Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Entitlement. This week we will explore Thought Idols. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Phillipians 4:8

⁸ Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

Centering on “these things” and implanting them in our heart will keep us mindful of what is valuable to us and prevent us from the thought idols that take over our thoughts of Christ.

Reed invites the Holy Spirit to dwell within his heart because he recognizes that what he treasures will be what preoccupies his thoughts.

PARABLE:  An idol is anything that has become the object on which we dwell our attention. To dwell is to linger, spend time thinking about, muse over, and even to be obsessed with something or someone. What is in your heart will dwell in your your thoughts. In mental health, ruminating thoughts are described as the excessive and intrusive thoughts about negative experiences and feelings. A person who has experienced trauma may be unable to stop thinking about the traumatic event. A person with depression may persistently think negative thoughts and thoughts that are self-defeating. A common intervention for ruminating thoughts is thought stopping. Thought stopping is a cognitive intervention technique that interrupts, removes, and replaces recurring thoughts. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is a traumatic occurrence that has affected the world. It is challenging to not allow it to occupy our minds and our hearts when the news, the death of unknown people and loved ones, and personal protective equipment are constant reminders. How do we prevent COVID-19 from becoming a thought idol that we persistently mull over in our minds?  By dileberately intervening with thought stopping and thinking on things that are lovely and bring peace and that are right and are confirmed by God’s word we will make the emotional space for God whom we treasure, cast down the emotional deterrents of COVID-19, allow God to reign supreme, and dwell within our hearts.

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the questions: How can I clear my head, heart, and spirit space and make room for thoughts that direct me to think about Jesus?

The soul training  contemplative thought relsease visualization exercise can assist us to move over the things that distract us from making room in our minds and hearts and treasuring Jesus.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

• When you are ready, clear your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to help you Imagine a bright blue sky across the landscape of your mind dotted with white clouds. Imagine that each and every cloud represents a single thought in your mind and the thought idols that have your attention. Perhaps it is COVID-19, your job, or your children.
• Next,  begin your slow and steady breath– imagine your breath as a gentle breeze, moving the clouds across the blue skyline. Watch the clouds as they move across your mind, carried by the gentle breeze of your breath, one thought at a time.  Observe the thought as it passes. Watch it without judgment or critcism, and without blame of self or others.
• Then, let each thought pass one at a time, carried by a gentle breeze across the landscape of your mind.
• Finally, replace the thought idols with thoughts that are true, honorable,  just,  pure, lovely,  commendable,  excellent, and worthy of praise,

PRAYER: Jesus, I move over anything that is keeping me from making you the Lover of my Soul. Consume my thoughts until I dwell on you. Social media, my job, my family, COVID-19, my grief–please move all of these over until all I see is you. The supernatural law of breakthrough is pursuing God, ruminating on His Truths over and over until you see healing and deliverance. I commit to making You my priority and pursuing thoughts of You in expectation that as a result, peace will come. In Your loving name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to think of Jesus and let the work of your wandering fill you with thoughts that confirm God’s Word.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Thought Idols appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Whatsoever is true: Google Images
Thoughts of you: belovedwomen.org with text added}

Bonus Reflection:

COVID-19 has afforded some of us time to do some of the things we have wished we had time to do. As we phase back in to opening our country, let us not forget the blessings of time and how we have had the opportunity to slow down our busyness addictions and MAKE ROOM for time with and thoughts of God. If you choose, take five minutes and listen to and reflect on the song by Jonathan McReynolds. Take it as a reminder to Make Room for God, invite Him to live in your thoughts, and make Him your priority.

Wednesday Wanderings is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering, we welcomed the divine power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome. This week we are inviting His joy to gladden our wounded, bleeding hearts. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: I Thessalonians 1:6-7a ESV
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,  so that you became an example to all the believers…

It is the Spirit who first helps us understand our sadness in light of the purposes and deliverance of God, and it is also the Spirit who ushers in His healing. Let’s take a few minutes today to turn from the sadness of affliction and embrace the joy available in His presence. Will you join us on the journey?

PSALM:Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)
By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Reed turns the joy of the Holy Spirit inward again in this stanza, using it to undo the effects our woes and sorrow have on us.  Take a few moments to apply His joy to any sadness you may be nursing today and rest in the unrivaled mercy of our God to you. How gentle He is!

