Hebrews 12:11

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Trained in the way of God’s Word. The Word of God proves to be the way, over and over again. I can attest to it in my own life. Whenever I am in the place of opposing words, thoughts, ideas and the like; just mentioning the following words puts things back in perspective for me:

“What does the word of God say about it?”

This simple question brings so much clarity to me, as the words that I have drowned myself in for some years now start to resurface. We can get so fogged by the world and it’s way but as soon as we shift our gaze to acknowledge God, He is right there ready to provide His wisdom.

It doesn’t take much to draw from the well of God. His word is clear, it means what it says and says what it means, whether it be literal, figuratively, metaphorically etc., the word of God has spoken. It brings such clarity and peace whenever it is received without reservation.

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

All of scripture can bless, encourage, instruct and direct our lives. There is not one Word in it that should be discarded. It’s the Source to life. It’s something that I desperately want to bounce around on the inside of me. The Word of God is so powerful, even in writing this blog I am convinced that I am not describing it with adequate words, or even as I should. The Word of God is as powerful as God Himself, because it is God. Literally. The Spirit of God is spewing out of God’s Word and the more we receive it correctly the more we are changed and molded into image bearers.

The discipline we receive by God’s Word is definite concerning our good. We are coheirs with Jesus Christ and should desire to share in everything He has. The Word produces right standing with God and right living. God wants to share everything with us and He does this as we draw near to Him

Hebrews 12:10 AMPC

For [our earthly fathers]

disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed

proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

Hebrews 12:13 AMPC

And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.

We have more power than we believe we do concerning the direction our lives go. Hebrews 12:13 is instructing us to mold the path our feet will go. We can decide to walk on safe and upright paths, paths that heal and cure our lives and bodies from the inside out. We can choose the path that leads us to and in the right direction.

Hebrews 12:14 AMPC

Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the

Lord.

There is a healthy type of striving. There is a holiness that isn’t considered religious, but is needed, in order to see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:15 AMPC

Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look lafter one

another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s

grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor,

bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter

torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it-

I love the elaborate use of words in this version of scripture. It says to “Exercise foresight…”.

foresight:

fore· sight

: an act or the power of foreseeing : PRESCIENCE

: an act of looking forward

also : a view forward

foreseeing:

: to see (something, such as a development) beforehand

Foresight can be anticipated, it can be learned, it can be tapped into so that we might live our best lives before the Lord.

Hebrews 12:25 AMPC

So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes [us] from heaven?

The kingdom of God is the only thing that cannot be shaken. The Word of God remains true whether we choose to believe it or not. It can not be proved a lie and because of this it will never be moved.

Hebrews 12:28 AMPC

Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;

Hebrews 12:29 AMPC

For our God lis indeed] a consuming fire. [Deut. 4:24.]

consuming –

con· sum· ing

: deeply felt : ARDENT

a consuming interest

also : ENGROSSIN

The Word of God uses descriptive language, like “…a consuming fire.” Think about all that those words symbolize. The strength in them, what it takes to put it out and the impact of them and the impression they leave in the natural. Imagine those same words being applied the Almighty God? What do you think of when they are applied to the magnitude of His unlimited power?

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It’s okay to be offended, but it isn’t okay to stay offended.

Offense is tricky, it can creep in unannounced. It can also creep in as a feeling, uninvited. We can notice when it’s present and definitely know when it has left.

Offense, is unavoidable but also can be limited. We can limit our access to offense. We can reject the urge to stay offended. We can receive an offense, hold onto the feeling of the offense and choose when to let it go.

The longer we hold onto offense, is the longer it’ll hold onto us. Offense can linger, and offense knows when it hasn’t really been rejected. You can be offended by something, someone etc. and choose to not allow offense to affect you. You can be offended by something, someone, a scenario and the like; and decide that what you have going on, on the inside of you is too important, too precious, and too sweet to allow yourself to harbor any type of offense. Getting offended and harboring offense are two different things.

Consider offense as something that is very closely related to unforgiveness. Unforgiveness and choosing to remain offended both clog the flow of the grace of God on and in our lives.

It is important for us not to act like something never happened but it is also important for us to move past an offense for the sake of our own personal walk and encounter with God.

Things to note:

⁃ Processing is not choosing to remain offended. It’s an important part of grieving and an important part of our day. It is perfectly ok to process and reprocess events in life in order for you to better understand them and to evaluate them and your experience with them, appropriately.

⁃ Addressing something does not mean that you have chosen to remain offended. If a situation or circumstance needs to be addressed, this does not equate to you harboring an offense. Everything is no automatically resolved once you choose not to carry offense within you anymore. It’s important to know that revisiting a thing, person or place to address an offense does not mean that you have chosen to harbor this offense.

Offense is a tricky thing, but it can absolutely be resolved, released, processed and addressed in a healthy manner. You do not have to harbor an offense, no matter how much it may feel like you do or should.

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So I had a thought the other day. It wasn’t the most pleasant of thoughts and what came from the thought was the following scripture:

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

This scripture along with the following words rushed through my thoughts:

“You will be renewed!”

I think we can read this scripture and brush past the beauty in the promise of the scripture. You being renewed. God, practically promise’s renewal of our minds when we practice Romans 12:2.

⁃ We are not to conform, be fashioned according to, or to be an imitator of, one thing. When we choose to not, we then leave room for ourselves to become something else.

