people, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a holy nation, God’s special possession. I belonged to someone, and what I was and still felt mattered to him. Would you cast your cares upon the Father?
Seeing myself in the scriptures showed me that I am not forgotten, and that is something that I needed to reaffirm while dealing with the loss of my child. To many, I am Felisha, the mother to Joshua, which is correct. But I am more than that; I am also the daughter of the Most High God, and based on his word, there are certain things that he desires for his children to have, and one of them is a sound mind.
2 TIMOTHY 1:7 SAYS FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN ME A SPIRIT OF FEAR BUT POWER LOVE AND A SOUND MIND.
Take a few moments and revive yourself in this verse, speak life into you situation.
Personal prayer
Father God, thank you for our lives. I pray in the name of Jesus that you will touch our minds in a way that only you can. Draw us closer to you in these trying times. Take the heaviness of our situation away because we can not bear the bluntness of it. Destroy every yoke of bondage over their minds. Uproot and pluck up every thought that is not of you, and help us to hold fast to our confession. Let our minds be in perfect peace and fixed on you, the great physician, and I plead the blood of Jesus against every false imagination in the Mighty Name of Jesus.
In Joyce’s book, chapter 7 is called “Think about what you are thinking,” and what the Lord said to me as I was reading was that We must be careful about what we are listening to, whether it be people or music and be intentional about what we are watching in this season of grief because it will have an impact on our day to day routines.
#GUARDYOURGATE
What are your gates, one might ask?
THE TONGUE (WHAT ARE YOU SPEAKING?) –Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
THE EARS (WHAT AND WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?) Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
THE EYES (WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING?) Matthew 6:22-23 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
THE FEET (WHERE ARE YOU GOING?) Psalm 1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night
Over the last few days, I have read God’s word more. I even came off Instagram for a week. Because the world/social media can not fix our problems; if anything, it worsens our reality. Why is this important to understand? We go on there seeing people living what looks like perfect lives and seem to forget nothing is perfect. Smoke And Mirror is literally what the Holy Spirit just dropped in me, and that can cause us to mask our problems and not tackle the root from which everything flows. As I spent more time in my Bible, something supernatural began. My mood, focus and even appearance have started to change. I have even had a couple of people say there is something different about you.
I miss Joshua so much. I cry as I type and sometimes have to take breaks; it’s overwhelming, but the Lord is my rock. I have to be honest with you guys, or to me, writing would be pointless. I want my readers to know that this process is natural, but the Lord is helping me cope by supplying all my needs. Know that God is there with you; you can lean on him and trust that he will see you through. He is strong enough to uphold you. Let him heal you with his love. He is keeping me; I know he will keep you with his faithfulness.
God has been teaching me patiently that this road of grief does not need to be lonely. He cares about our feelings and wants us to know that our emotions can be aligned with his word. When reading his word always pray before you start and ask him for understanding, then once you are done meditate on that verse even if it is just one thing that you remember. Allow him to heal your soul and fill the empty, hurting places with his love.
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. but his delight and desire are in the law of the lord, and on his law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of god) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.
Today, would you practice shifting your focus from what has happened to what God says will? ISAIAH 43:19 SAYS BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING, NOW IT SHALL SPRING FORTH; SHALL YOU NOT KNOW IT? I WILL EVEN MAKE A ROAD IN THE WILDERNESS, AND RIVERS IN THE DESERT.
Losing Joshua has been very hard, and I will never understand why I must grow old without him by my side, but what I do know is that God is not done yet with Joshua’s story and for the world to hear it, I must go on. I must allow him to fill this void and draw strength from him to bring this next chapter to fruition.
The mind is a battlefield, and if we do not take control of it with God’s word, renewing it daily, then it will take control of us, which is not what God wants.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
I pray that something I wrote resonates with you and that your minds will be in perfect peace while the Lord comforts and guides you in whatever you are dealing with. I also pray he will visit you while you sleep and mend the shattered pieces.
Until next time, please remember to take the time and rest and know that it will get better, and you won’t always feel like this.
Song of the week- You Know My Name by Tasha Cobbs
I do not own any rights to the music
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#JOSHUASMOM
#JUSTICEFORJOSHUABENNETT
#THECARPENTERSMOTHER