PARABLE: Sadness. All of us struggle with some of this. There are many sources of sadness and they are as varied as they are numerous. Sometimes people do or say things that hurt us. Sometimes we are the people doing the hurting and we later feel the remorse it can bring. Sometimes we are disappointed, and other times we disappoint others. Sometimes the wounds leave scars that are difficult to work through, and that is after the bleeding has finally stopped. All of these kinds of things can cause sadness, and none of us is immune from having to deal with some of this.

So how do you find joy in affliction? Short answer, never easily. Long answer, be drawing close to the source of all joy.

As you draw close to the Lord, you begin to imitate Him. As you imitate Jesus you are able to be become the example that at first you were only following. A key piece of this is receiving the word, even in your affliction. It is not easy to listen to what God is saying when we are hurting, but we must learn this invaluable lesson.

Imagine if Jesus was not able to walk through the affliction of the cross.  If He would have turned away before He got there, or not completed His work in the way the Father had designed. Yes, designed. We can accept the fact that God designed the cross for Christ, but sometimes struggle to think that imitating Him will require similar self-denial.

Remember Jesus asking for the cup to be removed? So we are in good company when we ask Him to cause our woes to depart. By the stripes He bore there, we are healed. So do not hesitate to ask for that healing to flow in your life that your wounded, bleeding heart may be whole again.

You can be healed and joyful. But you must ask. This stanza is a simple but beautiful prayer. Will you make it yours today?

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the question: How can I routinely welcome the joy available through God’s healing into my life?

The joy of the Holy Spirit wants to flood your life and bring healing.  We must be willing to welcome that joy every day. He has His part which you can not do, but you must do your part and invite Him to come and partner with you and help you with yours. The exercise below expands the simple prayer of this stanza.  Use it and continue to develop resonance as you remove things that hinder the flow of His joy in your soul.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

• When you are ready, clear your mind and acknowledge that the Spirit is the joy of God.  We must begin there so we are prepared to apply His joy to our sorrows.
• Next, invite the Holy Spirit to come and cheer your heart when you are confronted with the reality of God and the sadness it reveals in your heart.
• As He shows you the woes that needs to be informed and healed by His joy, do not hesitate to ask Him to bid them depart.
• Finally, thank Him that He can heal your wounded bleeding heart, then trust Him to do it today and every day. 

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for sending Your Spirit to help me deal with my sadness. I need His help every day. Help me to remember this and be quick to ask for it. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your soul of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to worship Him and let the work of your wandering fill you with the praise of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Becoming Examples in Affliction, with Joy appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:}
Saddened Heart – https://pixabay.com/photos/people-man-guy-cry-tears-groom-2566201/
_{Wounded Heart – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/heart-broken-heart-valentine-love-667806/}

Wednesday Wanderings is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering, we welcomed the divine light of the Holy Spirit to illumine our darkness. This week we are inviting His power to help us overcome it. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Micah 3:8 ESV
But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

It is the Spirit who first helps us understand our guilt in light of the justice and might of God, and it is also the Spirit who ushers in His emercy. Let’s take a few minutes today to turn from the bondage of sin and embrace the freedom available in His presence. Will you join us on the journey?

PSALM:Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)
By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Reed turns the power of the Holy Spirit inward again in this stanza, using it to undo the effects of sin on us.  Take a few moments to apply His power to any guilt you may be carrying today and bask in the unrivaled mercy of our God to you. How mighty He is!

PARABLE: Guilt. All of us struggle with some of this. Things we know we have done which we should not have. Things we have left undone that we know we should have done. Sometimes things happen accidentally and impact others, but other times we are guilty of designing something to go our way. All of these kinds of things can cause guilt, and none of us is immune from having to deal with some of this.

I tend to differentiate between guilt and conviction though. I think the enemy of our souls wants to make us feel guilty at times when the Spirit may not be bringing conviction. I believe if we ask the Spirit He will reveal to us things for which we need mercy, things that have bond us to a sinful path.

