Fifteen Tactics for Joy

 Fifteen Tactics for Joy

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

In this life of sin and pain, joy is embattled. Just like faith. And Paul says to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). So it is with joy. We must work for it and fight for it. Paul said to the Corinthians, “We work with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24).

How then shall we fight for joy? Here are 15 pointers.

Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift.

Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly. And don’t be put off by the paradox of these first two pointers!

Resolve to attack all known sin in your life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Learn the secret of gutsy guilt — how to fight like a justified sinner.

Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see — to see God for who he is.

Meditate on the word of God day and night.

Pray earnestly and continually for open heart-eyes and an inclination for God.

Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself.

Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the fight.

Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence.

Get the rest, exercise, and proper diet that your body was designed by God to have.

Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature — take a walk in the woods.

Read great books about God and biographies of great saints.

Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others (your verbal witness and deeds of mercy).

Get a global vision for the cause of Christ, and pour yourself out for the unreached.

Every one of those has Bible verses to support it. If you want to see them, they are in the book When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy.

THE FRUIT OF A CHRISTLIKE LIFE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY APRIL 30, 2025.

SUBJECT: THE FRUIT OF A CHRISTLIKE LIFE!

Memory verse: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbushes, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 15 - 20:

7:15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

7:16: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbrushes, or figs of thistles?

7:17: Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

7:19: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

7:20: Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

INTIMATION:

Fruit is edible growth of plants, it also signifies the result or product of an endeavor; the consequence of some effort or action. Our actions and their consequences reveal who we are. For instance, in God’s kingdom, our faith in Christ is demonstrated by actions that depict such faith. If we say we follow Christ we must strive to be like Him; doing things in accordance with His ways. And it is by our actions (fruit) that people, and even God, will know our sincerity in following Him. 

The “Christian life” is a “faith life.” Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away. Some of the faith actions are: soul winning, learning to know God better, developing perseverance, doing God’s Will, and loving others. These character traits are found in the nature of Christ, they do not come automatically, but require hard work. 

In Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23, and Second Peter 1 vs 5 - 8, the Scriptures list additional fruit qualities of Christian character: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23.) 

“And also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; to virtue knowledge; to knowledge self-control; to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Second Peter 1 vs 5 - 8.) 

They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life. We don’t finish one and start the next, but we work on them all together. God empowers and enables us, but He also gives us the responsibility to learn and grow.

For the genuine followers of Christ, the fruit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in them. They are the by-product of Christ’s control—we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit to grow in us, we must join our life to His (John 15 vs 4 - 5.) We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbor. 

God’s people can produce fruit that survives even death. God will remember our love, kindness, and faithfulness, and those who accept Christ through our witness will join us in the new earth. Be sure that your values are in line with God’s values, and decide today to produce fruit that lasts forever. The Scripture says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors; and their works follow them.” (Revelation 14 vs 13.)

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with Your excellent Spirit that I may bear fruit after the nature of Christ, that lasts to eternity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Day Is at Hand

 The Day Is at Hand

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. (Romans 13:12)

This is a word of hope to suffering Christians. It’s a word of hope to Christians who hate their own sin and long to be done with sinning. It’s a word of hope to Christians who long for the last enemy Death to be overcome and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

How is it a word of hope for all these?

“The night” stands for this age of darkness and all its sin and misery and death. And what does Paul say about it? “The night is far gone.” The age of sin and misery and death is almost spent. The day of righteousness and peace and total joy is dawning.

You might say, “2,000 years seems like a long dawn.” From one standpoint it is. And we cry, How long, O Lord, how long will you let it go on? But the biblical way to think goes beyond this lament of “How long!” It looks at world history differently.

The key difference is that the “day” — the new age of the Messiah — has really dawned in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the end of this fallen age. That is, the end of this fallen age has, as it were, broken in to this world. Jesus defeated sin and pain and death and Satan when he died and rose again. The decisive battle of the ages is over. The kingdom has come. Eternal life has come.

And when dawn happens — as it did in the coming of Jesus — no one should doubt the coming of day. Not even if the dawn draws out 2,000 years. As Peter says in 2 Peter 3:8, “Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” The dawn has come. The day has arrived. Nothing can stop the rising of the sun to full day.

