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Here are THREE THINGS for you to think about today!

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Three Things Thursday is my opportunity to share great stuff from the blogosphere with you.  I love to let you in on material that is motivating me, teaching me, or shedding new light on something I thought I knew well! As a reminder, over the next three Thursdays, I am sharing related to three areas of development based on Luke 2:52. The mind, body, and spirit, are the three areas in which Jesus, Son of God and Savior of the world, had to experience a process of maturation… so it’s OK  if we do too!

We are also commanded in Mark 12:30 to love God in each of those three areas so I think it’s worth our time to explore! If you need to read or review read my initial thoughts about focus on these verses click HERE).

 If you have mastered a particular area or do not need my suggestions, come up with your own!  Then keep your Kingdom Kindreds posted by sharing your journey in the comments!

 

O.K. Kingdom Kindreds.  Here we go!

 

1) The Mind…  Take Every Thought Captive As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Psalm 121:1-2 is one of a few awesome memory verses you can choose from this week.  If scripture memory is difficult for you, that’s OK.  Keep working your brain! Let learning God’s word be the focal point for the exercise of your mind.

 

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Photo credit: www.wallpraise.com

 

Today I want you to focus on the idea of taking every thought captive.  This means that we need to have control of our minds  with God’s help and lead our thoughts purposefully in a direction that is pleasing to Him.  Negative thoughts, fearful thoughts, selfish thoughts, etc. all can be a part of this process.

And let me tell you, renewing your mind is a process. But this process does involve reading, memorizing, speaking aloud, singing, and listening to the word of God.  A major way we get control of our thought life is to fill it with the Word of God which is why scripture memory is so important and why that is a major component of the “One Month Journey”.

This morning I want to make it easy for you to do just that.  I want to give you some tools that will prayerfully help you to focus more on God and His Word,  help you to re-align your thinking, and help you to dwell on things that are good for you!

The first is a song that has blessed me over the years.  The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir put Psalm 121 to music and I’m telling ya, it will BLESS YOUR SOCKS OFF!

Also, this video put together by Katie Orr over Hello Mornings will wash you the Word and give you other verses that I pray will fill your mind with God’s Word and specifically with verses that I pray will help you to know how God wants YOU to think!

 

2) The Body… Make a Move 

Last week the goal was to drink more water.  How did that go for you?  Hopefully you have started the habit of drinking more water. Try to keep that habit going!  Water is your friend! This week let’s talk about MOVEMENT. Now don’t get scared if you don’t already get much of that in.  We all have to start somewhere right?  All you need to do is think of what you are already doing and do a little bit better.

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Challenge yourself.  If you don’t exercise at all, make it your goal this week to go for a walk at the park.  One time. That’s all.  If you are inconsistent, make it your goal to pick up where you have left off, decide what you are going to do, and STICK TO IT.  If you are good with this area of your life, why don’t you make it your goal to encourage someone else by inviting them to join you at the gym or for a walk?

Our bodies were designed to move and most of us don’t move enough. Science has shown and (we probably know via common sense) that regular exercise helps your brain to work better.  So moving more is kind of a two for one! We only get one temple to work with right?  And no matter how much our hearts love the Lord, our body is the casing that carries us to fulfill whatever mission he sends us on.  We have to take care of it!  And movement is one of the ways we do that.

John Piper, founder and teacher of desringGod.org author of more than 50 books, blogged about exercise and why he does it.  I think this will give you a little motivation 🙂  If you still just are in need of ideas for working it in, try these 5 Clever Ways to Find Time to Exercise by Ron Edmondson.  If you are simply at a loss for how to exercise, find 25 simple and easy ideas from Prevention Magazine.

Remember… just like learning to take your thoughts captive is a process, learning to discipline your body is too. But we do it because we want our minds and our bodies to be available to Him for his purposes, right? Right!?!?

 

3) The Spirit… Be Still

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We rush.  Many of us are so busy we simply rush from one thing to the next.  Even if we don’t want to. Our world races to a finish line that never stays still and we are encouraged by forces outside to hurry to the next thing.  The discipline of being still is quickly becoming a lost art.

But it’s in the stillness, in the waiting, that we give our spirits and souls room to breathe. And let me tell you, it’s in the waiting, in the empty spaces, in the stopping in our tracks that we can be nourished by the Spirit of God and hear his voice.

My sister has written a wonderful book on the topic of waiting and hearing God speak to our souls.  You can read Chapter 1 here.  Also, check out Lisa Terkeurst commentary on how she hears from God.

I pray that these encouragements in the areas of your mind, body, and soul motivate, educate, and spur you on to doing new things, reviving old things, or being more consistent with things you are already doing.

 

Recap of the Three Things…

Take Every Thought Captive Work on your thought life

Make a Move Exercise your Body

Be Still Learn to wait. Practice listening for His voice

 

Remember…

Q & A – Submit questions on biblical womanhood for myself or my dad, Tony Evans, to answer! Just click on the “Ask Chrystal” button on the menu bar (under “Chrystal”). Each week on Wednesday via video blog, one (or both) of us will answer some of the questions we receive!

The Blog – The main source of information for the journey is on the blog.  Be sure and subscribe so that posts from the blog will go straight to your email box and you won’t miss anything. While you can find me blabbing away on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, those are optional places to find me or other info, graphics, or FUN on the Kingdom Woman One Month Journey.  The

Comments – Your responses in the comments are your way to make sure that I see your thoughts.  Please pour your heart out there.  I read every single one. Each week you will be invited to share your journey in the comment section.  I hope you do!

Social Media – Make it easy for me to find you!  As you share quotes from the book on Facebook or Twitter or maybe even take, make, and share graphic images on Pinterest or Instagram, be sure and use the hashtag #KingdomWoman.  This way, we can find each other as we share!

The Book – We are reading and reflecting on Kingdom Woman.  It’s not too late to download  an Ebook or pick one up at your local bookstore and join the journey!