Fruit

Every gardener who has planted seeds looks forward to the time of harvest. What a joy a fresh abundant crop is to pick and enjoy! God has a harvest too. He plants the seed of His life within us, carefully tending its growth to nurture and protect the tender shoots of His nature than begin to appear. He adds the rain, the sun, even the storms, to make that Seed grow, becoming strong, rich with His fruit of love, peace, and joy.

God is looking for the fruit, not for the gifts of the spirit that are used to grow the Body in producing the fruit. Gifts are given without repentance—God does not change His mind about these gifts regardless of our character. But the purpose is to grow the fruit of His nature within His people. Humans continue to make godliness a law rather than a life that is lived. If we are to reign with Christ, the character of Jesus Christ that is the fruit of the spirit must first happen internally, with a changed heart.

The fruit of the spirit is the nature of Christ as He revealed Father God to His people:

“Now the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control: against such things there is no law." Galatians 5: 22-23 Concordant Literal

God makes no mistakes in the spiritual language He uses to teach us His ways of truth and wisdom. So what do we know about how fruit is produced? Does it struggle and strain to come forth from the vine or the tree or the bush? Does it make rules for how this is to happen? Does fruit make demands on the weather to ensure it will grow correctly? No. It stays connected to the vine! Yes, fruit is subject to adversity during its growth, but grow it will as it stays connected to its source of life.

Believers have long sung a song whose chorus states “Abiding in the vine, abiding in the vine…” Here is where the fruit of the spirit, the precious evidence of the Lord Jesus Christ’s nature and love, is developed and grows into maturity. Adversity makes the natural world stronger and so it is with us. We grow more fruit in the hard times, when struggles and opposition are upon us, than from the times of blessing, glorious as these are to experience.

Oh, Lord, teach us to abide until You write your laws upon our hearts! You alone can make us overcomers, perfecting us daily to be just like You. Think of it! When others see Christians, they are to see the Lord in us—His character and behavior in this world. No law, no decree, no formula, no multitude of words, no brute power can do this! As overcomers, we are promised to sit with Him in heavenly places, those spiritual heights from which He rules and reigns.

The sons of God, the overcomers, are to be placed with Him in His throne of authority and power as the government of His kingdom among men. And how are the sons to rule and reign?

“To no one owe anything, except to be loving one another, for he who is loving another has fulfilled law. For this: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not testify falsely, you shall not covet,’ and if there is any other precept, it is summed up in this saying, in this: ‘You shall love your associate as yourself.’

Love is not working evil to an associate. The complement, then, of law, is love.” Romans 13:8-10 Concordant Literal

All the evil in our earthly lives comes out of the heart of man, not externally from the world. Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit.” Christians believe excellence is a Life, the life of Jesus Christ living within and shining forth to others. We aspire that others seeing any excellence, any virtue in us to know it is due to the Lord within, not of our own making, that any man can boast. We, like the Apostle Paul, desire to boast only in the Lord.

The first fruit that is evidence of the kingdom of God is righteousness. Righteousness is a Life lived with right principles from the foundation that He is within us. His all-righteous life is to rule within us as His temple, a state of being inChristed. It is not operating in the gifts, nor doing good works, nor acts of service, not religion’s rules, laws, and traditions, but His rulership within us. Then follows His peace and after that, His joy, as fruit (outward evidence) of His kingdom in our earth, right where we are!

In any area of our spirit and soul where He rules, creating that righteousness within us, we have peace and joy. He has taken His authority over that area. There may be more earth, more flesh for Him to conquer, but we are on our way.

"For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16. ESV

We have the mind of Christ. NOW. As we continually surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ, He builds His character within us, becoming visible to others. It is a process of the Lord descending in us, His temple, as we learn to live, move, and have our being from this most wonderful and precious mind that always does the Father’s will. Think of it!

We are on the way to Zion, that holy spiritual city where the spirits of just men are being made perfect, waiting for us to be spiritually joined in that perfection to enter into rest together. God’s kingdom of righteousness is a spiritual kingdom, wrought only by the holy spirit within. It is real, more than any earthly kingdom that is only a temporary shadow of what is to come.

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.Psalm 96:10-13 NIV

His habitance is established as He imparts righteousness in His own. He alone is righteousness and He makes us righteous. The Lord through His sons will judge the people with the seven spirits of Father God dwelling in His own.

“And the spirit of Yahweh shall rest on Him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and mastery, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh. And His scent is in the fear of Yahweh.

And not by the sight of His eyes will He judge, and not by the hearing of His ears will He correct. Yet He will judge with righteousness the poor, and correct with equity for the humble of the land.” Isaiah 11:2-4 Concordant Literal

We are so humanly prone to judging by outward appearance and reasoning by our carnal minds, but that is not God’s way! When we know Him as savior, it’s the beginning of learning godly wisdom and understanding. We are covered with His righteousness and given His authority, hard won on the cross. After this initial step of faith, the Lord determines to work within us so that we become the righteousness of God, as God said we are to be, just like this Firstborn Son of many brethren.

Here’s the process of change as outlined by Peter:

“Besides this… ADD TO YOUR FAITH virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control [moderation] patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ… for so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” 2 Pet. 1:5-11 KJV?

Surely this makes most clear that we are not to just accept the Lord as Savior and wait for heaven to finish the work. Hear this: the law cannot do it. The law only tries to control the flesh, which cannot enter in. He said that it is impossible for the flesh to enter in. The law is a tutor to bring us to Christ but Jesus came to bring us life and that more abundantly. He is inworking His life, His character of righteousness within us as we submit to Him to do so:

“For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be FULFILLED (or EXPRESSED) in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:2-4 KJV

Well do we know, if we have any discernment, how far we seem to fall short of His righteousness. Let us encourage each other to go on in Christ, to truly know Father God intimately. We don’t need more words of condemnation and judgment that discourage and limit us. The Lord is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts. He is aware of our heart’s longing to hit the target, to not fall short of all He intends for us to be.

We join Paul, an expert in the law of the Hebrews, in his powerful confession:

“But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life].

But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him--a joy unequaled].

For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him [believing and relying on Him], not having any righteousness of my own derived from [my obedience to] the Law and its rituals, but [possessing] that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did]; ]\so that I may attain to the resurrection [that will raise me] from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us stay true to what we have already attained.” Philippians 3:7-16 Amplified

Paul says spiritual maturity is evidenced by this attitude. We are to grow up into Christ, seeking more and more daily to know Him, to yield to all He has done in the power of His resurrection working in us. We are to press on, not settle, until the fruit of His nature is seen within us. We must not mistake having revelation for possession of the knowledge of it. It is not enough to know about truth, to speak of it, to preach it, to testify about it.

We are to be Living Epistles of His life. Nothing less. There is the fruit of His harvest. It is not what we do, but what is in our hearts, the state of being within, that is the secret of perfecting faith. The outward ways we do things, the differences we may have, are not the key. It is truly about the heart. The gifts of the spirit show forth what God can do, His acts, but the fruit of the spirit is the manifestation of His very nature and being, His ways.

It is not the actions we take, but the motivating faith in our hearts to believe His promise that we shall be like Him. Do we consider ourselves the Lord Jesus Christ’s brothers and sisters? He said we are when we share His sufferings and overcome all things through Him:

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family.

So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Hebrews 2:9-11

He establishes His rule by Love. Not force, not law, not tyranny that works fear, not condemnation, but faith through love.

Part 2: New Beginnings

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

The Lamb Rules

“After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:‘Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!’

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’

Then one of the elders addressed me: ‘These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?’ ‘Sir,’ I answered, ‘you know.’ So he replied, ‘These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17 Berean

Think about this: it is the Lamb Who rules with God in the center of the throne. The Lamb is the shepherd who leads us to those springs of living water. And while He is doing this, God Himself will wipe away all tears! In the Old Testament, the lamb signifies a sacrifice to God, a blood sacrifice that is the only sacrifice acceptable to Him. When the Israelites were to be led out of the bondage of Egypt, they were directed:

"Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs…

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household…the blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:3;7;13 ESV

The lamb typifies Christ, a pure, innocent sacrifice Who is gentle, forgiving, and meek. When God sees the blood of the Lamb, He passes over us. He is the only sacrifice slain to make an end to all other sacrifices. And He is worthy!

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."  Peter 1:18-21

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing" Revelation 5:12

In Christianity, the lamb symbolizes Christ as both suffering and triumphant, as well as the Lord’s gentleness, innocence, purity, sweetness, forgiveness, and meekness. There are so many aspects to the nature of Jesus Christ—King of kings, Lord of Lords, conqueror, the great High Priest, Immanuel, the Redeemer, the Living Stone, the Alpha and Omega, the Lion of Judah, the Son of God. Consider this passage in Isaiah:

“For a Boy is born to us; a Son is given to us, and the chieftainship shall come to be on His shoulder, and His name is called ‘Marvelous.Counsel to the master shall He bring, to the chief of the future, welfare.’

To the increase of the chieftainship, and to the welfare shall be no end. On the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to prepare it, and to brace it with judgment and with justice, henceforth and in the future eon.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this”. Isaiah 9:6-7 Concordant Literal

In Biblical times, the name of a person described his or her nature, the qualities of the character of a person. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God, knowing that Jesus was to be sacrificed for the sins of all:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 NIV

Jesus never called Himself God. He was the Son of God, the Son of man, the Bread of Life, but, unlike some of us were taught, He did not call Himself God. He made a distinction between Himself, the Firstborn Son, and Father God. Yes, God was in Him, but would God ever say, as Jesus did, that He could do nothing by Himself?

 “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” John 5:30 NIV

Why is it significant that the Lamb rules? It’s important because of the many aspects of His nature. The word could say that the Lion rules, or the Redeemer rules, or any of the other names that reveal Who He is. But it is the nature of the Lamb that rules! And with the rule of the Lamb, God wipes away all tears, taking away hunger and thirst, completely satisfying His people. There are no tears in heaven, no suffering of want in the afterlife with the Lord. It is here, on this earth, that He promises to dwell within us, eliminating the suffering of sin and death which produces the tears!

What a contrast to what many are taught about an angry, vengeful ruler intent on eternal punishment for all who do not know Him! We are promised that as we see Him, perceive who He really is with discernment, we will be like Him. What would the qualities of a Lamb be as they become more of our nature? One thing we know is that the sacrificial Lamb of God went willingly to be crucified.

“See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called children of God; and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when He is manifested, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”  John 3:2 Legacy Standard Bible

This Lamb is not a passive, weak being, but One filled with passion and purpose.

“When the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 1And they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. ‘ For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”…Revelation 6:15-17 Berean

The word “wrath” comes from the Greek word “oregomai,” meanng “to stretch, reach out after, covet after, or desire.” It is not, as is often misinterpreted, the sign of an angry God who must be appeased. It is the Lamb’s deeply, even violently passionate desire to bring us to the Father, to rule and reign in our earth, to take dominion over all that comes against Him, that we may truly be delivered from the bondage of sin and death!

How difficult it is to go willingly to the many ways God allows the flesh to be crucified as we follow our Lord! We struggle and complain, questioning unfair treatment, betrayal and unjust accusations, yet God’s sacrificial Lamb did not do so:

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself];

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before her shearers, so He did not open His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7 Amplified

Unlike most of us, every single act of suffering and affliction Jesus experienced was unfair, unjust and undeserved. When similar things happen to us, we are suffering with Christ so we may reign with Him. This is how He teaches us to conquer, to overcome all that comes against us. And we must overcome to be like Him and join Him in His throne of rulership. Some resist the idea that God brings suffering, that satan is a tool God allows in the world to come against His own. But, what spirit do you think was in those leaders who led the charge to crucify Him?

“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2: 20-21 NIV

We are called to suffer! And is this somehow good news? Well yes, if we want to be like our Lord! It’s all the unfair, undeserved suffering and affliction, caused by other humans or by nature, that refines us, presses us, working the glory He has into our very nature, so He may be seen. And when is Christ manifested, when does Christ appear? Is it just those few times He appeared to the disciples after His resurrection? Or does He not appear in us, the saints, as we follow on to know the Lord?

Such is the goal of every sincere believer: to become more and more like our Lord. We know that He is not yet fully manifested within His children but we have this hope as we submit to Him for purification from our Adam nature. If we were already fully like Christ, we would only speak what the Father gives us, just as the Firstborn did:

“For I have never spoken on My own initiative or authority, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment regarding what to say and what to speak.” John 12:49 Amplified

What a glorious manifestation of Christ would that be, to only speak what the Father tells us to speak! Too often, I find myself speaking from the Adam nature rather than speaking from the mind of Christ. Paul said we have the mind of Christ, but we need to learn how to allow this mind to rule instead of our own. Our soulish nature from that earthly man still rules in many aspects of our lives, including our speech, rather than the nature of the Lamb: gentle, forgiving, meek.

When we speak from our Adam nature, we usually end up talking to the Adam nature in another. It may seem normal and natural to do so, but the spirit knows the difference. The Adam nature is much more likely to call forth the same in another, in sharp contrast to speaking only Father God’s words from the Christ nature. The Adam nature, our soul realm of mind, will and emotions, has fear, not faith, hate not love, resentment rather than forgiveness, and endless concern about the things of this world.

The things our Adam nature constantly rehearses, in our hearts, minds and thoughts, are revealed in what we talk about. God’s plan is to have a purified people, a church with no spot or blemish, where the words of our mouths match the meditations of our hearts upon our Father and His ways. Committed Christians are on a quest to become like the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our everything as we long for His nature to not just be in us, but take us over. To be the light of the world, to make a difference in the lives of others and all the suffering around us, we need His nature. He promised we could be like Him, so it is no pipe dream!

No matter how much we want these changes, we cannot achieve them by fleshly effort. It has to be God’s work in our hearts, writing His word and His ways within us as we submit to Him in all things. Is it pleasant to submit to affliction and suffering? Well, no. Do you think Jesus enjoyed knowing that one of His closest friends would betray Him? That all of them would abandon Him out of fear when He was arrested? That one of His staunchest and strongest followers would betray Him three times out of fear?

“Now all discipline, indeed, for the present is not seeming to be a thing of joy, but of sorrow, yet subsequently it is rendering the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those exercised through it.

Wherefore stiffen the flaccid hands and the paralyzed knees, and make upright tracks for your feet, that the lame one may not turn aside, yet rather may be healed.

Pursue peace with all, and holiness, apart from which no one shall be seeing the Lord…”  Hebrews 12:11-14 Concordant Literal

The key to this passage is the phrase “rendering the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised thereby.”  This means we go through times of discipline to grow righteousness…or not! If we are not exercised by it, if we do not grow stronger and more like the Lord, if we do not learn His ways through it, these times of discipline do not result in righteousness, but bring even more suffering.

Those who do not realize this may rail against satan, believing God would not have them suffer. But suffering is God’s plan for us to learn. Read the powerful words of the Psalmist (author uncertain) in Psalms 119:

“Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.

Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word.” Psalms 119:66-67 BSB

If suffering was allowed for Jesus why would we be spared? Read the bible and you will not find saints who were excempt from unfair and undeserved suffering, who did not experience sorrow as well as joy in serving God. That it is not easy is revealed in the encouraging words of the author of Hebrews, above, who goes on to exhort those under discipline to grow better, not bitter, or as my husband says, “Turn woe into wow”!  We need strengthening in our walk so that we are able to endure as He endured, to win the prize of the High calling in Christ Jesus of which Paul spoke:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 KJV

This is a prize that is won by pressing in, looking to “Come up hither, in the Throne realm,” where the Lamb of God rules. God’s love is free and without limit. His salvation is free, taken care of by the debt Jesus paid for us. But this is a prize for which one must run the race to obtain. The apostle Paul endured much suffering and affliction, even recording how God denied him relief from the “thorn in the flesh.”

“Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself!” 2 Corinthians 12:7 Amplified

Consider this: God allowed one of His best, the great Apostle Paul, to suffer through a messenger from satan that tormented and harassed him. Paul knew, he believed that God could deliver him from this satanic messenger tormenting him. Paul said this was sent to him by God, allowed, even necessary, in his life for God’s purposes. Whatever this thorn was, Paul sought God and God told him “No.” 

God refused to deliver Paul from this thorn, to keep him humble rather than puffed up and proud because God had revealed Himself and His ways to Paul in such extraordinary depth and greatness. Do you know saints who have sought the Lord for years for deliverance from an affliction, without relief? There are those in the kingdom, on this side and the other, who are living through just these circumstances, with many acknowledging that God has chosen to let these afflictions remain so the glory is His.

Some are born unable to function in mind or body in the way the rest of us take for granted. In the world’s eyes, these are disabled, less than, looked down upon and even bullied by others who do not know or practice the Lord’s ways of love and mercy. God allows many to stay in these afflicted circumstances because His nature, the nature of the Lamb, shines more brightly through them. Many of us have not suffered like this, but we all have the opportunity to allow the nature of the Lamb, that meek, gentle, and forgiving Lord, to work in us.

Such is not the nature the world glorifies and desires to emulate. The strong and powerful, the able-bodied and smart, the rich and successful, the powerful and influential, seemingly without opposition or obstacle in their way: these are whom the world runs after. And there are those who preach that these circumstances are a sign of God’s blessing—but are they truly? Has God really called His own to a life of prosperity and success rather than suffering with Christ?

It is not that God does not bring such things to the saints, but it is by no means evidence of godliness when He does. Reveling in all we have while others are in poverty and want is not His way. He longs to wipe all tears from all eyes—not just His own. There are no tears in heaven—this is His ultimate plan for our earth when He appears, coming back within His saints. God has specific plans for each of us, providing just what we need to fulfill our calling. Here is Jesus’ admonition to us:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

What do we treasure? Is our earthly focus on earthly treasures or on lasting, eternal treasures? It is not to be the outward appearance of success by wealth, stature, or position in society, but the attitude of our hearts about all of this. Do we, as outwardly successful appearing believers, recognize and honor God for all we have, knowing it has come by Him? Or do we think ourselves better than others because of unearned favor by the Lord? We all have unearned favor, such as where we were born, including our genetics and heritage, that open doors and provide opportunities to prosper. All is in the hand of God, not for us to boast.

The Lamb’s nature is never to exalt Himself but to serve, recognizing that all good things come from the Father. Are we in the US better than those suffering unjustly in so many other places in the world? Do we think it is by our own efforts when we escape poverty and war, struggle and loss that is a part of daily life for many? Hear what Jesus went on to say:

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6: 31-34 ESV

Jesus told us the world would be full of trouble and affliction, but not to worry because He has overcome the world, including that world within our own hearts. Our focus, our priority, our commitment, is to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, that righteousness being worked out from within us through the refining of affliction. What better to seek than the attitude, the nature that Jesus demonstrated in all that He suffered on this earth?

Yes, the Lamb rules. He continually allows circumstances in our lives to work His Lamb nature in us. This nature accepts all as from Father God, Who does all things well. Satan is the source, but we learn to immediately look to Him, praising Him in all things. How difficult this is when one bad circumstance follows another and we start to wonder, “Does God really love me? Doesn’t He see what’s happening? Why are my prayers not heard?” Here is what Jude said in such circumstances:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. 

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,.” Jude 20-24 NIV

Keep and wait. Love and mercy, not condemnation and judgment. Our God, through Jesus Christ the Lord reigning from the kingdom within, is able to keep us from stumbling when affliction and suffering becomes too heavy. We are to “keep ourselves in His love.” meaning to “guard, keep the eye upon, hold fast” in His love. Nothing tests a person’s faith in God and His love as affliction and suffering do, particularly undeserved suffering.

This is when we anchor ourselves in God’s nature of love. We must determine in our hearts whether God is like He says He is…or not. Being without affliction is not a sign of blessing, but of misunderstanding His ways. My wise Mother taught me that those who seemed to have no problems in life, no afflictions, were ones that satan did not concern himself with, but those of us who are called by God will have difficulties meant to mature us.

Circumstances that bring suffering and distress can strengthen us in our determination to follow the Lamb, becoming a part of His rule and reign within and without. Consider the words of John the Revelator:

“And I perceived, and lo! the Lambkin standing on mount Zion, and with It a hundred forty-four thousand, having Its name and Its Father's name written on their foreheads.

And I hear a sound out of heaven as the sound of many waters and as the sound of loud thunder, and the sound which I hear is as lyre singers playing on their lyres.And they are singing a new song before the throne and before the four animals and before the elders.

And no one was able to learn the song except the hundred forty-four thousand, who have been bought from the earth. These are they who were not polluted with women, for they are celibates.

These are those who are following the Lambkin wherever It should be going. These are bought from mankind, a firstfruit to God and the Lambkin. And in their mouth falsehood was not found, for they are flawless." Revelation 14:105 CLV

Here righteousness is worked fully in a people, a symbolic 144,000 who only plant the seed of God, not of the soulish realm. These are set apart for a special service for God and the Lamb. Through all things working for their good, these are blameless, spotless, clean and pure.

Consider this beautiful song learned long ago amongst the saints:

“They follow the Lamb wherever He goes;

Been washed in His blood, washed whiter than snow.

An offering to God, consecrated and pure,

they follow the lamb wherever He goes.

They sing a new song before the throne.

They sing a new song, not sung before.

And no one can sing this song except the redeemed.

They follow the Lamb, wherever He goes.”

Author unknown.

Let it be so in the power and holiness of the Lamb who rules.

Endurance

As we long for and pursue the fullness of the Christ within us, our hearts increase in yearning for the glorious time to come when He will completely rule His kingdom within us. His kingdom has come, and, to be sure, He is in residence within each heart and mind committed to Him. But, like Paul, we do recognize that we have not fully attained all there is of our inheritance.

It is at these times, surrounded by the world’s problems without and within, that we cry, “When, Lord? When will You complete Your work in Your people, so that this groaning creation might be set free?” These are times and seasons when our Lord is working endurance within us. We read great spiritual teachers whose words have proclaimed that now is the time, that the sons of God are to be seen on the earth, that the age of the church is coming to a close and a New Day is here— but many have been writing and predicting this way for years.

So yet, we wait. We know nothing else to do but to stand, to wait upon the Father, to stay in God’s school, while He continues His work within us. Endurance is a character trait we may not want to embrace but is surely required in this time. Endurance is both a gift and a duty. Our Lord strengthens us to stand, to wait upon Him for His time and season. We cannot rush God, but we also shall not relinquish our hope in His appearing.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 NIV

Enduring through all the seasons of God strengthens our inner man, as we turn our focus upon what He has promised, continuing to hope in His word. This is the way to obtain the prize of the high calling of which Paul has spoken:

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well…” Philippians 3:13-15 Berean

One of the most challenging things for God’s people is to wait. We would like the Lord to set all things in order, make things right(eous), now! And why would we not want to see His kingdom come fully in us? We know He is the only One who can make things right. Yet Jesus waited thirty years for His ministry to unfold. He did not run ahead of God, though He fully knew the earthly state of men’s hearts.

“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for His inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” Psalms 33:8-15 NIV

He forms the heart, including those of our enemies. He considers everything that humans do. He is omniscient and omnipotent, so faith tells us He knows and can do anything. Still, it seems as if He waits until it is too late from our human perspective. How we would love to give God a time table, a deadline, to answer all our prayers and bring change to all of the circumstances we and others suffer in this world!

Recall Mary and Martha, who called for the Lord to come because their brother Lazarus was sick. They knew of His love for them and assumed He would come immediately, but He did not.

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’

When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’” John 11:1-7 NIV

How did they endure His delay? They had begun to think He did not care, that Jesus did not really love them or He would have come immediately. And do we not have the same challenging thoughts when God’s answers seem to take so long to become reality? At such times we need endurance, standing strong in the promises of God. He will neither be rushed nor hasten beyond His timetable. He always has an answer, often one not foreseen by the petitioners:

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’

Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ‘Yes, Lord, she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’ John 11:17-27 NIV

Though Martha was disappointed and confused by the delay, she demonstrates continuing faith in her Lord. Then Jesus glorified the Father by raising Lazarus from the dead. He knew the end from the beginning, that the Father’s plan was to unfold just in this way. Such delays in God’s answers are a most common trail among His own.

May we develop enduring faith, faith that stands in suffering, trusting that God has all things in His hands and His timing is perfect. Let us turn from man’s reasonings, our own carnal mind, further seeded with doubts and fears by the enemy of our souls. Let us not charge our merciful and loving God with forsaking us, abandoning us, failing us, not loving us enough to do what we want when we want it.

God surely understands when we do, yet we must wait upon the Lord to conprehend His will. We must learn to stand in our crises and trials, with patient endurance.

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” Isaiah 40:31 Amplified

Do we believe our God is who He says He is: loving, merciful, endlessly compassionate, faithful and true? We can count upon who He is as we turn from our questions, even those accusations that may enter our minds and hearts. Endurance, persistence in the midst of waiting and suffering, is most necessary for believers to develop. We can wait upon the Lord, troubled and fearful in our hearts, or we can rest in Him, patiently expecting, continually looking for Him in all circumstances, sustaining our hope.

We desire to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. He endured much undeserved suffering and so do we, to be made like Him. God’s waiting room often does include suffering as we wait upon Him. He is with us, renewing our strength when we become weary in the midst of battle. He promises we will soar again, even higher in the spirit, after we have endured the suffering, stood strong in the Lord in the midst of it, continuing to wait upon Him to do His will.

God is love and He will not act contrary to His nature of love, regardless of the thoughts of men. Paul told the Corinthians that love endures all things. We are to pray without ceasing and endure all as good soldiers of Christ. As we love the Lord, we learn patient endurance through all the hardships, the adversity, the suffering that this life brings. We know our life is hid with Christ in God and He will continue to strengthen us. Jesus said:

“Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).” Luke 18:1 Amplified

Endurance necessitates patience, one of the fruits of the spirit the Lord develops within as we serve Him. It’s part of our character development as Christians and one that every child needs to learn. Just as with our children, we children of God can either wait with patience…or not. Jesus knows all that must be done, aware of every need around Him.

Yet He addressed only a few, knowing that only a small portion of humanity would be able to receive His earthly ministry.

“…having this same confidence, that He Who undertakes a good work among you, will be performing it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Philippians 1:6 Concordant Literal

He develops patience in us as we endure all things that come our way. His good work is to grow the fruit of the spirit as we abide in the Vine. He never stops performing this inner work of the heart until His day to rule and reign within His people is fulfilled in us, His body. Endurance keeps us holding on, while perseverance is necessary to see this end result.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5: 1-5 NIV

Herein is the process of developing enduring faith in God’s waiting room. Father God teaches perseverance to His own. Perseverance is a building block toward the character of Christ Himself to be displayed within God’s sons and daughters. Because we know the purpose of our sufferings is to mature us, just as Jesus was made perfect by sufferings, we have hope. We have the love of God in our hearts and give no place to the devil in this process.

Anyone intending to reach a goal in life must develop perseverance. It is a hard lesson for some of us to learn, but successfully reaching a goal takes time, dedication, and determination lest the process becomes unendurable, intolerable to us. We can do all things through Christ, as Paul said, but when the goal is to have all the qualities of our Lord, it takes time.more than a lifetime of serving our Lord. We need endurance!

