Stay out of your own head. It is a very dangerous neighborhood. Do not go in there alone. Especially at night.
~ Jim Freed
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
~ Galatians 6:2-3
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
~ Psalm 43:5
Oh beloved, there is within us, this never-ending temptation to go back to the brain we have well-learned to distrust – and to begin a new relationship with something that is broken. And even in knowing that doing the same thing over and over again – expecting different results – is nothing other than insanity; we do it anyway.
See, as believers we are now truly new creations in Christ. There is no longer any need to count on our own thinking. For we have repented of that thought, and now take on His mind by virtue of the work He has done in our life. For we know that in the flesh of the brain, nothing good truly dwells. Oh yeah, the brain is a great processor and retainer of information – but it is an incredibly unreliable generator of good ideas.
But, then, we get alone and all the old circuits (and the evil one’s fiery darts) begin pinging around in our heads. All the old fears and doubts and problems present themselves as things that have not been truly solved.
What to do?
Stop. because that old, dead voice in our heads neither requires (nor deserves) digging up, attention, analysis, validation, recognition, sustenance, encouragement, financing, or friends.
And go. Get with Him. Listen, wait, receive, yield, trust and obey. Get with friends or lovers who are standing in the same stance. Realize that our brains are actually working best when they are held in a position of deep respect (read fear) towards their Maker. And it is in this place (and only in this place) that wisdom can begin to be received from the Author of all knowledge.
Yeah, it feels condescending. But is it really? Or is it just some organ screaming for attention? Isn’t it just our flesh moaning for attention like some impatient child? No, there is no condescension here. It is rather the Kingdom principle of glorification through humility at work in a practical sense in our lives.
This writer feels the temptation daily. But thankfully he has a Great Big G_d who knows exactly how to handle all his issues. So, this writer is just gonna let that One do what He is an absolute expert at doing: Everything.
“Death is only painful to him who resists it. The imagination exaggerates its terrors. The spirit argues endlessly to show the propriety of the life of self. Self-love fights against death, like a sick man in the last struggle. But we must die inwardly as well as outwardly… Our great care should be that the spirit of self dies first. For then our bodily death will be but a falling asleep.”
~ Francois Fenelon
