Are our minds worth trusting?

Leaning on our own understanding is something the scripture teaches not to do: Proverbs 3:5-6 5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct your paths." And yet we do. The Hebrew word in Proverbs here is biynah which means: understanding, discernment. Interestingly enough, the very first temptation was to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:17) The Hebrew word knowledge here is daath, which means: discernment, understanding, wisdom. It seems we are tempted to use our own minds to figure things out, and we're not supposed to. In the army the officers would tell the enlisted "Don't think soldier, you're not paid to think." The goal of the military training was so that you just acted, responded, because in a battle situation you may not have time to think. Adam and Eve were perfect, and yet their own knowledge, once they ate of the tree, was not good. God's knowledge was good enough. We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) does this mean we are to default back to our own minds? NO! Lean not to your own understanding! Don't we want the Lord to lead us and guide us in all things? At what point do we say to God, "No, that's OK, I got it from here." Are we fools!? To God be all glory and honor and power. To Him we lift up our praise. To the human intellect we say; submit to Christ's. In this world we are taught to think for ourselves, but Christ has won that battle for us! He is risen. Trust in Him, and His mind! His will never fail. I have friends the have dementia. Their minds are no longer trustworthy, but I ask; "Were they ever?" If God say we are not to trust in ourselves, but to trust in Him, shouldn't that include our understanding? A teacher that is trying to teach his student something they don't understand, if that student refuses to be taught, and insists that he is right, above his professor, and is indeed wrong, then this student is considered a fool. And when our teacher is Christ, how much more the fool are we if we do not listen and learn from our master. Unless of course He is not our master, but in intellect we still retain ourselves as master. I had a national parks ranger in the Grand Canyon tell me "The Lord has my heart, but not my mind" in the area of scientific understanding. Let me tell you something; when we think we know best when we are lost, we will remain lost for a very long time, if not for ever. If we pretend to know better than God at any point in time, we are lost. It's funny we think we can trust in our own minds when scripture teaches us to constantly renew it through the washing of the water of the Word. (Ephesians 5:26) "Lord we need You. Every hour of everyday we need You. Forgive us for our pride. Jesus please save us. Save not just our hearts, but renew our minds as well, through the washing of the water of the word. In Jesus name, Amen."

Repentance from sin, and living no longer in it.

In 1 Peter we are given this:4 "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin," This is actually saying cease from sin. We can stop sinning, YES! Then followed by this 2 "that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." We've done it. We've proven we can live in sin, that's done now. Now we can live fully in Christ. This follows: 3 "For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries." Skip a few verses and we have this:7 "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”" Simple truths, simply said! Love. The message of the cross, the very meaning of His coming. We wants us. He died for us. So let us live for Him, for He wants to live in us. "Lord, help us in Jesus name, Amen."

Straighten up and fly right!

Straighten up and fly right Sounds like a military slogan, but it's a message for us. Nat King Cole sings a song that has these lyrics in it:"Straighten Up And Fly Right: A buzzard took a monkey for a ride in the air, The monkey thought that everything was on the square. The buzzard tried to throw the monkey off his back, The monkey grabbed his neck and said, "Now listen, Jack..." Straighten up and fly right, Straighten up and stay right Straighten up and fly right Problem is it's not in the monkeys nature to fly, so he's hitchin a ride with a vulture, whose nature it is to eat monkeys! Sounds like the wrong kind of partner!Here's the scripture: Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. So even though our nature isn't to fly, we have a new nature, for: Galatians 2:20 "It no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me." And, 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." We must not give in to our old man, and we must have the partnership of Christ, because it's only in Him we can do the impossible, like fly!