Consider these varying translations of this directive in Hebrews:

“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:35-36 KJV

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10: 35-36 NIV

“Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward. For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36 Amplified

“You should not, then, be casting away your boldness, which is having a great reward, for you have need of endurance that, doing the will of God, you should be requited with the promise.” Hebrews 10:35-36 Concordant Literal

The various words used—patience, persevere, patient endurance, endurance—show the interconnected meaning of this character trait of endurance, which is the direct translation of the Greek word used in Hebrews 10. Strong’s translates the word hupomone as “cheerful or hopeful endurance, constancy: enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting)’. This is expanded as “to stay under (behind), remain, figuratively to undergo, bear trials, have fortitude, persevere: abide, endure patiently suffering, tarrying behind.”

Patient endurance, as expressed in the Amplified translation, seems most useful. There is an attitude of patience as part of enduring, waiting until God does His work. We may look to the outward circumstances and become impatient, lose our fortitude (strength), finding it difficult to stay under or behind God’s will and timing. But He works in us to have this essential quality as we stay connected to Him.

Endurance is indeed an aspect of the strength of the Lord within us! When God’s answers seem to delay, when we wonder “How long, oh Lord?”, when we are baffled by His time because we are stuck in time, endurance is the lesson we are learning. When Jesus was speaking of the end times in Matthew, He spoke of the reward for those who endure to the end. of God’s promise to restore all to Himself:

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13 KJV

As the old song says “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus…” Let us endure unto this end, when we more fully and truly see Jesus in each other. He will have a people without spot or wrinkle, clearly showing forth their Lord and Master. He is here, coming to tabernacle in His body, His sons and daughters who persevere, to save us completely and fully.

Amen. So be it.

Self (?) Control

“Now the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control: against such things there is no law. Now those of Christ Jesus crucify the flesh together with its passions, and lusts.” Galatians 5:22-25 Concordant

Self control? Hmm. There’s that word self and that’s not a reliable source! Isn’t that a contradiction to yielding all to God as He does the work? We are able to recognize that it is the nature and spirit of God that has and produces in us all of the other fruit of the spirit. We abide in the Vine of His nature and He produces the fruit within us. Why would this one fruit be an exception, something that our self-will is to accomplish?

Daily life does requires control of the self-will to submit to His will. We do need this fruit of the spirit but the way it has been translated is misleading. HE is our strength when we are weak. Self control, in the original Greek, is temperance—to be strong in a thing. When we have rulership over something, we are strong in it. Some things that are temptations to others are not on our list of desires at all because He changes us.

What happens when we ourselves attempt to control our flesh? It’s Romans 7 all over again:

“For I know that in me, that is, in my lower self, nothing good has its home; for while the will to do right is present with me, the power to carry it out is not.” Romans 7:18 Weymouth

It takes a very strong will to deny ourselves what we most want. Oh, it may not be what Christians would consider the gross sins of the flesh, but those appetites that the world labels good but do not give life. This falls short of God’s perfect will still when we choose what self wants rather than doing the will of God.

And speaking of eating…that’s one of the battles we have: to eat or not to eat! Some of us to a life-long battle with food, a love affair, a go-to solution for all our ills. How often we seek food when anxious, fearful, stressed, angry or depressed! How frequently has occasions of celebration been the excuse to overindulge in food that is not life-giving. Moderation goes out the window with the reasoning that it is a celebration.

Such occasions become an opportunity to eat more of the treats offered on such occasions, to break from whatever moderation has been established. God is more than able to change this as well as other things that are not His best for me. In this training ground of life, we learn temperance as God reveals the reasons for our choices and changes the desires of our heart. He writes upon our hearts the desire for Him rather than food. He strips away gently—or sometimes with severe health trials—our longing for too much food and the out- of-balance hunger for foods that do not nourish our bodies.

We are not alone in this battle. As we follow on to know Him and His ways more deeply, we see the error in our hearts. It’s not eating too much food but the more grave sin of missing the mark by going to other things for comfort, peace and enjoyment rather than to God, Who is able to do all things. This is one of many examples of lack of temperance in our lives, which God is continually teaching us about, all those things that we try to control because many are controlling us!

We may go for the quick solution and this 21st century has an abundance of options. These seemingly take less time and certainly lack the submission of will that is God’s way for us to be more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we excuse it because it is a good thing, not something bad that we are forbidden. We do not need self-control—temperance or moderation—until and unless something is out of control!

Hear the word of Paul:

"‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything—but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV

When anything from the earthly realm has mastery over us, we need to call upon God’s strength, His ability to write upon our hearts His desires, which always bring life. That is eating from the tree of life, which is Jesus Christ the Lord. So what can we do? Submit our will to God and he will change the desires of our heart. Be strong in His might, not our own.

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:5-8 KJV.

Moderation. Temperance. We yield to the control of the holy spirit, not our soul—our mind, will, and emotions. There are many things that are eventually just not a temptation to us. In these areas, some lack understanding of those who continue to struggle with these same temptations in their lives. There are also many snares that capture others that we cannot imagine every doing, even desiring to do. Your battle may not be with food, but most of us have some areas that we know are out of balance.

It surely causes division and strife in the body of Christ when we judge or condemn a sister or brother for areas which we have not conquered because they never were our battle! But where is the person who has complete control over his mind, will, emotions, and body? Such a person is perfect and only the Lord Jesus Christ, in His time on this earth, demonstrated, revealed and lived a life where He never sinned.

Jesus did this not by His self-will but by living fully in God’s will. The one time we read of the difference between His will and His Father’s will was His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus’ own will did not want to go the way of the cross, with its unimaginable sufferings and shame, but it was the only way to complete His mission on earth, to be restored to what He had before with the Father. It was the Father’s plan to make the way back to Father God for all of us.

Do you see? He made the way because the Father was in Him and He always did the Father’s will. We are to come into a rest as we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to submit for His change every false way, every out-of-control area of our lives. It is so tempting to follow a program, set up rules, make our plans, but the final outcome is in His hands.

There are programs, guidelines, or plans to which the Holy Spirit guides us and these can bring life for the season in which we are led to use them. Most who struggle with food issues have tried many programs for change. But our Life, our spiritual being, is hid with Christ in God and only He can create a new heart with new desires to do His will. Deciding in our own will to do something, as good and beneficial as it is, will ultimately fail unless He gives us both the desire and the power to please Him in it.

God can lead us to a program that will work, but He must be in it! What we desire is a lasting change with no Self involved or necessary for control. Our part is to submit our will to His, have faith in looking to Him in all things, whether minor or major, counting on His life within us to make us conquerors over every sin that does so easily beset us. We can even pray where we are at, admitting we have no desire to change an area that is controlling us.

Then we pray that He continually works His will in place of ours so we become willing. As we walk with the Lord through the years of our lives, as we follow Him to know Him as our purpose, He continually strips unprofitable desires from our hearts. He replaces our desires with His desires that bring Life to us. This is that new heart He has promised. When we become willing, He writes His nature upon ours.

His nature, His mind, will, and emotions with all the five senses of our spiritual man, grow and come into being. He promised, through the Old Testament prophets as well as the Word of life in the New Testament:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart.” Ezekiel 36:26

We learn to pray with David:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

There has been an allure from the forbidden since Eve in the Garden. Many of us have limited or denied our children certain unhealthy choices, only to find they are learning ways to get them elsewhere. A cute but powerful example is when we were raisiing our son. We had not allowed sweets for Chris in the first few years of his life, thinking this was a healthy pattern to establish. Years later we learned from our backyard neighbors that little Chris had been showing up at their door, asking for a cookie. Of course, they gave this cute little guy a cookie when he asked!

This behavior was not too dangerous but other things we forbid our children to have or do certainly are. Our Christian views about right and wrong cannot help but be influenced by the many aspects of our cultural background. We all do it, whether we are aware or not. We see through our human cultural blindness as we judge righteousness concerning the external Christian walk and ways.

Many of us have battled out-of-balance desires for food, entertainment, the wonders of technology, shopping, sex, exercise, and even good works or ministry! Denying ourselves through will worship is hard to sustain. Whatever we are forbidding ourselves looms large in our minds, as we focus on not doing something. Turning our focus upon the Lord and what He desires for us, what He would have us do, is much more powerful.

“If, then, you died together with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, are you subject to decrees: You should not be touching, nor yet tasting, nor yet coming into contact, (which things are all for corruption from use),

in accord with the directions and teachings of men which are (having, indeed, an expression of wisdom in a willful ritual and humility and asceticism) not of any value toward the surfeiting of the flesh." Colossians 2:20-23 Concordant Literal

We are learning to trust His will to change our desires into His, not take pride in what our own will has determined to do. God’s no is always for a good reason, whether we want to agree with it or not. Will He not give us all His good things? There are many activities of the flesh that Christians reject, yet overindulging in food or enjoyable pastimes seems to be an acceptable part of the Christian community. Some behaviors are not God’s best and we all know it, but we allow it in the camp.

Of course, our heavenly Father wants us to enjoy the good things He has provided, to truly enjoy our allotment! His provision for His children is lavish, with many good things available to those of us in the Western modern world. And yet, out of balance, they are harmful and damaging. All things in moderation, in balance, is an important holy spirit directive He works in our hearts.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” Galatians 5:23 Berean

Though it is called self-control in most translations, we really cannot rely on the self to be obedient. When we hear that we are to die to the flesh, for example, many of us try to do it ourselves. This proves ineffective! Beating on our flesh, developing rules and regulations to change outward behavior, following programs and courses, all the while berating ourselves for failing at what we most sincerely desire to change—all prove futile.

And it doesn’t work with others, either. It keeps our eyes on ourselves rather than the Lord working His way within us. We find that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, unable to please God:

“The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:6-8 Berean

Obedience to the laws of God is good, but, as Paul said, spiritual commandments are to lead us into Christ. God is so clear about the futility of changing the flesh, but humanity keeps trying! Most of us have books, programs, leaders and resources along with laws that considered essential to control human flesh. Billions are made on ways to change any areas in our lives that are unhealthy and out of balance. As with our human children, our Father knows our frame and that we don’t all need the same approach.

Unless He writes the truth of these changes in our hearts, however, we struggle again and again with the same issues common to man, often still in God’s waiting room. Ultimately we need an inworking to sustain change, not an outer list of do’s and don’ts. Oh, it is good to determine to do our best, to practice changes, and to consider ways to be more pleasing to the Lord. But there are also many things that will not change unless God changes them in us.

The holy spirit writes on our hearts, developing temperance, particularly at times when we do not want to wait. How the Lord knows our struggles and sees the intent of our hearts! Like any good parent, Father God will deal wisely and differently with each of us as He knows what lies within, as well as what our heritage contributes to the mix. But Paul speaks to both the Corinthians and Philippians about this:

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 KJV

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Philippians 4:5 KJV

When we do things in moderation, we are balanced in our pursuits and desires. Paul provides a way for us to realize when we are no longer in moderation, in that balance that God reveals for His best life for us. Anything that has power over us indicates that is in control, not God’s holy spirit. This imbalance becomes obvious when we really do not want to do something yet find ourselves doing it, over and over, just like Paul in Romans:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good. In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Romans 7:14-20 Berean

What we resist grows, with the desire for what we want increasing in response to feeling deprived of it. Whatever it is seems to become even more attractive to us when God, society, parents ,or other authorities tell us it is forbidden. It is so very easy to do this with good things that are not seen as sinful and easily available to us, though unprofitable for spiritual growth or physical and mental health.

The root of any behavior that becomes out of balance, even compulsive or addictive, reveals a need or lack that has not been met. It often is the desire to numb the pain of this life, including trauma and abuse. We need God’s spirit to fill up that space in our hearts that such activities are taking, dominating us to our detriment. Trying to control ourselves without the Holy Spirit can lead to overcorrection, condemnation, frustration and failure.

Everyone wants to feel good and most of us will seek out whatever helps us with that, often to our detriment. That’s why we can compassionately love another who is under the control of something, either substance or behavior, rather than the holy spirit. All of it shows a need for God in our hearts. God desires freedom for His own and does not want any power except the holy spirit ruling us and our choices.

He knows when our hearts have conceived and built upon a desire that grows into choices and behaviors.

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:13-14 Berean

God knows that the problem of sin is in our hearts, where it gives birth to behaviors that do not bring life but death to us. God looks past the behavior to see what is in our hearts about it, dealing with each of us accordingly. He is not gong to settle with just outward behavior that appears obedient. That is mere compliance, often out of fear, rather than desire to please the Lord above all.

Jesus Christ brought His Father’s new order of the heart, moving us beyond outward behaviors displayed by our choices in life. He sees and provides help and healing in regard to our intent and our purpose. Many out-of-balance behaviors are understood as ways we are trying to fix a problem, to feel better, and to make our lives easier. God understands the root of our struggles, deep in our hearts, and has mercy upon us.

Aren’t you glad that He recognizes when we really want to do His will but are struggling with our flesh? He is also no stranger to those of us who are strong-willed, determined to get what we want without waiting or obeying. One way or another, when we walk with Our God, loving Him but missing the mark, we learn these lessons from Him. This fruit of the spirit called self-control in the KJV, is also called temperance, coming from a Greek root meaning “strong in a thing.”

Temperance is a spiritual muscle that can be strengthened over time as God works within to build the character of Christ. We learn to deny ourselves and take up our cross in the little and the big things. We do not have to try to control something, or set laws and limits for our flesh unless we are out of control in the matter. The law is to convict us of missing the mark, with loss of control requiring external limits upon us as a warning sign.

What we need is a heart change, yielding to a Higher Power, like those in Alcoholics Anonymous do. It surely is something we can support others about as they walk through very hard times. We are learning what Paul taught Timothy:

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing.

They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:3-6 NIV

Paul is adamant that Timothy is not to listen to this as God’s message. He redirects Timothy to the truth that godliness, along with contentment with what we have, gives much benefit. Godliness purchases the most in this life, not possessions or wealth. Anyone who tries to teach that having worldly goods is a sign of godliness is missing the mark. God may choose to bless some with wealth according to His purposes, but you can purchase neither godliness nor contentment with it.

If this was true, the wealthiest in the world would display more righteousness and contentment than anyone else.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 NIV

Far too often, great wealth does not bring great happiness, rather a restlessness and lack of contentment. Where do you go for satisfaction when you’ve achieved those things you thought you needed to be happy? What else drives you, causes you to yearn to achieve, after you have it all according to the world? Many of us grew up believing that when we had certain possessions, experiences, or privileges, then we would be happy.

Instead, we realise that when we have or achieve that thing, the temptation is to want more because it does not satisfy the hungry heart. The desire to do more, have more, experience more may gain worldly success, power, and esteem but righteousness in the heart? Not so—unless that heart is yielded to God such that spiritual things are the highest desires.

When we learn to be content with our lives, living and serving the Lord with gladness, our own self-focused heart’s desires fade over time. We are brought into the rest of God because He knows all about everything we truly need:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NASB

This scripture can be hard to believe and hard to accept in the midst of heavy trials and struggles. There are certainly times when the Lord’s yoke does not seem easy or the burdens He allows light! There are keys to its truth, however, as this word works in our lives. The key is to come to Him. Often we find our burdens heavy and difficult to bear because we are trying to carry burdens only He is equipped to carry.

God teaches us how to turn everything over to Him and leave it there. Then it is His burden to bear on our behalf. Many burdens really are too much for us, weighing us down and bringing weariness to our souls. We also carry burdens for others that God did not give us to carry. Taking His yoke of discipline, submitting to His desires, becomes easier as we walk with God along our path to maturity. God shows us when we are holding on to things rather than surrendering.

As our trust is growing, our heavenly Father teaches us about His rest. He brings us into more times of stopping, the Concordant Literal’s translation of rest from the original Greek. He teaches us how to to handle and accomplish everything in His rest. He is able to change us from within, where He dwells, so that we are in balance, not burdened with areas of our lives that remain out of control.

We are on a path of faith and training we continue on our spiritual walk in this world. Then it is true that our burdens are easy and light, walking day by day with Him as He carries us through our hard times. He fights our battles, whatever would try to take us over, when we surrender with whole hearts to Him.

God’s way of love is far beyond the do’s and don’ts of the law,. He patiently deals with us as we pursue this wonderful fruit of the spirit, rewarding overcomers with lives that show forth His way: all things in moderation.

A New Heart

“And I have given to you a new heart, and a new spirit I give in your midst, and I have turned aside the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I have given to you a heart of flesh. And My Spirit I give in your midst, And I have done this, so that in My statutes you walk, And My judgments you keep, and have done them.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 Concordant

Why does God promise His people a new heart by His spirit? It is crystal clear in this passage that it is for the purpose of being enabled to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments. Without this change, brought by Jesus Christ our Lord, Father God knows we cannot. God knows that we cannot walk in His will and His ways, doing more than just talking but actually doing them, without this promised change of heart.

Man’s heart, our carnal mind, will, and emotions, are flesh and therefore can never please God, as the apostle Paul so clearly states. The only way to grow up into the Christ is to have the Lord replace our hearts of stone with His own heart—God’s nature and being, while we learn to rest in His work within us. God is building His house, His dwelling place, His holy habitation, within His people.

We may think that by willing it we can change and there may be a little progress made by our own choices. But oh, what labor it is! How often God allows us to come right up against our own nature in areas in which we, most clearly, cannot change ourselves. Have you had fear that won’t allow peace, bitterness that does not resolve into forgiveness, unbearable burdens that you fail to turn over to God time after time?

But, praise God, He is our change agent! In Romans 7, Paul writes about this very path of human frustration and failure. We want to do God’s will, we desire to be like our Lord, but repeatedly, in some areas, we do the same old fleshly things. Paul eventually cries out:

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 7:24-25a

We can apply rules, plans, programs, laws and traditions to this old flesh, truly desiring to do God’s will, to be like Him, yet typically we do not see lasting change. Only as He does His work within us, changing our hearts into His heart of love, peace, and joy, do we shine forth with His life and presence as we live our lives on this earthly plane. God sees our hearts, knows all about our inner beings and loves us just the same.

We can lay down our earthly efforts to change ourselves—and others— and learn to rest in Him. He promised:

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 Berean

This scripture has become more and more precious to me as I learn how Father God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, works within us. I am coming to realize what I cannot do but He can! We are His tabernacle, wherein He writes His will and His ways upon our innermost being. He knows when our hearts are hardened, He is able to deal with our stubborn resistance, creating within us a heart of flesh.

That God is in control of the hearts of all humans is illustrated throughout the bible, where He hardens the hearts of enemies just as he soften the hearts of His own. Jesus talked about the divided heart, trying to serve God and earthly things such as money. He speaks to us when we say God is in charge of our lives yet live according to what we want, what our desires are. And the Lord is clear that this cannot stand:

“No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 Berean

The heart that God is working within us is pure, repenting of our own ways so that our hearts grow in the righteousness, peace, love, and joy of His kingdom. Is this not the way we bring the Kingdom of God to this earth? Jesus taught us to pray that His kingdom would come on earth as is it in heaven. He did not say to live on this earth by drawing from our own resources—-our flesh, our will, our desires—but to live in His kingdom right here on this earth as His nature, His will becoming ours.

We are to tend our own Garden, this life God has given us, by submission to His will and His ways. We learn to worship and praise Him in all things as we guard our hearts through the Holy Spririt. We desire most of all to have a pure heart within our vessel as the tabernacle of God, made ready for the Master’s use. We learn to care for and guard our heart above all that we treasure and protect, for out of it are the issues of life.

Hidden within our being is the garden that must be watched and tended so the holy seed planted there is nurtured, fed and watered by His word and His spirit. It is our inner life rather than all that is seen on the outside, that is critical. We cannot judge the condition within, by what is seen, as it appears many times as either better or worse than what God sees.

We must guard and protect the roots and hidden fibers of our beings, our thoughts, our impulses, our desires. Everyone who would be sons of God must put away everything that is not of God hidden and unseen, more zealously than the faults appearing on the outside, which may be seen by others. These stem from the heart, which only God sees with great clarity, always. We are not to become so busy in working for the Lord, so consumed in righting the errors of others, that we neglect our own hearts, wherein dwells the Christ.

God is more concerned with what we are becoming that what we are saying, doing, or preaching! How is the fruit of our own garden doing? Is our focus so relentlessly external upon the doing that our inner garden is neglected? God continually was redirects us to tend to our own gardens. This lesson requires life-long learning and is profoundly critical: the garden of our own heart that the Lord has directed me to guard and keep.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV

“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

We are to do this, above all else! There is nothing more important, no other priority that God has for us. We are to seek Him with such dedication and thorough passion that the Holy Spirit is recognized as the Guard of our inner being in God. If our heart is right before God, all else falls into place, pleasing the Lord.

Paul states this to the Colossians, powerfully rendered in the Amplified translation:

“So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.

Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].

Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind--permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3: 12-17 Amplified

We are directed to everything in His name, His nature of Love, Joy, Peace and Righteousness. We know that we are dependent upon Him completely for the ability to do this. In ourselves we cannot, but praise be His name, in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can do all things according to His will. The birth of this new heart is at salvation, upon meeting the Lord and surrendering to His presence within.

The way some teach the Word of God, one would think the most important step after salvation is works, but this is not so! The critical step, the vital, most essential thing to do as a new Christian is to learn of God’s nature and ways so that He can begin to write this on our new heart. The song that says, “They will know we are Christians by our Love” has it right! Here’s what God says about the heart:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV

The Lord searches every heart, examining what we allow to stay there, and therein lies our reward. Our words and deeds most assuredly flow from what is in our hearts. And—catch this—the most deceitful of anything, for which there is no [human] cure is our hearts! Satan, the enemy of our souls—our mind, will, and emotions—works on the earth realm within our hearts.

Here is an expanded translation of verse 9:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?” Jeremiah 17-9-10 AMPC

Our Maker knows we cannot know our own heart and mind unless He reveals it to us by the Holy Spirit. And even more, we cannot change what we do know that misses the mark He has set for us. He is the only Friend Who knows all about is and loves us the same. God knows the end from the beginning. He reasures us over and over that His love has no limit, His grace is not measured out, but fully granted unto us.

Think of it! Our sovereign God is able to change, to turn, the renew and regenerate the hardest, most wicked of hearts into a heart that loves and serves Him! What an amazing, mighty God we serve!This is God’s promised answer for Romans 7. In Him we have the victory over sin and death. In Him, we are given a heart that can be written upon with His righteousness. In Him we can grow up into the full stature of the Christ, so that He is seen in us.

What a marvel He is! What an amazing, mightly God we serve!

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 Berean

“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” Jeremiah 31:33 Berean

“For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” Hebrews 8::10 Berean

So now, we sincerely and passionately pray as David did:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10 Berean

He promised and Heis doing this very thing as we walk and yield to His will and ways. Then we are not self-controlled but God-controlled. All glory and honor to His name!

Darkness and Light

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 ESV

Our God is a God of contrasts: darkness and light, death and life, hate and love. Each is necessary to highlight the other. If all was light and good and life and love, what a different world that would be! There would be no distinction nor need for God. God desires that we learn the difference, to be wise in what is light and what is not.

Coming to the Lord is coming to the Light, and is much used in scripture to describe what believers experience. God set it up this way:

“I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 ESV

He forms or shapes light to illuminate as well as creates darkness and calamity. It is difficult to accept that God set it up this way, but He did. God separated the light from the darkness, sentencing satan to rule in the earth, in the dark realms of the earthly minds of humanity. He sent Jesus to overcome all darkness to bring us into the light of God.

The great Old Testament prophet Isaiah states these acts in a present, active way, showing that He still creates light, He still makes peace or well being—even in the midst of calamities that are part of this life. Where? Well, in the hearts of people! His work continues as He fills us with the light and love of His presence:

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Ephesians 5:11 ESV

Think about this. From the beginning, God separated the darkness from Himself. There are no dark places, no threatening surprises, nothing hidden that He cannot choose to reveal to us. He has secrets, as the prophets said, but they are not dark secrets. He is willing to reveal these secret things to those He loves as we search for Him, spirit to spirit. There is purity, visibility, clear vision, transparency in Him.

Father God is completely trustworthy, and Jesus Christ shows forth the light of the Father. Here’s another gem from the scriptures that speaks to this:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”  James 1:17 ESV

Night and day, shadow and light. That is variation but God never changes. Every good and perfect gift, all that we receive, all of creation, is given to us from the Father. He is the Father of all the light there is, most importantly now to be shining forth within us. We are to be like our Brother, Jesus, Who said that if the people of His day saw Him, they were seeing the Father.

Isn’t this now what we are to show forth in the world today, the nature of the Father? What higher, more critical and necessary goal for a Christian is there than to pray that others see the Father in us? We are to be the light in the world! God is love, this agape love that shines its light to dispel all darkness. That God is love is a foundational principle taught from childhood on through adulthood, but it can be so hard to fully believe and trust this essential Truth.

Love is pure light, the life of this world, and there is no darkness, no division in love. Love unites, it does not divide. The Lord has called us to be like Him and that means there is to be no darkness in us.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Matthew 4:16 ESV

Darkness in the scriptures is always in areas of the soul—our mind, will, and emotions that lead to sinful acts arising from the hearts of humans. Until Jesus came to call us out of this darkness that dwells within, we have no way of escape, no deliverance. When He comes to dwell within us, there is cleansing and renewal as He swallows up our darkness by His presence.

The more we look into the light of the Word, the face of Jesus Christ, and the love of the Father, the more His glorious light overtakes the dark shadows in our hearts that bring tears, pain and death. Some teach so much against the darkness that it is magnified in our eyes, using fear instead of faith to provoke change. These scriptures redirect us to God and His light.

We are focusing upon the Lord, gazing at Him, learning about Him, seeking to understand the light that is His nature. He expands within us, taking over more rulership of our character. He builds the inner spiritual man by writing His truth and love on our hearts. This is what causes the darkness to lesson, the mind to be renewed, the thoughts purified, along with a will that is surrendered to His will.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2 NIV.

We are to offer our bodies, our entire beings, to Him as the most holy and pleasing worship we can offer. This allows God to transform us by the renewing or renovation of our minds. A renovation is a makeover, and God’s makeover tools are all spiritual. We are gradually being taught His thoughts, His way of looking at things, His heart in any matter that pertains to us.

He is a jealous God Who is not satisfied with part of us, with lip service, with postponing radical change in who we are until a later time, including after we die. Rather than railing against the darkness and evil in this world—and it is most evident—what if we continuallly turn our focus to the light? What if we look for the light in others, even that glimmer of God placed in every being waiting for Him to illuminate them?

We can speak and pray light, life, love into others as we ourselves are enlightened to learn the difference, gaining discernment to see as He sees:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” 1 John 2:9 ESV

The process of God’s cleansing within us teaches us what is good and what is evil. Gross evil acts are obvious, but recall your early days walking with the Lord as He began to deal with your inner condition. Contrast those times to now and—if you have been growing in the Lord—you will recognize many things, a multitude of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, that seemed perfectly fine but now know by the spirit are no longer present. You are learning in your daily life that such things not God’s perfect will.

Even our desire to have these former aspects of life is gone. There are many things that are okay for others, even other believers, but the holy spirit has taught each of us what is not for those of us serving the Lord. But if you need voices to support you in focusing on the darkness, the world supplies plenty. There is always a chorus of earthly minded people willing to tell you that evil is good.

Because of their own earthly choices, many humans will reassure you that what you are harboring in your heart is not that bad, it is normal, it is human. And it is, but that does not make it godly! Our Lord brought a higher standard to His own and what He asks of us, He empowers us to be and to do. It is His standard of righteousness for each of us, not the opinions of others, that matters.

