Free Experience the Impossible: Simple Ways to Unleash Heaven's Power on Earth by Bill Johnson Page B

according to my limitations, but according to Your promises. Let me be one who is possessed by Your promises, bringing hope to everyone around me, regardless of the circumstances.
    Confession
    I choose to meditate on God’s promises for me. I cannot afford to have a thought in my mind that is not in His. So today I declare that my trust is in God alone, as He has already prepared everything necessary for me to be successful in this challenge.

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Hope
    I try to live in such a way that nothing becomes bigger than my awareness of God.
    M ost of us know what it is to be so bothered by something that we worry for hours or days, sometimes to the point of being unable to sleep at night. Try as we might to change the subject in our heads, we are unable to let go. In part, it is the result of the effort of the enemy to distract us from the promises of God for our lives. He is hoping we will lose track of the tools that God has given us for imminent victory.
    As negative as it is to be so absorbed with a problem that we cannot sleep, it is encouraging in this sense: It reveals that we actually know how to meditate. We just need to change the subject matter.
    In cultic meditation, people empty their minds. That is dangerous because many spirits are looking for entrance into a person’s life to bring the influence of darkness. Empty minds are invitations to the demonic. Biblical meditation is quite different. It means to fill our minds with what God says, running it over and over in our minds and hearts until the truth takesroot in us. What God says then becomes more than something we quote; it becomes a part of who we are.
    Whatever we think about or focus on affects our attitudes and countenances immensely. And while faith does not come from the mind, our thoughts and attitudes have great effect on our faith. Simply put, the devil wants us to be overwhelmed by his work on the earth. He knows that if he can undermine our hope, he has influence over what and how we think, and ultimately weaken our faith.
    The devil comes to kill, steal and destroy. In present-day culture, we are fed a constant diet of news about death, loss and destruction—the devil’s fingerprints. And if I dwell on what he has done, I will live in reaction to him—and he is not worthy of affecting my agenda. He simply is not worthy of having any influence on my thoughts, plans or actions.
    We all face challenges. Sometimes the problems are very personal and heart-wrenching. Sometimes they affect the lives of people close to us. Sometimes they have to do with a crisis, such as a life-threatening storm or war or threats of international conflict. I have no recourse in problems if they overwhelm me. I must be convinced of God’s overriding goodness, as well as the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. When I stay conscious of Him, I can become part of the answer. If I become overly concerned with the problem, though, I am more likely to become a complainer who spiritualizes such weakness by calling it intercession.
    Please note that I emphasize living aware of the Holy Spirit in and upon me more than the problem. In other words, I am not just looking for a doctrinal statement to make me feel better in the situation. I am looking for Him, the Person of the Holy Spirit. I am looking to recognize the One in whom is all safety, victory and joy, who continually positions me for triumph to the glory of Jesus’ name.
    It sounds rather simple really: Stay more aware of God than of problems. At least for me, the practice of such a priority is morechallenging than the concept. Yet the truth remains. Whatever I focus on will determine if I am a victor in or a victim of the problems around me.
    Prayer
    Father God, please help me to stay aware of the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for giving Yourself to me so completely! I do not want to become a victim. I want to live in such a way that Your purposes and plans for the world around me come into