"I am Clear and Focused" - Devotional #31 About Your Identity In Christ

Did you know that you have clear conscience are able to stay focused? In today’s overwhelming world of distractions where multitasking is glorified and the attention span of a human is only eight seconds, which is one second less than that of a goldfish, this sounds incomprehensible. According to the Bible, you have the mind of Christ. I am clear and focused – that is what I discovered when I thought my life was over because I got too overwhelmed by worldly distractions.

Table of Content hide

1 Introduction

2 What Is Clear Conscience?

3 How To Sort Through Your Thoughts

4 Discipline Leads To Clarity

5 Mind Over Matter

6 I Am Clear and Focused

I am Clear and Focused #52Devotionals Devotions for Women by Anna Szabo

Introduction

I know what it’s like to feel confused, disoriented, doubtful, undisciplined, depressed, unproductive, fatigued, unfocused, overwhelmed, and hopeless. I have experienced paralysis by analysis. I have been overcome by life’s burdens so much that I was unable to move and would just lie in bed and stare at a ceiling. I was overcome by my monkey-mind, trying to sort through 1000 thoughts a second. I had dishes undone for weeks and laundry piled up for months as I myself was just holding on to my next breath, battling severely suicidal depression, and trying to be here for the next few seconds.

My story is explained in an essay called How Satan Came at Me Looking Saint. What I needed to learn how to do was taking my thoughts captive and submitting them to the truth of Christ. I did learn, and, as the result, I now have a clear conscience.

What Is Clear Conscience?

A clear conscience is an outcome you experience when you choose to take every thought captive, submit it to the truth of Christ, and practice abiding in the Spirit instead of living in the Flesh.

What does it mean?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

First, you need to know that while Satan is invisible, he is not fictional. The Devil wants you confused, disoriented, unfocused, unproductive, overwhelmed, distracted from God’s calling on your life, and busy being paralyzed with anxiety instead of doing the good work God prepared in advance for you to do, which He ordained you to complete. You need to understand Satan, how he works, what he wants, why he attacks your mind, and how to use your weapons to stay focused on God. I created extensive content on this topic.

RELATED: Who Is Satan?

To show you what it looks like in practice to take your thoughts captive and submit them to the truth of Christ, I want to give you a few examples. Satan wants you to be scared but the Biblical truth is that in Christ you have peace that passes all understanding. Satan wants you to be confused but the Biblical truth is that in Christ you have the mind of Jesus Himself so you are clear, focused, and disciplined. Satan wants you to be discouraged but the Biblical truth is that in Christ you have a purpose to pursue every day to glorify God. Satan wants you to feel inadequate but the Biblical truth is that in Christ you have been made in the image of God, the King of kings, for His divine purpose. Satan wants you to feel like life has no meaning but the Biblical truth is that in Christ you have been anointed to make an impact in God’s kingdom.

RELATED: Spiritual Warfare Examples

God gave me a huge breakthrough in regards to my mental clarity and focus. He revealed to me a step-by-step process for how to take my every thought captive and make it obedient to the truth of Christ. God blessed me with a sacred tool called the ITCEBO model. Download the high-resolution printout here.

ITCEBO model by Anna Szabo: Flesh vs Spirit

It’s very important to be able to focus on what matters and shut down Satan’s distractions, such as fear, doubt, busyness, anxiety, anger, overwhelm, confusion, etc. The ITCEBO model is a blueprint to help you stay clear, focused, disciplined, and productive. Leverage it every day. I have it framed and refer to it any time there’s a priority to choose for how I invest my time and effort. It has not failed me ever. This sacred blueprint for a clear and focused way of living life has blessed me over and over again, making me productive, peaceful, joyful, and fruitful. It is not by my own power but by the power of Christ.

Use the ITCEBO model to choose the Spirit of Truth, choose to take your thoughts captive and submit them to the truth of Christ, which is the Bible, the word of God, choose to focus on what truly matters, choose to exercise your discipline, choose to invest your mental and physical effort wisely, choose to shut down all distractions and allow God’s Spirit to lead you toward fulfilling your divine purpose. Remembering that we choose what to do with our thoughts is a critical step to having a clear conscience. Clear conscience leads to peace, joy, and God-glorifying life.

How To Sort Through Your Thoughts

If you don’t submit your thoughts to Christ, you will end up confused, overwhelmed, trapped in negativity, and even hopeless, which often leads to suicide. As you know, the purpose of this Christian ministry is to help alleviate suicide among women globally by sharing hope in Christ. That’s why I am giving you the ITCEBO model and the below step-by-step guide to help you focus, with mental clarity.

Become aware of your thoughts. Capture what you’re thinking. There’s a great exercise called a “Thought Download” that requires you to grab a pen and paper and simply write down exactly what’s going on through your mind.

Identify what you’re thinking. Ask yourself if your thoughts are the thoughts of the Flesh or the Spirit. Look at the ITCEBO model for help you and read the relevant scriptures.

Download the ICTEBO model in high resolution.

Use the ITCEBO model to stay clear and focused.

