Day 2 Reconciliation Fasting

Self Control

Today’s Scripture: Romans 12:18 (NIV)

¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Scripture Message:

I observed a group of teenagers yesterday and witnessed how an incident was initiated simply by one child looking past another out of the window. The situation was as such: 1 young lady, sitting on the opposite side of the school bus looked out of the window on the other side of the bus at a clothing display. Now this young lady said nothing, just admired the view from the other side of the bus. There was another young lady sitting in front of that window who blurted out “Stop staring at me” which caused the 1^st young lady to state “I was not looking at you, I was looking past you in the store window at the clothes”. Because the young lady sitting near the viewed window had now reacted on something that was clearly unnecessary & in her unrelenting pride, she fired back calling the 1^st young lady a liar among other things. While these were teenagers with a certain level of immaturity to take into consideration, many adults behave in the same manner. Reacting on perception, not fact. The choices we make are our own, good or bad we individually own that action. Why is it easier to react on perception instead of confronting truth? Think about how many problems would be solved by individuals taking ownership of their actions. How at peace the world would be if the realization of self control & self ownership were prevalent. Bottom line, no one can control you except you…will you get it right every time, probably not, but the more you exercise the principal the better you become at it. Refuse to be moved by the intent of others, know that your peace of mind begins and ends with you. Things outside of you can not be controlled, but you have the ability to take the reins of your response. As Christians we are to mirror Christ and in doing so we remain focused on kingdom principal. Our savior had an unshakeable faith as his understanding was of our father’s kingdom & not on the circumstances of worldly initiative. Live today focused on being the mirror image of Christ allowing all that is not of him to not penetrate your existence.

Thought for the Day:

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” Brian Tracy

Goal for the Day:

Think before you act & if you are unsure, ask and confirm your thought, then act...or choose not to. Either way there was some consideration to determine your next move.

(Gregory Dickow)

Today we’re fasting from the thought that says: “Even if I change, it won’t last. I always fall back.”

Often we start to have hope; we see some things change in us; then we seem to backtrack or expect to fall back into the same attitudes, habits or emotions. It doesn’t have to stay that way. Are you ready for that cycle to come to an end?

Let's CHANGE IT TODAY:

1. This is the whole point of our fast from wrong thinking: You won’t fall back when you change the way you think. And when you replace wrong mindsets with right ones, you KEEP the victory, Jesus paid the price for. Proverbs 23:7 says as you think, you become.
2. 
   Use your imagination on the promises of God. Imagine the promises of God are coming to pass, and you will move forward. When you allow your imagination to replay past mistakes or failures, you go backwards. Look up Jeremiah 7:24.

3. SILENCE OTHER VOICES. Listen to the voice of God. Just keep filling your mind today with ‘what does the scripture say’, ‘what does the scripture say’...When you KEEP YOUR EARS ON the voice of God, you move forward. Jer. 7:24 says, when they didn’t listen to the Word, they went backwards.

4. Listen to your ‘lawyer’. 1 John 2:1 says even if you do fall, you have an advocate, a lawyer—Jesus—who goes to the Father and pleads your case. You are safe in His Grace—the ultimate safety net.

5. Believe that God is at work in you to bring lasting change. YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this journey. Philippians 2:12 says, “For it is God who is at work IN you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Remember, He succeeds at everything He works on. And He’s working on you, NOW!

6. Embrace the truth that God will keep you from falling back. CEMENT this truth to your mind. Jude 24 says, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy." Two fold protection: He keeps you from falling; AND MAKES you stand. Believe it!

THINK IT & SAY IT:

I imagine the promises of God coming to pass in my life, and I refuse to replay my past mistakes. I’m going forward. I listen to the voice of God, and it keeps me moving forward. God is at work in me to bring His change in my life. He keeps me from falling and empowers me to stand, in Jesus’ Name.

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Inspiration by:

Lindsey Ragans

I have been inspired to write a new thought today…what lies beneath us is always in front of us..our roles and responsibilities will always set us apart from each other..the thing we crave most is Love, Family, and Security…the things that we attempt to run from.. they have always shown us mad love despite what happens....but the real question is…how are we filling the void?