The darkness is misunderstood and misrepresented with so much of Christianity focusing on the darkness of behaviors, creating rules and laws to control these outward signs of what is really a sickness in our hearts. We cannot help it, we were subject to it, but not without hope:

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.…” Romans 8:19-21 Berean

We did not ask to go this way, we were subject to this futility, this frustration of never being good enough or able to defeat the enemy in our own flesh, by our own efforts.

The message, the key theme God gave me for these writings is that it is about the heart. This burns in my being as a message for now, but God has always focused upon the heart of a man, which is deceptively wicked and hard to understand. God discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart!What an amazing God that He knows all about us and loves us just the same!

This is true freedom that the heart of every man and woman longs for! There is hope in His plan for the ages to set all creation free, bringing the Lord’s victory over death and hell, drying all tears, His resurrection made available to every being as God continually works to create in us a new heart, as He promised. But it will not suffice to name His name while still living in darkness, tolerating, excusing, and even deceiving ourselves that fleshly, normal human behavior can meet His standard of righteousness.

The Lord’s gracious work within us is to clean us up so we shine forth as lights in this darkened world. How can we shine forth if we do not show a contrast to other humans who do not know or follow our Lord? We are to be known and recognized by our love. Our contrast comes from His love and there is absolutely nothing like it. God’s love loves the unlovable despite knowing every single thing in every person’s heart. We are to be known by God’s love as John, the great apostle declared:

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 1 John 2:8-11 ESV

It is about the heart! It has always been about the heart with God. The list is too long of the darkness that dwells in the hearts of humanity, but are summarized by the works of the flesh:

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these,

of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

Paul does not say that God does not love us as He continues to shine His light within. He does not say we cannot be saved with these things in us. He knows that these things in human beings are exactly why we need salvation, which He freely gives to all who ask. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life are the root of all darkness. Satan used all of it in the garden and continues to use these aspects of human nature until he has grown from that snake into the great dragon of the book of Revelation that rules the world.

Satan rules through the hearts of men and women whose carnal minds remain deceived about good and evil, who even name His name while their thoughts and emotions are far from Him. How many of us Christians justify and excuse being angry, causing division and dissention when our beliefs differ, along with the immoralities associated with our bodies? Paul puts them all together, not separating the sins of the flesh from the sins of the heart, their source in us..

What John emphatically does say is that we cannot inherit the kingdom of God with darkness still remaining. This inheriting of the kingdom is not about sitting with Jesus and Father God in some far off heavenly throne. Oh, no, it is a much more specific reality to us now. An inheritance is something received upon the death of another.  As we qualify to be His heirs, we are dying to self and granted rulership over that which belongs to Him. An heir is allowed to be in charge of the Father’s business.  Do you think He will give this to us when we still have darkness in our hearts?

Jesus died once for all, so that we could inherit the kingdom He brought. It is this kingdom He now builds within us, as Jesus said, a kingdom of peace, love and joy. These are the qualities of His nature that we are to inherit. It is available now but we must allow God to overtake our bodies, our beings, to cause His light to shine and overcome all darkness. We cannot dwell in peace, love and joy within and flowing out, as long as any areas of darkness remain. They are robbers and thieves in our hearts, where satan attempts to retain his rule.

This is a massive project but our Lord is more than capable of doing it within us. He never gives up and He never leaves us throughout it all. In every area where His light has shown such that the darkness within is swallowed up, in that area we are ruling and reigning with Him. There are some things that are done, finished in us, no longer a thought, a desire, even a temptation!

We are changed to inherit His kingdom, ruling with the mind of Christ. He has conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil already. He empowers us to walk in the way He has created for us, right back into Father God! He is capable of ruling over our entire bodies as we yield to Him, destroying those dark things in our hearts that keep us from the Kingdom of His marvelous light and presence.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

We are taught how to expose the unfruitful works of darkness, first allowing the spirit to do so within us, then speaking truth in love, as God leads, to others. And the very best sermon is the way we conduct our lives! We can learn to change our focus, to have that single eye the scriptures talk about, gazing at Him and all His wonders. It surely is not edifying to speak much about how awful this world and its people are.

It is also not correcting others for their twig of bad behavior when we have that log in our own eyes. It is not always ministering with righteous indignation against those who practice sin instead of dealing with the source of all sin, our hearts, encouraging believers to be cleansed, purified, and ready for the Master’s work. Do we want to have the light grow within us until it overshadows, swallows up the darkness within, showing forth the glorious light of the Lord to others?

The Lord is the only pure, good, peaceable, loving being that never changes and is always light! Oh, yes, He is in the darkness with us and only He can show the way of escape. We become His beloved children of the day, showing forth the light.

“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” 1 Peter 2:9 ESV 

Peter wants us to remember who we are, Whose we are! We have been born into His kingdom of light and that is how the darkness is exposed. We belong to Him and we are His workmanship. This is not some mysterious secret that cannot be understood. It is as simple as what is in our hearts toward one another. Jesus brought this new kingdom of light into the darkness of this world.

Jesus established a new commandment of love, in which there is no division.

“At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” Romans 1:21 ESV

Jesus always knew what was in the hearts of others. He exposed the hearts of the religious leaders of the time. He revealed to His disciples that He knew when they were questioning, wondering about, and even would do at His betrayal. He knew, yet He still loved. What else swallows up the darkness, what is pure light but love, that love that God is, that love that only He can work within our hearts so we have no hatred, no animosity, no judgment against another.

Darkness deceives and unforgiveness is a most powerful darkness. Vengeful bitterness and hatred seems justified when another severely wrongs us, whether someone we love or not, but it is a destroyer of individuals and families. Unforgiveness is a most powerful adversary within that is capable of wrecking havoc with our physical and mental health. It is extremely costly and yet many justify it, using the carnal reasoning of our own hearts.

But unforgiveness and condemnation for sin is not God’s way. He is love.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” John 4:7-12 ESV

John states several very important facts here. The love of God is love that is extended to others before they love us, before they have done anything to deserve love, before they are lovable and full of light. God loves the unlovable as His love continues to be extended to the word while we are yet in sin. As parents, when our children have disobeyed, done foolish things, made poor choices, that is when they most need to know they are still loved.

This is true for all of us, so that when we, as children of God, stumble in our spiritual walk, do the same old things that are not pleasing our Father, we learn to run to Him, not avoid Him! He still loves us, He will still help us, He never never gives up on us. This truth is all through His book!

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 IV

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:2 NIV

“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 NIV

Now we are in His kingdom of light because He so loved us, He sent his only Son to take care of the darkness in us all. This is the reason we are to love one another, because He first loved us. And He keeps loving us! His love is perfected in us. No person can really promise they will never leave you. People walk away, leave, die, change. They do forsake us, willingly or not. But God never does. And we are to be like Him in this most precious quality of the love of God.

If you have thought as a Christian that you can love anyone, just wait. Wait until He brings more people into your life who are more difficult to love. He is the Master Teacher and well able to bring unlovable people into our lives to teach us more about His kind of love. We all know that He allows us to live with unlovable parts of those we love, to whom we have made commitments to love. In this He teaches us His kind of love and forgiveness.

His love makes no demands, never saying that He won’t love us until we change. He may withdraw the sense of His presence for a time, but never His love. He did not demand one thing from any of us before loving us—before loving the world. He gave His love freely, without merit or favor, and we are learning to do the same. It is the most challenging process, much more so that doing good works for God! His purpose is to continually refine that love, the outshining of His light within, to such an extent that no darkness remains.

The world gives us endless experiences of darkness coming at us, flooding us, this evil seed trying to take root and grow an evil crop within, but this is not our homeland. This earthly life is just a training ground for us, as it was for Jesus. He overcame all and tells us that we can too. This is the path we are on, where light exposes and continually swallows up darkness. These are not just fanciful or spiritual sounding words. This is His processing, His fiery present within us.

Have you not felt that illumination from His word when the spirit of life vividly highlights what we need to discern? When He reveals any darkness within us, we learn to submit it to Him before it is planted and begins to grow. We are learning to speak words of light to others so their light grows and can have its way within their hearts. His words, His ways, are all light, always working a change from darkness to light so we are truly known as the children of the light.

He becomes who we are, not just what we talk about! God sees the heart. He always has. He knows exactly what each of us have within and makes a way of escape as we run to the Light. His love has no limit, it is not measurable, it is infinite. Think of how much of His nature of love there remains to learn about! How vast it is, how all inclusive, how marvelous! He is a continual feast within us, bringing us all the good things of His kingdom of peace, love, and joy.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 ESV

Our God is a God of contrasts: darkness and light, death and life, hate and love. Each is necessary to highlight the other. If all was light and good and life and love, what a different world that would be, with no distinction nor need for God. God desires that we learn the difference, to be wise in what is light and what is not. Coming to the Lord is coming to the Light, and is much used in scripture to describe what believers experience.

He forms or shapes light to illuminate as well as creates or makes darkness and calamity. It is difficult to accept that God set it up this way, but He did. God separated the light from the darkness, sentencing satan to rule in the earth, in the dark realms of the earthly minds of humanity. He sent Jesus to overcome all darkness to bring us into the light of God. Isaiah states these acts in a present, active way, showing that He still creates light, He still makes peace or well being—even in the midst of calamities that are part of this world.

There are no dark places, no threatening surprises, nothing hidden that He cannot choose to reveal to us. He has secrets, as the prophets said, but they are not dark secrets. He is willing to reveal these secret things to those He loves as we search for Him, spirit to spirit. There is purity, visibility, clear vision, transparency in Him. Father God is completely trustworthy, and Jesus Christ shows forth the light of the Father.

Light always dispels darkness. Here, in closing, are two powerful scriptures that speak to this:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17 ESV

“You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalms 18: 28 NIV

Adversity and Evil

The question of why evil is in the world is an age-old one that mankind has always struggled to understand. It is so difficult to see others, especially those we love, struggling with adversity, often more difficult for many than when having such times ourselves. It is easy to lose focus on how God works out character and maturity in them, as well as us, when someone we love is going through hard times. It is painful to see others we love suffering and afflicted with the many challenges of human existence, but Jesus said:

“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you will have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NASB

While we deal with the adversity in this life we are given, particularly through evil allowed to grow in the hearts of men and women, Jesus Christ our Lord reassures us that He has overcome the world in us. He is with us to give us peace and courage through all Father God allows to come our way. We accept His way of using redemptive justice, His corrective discipline, as an agent of change in our walk with Him.

Adversity brings growth when you are spiritually educated by it. The bigger challenge, for unbelievers and believers alike, is recognizing that, since God created everything, He created our adversary, satan, as well. The God of the universe has never lost control of any of His creation. Consider the scriptures, below, that clearly—and perhaps shockingly—state that God created evil:

“Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of good and Creator of evil, I, Yahweh, make all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 Concordant Literal

“The One forming light and creating darkness, causing peace and creating disaster; I am the Lord who does all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 Amplified

God, in creating the earth, separated the light from the darkness The word ra is translated evil from Hebrew, meaning “adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, misery.” It is variously translated as disaster (NIV, HCSB, Amp), calamity (NKJV, NAS, ESV), and woe (NRSV). Many Christians, including Christian ministries, settle this question of evil by denying the truth of this scripture. Evil is considered a separate force from God and His goodness.

There is no darkness in God, so how could He create evil? Yet it is clear that God created all things:

“Yahweh has made everything for its outcome, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Proverbs 16:4 Concordant

When we view the outcome of evil from our human understanding, there is no easy way to comprehend a good God creating it. How is it possible that wickedness has an outcome, a purpose in God? Is it all due to man having his own will, because God has allowed human nature to do whatever? Yes, man has a choice, but God has been prepared for that since that time in the Garden when Eve chose self over God and Adam followed her. Our almighty, omnipotent God was not caught unprepared for that to happen!

We know that our God is a God of contrasts: light with darkness, life with death, good with evil. Through these contrasts, we see the true nature of our Lord. His ways are above our ways and His thoughts higher than ours, but it is much easier to bring God down to our human reasoning, to deny or explain away these scriptures that clearly state our God created all things, including our adversary, satan, for His purposes.

Jesus said that satan was not a fallen angel, as is often taught, but was a liar, a murderer and the father of all lies from the beginning. He stated this to the scribes and Pharisees who were opposing Him and John confirms it:

“‘You are doing the works of your father.’ ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they declared. ‘Our only Father is God Himself.’

Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 Berean

“The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 Amplified

Satan appears in the heavens but was never an angel who fell, bringing other angels down to earth with him. He is the serpent in the Garden, condemned to operate in the earthly realm of human life. Peter warns against satan’s rule over the earthly, fleshly lives of humans:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Given this, the question we must settle in our hearts is this: “Is God who He says He is?” Does He remain a God of love and mercy while creating everything and ruling over all of His creation? He is omnipotent, all-powerful, and therefore has rule over satan. Back in the Garden, He limited satan’s authority to the earthly realm of our flesh.

By the book of Revelation, satan has grown from a small snake to a devouring dragon, defeated in the heavens, but still able to operate in our earth along with his evil spirits—angels or messengers of evil. This war is occurring at the end of the ages when satan and his angels (messengers) can no longer cause the accusing of the brethren in the body of Christ.

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them!

But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:7-12 ESV

Our adversary the devil is the ruling spirit influencing the minds of men through deception and lies. And the worst that satan does is to deceive us into accusing our brethren in the Lord. If you want to see satan’s nature revealed, see the ways he tempted Jesus in the desert. If the father of lies is allowed to come to test God’s most precious Son, why is it so hard to accept that God will use him to test us too?

Jesus Chris was led by the Holy Spirit to be tested in His mind, in the sinful thoughts that came to Him to do something in and for self rather than full obedience to God His Father. He overcame, showing it is possible, making a way for us to overcome.

“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

The devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ But Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’

Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

‘I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,’ he said. ‘For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.’

But Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

‘If You are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully; and they will lift You up in their hands so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’

But Jesus answered, ‘It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:1-13 Berean

Three times the devil presented ideas to our Lord’s mind that were selfish, soulish, and sinful. He was hungry, vulnerable to using His spiritual authority for self by creating food to satisfy the lust of the flesh. When that did not work, satan went on to tempt Jesus with the lust of the eyes, to grant authority over the kingdoms of the world. He states that all Jesus could see would be his if He worshipped him.

The third temptation is the pride of life in assuming Jesus could do whatever He chose and Father God would send angels to save Him. Satan appealed to Jesus with the temptation to put God to the test, to prove God’s faithfulness according to the pride of life—who Jesus was as the Son of God.

The earthly realm is satan’s domain and he has been granted authority by God to rule and reign over the earth. Oh, yes, satan does have power and influence, stature and authority over humanity as we dwell in our earthly natures. Jesus refused it all, quoting Father God’s word which He knew well. He overcame the world, the flesh and the devil, making it possible for those who love and serve Him to also overcome.

How many of the Lord’s people are seeking for and settling for what earthly, perishable gain there is while forsaking a higher spiritual calling? There are those who know key spiritual truths but won’t preach them because they would lose their followers, their position, and their income. Think what a show would have made of Jesus’ ministry if any carnal thoughts had been allowed to dominate the heart of our Savior.

Jesus used the truth of the word to rebuke His adversary when faced with temptation. Are these not familiar thoughts that are conceived in the heart of every man and woman who sins? God does not tempt us. Instead, it is in our own hearts, in the fleshly, selfish realm of the soul—our mind, will, and emotions— all that is not under the rulership of the holy spirit, that is tempted:

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” James 1:13-16 NKJV

Satan was tempting our Lord by appealing to His own human desires, just as He continues to do with all of us. This passage ends with satan leaving Jesus until an opportune time. Satan had many opportune times from then until the cross. Did not Father God allow satan to work in the hearts of the Jewish leadership of the time? Did he not deceive the very disciples who had followed Jesus, one betraying Him and all, in fear and confusion, abandoning Him?

Satan thought he had won as Jesus hung on the cross, but the victory was the Lord’s. When He rose from the dead, it clear Who was in charge of this time of trial and temptation. Jesus always did what the Father showed Him to do. Jesus was led by the holy spirit into this experience and it did not end there, it had just started.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah expresses the same questions we have about evil flourishing in the world, expressed in the common language of The Message:

“You are right, O God, and you set things right. I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions:

Why do bad people have it so good? Why do con artists make it big? You planted them and they put down roots. They flourished and produced fruit. They talk as if they’re old friends with you, but they couldn’t care less about you.

Meanwhile, you know me inside and out. You don’t let me get by with a thing! Make them pay for the way they live, pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.

How long do we have to put up with this—the country depressed, the farms in ruin—and all because of wickedness, these wicked lives? Even animals and birds are dying off because they’ll have nothing to do with God and think God has nothing to do with them.” Jeremiah 12:1-4 The Message

Jeremiah talks it over with God by first establishing his belief and trust in God’s righteous nature. But therein is the dilemma! He knows that God is righteous, so how come the wicked prosper? Haven’t most of us considered these questions, with some of us asking God about it? The literal translation states that Jeremiah contends with the Lord, from the Hebrew word riyb, additionally meaning “to toss,: grapple, wrangle, hold a controversy, chide, complain, debate, plead, strive.” It is a strong word that is used here for Jeremiah’s discussion with God.

As Jeremiah did then, so should our first action be now. We ask God about it, presenting our dilemma and lack of understanding to the Almighty. We state our case as He already knows it anyway and Who will be more wise in answering this controversy of the heart? Jeremiah really wants to know and God does not turn away those who sincerely inquire about His ways.

Jeremiah also clearly acknowledges God’s rulership and authority over all when he states that God has planted the wicked and allowed them to grow and prosper. But the question remains: “Why?” Jeremiah knows the hearts of those doing evil are far from the Lord while God knows Jeremiah’s heart, his innermost being, and, further, God has tested it.

Jeremiah, the great prophet of the time, asks God to deal with the wicked, particularly as they deny God in their hearts, thinking He knows nothing about what they do. Jeremiah points out that the wicked are destroying God’s creation, the animals and the birds. Avarice—the extreme greed for wealth and material gain—rules within them, directing their actions. Isn’t this our present 21st-century condition as well, as we choose ways of living in this world that gravely harm the earth’s atmosphere and the habitats of other living creatures?

When given a choice, human flesh decides to serve itself at the expense of others, including this earth where we all, as well as future generations, must live. It’s challenging to imagine that we humans will ever get our act together to save the environment so essential to all creatures, including us. But God Himself promised He would not destroy the earth.

“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ‘I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth.

I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.’

And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.

Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

So God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.’" Genesis 9:8-17 NIV

Never again. God has promised to sustain and restore all of creation, including mankind. He is the ultimate ruler of our natural earth, now our temporary homeland. He will take care of it all as we and all else are His creation. It all belongs to Him. Do you think God Almighty will return to dwell in His people without regard for all creation who cries out to Him, as Jeremiah stated?

Consider this passage in Romans:

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:19-23 NIV

The creation did not choose to be subjected to death, and is awaiting and longing, even groaning for the redemption and restoration of all things as God has promised. God set it up this way and He is the only One who can fix it. This reveals a different understanding of God’s ways when undeserved evil comes into our lives though we are righteous. This is also why many Christians avoid the account of Job, the most ancient book in the bible, about a righteous man who suffered because God allowed him to be tested by satan.

There are lessons to be learned about adversity and evil in the account of Job. Here was a righteous, blameless man in God’s eyes, and he lost everything. God allowed satan to take all of his prosperity, his family, his health, everything but his life. It was a test of Job’s faithfulness to God, not just in the wonderful, abundant times of blessings but when deep hardship and loss is allowed to happen.

If God allows this as a trial for a blameless man, what can the rest of us anticipate? It is most uncomfortable to consider what God Himself consented to happen to His faithful servant:

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.…

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.’

Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’

‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. ‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’

The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:1; 6-12 NIV

Job was like no one else on the earth, blameless and upright before God, fearing — reverencing— God and turning away from evil. Satan comes among the sons of God, just like he always has. He is not a son, but a servant of God. His domain is the earth realm, the fleshly realm of humankind, as he was sentenced to do in the Garden of Eden. That’s why he reports roaming around as the ruler of this earthly domain.

God allows satan to test Job, just as God allowed satan to test Jesus, His only begotten son. While Jesus had nothing, Job had much prosperity in family and possessions. Job’s so-called friends try to comfort him, insisting he must have done something to cause his distress. This is the same human reasoning we hear from others who assume that when bad things happen, we must have done something to deserve it.

Job knows better and remains confident he did not deserve the multitude of afflictions that came upon him. Job deals with God, not satan, about this. He does not rail at the devil because Job knows with Whom he has to deal:

“Is my complaint directed to a human being? Why should I not be impatient? Look at me and be appalled; clap your hand over your mouth. When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body.

Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful? They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren. Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them. Their bulls never fail to breed. Their cows bear calves and never miscarry. They let their children frisk about like lambs. Their little ones skip and dance. They sing with tambourine and harp. They celebrate to the sound of the flute.

They spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace. And yet they say to God, ‘Go away. We want no part of you and your ways. Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us to pray?’ (They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger? See, their well-being is not in their own hands. The wisdom of the sinful is far from me.” Job 21:7-17 NLV

Job is contending with God, just as Jeremiah did. He is asking the Lord why he is experiencing all this suffering and affliction, when those who are not righteous, but wicked, are doing well. He acknowledges that he does not understand the sinful nor why they prosper as he seeks to comprehend all the adversity from God that he does not deserve. The answers his friends provide sound familiar because they are from human reasoning, thus are neither enlightening nor comforting to him.

When God arrives to speak to them all, He first chastises Job for thinking he can understand the Almighty God of the universe, Who created all things and established the known world in all its glory and splendor. Job then repents in sackcloth and ashes, admitting that God is God and he is not; that he has spoken of things too high for him to understand. God then defends Job as an honorable and upright man to his friends, chastising them for their errors in addressing Job’s afflictions.

So, consider how often we, as modern-day Christians, are Job’s comforters, providing neither comfort nor wisdom to those struggling with what God allows for His own, precious people who serve Him. These are often casual explanations from the mind of man, blaming them for their own undeserved sufferings! That is no comfort in these dark times of the soul.

Sometimes the only thing we can tell another who has suffered unspeakable things is that we do not know why but we are confident that it is not because God does not love them. God does answer, though we may not understand or even agree with the answers He tells us. One response from the Lord in comprehending the horrors of this world:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 Berean

Most of us have not gone through atrocities, only hearing about it rather than living through it. Many others have and do live through horrors the rest of us cannot imagine, including those who serve by callings that involve danger and disaster on a daily basis. As Job teaches, God’s saints are not spared. Instead, it is a part of God’s plan to make us like Him, bringing future glory to God.

The verse right before that statement in Romans states:

“And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:17 NIV

God commands us not to take another’s life, a truth even in serving one’s country in war and in keeping the peace and safety of the nation. It is breaking God’s laws, no matter how justified and necessary, resulting in moral wounds within the soldiers who witnessed and committed unimaginable acts demanded by war. It takes God to settle this in the hearts of those who have been called to do so in order to keep the rest of us safe.

Such things are far beyond my understanding, but I have seen the struggles of damaged souls who had to kill in order to stay alive as well as to protect the rest of us. This is just the beginning of answers. Each person has to resolve the issue of adversity and evil as a believer as they walk with the Lord in their experiences. We look to the Psalmist, who states:

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, ‘How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?’ This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed Your children.

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.” Psalms 73:1-20 NIV

These troubling thoughts were dealt with by entering God’s sanctuary, His dwelling place. The author of this Psalms struggles with the same issues, deeply troubled in his soul, until he enters God’s presence. He is stating a familiar lament: “Why bother doing right or pleasing God? What’s the point when the wicked are doing better that I am as Your servant?” Then God gives him understanding, that the end, the destiny of the wicked, is different from their beginning.

The appearance of prosperity and ease is swept away by God’s hands, either on this earth or as they face judgment when their rank is called upon to face the Almighty. We are stuck in time, but God has an eternal plan that will bring all to a conclusion in a way that glorifies Him. The great prophet, Jeremiah, the righteous servant Job, and the writer of Psalms 73 all had the same issue: dealing with the outward prosperity of those who do evil while the righteous suffer and are afflicted day and night.

What did they do? They talked it over with God, not accepting the reasoning of their minds, their fleshly view of the external rather than the heart. Each knew it was God’s business whom He chose to prosper. None would choose the way of the godless sinner over the path of affliction and sorrow with God. Many testify that painful adverse experiences have made them stronger, equipping believers specifically for the work of their calling.

These experiences include excruciating loss and devastation surrendered to God for His will to work in us. Which lives testify more of our Lord: the one who is blessed and always prospers in serving Him or the one who continues to serve Him despite trouble and affliction on every side? Not all God’s people are called, chosen, and faithful, going all the way with the Lord, but many surrender to suffering as our Lord was required to do.

Jesus Christ strengthens us through every adversity as we seek to live in the realm of the spirit rather than remaining earth dwellers. We are enabled to yield to God, see the eventual good the Lord creates, trust Him through it all. And as the song says, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. When we are called to be a son of God, He is in charge. We did not volunteer, just as the Apostle Paul did not volunteer but was apprehended. It is a call to endure discipline through trials and testings, times of adversity that are hard to endure. God states very clearly:

“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you’.

For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.

Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” Hebrews 12:5-7 Berean

We desire to follow the Lord, to be like Him. Adversity and suffering are on this earth, including our earth. It is a critical part of our growth. We may wish it weren’t so as this life brings so many things very, very hard to bear, let alone understand. And such adversity from the evil in this world, in the hearts of humans, does not appear to be equally distributed, but He promises comfort, healing, peace so that we will be like Him.

We are empowered to glorify God the Father in spite of, as well as because of, what He allows in our lives.

Eagle Saints

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.” Isaiah 40:31 Amplified

We all grow weary in this path of life, needing to wait upon and put our expectation on the Lord to renew our strength to continue walking His way. We need Him to lift us up into the spirit, to cause us to gain power to overcome all of life’s obstacles. We look to the God of all salvation to send us the wind of His spirit to cause our wings to be lifted upward. Then we are enabled to run without weariness, walk without growing tired, glide through the heavens on the wings of His spirit as He renews our strength.

This is what eagles are enabled to do. Eagles often fly directly into a storm, using the currents of the storm to lift them higher, flying with even more ease above the storm. God uses eagles as an example of how He causes us to rise up above our earthly troubles to soar in Him. Eagles catch the air currents, just as eagle saints catch the flowing of the Holy Spirit. God refers to eagles many times in the scriptures as a way to show us how He lifts us up into the heavens of His spirit, even facing life’s many storms, enabling us to soar high above earth’s troubles and adversity.

Eagles use their speed to rise up until they soar without using their wings without effort, but by catching the thermal winds to fly long distances with little effort. Saints rise up to catch the wind of the spirit to find the higher, deeper, more holy ways of the Lord, not with self effort. ofEagles are admired as symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence, just as the Lord’s people should be. As we are free in Him, we so long for everyone else to have that same freedom.

Oh, it is not just freedom from external sin. To be free in the Lord is to be free from self, from our earthly minds, earthly concerns, earthly ways. Eagles can teach us much as we watch them effortlessly fly through our skies. Rather than flap their wings, eagles soar by relying on rising air currents, saving considerable energy. What a beautiful parallel to what the spirit of the Lord enables His saints to do!