MIRACLES CAN DECEIVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 29, 2025.

SUBJECT : MIRACLES CAN DECEIVE!

Memory verse: “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which He was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived." (Revelation 13 vs 14.)

READ: Exodus 7 vs 10 - 12; 19 - 22:

7:10: So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD had commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

7:11: But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

7:12: For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

7:19:Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, and over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood, and in pitchers of stone.’”

7:20: And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

7:21: The fish that was in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

7:22: Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them; as the LORD had said.

INTIMATION:

Miracles can deceive. In this era of hardship in the world, many are using magic and sorcery to deceive many that are desperate for a solution, and the feebleminded. Although miracles can help us believe, and shows proofs of God’s power, it is dangerous to rely on them alone. Satan can imitate some parts of God’s work and lead people astray. True signs and miracles point us to Jesus Christ, but miracles alone can be deceptive. That is why we must ask with respect to each miracle we see: “is this consistent with what God says in the Bible?”

Throughout the Bible we see miracles performed as proofs of God’s power, love, and authority. But in the Book of Revelation chapter 13, we see counterfeit miracles performed to deceive. The second beast here gains influence through the signs and wonders that he can perform on behalf of the first beast. The second beast orders the people to worship a statue in honor of the first beast—a direct flouting of the second commandment (Exodus 20 vs 4 - 6). Allowing the Bible to guide our faith and practice will keep us from being deceived by false signs, no matter how convincing they appear to be. Any teaching that contradicts God’s Word is false. 

In our contemporary society today, many are being deceived by false prophets with their satanic manipulations of performing miracles. Their targets are the money of such people, and they often succeed in making fortunes from them, while drawing them farther away from Christ. According to Scripture in Revelation, the beast that comes from the earth is identified as the false prophet: “And I saw three unclean frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16 vs 13 - 14.) He is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. He seems to do good, but the purpose of his miracles is to deceive.

Because the beast, the Antichrist, is a false messiah, he will be a counterfeit of Christ and will even stage a false resurrection (Revelation 13 vs 14). People will follow and worship him because they will be awed by his power and miracles (Revelation 13 vs 3 - 4). He will unite the world under his leadership (Revelation 13 vs 7 - 8), and He will control the world economy (Revelation 13 vs 16 - 17). 

People are impressed by power and will follow those who display it forcefully or offer it to their followers. But those who follow the beast will only be fooling themselves: he will use his power to manipulate others, to point to himself, and promote evil plans. God, by contrast, uses His infinitely greater power to love and build up. Don’t be misled by claims of great miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ. When Jesus returns, he will reveal Himself to everyone (Matthew 24 vs 23 - 28).

In the passage we read today, we saw Pharaoh’s magicians, who duplicated Moses’ signs in Egypt. God performed a miracle by turning Aaron’s rod into a serpent, and Pharaoh’s magicians did the same through trickery and sorcery. Their feats involved trickery or illusion, and they used satanic power, since worshiping gods of the underworld was part of their religion. Ironically, whenever they duplicated one of Moses’s plagues, it only made matters worse. If the magicians had been as powerful as God, they would have reversed the plagues, not added to them. 

Although miracles can help us believe, it is dangerous to rely on them alone. Satan can imitate some parts of God’s work and lead people astray. Pharaoh focused on the miracle rather than the message. We can avoid this error by letting the Word of God be the basis of our faith. No miracle from God would endorse any message that is contrary to the teachings of His Word.

The Scripture in Second Thessalonians 2 vs 9 - 10 says, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” The lawless one will use “power, signs, and lying wonders” to deceive and draw a following. Miracles from God can help strengthen our faith and lead people to Christ, but all miracles are not necessarily from God. Christ’s miracles were significant, not just because of their power, but because of their purpose—to help, to heal, and to point us to God. 

The ‘man of sin’ will have power to do amazing things, but his power will be from Satan. He will use this power to destroy and to lead people away from God and toward himself. If any so-called religious personality draws attention only to himself or herself, his or her work is not from God. Be careful and wise!