Either way, I believe both can be dealt with in the power of the Holy Spirit. Are you dealing with any guilt or conviction today? If it is from the Lord there is a purpose for it.  Will you let it have its intended result, which ultimately is to bring you to repentance, a  turning from whatever is the source of it? This turning leads you to cry out to God to have mercy on you and set you free from the bondage of sin. It changes that guilty heart into on the is no longer chained to the source of that guilt.

You can be free. But you must ask. This stanza is a simple but beautiful prayer. Will you make it yours today?

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the question: How can I routinely welcome the freedom available through God’s power into my life?

The power of the Holy Spirit wants to set you free.  We must be willing to welcome that power every day. He has His part which you can not do, but you must do you part and invite Him to come and partner with you and help you with yours. The exercise below expands the simple prayer of this stanza.  Use it and continue to develop resonance as you remove things that hinder the demonstration of His power in your soul.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

• When you are ready, clear your mind and acknowledge that the Spirit is the power of God.  We must begin there so we are prepared to accept what His power reveals.
• Next, invite the Holy Spirit to come and empower you to embrace the reality of God and what it reveals about your heart.
• As He shows you the guilt that needs to be brought into His mercy, do not hesitate to ask Him to pity you.
• Finally, thank Him that He can set you free from sin’s bondage, then trust Him to do it today and every day. 

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for sending Your Spirit to help me deal with my sin. I need His help every day. Help me to remember this and be quick to ask for it. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your soul of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to worship Him and let the work of your wandering fill you with the praise of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post What Do You Mean I Can Be Free? appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:}
Power Divine – https://pixabay.com/photos/industry-strommast-power-line-pylon-3112436/
_{My Heart and Sin’s Bondage – https://pixabay.com/photos/love-symbol-love-bridge-padlock-4177156/}

Wednesday Wanderings is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we considered our response to the fact that the Lord of heaven is Entitled to our praise. This week we will welcome the divine light of His Holy Spirit to illumine our darkness. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Numbers 5:24-26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

We are far more desperate for that light to shine on us than we often realize.  Let’s take a few minutes today to turn from our darkness and welcome the light of His presence. Will you join us on the journey?

PSALM:Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)
By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)

Reed finds the perfect words to express what we often feel, yet either fail to express or simply struggle to find the right words.  Even when our hearts are overcome with darkness He is still desiring to shine His light in upon them and chase the shades of night away. How kind He is!

PARABLE: Darkness. It is something with which every one of us battles. Sometimes it is the lingering doubt of a disappointment.  Sometimes the way a hope unfulfilled can sap our faith, and leave our soul gloomy.  Sometimes is the result of something someone said or did that has left a grievous wound.  And sometimes that someone is us.

I am struggling with some darkness right now.  I am facing the season of greatest uncertainty of any in my life thus far.  Sure, COVID-19 is a contributor, but I had a number of things threatening to cloud the light in my soul even before this all broke loose.  Struggles relational and vocational have brought me to the end of myself, but they have not yet kept me from asking the Spirit to work and move in me.

I must admit, when I chose this hymn two months ago, I was looking for something to express our soul to the Spirit as we approached Pentecost and our celebration again of His coming to us, and living in us who believe, but I did not realize what a personal cry this opening hymn in particular would be.  Even so, I must give Him glory for He has continued to give me the faith to ask Him to do His illuminating work in me every day.  I am absolutely a work in progress, but only because of the grace of God have I not succumb to the darkness.

The same can be true of you. But we must ask. This stanza is a simple but beautiful prayer. Will you make it yours today?

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the question: How can I routinely welcome the light of God’s presence into my life?

The light of the Holy Spirit wants to shine upon you.  We must be willing to welcome that illumination every day. He has His part which you can not do, but you must invite Him to come and partner with you and help you with yours. The exercise below expands the simple prayer that is this stanza.  Use it and continue to develop resonance as you remove that hinder the shining of His light in your soul.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

• When you are ready, clear your mind and acknowledge that the Spirit is the light of God.  We must begin there so we are prepared to accept what His light reveals.
• Next, invite the Holy Spirit to come and illumine the reality of God and your heart and soul before Him.
• As He shows you the shadows that need to be brought into His brightness, to do hesitate to ask Him to chase them away.
• Finally, thank Him that He can turn your darkness into day, then trust Him to do it today and every day. 

