Need Answered Prayers? How May Surprise You

We live in the Information Age.

Daily we are bombarded with thoughts, suggestions, advertising, news (and fake news), warnings, threats, weather reports, wars, and rumors of wars—sound familiar? Psychologists claim humans have about 6,000 thoughts per day. That is about six and a half thoughts per minute. That’s a lot of neural synapses! No wonder we hear of brain fog. These thoughts can be racing thoughts. They can be negative thoughts. Hopefully, they are positive thoughts toward God, our Creator.

What you take in by sight and sound will have an impact on your thoughts. A horror film may give you nightmares. A good testimony can give you hope. There are many Monday mornings I wake up with the previous day’s worship songs still reverberating in my mind and spirit. Just like the television ad asks, “What’s in your wallet?” I must ask, “What’s in your mind or subconscious?” The old adage rings true: “Garbage in, garbage out.”

How do we think God thoughts? Paul tells the Roman church to not conform to the world but to be transformed by renewing your mind, and he tells the Ephesian church to be renewed in the spirit of your mind (see Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23). Peter admonishes us to “gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Peter 1:13). How? Well, the Word says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

Research has shown that people feel more positive after actively singing than they do after listening to music or talking about positive events. No wonder Paul said, “I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15b). Singing will affect your thoughts, your mind, your mood, and even your physical body. Advertisers know how to push all your emotional buttons. They know you will remember their jingle. How much better if we, like Paul, sing spiritual songs unto the Lord. I challenge you to make an effort to praise and worship daily, just like a dose of medicine. By focusing your thoughts on the Lord, it will be health to your body and nourishment to your bones (see Prov. 3:8). Paul explains in Philippians 4:7-8:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (NIV).

Look at this: “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy.” Then here is what you do: “Think continually on these things.” As a matter of fact, center your mind on them and implant them in your heart. We must be able to fix our minds on the prize and on our great King and Lord:

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest (Hebrews 3:1 NIV).

Paul instructs us as well to:

Put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [ firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground] (Ephesians 6:13-14 AMPC).

As we stand, we stand patiently and not just passively. Why? Because my stand is an act of aggression against every power of darkness because the last thing satan wants us to do is to stand. He wants us to quit, lay down, throw in the towel, and sit down on all the things that God has promised. But remember what God told the children of Israel when they were taking their territory:

Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory! (Deuteronomy 20:3-4 NLT)

The enemy wanted us to abandon the miracle that we were believing for Kaylee. He wanted us to get tired, passive, become bitter and angry at God, and just to grow cool and eventually cold in our faith. The enemy saw her on meds the rest of her life. He envisioned her in some psych ward with padded walls, enduring counseling sessions the rest of her life. We saw her free, jumping and dancing on stage. We saw her writing songs and traveling around the world carrying this glorious Gospel and seeing people being set free just like she is doing now. Did I mention that God won? Hallelujah!

The greatest enemy of truth is silence. It seems as if the Church has lost its voice. We have lost our will to fight because of the fear and the sheer exhaustion of this culture that has bombarded us with political correctness, healthcare reform, the radical abortion agenda, discrimination and racism, and the list goes on. Our thoughts tend to be, in some strange way, mellowed out and jaded, but Paul so boldly declared:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-13).

One of the reasons people love to go to amusement parks is because of the very meaning of the word amused. It literally means “not thinking.” That makes plenty of sense when you see people aimlessly walking around in some amusement park, eating their favorite cotton candy. Yes, it sounds good to me too! People want to do something that will help them forget all the things that are weighing them down—hence, “amused, not thinking.”

When you consider the tongue and all the things that the apostle James addresses about it in James 3, it is plain to see that there is definitely a connection between what you think, what you say, and how it affects you and the people around you. It would appear that we are simply not thinking about what we say and how it affects our lives. An Arab proverb says, “The mouth should have three gatekeepers: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?”

That’s why we should think before we speak. I will even be so brave as to say, before you post something on social media, ask yourselves those three questions in light of making sure your brother or sister will not be offended or stumble.

Words are so powerful and they carry such a tremendous amount of weight. Jesus was very frank about words when He said:

Let me tell you something; Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation (Matthew 12:36-37 MSG).

As you know, God used His creative power to speak the worlds into existence. Now that same spirit has been deposited into our spirit; therefore, we are creating the world that we inhabit by our words. In believing for your pray until moment, I can’t describe to you how important your words are when you are contending. We cannot afford to be silent, but we must speak life words to our situations and not death. We must discern when to speak up and when to be quiet. James says:

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19 NIV).

There is a miracle in your mouth, a victory in your voice. Because when you release your faith words out of your mouth, you are believing that whatever you say with your mouth and believe in your heart, it shall and will come to pass. This mountain that is before you has to be cast into the sea. The power of your God-given imagination enlarges you. It empowers you to live above this sin-infested world.