⁃ We are to, choose renewal, renewal in our minds, a complete change of our minds, choose to mature spiritually by focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes.

⁃ And in doing this we are to prove for ourselves, what the will of God is and discern for ourselves what is good, pleasing and the perfect will of God.

This scripture and these words served as a reminder to me in that moment, that I could choose and had the choices to choose from. It reminded me as I am reminding you today that the ball is in y|our court.

I know at times, the opposite thoughts can come rushing in like a flood. They can tempt you to believe that you are powerless or that you lack control, but this just isn’t true. There are several opportunities in every day where we get to choose renewal. We get to choose to get our minds to think the way they were always designed to. Whether we are aware of it or not we are always being programmed and reprogrammed on how to think, how to function and on how to be. Instead of being passive about this programming we are given the privilege of choosing God’s download(s) for our minds.

We get the option of the mind of Christ, if we choose it. We get the promise of a right and sober mind if we choose it. This world screams for your attention so that you do not give the right things or One your attention. Don’t let the world win, don’t let it win the war on your thoughts and the processing of these thoughts.

You have more power than you think, because you have the power to choose. You have the power to choose the voice of God and the Word of God as your focus, and as you do, the promise is that you will NOT remain the same. The promise is that you will be better than you were before making that choice. The promise is that you will be a discerner and know what is good, acceptable and perfect in Gods plan and purposes for you.

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2 Corinthians 4:3-4

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

For the reader who is now a believer:

Could you imagine your life completely unaware, or closed off to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Or, without the revelation of God’s love for you? Or, that the word in itself, defines Him?

When someone wonder’s why there is so much chaos and confusion in the world, do you? Or, do you know the exact force from which it comes from?

There are tons of people who do not know and are closed off to the revelation of God’s love for them, and the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God loves you. Over the years, I have contemplated the vast, deep and wide love that God has for me. Through many seasons that, has been, what has kept me. Not that I’ve experienced much, but His ever present love has always been something that I could expect and count on. He is constant, even when I am not, He is present even in my distance. The more I contemplate His love; is the more I know who I am, the more I believe I am able, and the more I accept how worthy I am according to the thruth of His word over my life. I don’t always get it right but His word is true over my life.

Do you remember the first time you received the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you remember the first time you felt God’s tangible presence?

There are tons of people who are mentally and emotionally closed off to the thought and it isn’t because they can’t be open to it. It is because the enemy of their whole soul has blocked their minds from it. The knowingly and unknowingly result of a continual compliance and agreement with the thoughts and the assignment, and systems of satan.

The love story of God towards you is that He sent His One and Only Son, to die a death that He did not deserve so that, you could have a relationship with Him. He loves you so much that He would give up something to gain you, and that something was His only something. It wasn’t a spare It wasn’t an extra. It was His, Only. He loves you so much that He wage(s) and instructs war against the camp of satan to have your life. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to hell to retrieve the key of sin and death in order to win you over. There is NO ONE that loves you more than this.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

You are loved by God, THE God who sees and knows ALL things! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is FOR you! It is!

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Why do you think the enemy fights every blood bought believer so much? he fights for you to conform to the way of this world so that he can convince you that his way is normal. he wants to get you to not live a life that impacts or changes this world and to live a life that isn’t any different than the unbeliever.

he is a deceiver

he is the accuser of the brethren

he is the voice of lies

Ephesians 6:11

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

Revelation 12:10

Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

John 8:44

…

When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

he fights for you to be contaminated with the stains of this world so that you do not hope to God for anything better. he wants you to believe that a life outside of God’s presence is what’s normal and that there really is no other way.

he wants you to believe that you’ve been blocked or prohibited from choosing another way.

Just think about it…

When the enemy suggest a thing to you, the suggestions goes from bad to worse, and he will never suggest the will of God to you.

Every lie that comes to your mind that is negative and self doubting is OF the enemy. I once recalled the testimony of a spiritual leader while on a cruise. He said that he heard the enemy tell him to “jump!” and his response to the enemy was so simple yet, so profound. He responded “Why?”.

In hopes that this is what actually happened, I also recall that the question he asked immediately silenced the voice of enemy. The suggestion went away. How powerful is that?

The enemy has a motive, he actually has several, but one of the biggest ways he tricks you into believing his lies is by getting you to somehow believe that his voice is normal, that his suggestions and intrusions into you mind is somehow the way life is supposed to go. he wants you to believe that being plagued with negative thoughts is everyone’s norm. he wants you to believe that your life is the way that it is and hope, deliverance, restoration, healing and the like is not an option for you.

he wants you to believe the lie that says you are somehow not worth saving, not worth coming to the rescue of, not worth the belief and not worth the pursuit. he wants you to believe that you are on your own, so he’ll try everything he can to isolate you and to keep you in a place of unbelief.

2 Corinthians 4:4

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

But, here goes my blog coming to remind you that you ARE in fact a world changer, you are not just anybody.

I want to remind you that the enemy will even use believers, knowingly and unknowingly, to try to stop you from your pursuit of God and your chase after Him, holiness and righteousness. I always have to preface a blog when talking about this topic by saying perfection is not righteousness and it is not holiness. We are not after perfection, we are after a deeper walk with Jesus.

Which He so desperately longs for with us. That He proved his longing for you through an unwanted, but willing death of the cross and resurrection from the grave, and accession into heaven; just to sit at the right hand of the Father, and intercede on your behalf, while awaiting His second coming. A relationship with you is what He is after.

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