Stand Firm

I do not understand this man's fight. I don't get it. But his passion has captured my heart. He feels strongly, he bleeds, he is a man on a mission. He has a cross, and a shield. WHen you're facing an enemy hurling this at you, normally the last thing you'd want is a cross in one hand, but yet he has one. It's really important to him. He has steely determination. I have never seen a man more serious. I would listen to him. Whatever he had to say, I'd lend him an ear. In fact, this picture makes me want to hear his story. It's as if I can see his heart, and I want to hear more. God is like that with us. He sees our heart, our passion. But He knows how to help. That's why I carry the Cross. That's why when I'm being attacked, like today, I carry Christ with me everywhere I go. Right into the battle, the false accusation, with determination I approach Christ; help me please. Help those who are hurting. Help us Lord. And He will. He will. He will answer. After the attack started yesterday, after much prayer, these are the scriptures I was sent and saw, some without any knowledge of the battle raging: Acts 18:9 Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city. Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. Psalm 26:1 Isaiah 43 1-7 43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” john 9:31 We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but He listens to anyone who worships and obeys Him. And finally, "If God be for us who can be against us." Romans 8:31b When my battle started almost a year ago, this was the scripture God gave me, it was actually just on my computer, I didn't put it there: Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Stand firm men of God, stand in Christ, and you WILL stand.

Darkness and light don't mix.

The dawning of the day. Each morning I wake up, and it's still dark outside. Then the sun begins to rise and slowing the light chases away the darkness. A little bit at a time, until it is fully light, and everything can be clearly seen. Our spiritual lives are a little different. Christ comes and changes darkness to light, from sinner to saint, instantly. Then when it is fully light, we sometimes ask the darkness back in. Before the sun comes up in the morning and we can kind of see, can be the most dangerous, because you can't really see well, but you think you can. When pride blinds us, and our hearts are far from God, then darkness will only help us trip, and fall. We need the light of Christ to shine on the darkness, so it's not dark anymore. We don't need some of the light, we need it all. I remember trying to play basketball or football at night, without enough light. When a football is flying through the air and you can't see it until it's right in your face, it can be tough to catch! We need the light to see. As I get older, I realize how much more I need good lighting. Even in photography or film making, good lighting is essential, even in low light scenes, there needs to be enough light for the camera's lense to be able to operate efficiently. The Spirit of God does not allow darkness to share it's light, the two can't co-exist together, and still be called darkness and light. Some how we've been fooled into thinking darkness and light can share our hearts and be happy companions together, but they can't. Light and darkness don't mix, it's either one or the other. It's either dark, or it's light. Jesus, in You there is no darkness at all, and since You have come into our lives, we too are lights, and no longer dwell in darkness. Let us be children of the Light. Let us walk at all times as children of the Light. Jesus, You saved us and made us to shine You into this darkened world, so let us shine, let us love from a pure heart, which is only possible if the True Light shines through us every moment of everyday. Lord, I am Yours, take me.

Saints, that we are, if in Christ

Much has been made about saints, and certain people being holy. Let's define this a little better. “Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” (Philippians 4:21-22) These are living breathing people, not having died yet, simply living holy lives. The apostle Paul typically began and ended most of his church epistles with greetings to and from “the saints.” The context in each case shows that this term was applied to all those who were “in Christ Jesus”—that is, all true Christians. The Greek word hagios meant essentially those people or things that are set aside or consecrated to the Lord. It is frequently translated “holy” and can be applied to objects dedicated to the Lord, as in Hebrews 9:24 (“holy places made with hands”). Paul even identified some as teaching the saints, 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4) Since the sole biblical criterion to be classed as “His saints” is “them that believe,” that includes us! That being the case, should we not be zealous to see that our lives are such as “becometh saints?” (Ephesians 5:3) I have asked many people this question, are you holy? Usually posed to Christians, most don't feel like they are. I understand that, because none of us are worthy! Christ alone is worthy! But understand this, if Christ is in you, He cannot be anywhere that is not holy, so He had to make you holy, and He did! It is Christ's work on the cross that made you holy, not something you have done, it's by grace through faith that we've been saved, not of works, because then we could boast it was something we've done! (James 5) So, you are holy, not being made holy, but are, if you are in Christ! So. Go and be holy, be set apart be His!

He will build His Church

I have been praying for the Church lately, the Body Of Christ, not a building, and I have been sad about her condition. Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. But this morning and last night after prayer, I have new hope for this Body, ...Jesus said, "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18b) Jesus will do what He said He would do. "Lord, as faithful as You are to the Father, let us be as faithful to You, in Jesus name, Amen."