To “occupy” means to take control or fill something up.  Preoccupation with the stresses of today can trap your mind and heart so tightly that you’ll miss the opportunity to receive the good things possible in your life. Preoccupation with uncertainty disconnects and robs you of your effectiveness. Instead of being paralyzed by the thoughts associated with the pressures around us today, we can choose to replace these thoughts with the goodnesss of His purpose and promise for our lives.  By doing this, preoccupation with His influence will occupy our mindsets instead of external pressures surrounding us today.   

Spend quiet time with the Lord.  Visualize a future based on His view for your life. Think about all the good features and details from this desired picture. Anytime stressful matters start to sneak into your mind, mentally go back to this list.  Let these features occupy your heart and mind so that the light of the future becomes a reality.

Remember:  You might not know what tomorrow brings but you do know who holds tomorrow.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, “….we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

Randy Morrison is the Senior Pastor at Speak the Word Church International, one of the largest, nondenominational, multi-cultural and multi-generational churches in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. He can be reached at randym@ speaktheword.org or go to www.speaktheword.org