I had the amazing opportunity yesterday of  spending time with my Aunt who has been diagnosed with  terminal liver cancer. I learned a lot.  During our conversation we both commented on how one certain word kept coming up.  The word default.  The overall context was that she was facing great difficulty in staying in the present.  If she did not fight against it her mind would by default begin to think about the future and how bad it might get, what things she may miss, and much more.

As I continued to ponder this after our time together I began to consider my own defaults.    I never have to convince myself to lay on the couch for the afternoon,  it takes not effort to eat a bit to much,  no convincing is required to have a bad attitude, I catch the weight of worry without lifting a hand.   These, and many more,  are all defaults of mine and I must actively fight against them.

In Psalms 119:11 David writes that he has hid God’s word in his heart to protect against sinning,  2 Corinthians 10:5 says we are to take captive our thoughts,  Ephesians 6 exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God.  As we lead each day,  let us actively fight against the defaults we find ourselves slipping into.  Yes it is a battle, yes some days we may feel like we are losing, but don’t settle for your defaults. May you be encouraged this day to dive into the scriptures, take your thoughts captive to Christ, and put on the full armor of God, remembering through it all, the victory is in Jesus.