Skip to main content

**Guarding the Gates of Your Mind**


Hey fam! From my little corner of Akasia, Pretoria, I’ve been wrestling with this Psalm lately. It’s not just some dusty old verse; it’s a battle plan for the soul, a blueprint for navigating the modern chaos. Think of your mind, your inner world, as a vibrant Pretoria township – a microcosm of life itself. There’s the bustling energy of Hatfield, the intellectual buzz of the University, the quiet serenity of a suburban garden – all within your head. But there are also the shadows, the dodgy corners where negativity and doubt fester.

This isn't a simplistic "avoid bad things" message. It's a deep dive into the spiritual hygiene of our minds. David, that savvy king, understood the power of intentionality. He knew what we consume – visually, aurally, even through conversation – shapes our character just as much as the biltong and pap we consume shapes our bodies. So, what's on the menu of your mind? Are you feasting on the nourishing fruits of the Spirit, or are you munching on the fast food of negativity that leaves you spiritually malnourished?

Just the other day, I was scrolling through social media – that digital equivalent of a busy Pretoria taxi rank – and felt the familiar pull of comparison. Suddenly, my inner township was filled with the noise of envy and self-doubt. It was like those unruly taxi drivers, aggressively vying for attention, drowning out the quiet voice of God. I had to consciously choose to close that mental window, to switch off the noise and turn my attention to something more life-giving. I chose to read a chapter of Proverbs, to pray, and to engage with life-affirming content. It was like replacing the taxi rank cacophony with the peaceful sound of rain falling on jacaranda trees.

This isn't just about avoiding explicit sin; it's about cultivating a spiritual garden in your mind, planting seeds of truth, love, and joy. It's about consciously choosing the content that nurtures your soul. That means being critical about the media we consume, the conversations we engage in, even the thoughts we allow to take root. It's a daily, sometimes hourly, practice of weeding out the negativity and nurturing the positive.  

The struggle is real. There are days when the shady corners of my mental township feel overwhelming. The weight of societal pressures, the anxieties of daily life, even the simple frustration of Pretoria traffic – they all threaten to overtake the spiritual peace I crave. But that’s where the power of God’s grace steps in. It's like a city-wide cleanup crew, sweeping away the debris of negative thoughts and replacing them with His love. It’s a constant process of surrender, repentance, and renewal.

This isn't a solo journey. It requires community, prayer, and a relentless pursuit of God's truth. So, let's together create a more beautiful, more vibrant township of the mind, a space where faith flourishes and the light of Christ shines brightly, even from here in Akasia, Pretoria.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

**Restoring Relationships**

Last Tuesday, during Eskom’s Stage 6 load-shedding, I sat in my dimly lit Akasia living room, staring at a WhatsApp message from my cousin Thabo. Our once-close bond had fractured over a political debate—ANC vs. EFF—that spiraled into personal jabs. His text read: *“You’ve become a coconut, bra. Black on the outside, white-washed inside.”* My reply? A venomous *“At least I’m not a populist clown.”* Pride, that sly serpent, had coiled around our tongues.   But as the generator hummed and my coffee cooled, Colossians 3:13 flickered in my mind like a candle in the dark: *“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”* Unconditional. No asterisks. No “but he started it.” Just grace.   **II. The Theology of Broken Pipes**   South Africa knows fractures. Our Vaal River, choked by sewage and neglect, mirrors relational toxicity—grievances left to fester. Yet, Christ’s forgiveness isn’t a passive drip; it’s a flash flood. To “bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13) is to choo...
Post a Comment
Read more

**Cultivating Patience**

 ## The Divine Delay: When God Hits Pause on Your Breakthrough (From My Akasia Veranda) Brothers, sisters, let me tell you, this Highveld sun beating down on my veranda in Akasia isn’t just baking the pavement. It’s baking my *impatience*. You know the feeling? You’ve prayed, you’ve declared, you’ve stomped the devil’s head (in the spirit, naturally!), yet that breakthrough? It feels like waiting for a Gautrain on a public holiday schedule – promised, but mysteriously absent. Psalm 27:14 shouts: *"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage!"* But waiting? In *this* economy? With Eskom plunging us into darkness and the price of a loaf of bread climbing faster than Table Mountain? It feels less like divine strategy and more like celestial sabotage. I get it. Just last week, stuck in the eternal queue at the Spar parking lot (seems half of Tshwane had the same pap-and-chops craving), watching my dashboard clock tick towards yet another loadshedding slot, my ow...
Post a Comment
Read more

**Rejecting Shame Through Identity in Christ**

  I live in Akasia, Tshwane, where the jacarandas paint Pretoria’s streets with purple hope each spring. From my modest home, I watch the city hum—buses rattling down Paul Kruger Street, hawkers calling out at the Wonderpark Mall, and the chatter of students spilling from TUT’s gates. Life here is vibrant, yet beneath the surface, many of us carry an unseen weight: shame. It’s a thief that whispers lies about our worth, chaining us to past mistakes or societal labels. As a Christian writer, I’ve wrestled with this shadow myself, and I’ve learned that only one truth can break its grip—our identity in Christ. Let me take you on a journey through my own story, weaving it with the tapestry of South African life and the radiant promise of Scripture, to confront shame and embrace who we are in Him. ### A Personal Tale of Shame’s Grip A few years ago, I stood at a crossroads. I’d just lost a job I loved—a writing gig at a local magazine in Pretoria. The editor said my work was “too confro...
Post a Comment
Read more