Religion is vain, empty, profitless...IF I do not bridle my tongue. James 1:26, "If anyone thinks himself to be religious and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person's religious service is worthless (futile, barren)."
How can I bridle my tongue? What is the bridle for my tongue? The Holy Spirit! James 3 says that no man can tame the tongue. However, the Holy Spirit can! Jesus Christ proved this truth when He said,"I only say what I hear the Father say." The Holy Spirit, upon Christ, enabled Him to do that. The Holy Spirit does the same for us. Just like Christ, I have to choose WHO I will listen to and WHO I will obey...either my flesh, my enemy or my Savior. I will know WHOM I have listened to and WHOM I have believed by what comes out of my mouth. What comes out of my mouth is my report. My report influences ALL of my life - my words, my actions, my emotions, my whole world.
Keith Moore says it best - "You frame your world with your words."
I can use my mouth to "report" (tell myself and others) how I feel, what I think and even speak what the enemy has tricked me into believing - this is an evil report. This report causes me to un-believe, doubt, fear, worry, etc. OR I can use my mouth to "report"(tell myself and others) what Christ has already done on my behalf. I get to "encourage myself in the Lord" just like David did by remembering and speaking what He has done to free me from the enemy's devices. My mouth is a powerful weapon against the enemy's tactics. The moment I begin to focus my attention and use my mouth to speak the goodness of God: praising Him, giving Him thanks, praying in the Spirit, rejoicing, singing, blessing and loving - I begin winning, triumphing, overcoming, getting courage and strength!
These 5 smooth stones (1. Praising God, 2. Thanking God, 3. Praying in the Spirit, 4. Having a Merry Heart, 5. Loving) are weapons of my warfare to slay the giants in my land. My mouth is the sling that gives each of these stones the force, direction, power and velocity to destroy my enemy's plans. God says that you can control your whole body by your tongue OR you can defile your body with your tongue. Before I let a word fly out of my mouth, I give control of my tongue to the Holy Spirit who will say the right thing. Psalms 141:3 says, "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips." That guard is the Holy Spirit. Father has given Him to us as our Helper and this is one of the vital ways He helps us.
My job in all this is two-fold. First, I get to choose, moment by moment, what I am going to allow myself to think on in my mind and what I will entertain in my heart. This is the greatest factor in determining what will come out of my mouth. Out of the abundance of the heart (what I have been thinking about), my mouth will speak. I choose to think on the things that are true, honest, lovely and of a good report. As I choose to think on these things, they shove out the unprofitable thoughts or "thought bombs" the enemy is trying to get me to take so that he can do his destructive work. Proverbs 13:3, "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." The second part of my job involves a choice as well. I get to choose to yield to my flesh, my enemy or my Savior. I let (choose, permit, allow) the Holy Spirit guard my mouth by yielding my tongue to Him. "To Whomever you yield your members(tongue), his slaves you become." Whether I yield my tongue to unrighteousness (i.e. the enemy - flesh) or righteousness (Christ - Holy Spirit) determines what fruit I'm going to be eating. Fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.) or the fruit of my own way.
Thank God He has given me free will to choose AND the power of the Holy Spirit to choose well!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Consider...
As I was washing my hair one morning, I heard myself think - "I'm doing pretty good considering the circumstances." While on the surface, that may seem to be an encouraging thought, the underlying drift of the thought was to consider the circumstance...consider what so and so said...consider how I felt about it. The Holy Spirit immediately said to counteract it with, "Do not consider those things. Instead, consider what I say. My Word is truth, my Word changes circumstances and my Words triumph over the enemy's lies".
Consider means "to pay attention to", "to give credence to", "think about" and "give reverence to". When I consider the circumstance (which is temporary) instead of considering His Word (which is eternal and will change the circumstance), I give up the mercies that the Lord has set for me. God's mercies are new every morning. There is a fresh supply of everything you need for that day, week, month and season.
His mercy contains everything humans have need of. I have a choice every day and every moment of my life of what I'm going to consider - I can consider His word, His truth and His grace for the situation OR I can consider how I feel, what I see, what so and so said and the lies of the enemy that he artfully camouflages to look like one of my thoughts. The enemy's lies are "lying vanities" which means "empty, profitless, useless, devoid of worth / truth and futile deceptions".
The Word says,"Those who observe (consider, look at, revere, give attention to) lying vanities forsake their own mercies." When choosing what I will consider, I recognize I need His mercies! So considering lying vanities, condemnation, guilt - all the yucky stuff the enemy brings all day long - will cause me to forsake (refuse, renounce, quit, abandon) my own mercies from Him.