There is a process that God will bring you through when you are walking out your pray until moments. John the Baptist was very familiar with it. The process is called a wilderness. God took John into the wilderness so that he could find his voice, his message, his instructions, and his “what’s next.” There is no getting around it— you have to go to the wilderness to find your voice for this season. Most of the time, to produce the right words, the God thoughts, it will require the solitude and forsakenness of the wilderness.

You may ask, “What is a wilderness, Judy?” A wilderness by definition is a place where few people dwell, primarily because conditions are not conducive to the everyday lifestyle of most people. It is a place of loneliness, confinement, personal inconvenience, social ostracization and even unfriendly surroundings. When God gets ready to begin a work in our lives, we feel as if it is a wilderness, but He promises:

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God (Isaiah 35:1-2 NIV).

When we were believing for our breakthrough with Kaylee, there was a very tight zip on our lips. I felt like I couldn’t say anything about anything. God had both of us tied up like a knot with regard to talking. We were even careful of the people whom we allowed to speak into us because we were concerned that there would be opportunities for negativity to be spoken about Kaylee. We didn’t want anything to have an adverse effect on our faith. James continues:

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless (James 1:26 NIV).

James pulls no punches when it comes to how we are to conduct ourselves concerning our thoughts, what we say and how we say it. Oswald Chambers said in My Utmost for His Highest: “Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him.”

God always comes to the deep and utter recesses of our souls to speak to us. One of the many ways is through our God-given conscience. When the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict people of their sin (see John 16:8).

The conscience is the eye of the soul, which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. Our conscience is something that God will use along with the sweet Holy Spirit to bring conviction for the things that make God sad. In other words, if I continually hold God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect Word and instruct me in what I really should do. The question then becomes, will I obey? Your conscience is the part of your personality that helps you determine what is right and what is wrong. It is what makes you feel guilty when you do something bad, and good when you do something that is kind.

God hard wired us with an awareness of what is right and wrong and with an inclination to do what is right. So when the Holy Spirit comes, He will often speak to us by an inner witness.

The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue (Proverbs 16:1 AMPC).

I should be able to live in such a renewed mind that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

I know for a fact that we can train our minds to think and talk in a manner that lines up with the Word of God. The Bible says that Jesus:

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered (Hebrews 5:8).

Jesus had to learn some things, even being God Himself; and believe me when I tell you that if Jesus had to learn obedience, we will have to learn obedience as well. Isaiah declared:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up” (NLT).

It’s very simple—keep your eyes and your thoughts on Him and you will live in peace. Remember that you can’t allow yourself to annul what you are speaking and declaring in the spirit realm by also speaking out words of unbelief that your flesh may be tempted to release. Tell your flesh to shut up and tell your mind, will, and emotions to line up! Why? Because life and death is in the power of your tongue. So choose life and live or choose death and die (see Prov. 18:21). Solomon said:

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart) (Proverbs 16:2 AMPC).

Then verse 3 adds:

Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Observe what James says:

For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature (James 3:2 AMPC).

James continues in verses 5 and 6 by saying:

And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickedness and is the most dangerous part of the human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence (TPT).

In the original Aramaic the tongue carries great power and it has dominion. The thought also conveys that it will burn throughout generations. In other words, your children and your children’s children can be affected by the words that flow from your mouth.

He continues by saying in verse 8, “It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison!” (TPT). Now, here comes the great news:

But the wisdom from above is always pure, filled with peace, considerate and teachable. It is filled with love and never displays prejudice or hypocrisy in any form and it always bears the beautiful harvest of righteousness! Good seeds of wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace (James 3:17- 18 TPT).

In this verse, wisdom is always pure and holy. Then it becomes teachable, which is the concept of being easy to correct and ready to be convinced or willing to yield to others. As you read this, I believe there is a wisdom that is coming straight from God to navigate you through this season when you need wisdom to be able to discern the plans of God. Again, James says:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking (James 1:5 NLT).

When you think God thoughts, you will become what you think. Look at this powerful scripture: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). When I read this passage I am reminded of what the spies called themselves when they went to spy out the land. “We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers” (Numbers 13:33 NLT). And that’s what they thought too!

You have to be careful what you call yourself. We are not a victim of our circumstances. We were created in the image of God, full of grace and power. The voices you allow into your mind and emotions are the feelings determining your present reality and ultimately your legacy. It could be movies, books, people, and especially stinkin’ thinkin’! When we are overwhelmed with situations that occur in our lives, it’s usually because we are allowing the voice of the enemy a foothold into our minds and spirits.