Ask yourself what outcome the thoughts you’re thinking will lead to, according to the word of God. The thoughts on the right in the ITCEBO model lead to the outcomes on the right. The thoughts on the left lead to the outcomes on the left.

Decide what outcome you want. Decide and then work the ITCEBO model backwards. To achieve the outcomes you chose, define the thoughts you must be thinking, according to the teachings of Christ.

Practice the behaviors that would result in the outcomes you want. To practice those behaviors, experience particular emotions that cause those desired behaviors. To experience the emotions of your choice, decide to submit your thoughts to the truth of Christ.

Think those thoughts which you chose based on the truth of Christ. The habit of taking thoughts captive and making sure you only choose the thoughts that are compliant with God’s truth will lead you to the life of joy, peace, and blessings. It takes discipline and results in clarity and mental focus. Let the truth of Christ guide you every day.

Discipline Leads To Clarity

Whenever you feel confused, you indulge in procrastination and anxiety. Whenever you indulge in procrastination and anxiety, you feel confused. It’s a catch 22. That’s why you must know who you are in Christ: clear-minded, focused, and disciplined. You choose discipline through the power of Christ in you, and that leads to clarity, productivity, energy, and fruitful living. Is it easy? No.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but it yields the peaceful harvest of righteous living.
Hebrews 12:11

If you want your life to be blessed, joyful, and prosperous, which are all the outcomes of what the Bible calls “righteous living,” you must have a clear conscience, and that leads to peace and joy. You can see all the relevant scriptures in the ITCEBO model.

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:8

Your mind is powerful as long as you choose to walk in the Spirit instead of submitting to your Flesh. You have the sound mind needed for clear consciousness. It’s a gift from God through Christ in you. You just need to choose this gift with your free will by choosing the thoughts from the ITCEBO model that leads to your desired outcomes.

Taking your thoughts captive is a discipline that requires practice. It’s like reaching out for the gift that’s already yours, taking it, and enjoying it.
A clear conscience is a gift God gave you. The Bible says that the “sound mind of Christ,” aka clear conscience, is already yours if you are in Christ. You inherited it. The only reason why you may not yet have a clear conscience is that you haven’t yet reached out for the gift to take it and have it. Remember: it is already yours.

Mind Over Matter

Your thoughts create your future. You can see it from the ITCEBO model I shared above. Though there are many things that can overwhelm your mind, you have the ability to guard your mental clarity and focus. I wrote a poem about this as I myself was working on my own thinking, mental clarity, and the discipline of fruitful productivity.

It’s called “Mind Over Matter.”

"Mind Over Matter" #PoemsFromGod

 Your thoughts create your future.
 It happens every moment.
 Your pain and wounds you suture
 With every thought and comment. 
 
 You choose your thoughts with free will.
 You are in charge of choosing.
 Defeating thoughts your dreams kill.
 Don’t be your thoughts misusing!
 
 Decide to think of greatness.
 Decide to think of joy.
 Decide that you with gladness 
 Your thought life will enjoy!
 
 No matter circumstances.
 No matter wounds and pain.
 Your thoughts are your advances.
 They make or break your brain.

 With healthy thoughts, you’re healing.
 With harmful thoughts, you’re sick. 
 Bad thoughts can joy be stealing -
 To cause you harm they’re quick.

 So, choose to think of blessings,
 And choose to think of grace.
 Start gratitude expressing 
 With thoughts of joy and praise.
 
 Your thoughts create your future.
 It happens every moment.
 Your pain and wounds you suture
 With every thought and comment.  


 9/18/18 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

The Bible tells us we can be sober-minded, meaning clear and focused, as long as we’re listening to the Holy Spirit by focusing on God’s grace, which is Christ. The discipline of submitting thoughts to Christ leads to a clear conscience.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13

You thoughts control your mind and create your future. Do you believe that you already have the sound mind from Christ and are equipped for a life of clear conscience and mental focus? If you do believe wholeheartedly, memorize the Biblical affirmation I created for you below and practice it often to remember the gift you already have.

I Am Clear and Focused

I am Clear and Focused #52Devotionals

God gave me the power of sound mind.
I'm clear. I'm focused. I'm disciplined.
Confusion and doubt are both behind.
I'm productive, and to the Holy Spirit I’m listening.

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How does it make you feel to know that you have a powerful mind of Christ which allows you to enjoy a clear conscience if you choose to walk in the Spirit instead of the Flesh? Share with me in the comments below so I can cheer you on. When you share your story, you give God all the glory. Your testimony can encourage and empower someone who’s confused, lost, in pain, or even suicidal. Share in the comments how God is working in you and through you right now.

Today, I help women see themselves the way God sees them. From the Bible, I discovered 52 incredibly-positive things God says about us as His daughters. Those 52 precious discoveries turned into 52 Biblical affirmations I created to encourage and empower Christian women. To help share this life-changing information with you, I created an ebook called #52Devotionals. Download it below for free. Share it with someone who needs encouragement right now.

Introduction

What Is Clear Conscience?

How To Sort Through Your Thoughts

Discipline Leads To Clarity

Mind Over Matter

I Am Clear and Focused

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