Notice these are my mercies - His mercy meant for me for that day or season or hour. His mercies for me are part of my goods, my inheritance, my provision. By considering His Word - the truth - instead of what I see, feel think or surmise; I get to hold fast my mercies. I get to utilize the mercies given to me - I get to enjoy them.
The cycle of defeat starts when I consider - pay attention to - believe what the enemy says. It begins with just a few thoughts, but soon I am burdened down with worries, fears, condemnation, discontent even plain old grouchy. The defeat ends the MOMENT I consider God. I start praising Him, thanking Him, reiterating what He has said and very quickly I am bolstered instead of burdened and the enemy is fleeing! Remember your five smooth stones that will slay ANY and EVERY giant that comes against you. Stone #1 - Praise, stone #2 - Thanksgiving, stone #3 - Praying in the Spirit, #4 - A merry heart and stone #5 is loving. Your mouth is the sling that gives these stones velocity, force and aim.
I am a "considerate" person meaning I consider what God says, not what the enemy says. I give reverence to His Word, not my enemy's words. That's what "fear the Lord" means - to have respect for, give reverence to, His Word. I consider God's Word more than what I feel or see.
1 Samuel 12:24 says, "Only fear (reverence, honor His Word) the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you."
Consider means "to pay attention to", "to give credence to", "think about" and "give reverence to". When I consider the circumstance (which is temporary) instead of considering His Word (which is eternal and will change the circumstance), I give up the mercies that the Lord has set for me. God's mercies are new every morning. There is a fresh supply of everything you need for that day, week, month and season.
His mercy contains everything humans have need of. I have a choice every day and every moment of my life of what I'm going to consider - I can consider His word, His truth and His grace for the situation OR I can consider how I feel, what I see, what so and so said and the lies of the enemy that he artfully camouflages to look like one of my thoughts. The enemy's lies are "lying vanities" which means "empty, profitless, useless, devoid of worth / truth and futile deceptions".
The Word says,"Those who observe (consider, look at, revere, give attention to) lying vanities forsake their own mercies." When choosing what I will consider, I recognize I need His mercies! So considering lying vanities, condemnation, guilt - all the yucky stuff the enemy brings all day long - will cause me to forsake (refuse, renounce, quit, abandon) my own mercies from Him.
Notice these are my mercies - His mercy meant for me for that day or season or hour. His mercies for me are part of my goods, my inheritance, my provision. By considering His Word - the truth - instead of what I see, feel think or surmise; I get to hold fast my mercies. I get to utilize the mercies given to me - I get to enjoy them.
The cycle of defeat starts when I consider - pay attention to - believe what the enemy says. It begins with just a few thoughts, but soon I am burdened down with worries, fears, condemnation, discontent even plain old grouchy. The defeat ends the MOMENT I consider God. I start praising Him, thanking Him, reiterating what He has said and very quickly I am bolstered instead of burdened and the enemy is fleeing! Remember your five smooth stones that will slay ANY and EVERY giant that comes against you. Stone #1 - Praise, stone #2 - Thanksgiving, stone #3 - Praying in the Spirit, #4 - A merry heart and stone #5 is loving. Your mouth is the sling that gives these stones velocity, force and aim.
I am a "considerate" person meaning I consider what God says, not what the enemy says. I give reverence to His Word, not my enemy's words. That's what "fear the Lord" means - to have respect for, give reverence to, His Word. I consider God's Word more than what I feel or see.
1 Samuel 12:24 says, "Only fear (reverence, honor His Word) the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you."
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Slaying the giants in your land - Smooth Stone #5
To recap, God has given you five smooth stones to slay the giants that come against you - giants of sickness, lack, depression, anxiety, worry or any other work sent from that unseen, but felt kingdom of darkness. These five smooth stones are praising God, giving thanks, praying in the Spirit, rejoicing and loving.
Don't forget the sling that gives these stones power, velocity and aim is your mouth. What you say out of your mouth changes the atmosphere around you and either enables your God or your enemy to work. YOU are the one that has been given power and authority over the power of the enemy. The Word of God spoken from your mouth is what destroys your Enemy. You have to open your mouth and speak words of praise, thanksgiving, joy and love.