Prayer: Abba Father, open my eyes of understanding to differentiate between the true prophets and the false prophets, that I may not be led away from You by their false miracles, signs, and wonders, In Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Great Exchange

 The Great Exchange

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed. (Romans 1:16–17)

We need righteousness to be acceptable to God. But we don’t have it. What we have is sin. 

So, God has what we need and don’t deserve — righteousness; and we have what God hates and rejects — sin. What is God’s answer to this situation? 

His answer is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died in our place and bore our condemnation. “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he [God] condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Whose flesh bore the condemnation? His. Whose sins were being condemned? Ours. This is the great exchange. Here it is again in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

God lays our sins on Christ and punishes them in him. And in Christ’s obedient death, God fulfills and vindicates his righteousness and imputes (credits) it to us. Our sin on Christ; his righteousness on us.

We can hardly stress too much that Christ is God’s answer to our greatest problem. It is all owing to Christ. 

You can’t love Christ too much. You can’t think about him too much, or thank him too much, or depend upon him too much. All our forgiveness, all our justification, all our righteousness is in Christ.

This is the gospel — the good news that our sins are laid on Christ and his righteousness is laid on us, and that this great exchange becomes ours not by works but by faith alone. “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Here is the good news that lifts burdens and gives joy and makes strong.

BUILD UP YOURSELF IN THE WORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 28, 2025.

SUBJECT: BUILD UP YOURSELF IN THE WORD! 

Memory verse: "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20 vs 32.)

READ: Second Timothy 3 vs 16 - 17:

3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

3:17: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

INTIMATION:

The Word of God is the means by which God instructs those who seek to be His children. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless he is guided in life by the inspired Word of God. God’s Word is profitable for motivating repentance in one’s life and direction of his behavior. Obedience to the Word of God will deter one from the wrong direction of life. Study of, and meditation, on the Word of God will mold one’s mind for correct thinking and behavior. 

Our conquest is ensured in our building up ourselves in the Word of God by doing all that is required of us in the Word. Today’s memory verse was the apostle Paul’s recommendation to the believers when he was leaving the church at Ephesus. He may never see them again and he commended them to the Father. He turned them over into the hands of love, and he said, ‘I not only do this, but I commend you to the word of His grace.’ The apostle Paul's epistles are the words of His grace, and so the whole New Testament makes up the Book of the Word of the Father's grace.

If the apostle Paul is to be here with us now, he would say, "I want you to study it. I want you to prove yourself capable of doing the Word." There is ability in the Word as you study it to put you over and make you a conqueror. To merely know the Word has no real value in it unless it becomes a part of your life in practicing it. 

As you begin to live the Word, then it becomes a part of your very being—enters into your blood, into your very system. Consequently, the strength and ability of God becomes a part of you, and you would be overwhelmed by ‘the exceeding greatness of His power toward you who believe, according to working of His mighty power.’ (Ephesians 1 vs 19.)

The apostle Paul entrusted the Ephesian elders to the guidance of the revealed Word of God. It would spiritually build them up if they allowed God to work in their lives through the word. If they remained faithful to the Word of God, they would receive the result of their faith which was the salvation of their souls in heaven. God’s people must be entirely dependent on the Word of God for direction. Neither subjective emotional experiences nor traditions should be allowed to be the foundation upon which disciples of Christ base their faith. 

Since the Word of God will be our only standard by which we will be judged, then it is imperative that we direct our lives according to what is written. One must come to the Scriptures with the attitude that within them lies wisdom and answers to all problems of life. With such an attitude toward the Scriptures, one will benefit from his or her study of God’s Word. The fact that the Scriptures are sufficient to guide one to eternal dwelling, implies that one must trust in God’s speaking to him through the revealed Word of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, build me up in Your Word, and give me the wisdom and knowledge of the riches of my inheritance in Jesus Christ that is revealed in Your Word, and the exceeding greatness of Your mighty working power toward those who put their trust in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Children of a Singing God

 Children of a Singing God

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Mark 14:26)

Can you hear Jesus singing?

Was he a bass or a tenor? Was there a down-home twang to his voice? Or was there an unwavering crystal pitch? 

Did he close his eyes and sing to his Father? Or did he look into his disciples’ eyes and smile at their deep camaraderie? 

