Have you ever asked God for something and then made a back-up plan in case God didn’t come through?
I have, more often than I care to say.
James had something to say about it.
James 1:6-8 (NIV)
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
“Double-minded.” Yep. Been there, done that!
2 Timothy 4:5 (EXB)
But you should control yourself
[be sober-minded] at all times.
Sober-minded (néphó in the Greek) means free from intoxicating influences. Let’s think beyond alcohol or drugs. Ponder this from HELPS Word-studies (https://biblehub.com/greek/3525.htm): “free from illusion, i.e. from the intoxicating influences of sin (like the impact of selfish passion, greed, etc.).”
Lord God, I want to sober-minded, free from the intoxicating influences of sin. Help me!
This week, my pastor’s message was on unity in the church. The Apostle Peter would agree.
1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)
Finally, all of you, be like-minded,
be sympathetic, love one another,
be compassionate and humble.
Sympathetic, not indifferent.
Loving, not critical.
Compassionate, not competitive.
Humble, not overbearing.
Like-minded, not identical. 
“Only Thou art holy;
there is none beside Thee,
perfect in power,
in love, and purity.”
Reginald Heber, 1826
The powerful breath of the Spirit in me.
The loving heart of the Son in me.
The pure mind of the Father in me.
Thanks be to God!
In Jesus Christ’s own words:
John 20:22 (NLT)
Then he breathed on them and said,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:8
“You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
The breath of God = POWER.
Breathe on me, breath of God. Breathe in me!
John 13:34 (NLT)
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
“. . . two notes, though different, may be in perfect harmony, so is it with the heart of Christ and the heart of his renewed child. What Jesus loves, we love; what Jesus hates, we hate; what Jesus seeks, we seek; what Jesus shuns, we shun. This is true friendship when there is but one heart in two bodies.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Sermon: Friendship’s Guide, 1870
Tune my heart, dear Jesus, to harmonize with Yours.
Psalm 19:7-8 9 (NLT)
The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.
Good things from God’s mind to mine: positive thoughts, wisdom, joy and insight. 
We humans need brain, heart and lungs for physical life. Likewise, we need Father, Son and Spirit for spiritual life.
God in me: wisdom, love and power.
“It was the whole Trinity, which at the beginning of creation said, ‘Let us make man.’ It was the whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of the Gospel seemed to say, ‘Let us save man.’
J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)
Submit.
It’s hard to do. But if we
“My dear almighty Lord,
My Conqueror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword,
Thy reigning grace I sing:
Thine is the power; behold, I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.”
Isaac Watts
Join All the Glorious Names, 1709
My posts this week lay out a process:
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Know, listen, ask . . . and trust God’s answer. He is, after all, God. And you’re not.
