The Direction Of Your Life – by Jennifer Frechette

Did you know that your life will go in the direction of your most dominant thoughts? Or think of it in reverse, your life is the way it is today, because of your thoughts in the past. Let’s look at some examples from the scriptures.

First, let’s look at the story of Lot. A quick background summary, in Genesis 12:1-6, the Lord told Abram to leave his country, which he did, and Lot went with him. And in Genesis 13 we find out that Abram was rich, they both had great substance, the land was not able to bear them, and there was strife between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen and the natives there. Abram decided they should separate themselves and gave Lot the first choice of land. Verse 10-11 tells us “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where… even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as the comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” Now I want you to see the progression of Lot from this point on. Verse 12: “Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” So even though the men in the city of Sodom were wicked and sinners, Lot faced that direction and had that before his eyes day in and day out.

The next time we see Lot’s name in the bible is in Genesis 14:12, “And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom….” At first he was facing that direction with that evil before his eyes, now we see that he lives in Sodom. Next in Genesis 19:1 it says, “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom… “ In that time period it was the leaders of the city that were seated at the gate, which tells us that now, not only did Lot live in the evil city of Sodom, he was a leader there. It doesn’t say what his motive was for being in the city, but living there and being around that evil, led him to make some ungodly decisions. When the two angels, as men, came into town to pull Lot and his family out before the Lord destroyed it, the people of the city wanted to sexually abuse them. Lot protected the men, but offered to give the men of the city his daughters to have their way with. The fallout of his decisions do not stop there. After Lot and his family are saved from the destruction of the city, his wife looks back and is turned into a pillar salt, and then later his daughters get him drunk and lie with him to preserve the family line. The trouble didn’t end just because he was removed from the situation.

Another example is found in Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” Do you see the progression in this verse? First walking, not really involved, but near the ungodly, then standing in their midst and finally sitting with them. What I want you to see out of these two examples from scripture, is that whatever your focus is on, you will eventually be drawn in that direction, good or bad. We don’t want to follow in the footsteps of Lot, or the progression toward the ungodly we find in Psalm 1:1.

So what do we focus on? What do we think about? Let’s continue on with Psalm 1:2, “But his delight (the blessed man from verse 1), is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.” Also, Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”