The fifth smooth stone is LOVING. Notice I didn't say love - it is loving. Loving is action. It is also an attitude. It can be shown by words, deeds, prayers and most of all, the expression on your face. The two commandments Christ gave us is to love God and to love the other humans. These two actions will determine whether your life is good or miserable regardless of the exterior circumstances. Corrie ten Boom loved in a concentration camp. She triumphed over evil with the good God had given her. You too can triumph over whatever the world or your enemy throws at you.
In fact, love is God's power that triumphs. Jesus Christ demonstrated that love and power when He willingly laid down His life for us even while we were yet sinners, hostile and enemies in our minds to God. He is the living illustration of Father's great love for you. No greater love has any man that he would lay down his life for his friend. You are greatly loved and therefore can love greatly. The love you dispense is not your own natural affection. You cannot conjure up love - you must yield to it. God is love and is willing to flow His love through you if you are willing. That is all it takes - be willing to yield to Christ who is love and who has love for that difficult person in your life.
All of us know by experience how exhausting it is to be nice and loving to these difficult ones. Each of us has made resolutions to try to be more loving, but failed miserably even with the best intentions. That is because we have tried to give them our love - love we have generated on our own. There is a limit to our love and it is easily depleted. God's love, however, is limitless and does not depend on the other person's behavior or lovableness (or ours for that matter).
Our feelings are NOT our guide. As in all things with God - it is His Word, not our feelings, that matter and His Word that is the TRUTH! Our feelings will change and come in line with His Word as we give Him permission to love that person through us. This is a faith choice, not a feeling choice. However, your feelings will align with that faith choice as you give God permission. All God asks is for you to be willing for Him to love through you. When faced with this dilemma simply say, "Lord, I am willing to obey your command to love. I give you permission to love this person through me. I hand over all my hurt feelings and my expectations of them and I yield to your Spirit of love."
Here's an example from my life to illustrate this profitable truth. My mother-in-law (MIL) had come to visit and I was doing everything in my power to gain her approval. The more I tried, the less I felt approved. In frustration, I went to a Bible study where they asked for prayer requests. I presented my MIL scenario and a lady across the room asked if I'd tried unconditional love. Love with no approval strings attached. She told me to ask God how to love my MIL His way - so I did. God gave me the idea for her upcoming birthday. I bought matching plates, cups, decorations and a special cake. We had a lovely party! Afterward, she said,"In all my life, no one has ever done a party for me. I've always baked the cakes and set up decorations. This is the first time someone has done it for me." There were tears in her eyes as well as mine when I realized God knew how to love this woman in ways that would register love to her personally.
God is waiting on your willingness and permission. He is willing and able to love and triumph through you. As always, it is your choice. Choosing love is choosing life and it will go well with you. For more detailed instruction, get Nancy Missler's book, "The Way of Agape" from www.kingshighway.org. God is able even when you are not.
Don't forget the sling that gives these stones power, velocity and aim is your mouth. What you say out of your mouth changes the atmosphere around you and either enables your God or your enemy to work. YOU are the one that has been given power and authority over the power of the enemy. The Word of God spoken from your mouth is what destroys your Enemy. You have to open your mouth and speak words of praise, thanksgiving, joy and love.
The fifth smooth stone is LOVING. Notice I didn't say love - it is loving. Loving is action. It is also an attitude. It can be shown by words, deeds, prayers and most of all, the expression on your face. The two commandments Christ gave us is to love God and to love the other humans. These two actions will determine whether your life is good or miserable regardless of the exterior circumstances. Corrie ten Boom loved in a concentration camp. She triumphed over evil with the good God had given her. You too can triumph over whatever the world or your enemy throws at you.
In fact, love is God's power that triumphs. Jesus Christ demonstrated that love and power when He willingly laid down His life for us even while we were yet sinners, hostile and enemies in our minds to God. He is the living illustration of Father's great love for you. No greater love has any man that he would lay down his life for his friend. You are greatly loved and therefore can love greatly. The love you dispense is not your own natural affection. You cannot conjure up love - you must yield to it. God is love and is willing to flow His love through you if you are willing. That is all it takes - be willing to yield to Christ who is love and who has love for that difficult person in your life.
All of us know by experience how exhausting it is to be nice and loving to these difficult ones. Each of us has made resolutions to try to be more loving, but failed miserably even with the best intentions. That is because we have tried to give them our love - love we have generated on our own. There is a limit to our love and it is easily depleted. God's love, however, is limitless and does not depend on the other person's behavior or lovableness (or ours for that matter).
