Regret in the Rear View Mirror [3]

One of regret's strengths is it's ability to grab our attention and cause us to focus on "what was not" and lose sight of "what can be." I am not celebrating regret, but making us aware of it's schemes and tactics. In the previous two posts we highlighted that a promise of God, greater than regret and a stone in our faith sling is Jeremiah 29:11 [1], “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Two truths we have unfolded about this promise is God is present future and He has a future for us. AW Tozer once penned, “We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainty of the world to come.” A certainty of the world to come, from which we draw strength and wisdom, is that God has a future for you. His future and hope are part of his nature. He is hope. He is in our future. These two facets of His nature are partners with unfolding truth #3, God’s thinking is full of peace. God’s thoughts, His thinking, is full of peace. It is full of prosperity, richness, health, life and wholeness. I believe that God thinks of our future with confidence, goodness and expectation because the architect of his perspective is his peaceful way of thinking. He is Jehovah Shalom. He is peace. It's not something He has, it's who He is. God has no regret and for those of us who are followers of Jesus, we don't have to live with regret. A key to overcoming, is to think the way God thinks. Galatians 4:19 [2] is a snapshot of the Apostle Paul's heart and his intense longing to see Jesus formed in the heart of the Christ followers in Galatia. A facet of the Holy Spirit's assignment is to build us, from the inside out, into the image of Jesus. This is important because Hebrews 1:3 [2] tells us Jesus is an exact representation of the Father. Jesus says, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father" John 14:9[2]. I laid a foundation that if the Father's thoughts are peaceful, then Jesus thoughts are peaceful. And if Jesus' thoughts are peaceful, then our thoughts can be peaceful. Our overcoming of regret is dependent upon having a thought life influenced and designed by peace. We need to think peaceful thoughts.

Peaceful thinking is not thinking that isn't absent of conflict or confusion, but is thinking that is full of God's righteousness and focused upon His nature. Peaceful thinking is not when we empty our minds, but instead when we fill our minds with the thoughts of Jesus. Regreat stirs our soul, and churns upon the riverbed of loss, pain and sorrow. Peaeful thinking strains the muck and mire of disappointment out of our lives and therefore we think pure thoughts. Pure in respect to moral authority, spiritual authority and relational authority. In Matthew 5 [2] Jesus teaches us that peacemakers are happy people, and peacemakers think and lead with peaceful thoughts. Philippians 4 [2] also reveals the power of peace and it's unrelenting ability to guard our hearts and minds. Thoughts shape the environment you live in. Spend time in prayer, meditation, praise and thanksgiving and you will experience your mind being renewed. You too will overcome regret because your thinking is full of peace, just like Papa God's.

Until next time.

Kingdom Livingrom815September 24, 2011Comment