This is soaring far above our earthly troubles, without effort or labor on our part. The spirit lifts us as we worship, praise, and adore our Lord. We learn to rest in Him as His spirit lifts us up into the heavenlies. Years ago, God gave me a song about this, and these words still instruct:

There’s a place in the Lord that brings His rest

There’s a place in the Lord that brings holy communion

There’s a place in the Lord that brings righteousness

There’s a place in the Lord that’s His rest.

No struggle, no strain, no labor in vain

No worry, no blame in His rest.

Fear is cast out, along with it doubt

Torment is out in His rest.

There’s a place in the Lord that brings His rest

There’s a place in the Lord that brings holy communion

There’s a place in the Lord that brings righteousness

There’s a place in the Lord: that’s His rest.

B. Mikelson 1999

This song parallels a picture of God’s rest that an illustrator created, with a person relaxing on a leaf while the wind blows it gently wheresoever it will. This rest is being with the Lord, the love of our life, perfectly relaxed and at peace. It is His place of rest while we are serving Him. We seek for it as we seek Him, our wonderful amazing God of the universe who actually loves us and wants to be in communion with us.

Our eagle eyes are the sharpest in the kingdom as they remain fixed on Him. He reveals His ways, so our vision becomes increasingly acute on the things of the Lord while our earthly focus fades in importance. If we want to soar in the heavens by the spirit, far above all the challenges and difficulties of this world, our eyes are to remain fixed upon the Lord. There are many scriptures encouraging us to do just that and here is a favorite:

“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.” Psalms 34:3-5 KJV

The word magnify is a powerful illustration of what happens when we focus upon, seek, and look to the Lord. It comes from the Hebrew word gadal, meaning “to make large in body, mind, estate, or honor; increase, magnify, nourish, promote.” When we look through a magnifying glass, what we see is revealed in more detail and seems closer. Our magnifying glass is the holy spirit within, empowering our inner man to ever draw our being to the spiritual things of God and His kingdom.

This literally changes our countenance, lightening it or causing it to beam, as the Concordant Literal translates it. What we focus on grows, thus it matters a great deal what we allow our eyes to gaze upon. As God is our meat and drink, His essence is absorbed into our being, as surely as the food and drink we have in the natural is absorbed into our bodies. The apostle Paul told us what we are to think upon, to remain mindful about, to be focused upon in our lives:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 KJV

What is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report—all the time and in all ways— but our Lord? Such are His qualities, the nature of His kingdom living within. The kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy is ever increasing as He nurtures and feeds the seed of His word into the crop producing the fruit of His nature. There is a way to live in this world and not be of it. It is God’s way and He makes the path straight before us. We can mark or ponder this path before us, keeping our eyes upon it as we learn to forget the past:

“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.

Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV

As we learn to keep our spiritual eyes,our hearts, our focus on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, we learn to keep this focus as we look upon others. What if we all focused on the good things, those glimpses of God’s nature in others, commenting upon, magnifying, keeping our gaze on what is worthy of a good report? Consider a child who is continually told good things about themselves, things that are true, qualities that can be nurtured for growth in this life.

When we focus on a child’s strengths, they grow in confidence and shine as they grow. This is the Lord’s way but contrast this to the child who is constantly told what is wrong with them. Some children are reminded frequently of their failings and mistakes, even by well meaning caregivers and others responsible for nurturing a child’s growth in this life. That child shrinks into defeat and despair, with discouragement growing into resentment and rebellion.

It’s a very sad way to nurture young lives and yet many of us do it, even being well meaning in our focus on what’s wrong rather than what is strong in another. There’s another proverb that speaks directly to this:

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 KJV

What you focus on will be what’s attracted to you. When we become defeated and discouraged in this life of adversity, how we need someone to speak a good word to us, an encouraging word, a word that builds up our faith and hope. God’s word is just that and the power of His love is stronger than anything! Oh that we could remember and live this way with those we love, let alone all others God tells us to pray for and extend our hearts of concern to in the world.

It’s harder for some Christians to do this than others, depending on how they were taught and the nature God gave them in their mother’s womb. Some people are just naturally more critical and negative, even believing this is the way to help others become better people. Many a preacher is doing this when they focus upon sin, rail against the evil ways of this world, and predict doom and destruction to those who do not listen. More than one Christian reports more about what the enemy is doing in their lives than what the Lord is accomplishing within them, particularly through times of adversity.

Are we the Lord’s or not? Is He in charge or does the enemy have more power than He does? Did He or did He not defeat the enemy on the cross, rising again and bringing Himself into our hearts so that we may live in His sight? Yes, we do have an enemy. Yes, there is evil in this world. Yes, others, including those we love and with whom we live intimately, have faults, make mistakes, do things wrong, sinning, missing the mark. We are not blind to these things, but that should not be our focus.

Is this what you want to attract to your life? Are these the seeds you want to plant and nurture in others, especially those you love, including our precious children God has given us to raise? We cannot help but plant these seeds as they are in us, just as the world is in us. But God is more than able to change our fleshly nature into His nature as we keep our eyes fixed upon Him. That is the way to soar in the heavenlies with the Lord like eagle saints. Then we plant the pure Word, a positive, life-enhancing word, even the word of correction He brings.

What we focus upon, gaze lingeringly upon, grows. Absolutely, irrevocably, inevitably. What is in our hearts comes out of us, whether good or bad. This is how we learn and grow as well as how others learn of our nature and character. As eagle saints in God’s school, He continually refines our vision from earthly to heavenly things. He is always saying to look up, come up hither. His word and His ways are seeds that always brings forth a crop, maturing into His nature of love, peace and joy.

Thank God our wonderful amazing brains are able to learn new things all of our lives! The chorus of the hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, says what we are to do as saints of the living God.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace.”

Helen Howarth Lemmel, 1918

Did you know that this hymn is also called “The Heavenly Vision”? Written in 1918, it was inspired by a tract entitled Focused composed by the missionary Isabella Lilias Trotter. Please take time to read the entire pamphlet as I just did! The holy spirit led me to this at the end of this post, and, truly she said it all much better than I have!

Here’s several sections of her pamphlet that continue to speak to us more than a century later:

“…Gathered up, focussed lives, intent on one aim – Christ – these are the lives on which God can concentrate blessedness. It is ‘all for all’ by a law as unvarying as any law that governs the material universe…What does this focussing mean? Study the matter and you will see that it means two things – gathering in all that can be gathered, and letting the rest drop.

The working of any lens – microscope, telescope, camera – will show you this. The lens of your own eye, in the room where you are sitting, [sees] as clearly as any other. Look at the window bars, and the beyond is only a shadow; look through at the distance, and it is the bars that turn into ghosts. You have to choose which you will fix your gaze upon and let the other go….

Turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him, and the Divine ‘attrait’ by which God’s saints are made, even in this 20th century, will lay hold of you.

For ‘He is worthy’ to have all there is to be had in the heart that He has died to win.” Focussed, A Story and a Song, reprinted 2018.

Thank you, Lilias Trotter for these wonderful words that echo through time into our hearts.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 KJV

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule is one of the first verses of scripture that most of us learn. Just as I was taught this truth, I taught my son that we should treat others as we want them to treat us. He was about 8 years old when some kids at school were treating him unkindly. We talked about it and I told him about the Golden Rule, treating others like you want them to treat you. And he said, “But, Mom, that doesn’t work!”

Of course I followed up with my understanding that the reward comes from pleasing Jesus rather than other people necessarily changing. I have believed the truth of this verse and tried to live by it for years and years. Yet recently, for the first time, I think I finally get it! Oh I believed what I was saying and realize that it is a valuable principle to live by. Regardless, God has shown me that I have consistently, in my secret heart, treated others like I wanted them to treat me because I wanted them to treat me the same way.

I have also talked it over with God as well as spent time shoveling out sadness and resentment from my heart about why they do not. Yet there that desire lurked, creating continual disappointment and sadness, like a little fox that spoils the vine.

“Get hold of the foxes for us, The small foxes that harm the vineyards, For our vineyards have vine blossoms." Song of Songs, 2:15 Concordant

These little foxes are not to be ignored or dismissed, but dealt with so the growth of the Lord’s vine within us can blossom and eventually bear fruit. These are revealed as the Lord digs deeper into the thoughts and intents of our hearts. We are humbled many times, learning to be grateful as we yield to further refining. As we mature enough in our hearts to love as God loves, we become enabled to treat others like we want them to treat us without any personal expectation of reward.

That’s what I want in my heart. That was what I was teaching my son. Believing this had to mature until it was true within my very being, fully a fruit of the spirit. I could not do it but He can. He delivers me—and others—from doing what is right in hopes that humans will reciprocate. We are to do what is right because it is what God wants and want to please Jesus more than anything. This is foundational to Christian living.

Jesus said that we are not to do right only so we get a reward. When we treat others well because they treat us well, we are doing no more than unbelievers. But Oh, His standard is higher than that. When we are wronged or mistreated, when no one will see or know, when He shines forth in the darkness, we are to surrender to Him to do right though He alone knows we have done righteously. We willingly—and eventually, joyfully—share the sufferings of Christ, suffering unjustly, being unfairly treated, accused and condemned for who we are and what we do, without any fault or guilt on our part.

These sufferings we endure for the nature of Christ, Who made the way for us:

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” Romans 8:17-18 NLT

Has our Lord every demanded we do certain things so that He will love us? Does He withdraw that love when we do not treat Him like He treats us? Does God contemplate how to punish us and get back at us for letting Him down over and over, day after day, year after year, century after century? There’s a song that has this line: “Perfect love makes no demands.” There is no self demand, even self-expectation, in love like God loves.

God is complete in Himself, needing nothing from us. But it sure is wonderful and awesome when we are made to know we have pleased Him! We miss the mark, we even sometimes absolutely refuse to obey Him and yet He never, ever, ever changes His nature of love toward us. Here’s how the writer of Romans said it:

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NASB

And this was said at the end of Romans 8 when he had just lamented for all of Romans 7 how impossible it is to make this flesh do what the spirit truly wants to do. Think of it. Let the truth of it wash any guile, any deception of doing what is right in order to have gain from people, or even to earn points with God, out of our hearts. The joy comes from pleasing Him. The Golden Rule does work, but not as a rule, as a nature!

Only God works His nature within us so He can show forth Himself to others. As we are changed into His image and His likeness, the world around us changes too. Not because we want a reward for living this way but because God is love, and love is the most powerful force in the universe! God’s focus is on our hearts, the only part of the equation we can impact through surrender to Him.

“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:1;33 NIV

In this passage of scripture, Jesus describes reasons we are not to do right— for the sake of others to see and commend us for it. If that is the case and we get human praise for it, He says we have our reward. But when we do it before God alone, He will ensure we get what we need from and through Him, as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. We are to live with Truth operating in our lives, influencing others as they see our godly ways, motivated only by the spirit of Christ.

Humans will disappoint us, just as we disappoint others. Instead, we are learning to be joyful in being obedient to His ways, knowing the Father’s pleasure as He alone knows of our good works done in secret. We may never know what impact we have on some lives. No matter, as our joy is in Him and His reward is with Him. There are rewards for the overcomer, as listed so clearly in Revelation. Yes, these rewards are earned, but that is not the same as behaving well so that we get them.

LOVE fulfills the law, even the rule that says to love your neighbor as yourself. This is the same message as the Golden Rule: what you want for yourself, you come to want for others. We grow until we even want for others more than for ourselves, before we have what we want. God is working an increase in His type of agape love so that we want life for all of creation. We want His life to flow not just to those we know, not even just to humans, but to the flora and fauna of God’s great earth given as our temporary home.

We no longer want our spirituality to be like an exclusive club, where only the elite are admitted. God cleans out of us any self-righteousness from knowledge or position or education or honor or wealth or any other factor. If you think He does not know how to do this, listen to Paul:

“Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself!

Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; but He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.’

Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ;

for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” 2 Corinthians 12: 7-12 Amplified

There is debate about just what this thorn in the flesh was that God allowed in order to keep Paul humble. He was severely beaten so may have become crippled, with chronic pain in his body. He was said to have poor eyesight.But if not a physical thorn in the flesh, we know he had to deal with opposition to his ministry from the Jews and Christians, to the extent that he was no longer welcome in some of the very churches he had founded and nurtured.

Nonetheless, God could have but did not take whatever it was away. Paul continued to minister a powerful word, obeying the Lord through his time in prison and remaining life. Paul even listed all of his religious qualifications, which were at the pinnacle of Jewish faith, which he came to consider as meaning nothing. He did not exalt in all that he had achieved, but continually humbled himself under God’s sovereign hand, regardless of the abundance of revelation given him by God.

Paul knew the qualities of character that God held in high regard, desiring that the Christ be formed within rather than seeking to earn or retain honor and esteem among men.

“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!” Galatians 4:19-20 NIV

Paul’s desire, his purpose was to form the Christ in other believers. He did not want to chastise the Galatians for failing to progress in Christ as he had hoped. He is an example of this life with God, full of blessings while living a life of unfairness and mistreatment. Paul could have testified to that, but his focus, like others called to suffer with Christ, remained on what God was working out within him and others called by His name.

Jesus our Lord had such a life, even pressed to the shedding of blood over what He faced in the future. Are we better than the Son of God, that we should escape what Father God allowed His only begotten Son? What does He say when others mistreat us, treat us poorly in spite of our mercy and kindness to them?

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1 NIV

The renewing of our mind changes our attitudes, our thoughts, our perspective, even our expectations regarding what we are going through. What is the pattern of the world where kindness, mercy and forgiveness is extended but not returned? Don’t most of us get weary in well doing and begin to question the benefit, if not the wisdom, of doing so? Some among us begin to think about how they’d like it if we treated them like they treat us?! Yet, as faithful servants unto Him, we quickly have our hearts pricked by the spirit to be reminded that is not His way. Even thoughts of revenge, returning evil for evil, are not worthy of those called and chosen for His purposes.

This Golden Rule, this high standard of God’s, fulfills the law and all that the prophets said. It is turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, giving with no thought of return, all in the name, the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ways of our human nature cannot stand in this higher way of God. All through the centuries, Christian martyrs have been empowered by the love of God to not return evil for evil, instead blessing for cursing, showing God’s unmerited favor as we have received it, without earning it, from our Lord.

What then, shall we say of these things:

“Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:10 NIV

The Wisdom of Fire

Have you ever deeply explored familiar words that God chooses to use in the Bible in order to describe spiritual things? As each are studied, the wisdom of our God becomes ever more deeply evident. Just like the parables Jesus told to the crowds, common words of the time were used to help them understand and relate to His words of wisdom and teaching.Such symbolic language used by God is certainly mysterious, particularly from Old Testament prophets like Daniel and Isaiah.

Even Peter said the apostle Paul’s deep sayings were hard to understand, and many just leave John the Revelater’s writings alone. God’s words are meant to be unfathonable by the mind of man—unless we seek by the spirit to know Hims, to understand His way. A relationship is needed to know God in order to understand the meaning of His words. How else can we understand what is in the heart and nature of another except by relating to them?

To know God is to know wisdom through the holy spirit. The disciples did not understand Jesus’ parables because they did not yet have the holy spirit within them. Often, they privately asked Jesus the meaning of the parables He had shared with the crowds as well as the many strange sayings He said. There were things, however, He could not explain to them so they understood. They had to wait until the Day of Pentecost, but He reassured them about this:

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-15 NKJV

Ever since that holy day in the Upper Room when believers gathered, the spirit within guides us to God’s wisdom and truth. It is absolutely relevant to our lives today as we search out by the spirit what He is saying to us. Spiritual symbols are more easily understood by further spiritual examination to reveal deeper meaning, such as the many words He uses from our natural world. The riches and knowledge of the greatest Teacher of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, then becomes available and understood.

God has no intention of keeping His wisdom from us as we seek Him, but we do need to get closer to Him to comprehend His ways. Isn’t it wonderful that God wants us to know and understand Him? Jesus Christ came, rose again, and returned within us through His indwelling spirit, to teach us all things. When the light of His understanding dawns upon us, it’s so often simple. We do not need to stay baffled by what our Lord says in the Word! We can say “Oh! So that is what you mean!!”as He provides us these keys to the kingdom.

Paul’s teaching to Timothy about the study of scripture encourages seeking the Lord’s wisdom and understanding in order that Timothy’s way be upright and holy:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

As an example, let us examine the word fire. The word fire is used more than 600 times in the Bible, most often as an apt description of God’s presence bringing judgment for change. Fire was a part of worshiping God from the beginning as God’s people had need of purification and transformation to approach His presence. The Israelites traveling in the wilderness saw God’s presence as a cloud during the day and a fire by night.

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” Exodus 13:21 NIV

What an amazing illustration of just how His presence guides us today. When the path before us is in the light, clear and discernable, the cloud of His presence is with us. When darkness comes to our lives, bringing challenges to our spiritual walk, He shows us His presence by fire. In His love, Father God has always brought the fire of His presence to burn up our fleshly ways, so that we can be like Him. God’s judgment, therefore, should be sought and embraced rather than feared and avoided.

What else can we learn from God’s use of this powerful word, fire? In our natural world, fire is often devastating, rapidly spreading to destroy all in its path. Fire brings death and destruction to plants, animals and people. Once ignited spontaneously, accidentally, or purposefully, fire spreads quickly. And did you know that forest fires move uphill more rapidly than downhill?

We now know that fires are necessary to sustain life, to create new growth. Without fire to thin out the ecosystem, a forest floor is overtaken by shade-loving plants, becoming less diverse as the sun-loving plants are overtaken by materials and debris that give no life. This buildup of dead wood and litter from trees and animals becomes fuel for a future fire, particularly when conditions such as heat without moisture is constant.

Planned fires are now used purposefully to rebuild forests, creating new growth while restoring flora and fauna needed for a healthy environment for all. Naturalists and scientists now realize and make use of fire’s cleansing properties to renew and sustain our forests. Yes, we know a great deal about fire in nature that we did not know in past years of ignorance. In just these few words about natural fire, we begin to see the manifold wisdom of God in using fire to describe His presence.

Fire can only be extinguished in three ways: 1) the source of fuel is taken away 2) the oxygen is removed, smothering the fire, or 3) the heat is removed by smothering it with water. Consider the spiritual parallels for each of these. What is the fuel for God’s cleansing of our inner man by fire? It is the carnal nature—our mind, our will, and our emotions. Consider something you formerly wanted to do, really enjoyed, thought about and sought that has been removed by God. Is this not the Father removing the fuel of our nature so the fire around that no longer needs to burn?

Oxygen feeds fire, and there are many aspects in our earthly existance that will feed the flames of our own desires—our lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. There is no lack of motives, messages, justifications, reasonings, or examples that can keep feeding the fire that then requires God’s presence as a consuming fire to burn it all up. The water of the Spirit, the outflowing of His river of Life, also extinguishes the fire, swallowing up the dross in His victory.

When we are in the darkness of our spiritual nights, we search for God, requiring the fire of God’s presence to burn up the debris of accumulated human waste in our hearts. This allows us to see with spiritual eyes, hear with spiritual ears, and have a heart change within. Adversities bring change, just like forest fires purify. Without the fiery presence of our God, the light of His life becomes obscured by the darkness of our humanity, our fleshly ways that cannot enter into His presence.

And the higher we climb, the hotter the fire burns as we overcome every obstacle to enter fully into His dwelling place. Thankfully, God has made a way for us to be purified, cleansed by His presence so that we see the light!

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” 1 Peter 4:12-14 NASB

Peter is illustrating the purpose of the many afflictions those of us who love Him must go through. These trials and testings are fiery, clearly beyond the suffering caused by our own sinful nature. Jesus suffered without cause, undeservedly, and these same undeserved sufferings come to His overcomers. There’s no glory in suffering because of what we have done, but when we submit to suffer unjustly as He did, we emerge with more of His nature, sharing in His suffering so that we might reign with Him.

We are not to think that suffering in this way is somehow strange or surprising, but to expect undeserved suffering as we go on to know the Lord. Further examining the use of fire as God’s presence, we see fiery swords appearing in Genesis, after Adam and Eve had disobeyed God by eating from the tree of good and evil. God cast them away from His presence, using these fiery swords to prevent them from returning to that former intimacy they had with Him before the fall.

“After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.“ Genesis 3: 24 NIV

We cannot partake of God’s life in our present fallen condition. We cannot return to the full fellowship and intimacy with Father God that was present in Eden. We cannot dwell in His presence without going through flames of fire! We must be purified by His presence, becoming holy as He is holy. Fire symbolizes the requirement of change, for new growth, for entering into the presence of God more and more fully.

Who but God burns up our dross, all the dead, useless things we drag around that cannot nurture new life, cover up the lush new growth, needing the light of the Lord to flourish?Surely we have times, seasons, areas of self that are dead wood, the life-robbing result of our sinful nature that must be burned up by His fiery presence. God’s judgment for this should be sought and embraced rather than feared and avoided. Here is the judgment of God coming first to His own people.

The great prophet, Isaiah, spoke this word to God’s people who had strayed:

“I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.

I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness.” Isaiah 1:25-27 NIV

God’s natural people, the Israelites, did not reach this righteous state. In fact, no one was able to even begin the return to Father God until Jesus came to make the way. These words are for us, now, whether Isaiah realized that or not. When God’s hand is upon us, He refines us. He takes away anything that does not produce His life within, bringing right judgment to show forth His righteousness in His people.

Malachi expands on the use of fire to refine and purify, as the Lord comes again, over and over within us, to work righteousness in our fleshly hearts:

“‘I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Malachi 3:1-4 NIV

Do we realize that God cares about whether workers receive fair wages, widows and the fatherless who have no means of effectively making a living, the foreigners who come to our countries to find a better life? He is not just against sin such as sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers commit. The Day of the Lord that we so anticipate, His glorious return, brings fire within us, not a luxurious cloud where we play our harps while others burn. He comes to deal with lies, selfishness, lack of concern or care for others who suffer.

Do you long to have the Day of the Lord, His full return, for Him to come quickly? Then you are longing for the judgment of His presence to be upon you, as the house of God is judged first. He intends to have a purified people, using the example of how gold and silver are refined, purified in the fire. When we learn of His ways, that His thoughts are higher than ours, we come to embrace the fiery trials He allows to ready us for His full residence in our beings.

“Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler. But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:15-17 Berean

It was already time in Peter’s day for judgment to come to the family of God. In that era, precious metals were refined by fire in a crucible, a container that can withstand very high temperatures. This container was placed in a furnace heated up to almost 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Gold melts at such a high temperature, then is transferred to another container, leaving the impurities and other substances floating to the surface.

Similarly, silver is refined by melting it in a furnace along with a reducing agent to oxidize the impurities which are absorbed by the reducing agent, leaving behind pure silver. Is not our Lord the reducing agent within our hearts? When Jesus Christ appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, they did not recognize Him until He joined them for supper. Then they realized Who had been walking and talking with them:

“When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ ” Luke 24: 30-32 NIV

They felt their Lord’s presence, the power of His words, as a burning in their hearts, though the veil of the flesh, their human understanding, kept Him hidden from them. When their eyes were opened, they recognized Him, recalling that inner burning they felt walking with Him and listening to His teachings. Have we not had times when God’s word burned within our hearts, both in delight and in discipline? Oh, the wonder of His ways, past finding out with human eyes and ears, but revealed by our spiritual eyes and ears of understanding!

Fire requires a source of fuel, so our fleshly ways, our human nature, is God’s source of fuel. Isaiah says that He sits within us to refine us, to clean us up, also using soap to further scrub us up, to make us white as snow. He promised never to leave or forsake us and here He sits, He stays right in our hearts! The treasure of the Lord’s Life within us is more fully revealed as we continue entering into His presence until He is seen within us, His temples.

We require the blood of the Lamb, covering us so that we are acceptable in His presence. Our blood is 95% oxygen, vital to us and all living organisms, so here is the metaphorical oxygen that fire needs to do its work, coming directly from the presence of God. The life is in the blood, the life of the body:

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29 NASB

He is a fire that consumes our dross! He always, always loves us, but face it: some things just cannot enter in to His kingdom of righteousness. No flesh can or will stand in the Day of His Kingdom.

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you,

that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5: 19-21 NASB

The writer of Hebrews names these fleshly things, making it quite clear that the ways of our flesh cannot enter in. We cannot beat it, will it, determine it to be good, make laws to create or sustain it, as flesh cannot be changed by man. It must be destroyed, burned up, replaced by the gold and silver of God’s holy character appearing in those with pure hearts. How do we endure these fiery trials necessitated by God? First we need to recognize that it is God at work in our lives, rather than thinking it is something strange that should not happen to us believers. Peter admonished us:

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” 1 Peter 4:12-19 KJV

This is even more clearly and simply stated in The Message:

“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and His glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter.

But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name! It’s judgment time for God’s own family. We’re first in line. If it starts with us, think what it’s going to be like for those who refuse God’s Message!” 1 Peter 4:12-19 The Message

My wise spiritual Mom used to say when we were having a hard time but some of our friends weren’t, that it was a good thing! This was a sign of God’s dealing with us. When others are at ease satan is at ease within, in control sufficiently to not bother them. Our change is a gradual process,as more and smaller things are dealt with, our peace disturbed by God’s deeper and more refined dealings.

Some fiery trials come deservedly when we sin, missing the mark or target (Mitchell translation), as well as undeservedly, as God brings His judgment to us. Hid judgment is always toward redemption and reconciliation to Father God. The fire of God’s wrath is His passion coming to those He loves and disciplines. We are washed by the water of the Word, so that spiritual water gradually extinguishes the flames of our own fleshly ways,.They are burned up, consumed by the indwelling presence of the Lord in His temple, who we are.

His coming is ongoing within us, not a one time event accomplishing this great work within each of His own. This then, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is the path to the door, which Jesus Christ is, the only entrance into His kingdom. This is the way back into the presence of God, past those flaming swords to the throne of Jesus Christ and His Father. This is the way God made for us by the sacrifice of His only Son, so that we are enabled to enter into His Kingdom of love, peace, and joy that is surely more precious than gold and silver.

The signs of His kingdom coming are internal, shown forth externally when the presence of God has thoroughly refined and purified our hearts in each area.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5: 22-23 NASB

Do you begin to comprehend the manifold wisdom of God in using this powerful example of fire? Can you see how fiery trials are preparing us for dwelling in His presence and bringing the kingdom to others here in this earth? Such are the white garments that John the Revelator told us about:

“The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 5:22 NASB

We cannot earn our way into the Book of Life. This is the only way, to be purified by the wisdom of His fiery presence. What a wonderfully powerful, symbolic lesson God is teaching us through this wisdom of fire as we continue to learn of His ways.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:33-36 NIV

The Seed

The Lord’s seed is His word that He is planting in the hearts of humans. We trust Him to water and tend to His precious seed by the spirit in hearts that are ready. As we walk on to know the Lord more deeply, we are enabled to share His longing to be compassionate to all. His seed takes root as we are led by the Holy Spirit to only speak as the Father speaks, just as Jesus did.

“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” John 8:28 NIV

What an ambitious goal is to only speak as the Father speaks, without fear or favor. Jesus had the Father in Him, ready to do so with every person on every occasion that came before Him. Rather than waiting to correct and judge us to do right, the purpose of His heart is to provide love, compassion, mercy and justice forever.