Our feelings are NOT our guide. As in all things with God - it is His Word, not our feelings, that matter and His Word that is the TRUTH! Our feelings will change and come in line with His Word as we give Him permission to love that person through us. This is a faith choice, not a feeling choice. However, your feelings will align with that faith choice as you give God permission. All God asks is for you to be willing for Him to love through you. When faced with this dilemma simply say, "Lord, I am willing to obey your command to love. I give you permission to love this person through me. I hand over all my hurt feelings and my expectations of them and I yield to your Spirit of love."
Here's an example from my life to illustrate this profitable truth. My mother-in-law (MIL) had come to visit and I was doing everything in my power to gain her approval. The more I tried, the less I felt approved. In frustration, I went to a Bible study where they asked for prayer requests. I presented my MIL scenario and a lady across the room asked if I'd tried unconditional love. Love with no approval strings attached. She told me to ask God how to love my MIL His way - so I did. God gave me the idea for her upcoming birthday. I bought matching plates, cups, decorations and a special cake. We had a lovely party! Afterward, she said,"In all my life, no one has ever done a party for me. I've always baked the cakes and set up decorations. This is the first time someone has done it for me." There were tears in her eyes as well as mine when I realized God knew how to love this woman in ways that would register love to her personally.
God is waiting on your willingness and permission. He is willing and able to love and triumph through you. As always, it is your choice. Choosing love is choosing life and it will go well with you. For more detailed instruction, get Nancy Missler's book, "The Way of Agape" from www.kingshighway.org. God is able even when you are not.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Slaying the giants in your land - Smooth Stone #4
Smooth stone #4 is a Merry Heart. Proverbs, the book of Wisdom, tells us that a merry heart DOES GOOD like a cure (some translations says like a medicine, but the Hebrew word means a cure - not just a medicine). A merry heart cures more ills and evils sent by our enemy than you would think. Having a merry heart seems so simple, but it is hugely powerful because we were designed for joy. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and JOY in the Holy Spirit. The JOY of the Lord is your strength. Jesus Christ is the most joy-filled Person in the Universe. It was the JOY set before Him (you and me being saved from the kingdom of darkness) that caused Him to endure the cross and triumph in it... Now that is strength! Strength to overcome!
In the seme way, joy gives you the strength to overcome what the world throws at you and what the enemy means for evil. No wonder our enemy always tries to get us to "feel" downcast, sad, depressed and dejected. He knows the value of joy in our lives and is always trying to steal it or diminish it in some way. The good news is that you don't have to allow it. You have been given the power and authority by Christ to say NO! to you enemy and NO! to your flesh. Saying no to your flesh and no to darkness is saying YES! to God...yes to Light, yes to Life.. and yes to Good!
Joy is Good! It is one of the "goods" Christ has given you. He said to "Hold fast to that which is good." Don't let your enemy "talk" you out of it or "think" you out of it. By shutting him up you are assuring the flow of strength that comes from joy. The scripture says to "Rejoice in the Lord and AGAIN I say, rejoice." Whenever God says something 2x's, we know it is important. Rejoicing is one of the most important things you will do in a day. To rejoice is to "RE-JOY" yourself i.e.-to bring in a fresh supply of joy from the Lord into you The fastest way to "RE-JOY" yourself is to sing. Sing praises, sing songs of thanks and sing for joy.Making melody in your heart to the Lord is like being connected to an "IV" of joy to overcome the maladies of sadness.
The scriptures say it is the garment of praise that DESTROYS the spirit of heaviness. The enemy tries to cause you to focus on what "is" or the worries of what" might be" or the hurt of what "has been". His purpose is to dis-courage you (take away your courage). The word "courage" in the scriptures is the same word translated "cheer". Remember, He said, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" which also translates "Be of good courage, I have overcome the world.". Cheer, joy and courage are strengths given to you by God to overcome. Overcome evil with good.
You get to choose WHO you will listen to - your enemy with his depressing, sad, sorrowful, self-pity garbage or your Savior with His encouraging words of love, comfort, faith, peace and hope. Choosing is a moment-by-moment action. Moment by moment you are choosing who is Lord over you. Thought by thought you are choosing who will occupy your mind and captivate your attention. You know by experience that bringing every thought captive to Christ will do you good. Conversely, every thought from your enemy brings you down. Learn to identify and cast down those thoughts from the enemy before they take you to an emotional place you are not willing to go.