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for sending Your Spirit to help me deal with my darkness. I need His help every day. Help me to remember this and be quick to ask for it. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your soul of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to worship Him and let the work of your wandering fill you with the praise of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Ready to Deal with Your Darkness? appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:}
Holy Spirit, Light Divine – https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-love-romance-romantic-3125812/
_{Shine Upon This Heart of Mine – https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-love-romance-romantic-3124330/}

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we Crowned Christ in the Crisis. This week we will see what it means to be entitled. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord appeared to me (Israel) from ages past, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.

The love of Jesus is everlasting, endless, and entitled to a response.

PSALM: Crown Him with Many Crowns
by Matthew Bridges (1851)

Bridges response to the endless love of Jesus is to crown Him as the Lord of Heaven. He adorns Christ because He is one with God and one with the Spirit whom we receive because of Him. Bridges sets his intention of praise on who Jesus is and concludes that the eternal love of Jesus is deserving of being magnified and adored without end.

PARABLE: Adoration is about consistency and intention. On April 30, 2020 my husband and I will celebrate 28 years of marriage. Those who know us would say that Troy adores me. I confess that at times I’ve become complacent and taken Troy’s doting acts for granted. While he is patient, there are times when he has “gone on strike” in response to my ingratitude and life has stopped being about me. When this occurs, I have to warm up and clean the snow off my own car, pump my own gas, and clean up the kitchen after I cook. This quickly reminds me that I am not entitled to his acts of loving kindness. Then I strategically demonstrate my appreciation by purchasing Twizzlers for his sugar addiction or buying ginger beer for his non-alcoholic urges. He soon returns to his default of  demonstrating his admiration stating that “A mere “Thank You”  is sufficient.”

Sometimes I treat Jesus the same way I treat Troy. I take for granted the fact that He loves me with an everlasting love (Jermiah 31:3) , sings songs of deliverance over me (Zephaniah 3:17),  and that there is nothing that will make Him stop loving me or go on strike from His doting acts (Romans 8:38). I do not consistently adorn Jesus with my gratitude. I am grateful that Jesus does not go on strike with His graces and gifts even when I am exercising spiritual entitlement and being inconsistent with offering Him endless praise.

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, Ponder the questions: How can I remember to consistently adore and magnify Jesus?

The love of Jesus is everlasting and demonstrative and He is worthy of a response of adoration. The way I remember to adore and magnify Jesus is that I set my intention of gratitude on WHO Jesus is, practice the discipline of gratitude, deliberately contemplate who Jesus is, and make it a habit to SAY so. 

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.

• When you are ready, clear your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to help you Select which characteristic of Jesus you will focus on for this exercise.
• Next,  let your spiritual imagination produce a slide show of the character of Jesus that will provoke you to praise and magnify Him.
• Then, take the time to adore Jesus and Say Thank you, love on Him, and tell Him what you want to say to Him. 

PRAYER: Jesus, Thank you that you are intentional about your perpetual love for me. Help me to be intentional in displaying my love for you. I can always find shelter in your promises. Even when my mind chooses to forget, thank you that the Holy Spirit guides my soul to easily remember that only you are entitled to be adored and magnified. Help me not to take for granted or to leave you My First Love and to eagerly seek the fragrance of your presence. In Your name I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to Say So, and let the work of your wandering fill you with the praise of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

If you’d like, take a look at this Bonus reflection and read my response to the soul training exercise. 

I chose to focus on the characteristics depicted in the popular song Way Maker. During my contemplative time at a park, the Holy Spirit showed me my slide show through these trees and I selected to focus on Jesus as the Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and Light in the Darkness. There were many incidents that flooded my mind of Jesus completing these acts in my life. However the greatest awareness I reached was the fact that these attributes depict Jesus’ character not just His actions. His love is demonstrative. Will you choose to make Jesus your object of affection and adoration?

The post Entitled appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Love tic tac: https”//pixabay.com/photos/tic-tac-toe-love-heart-play-1777857/
Way Maker: GoogleImages
Say so: Https://pixabay.com/photos/rose-petals-floral-flowers-flower-1215314}