“But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalms 33:11 NIV

The Lord knows whose heart is receptive and ready to hear what He might have to say. Jesus certainly did not speak directly to every sinner around Him. We need discernment to know that time and place while being ready and prepared in our hearts to speak the truth in love when it’s time. Paul taught Timothy, instructing him how to conduct himself in what he was called to do.

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2 NIV

Interesting that Paul puts reproof, rebuke and encouragement all together as part of patient instruction to others. When reproof and rebuke are needed, it is a part of encouraging others in their spiritual lives through patient instruction. Those of us who desire to share God’s word and ways are to always be ready to do so when called upon. We are to be prepared in season, when we would anticipate having opportunity, and out-of-season, when the opportunity to speak of God and His word arrives unexpectedly.

When speaking His word of life as we are led by the Lord, He checks our spirit on many occasions, showing us when ears are closed, hearts are not ready to hear. When God speaks a Word in due season, however, we can be sure that Word is an exact fit for the person and the situation. It therefore does its work throughout all generations. Those who are used to speak this word may not witness the crop that grows, but that’s God’s business.

“Jesus replied, ‘Have faith in God (constantly). I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt in his heart (in God’s unlimited power), but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him (in accordance with God’s will).” Mark 11:22-23 Amplified

Ours is to fully believe, being obedient to speak or not to speak, to share the truth in love when the heart is open to receive. We can then trust the Lord to do His will with that word, bringing forth the crop He intends. We learn how to speak according to the condition of the heart rather than our religious zeal to do good works for God. God teaches us to follow Him through the promptings of the holy spirit, preparing our hearts to do so.

We are to be like Him, with the being as primary, as we learn to speak as Jesus did. We are in training to speak only what the Father instructs us to speak. We will eventually be empowered, changed into His image and likeness, so that we do this naturally and effortlessly all the time, just as He did. As God once said to me, “Don’t tell all you know.” Many know so very much of God and His ways yet we hold all truth in God until He prompts the sharing. We are ready to speak truth in love whenever and wherever the heart conditions are right.

How is this different from preaching daily on the street corners or knocking on doors with the message of salvation? The key is in our heart’s motivation for doing these things. When we act for God motivated by zeal, as a part of a program or duty, or to please others, we risk sharing with many who are not prepared to hear it. Doing such things of our own accord or at the direction of another human does not bring forth the fruit of the kingdom, no matter how sincerely done. It becomes a fleshly activity that can never produce the righteousness of God.

Our actions and activities may be the same, but the heart of obedience to God’s spirit leads us to assist others in ways that are productive of righteousness. When it is God’s idea and not the fleshly plans of man:

"For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 Berean

When we become God’s mouthpiece, sharing the Word of God as He directs, His word will always prosper when and where He sends it. We may plant the seed, and another reap the harvest, but He will have a crop. There are many plowmen and there are also reapers busy in the kingdom. God is always preparing the ground of our earthly hearts for the planting of His seed.

The religious world has had many programs and plans, many ways motivated by good intentions to reach the world for the gospel of Christ. We good-hearted humans have many ideas for projects and assistance to help God’s project along. Though much good has occurred through these efforts, most have not produced fruit equal to the labor and investment. The world is far from reaped for the Lord in spite of centuries working at it. It is not what is said and done, but Whose idea it is to begin with!

The power is in His word proceeding from His mouth through those called to be His mouthpiece. All else is lacking, falling short of God’s purpose, just who Paul warns Timothy to avoid:

“… [those who are] having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5 KJV

Timothy is to turn away, not to follow them in their forms and ways. Paul did not want Timothy to waste his time, to get distracted by those without the heart qualities necessary for true godliness. Jesus knew who was able to receive. He was aware that, for some, His word will prosper and grow, and for others not. We are the earth in which the seed of His word is planted for growth:

“And He told them many things in parables, saying, ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil.

It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.

Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. He who has ears, let him hear.’” Matthew 13:3-9 Berean

Jesus ministered to very large groups in parables, knowing that the seed of His word would fall on all kinds of ground. Why did He further speak about letting those who have ears, to hear? They all had ears, after all! He was speaking to those with spiritual ears to hear, ready to receive the Word He was sharing. He was planting the seed of His word into hearts prepared and called of the Father to receive it. These had good soil, their earth already plowed rather than rocky or hard from the elements of life.

Why would our Lord speak in parables that many of his followers would neither hear nor understand? Do you think the heart of our Lord did not desire to have everyone hear and understand so He would heal them? We can almost sense the longing that they would come to Him so He could heal them but He already knew who would and who would not. For some, it was their time; for others, it would come later in God’s plan.

Anyone ministering to large gatherings knows the same truth: not all have hearts prepared to receive. Jesus also knew the disciples who readily received the seed of His word, including Judas, who ultimately rejected His word and ways. Can you imagine choosing someone to follow you, to become your friend, when you already know that person will betray you? Jesus knew what each level of reception would be because He knew the condition of their hearts.

After ministering to the multitudes, His disciples asked “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

“‘He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’

For this people's hearts has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'” Matthew 13:10-15: NIV

Jesus already understood that, for some, it was not given to understand in that time. It was not their time to receive what He was teaching; their hearts were too calloused to allow the seed to be planted within. He knew that His own Jewish people would reject and crucify Him rather than believe their Savior had come. The earth of their hearts was hardened, not broken up, plowed to soften it, prepared for the seed of His truth.

Like Jesus, it is not wise for us to assume that everyone around us is ready, prepared to receive what we have to share. Grant us that same discernment, Lord! Jesus did share more deeply with those in intimate relationship with Him, His disciples, so they would catch His spiritual meaning. It was time for His disciples to learn and grow, to really know what He was teaching, and to understand the spiritual message of His words. All heard the same words but a deeper message was shared for those with the ability to comprehend by the spirit, who were given spiritual ears to hear.

Jesus Christ was realistic, knowing He could teach more to those whose hearts were ready, including His disciples who loved Him, when they later had the Holy Spirit within. In God’s kingdom, not every seed planted produces the same crop. It not only depends on readiness but God’s purpose and plan for each one. Jesus ministered to many people in the crowds who would not hear Him. Since Jesus discerned the differing preparedness of hearts to hear, is He not able to provide us with the same discernment?

When it is God’s timing, with hearts ready to receive and a teachable spirit, the Word is received as a good seed the person hears and understands. This word seed grows a crop, producing the fruit of the spirit. It will always prosper where He sends it, whether we are allowed to witness this or not. The seed in the one who hears and understands always grows a crop, but some crops take longer to grow and some yield more than others. It’s all good, but not at the same level, according to the purpose and intent of the Lord.

Those who all heard Jesus at the time of His earthly ministry surely reveal the difference in each crop from this same seed. There really are many mansions or dwelling places in His heavenly spiritual house. The promise is this:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 NIV

Just as with the early believers, power and authority is given to do God’s work on the earth. We need the guidance of the holy spirit within now, just as Jesus’ disciples and followers did then. We most certainly do not need to hinder others’ openness to receive by judging ourselves better or worse, presenting truths from the common human viewpoint of the haves and have-nots. Callings and experiences are in God’s hand and in His timing, and He is in charge of the outcome.

Many a fellowship has been torn apart by divisive and self righteous attitudes about position and power, knowledge and status, that limit God’s planting in growing the crop of His nature. Can we not leave all comparisons in God’s hands and His timing while we remain His humble servants? We learn from the saints in the bible as experiences unfolded according to God’s plan.

God has always had people who empower each generation of saints to do what is needed for that age. Where would we be without Passover being fulfilled in Him? What of the beginning of the early church would have occurred if those gathered in the Upper Room had not been empowered by the Holy Spirit coming upon them, emboldening them to fulfill their destiny in Christ?

And the third feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, was the one Jesus attended at just the right time in His earthly ministry:

“Therefore Jesus told them, ‘Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify that its works are evil. Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.’

Having said this, Jesus remained in Galilee. But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.” John 7:6-10 Berean

“On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ 

He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:37-39 Berean

Jesus did not go to this gathering because others were attending or told Him to go. Neither did He go in order to be seen by others, to display His ministry. He waited until His Father directed Him to attend. Jesus then ministered at this Feast in a way that astounded, confused and offended His listeners. His teachings were in a spiritual language they did not understand. He stood up to bring the seed of His word.

Is He not preparing to stand up in His people as He is coming to dwell within, to lead us to gatherings to which He has called us, in the right season when hearts are prepared to hear what He has to say through us? Now it is needed. Now is the time for the Feast of Tabernacles experience, when Jesus Christ our Lord comes to tabernacle in us. Now is the promised time of judgment for the restoration of all things.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.’” Revelation 21:1-4 Berean

A new heaven and a new earth! Does this sound like God will allow us humans to destroy the earth as we seem to be doing? Though it takes ages to complete, the time of God's tabernacling in His people is upon us and will eventually unfold for all. He is preparing to come down from heaven to us on the earth, establishing His holy government to judge and redeem everyone. And how we need Him!

The intent of the heart of those who carry the message of Passover, salvation through Jesus Christ is excellent. The teachings about the Feast of Pentecost are vital, showing God’s desire for Christians to have the holy spirit within to lead and guide us into all truth.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13 ESV

All three of the Old Testament feasts are a type and shadow of spiritual experiences available, needed for spiritual progression as we walk with our Lord. Those of us believing for Tabernacles to be fulfilled in us do trust His word that He will have a people united in love, with clean hearts, prepared as the habitation of God Himself.

What a day this will be when God fully tabernacles in His people. We are to be lights to all the world covered in darkness. We are to continually show forth His nature of mercy and justice. His seed continues to grow, to mature, and to bear forth a crop, the fruit of the kingdom. The Day of the Lord is unfolding now. He planted His precious seed in His called, chosen, and faithful, to minister Who He is to this world that so desperately needs Him.

There is hope for our human condition of the heart, now and through eternity in God. Amen and amen. So be it.

Overcoming the World

When we see the utter disaster that the world of humans has become, it’s difficult to see what we, as Christians, can do. What are we to even think, how are we ever to take godly action to address all that is wrong in our earthly existence? There are internal and external calamities everywhere we look. There are overwhelming manmade and God-allowed afflictions, suffering and evil everywhere, whether known or visible to us or not. Though it has been said through centuries of darkness and incredible struggle, it truly is worsening everywhere in the world.

What is it that God would have those of us who follow Him do about any of it? Are we to just bury our heads in the sand and proclaim the whole thing impossible? Alternately. are we to throw ourselves into every cause, giving the work of our hands and the fruit of our labors to address the multitude of problems and concerns around us? Do we just pray and call it enough? Can we merrily enjoy our own comfortable lives while ignoring what others are dealing with on a daily basis?

What can one lone Christian really do? We are surely not to sit with idle hands and complain that the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Instead, we do invest ourselves in prayer for all men, love to all, righteousness, faith, spiritual understanding and maturity. We are being equipped with the armor for spiritual warfare through the mighty work of the Spirit of God within—until we can fulfill the word of God in Isaiah to His own:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you.” Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV

When is the glory of the Lord seen over us? For the bondslaves of Christ to whom Revelation was written, and as Paul called himself, the work of this age for God’s called, chosen, and faithful is to gain ground in Him. Our highest calling right now is to allow God’s processing of all we have submitted to the Father’s will. As we allow the fires of change to do their work, He also brings a Word of power and authority that will change the hearts of others as change is wrought in us.

How we long for this and how difficult to wait when we hear the cries from others, seeing so many living in hellish conditions on this earth! The darkness surely is increasing as the days, the years, the centuries pass. It is useless to try to change the world of outer appearances, to focus on what we visibly see that is sin, missing the mark of godly living. It is there, but we require spiritual eyes of Love to address sinful behaviors.

We are directed to pray continually for all men everywhere. The eyes of the spirit within have the Lord’s wisdom and revelation to discern what the root and source of any issue is. As discernment reveals this, we are used to intercede, to speak to, to address the source of every issue as God gives the grace to flow to others in powerful ways. Consider the prayer of a righteous person:

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16b ESV

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b NIV

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b KJV

For a nation of doers, it’s good to meditate on the incredible power of prayer by those called to righteousness. Such prayers by the saints have great power, are effective, and accomplish much. But it must go past the surface of human behavior to look at the heart, the root of the matter. We are given spiritual eyes to see and understand the words God has said all throughout the Bible:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-11 NIV

"…[Jesus said] ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.’” Mark 7:21-23 NIV

To have power and authority to actually make the world a better place, we must have wise discernment. Man’s heart is mortally ill—destined for death. Who can know this desperately wicked, evil heart within humans? The carnal mind, its very nature is truly a bottomless pit, with no visible end to its evil. God investigates the heart where evil dwells, where evil is nurtured to grow into evil actions visible to others.

As we gain wisdom in God’s Holy Spirit school, we are enabled to discern by the spirit that our prayers really are effective and powerful. No longer will we rail against the visible sins of the world. We are learning to be like Him, looking inside, as God does, to address matters of the heart of humans.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV

The battle is not with people but with spirits that rule within their hearts. The earth is satan’s domain and he operates in the minds, the hearts of men. All that falls short of God’s righteousness as shown in the life and character of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—the lust of the eyes, the sins of the flesh, the pride of life—all come from hearts that yield to it. What is an effective, powerful prayer of intercession regarding the path into oblivion that humans seem to be on? It must be much more powerful and effective than the do’s and don’ts of religion, the laws attempting to correct sin.

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.

They have lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Colossians 2:16-23 NIV

There are many things that appear to be wise but have no value. We humans seem to care about many things that do not matter to God. Whether it’s our own or another’s, Jesus declared us free in Him from external rules. He was pointing out how worthless the Jewish rules were in actually restraining the fleshly ways of man. It may seem like godly wisdom when we follow rules and laws, but it does not work righteousness within.

Rules are laws that require the application of will rather than submission to God for change. It is the heart change that God requires and only He can do it. We submit to rules and laws from childhood through adulthood, but they may do little in creating the character of Christ within us. They are necessary to teach us, but cannot change us into His likeness and image.

Those who put decrees on believers, laying the law upon others, have forgotten that we died with Christ in order to live in Him. It may look good, seeming godly in outward appearance, but falls short of pleasing the Lord, without power to change the flesh. So then, what does? The love of God is the most powerful force in the earth! There is no situation that God’s love and mercy cannot conquer. It behooves us to become the love of God in this earth!

“The commandments ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:9-10 Berean

It’s not the commandments that we are unable in our humanity to fulfill, it is the love of God that we lack. His love brings the change with freedom in Christ. Satan continues to work in the hearts of men to oppose the rulership and authority of Jesus Christ within us. He won that battle for us, but we are required to walk out His victory over satan in our earthly lives. Rather than focusing on rebuking the devil, let us look to God, the author and finisher of our faith, for the work needed to change the world—first in us, then, as conquerors in Christ, with others.

There are so many things humans consider important to show forth a righteous life that are truly not important to God. What value is a certain dress, style of hair, abstaining form certain food or drink, or religious behavior if it is not from a godly character? When Jesus and His disciples were judged for eating on the sabbath from the fields of corn without washing their hands, He explained to them:

“Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man `unclean.'

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what make a man `unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him `unclean.'" Matthew 15:17-20 NIV

The people of Jesus’ time, as it is now, held up religious rules and behaviors as the standard of righteousness. In contrast, Jesus held up the condition of the heart. Some carnal-minded Christians assume experiencing adversity means we did something wrong, in some way deserving the adversity that comes upon us. They do not realize that we are to share in Jesus’ sufferings in order to qualify to reign with Him. He did nothing to deserve these tests from the adversary and many people are also innocent though suffering.

Much of the world’s woes of adversity—illness and death, natural disasters and wars, poverty and deprivation—are not the result of individuals impacted by it, except in a collective way as part of their community, their country, or the decisions of those in power and authority. These are just a part of what all humans go through while living here. These are the very things He overcame for us. We are subject to these things while we are here, but Jesus has already overcome the world.

Of course, we make choices that influence the outcomes in our lives for good or bad, but nonetheless, God’s word is immutable. What we sow, we will reap, unless God’s mercy and grace make a way of escape. More than one scriptural passage reveals the struggle of God’s servants to understand the flourishing of evil, leading them to question why evil within men and women seems to prosper:

“You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.

Yet you know me, Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter! How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, ‘He will not see what happens to us.’ “Jeremiah 12:1-4 NIV

We, too, talk it over with the Lord as He teaches us to overcome the world in us. It is a certainty that we cannot do it in our own strength. We need spiritual discernment to even recognize what is worldly and what is righteous in our own hearts. But God will have a people without spot or wrinkle, fully prepared to intercede on behalf of others in this increasingly difficult times whatever comes, filled with the power of His life and love:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:1-20 ESV

The shameful, evil things of darkness are exposed by the light, rather than by railing against the darkness. This passage of scripture is an excellent recipe for overcoming the world within us so we are equipped to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ. We expose the darkness by bringing the light of God into this world of darkness. All the peoples of the world are in desperate need of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who will deliver is all to our wonderful God, Father of us all.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 KJV

The Pearl of Great Price

In Matthew, Jesus explains the kingdom and its value using spiritual language He shares the parable of the pearl of great price, this very precious pearl, worth disposing of everything else in order to obtain it. This ideal, perfect jewel is the Christ within us, forming the kingdom of God within the His Body of believers. The kingdom is not a literal place to be found externally. Jesus was very clear about this:

“Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.’”

And He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look there,’ or, ‘Look here!’ Do not leave, and do not run after them.’" Luke 17:21-22 NASB

Now, more than ever in such days of worsening trouble and turmoil in the earth, Jesus continues to say that He is here. He is right here, right now, ever within us. He never fails nor forsakes us. His kingdom is a spiritually attainable place of dwelling. His kingdom is not seen in terrestrial signs of prosperity, wealth, or goodness. This is a kingdom of peace, love and joy, the very most precious of heart qualities of great price to purchase.

God’s presence is purging out such contaminations as judgment, religious rules about eating or drinking, external behaviors that discount or ignore the heart issues He has always made the priority. We desire to speak the word of God to others, to share His truth and wisdom. But when we do so with the wrong attitude of heart, with judgment or condemnation, with pride or ego, or even with guile or fear, this is what offends, creatiing stumbling blocks and snares in others.

Here it is particularly spoken to all brothers and sisters in Christ, with an attitude of compassion and love which gives understanding to the listener:

“Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to the one who thinks something is unclean, to that person it is unclean.

For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer walking in accordance with love. Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ” Romans 14:13-17 NASB

Our spiritual walk really is about these qualities of the heart as birthed by the spirit. Oh, if we all could truly hear this so that our judgment, our religious rules are not the primary display of our Christianity! The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the holy spirit working within. Yes, there is right living to be seen, along with peace and joy, embedded in God’s nature of love. These qualities do not cause others to stumble or to be snared by false beliefs and representations of our Lord.

Such are the qualities of the Christ within, the “ideal pearl” of His kingdom which He fully represents. God does everything purposefully, including the careful choice of the symbols Jesus utilized in His earthly ministry. He only spoke what the Father gave Him, so the parable of the pearl of great price is God’s word. What can we learn from how a pearl forms within the oyster? What is the deeper understanding we can gain from this metaphor for the kingdom within?

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant like a parasite or something else that enters their shell, potentially damaging their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of the elements that also make up its shell. The best pearls come from oysters as they cover irritants. After a few years (yes it takes time), the most beautiful pears are formed which are lighter but stronger than concrete. Even scientists call this miraculous!

Just so, Father God allows irritants of adversity to bring about the beautiful pearl of the Christ within us. Satan may initiate but God turns it for our good, for the inner growth of His character inside of us. Such pearls come from pure waters not polluted by man. Do you catch that parallel in the spirit? The most rare and costly pearls occur in pure waters, with only 1 in 10,000 of the most valuable pearls formed by oysters produced within it. It takes a long time, many workings within that pearl to truly cover the irritant or intruder with mother of pearl, forming the most beautiful, strong, and highly valued jewel of all.

Now we see the parallel of how long it takes for us to overcome the irritants, even the tiny ones, and the intruders in our mind, will, and emotions that invade us to cause potential harm. The beautiful precious nature of the Lord covers these over so they do not rob us of peace, love, and joy. Can you see more clearly of what the Father is speaking when Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is the pearl of great price? It is costly, it takes time, must be prioritized and protected, allowed to grow up into Him.

Jesus Christ Himself is the Ideal Pearl, a planting of the kingdom within us. His purpose is to make us like Him, overlaying our nature of flesh with His precious iridescent covering of love, peace and joy, luminescent for all to see. Catch this key point: it’s the irritants that cause the pearl to form! Anything that irritates us, anything that disrupts our pure growth, is creating this Pearl! Adversity brings growth, yet how difficult it can be to endure what He allows to come into our lives as we desire to become more like Him.

One of the things that has to go is judgment of others and self. My particular challenge is the judgment I have for others who are judgmental! After all, it’s a matter of the heart within all of us. Why do humans judge one another—sometimes mildly, perhaps not verbalized, other times viciously and loudly with words and attitudes that hurt our fellow man, let alone our brothers and sisters in Christ. What is the judgment that the Lord desires to purge from us so that we do not cause a snare or a stumbling block for others in finding their way to God?

Here’s a sample of common judgmental thoughts and attitudes that may rise up within, needing to be purged by God’s holy spirit: “Why can’t they see the truth? How can they be so blind? We must chastise and challenge them for not meeting the righteous standard set by the Word. How can they do that [name a sin that we don’t understand or could never imagine doing]? What a disgusting person to [name sinful behavior such as drunkenness or fleshly entertainment or sexual immorality or…]?”

In such areas of the heart, we may be very right in the truth but very wrong in the judgment and condemnation of the other person. God’s judgment is always for redemption, to bring about a heart change. It is truth in love, not one or the other. When God allows us to see within the heart of mankind, we see the wounds that create such behavior, the lack of knowing the Lord as we know Him.

God has chastised me before for beating a blind man when I continued to challenge an unbeliever who was then in my life. Oh, I wanted him to change for himself and for me, but the way I was going about it certainly did not draw him to Christ. That is the Father’s job and only He knows whether this was accomplished before this person’s death. Hear this:

““Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye! Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.’” Matthew 7:1-6 NASB

These words spoken by our Lord are carefully chosen by God to teach us, to bring us into all truth. When we throw righteous principles before unbelievers, we may be wasting our precious holy words, casting pearls before swine. We all do it with believers as well, seeing the mote in another while ignoring the beam in our own. The mote in their eye that we see may be their failure to follow the rules of our religion. It may be an attitude or behavior in relationships.

The beam in our eye, coming from our heart, is the judgment, the condemnation we have for others who don’t know the way, irritate and disappoint us,,refuse the truth—or at least, our truth. Holy things are not for dogs. This is representative of those who will bite and devour one another over a scrap of truth and follow anyone who will feed them. We are not to cast our pearls of wisdom in front of hogs, a powerful metaphor for those of us who know about them. Hogs will eat anything without discrimination, lacking discernment of what is precious and what is vile.

When we are not being led by the spirit, we are sharing our pearls of godly wisdom with those who are unable to receive it. Others’ hearts must be prepared, just like the fields that are plowed to receive a planting for growth. Each is called in their time, in the order God has chosen, not when we decide it should happen. We may know we have something to say, but it must be under God’s direction.

How many words we can waste with those not prepared or even called (yet) to hear them! It is so important to be taught of the Lord what to speak and when to speak it. And it is so very hard when we truly do have so much to say!

“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2 KJV

We are to be neither rash nor hasty to utter anything before God. Everything we say and do is before Him. Strong’s translates to be rash as “to be alarmed or agitated, to hasten anxiously, be dismayed, to make haste be speedy, thrust out, trouble, vex,” with making haste similarly clarified in the original Hebrew. This truth appears in many places in His word, and is meant for us:

“Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.” Proverbs 10:19 KJV

“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 KJV

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1:18-19 KJV

Those of us gifted with many words easily said need the holy spirit to continually cut back on our unnecessary, untimely, ineffective—and yes, useless—flood of words. How often when faced with opposition, our words multiply while our hearts become so contaminated with agitation, fear, and anger, we cannot hear. We miss the mark of listening for understanding when we hasten with perverse, distorted, even vicious words from our mouths, crushing the spirit of those we are to elevate and educate.

And how sad when this happens with little ones we are raising. Children truly do not know to do right and often have not the spiritual or physical development to follow through. There are some types of parental tongues that crush many a child’s spirit while attempting to correct and teach. It’s the self-will that needs to be crushed by loving godly discipline, not that precious spirit within that God created and nurtures in little ones, our little ones and Father God’s little ones.

We can crush the spirit of babes in Christ and unbelievers when they miss the mark. Sin is when we know to do right and don’t do it, translated as “missing the mark.” How many religious words have been spoken through the centuries and how much has the world actually changed because we spoke truth to those who lack the wisdom and maturity to know what the mark is, what is right in God, let alone be able to do it? Jesus changed the world with His words, yet the hearts of mankind are slow to hear, believe, and understand Him, to walk in His ways.

Those of us who desire before God for others to see the Christ within us long for the day when the fruit of His kingdom will be seen in us. That is when this Pearl of great price completely overlays our fleshly nature with His essence of love, the most powerful force in the universe. God delivered a powerful and humbling lesson about this to me when I asked the Lord to truly stop me from saying anything that was not led by Him.

I am well known as a talker so this is a long confessed need for change that I hold before the Lord. I so desire a conversation with others that does not bring regret afterward. It’s not necessarily inappropriate or gross things so much as unnecessary chatter, unimportant information, words that I want to say but the listener does not need to hear. God answered this sincere prayer of my heart in a recent visit from our son. He granted deep peace while I hardly said anything over the few hours we were all together.

I was amazed at myself and knew it was His intervention. It was a humbling lesson in how often I have uttered wasted, rash words stemming from my wandering, undisciplined mind. It wasn’t my time to be heard, to be contributing, even spiritually, to this particular conversation. Amazingly, I sat quietly and prayed, loving the peace and rest I felt, being led of His spirit rather than my own flesh. And no regrets afterword! I love seeing answered prayer for God’s way in me!

Yes, the Lord gifted me with words but it is an ongoing refinement for my growth into the Christ. Often I ask for spiritual duck tape to cover my mouth until my heart is pure, without offense. I pray for and desire no regret from offending people I care about with too many words from self spoken casually or in haste, while ignoring the guile in my heart. I so desire to cause others no pain. Along with Jabez, I am most committed and about this:

“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV

We desire to enter in to His kingdom with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. We want to be an avenue for others to enter in. Who among us in the Body of Christ has not tasted of the Lord’s graciousness, His kindness as the Concordant Literal states? Even the challenge to speak only what He speaks, like our Lord Jesus Christ, shows forth His kindness toward us more than any public chastisement without condemnation.

He corrects us in private, with Him, redirecting us gently to His ways rather than ours. When there has been offense, He allows repair along with forgiveness. Often He is the only one who knows, as mankind does not set the same standard that the pearl of great price illustrates. Others may think many things Christians struggle with along our path of life are no big deal. God thinks the inner issues are the biggest deal, the inner workings of the most evil part of us, the heart. Peter said:

“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1-3 KJV

Oh how we miss this in our love affair with church rules and regulations, outer forms of religion, establishing external laws that cannot and never will alter the inner condition of our hearts! From beginning to end, God’s word speaks of the heart, how deceitful it is, how He is the only one Who sees our hearts clearly, while none of us can truly see our own. We miss the mark over and over, yet He knows our desire to be righteous, to please Him Who is our life.

