2 Corinthians 10:5; Proverbs 16:3; 1 Corinthians 6:12
There are two kinds of single women: those who take their longings captive, and those who are taken captive by their longings. One type of woman goes through her day allowing her longings to toss her about on waves of misery, and one goes through her day with only occasional ripples of heart cries on a sea that is mostly calm. If you want to be a peaceful single woman, if you want to manage your longings and keep them in obedience to Christ, you are going to have to start thinking about what you're thinking about.
Where does your mind go when it has a moment to be still? What is your first thought in the morning and your last thought at night? Tell me the content and quality of your thoughts and I will tell you whether your longings are controlling you or not. If you cultivate a mind of worry, grumbling, day dreaming and envy, you will be a miserable single woman. If you cultivate a mind of praise, thanksgiving, worship, and truth, you will be a peaceful one.
If you think more about what God has not given you than you do about what He has given you, don't be surprised when your longings rage out of control. If you think more about God's attributes and gifts than you do about what you long for, don't be surprised when you find you have a heart of joy and peace.
H O W T O P R A Y:
• Thank God that His grace can enable you to live a contented and peaceful life, even though you have longings for earthly things.
• Praise God that He satisfies the deepest longings of your being with His goodness. (Psalm 107:9)
• Examine your thought life and ask Him to show you whether you are in control of your longings, or they are in control of you. Ask Him to help you keep those longings submitted to Him.
I have found everything that Madison has just said here to be 100% true in my life personally. 2021 and 2022 were absolutely miserable years for me because I was focusing on what I didn't have. That focus greeted me upon waking and haunted me as I drifted off to *restless* sleep. Graciously, in 2023, God woke me up to why I was so miserable, and by taking my thoughts captive, on moment at a time, my focus has changed. I am so grateful to be able to say that I am now in the category of the peaceful single woman that Madison talks about. God is good, and it is because He meets all my needs and provid…