Did he usually start the song? Or did Peter or James, or maybe Matthew, do it?

Oh, I can hardly wait to hear Jesus sing! I think the planets would be jolted out of orbit if he lifted his native voice in our universe. But we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken; so, Lord, go ahead, do it! Sing!

It could not be otherwise but that Christianity be a singing faith. The founder sang. He learned to sing from his Father. Surely they have been singing together from all eternity. Don’t you think so? Would not infinite eternal happiness in the fellowship of the Trinity sing?

The Bible says the aim of our singing is “to raise sounds of joy” (1 Chronicles 15:16). No one in the universe has more joy than God. He is infinitely joyful. He has rejoiced from eternity in the panorama of his own perfections reflected perfectly in the deity of his Son.

God’s joy is unimaginably powerful. He is God. When he speaks, galaxies come into being. And when he sings for joy, more energy is released than exists in all the matter and motion of the universe. 

If he appointed song for us to release our heart’s delight in him, is this not because he also knows the joy of releasing his own heart’s delight in his own image in his Son by his Spirit in song? We are a singing people because we are the children of a singing God.

OBEDIENCE ENGENDERS GOD’S GLORY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 27, 2025.

SUBJECT: OBEDIENCE ENGENDERS GOD’S GLORY!

Memory verse: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to Him.” (John 14 vs 21.)

READ: Genesis 22 vs 15 - 18:

22:15: Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

22:16: and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—

22:17: in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

22:18: In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

INTIMATION:

When we generally think of obedience, we think of doing what one is instructed to do. For instance, in speaking to our children we may say, "Will you please obey me and do what you are told?" What we mean is, "Please carry out my instructions." Such uses are not far removed from the intended meaning of Scripture, but far enough that the true essence of the word is lost.

Obedience to God is more than submission to authority, and results from believe, trust, and persuasion. Faith is of the heart—you believe in your heart which is invisible to man. While obedience is of the conduct and may be observed. When a man obeys God, He gives the only possible evidence that in his heart he believes God. Of course, it is the persuasion of the truth that results in faith (we believe because we are persuaded that the thing is true).

In the passage we read today, we saw the glory of God upon Abraham because of obedience; in blessing he was so blessed that he was rich in all things; his descendants were so multiplied that the entire earth are his descendants, either through Isaac, or Ishmael, or Midian, or Ephah, or Epher, or Hanoch, or Abida, or Eldaah. The last six were the children of Keturah, Abraham’s last wife he married after the death of Sarah (Genesis 25 vs 1 - 2). And through his seed the whole earth is blessed in the Person of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that His followers show their love for Him by obeying Him. Love is more than lovely words; it is commitment and conduct. God is so delighted in our obedience to Him. Consequently, our obedience occasions the manifestation of Himself to us, and we are assured of the love of the Father. What will be more glorious than this?

The consequences of disobedience is grave. It is likened to rebellion and stubbornness to God. Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve far more than being independent and strong-minded. Scriptures equates them with divination (witchcraft) and idolatry (First Samuel 15 vs 23). Rebellion against God is perhaps the most serious sin of all because as long as a person rebels, he or she closes the door of forgiveness and restoration with God.

God considers our obedience better than our sacrifices and offerings. Christians today always make religious rituals, sacrifices, and offerings; like going to church, taking communion, paying tithes, and so on. God doesn't want these sacrifices and offerings without an attitude of devotion (obedience) to Him. He doesn't have any need of these activities, they have no effect on His status, or nature. 

Sacrifices and offerings are all for our benefits. But benefits from God to us on these activities are only derivable on the platform of raw and complete obedience to God, otherwise they are empty if our reasons for doing them are selfish. The prophet Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (First Samuel 15 vs 22). All we should do is to give God the obedience and lifelong service He desires from us, and He will benefit us as the Scripture says, "You shall eat the good of the land" (Isaiah 1 vs 19). 

