Keeping Guard Over Our Mind

When the airport's TSA agent was frisking my granddaughter a couple of weeks ago because she was a little "shifty" looking (NOT! It was her water bottle in her purse and a large bottle of sunblock in her carry-on), we realized the importance of being compliant with TSA's regulations.

Yesterday, I thought about how TSA is doing its best to keep out the "shifty" and potential harmful characters from entering our country. TSA requires that we walk through metal detectors and if we are not TSA pre-checked approved, we'll even have to take off our shoes, belts, and empty our pockets to prove we are harmless.

Today, my post is about the need we have for setting up a TSA, of sorts, for our minds to keep those "shifty" and harmful thoughts out that try to invade our minds. Fear comes; regrets come; panic comes; anxiety comes; envy comes; temptations come and we have a choice -- to allow them entry to invade our thought-life or to lock them out!

II Corinthians 10:5 says ".....We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We have the ability to HALT those negative thoughts from coming in, but we have to do it on purpose, as soon as they try entry. But how, you might ask? Here's one of my favorite scriptures that tells us how. Philippians 4:8 "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." That, is the TSA for our minds. We purposely and intentionally THINK good thoughts and when the alien, negative thoughts come....they get quickly replaced by focusing our attention on what and WHO (God) is good, true, excellent, praiseworthy.

It's a matter of discipline and taking authority over the negative -- again, just like the TSA. TSA has the authority to remove shifty, potentially dangerous people from flying on that aircraft. With God's Word in our heart and mind, we can have mind control over our thoughts, and furthermore, we can put our enemy in captivity when he tries to mess with us! Here's God's Word that confirms it from Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."

Doing the Right Thing

After 18 years as a Real Estate Broker, today, I will be completing my Real Estate Broker-in-Charge requirements for another 3-year term. My sweetheart had over 30 years under his belt when he went to heaven. After obtaining my initial R/E Associate License, he urged me to obtain my Broker's license to further assist him in our Sonlife Properties R/E Company. At the time, it seemed so unneeded (better said, UN-wanted -- it meant I had to use a lot of brain power to learn so much), but I am so grateful he was relentless in encouraging me to finish strong. Now I know why. The blessings, for both of us in our years of real estate, have been so many, and since he went to heaven, it has served me so well.

I always learn so much when I attend these continuing education courses which are also "refresher" courses. These few days have been no exception. So many rules, regulations, do's and don'ts, attention to details, ethics, standards, laws, codes, provisions! Ugh! Laws....all those things that restrain us, keep us from fun and living it up. OR, is it those things that FREE us and PROTECT us and give us a meaningful, blessed and prosperous life? In these classes, plenty of tragic stories are heard of how negligence or lack of integrity destroyed a family's life. But, at the same time, we heard stories that "saved the day" because of law-abiding, generous, kind and thoughtful actions that were taken.

Whether it be in real estate, or any profession, or being a good citizen who adheres to the laws of the land, we will be known by our actions. J.C. Watts said, "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught." And, the Apostle Paul said in Matthew 7:20 "You will know them by their fruits."

Our reputation of honesty and integrity is worth its weight in gold in all of our business relations, our human relations, and our relationship with God. There will be so many opportunities in our life to take a shortcut or do the wrong thing or even to justify bad behavior as a reaction to someone else’s bad behavior. Let's live our lives in such a way that when each day comes to a close we can look in the mirror and say, “Today I did the right thing.”