Your Thoughts – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Everyone is the Nate Ortiz and this is walking in power and I want to talk about your thoughts

right where your thoughts go, what consumes your thoughts most of the day because where

our thoughts go, that's to be where our actions will follow.

And it's important to regard our mind, guard our hearts and what we let in because all

of us what's going to come out.

And I want to read a passage of scripture out of Philippians chapter 4, starting in verse

4.

As this, rejoice in the Lord always, again I have say rejoice.

Let your gentle spirit be known to all men, the Lord is near.

Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication when thanks giving

that your requests be made known to God and the peace of God who surpasses all comprehension

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything

worthy of praise dwell on these things.

I think many times when we, especially heading up into thanksgiving and Christmas where

we can begin to have these thoughts to just maybe over one month, maybe it's family

having talked to maybe a situation that we're not looking forward to or maybe it's just

a stress of holiday season, whatever it is, I think it's a great reminder to all of us

that we practice in our thought life, in our mind, just reminding ourselves the great

things that God has blessed us with in our lives.

It's easy to focus on the troubles and challenges and what we don't have or where we want

to be but God is much more interested in how we are viewing things, right?

You've been with people that no matter what you say, no matter what great thing is happening,

there's always this negative angle to it.

Then there's other people who are so positive that they're just having to touch with reality.

So how do you find that balance in that?

I think this passage of scripture talks about it.

I think the first thing I'm going to talk about rejoicing the Lord always, again I say

rejoice when I was growing up, there's a song we used to sing all the time and just reminding

us.

I think when we rejoice in something, I think we have to rejoice in the simple things

that we have, right?

It's the lie of the world that if we can attain something, if we could finally grab a hold

of something that it'll bring fulfillment or it'll bring happiness or there's something

out there that we have to discover.

But I think really with inside of us, it's this appreciating what God has blessed us with,

even in the difficult times, even in struggles, the final things that we can be joyful for and

continue to rejoice in those things.

So maybe you have to think about it in your life.

Maybe it's your health, maybe it's your family.

I heard this great quote the other day that says you were always living as someone else's

envy.

Meaning, right, we may not like think we're doing a great job in life or in our faith.

To be honest, there's a few people who may be looking at us who are envy of us.

And we're looking at someone else and we're envy of them.

So I think there's this understanding of let's rejoice in what we got and be thankful

for it.

And jump into verse six, it says, be anxious for nothing but everything by prayer and

supplication with thanksgiving that your requests be made known to God.

I think when we go to prayer, sometimes we make it this to do list or make it this God,

I need this or God, can you do this or God?

I really need to happen.

But I think we would go to prayer with God saying thank you God for what you've given me.

Thank you God for what you've entrusted to me in my life.

It really sets the tone for how we pray.

But when we show thankfulness and appreciation what God has done in our lives, even for

like we're struggling, focus on see that he has done.

But then we're able to then move into a place of saying God there are things that are

heavy on my heart.

And I need your help.

I need you to speak to them.

I need you to change the situation or change me and let that being our prayer.

I think sometimes we let anxiousness begin to drive us and we kind of get in our own

mind and we get stuck there and thoughts then become toxic.

They then become just stagnant.

We just have a hard time seeing what the answer is.

But I think when we take these anxious thoughts to prayer, that's where God begins to do the

work.

The more we just try to hold it in our brain or reason it and wrestle to the ground,

I can really put us in a place where God didn't call us to be, but God is calling us to rely

on him.

And I love this.

It says, and the peace of God, so when you take your request to God in prayer, the peace

of God will pass us all comprehension.

We'll guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Bible talks about guarding our hearts because it is where the issues of life spring from.

Our hearts are complicated place for many, many reasons.

But I think we have to be careful.

Like I said, what we let in our hearts and what comes out because that's ultimately,

it's going to affect the people around us, the people we lead.

So protect your heart, protect your mind, what you think about.

What are your really consumer thoughts, if you're not working or if you're not actively

doing something when you're by yourself?

What are some of those things that you think about?

Also I would encourage you, what are the things that are in your heart that may be unresolved

issues?

How are you dealing with those?

How are you talking about those?

And it's amazing, certain situations.

The big, around certain people could really bring those things up that just haven't been

resolved.

And so it goes on and then to read that list of whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, good or pure.

Excellent.

So anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

These are the things we need to dwell on.

That we dwell upon what is honorable, right?

And what is right, what is pure?

I think if we continue in this life and we want to go close to God, there can be this element

of we dwell on things that are not healthy for us, things are toxic, the things that we

can't change.

But we have to be able to move forward in Christ to be able to say, God, I'm trusting you.

Even though this is difficult, even though the situation is hard, you don't understand it,

I know that you do.

So I want to encourage you today that whatever you're going through, maybe you're feeling

great, maybe life is going wonderful and praise God.

And maybe you're also just going through a real difficult time.

I'm sorry to hear it.

But take everything to God in prayer, everything, everything to Him.

And I know that God is faithful to come through.

And when you really submit yourself to His plan, His works and you begin to not make your

thoughts your own, but you say, God, help my thoughts align it with what your Word is

saying, what you're speaking to me, you'll begin to see a shift in you, right?

When we pray, there's not necessarily this initial thing we feel, but it's amazing how

these little shifts over time and our faith and our spirit and our heart and our mind.

It begins to shape us where we see these little shifts and like, man, I didn't get to

be like it once did.

Or when you're praying, there's a great understanding.

So be careful what you think about, be careful what you watch, be careful what you let

into your spirit.

Guard your heart really and think about the things that are productive for you in your

faith, in your life, and for the people around you.

So you can just receive and walk in everything that God has for you.