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We previously talked about When Really Big Things happen in the world and how they can be obstacles if we let them. The world is hell-bent on laying breadcrumbs for us to follow into toxic thinking; toxicity that spirals into complacency, complaining, and falling short of our destiny.  

Taking back our lives can sometimes mean reinventing ourselves, rediscovering meaning, and re-evaluating our ideals, but it almost always means renewing our thinking. Everything is a thought first.

We repent: re (go back) pent (the top) ~ we go back to the way God thinks.

Gaining insight from the Holy Spirit’s perspective means gaining the mental skills and clarity to navigate even our darkest times, so we don’t fall into the negativity that the world surrounds us with. We capture every thought and make it obedient to Christ.

How?

We “catch” ourselves. We know when our thoughts are straying and hurting us and we intentionally pull up. It’s like pulling over to the side of the road and checking the GPS map – is this the right direction? Where do I need to adjust and re-route? We stop the car until we know where we are going.

In a world of distractions, influencing the future belongs to the focused. As prophetic artists, we are called to focus. As lovers of Jesus, we are called to thrive in this crazy world!

Bottle-fed, fridge-magnet Christianity isn’t going to cut it. Parrot-fashion repeating beliefs and values that we heard from the pulpit and have not applied to our own walk with Jesus isn’t going to cut it. Playing it safe following the breadcrumbs of conventional society isn’t going to cut it. Nope. Jesus lovers are radical table-turners. 

The call to prophetic art means taking hold of boldness. Knowing who we are in Christ, knowing where we are going, grabbing our authority and identity and never wavering. As a prophetic artist we cannot let thoughts about ourselves that do not come from God get between us and our canvas.

Now if you’ve had a year of pivoting in circles with nothing happening, failing and falling, do not despair. Nothing is wasted. The Lord is the Great Redeemer of our breadcrumbs. Every trail we blaze demands struggle, tension, and challenge. These are not signs of failing ~ these are the signs of growth. Overcoming conflicts gives us skills for victory.

It is in the pursuit of our calling that our complex self acquires what we need to rise up. In every obstacle we see – the question is always “Lord, what is this for? What do I need from this to put me where You want me to go?”

If you don’t know what to do, which way to turn, or what to paint on your blank canvas, turn to Jesus with intentional focus. Deconstruct your old thinking – be self-aware – and make space for His directions. He doesn’t give you breadcrumbs. He’s baked the whole loaf for us.

Toxic thinking will poison us, sometimes slowly (like the frog in the pan) and sometimes suddenly, but once we understand the symptoms – when we have entered negativity and feel things are just ‘not right’ and we are out of the Holy Spirit’s slipstream – then we must catch it and turn back!

The Lord asks us to remember Him – ‘do this in remembrance of Me’ –  in communion, He asks us to examine and see we are in His righteousness through His ‘doing’ and not our own ‘doings’.

He did it once and for all!

Ask Him for ‘eyes to see and ears to hear’.

Keep painting love and laughter, for His glory.