Bringing every thought captive to Christ is not as hard as the enemy makes it seem. It is simply saying,"NO" to a thought or a mental picture flashed in your mind. The thought or picture is not from you, it is a cleverly crafted lie meant to scare you, upset you and ,in some way, turn your attention toward fear. Remember, these thoughts, "emos" and flashy pics ARE NOT YOU! The enemy has just camouflaged them to look like your thoughts. Truly, they are from the kingdom of darkness and God has BETTER thoughts for you - "thoughts to do you good and not harm - thoughts to give you HOPE (not despair) and a future."
One speedy way to "zero-in" on these thoughts is rejoicing. Singing, praising and songs of giving thanks are easy to do. God has not asked you to climb Mt Everest or run a 4 min mile or some other hard thing to do. He's asked you to rejoice, sing praise and give thanks. This is His good will and it is within your ability. In fact, it does you good to engage in these simple, wonderfully effective activities.
Although this is simple and easy to do, the enemy may put up many road block to try to deter and detour you. Do not be dissuaded - go back on task. Rejoice - sing - give thanks and you will find the supply of joy and strength flowing to you and though you. GOD WANTS YOU GLAD - a merry heart does you good!
In the seme way, joy gives you the strength to overcome what the world throws at you and what the enemy means for evil. No wonder our enemy always tries to get us to "feel" downcast, sad, depressed and dejected. He knows the value of joy in our lives and is always trying to steal it or diminish it in some way. The good news is that you don't have to allow it. You have been given the power and authority by Christ to say NO! to you enemy and NO! to your flesh. Saying no to your flesh and no to darkness is saying YES! to God...yes to Light, yes to Life.. and yes to Good!
Joy is Good! It is one of the "goods" Christ has given you. He said to "Hold fast to that which is good." Don't let your enemy "talk" you out of it or "think" you out of it. By shutting him up you are assuring the flow of strength that comes from joy. The scripture says to "Rejoice in the Lord and AGAIN I say, rejoice." Whenever God says something 2x's, we know it is important. Rejoicing is one of the most important things you will do in a day. To rejoice is to "RE-JOY" yourself i.e.-to bring in a fresh supply of joy from the Lord into you The fastest way to "RE-JOY" yourself is to sing. Sing praises, sing songs of thanks and sing for joy.Making melody in your heart to the Lord is like being connected to an "IV" of joy to overcome the maladies of sadness.
The scriptures say it is the garment of praise that DESTROYS the spirit of heaviness. The enemy tries to cause you to focus on what "is" or the worries of what" might be" or the hurt of what "has been". His purpose is to dis-courage you (take away your courage). The word "courage" in the scriptures is the same word translated "cheer". Remember, He said, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" which also translates "Be of good courage, I have overcome the world.". Cheer, joy and courage are strengths given to you by God to overcome. Overcome evil with good.
You get to choose WHO you will listen to - your enemy with his depressing, sad, sorrowful, self-pity garbage or your Savior with His encouraging words of love, comfort, faith, peace and hope. Choosing is a moment-by-moment action. Moment by moment you are choosing who is Lord over you. Thought by thought you are choosing who will occupy your mind and captivate your attention. You know by experience that bringing every thought captive to Christ will do you good. Conversely, every thought from your enemy brings you down. Learn to identify and cast down those thoughts from the enemy before they take you to an emotional place you are not willing to go.
Bringing every thought captive to Christ is not as hard as the enemy makes it seem. It is simply saying,"NO" to a thought or a mental picture flashed in your mind. The thought or picture is not from you, it is a cleverly crafted lie meant to scare you, upset you and ,in some way, turn your attention toward fear. Remember, these thoughts, "emos" and flashy pics ARE NOT YOU! The enemy has just camouflaged them to look like your thoughts. Truly, they are from the kingdom of darkness and God has BETTER thoughts for you - "thoughts to do you good and not harm - thoughts to give you HOPE (not despair) and a future."
One speedy way to "zero-in" on these thoughts is rejoicing. Singing, praising and songs of giving thanks are easy to do. God has not asked you to climb Mt Everest or run a 4 min mile or some other hard thing to do. He's asked you to rejoice, sing praise and give thanks. This is His good will and it is within your ability. In fact, it does you good to engage in these simple, wonderfully effective activities.
Although this is simple and easy to do, the enemy may put up many road block to try to deter and detour you. Do not be dissuaded - go back on task. Rejoice - sing - give thanks and you will find the supply of joy and strength flowing to you and though you. GOD WANTS YOU GLAD - a merry heart does you good!
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