Only the holy spirit can illuminate what we need to see about our own hearts and He does this so very kindly and graciously. He knows we are but dust, unable in any way to purify our hearts other than yielding to the inner workings of His spirit.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.” Psalms 103:13-14 Berean

Thankfully, Jesus Christ is intent on having a church without spot or wrinkle, hearts with no guile, brothers and sisters who are made into His image and likeness. Then the world will finally know Him, as Paul says, in the power of His resurrection through shared sufferings. Here is the way of wise words leading others to understand the call, come up to the heights, to meet with others who are being perfected while staying on track.

Then we are in possession of that Pearl of great price worth letting go of everything else. Then we are enabled to share God’s chosen words within us as pearls of His wisdom, formed within by Him and shining out to others:

“Does not wisdom call, and understanding raise her voice? On top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, at the entrance of the doors, she cries out:

‘To you, people, I call, and my voice is to mankind. You naive ones, understand prudence; and, you fools, understand wisdom! Listen, for I will speak noble things; and the opening of my lips will reveal right things. For my mouth will proclaim truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them. They are all straightforward to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.” Proverbs 8:1-9 NASB

Is this not our strongest desire? This is what God sees in our deepest heart, that we want to be like Him, to please our heavenly Father, to cause no offense to His holy spirit, to truly have hearts pure, holy and without guile. Impossible in ourselves, but the actual Plan and Purpose of God! This is why Solomon said how important wisdom and understanding is rather than knowledge alone.

“Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not abandon her, and she will guard you; love her, and she will watch over you.

The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your possessions, acquire understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty.” Proverbs 4:5-9 NASB

King Solomon asked wisdom and understanding when he became king of Israel. He was wise enough to know that he did not have the needed wisdom and knowledge to lead God’s great nation of people. He lived the truth of these words in Proverbs 4, and was promised everything else, including long life, because of asking for this alone.

We follow on to know the Lord, seeking the wisdom of His kingdom so we will truly have His heart replacing our stony heart of flesh. Then we are able to forget the past, having no regrets about the words that come out of our mouths, because He has purified them, overlaying them with the precious Pearl of great price that is His nature. We overcome this flesh and all its ways, including any wordy ways, through Him. He has done everything for us. making the way and showing us the path of life.

Then we each become a unique, living example of those able to obtain this precious jewel worked within from all life’s irritants that come our way. We are enabled to speak an apt word, one that fits in communicating what God wants to say. We still have different ways in which we use words, including some using more words to express ourselves than others, but the Holy Spirit guides and teaches each of us our unique way, our specific path.

His word always accomplishes what He sent it to do. There is no lack, no failure in Him. What is not done yet He has allowed, what is done is only by the power and authority of His word of truth spoken from being fully centered into His nature of love. Proverbs often speaks to what is precious, words that are most pleasing to Him, effectively used by His servants to change the lives of others.

Let us celebrate every irritant that is created within us, knowing that it is a precious opportunity to be covered over by His nature as we submit to His ways in dealing with it. We are growing ever closer to having a precious word that is a gift, even when in reproof, to others!

“Apricots of gold in pictures of silver is a word on its aptly spoken. A pendant of gold and an eardrop of certified gold is the reproof of a wise man upon a hearkening ear.” Proverbs 25:11-12 Concordant Literal

Truth in Love

Every bit of wisdom and truth about people and how to be with each other comes from God. Every valid and accurate scientific finding from neuroscience, social psychology, human development, sociology,and other aspects of research on humanity is rooted in God’s wisdom, revealed by Him. Whether He is acknowledged as the source is immaterial, it is still from God. It is only the foolish who deny it.

Sometimes we don’t recognize God’s truth in these findings nor how they are used because the Bible uses different words. Nonetheless, it is all through His word, the Source of all creation. Social scientists and relationship experts may think they have come up with these principles but any truth revealing wisdom about how we are to relate with others that is effective He has already stated. All of humanity’s amazing discoveries are the revelation of God’s truth and wisdom, His holy knowledge and ability given as gifts to us.

We Christians ought to be the experts in how to relate with one another but clearly, we are not very good at it! We have not been perfected in our walk nor has He revealed the vastness of His knowledge of us and the universe. But we are on the path and we are willing. One useful example is the skill of assertiveness, a most valuable skill for people to use in relationships. But is it biblical?

God is our expert, our model, and He talks about assertiveness as “speaking the truth in love.”

“…speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.” Ephesians 4:15-16 Berean

Love is the principle thing in the lives of all Christians. Love covers all and never fails. So when we have to assert ourselves with others, we can count on God enabling us to do so in love. Truth alone can be hurtful when it should be effective in building up the body of believers. There are many times when the power of truth is necessary for being able to grow together as shared in God’s love.

Truth is in the power of God’s word that corrects all of us:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Ephesians 4: 12 KJV

Humans rely on much more than words to understand what is being communicated. Nonverbal communication encompasses a diverse range of signals such as facial expressions, body language, and vocal nuances like tone and rhythm. We can speak many words to one another, but nearly every culture, to varying degrees, relies on what is not spoken. To be sure, what is in the heart will come out, exposed to others even when we are trying to hide it. God’s truth has no deceit in it when it is spoken from a heart without guile.

All words, our verbal communication, are housed in subtle, nonverbal cues that provide critical meaning from the heart. The smile seems to hold a universal meaning but can be altered to communicate a different message than what we usually associate with a smile. The lips may be stretched in the same way, but if the eyes are cold and the expression closed, humans are wired to pick up underlying thoughts, feelings and emotions—all those soul messages—hidden behind it.

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” Matthew 15:19 Berean

Thus it is that God desires a people without guile, speaking the truth in love without dissembling. So many Christians behave as if our faith depends on rules and laws, when Christ came to fulfill the law, not have us try and fail to do so. If we follow all the dictates we are encouraged, even directed to do, with only our fleshly human behavior and interactions, without the mind and power of Christ behind it with a motive, there is little difference with us from those around us.

We are to be different, distinct, a unique holy people called by the name of our Lord. The writer of Romans exhorts Christians to do many things, but always with the correct, godly attitude of heart:

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:6-18 NIV

Do you see the attitudes with which we are to conduct our affairs, most especially in the Body of Christ? If we cannot do it with other believers, from a pure heart made clean by God, we are not going to show this to those who do not know and love our Lord like we do. Look past the dos and don’ts in the above passages to the qualities of love we are to have in the doing.

Because of God’s grace, His unmerited, unearned favor toward us, we are to behave with others with generosity, diligence, gleefully merciful (!), fondly affectionate, honoring others, diligent, fervent, enduring and persevering in expectation, pursuing hospitality, rejoicing and lamenting with others who are doing the same, in humility and egality, pursuing peace with all men as much as God makes possible within us. What a word! What a standard!

God always, always looks at the heart, and if these motives, these attitudes are not present behind our words and behaviors, they are hollow and without merit. Others are built up in love, not just words—even if they are scriptural. Knowledge alone just puffs our flesh up, making is prideful rather than humble. Paul says:

“ If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction].

And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.

If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [b]to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.” 1 Corinthians 13;1-3 NIV

To put it bluntly, what is spoken and done without love is a waste of time, no matter how dedicated and religious one may appear. Doing for God is not the way, doing in love is! Oh how much of our religious activity is just that, done to please men or even thinking to please God when our hearts are so very far from Him and His ways. It is not the doing, but the being that God is working within us. He works to create in us a clean heart that David asked God for in the Psalms, changing us from glory to glory into who He created us to be.

It is a long long path to His life and we all fall short, but, with Paul, we pursue after that prize of the high calling, to be found like Him. Do you think Jesus ever spoke without truth and love in His word, even those blunt, corrective words He used to chastise the religious leaders of His time? In the passage from Romans 12, verse 9, above, love must be genuine and sincere, not fake or shallow. Even animals sense when there is authentic love being extended to them. They don’t know our words, but they quickly pick up the attitude of our hearts toward them.

And so do children! Years ago, I was correcting our young son, around age 3 or 4, and Chris sadly said to me, “Why are you being mean to me when I am not being mean to you?” Out of the mouths of babes! I had corrected him with sharp, unkind words and his sensitive spirit picked that up. It’s significant that he focused much more on the attitude of my heart than the correction to his behavior I was attempting to provide.

It is not that much different with us adults. We miss the main message entirely when it is given in a harsh, impatient, and unkind tone of voice, impatient attitude, negative expression, and unloving messages of the heart. It’s also discouraging and disheartening to be corrected or chastised in this way. This is far from what the Lord told us in so very many places in His word.

We do need correction that comes from our sisters and brothers that God brings, cutting away the darkness of our soul and all its error. When it is required, may it be shared in a way that we can hear, understand, and change our minds—repenting of what misses the mark. Our mind, will, and emotions are revealed as the holy spirit exposes the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

We are to build each other up in love as we speak God’s word to one another. Speaking words with loving intent is God’s standard for us in Christian relationships. We learn to speak truth with kind and gentle intentions, from pure motives, in order to edify, to build one another up. God’s truth does not have to be thundered intensely from the heavens, nor delivered with agitation rather than peace:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” Ephesians 4:29 NIV

The need for assertion in human relationships occurs when there are misunderstandings, confusion, or offenses that must be addressed for love to thrive. Standing up for your rights and not being taken advantage of is one definition of being assertive. But what is standing up for your rights for Christian taught to turn the other cheek? It does not mean vigorously defending ourselves or going to great lengths to explain what we did or why we are in the right.

For believers, the ultimate is to be led by the holy spirit in what we say and do. His spirit is never wrong, but our ability to led by it surely can miss the mark! The holy spirit leads us to communicate what we want and need in a clear fashion, respecting our own rights and feelings while respecting the rights and feelings of others. We are to be neither aggressive nor passive in our communications. My wonderful spiritual mother, Rev. Maxine Plowman, once told me “You do not have to lie down and ‘play rug’ to the devil!”

Passivity was not Jesus’ nature, though men misunderstood His refusal to defend Himself as such. Christians are strong in godliness, allowed to set limits with others where necessary. God has limits, things he does not tolerate, ever. Such it is with us. Godly assertion is truth in love put into action. Following Paul’s urging to attain the unity of the faith unto maturity, the Concordant Literal translates this Ephesians passage about truth in love in the following way,

“Now, being true, in love we should be making all grow into Him, Who is the Head—Christ—out of Whom the entire body, being articulated togehter and united through every assimilation of the supply, in accord with the operation in measure of each one’s part, is making for the growth of the body, for the upbuilding of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:15-16 Concordant Literal

There is no further, deeper original Greek translation for truth and love, both foundational to our faith. Assertiveness among Christians is needed when we are led to speak up, clarify, set limits, or further educate another where there are misunderstandings that cause harm. In common culture, being assertive can be is self-serving, but when we are led by the holy spirit, it is about speaking truth in love to edify, build up another in this most holy faith.

Did you know God needs no defense? Often when I thought I was speaking up for God, I was only defending my own position, clarifying who I am, rather than speaking the truth in love as directed by His spirit. There may or may not have been a heart prepared to hear what I was saying. Speaking as God leads has power to change things, rather than empty words leading to arguments.

“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 Berean

God’s words always accomplish His purpose, it always prospers! We do have to be true to what we know about God and what is in our own hearts. Then, as led by the holy spirit, in love, we do say and do what is needed. It is for the purpose of growing in Him, not out of concern for our own reputation in the eyes of man. Self-righteously justifying ourselves by saying, “Well it’s the truth,” does not qualify as edifying our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Through these words of Paul’s and other scripture, God has joined truth and love so they are inseparable, united as His standard of righteous communication. As with all of God’s creation, there is balance here. Too much love, and there are no limits, a sure way to spoil a child! Too much truth, without love, and the ears shut down, hearing what is in the heart—judgment, condemnation, even disgust and contempt—rather than the truth of what is said.

An aggressive response comes out when our hearts are angry, leading to an attack on the other’s person, rather than addressing the words or behavior that caused issues to arise. And when anger is stuffed down, it eventually will erupt another way, including harm to our bodies. Passive responses, not saying anything, often evolve into passive aggressive behavior. Our true feelings leak out in tone of voice, expression and how we interact.

Watch a child who is told to go to bed and does not want to. They drag their feet, inching their way to obedience. Such a child knows he or she has to do as told, but the heart is unwilling. This can develop into behavior that punishes, an intent of getting back at those in authority, resulting in subtle disobedience emerging later. Father God is no more pleased with ere outer obedience to God’s commands, particularly out of fear, than human parents are.

It’s a start but without faith, we cannot please God. Paul talks about this progression from outer compliance to a heart of faith:

“In fact, the Law was to be our teacher until Christ came. Then we could have faith and be acceptable to God.

But once a person has learned to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher. All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:24-26 CEV

The law teaches until it is written in the heart, where there remains no need to lay down the law. When raising children, we appreciate a child being obedient, but most of us appreciate even more when a child actually wants to obey us, to please us out of love and respect, not fear of punishment and loss of love. The latter works but only temporarily, until a heart to obey is created within. Just so, the law works as our teacher until Christ comes within us. Then what we do stems from faith, without which we cannot please God.

Oh how we err when withholding love for another until they do what we want, child or adult. This is not God’s way! If it were so, none of us would ever be loved by our Father through His son, Jesus Christ. Can we remember that He died for us and rose again to redeem us back to Himself before we could ever please Him? Fear is a most powerful motivator, but, despite those preaching fear and torment to come, it is not what God uses.

Humans seeking power use fear all the time, and the ultimate power is of fear of death—effective but most costly. Look at any dictator in our present world, and you will see how the fear of death is the ultimate means by which they seek to remain in control. They may pretend to themselves and others that they are loved and revered, but without the use of cruelty and punishment, they lose their position at the top.

Fear is a strong opposition to love and yet Christian leaders have used messages of fear throughout the centuries to gain obedience to God in their followers. How much fruit has resulted from this, given the world is far from reaped after centuries of fear-based ministries? Listen to what God says about fear:

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 KJV

What an interesting, significant, even surprising sequence of these words! Fear comes first and is fully connected with unbelief, the exact reason the Israelites of old could not enter in to their promised land. All the other words and behaviors that we Christians surely condemn follow after that. The first requirement is to come in faith, trusting that God loves us and gave His life for us. The apostle John affirms:

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18 ESV

Perfect means complete, so fear is a sign that we are not yet complete in our love for God. God’s love is already perfect, having the correct balance between truth and love. It is our love of God that shows lack when we fear, not His toward us. Our fear for our lives, our future, our world, reveals the shortfall of our trust in God, coming directly from unbelief. We all fall short of this, though some cover their fear by anger.

Yet God says we cannot be perfected, cannot enter in where fear is present. Love swallows up fear:

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law. For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.” Romans 13:8-10 NASB

Here we have it, as clear as it can be: love must be our motive. Note that it is to be the same love we have for ourselves. Here is the balance in God’s pure, sincere love: we love others as we love ourselves. Even when we are loving but miss the mark out of ignorance or even foolishness, the Lord honors the motives of our hearts, covering our sin until we learn more, know more, realize His ways in matters before us.

His perfect love makes no demands, drawing us to Him in love, not fear. Awe and respect, yes, but fear from mistrust and unbelief..no. That is not God.

Just as with little children whose parents are teaching them how to live in this world, Father God is teaching us, His children, how to do so. It starts with obedience when we do not understand what He is doing or, sometimes even disagree with it. Our Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to the religious leaders in opposition to His ministry, gave this parable as an illustration:

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went.

The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.’” Matthew 21:28-31 NASB

There is no use pretending to God that we are obedient, willing to surrender our will to His, if we are not. But He is able to change our hearts as we yield our will to His. The first son did so and the Father was pleased, The second son gave the appearance of obedience, but his heart was not in it and disobedience followed. When we are to speak truth in love to another, our words and behaviors should match, be parallel. Truth is to be lived, not just spoken about, and unbelievers note the difference.

We are still under the refining hand of the Lord to have this accomplished within us. He is able to change us from unwillingness to willingness. It is best to be honest with God—He already knows—when we do not want to do what we know He wants us to do. Submission and time will develop that willingness so that we are enabled by Him to do all He directs us to do that will bring delight to Him:

“ So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining or arguments; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding firmly the word of life, so that on the day of Christ I can take pride because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.” Philippians 2:12-15 NASB

Such fear of God is not fear of punishment, but of failing to please Him and bring Him delight. As our love of God is perfected, our errors in pleasing the Lord more deeply grieve us. We have a healthy fear of not carrying our own salvation into reality so that it may be seen in this world of darkness. We desire more and more to become the Living Truth as the Christ resides within us. Speaking the truth, in love, means fully being and doing as He would in the earth. Jesus said:

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” John 12:49 NIV

Do we want to be fully like our Saviour? Then we must be under the instruction of the Holy spirit, minute by minute, hour by hour, day into year into eternity. Then we shall speak the truth in love always, only speaking what the Father tells us to say, just as our Lord and King did on this earth. What a reconciliation this is!

Feed My Sheep

“Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above them; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; and they knelt down and worshiped the Lord with their faces toward the ground.

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the Law to the people, and the people remained in their places. So they read from the Book of the Law of God, translating and explaining it so that the people understood the reading.

Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law. Then Ezra said to them, ‘Go [your way], eat the rich festival food, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.’

So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be worried.’ Then all the people went on their way to eat, to drink, to send portions [of food to others] and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been communicated to them.’” Nehemiah 8:5-12 Berean

Nehemiah was sent to rebuild Jerusalem after many, many years of Jerusalem laying in ruins. When the work was completed, the people then asked their leaders, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levitical priests, to read and explain the scriptures to them. They had longed for and were missing God’s word so much that they began to be very sad and to cry upon hearing and understanding His word again. But God had the leaders tell them instead to eat, drink, and send portions for the others who were not there. They were not to worry, for the joy of the Lord is their strength.

What a word for today! Paul tells the Philippians that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. The joy within that comes from the Lord’s presence in our hearts is literally our strength. Without His joy springing up alive from understanding His word and His ways, we lose our strength, our ability to handle our lives. The Israelites were God’s special people, His sheep, and they had lost much strength without the feeding of the holy word, the ways of worship, to hear and understand the Word of the Lord.

After His resurrection, when He appeared to the disciples, Jesus Christ fed them and then told Peter:

“Jesus, then, is coming and taking the bread and is giving it to them, and the food fish likewise. Now this is already the third time Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after being roused from among the dead.

When, then, they lunch, Jesus is saying to Simon Peter, ‘Simon of John, are you loving Me more than these?’ He is saying to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, Thou art aware that I am fond of Thee!’ He is saying to him, ‘Graze My lambkins!’

He is saying to him again a second time, ‘Simon of John, are you loving Me?’ He is saying to Him,‘Yes, Lord, Thou art aware that I am fond of Thee!’ He is saying to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep!’

He is saying to him the third time, ‘Simon of John, are you fond of Me? Peter was sorry that He said to him the third time ‘Are you fond of Me? and he is saying to Him, ‘Lord, Thou art aware of all things! Thou knowest that I am fond of Thee’ And Jesus is saying to him, ‘Graze My little sheep!’”

John 21:13-17 Concordant Literal

“Graze my lambkins, shepherd my sheep, graze My little lambkins.” Thus was Peter directed to do after Peter affirmed three times that he did, indeed, love the Lord. Like Peter, those who deeply love the Lord are told to feed the flock of God. Our love for our Lord is to be manifested to others He is raising up in His body of believers. The Greek word translated as graze comes from “bosko,” meaning “to pasture, graze or keep.” Shepherd comes from “poimaino,” meaning “to shepherd, supervise, or feed.”

Both of these words imply a close, caring, and committed relationship of support and protection of the Lord’s flock. A shepherd is responsible for guiding the sheep, protecting and attending to their needs. Shepherds such as David was for his father’s flocks make sure the sheep have clear fresh water, green pastures on which to feed, and protection from predators.

When we are called to feed the Lord’s sheep, we are to have a close watch over others who belong to Him and for whom He cares deeply. This calling is for lambs all the way to mature sheep that require all of God’s word, wisdom and protection. Sheep are an excellent metaphor for God’s people. Sheep cannot graze on the same pastures nor are they always safe from predators or the storms that come.

Sheep cannot, on their own, find new pastures or watering places. When the current pasture is grazed to the roots, the shepherd must move the sheep to new pastures. When the sources of water change or dry up, it is the shepherd’s responsibility to move the flock to a new source of water so they may drink in peace. With the shepherd’s watchcare over the flock, he or she moves them to new pastures. How we need our Shepherd!

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” Psalms 23:1-4 KJV

When you are called to shepherd His sheep, you must stay close to the Lord and His leading, to know how to feed, care and nurture the sheep He has put in your care. People need a fresh word from green pastures in order to grow. The clear, still water of the word of life must continue to flow to, in, and through us for others. Water is needed without to wash the outer, and within, to refresh the inner man.

Our Lord is so precise in the metaphors and symbols He uses in His word to help us understand Him! David well knew what sheep needed from his own years of shepherding his father’s sheep. It was his training ground, the way David was prepared to lead God’s people as their future King. We can learn much about the directive to feed my sheep from the lives of sheep and those who raise them.

For example, what happens when sheep are not moved to new pastures? Those who raise sheep telll us that sheep don’t thrive without a shepherd. Sheep get into lots of trouble without a shepherd, eating things that could hurt them, and easily falling prey to predators. The condition of the sheep is directly related to the care of the shepherd. Sheep need constant care. Don’t we know it?! Without our Shepherd, we do get into all kinds of trouble, ingest things from the world and from evil that hurt us, and are vulnerable to attack.

No wonder the Lord has chosen some to be shepherds of His spiritual flock, under the leading and direction of the Great Shepherd. When those who raise sheep move them to new pasture, it is not as easy as it may seem to those of us inexperienced in the tending of these animals. Indigenous shephards in many countries must know the terrain around them intimately, becoming familiar with every peak and valley in that area. While the valleys of green pastures make for great feeding, the sheep may need to be moved to the higher areas in order to avoid predators.

What wisdom this illustrates for the feeding and care of God’s own precious sheep. Much is required, just as David spoke further about in Psalms 23:

“He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalms 23:3-4 NIV

The word valley is literally translated as “a ravine of blackest shadows.” It is a place of darkness and danger. The Greek word is gay, a “narrow gorge”, taken from the root word gevah meaning “exaltation, arrogance, a lifting up, pride.” Hmmm….One of the dark valleys we can wander into, bringing darkness and the threat of evil is a place where God’s light, His way, becomes hidden from us. This valley is a place where we are relying on our own strength, being arrogant and prideful instead of humbly submitting to our Lord.

How we need our Shepherd and those He has called to lead and guide us out of such places! God leads us through many places of darkness, showing us the path of life so that we need not be afraid. As with David, we do not need to fear because our Shepherd is constantly with us, able at a moment’s notice to lift His club and His staff to protect and comfort us.

When we need new pastures, He leads us to new, life-giving growth, green and lush. Those who raise sheep know that while newborn lambs need the same food daily, the milk of the word, maturing sheep need to be moved to greener pastures or they develop parasites and problems with digestion. What does that say to Christians who settle for hearing the same word year after year, eventually lacking the refreshing water of the spirit as well?

We can learn a lot from exploring God’s use of shepherds and sheep in His word! Spiritually, the parasites and problems in digesting the Word are described this way by Peter:

“Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1 Peter 2:1-3 Berean

Expanding our understanding of this passage of scripture, consider the Concordant Literal’s version:

“Putting off, then, all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all vilifications, as recently born babes, long for the unadulterated milk of the word that by it you may be growing into salvation, if so be that you taste that the Lord is kind:

Whom approaching, a living Stone, having been rejected indeed by men, yet chosen by God, held in honor, you, also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, into a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, most acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:1-5 Concordant Literal

Parasites: malice, deceit, guile, hypocrisy, envy, slander, vilification—how they adulterate the milk of the Word fed to His lambs. It is always a matter of the heart, and, as God’s living stones, we are to be built up through this pure milk of the word. All of these evil, parasitical attitudes of the heart begin to hinder the digestion of His word, until it simply does not digest any more! There is no life left in these dark places of the heart hidden from the light and life of the Lord, no nurturing and growth to maturity.

But how we love a fresh, new word, a delightful outpouring of the presence of God through His holy spirit! Those raising sheep tell us that they love going out onto pasture in the spring, after a winter of dry hay and fodder. The sheep and lambs frolic with joy when the weather allows this again! The grass is sweet, growing so quickly in the spring, and the sheep are happy to eat and even over-eat.

Learning more from the raising of sheep, we find that sheep cannot switch quickly to easily digest this new, luscious food. Hear the words of a 21st century shepherd:

“We also follow the old-timers’ adage, ‘Never put dry sheep onto wet grass.’ If the sheep are dry and the grass is wet, it isn’t wet due to rain (otherwise, the sheep would be wet!), but instead is wet because of the morning dew.

Putting sheep onto lush pasture in the early morning will mean that they will get all of their nutrition that day from the new pasture – which is asking for trouble [creating digestive upset, with the grass going right through them instead of building them up]…

Instead, we let them fill up in the early morning on what is left in the old pasture (the less palatable and lower nutrition plants that they have left) before moving them later in the day to the new field…

[Eventually] they are no longer eating the hay in the barn, even if we offer it. They are fully on the lush pasture...” Adapted from Pine Knoll Sheep and Wool 2020)

What wisdom God is teaching with the use of these references to sheep! As the Great Shepherd, He is teaching us how carefully we are to feed His sheep! Just as the shepherd starts out with the familier barn hay he knows the sheep can digest, a wise teacher does not rush the sharing of the new Word of understanding, a deeper Word. Instead the feeder of God’s flock introduces it along with foundational truths the believers have already been able to digest.

New-born spiritual lambs need the pure milk of the Word. They cannot be nourished yet on the lush pastures of deep revelation; they simply cannot understand or digest it yet. They need to grow and develop on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ through His word. We as God’s sheep cannot grow and thrive on the same pasture, the same Word, but must also be led to move on, no matter how much that current pasture fed us and caused us to grow. How critical it is to be led by the Spirit in feeding His sheep!

It takes a wise shepherd of His sheep to know how the spirit would lead to nurture, grow, and protect His flock. A wise and skillful teacher of God’s word knows how to speak to the people where they are at while lifting them to higher and higher places in God. Throughout our walk with the Lord, we may be called to shepherd many of His own, directly through interaction in fellowship and worship, and indirectly, even invisibly, through prayer and intercession.

God moves people into our spiritual path where we walk together as fellow believers, as He continually feeds all in His flock:

“With good pasture I do feed them, And on mountains of the high place of Israel is their habitation. There do they lie down in a good habitation, and fat pastures they enjoy on mountains of Israel.

I feed My flock, and cause them to lie down, an affirmation of the Lord Yahweh." Ezekiel 34:14-15 Concordant

His feeding eventually brings His rest.

Flesh Cannot Enter In

God is very clear that our earthly, fleshly life cannot partake in His kingdom of peace, love, and joy. It is not capable of it nor does God want us to enter into our allotment—our promised land— in our present fleshly human condition. What can we really do anyway? ALL things are in God’s hands. Does God condemn us for what we truly are unable to do?