Sacrifices and offerings are not bribes to make God overlook our character faults. All God wants is our sincere faith and devotion. The Christian rituals, sacrifices, and offerings are to be outward sign of an inward faith in God. Many today have come to place more faith in the rituals of their religion than in God they worship. God does not take pleasure in your outward expressions if your inward faith is missing (Hosea 6 vs 6). Though religious rituals can help people understand God and nourish their relationship with Him, but they are helpful only if it is carried out with an attitude of love and obedience to God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is an intimate relationship with You in total submission to Your Will. Endue me with the spirit of raw and complete obedience to You , and that my outward expression of devotion to You shall be a reflection of my inward attitude of faith in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

You Were Made for God

 You Were Made for God

“For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.” (1 Samuel 12:22)

The name of God often refers to his reputation, his fame, his renown. This is the way we use the word “name” when we say someone is making a name for himself. Or we sometimes say, that’s a “name” brand. We mean a brand with a big reputation. This is what I think Samuel means in 1 Samuel 12:22 when he says that God made Israel a people “for himself” and that he would not cast Israel off “for his great name’s sake.”

This way of thinking about God’s zeal for his name is confirmed in many other passages. 

For example, in Jeremiah 13:11 God describes Israel as a waistcloth, or belt, with which God chose to highlight his glory, even though there were times when Israel was temporarily unfit. “For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.” Why was Israel chosen and made the garment of God? That it might be a “name, a praise, and a glory.” 

The words “praise” and “glory” in this context tell us that “name” means “fame” or “renown” or “reputation.” God chose Israel so that the people would make a reputation for him. God says in Isaiah 43:21 that Israel is “the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.” 

And when the church came to see itself in the New Testament as the true Israel, Peter described God’s purpose for us like this: “You are a chosen race . . . that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

In other words, Israel and the church are chosen by God to make a name for him in the world. This is why we pray first and foremost, “Hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). This is why we pray, “Lead us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake” (see Psalm 23:3).

When we speak of being a God-centered people, remember, this is because we are joining God in his God-centeredness. And on this side of the cross, that means being a Christ-dependent, Christ-exalting people. “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake” (1 John 2:12). “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

FEED YOUR MIND WITH GOOD THINGS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 26, 2025.

SUBJECT : FEED YOUR MIND WITH GOOD THINGS!

Memory verse: "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." (Philippians 4 vs 8.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 5 - 8:

2:5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 

2:6: who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 

2:7: but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 

2:8: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross.

INTIMATION:

The mind is the seat of reflection, consciousness, comprising the faculties of perception, understanding, feeling, judging and determining. The activities of the mind, therefore, is usually expressed outwardly, and determines our attitudes. Our attitudes color our whole personality. Essentially, what we feed our minds is absolutely very important, just as important as what we feed our bodies to be good and healthy. The secret to a happy heart is filling our minds with thoughts that are true, lovely, and pure; thoughts that dwell on the good things of life. And the secret of a spiritually healthy life—the Christlike life—is to be spiritually minded; filling our minds with things that heavenly and eternal.

What we put into our mind determines what comes out in our words and actions. The apostle Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, noble, right, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Always examine what you are putting into your mind through television, internet, books, conversations, movies, and magazines. The kinds of books we read, the people we talk with, the music we listen to, and the films we watch are all part of our mental diet. 

Be discerning because what you feed your mind influences your total health and spiritual well-being. Be careful to replace harmful inputs with wholesome materials. Above all, read God's Word and pray. Ask God to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure. It takes practice to effect perfection, and know it can be done. 

Do you have problems with impure thoughts and daydreams? The Bible gives an antidote to this problem—renewal of your mind: “And do not be conformed to this world,  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God.” (Romans 12 vs 2.) God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for His children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey Him. 

We live in a corrupt world with behavior and customs that are usually selfish and often corrupting. The worldly behavior should be off-limits for ever child of God. Our refusal to conform to this world’s values, however, must be even deeper than just behavior and customs; it must be firmly planted in our mind: 

It is possible to avoid most worldly customs and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn, and arrogant. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, re-educates, and redirects  our mind are we truly transformed. Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. The transformed mind helps us face the struggles of daily living, being completely focused on God. It is noteworthy that we cannot always choose what happens to us, but we can choose our attitude toward each situation. 

Prayer: Abba Father, renew my mind to be in union with the mind of Christ, and not in conformity with the world’s standards, that I may do Your Will at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!