There is so much deception as we reflect on our life experiences and accomplishments. Hindsight reveals even more clearly that we were led, doors were opened to us, opportunities to be blessed in our calling, even our adversity was balanced by the loving hand of the Father. This is a promise of freedom and rest, not a condemnation for failure.

Romans makes it very clear that we are unable, we cannot please God by any fleshly activities, including fleshly religious activities not led by the Lord.

“Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:7-9 NIV

That’s good news! Here lies a secret to entering in to His rest, to stop any fleshly efforts to please God. Which part of us are we living and drawing from—the natural man who is capable of good and of evil or the spirit of God within us that creates in us a new creation man, born of the spirit, rebirthed by God by writing His words on our hearts to establish His ways within us?

When we realize it is truly impossible for our flesh to get cleaned up enough to be spiritual, we turn to the One who makes all things possible, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Does the spirit of God live in you? As a believer, our answer should be a resounding “yes”! Jesus states emphatically that the kingdom of God is within us, not out there somewhere in the sky or found in an earthly locale. We must have the spirit within to lead, guide, and change us into the incorruptible realm of the spirit. This is how we are enabled to live with God forever, enjoying His full allotment for us. We must realize that we are God’s project:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV

There is a difference between giving up our struggles with the flesh in defeat or despair and truly surrendering to God. Giving up brings resignation, even resentment and despair, as our own efforts so often meet with failure. We end up wondering how to do the impossible, to be obedient to what the scriptures tell us to do, while we need to stop, to learn to rest in trusting the Father will do it.

If we could beat our flesh into submission, we would, because our heart so desires to please the Lord. There may be times when we think we are doing well, pleasing God and living the holy life promised to us, only to have this fade as adversity and trials reveal what is still within. Somehow we need to be brought to the place where we realize and accept that the flesh cannot please God and never will.

This is when we stop trying to do what only He can do. We accept that He made it this way, so all the glory is His and it is good news! We lay down the heavy burden to trying to please God in the flesh, knowing it is impossible in us. All things are possible with God, however, and the way is up, into the realm of the spirit. Many of us have lived years in the frustration of trying to be good enough, to make our flesh die in order to please God. But when surrender of our own will to God is complete, there is no more struggle.

When I received the word to die to my flesh, I really tried! It’s like I had a big mallet that repeatedly beat on my flesh to get it to submit and do right according to God’s principles. Godly change was the big carrot that God promised, seemingly held in front of me but never to be reached. No matter how hard and fast I raced after it, it was always, always out of reach.

As I knew more and more of His will and ways, this mountain of true obedience from the heart to obtain righteousness got higher and more unattainable. Most of us truly want to be obedient, to please our Lord, but find ourselves unable to do so. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is not only weak, it is incapable. If it were not so, there would be no reason for Jesus Christ to do what He had to do for us. We remain stuck in Romans 7:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Romans 7:14-15 NIV

How difficult it is to rest and trust in Him rather than trying to do it ourselves. As we mature in Christ, we learn to know this truth deep within as we begin the transition from doing to being. It is the way of sincere human nature, even though well-meaning, to try hard, to do better. That is why being good is not exclusive to Christians. There are many who truly do good, who are not evil, just natural human beings.

But to be in Christ, to overcome with His nature within, that is the rare and lasting gold of His own mind, His pure nature, that God is working in us. God set it up this way and such is the promise only He can fulfill within us. He can and does what we cannot and do not accomplish.

“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21 NIV

Knowing this, however, we still have need of patience—to endure waiting while He is doing this work within us. We turn and turn and turn again to our Father God, through Jesus Christ our Savior, looking to Him who is the author and finisher of this great work in humanity. There are many trials, many struggles we go through on our way to truly living in Him.

One of the biggest is in the waiting. It is our battle of time. We know He is able, we do trust that He will take us through to victory, but when?

“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise…” Hebrews 10:36 KJV

The promise is sure, but endurance is needed to receive it. Endurance in the Greek is “hupomone,” meaning “cheerful endurance, constancy, patience, patient continuance, waiting.” Ah, yes we wait upon the Lord with a cheerful patient attitude to see these promises fulfilled. We must sustain faith in what God says rather than judging our own or others’ progress. We are not to measure ourselves.

The psalmist says the afflictions of the righteous are many, but He delivers them out of them all:

“This wretched man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalms 34:6 NASB

Now why would we, the righteous, have so very many afflictions? Is this not in contrast to those who promise an externally good life as the outcome of walking in God? Afflictions do not come because God does not love us or else He is a complete liar in His word. So, how far do we want to go? Are we willing to be crucified with Him, so that we are enabled, elevated in the spirit to to reign with Him, sharing in His victory over flesh?

Many things are free through the grace of God, including our salvation, but rewards are earned and cost us deeply. They cost us our self-life—our mind, our will, our emotions—as we learn to surrender to what He wants when He wants it. This is frequently in sharp contrast to our own desires, what we see as our earthly needs. Look around the world and you will see deep and costly suffering everywhere.

Some suffer in silence while the suffering of others is broadcast to everyone. For some, only the Lord knows, while others cry out for mercy and justice that only God is able to bring. How God delivers us from all of our distress also differs from the way we would have it. Do we consider it a deliverance when our loved one dies rather than is healed? When the answer to our prayers of desperation seem to fall on deaf ears? When the answer is wait or no rather than yes and amen?

This, my dear friends, is the struggle of an overcoming Christian, one becoming more and more desirous to be truly like our Lord. This company of believers continues looking to God alone to make the necessary changes to enter in. It becomes the truth of our lives as we walk on to know Him, as Paul states:

“But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish,

so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:7-12 NASB

Who can say they have attained? Who is not sharing this same struggle with the rest of us? These are the concerns of our hearts if we truly want to know Him, yet many shrink from the suffering part. They want or even believe that only the blessings are what He is to grant us, blaming the devil for every bad, evil thing that happens to us. And surely the enemy of our souls is most active when we are suffering!

Oh, the words he whispers in our minds, the attacks on our faith and trust in God through our mind, will, and emotions! Sometimes we think we are suffering so much, we cannot take any more, yet God, in His infinite love and purpose for us, allows more. At those times, I find myself saying to Him, “Really God? Really? Do I need all this happening to me, when I love you so much and am trying so hard to follow You?” And He answers, “Yes, my child, you do if you want to be like Me.”

Oh. Well, in that case, what can I do but endure unto the end? I might as well wait with as much joy and peace as He grants me. It is too late to turn back, to say no more, to stop part way up the mountain of my flesh. For many of us, there is nothing to go back to. There’s only God. Would we come this far, only to turn back to the old fleshly ways from which He has delivered us?

One of the truths of life is that we learn so much more from the pain we suffer than the blessings He gives along the way. And we most cherish His blessing and comfort during these times of suffering. Is this not what He does? As Jesus Christ overcame, He made the way for us to do so, too. There is always someone, somewhere—and often many people—who are suffering much more than we are.

As we shed earthly desires for things and experiences that formerly were important, He continually refines the desires of our hearts so that what we want is what He wants. We begin to see the value of His kingdom of love, peace, and joy within rather than the external happiness or momentary escape from troubles, along with fading love that always brings loss.

Do you, along with me, wish you were easier to convince, to change? It gets very old walking around the same mountain of our flesh rather than climbing higher in Him. Even with surrender of our will to His will, there remains challenges to our flesh in yielding patiently to His work within us. It is not easy for us to just wait! Flesh must be burned up by His fiery presence within while we learn to walk it out.

Earlier in Philippians, Paul talks about this:

“And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may discover the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 NASB

Salvation is free, but righteousness is costly. It cost Jesus Christ His life, with the unimaginable pain of the death that was set before Him. We are to take up our cross daily to walk with Him, each of us facing suffering and affliction that only He chooses. When we have asked to be like Him, we suffer many unfair situations and experiences to enter into His kingdom, to reign with Him. This is not some heavenly throne we imagine showing up in the future.

This is reigning with Him over our flesh, conquering it through the spirit, just as He did, through Father God within. Overcoming the flesh is not a popular message and some try to bypass it altogether, one way or another. But consider all the scripture about overcoming, particularly in the book of Revelation, surely a word for such a time as this. The Lord made many promises to His own in this symbolic book, each with requirements to receive the reward waiting for those who overcome.

The Revelation is the unveiling of Jesus Christ, to be seen in His purified people, through overcoming, to conquer all. The church of the Ephesians are to repent, particularly of embracing the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which places the priesthood over the people. The Nicolaitans put leadership in between the people and God, replacing God’s direct relationship and spiritual communication within believers.

That’s why they are told to return to their first Love.

“Yet you have this [to your credit], that you hate the works and corrupt teachings of the Nicolaitans [that mislead and delude the people], which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant [the privilege] to eat [the fruit] from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:6-7 Amplified

The believers in Smyrna, martyrs who died for their faith, are told that they need not fear thewill suffering of the second death, that death to the flesh we’re addressing here:

“Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested [in your faith], and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death [if you must die for your faith], and I will give you the crown [consisting] of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will not be hurt by the second death (the lake of fire).” Revelation 2:10-11 Amplified

The body of Christ at Pergamum is told that the Lord is not pleased with the teachings of Balaam, including prophecy for hire, as well as putting leadership, rather than God, over the people:

"He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], to him I will give [the privilege of eating] some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone with a new name engraved on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’” Revelation 2:17 Amplified

Those in the church in Thyatira are chastised for tolerating false teachings from the harlot system of Babylon, prioritizing religious organizations with their laws and teachings above the Lord. God predicts death to her children—that is, no life to those who are birthed in these dead systems. He reminds them that He searches hearts and minds, so He knows what is within them.

But to those who have not embraced the doctrine and teachings of satan, He has a different message: .

“But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the depths of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you, except to hold tightly to what you have until I come.

And he who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] and he who keeps My deeds [doing things that please Me] until the [very] end, to him I will give authority and power over the nations;

and he shall shepherd and rule them with a rod of iron, as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have received authority [and power to rule them] from My Father; and I will give him the Morning Star. He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 2:20-29 Amplified

To the saints in Sardis, the Lord bluntly states that their reputation for spiritual life is false. They are to wake up spiritually and repent so as not to be surprised when He returns in His saints. Yet there are those who have not polluted their garments:

“These are the words of Him who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead.

Wake up, and strengthen and reaffirm what remains [of your faithful commitment to Me], which is about to die; for I have not found [any of] your deeds completed in the sight of My God or meeting His requirements.

So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them, and repent [change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. So then, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

But you [still] have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes [that is, contaminated their character and personal integrity with sin]; and they will walk with Me [dressed] in white, because they are worthy (righteous).

He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will accordingly be dressed in white clothing; and I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess and openly acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels [saying that he is one of Mine]. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' Revelation 3:2-6 Amplified

The church at Philadelphia, has a little power through brotherly love. They are the only group of believers who are not told to repent like the others. They have an open door to enter in to His Kingdom of Life, and are commended for enduring patiently:

“And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key [to the house] of David, He who opens and no one will [be able to] shut, and He who shuts and no one opens:

‘I know your deeds. See, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut, for you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not renounced or denied My name. Take note, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know [without any doubt] that I have loved you.

Because you have kept the word of My endurance [My command to persevere], I will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial, that hour which is about to come on the whole [inhabited] world, to test those who live on the earth.

I am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown [by leading you to renounce the faith]. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God; he will most certainly never be put out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My [own] new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:7-13 Amplified

The Laodicean church is strongly chastised for their ambivalent faith that is neither hot nor cold. Believing they are rich, already having it all, they have stopped growing. God is not happy with this and is no longer allowing them to speak for Him. They are so far from Him that He is knocking to get back in to the center of their hearts. Discipline is coming for such as these:

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].

Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.

Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].

Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.

He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:15-22 Amplified

Here it is most astoundingly clear: Those He loves, He chastens and disciplines, like any good father does to His beloved sons and daughters. He desires inner change that will result in righteous being and right living. We are to expect it as part of overcoming the flesh. God Himself exposes us to ourselves, so that we do repent! How much higher are His thoughts than ours, how difficult to understand His ways! Oh, the unfathomable riches of His wisdom and power!

The promise of great rewards are given to the overcomers, those who conquer as He has conquered. Just what did Jesus Christ conquer but His flesh, His own human will and ways? Is this not what He struggled mightily with in the Garden of Gethsemane? He well knew we would need the Holy Spirit, His coming again within us, to overcome, to conquer all things as He did. Consider this passage from John:

“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’

Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ ‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’

Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’” John 3:1-8 NIV

No, flesh cannot do it—never could and never will. Oh, to work this deep within our hearts so that we may endure to the end, knowing He is with us through it all. We must be born again, not in a one time yielding to Him through confessing belief—not if you want to be like Him, desiring to overcome all, to rule and reign with Him in His kingdom. Oh, no, when we are given much, much processing is required of us. We say “Yes, Lord” long before we know what we are committing our hearts and our will to become, to experience as we follow on to know Him.

The old hymn, “Are Ye Able?” says it well:

“Are ye able," said the Master,"To be crucified with me?" "Yea," the sturdy dreamers answered,”To the death we follow Thee."

“Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love and loyalty.”

“Are ye able to remember, when a thief lifts up his eyes, that his pardoned soul is worthy of a place in paradise?

“Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.”

“Are ye able when the shadows close around you with the sod, to believe that spirit triumphs, to commend your soul to God? “

“Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.”

"Are ye able?" Still the Master whispers down eternity, and heroic spirits answer, now, as then, in Galilee.”

“Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.”

Earl Marlott (1926)

An Understanding Heart

Mature Christians must grow into an understanding heart, one of unconditional love, absolute mercy, total forgiveness, and divine compassion. This is the character of our God, and we must have it as sincere worshipers of the Lord who desire and pursue His ways. Love is the critical quality, but it must be His love, given freely, without expectation or reward. God’s love is ever extending His life to others, freely available through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When Solomon ascended to his father David’s throne, he realized what was essential in ruling God’’s great people at the time. Will we be needing any less to rule and reign with Him in His kingdom? With all of your getting, get understanding! Wisdom and understanding are essentail.

What is an understanding heart and how important is it in the kingdom of God? After Solomon had dedicated himself and the house of God he had built, God asked Solomon a most amazing question following Solomon’s worshiping in the new temple.

“That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’

Solomon answered God, ‘You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.

Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?’ God said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.

And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.’” 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 NIV

This is what Solomon requested of the Lord when he was called to judge and rule over all the great people of God. Think about it! How would each of us respond to God asking what He could give to us? It’s an important question to ponder. God knew what was in Solomon’s heart, what He most desired, before He asked. He knows all things and is the discerner of hearts.

God knew the longing of Solomon’s heart, that his greatest desire and need was to obtain wisdom and knowledge as a wise ruler of God’s people. Solomon well knew that he was not equipped to lead, rule, and judge the kingdom of God in that era. Solomon was incredibly honored by God for his priority, as well as blessed materially beyond measure. His awareness of his own lack and reliance on the Lord make Solomon an excellent model for other leaders.

Anyone given responsibility for others in the kingdom of God, called upon to make difficult decisions and have godly advice, deeply requires God’s wisdom and understanding. Solomon asked for God’s wisdom and understanding for the people, with the intent that he would be equipped for this great calling his father, David, passed on to him. Inherited rulership does not require qualifications, but God always qualifies those who serve others in His kingdom.

The phrase, an understanding heart comes from the Hebrew word “shama,” variously translated from Strong’s Concordance as “to hear intelligently, with attention, obedience, carefully consider, discern, listen, give ear, perceive.” The Concordant Literal translation uses hearkening heart, meaning “to listen with intent to obey.” Clearly the meaning is far beyond hearing the words or looking at surface issues. It is far different than just a measure of intelligence or skill needed to serve others in God’s house.

While education may open doors, this is type of work that has to be learned by the doing of it. When called to be one of God’s leaders or counselors, professional or personal, the only way to acquire the depth of wisdom and knowledge is through time and experience. An understanding heart for others and their difficulties is an excellent foundation while God instructs us on how to handle His callings.

A sincere commitment to helping others through life’s difficulties, knowing God is with you, is critical. When we are inexperienced in life or in our calling, God covers a lot done with a sincere heart! We may be led to obtain the required education from human institutions so that doors are open to us, but God’s school is the more important. Skills can be learned but life teaches how to truly offer wise counsel to others as God gives us a heart to do His will.

Lessons from Him are written deeply within our hearts, embedded there by the Holy Spirit. Only God teaches His servants how to be led by the spirit in every situation. There are many believers with understanding hearts all over the world who are neither professionally trained nor paid for it, whom God uses to offer wise and godly counsel to those who ask. These are people that others go to and trust when dealing with their troubles. They can count on the listener paying attention, discerning the root of issues, and feeling understood even when they are missing the mark.

Advice or counsel may not even be given as the person gains clarity and finds their own answers through skillful spirit-led intervention by a loving ear. Those who receive this counsel may not name His name or sometimes even know that the Lord is the source of this assistance. God raises up helpers who are healers among us to help the people of God. Without Him many helpers are just technicians following an educated formula—and there are plenty of those!

God’s way has always been to look at the heart. He is a Master at choosing those who have the heart-desire to do what He calls them to do. When we helpers are with a troubled heart, including those who are deeply suffering in their distress, a discerning heart gets past the surface issues to what the person really needs. Godly wisdom increases as more issues and situations are brought to a healer’s heart while we walk in His path for us.

God chose King David because of his heart. It is His way throughout the Bible. God is all about the heart! Saul was the king the Israelite people had demanded and chosen so they would be like all the other nations around them. They wanted a King to fit in, to avoid being different, to be like others in their world. Well, they got what they wanted and it became disastrous.

God chooses differently, most clearly stated when the prophet Samuel was told by God to tell King Saul that he had lost the kingdom for disobeying Him. Samuel told Saul:

“‘You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.

But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.’” 1 Samuel 13:13-14 NIV

This time, God was making His choice, someone who had the same heart and values that God had. Samuel was directed to go to Jesse’s family of eight sons to identify God’s chosen and anoint him as the next king. God told Samual how to approach Jesse and his sons by bringing a sacrifice:

“‘Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.’ Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, ‘Do you come in peace?’ Samuel replied, ‘Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.’

Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, ‘Nor has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’

So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ ‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered. ‘He is tending the sheep.’ Samuel said, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.’ So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; this is the one.’” 1 Samuel 16:3-12 NIV

David had a good appearance but so did the other sons. That is not why he was choson. His brothers looked in Samuel’s eyes to be of good appearance, outwardly seeming to meet the criteria to be king, but God always chooses by the heart, not by the outward appearance. The important thing to God was David’s heart for God and willingness to do His will. If only we could remember this in all our dealings!

As with David, God seems to choose the least likely candidates , without few apparent external qualifications. Here’s David, the youngest, least likely to be chosen, such that Jesse did not even have David in the line up for Samuel’s consideration. Though shepherding his father’s sheep was a lowly task, it was God’s training ground for David. God knew He could train David to be king, as long as David’s heart was right. The glories of David’s life was God’s!

There are other striking examples of God’s choosing that appear like a very bad idea. Saul, the great persecutor of the Christians, was chosen to bring the Gentiles into the kingdom of God. Rahab the prostitute, chosen to hide the Israelites in their battle, was in the lineage of Jesus Christ through Boaz. The great leader, Moses, the murderer who stuttered, became a victorious leader. Gideon, of lowly stature and requiring more than one test to be sure it was God’s calling, led God’s people out of bondage to their enemies.

There are many, many more. We are the clay, He is the potter, and He well knows how to shape us into a vessel to be used in His kingdom. What a powerful lesson: never judging nor choosing by outward appearance, a lesson we seem to forget. God sees past the outer, the lack of obvious skills fit for the work, questionable past histories, even those who are currently opposing His ways!

God knows the end from the beginning. He looks at the deepest core of humans, having created and then preparing each for such a time as this. God knows who has a heart that wants to please and obey Him, who will put His will first. God also uses the weaknesses of those He calls, turning them into strengths. What an amazing Lord we serve!The highest wisdom is God’s wisdom and that is what we seek. His thoughts and His ways are clearly higher than our thoughts and ways.

First and foremost, seek the wisdom of God. The first principle of wisdom is to seek wisdom! Knowledge is just information unless one knows how to skillfully apply that knowledge in life. Though wisdom is enhanced by experience, some are born with wisdom. There are children who seem to be born with wise souls. Not surprisingly, Jesus was one such child:

“And the child [Jesus} grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.” Luke 2:39 NIV

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52 NIV

Jesus progressively learned from the religious leaders and study of the Jewish texts of His day. He gained knowledge, but beyond that, wisdom which gave Him stature and favor with God and men. Wisdom builds on knowledge, going beyond knowing to being. All of us know many things we cannot effectively apply in life circumstances. Yet it seems some humans, young and old, come equipped with wise hearts.

With godly discernment, we can see it in their eyes, sense it in their responses, observe it in their interactions with others.

“A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother. Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment,but a man of understanding walks a straight path.” Proverbs 15: 20-21 Berean

In modern times, an understanding heart may be called emotional intelligence, the ability to manage and understand your own and others’ emotions. Someone with this kind of intelligence is self-aware, motivated to understand and empathize with others in order to skillfully interact with them, to do them good. All cultures require some understanding of the emotions beneath words and behaviors, though the degree in which various societies emphasize this type of “smarts” varies.

God, however, prioritizes intelligence from the heart, wherein He dwells. The highest wisdom is God’s wisdom and that is what we seek. First and foremost, seek the wisdom of God. Then we are to get understanding. We are to gain understanding to comprehend what is going on and what to do about it. Understanding is required alongside wisdom and knowledge. Understanding speaks to knowing what to do with the knowledge one obtains.

We all know others whose IQ’s are off the charts, but their ability to navigate with humans in this life is sadly lacking as they lack wisdom and understanding. Just being smart isn’t enough in God’s kingdom!

“For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12 Berean

So, wisdom is a defence, protecting us more than financial wealth might. But nothing, nothing is higher and more valuable than the knowledge of God. He teaches and nurtures the understanding heart to fulfill His calling. After all, our calling is His idea, though we are to make that calling certain and secure:

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11 KJV

We are to be diligent so that our calling and election are confirmed, established, secure—providing an abundant supply of all God requires for entering into His Kingdom. God’s directives in the scriptures examined here would have us apply diligence to obtaining His wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Biblical scholars and those trained in ministry have an abundance of knowledge about God and His word, but they may not have the understanding to apply what they know to their own and others’ lives.

Paul experienced such in his ministry to the Greeks:

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.

Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, ‘What is this babbler trying to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be advocating foreign gods.’ They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.

So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.’ Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.” Acts 17: 16-21 Berean

Here is a clear example of the distinction between knowledge and ideas and the wisdom of God. The Greek philosophers admitted they did not understand Paul’s teachings about Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Paul skillfully began teaching them from where they were at, using their worship of an unknown god along with their demonstrated interest in religious ideas to teach them about Jesus Christ, the Living God:

“Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.

Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.

God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’” Acts 17:22-28 Berean

Paul used godly skills to speak to this audience where they are at, starting within their framework. He did not begin with all he knew, but connected them to the Living God by appealing to their interests. Then God could begin to deal with their hearts. What God is all about is bringing change in the inner man, something that no amount of discussion or exchange of ideas and knowledge can create.

An understanding heart is certainly needed in this troubled world of today. Those of us who serve the Lord need to allow God to create and grow such a heart for all, most especially His own people.

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.’” Proverbs 4:7-9 NIV

Forgiveness Pt. 2: Forgiveness vs. Consequences

Understanding the process of forgiving someone includes distinguishing between forgiveness and the consequences of human actions. There may be a range of outcomes following offenses to God and man, regardless of being forgiven. We suffer consequences from our own behavior—from emotional discomfort to loss of love, relationship, trust or esteem. We may suffer a fracture in our relationship with the Lord as we struggle with God’s ways.

Consequences are up to God and His justice is certain. God does not change His standards but He does look at the heart and surely knows when true repentance is there. It’s sad to have someone be forgiven by God while we continue blaming that person! Confusion also comes from believing that forgiveness erases consequences. We want to be sure there are consequences and may go about insuring they happen rather than waiting for God. Then our forgiveness is conditional, depending on punishment, rather than freely given.

God allows natural consequences or even initiates them despite His forgiveness of our sins. Thankfully, we do not get all the consequences we deserve when God forgives us. Forgiveness is truly a heart condition that God works within us for the forgiver’s benefit..His justice and mercy take care of the length and severity of the consequences. Sometimes it is but a brief period, a smaller cost. But at other times, the offender may suffer permanent loss.

King David is an excellent example of God’s forgiveness – how His judgment in mercy is redemptive—as well as consequences. David saw Bathsheba, a beautiful married woman bathing on her roof. He wanted her and he was the king, so he brought Bathsheba to him. Then she got pregnant by David while her husband Uriah, the Hittite, was away in battle. David was about to be exposed and held accountable.

If you are not familiar with this story, then you may be astounded at the lengths to which David went to carry out this very wrong act and then attempt a cover-up. He used deception and trickery with Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, one of David’s honorable and faithful men of war. He involved Joab, the leader of his army, in setting Uriah up to be killed in the frontline of battle. Somehow, David, this man after God’s own heart, lost awareness of God seeing it all.

Below is the account of David’s actions:

“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’

Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, ‘I am pregnant.’

So David sent this word to Joab: ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and wash your feet.’ So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house. David was told, ‘Uriah did not go home.’ So he asked Uriah, ‘Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?’ Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!’

Then David said to him, ‘Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.’ So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it to Uriah. In it he wrote, ‘Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.’ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger: ‘When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelek, son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’

If he [King David} asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.

But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” 2 Samuel 11: 1-27 NIV

Time after time, Uriah, the innocent husband, refused to do what David tried to trick him into doing. He was an honorable and committed soldier for King David. David talked with him face-to-face knowing he coveted and had bedded Uriah’s wife. David desperately needed Uriah to make love with Bathsheba, to conceal his sinfulness to be revealed by Bathsheba’s pregnancy. Bathsheba did love her husband and she mourned for him, but she had no say in what King David did.

God sent Nathan the prophet to deliver a corrective judgment to King David. The Lord had a skillful way of convicting David through Nathan. The prophet used a metaphor to reveal to David just how wrong he was. Nathan is also given words to remind David of all that God has done for Him. These words from God that Nathan said to David sound like an earthly parent’s “and after all I’ve done for you!” chastisement to a beloved but transgressing child.

The story continues:

“...he [Nathan] said, ‘there were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms.

Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity.’

Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.

Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.” Samuel 12: 1-11 NIV.

And here are the consequences that God, through His prophet Nathan, would administer due to David’s actions:

“Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own’ This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’

This difference between forgiveness and consequences is critical to understand in our dealings with others and with the Lord. Forgiveness is a matter of the heart while consequences are God’s business. God’s perfect heart of the marriage of justice and mercy insures us of this. David was forgiven by God, though there were consequences in his personal life, but God kept His eternal promise to David about His future throne and rulership.

When we are the one needing forgiveness, we Christians can be very thankful that God’s mercy provides an escape from all that we might deserve. He also helps us endure any consequences coming our way. Because God looks at the heart, He knows who is truly repentant, even caught in a snare. He knows who is willing to allow Him to work an inner change.

In His mercy and justice, the wrongdoer may not suffer the consequences we think are equal to their behavior. God knows what each person needs for redemption, and His grace covers all. We all can recall many times that we did not get all we deserved for our choices and behavior. God is merciful and applies just the right amount of consequences needed, not just in the situation but to fulfill God’s purpose and calling for that individual.

That’s why some children seemingly live a charmed life, appearing to ‘get away with’ their actions while other children get caught every time. When the children of godly parents complain that their wrong actions are always found out by their parents, we thank the Lord for it. He exposes things that are dangerous and could bring harm to His children, from the little ones to the old.

God will reveal many actions that miss the mark, most especially if they are repetitive or put a child in danger. The calling of the child of Christians has a destiny that differs from those allowed to go their own way. It’s a good thing when your child complains that he or she always gets caught! It is a gift of love and an answer to prayer that Father God provides to train up our children in the way they are supposed to go, according to His plan.

The earlier promises God spoke to David, through Samuel, the prophet, came to be. All are completely fulfilled by David’s descendant, Solomon, and eventually, the Lord Jesus Christ:

“The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son.

When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:11-16 NASB

Even our Lord has boundaries, limits that He sets beyond which we are not allowed to go. It’s healthy to have boundaries in our relationships. There are times when a parent’s loving heart grieves with their child while administering discipline that results in loss. God also grieves for what He has to allow when we, His erring children, just don’t seem to get the message.

Though our Lord is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever, He does not treat us all the same in every circumstance. He knows what is needed to fulfill His calling in each of us. Hallelujah, He is always just and always merciful! We can absolutely trust and rely upon what He has done to work within us, reconciling us and our ways to Himself.

Forgiveness may be a challenge for us but it is easy for our tenderhearted, loving, and just God! His compassions never fail. The intent of God’s heart is always to fully and completely be in a relationship with us, sharing His great love. He will have compassion and mercy on our suffering. Jesus quotes from Hosea, the prophet when He states to the Jews of His time:

“But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:13 KJV

There is not one of us, including His called and chosen, who is not a sinner, falling short of God’s standards. At the same time, when God loves us, He disciplines us:

“For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves, and He punishes every son [or daughter] whom He receives and welcomes to His heart...

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Hebrews 12: 6;11-13 NASB

We learn to accept the training that the discipline of God brings. Oh, how the last part of this scriptural passage leaps out: “Do you mean, Lord, that I can go through trials over and over if I do not learn to be trained by them?” Most of us quickly pray to learn our lessons from what God has allowed. Sometimes we do learn; other times we may go around the mountain again.

In any adversity, an important question to ask and seek God for understanding is: “What are you trying to teach me? What lesson do I need to learn in this?” God is very efficient, never wasting any of our experiences and always desiring for us to learn from what He allows in our lives. Is that not redemptive justice—justice that redeems us from our sinful ways and attitudes that develop in our hearts?

God uses our life experiences to correct and deliver us whenever His people are caught in the snares of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. God knows the history and wounds of each of us and intervenes in a precise way like a diamond cutter knows just where to cut. That is quite different from our clumsy human interventions!

We may saw away at another person’s flesh, bludgeon others with angry words of condemnation or even use scripture as a weapon. These actions may be justified by the person as well intended, to help the other, but such treatment rarely creates a redemptive heart change. Instead, it creates discouragement or resentment. And we sure don’t enjoy it when someone decides to get their religious sword out and saw away at us!

Troubles in this life will surely come. We have enough to handle to pass the test! After we have passed it, learning our lessons, life will provide more and God will continue to use them for our growth in Him. We may wish it were not true, but nothing trains us quite like the pain of adversity. Mistakes equal learning, creating mature godly characters written in our hearts.

So, what are we to do with these things:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their fathers? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all…

therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” Hebrews 12:7;12 NIV

While our Lord is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever, He does not treat us all the same in every circumstance. He knows what is needed to fulfill His calling in each of us.

Hallelujah, He is always just and always merciful! We can absolutely trust and rely upon what He has already done to work within us, reconciling us and our ways to Himself.

Forgiveness Pt. 1: The Process

“Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.” Psalms 89:14 NKJV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Matthew 23:23 NKJV

So much in life necessitates the ability to forgive and move on. If you desire peace in your heart, it is essential that you keep your heart free of hurt and resentment, anger and bitterness. And yet, it can be so very difficult. Adding to the challenge of forgiveness is all the misunderstanding of what forgiveness is. It is much more than merely saying “I’m sorry.”

God will teach us about forgiving, if we are willing, as we learn to walk intimately with Him. God is our example and His compassion never fails. His judgments are always right, providing perfect justice and perfect mercy. He is the Perfect Father. We may know earthly fathers who fell short of our perfect Father, but if you were blessed with a godly, wise and merciful earthly father, you may more easily connect and trust your Heavenly Father.

Others without a strong earthly example need to learn more of Father God’s nature of love and mercy. Those who suffer because of their imperfect earthly fathers – whom they can see –are more greatly challenged in trusting an unseen heavenly Father. Our God is more than able to bring wholeness to our hearts where there is parental lack, in any way He chooses. God is the healer of hearts, the only One able to make everything right within.

Wounds created by all of us imperfect parents and others in authority over us are brought to the Father for healing, for release from the past. All can be forgiven in Him: wounds from siblings, spouses, friends, teachers, neighbors, and many others who have significance in our lives, particularly in a child’s life. Those of us with siblings might recall the bitterness of being punished and held accountable for a sibling’s behavior and choices. Some of us were unjustly accused of wrongdoing or held accountable for a younger sibling’s behavior because we are “older” or “know better.”

Others are unfairly treated with mistrust because another sibling did things that created such attitudes in our caregivers. How it can burn to be unfairly judged, mistreated or restricted because of another’s choices! There are many long-held divisions and conflicts in families because of past unfair and unjust treatment in the eyes of those at the time. Family divisions may go on for years and years, until the present generation has no idea why part of their family never associates with another part.

These situations involve our inability not only to forgive but to forget what others have done to us or those we love. But our God forgives and forgets. He said so:

“I, I alone, am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 NASB

Many other scriptures reference this forgetfulness God applies toward our past sins and failures. He never brings the past up to us, throwing our mistakes and shortcomings repeatedly at us, recalling or reminding us of our failure and shame. It’s our own hearts that condemn us or others, with thoughts in our mind:

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20-21 KJV

Aren’t you glad? Forgiveness is a subject about which we Christians should excel, given the basis of our faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the express purpose of forgiveness. Instead, there is found resistance, denial, confusion, rationalization, and lack of application of God’s principles of forgiveness throughout Christian communities. Forgiveness is talked about but the results of unforgiveness remains visible in and around many of God’s own.

Many Christians reveal by words and behavior that their type of forgiveness is not godly. His forgiveness is misunderstood, misapplied, not present nor practiced in their lives, leaving multitudes in turmoil within and without. Forgiveness is not mere words. Forgiveness is a process, not a one-time decision. It requires deciding to forgive, of course, but that decision does not necessarily change the heart.

The critical first step is submitting our will to God’s standard, agreeing to forgive in obedience to God’s directive. We should know that God commands forgiveness but what brings forgiveness about in our stubborn hearts? And what would God have us do when we are the ones needing forgiveness? Where do we start when this is God’s standard but it does not come easy nor yet written upon our hearts so we may obey it? And what about when we, along with multitudes through the centuries, are asked to forgive the unforgivable?

We marvel at the accounts of saints who have done just that, modeling themselves after Jesus Christ forgiving His enemies from His cross of death. Multitudes have been martyred for the cause of Christ, resisting the imposition of church laws and traditions that miss the founding fathers’ message of faith as only as the way. Our enemies, like those who crucified our Lord, know not what they are doing, but Jesus knows.

The enemies of our Lord were fulfilling scripture, completing the work of God. Jesus’ enemies thought to do evil and harm, but instead, they accomplished for God the greatest change in human history! Judas must have had some reason for betraying the Master he had long followed and obeyed, even being used to deliver others in Jesus’ name. Judas was no novice, yet something evil began working in his heart to do as he did. In Romans we are told:

“Love is not working evil to an associate. The complement, then, of law, is love.” Romans 13:10 Concordant Literal

Forgiveness is truly a gift from our faithful and loving Father God! There is really no substitute for God in situations requiring deep and costly forgiveness to heal and restore. We cannot successfully make ourselves forgive nor can we make another forgive us by merely asking for it. There is no human formula to clean the heart of anger and bitterness, resentment and vengeful thoughts.

God will not try us beyond what we can bear but there are multiple circumstances that are unforgivable to the human heart. He has to make a way—and He does. We may arrive at some type of acceptance of what happened, but only God takes the burden of anger, hurt, and devastation from the heart. Determining in our hearts to obey God’s teachings about forgiveness is the essential first step.

This is the beginning of wisdom, knowing that we need to align our will with God’s word and ways. Then we wait upon the Lord to work forgiveness in our souls so that our mind (thoughts), will (determination), and emotions (contrary to God’s loving mercy) aligns with God’s will. He is then writing His forgiveness on our hearts.

Children do need to be taught about forgiveness. Perhaps you were taught – or forced – to say “I’m sorry” by parents or caregivers. Many a child has been directed to sit knee to knee with their sibling until both are truly sorry—at least about having to sit there looking at each other! As a child grows, however, they must learn how the Lord works to truly make their words sincerely and deeply felt in the heart.

This is easy for some tenderhearted little ones, but others are made of strong, stubborn stuff and need more support and guidance in this process. Yet others can no longer respond to the words “I’m sorry. They have been used casually, sarcastically, in superiority and any other of the myriad of insincere emotions the human heart may be expressing through these words. They have been just words, becoming meaningless or even a mockery.

For many, saying a meaningless “sorry” just does not resonate and the Lord of our lives requires more than that. We are all need more than hollow words coming from an insincere heart. When these words are said to avoid the other’s anger or punishment, it is doubtful that “I’m sorry” is given or received in any depth. But as Christians, we are called to forgive without restriction, including whether the other person is truly sorry or not.

God never told us to forgive only when the other one is truly sorry. Their heart is their responsibility to God, not ours. And when we are the offenders, it’s much more powerful to do our part in making amends by saying, “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?” We cannot make another do so, but we do learn to humble ourselves to ask for forgiveness and do what we can, if possible, to make amends.

This teaches the offender to take responsibility for our behavior, foundational for any good relationship. We can do this regardless of whether we intended to offend or not. Such steps toward reconciling our differences are necessary for sustaining healthy relationships, within families especially, and this is one of the building blocks. Asking for forgiveness leaves the repair and reconciliation to the other, the heart of the offended one.

You can visualize yourself as the offender saying sorry and asking for forgiveness as metaphorically extending your hand to the offended one. Then it is up to the person who got offended to extend the hand back by granting a heart change of forgiveness as requested. Often the offended one finds a release in just acknowledging that they are willing to forgive. When we offend someone and offer amends like this, we are able to have peace.

It is an incredible gift when we do what God requires and are freed of further distress or shame about it. The burden of forgiveness is off us as offenders, and now on the one who was offended. If the relationship is no longer, we may never know whether someone actually forgives us, but Jesus knows. We can even ask for this repair to be done by Jesus with those who have passed on. He can convey that message to comfort our hearts though it may be, being in the spirit, they already know we are truly sorry!

“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.” James 3:2 Berean

It is God’s business within us to purge the fault in our words, as we look to become like Jesus. So, even when we are actually right in the matter under contention, right in principle, we ask forgiveness for wrong attitudes, harsh and judgmental words, impatience and a host of other soulish factors that bring wounds and offense. The key here is to prioritize the relationship over being right.

Many relationships become unrepairable because one or both people in the conflict continue to insist on their position in the argument. When someone has to be right, s/he has lost sight of the higher purpose of relationship repair or conflict resolution that true love and commitment require. We cannot control another’s heart nor take God’s place in changing a heart that has been hardened toward us.

What about when we’ve been hurt or offended by another and we are the offended one struggling to forgive? It surely helps if we have witnessed an excellent example in someone who shows the ability to ask for and receive forgiveness. But some need to learn from the Lord what they were not shown or taught by others. Children feel very helpless when they have upset a parent or caregiver, yet are denied any way to make amends. It’s a burden in their hearts, particularly when love is withheld because of it or punishment for wrongdoing continues.

Some Christians have this challenge with Father God. God surely holds us accountable for our part in the cycles of conflict so common in intimate relationships as well as our Christian family. But He does not hold grudges, nor does He ever, ever withdraw His love from us. He is just in holding us accountable, and merciful in His dealings. He is not a punishing God. He is correcting us as the best Father there is! He corrects with His mercy and grace for our good.

Blame is a very human, but wasted, man-made emotion. God is not a blamer. Blame involves condemnation and judgment of the person—“You are bad,” rather than holding accountable the wrongdoer by “What you did is bad.” Blaming is useless in creating change. After all, when you have decided who is to blame, what does it get you? You still have to deal with the situation, a helpless position without any power to change the blamed.

The motive of the heart in a blamer may be a desire to feel superior, better than the other who is the bad one. It’s a way of escapeto project total responsibility for error and wrongdoing unto another. This is in sharp contrast to the mature believer’s acceptance of one’s own responsibility while leaving others to be accountable for their own behavior. Pointing the finger comes so easily to us humans, but Isaiah addressed this heart condition in His rebuke of outward reasons for looking religious when fasting. When you do things God’s way:

“Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer, you will implore, and He will say, "Behold Me!You should take away from your midst the slider bar, and the pointing of the finger and speaking lawlessness…” Isaiah 58:9 Concordant Literal

We are responsible for what we do and God corrects the heart. Yes, human relationships are interactions in which it’s challenging, if not time-wasting, to figure out who started it! It is easy to think the other person did. We learn in childhood to insist it’s the other one who fueled the flames— and sometimes that is true. But we are still responsible for our reactions to others’ behavior.

Ultimately, we have no control over another’s behavior or choices, only our reactions. We may influence them one way or another but we cannot make others change, though we may get outward compliance using anger or threats. This human blame game shows up early in the Bible:

“But the Lord God called out to the man, ‘Where are you?’ ‘I heard Your voice in the garden,’ he replied, ‘and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ asked the Lord God. ‘Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’

And the man answered, ‘The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:9-12 Berean

And here we have it! Our forefather, Adam, blames His wife and even, indirectly, God. Do you hear the accusation in “That woman You gave me…”? Other human Christian husbands have likely uttered these same words to the Lord, if not harbored them in their hearts! Eve was deceived, but Adam was not. Adam ate of the fruit because he loved Eve more than the commandment of God. Adam chose Eve over obedience, cementing the pattern of sin and death we humans have endured in relationships ever since that act.

Yet these scriptures have been used against women by Christians still blaming Eve for the downfall into sin that began in the Garden of Eden. Well, not me! I was angry at both Adam and Eve! After all, they got us into this mess of humanity. Look at all the death and torment that has followed their decisions! But God wasn’t caught unprepared for this. Not for a moment was He wringing His hands and wondering what He needed to do now. He created us this way:

“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope…” Romans 8:20 KJV

God knew all along that Adam was not His finished work. He had a plan from the foundation of the world to supply a Savior in Jesus Christ to meet the need. But what a bummer to learn that God’s focus is on us, not the other person, regardless of who started it or who we’d like to blame. He deals with our actions and reactions, the attitudes and intents of our hearts. He sees it all. It’s up to God whom He deals with first and when. Indeed, it is not what happens to us, but how we react to it that causes stress and disturbance. It is in the attitude of our hearts.

But doesn’t it feel so much more pleasant, comfortable, and easy to blame than to take responsibility for our own actions and reactions before God? Father God teaches us how to respond in Him rather than react in our own fleshly ways. This does not mean that He withholds whispers of compassionate love when we are unfairly blamed. Our Lord provides comfort when life is unfair and we are deeply wounded because of it.

However, even when we are convinced that we are blameless, God shines the light of His Holy Spirit into our hearts to be accountable for our reactions. We must be taught how to respond rather than to just react. His spirit consistently whispers in our hearts to direct us to first examine our own hearts to understand what part of any issue might be something He would change within us. After all, it’s the only aspect of any conflict that we can control.

We may choose to do that immediately or decide instead to waste time in self-pity and anger, accusing the other, building resentment or bitterness, and even seeking the sympathy of others for our struggles. When we have a heart for God, we want to be like Him, to respond in His way. And here it is:

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.” Psalm 103:8 Berean

Of course, the support of wise and comforting friends is helpful, but we do not need a chorus of “Poor you, how could they,..” We are quite able to wrap the cloak of self-pity around us without assistance from others. We humans can always justify our own actions in our own minds, even if we’re not verbalizing it to anyone else.

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.” Proverbs 21:2 KJV

To complete the process of forgiveness as God directs, we must move past the blame game at which immature children, even those in adult bodies, are experts. Under God’s parentage, we are enabled to grow up, to mature sufficiently enough to let go of the issue with the other person. We may have stopped bringing it up to the offender, but to complete the process, we need to stop complaining about it to others, or perhaps most difficult, no longer internally rehearse it within ourselves.

When we indulge in such internal rehearsals, we are creating a negative, blaming rut of woundedness, even of bitterness, in our minds that becomes more and more entrenched and difficult to dislodge. Though it is not a condition of our forgiveness, sometimes God even grants understanding of the other person’s wounded and damaged heart to increases our compassion and guide us in prayer for them.

Many wounded people wound others when there has not been healing within. God brings healing, teaching us what God’s priority is in each situation: to redeem mankind in, not necessarily out of, every circumstance. Look at the Old Testament and you will see that God took His people through adversity and rarely out of it. And He is a master strategist in how to get us out! It is our training ground in trusting Him above all, through all circumstances and events.

When we have done no wrong, but are unjustly accused, we are sharing in the suffering of Christ, as we are bid to do by the great Apostle Paul. Even if no personal wrongdoing is revealed by the Lord, He is faithful and just to work a willingness and completion of the forgiveness process. Our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, surely knows about being unjustly accused. It is a part of this life for all.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.” NASB

The Amplified Bible states it even more beautifully:

"‘No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist],

but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].” 1 Corinthians 10:13 Amplified

Yes, God always provides a way of escape, often not out of the circumstance but always through them by His spirit. And unforgiveness is a temptation! These spiritual battles in our hearts we are to conquer, to overcome through Christ who suffered it all. We all have many opportunities in this life to exercise our spiritual forgiveness muscles. Thus, teaching our children about the process of forgiveness is one of the most valuable lessons we can share because the cost to a person who cannot or refuses to forgive is considerable.

When we hold on to unforgiveness, we pay a price in our mental and physical health for such resentments. We may think we are protecting ourselves from further harm by our own efforts but it’s easy to see that this does not work! There are troubles in this life and none of us, God being no respecter of persons, are exempt from it. We are guaranteed to need to learn to forgive, ideally as we have been forgiven by God. We need to understand that God absolutely expects this of us.

Some resist forgiveness because they erroneously believe it is somehow condoning what the other did, that forgiving the other for what happened is saying it is okay and acceptable. Think about it, however: it makes no sense to forgive something that you are saying was okay. Forgiveness only is necessary when there has been an offense done. Nothing can make it okay after this happens, because it was wrong, at the very least in the eyes of the offended.

This misconception often stems from trying to control our interactions to protect ourselves from further hurt, rather than trusting all to God. We know Christians who refuse to forgive as a way to punish the other, using silence, anger, withdrawal or reminders of the offense, including withholding love and favor. Believing somehow the other person is being punished by our ongoing resentment, bitterness, or vengeful punishing thoughts and behaviors is a deception!

We pay the price for bearing this about in our souls and in our bodies. Bitterness shows up in the body in many ways, costing not only peace of mind but physical health. A clean heart is needed for health in mind and body and God is the expert at cleaning our hearts. God says it’s His business, not ours, to handle offenses, including any vengeance that might be applied.

Recall that His vengeance is quite different than ours is, as He is a loving God, not a vengeful, angry punishing Father. True surrender to the Lord involves trusting Him to deal with others and the problematic behaviors they do that cause our wounds. In this life, we are going to have wounds; in fact, those very wounds can heal us, just as they did for Jesus.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5 NKJV

If you want to talk about what happened with Someone who understands being unfairly punished, talk to Jesus Christ. Our Lord lived such a life, and He allows many of us to join Him in such unearned suffering. He works within us to uncover wrong attitudes and beliefs in our hearts, including wanting to be right, justified in the eyes of others, or just feeling good about staying angry! God knows when we are enjoying staying angry, remaining unwilling to submit our will to Him about the requirement to forgive.

But it is not His directive to us, not the character of Jesus developing within us, as we see in many scriptural passages:

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26–27

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-31

Many, many suffering people experience conflict, loss of hope, loneliness, and depression when in a relationship with someone harsh and unforgiving, someone who sets unrelenting standards for the behavior of others without applying it to themselves. This is the very accusation Jesus made to the religious leaders of His day, the scribes and Pharisees who taught the law but did not do it.

There are far too many Christians who are miserably hanging on to and even rehearsing the wrongs that have been done to them. They repeatedly feed this seed of offense with continual focus, gathering further evidence of the injustice of what happened, allowing it to grow deep roots within their hearts. This can only lead to a root of bitterness which defiles many:

“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled…” Hebrews 12;15 NASB

Bitterness is a poison that is easily shared when we are around someone who is bitter. It is so very easy to catch. Have you ever been with someone bitter and afterwards, you feel sick? It is that poisonous atmosphere, that bitter, negative, hurt spirit you picked up from them as they unwittingly defile many. This person spreads their problems, seldom having any positive impact on change while reinforcing their own misery. Pity is not empowering and never leads to freedom!

The truth is, forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. An old quote, attributed to many sources, states this truth: “Bitterness is like drinking a vial of poison and expecting it to harm the other person. You're not hurting them, only yourself.” Telling your story over and over of how you were harmed, dwelling on such thoughts over time, goes beyond not bringing it up to the wrongdoer. It not only works a poison in others, but in the spirit, soul, and body of the unforgiving one.

Forgiveness is thus not a one time decision but a process worked out in the soul, written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The evidence of forgiveness doing its work is a visible change in the forgiver. What comes out of the heart of the wronged person changes! When you have truly forgiven another, you do not bring it up to them, you don’t bring it up to others, and, most importantly, you don’t bring it up to yourself. And there is no longer any visceral reaction in our bodies.

Others may say they have forgiven, but the evidence of unforgiveness is in the emotions they physically hold within. With completed forgiveness, the body remains peaceful because the heart is truly cleared of it. Quite the challenge, but God is able to work it out over time within His own who trust Him. As Paul states in Philippians:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-1515 NIV

The prize is the fullness of Christ, who bears no unforgiveness to anyone in the world. He said so. People may joke about forgiving but not forgetting, but this is not humorous to God. True surrender to the Lord involves trusting Him to deal with others and the problematic behaviors they do that cause wounds in our lives. We can move on from these times of hurt and pain when they are fully surrendered to our Lord.

Our first opportunity is to forgive our parents and caregivers for what happened when we were young. Some parents are able to humble themselves, to ask for forgiveness when they offend the precious children God has loaned to them; others are unable to do so. Some childhood wounds are grievous, damaging the lives of those so victimized. Father God knows all about it and is able to work forgiveness in all circumstances. For every heinous action committed against a child, there is a saint who has overcome this through the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is impossible for Him.

With a clean heart, God may direct reconciliation. He may also direct distancing or a cutoff to protect the wronged one, setting boundaries in such relationships. There are consequences even for the forgiven that God allows. Trust that no more harm will come may not be restored unless there is true repentance by the other followed by learning to and demonstrating a change in behavior. God is after each of us to walk wisely in these situations, neither holding hurt and anger nor restoring the person in relationship without wise consideration. Some cannot be trusted to change their nature so that no more harm to others occurs. God knows.

Here on earth, we are going to have wounds. Jesus said so. These wounds will heal as they are yielded to Him because Jesus’ suffering was for our healing. How do we learn to have God’s forgiving nature of love if we never encounter pain from another? Could anyone have been more unjustly wounded than our Lord Jesus Christ? He asked the Father to forgive His enemies amidst excruciating suffering when He hung on the cross. Jesus knew that they meant it for evil, but God had a plan for good that required exactly what transpired.

The persecutors of Jesus surely were not asking Him to forgive them. In fact, they were rejoicing that this Man was no longer a threat to their established religious leadership and traditions. Jesus Christ is our model. There is not one thing we can experience that He has not already gone through. Consider all He suffered even in His closest relationships. One of His own, Judas, betrayed Him. Many left Him in the latter days of His ministry. He went from being the most popular minister of His time to being hated and reviled.

All of Jesus’ disciples, His best friends, abandoned Him when He was arrested. And we know He absolutely did nothing to deserve this but, because of it, Jesus Christ made the way for us. He promises to show us specifically what, how, when, and with whom to do what is necessary in carrying out His forgiveness, even for the unlovable.

“For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15-16 Berean

Jesus knows. He gets it! When someone we love wounds us in an unexpected way that violates our foundation of agreement, our written or unwritten contract with them, our trust is damaged. When trust is broken, the wrongdoer can’t just demand the wounded party forgive them, accusing them of unforgiveness when it is trust that takes time to be restored. When trust has been violated, it has to be earned back, not given upon demand.

Trust is earned and restored in a relationship as we get to know one another’s hearts and begin again to rest in their good intentions, despite errors and mistakes. Unlike forgiveness, trust is earned. Trust demanded by the erring partner as proof of the other’s forgiveness is a misunderstanding of the healing process required in any relationship rupture.

When a push for forgiveness comes from the human heart rather than the holy spirit, it minimizes the wounds of the offended one. Forgiveness may have been granted but the restoration of trust often takes more time than the offender wants to allow! Offenders sometimes want their guilt and shame to be wiped out by evidence that the other person is getting over it rapidly. But needing time and proof in order to restore trust to the other is not unforgiveness. It is the natural consequence of untrustworthy behavior.

God surely can distinguish the heart condition of those who are sincere from ones who are saying they need more time to restore the offender into their good graces as an excuse for revenge in their hearts, a weapon to punish and control. When an offender is needing to earn back trust, words and behavior must match. For example, if a teenager has lied about his or her whereabouts and parents learn of it, they may forgive him but trust is damaged.

It is not a sign of unforgiveness but most reasonable to expect the young person to be more transparent about their whereabouts for a time. Another example is when someone in a committed relationship has an affair, emotional or physical, with another person. The guilty party asks for forgiveness but also needs to anticipate their partner will need time to check that their actions match their words, as the wounds from their betrayal heal.

Relationships are repairable after such violations, but rarely occur immediately. There is no guarantee that the partners reach reconciliation at the same time; in fact it is uncommon. We tend to leapfrog, not taking turns per see, into the changes in our hearts that bring restoration to the relationship. It is unrealistic, unfair, and even selfish for the offender to accuse their partner of unforgiveness by needing a reasonable period to see change in order to re-establish trustworthiness.

That is a consequence of the betrayal under which the offender needs to bear up while waiting to display evidence over time of true repentance of wrongdoing revealed in actions and words. Consequences are different from forgiveness. None of us is perfect but Jesus told us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. We are being perfected on this earth through the things we suffer. When our hearts are purified, we bring no offense with our words:

“Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” James 3:3 NLT

Our Lord is a Master of forgiveness and He is most able to write this on our hearts in every situation when we are willing. It is the only path to being free in our spirit, soul, and body from the many common to severe offences that are part of this life. He who is within us is able!